05

____

"RISE AND SHINE, Mavin!"

"Close the goddamn curtains!"

Strong sunlight breaks through my window and my eyes stung. Mabilis akong nagtalukbong ng unan saka nagbalot ng kumot pero hinila 'yon ni Amethyst.

"What the—"

"Gising na nga sabi," Amy says, "kasi Sabado ngayon. I thought you promised me you'll watch Game of Thrones with me?"

"It's 7 AM, Amethyst Cambray!"

"And the series starts at 7:30 so wake the hell up already!"

I groggily woke up and sat beside her on the couch, eating popcorn. We were both in our pajamas and surprisingly, I enjoyed the series although it isn't my cup of tea. I spaced out half the time though. I couldn't focus. She was way too close to me.

It has been like this every time. Sa tuwing gagawin niya ang Calculus assignment ko, manghihingi siya sa akin ng pabor. Just the little things . . . like a bag of potato chips, new pillowcases, watch a series with her, and such.

Sometimes, she says she misses her friends and can't wait to see them again. Sometimes whenever we watch something, she'd point at the TV screen and say the character reminds her of a friend.

Naaalala ko pa rin kung paano siya sa akin umiyak no'ng gabing 'yon, but at the same time, she doesn't want to rush me, so here we are now.

Last week, Amethyst and I got into a fight because I found out that she left the house while I was at work. I thought we talked about it and there she was, putting us on danger.

"Amethyst," I said calmly. I was massaging my scalp. "You shouldn't have left this house."

"I . . . I was trying to help—"

"You've got a funny way of helping, Amethyst."

"K-Kasi naman!" she said. "I told you numerous times already. Hindi ako nag-bus, nilakad ko 'yung library, and I went out your house through the window on the back and nobody saw me! P-Plus suot ko 'yung hoodie mo and nobody looked at my face!"

"E paano kung may nangyari?" I asked. "Paano kung nasagasaan ka, nahulog, they saw your body and realized that the hoodie you were wearing was mine — do you, honestly, think that would be help?"

Of course I worried about what could've happened to her but it would be weird to say that. I just said something that would prove a point.

"But that didn't happen, did it?" sabi niya. "Saka hindi naman na ako bata—"

"That's not the point," I said. "We're both in this together and you're not supposed to act on your own. Don't be stupid." I closed my eyes tight and breathed deep. "Damn, Amy."

She teared up. Funny, her image of her eyes tearful almost did not put me to sleep.

"I'm sorry, Mavin," she said. Right there, she made a promise that she will never leave the house again.

That day, she went outside so she could investigate on her own. Bakit pa niya ginawa 'yun kung nandito naman ako? Now I'm starting to think that she lied and did something else. I didn't bother asking.

Around late afternoon when Amy fell asleep while watching, I just left her sleeping and went out the house.

Nasa loob na ako ngayon ng bus at nakatingin lang sa mga nadaraanan. I'm gonna go visit the hardware shop her father owned. I didn't mind the mothers' chit chat about their lazy husbands behind me, or the bus's engine machine growling below my feet.

"Tell them you're an intern journalist from out of town and you need an interview about my father's death. That should be okay."

Bumaba na ako sa bus stop. I walked across the street to look for the hardware shop Mr. Cambray once handled, and went in.

The wind chimes made a soft sound as I opened the door, and the smell of rust, metal and wood came greeting my nose. It was an unfamiliar but quite a nice smell, if you ask me.

"Hi," I said. Pinigilan ko ang sariling 'wag manginig ang boses.

"Ano'ng maitutulong namin sa 'yo?" the woman asks me, not looking at my eyes. Nagliliha siya ng itak.

"I-Isa akong intern journalist mula sa . . . s-sa Colleville town," I lied. "And—"

Agad napatingin sa akin ang babae habang nakakunot ang noo. She's got a second chin and her lips are orange. Her breasts are big and are almost popping out of her uniform, as if she wore a size smaller than she needs.

"Colleville town? Seryoso?"

"Y-Yeah, see, I . . . I travelled quite far," I lied. "The news of a burning house on, uh, the Kaylock road reached our town and my boss — she wants me to investigate about the victims."

