Epilogue

~RYU~

“Mom, he’s awake!”

Napatingin ako sa direksyon ng boses. I saw the witch peeling some orange and she was giving me deadly glares. I ignored her glares at ilang beses na napakurap. Saka ko lamang napansin ang mga nakakabit na IV sa kamay ko. I’m certain that I’m not at a hospital but it wasn’t my room either.

“Where am I?” tanong ko.

The witch suddenly stood up and rushed towards my side. “Oh my God! Mom he can’t remember a thing!”

I smirked at her at dahan-dahan na bumangon upang maupo. “Stupid, I’m just confuse. I’m not in my room.”

Natawa si Mommy at lumapit sa amin. “How are you doing, baby?” tanong niya at napasimangot si Amber. Well, she always does every time Mom call me and Zy baby.

“Never better,” I replied. “How long I’ve been here?”

Bigla na lamang akong binatukan ni Amber. “You devil! Ano ba ang nakain mo at lumusob ka sa bahay ng lolo mo? Nababaliw ka na ba? Did you even consider how wicked he is? Paano kung pinatay ka nga niya? You know what, I figured out sa kanya ka pala nagmana! Grr! Nakakainis. Look, wala akong pakialam kung anong mangyari sa ’yo but why did you even go to that hell house? Balak mo bang palitan si Rizal doon sa Luneta Park? Nagpapakabayani ka ba? You did it once, and now you’re risking your life again.”

“What are you blabbering there, witch? Come on, give me a break.” Isinandal ko ang likod sa unan at napatingin sa mga pasa ko sa katawan. Naka-cast ang isang braso ko at maging ang isang paa. Napatingin ako sa hawak niyang orange. “Feed me that fruit.”

She made a face. “Ano ka sinuswerte?!”

“You peeled that for me right?” I moved my cast arm. “So feed it to me.”

Tumalikod siya at kinain ang orange. “You wish! I peeled it for myself.”

Mom just laughed before she sat beside me. “Ryu, don’t do it again.”

Huminga lang ako ng malalim at napatingin sa kanya. I don’t know why I did it. It’s suicide, I know but I still did. I also did something stupid as this before. Napatingin ako kay Amber na binabato pa rin ako ng masasamang tingin. Yup, I jumped in front of a bullet for her before and now I did something like that for V. Maybe it’s because I like them and I am willing to do anything for them even if it cost my life.

And it doesn’t matter if they will like me back. Kung hindi man ay hindi ko pinagsisisihan ang ginawa ko. When I looked at Mom, she’s giving me a worried look.

“Ryu, do you know that you almost died? You’ve got six broken ribs, broken arm, broken leg--”

“Mommy, matagal mamatay ang masamang damo kaya huwag kang mag-alala,” singit ni Amber sa usapan at binelatan ako.

“Sorry to worry you, Mom,” nakayukong wika ko. Niyakap niya ako at ilang beses na hinalikan sa noo.

“Don’t make Mom worried again, okay?” she asked and I nodded. “Good. By the way, your grandpa’s gone.”

Hindi ako sumagot at niyakap lang ulit si Mommy. I know she’s still sad. Kahit gaano pa kasama ni Homer, he’s still her dad at hindi iyon magbabago. “Sorry, Mom.”

“No, baby it’s okay. Anyway, you should recover soon. Hindi ko kayang makita kang ganito.”

I smirked. “Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll recover soon. Magbabayad pa sa akin ang mga walanghiyang PSG na ‘yon. Gagawin ko rin sa kanila ang ginawa nila--”

“Devil!” the witch snapped. She didn’t like hearing violence kaya napangiwi na rin si Mommy sa akin.

“Alright, maybe I’ll just electrocute them like what they did to me.”

Mom gave me a meaningful smile. “So I’m not seeing a grandchild from you?”

“Mom!” bulalas ko.

“What? Sabi nila nakakabaog--”

“Mom,” wika ko sa nagbabantang boses.

“Just kidding, baby,” she replied with a laugh at hinalikan ang ulo ko. “You should rest now and recover fast.”

“Okay, I will.”

~AMBER~

Kung nakakamatay lang ang tingin, e ‘di sana hindi na nagising pa si Ryu. The devil did a stunt again making everyone worried especially Mom. Hello? Alam naman niya kung gaano mag-alala si Mommy pero pinag-aalala pa rin niya. Tsk.

Tatlong araw na siyang walang malay habang nagre-recover ang katawan iya. The doctor said that he’s fine and he just needed some time to rest. Kakagising lang niya and he’s still throwing smirk at me gayong puro pasa ang buong mukha at katawan niya.

Napatingin ako sa cellphone ko nang maramdamang nag-vibrate iyon. An unknown number. After few seconds of hesitation, I left the room to answer the call.

