"WHAT now?" He greeted Anais with his eyebrows furrowing. "Will you stop pestering me?"

"I'm sorry. I just want to see you."

"I'm not your brother." Matalim niya itong tinitigan. Anais kept on coming back because of his face. She wanted to see his face out of longing for his brother. Kitang-kita niya sa emosyon nito ang pangungulila. At kahit sinabi na niya kung sino siya, may parte pa rin sa babaeng humihiling na siya si Adamas Laurien.

"I'm sorry." Napayuko ito. "I just . . . Can I touch your face?"

"No."

Bumagsak ang balikat nito. "I see."

Pinagmasdan niya ang emosyon nito na hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin nagbabago. "How can your brother be a murderer? He can't be me. And besides, aren't you worried about your family members that I killed?" He stepped towards her. Squinting his eyes, he stared intently at the color of her emotion. "When I told you I killed them, you seem not to care."

Natigilan ito sa kaniyang sinabi. Inangat nito ang tingin at bakas sa mukha nito ang kaba.

"You're not afraid of me nor find pleasure in the murder I did. I suppose you just don't feel any pity towards your family, is that it?" He tilted his head. "You're not even guilty of not telling the authority that the murderer is talking in front of you right now."

Unlike Logan and Gon who easily quiver every time he spills anything about his murders, Anais remained calm. She wasn't happy nor guilty. Her emotion seemed like a neutral line, unwilling to curve for fear over her family's life.

She looked away. "It's hard to care for them. I barely know them as a sibling and a parent."

"I see. You hate them." Hinawakan niya ang pulso nito at hinila papasok.

Nagulat ito sa kaniyang ginawa. "What are you doing?"

"Since you're here, we might as well talk. I'll lie if I say I don't have things I want to ask you." Pinaupo niya ito sa sofa.

When he went back after he used the gift's extent, he found out what life his Noa lived, however, one more question had been added to his curiosity. And he promised himself to know more about it.

He didn't want to involve anyone and he wanted to do it alone. But since Anais kept on bugging him, he might as well get some information from her.

Umupo siya sa couch. Pinasadahan niya ng tingin ang babae bago ulit magsalita. "I want to ask you about Adamas."

After witnessing the memories, he was still confused. Hindi niya nakita lahat. Ang mga memoryang naranasan niya ay ang mga memorya lang na kayang abutin ng kaniyang gift base sa mga imahe. Hindi niya nagawang makita lahat lalo na ang pagkamatay ni Adamas. It was so sudden. And just like what his Noa felt on the day they announced his death, he was also troubled.

"What was the cause of his death again?"

"It's Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy," malungkot nitong sabi. "It was his third episode. It's actually reversible and he could've survived if he was given immediate treatment. Pero huli na bago pa siya makarating sa hospital."

"Why does he have that?"

"Well . . ." Napayuko si Anais. "No'ng bata pa si Adamas, mahina na talaga siya. He has severe asthma kaya pabalik-balik kami sa hospital sa tuwing inaatake siya. He doesn't have Takotsubo, but he was diagnosed after Dad keep on beating him."

He squinted his eyes. "He was abused?"

Tumango si Anais.

"How about you? Sinasaktan din ba kayo?"

"No. It w-was only Adamas."

"And why is that?"

"Because he's not his child." She sighed. "Anak sa labas si Adamas."

Bahagya siyang nagulat. Hindi niya ito inasahan. "I see. Now that I think about it, he looks different from all of you."

Adamas' facials were too different from his siblings. Kaya rin siguro mabait ito dahil hindi nagmana sa ina at ama ng masama ang ugali.

"Mom and Dad had a fallout after she bore Asnael. Akala namin maghihiwalay na sila pero nagkabalikan din. But in those times that they were away, Mom cheated on him with her first love." Muling bumuntonghininga ang babae. "Mom only married Dad because of money. What she truly loves was his first love. Umeksena lang talaga si Dad at dahil hayok si Mom pagdating sa kayamanan, she married him."

"I see. So she's worthless all throughout. I'm happy that Adamas didn't take her personality."

Bahagya namang natawa si Anais. "Well, I could say, sa aming anim, kay Adamas lang talaga may paki si Mom. Kaya rin sobrang higpit niya because she doesn't want him to be beaten by Dad again. She wants Adamas to be perfect and be the best child out of all of us."

"But she beat him up too."

"Yeah. That's her problem, she sucks at parenting. I was also a terrible sister. I wasn't able to help Adamas when he was still a kid. I was afraid I'll be hated too." Bumakat ang emosyon nitong puno ng pagsisisi. "I was too focused on my place in that family before that I tried to be nonchalant about Adamas' bruises. I did no good to him, but when my 15th birthday came, I almost got into an accident if it wasn't for Adamas. I was trying to get a cat on the road tapos hindi ko napansin na may sasakyan pala na papalapit sa akin. Akala ko mamatay na ako n'yon but Adamas saved me."