"Not even the police came by here," sabi niya. "The police here are kinda lazy." Umikot ang mga mata niya. Kunwari tumawa ako.

I pretended to open a notebook from my bag and a pen. "If I may ask some questions . . ."

Nilapag niya ang liha saka ngumiti nang malapad. "Asus, oo naman! Pipicture-an mo rin ako, 'di ba?"

Crap. "Well, Miss, um . . . actually partners kaming pinadala rito ng boss namin," sabi ko. "I just came earlier, so . . . mamaya ka na namin kukuhanan ng litrato."

"Too bad." The woman pouts. "Anyway. I'm Penny Hughes."

Nginitian ko siya saka nagkunwaring sinulat ko ang pangalan niya.

"So, uh, I heard Gary Cambray works here?"

"Yes! Sobrang sipag," she said and grins at me.

"How are you related to him?" tanong ko. Geez, am I asking the correct questions?

"Eh," she said and shrugged. "We're not really close."

I guess there's no reason to ask her questions that are for the suspected people.

I nodded. "May napansin po ba kayong may kaaway po siya?"

"Hmm," sabi niya. "You see, Gary is . . . basta. Sobrang tahimik. He's got tattoos, he's got this very deep voice!" She looks at the skies dreamily and I tried to hide my grimace. "Pero, dunno. Maybe intimidating is all that he is. I've never heard him yell at all."

"I see . . . how about women?"

Penny Hughes laughed as if I just joked.

"Are you kidding?! He's got many!"

Napatigil ako at nababa ko ang notebook saka pen na hawak ko.

Napalunok ako saka napaisip.

"Yu-hoo?" Penny suddenly said.

"Huh?" I blinked back to my senses. She was staring at me. "Y-Yeah. So, women? Do you think these women have anything to do with the fire?"

"Hmm. Gary had many women before, but there's this one who constantly visits him at 8 or 9 in the evening."

Napakunot ang noo ko. "A-And?"

"And . . . ayun." She shrugged. "The woman doesn't seem weird. We even talked a few times."

"Vin?"

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at napatingin kay Cinna na pumasok ng hardware shop. My heart ran like hell. I gasped and made a subtle sign to Cinna to shut up.

"Okay, t-t-thanks, Ms. Hughes! I'll come by again, thanks."

"You're welcome little journalist!" she said with a wide smile as I turned around.

"Little journ—"

Kinalabit ko siya sa blind spot ni Penny. Cinna must have understood and went out the shop as well. Huminga ako nang malalim pagkalabas ko saka tiningnan si Cinna.

"Vin?" she said again. "Little journalist? What was that?"

Hindi ko alam kung anong sasabihin. I'm in panic. I gulped.

"Cinna, I—"

Napakunot lang ang noo niya pero mukhang natatawa.

"I'm in love with Amethyst."

—

Fuck.

I'm fucking doomed.

Cinna Wright, the girl I've been crushing for almost a year, believes that I'm in love with her dead best friend.

"Okay. Hindi ako makapaniwala." She sips from her coffee. People came in the coffee shop and the door chimes made a sound. My back is straightened, I'm breathing deep, my palms are on the wooden table and I'm looking out the road. People of the town are scattered across the roads like busy ants, but their noises are blocked by this peaceful coffee shop.

"You're in love with Amy like Pierre is."

"I didn't mean to," I said. "Please don't tell anyone."

"C'mon Vin. Siyempre 'no. I keep secrets well." She laughed and shook her head. "Grabe, I can't believe it. I never thought na . . . you know. You're into love."

I bit my lip and laughed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Dunno. Nakita ko lang sa 'yo," sabi niya.

"Are you?"

I blinked. She blushed again.

"Ha?"

"I-Into . . ."

Napakurap-kurap siya at napasandal ako sa upuan ko dahil pulang-pula siya. That feels awesome; I'm making her blush.

"Shut up, coffee shop boy," she said and laughed. I frowned for a bit because that's what Amy called me too, but I didn't have time to process that because she spoke again. "Ewan. Maybe. Hey . . . that still doesn't explain why you were at her father's shop."

"Oh," I said. I sighed.