Anais paused for a moment when a tear fell from her eyes. She immediately wiped it. "He never hesitates in saving me. And that's when I realized, I was too selfish. Adamas has done nothing terrible to the family. He doesn't deserve to be beaten up, and as a sister, I should've helped him. I was so terrible for letting him suffer at the hands of my father. So after that day, I never stopped checking on him. I always make sure that he is doing okay, and that he is not getting more bruises from my asshole of a father. I want him to do what he loves. I want him to be free from this suffocating family. But still, in the end, I . . ." Napatakip ito sa mukha. Hindi na nito napigilang humagulgol. Hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin nito matanggap ang pagkamatay ng kapatid. "I wasn't able to rescue him . . . ."

Adamas didn't respond and remained silent. Hinayaan niya itong umiyak habang iniisip ang mga kinuwento ng babae sa kaniya. How could he die of Takotsubo just because he was happy? He was having a good time with his author, so how come he suddenly got an attack?

"Who brought him to the hospital?"

"Huh?" Napaangat ang tingin nito. Pinahid nito ang mga luha. "I'm not sure, but when I reached the hospital, n-nandoon na sina Azure, Asnael at Azaliah." Natigilan naman ang babae dahil sa mismong sinabi. Mukhang may bigla itong naisip.

At ganoon din siya.

"Have you seen Adamas' dead body?"

Umiling si Anais. "No. The doctor prevented me from seeing him. Sabi nito saka na raw kapag dumating na ang parents namin. Ilang beses akong nakiusap pero ayaw talagang pumayag. Wala akong nagawa kundi ang maghintay. But when Mom and Dad came, they already put Adamas in the cremation chamber. And after three days, they put the cremated body in the columbarium."

"That is suspicious, human. But wait . . . columbarium?" He crossed his legs. Biglang nagpakita sa isip niya ang isang memorya kung saan dinalaw ni Noa si Adamas sa sementeryo. "Are you sure he was put in the columbarium?"

Tumango ito. "At first, yes. But I took his remains and buried them in a cemetery."

"Why?"

"Mom won't let Noa in the columbarium. I want to help her, so I stole his remains and put a fake one."

"Hmm. I see." He nodded. "Anyway, haven't you wondered about that? Why are they so in a hurry in burying him?"

"I wasn't able to think it through. Masiyado akong nag-focus sa pagkawala niya. And naging abala rin ako kay Noa no'n. I was worried about her the most. Alam kong siya ang pinakadurog sa aming lahat no'ng mawala si Adamas."

"I am not feeling at ease about what you have told me. There's something wrong. I don't believe it was because of my Noa that Adamas got an attack. He was happy," he said while thinking of Adamas Laurien. That soft-looking face--which he had--would never die just because of the person who caused his smile.

Lalo pang hindi mapakali ang pakiramdam niya nang malamang sina Azure, Asnael at Azaliah ang nauna sa hospital. Why would they get their first when they don't even care about their little brother?

Unless they were the ones who brought him.

He crossed his arms. "Your worthless siblings must have been the last people Adamas met."

Napatingin ito sa kaniya matapos niya iyong binitiwan.

Sinalubong niya ang tingin nito. "I have a strong feeling that Adamas' death has got to do with them, especially that damn Azure. He envies your little brother so much because he can't have my Noa for himself."

"What?" Nabitiwan ni Anais ang bag nito dahil sa gulat. Mukhang wala itong ideya sa pinaggagagawa ng kapatid. Ilang sandali pa, napahawak ito sa noo. "Why didn't I realize it? Kaya pala tinulak niya si Noa sa hagdan."

"I will push him to death too. But before that . . ." Pinagmasdan niya ang kaniyang progress bar na nasa harap. It was seventy-five percent. "Do you know the doctor who pronounced his death?"

Tumango si Anais.

"Good. Bring me to him or you can just give me a picture and I'll find him myself."

"I could take you to him right now." Kinuha nito ang bag. "Hindi na rin ako mapakali. I haven't thought about opening up about my little brother's death, but now that you've told me about Azure, I can't help but think they might have done something."

Napangiti naman siya. Kita niya ang pagbabago ng emosyon nito. Anais only care for one person, and that was his little brother.

Tumayo siya at naglakad papalapit sa babae. He patted her head while still wearing a smile. "You are a good human. I will not forget you too when I go home."

Natigilan naman ito. "Are you going somewhere?"

"As I said, I am not from this dimension. I am not real. And my time is almost up. So I have to accomplish everything before I go back." He glanced at his progress bar again before looking at Anais. "Bring me to that doctor now. I want to see that crybaby's medical record."

Anais nodded and stood up. Handa na silang maglakad palabas nang biglang makarinig ng kalabog mula sa kusina.

Dali-dali silang napatakbo papunta roon.

Namilog ang kaniyang mga mata nang makita si Logan na nakahandusay sa sahig at walang malay.

"Logan!"