Napatingin ako ulit sa labas pero ramdam ko pa ring nakatingin sa akin si Cinna. Should I trust her? After all, Cinna is Amy's best friend. They're always together. Palagay ko mas malungkot pa si Cinna sa kahit kaninong naninirahan sa Ashmore, and maybe she deserves to know.

But I can't tell her unless Amethyst says so. If I can't tell her now, might as well tell her what I — that Amethyst and I are doing.

I leaned in across the table and whispered.

"I want to know who killed her and her family."

Her eyes widened.

Suddenly, nanahimik si Cinna. Nakita kong napahigpit ang hawak niya sa coffee cup. Her chest heaved and she looked out the window.

Bumigat ang hangin sa pagitan naming dalawa. I looked at my fingers wrapped around a cup of capuccino, beads of water moisting on its body. After a few minutes of awkward quietness, she told me she forgot that she's about to do 'something important' and left the coffee shop.

I stared at the door she left for a few minutes and left myself.

—

"WHERE'VE YOU BEEN?" Amethyst asked

"At your father's shop."

Agad siyang napatayo mula sa couch, dahilan para mahulog 'yung bowl ng cookies sa sahig. I glared at it. She spoke as she picks everything from the ground. "A-And? May nalaman ka ba?"

I opened my mouth, but then closed it. I remembered my conversation with Penny. The fact that her father's had many women before. Hindi ko alam kung kaya ko 'tong sabihin kay Amethyst. Would this break her heart? I'm not really good at reading people but I can sense that Penny was telling the truth. For her I was an intern journalist and I'm a stranger and there's no reason for her to lie to me, unless she's a complete doof of an adult, which she is clearly not according to the shade of her lipstick, bold and bright.

"N-Nothing," sabi ko. "Penny Hughes. You know her?"

"Yes!" Amy squealed.

"I told you for the nth time, you shouldn't raise your voice."

"S-Sorry."

"Sabi ni Penny tahimik daw ang Papa mo," I said. "I couldn't get anything out of her."

"Even like, friends, enemies, where does he usually go to after work?"

I shook my head.

Napabuntunghininga si Amy saka humiga sa bean bag ko. It's newly washed.

"Next stop, then . . . the Ashmore post-office."

Nakatingala lang siya sa kisame nang sinabi niya 'yon. I took off my shoes and put them on the shoe rack before slumping myself down on my couch. Tumingin ako sa buhok ni Amethyst na nakalaylay sa sahig. She's lying down the bean bag that lets her hair fall down the floor. It's brownish, even without the light of the sun.

"Amethyst," sabi ko. "I haven't told you this yet."

"What?" she asked.

"Your best friend, Cinna."

Napatayo siya saka tumingin sa 'kin. "What about her?"

"I like her."

Amy and I looked at each other for a few minutes before she laughed. "Seryoso ka ba?"

"Magkatrabaho nga kami sa coffee shop, e," sabi ko. "I think she's really nice, you know."

Tahimik lang si Amethyst. Now I feel awkward. . . maybe I shouldn't have told her.

"Wow."

"W-Wow what?"

"Wala lang . . . wow." Tumayo siya mula sa bean bag saka tumabi sa 'kin. "Had I been alive, siguro nilakad na kita do'n."

I laughed and flicked her forehead. "No thanks, Amethyst Cambray. Baka palayuin mo lang sa 'kin lalo si Cinna."

"Sobra ka."

She laughed. Then we're quiet again.

"Hey, Amy . . ." I said. "Do you miss her?"

I shouldn't have asked. She's already crying.

"G-Gusto mo bang sabihin natin kay Cinna na . . ."

"No," she sternly said and held my arm. "You are not going to do that, Mavin."

Napatahimik na lang ako saka tumingin sa braso ko kung saan siya nakakapit. I softly held her hand and laughed. "Nagbibiro lang ako," I lied.

"I trust you with my life, Mavin," sabi niya sa akin. "Promise me you're not going to tell anyone."

"O-Of course."

We slept around AM after watching GOT and eating cold ice creams. At my bed, staring at my ceiling, I think back again to everything that happened today.

I can't tell Amy what Penny just told me. She trusts her father so much, and she's broken now, I shouldn't break her further. I am going to investigate even more to the death of Amethyst's family, whatever it takes.

Even if I'm alone. I don't have to tell everything to her. She will never know.

—