“Hello?”

“Amber.”

“Victoria! Where are you!?” bulalas ko nang makilala ang boses niya mula sa kabilang linya. Matapos ang gabing iyon ay hindi na siya bumalik sa bahay ko at wala akong balita sa kanya. I only heard about Homer’s death from Mom pero hindi ko pa rin sigurado kung naka-survive ba siya and luckily, she did.

“I’m going home.”

I sighed when I hear the relief in her voice. Hindi ko alam ang ibig sabihin ng ‘I’m home’ niya but I know she’s feeling better now base sa timbre ng boses niya. “Saan? Pupuntahan kita.”

“Hindi na, nasa airport ako.”

I scowled. “Don’t tell me you’re up to something again?! Victoria, wala kang mananakaw sa airport, maliban sa mga eroplano kung kaya mo.”

She laughed even if I am not joking. I’m not joking, okay?

“Amber, salamat.”

“Wait, I don’t like that tone. Are you going somewhere? You want to know where the loot right? Hahanapin pa natin--”

“Alam ko kung nasaan,” putol niya sa sabihin ko. “Nasa Bridle High.”

May narinig akong ingay sa background na tila ba boarding announcement. “You’re really at the airport?!” Hindi ko maiwasang mainis! Wala man lang balita! She’s leaving without saying?! Ganoon ganoon na lang?

“Oo, kasama ko si Uncle Ace.”

My eyes widen. “You mean Sir Arman?!”

“Kung iyon ang gusto mong itawag sa kanya.”

“Say my hi.”

“Hello?” boses iyon ng lalaki at tiyak kong kay Sir Arman. “Hello, Amber! I never think I’ll be able to talk to you again. We really have a connection to each other.”

Napangiti ako nang marinig ang playful niyang boses. “Same here, Sir Arman. I hope to see you soon... and Victoria.”

Narinig ko na ulit ang boarding announcement mula sa background kaya nagpaalam na si Sir Arman. “Okay, how about I’ll let you solve a riddle... Hmm, not really a riddle but a treasure hunt. Find the treasure at Bridle and if you do, I’ll let you come here again in London. You can find the treasure together with Gray and your friends.”

“Seriously?” I asked with a wide eyes!

“You know I’m always serious.”

“I’m in!” excited na bulalas ko. Narinig ko ang tawa niya mula sa kabilang linya at nagpaalam na siya.

“We have to go. Happy treasure hunt!” wika niya bago tuluyang pinatay ang tawag.

***

I was able to drag Gray towards Bridle kahit pa may pasok. Matagal-tagal na rin kaming hindi nakapunta rito and we seldom see Math and Je due to busy schedule. Hindi kami nahirapan na makapasok sa eskwelahan ngunit hindi namin mahanap sina Je. We don’t know their schedules and Gray suggested we should call them but I refused. Hindi sila masusorpresa kapag ganoon.

“Look, Amber. We can save time and effort if you will just call them and tell them we’re here,” naiinis na suhestiyon niya. Argh, kanina pa niya iyon sinasabi at kanina ko pa rin sinasabing hindi nga sila masusopresa kapag ganoon.

“No, I told you that’s lame. Hindi sila masusopresa.”

He frowned. “We’re here to treasure hunt, not to surprise them.”

Napahalukipkip ako at binato siya ng masasamang tingin. “Look, kung ayaw mo e ‘di umuwi ka.” Tinalikuran ko siya at iniwan. I heard him groan in frustration before he ran towards my side. Kinuha niya ang kamay ko at hinawakan iyon. I stopped and looked at our intertwined fingers. “What are you doing?”

He looked away but he didn’t let go of my hand. “Abo, ano sa tingin mo ang ginagawa mo?”

“Just in case you’ll get lost,” paliwanag niya at patuloy na naglakad na hawak pa rin ang kamay ko.

I rolled my eyes. “Just in case you forgot, almost all my school life is spent here in Bridle kaya hindi ako mawawala rito. Ikaw ang transferee.”

Mas hinigpitan pa niya ang pagkakahawak sa kamay ko. “Then, it’ll be just in case I get lost.”

Hindi na ako nagsalita pa at patuloy na lamang na naglakad hanggang sa marating namin ang convenient shed kung saan narinig namin ang pamilyar na boses.

“Grabe, nainis ‘yong roommate ko sa akin kagabi,” boses iyon ni Je.

“Oh, bakit naman?” Math asked.

“Ginising ko kasi siya, sabi ko ‘bro gising, gising oras na’. Gumising naman siya at nagtanong, sabi oras na para?”

“And?”

“Sabi ko oras na para matulog. Ayun nainis HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

I frowned when I heard his unending laughter. Jeremy hasn’t changed at all. Agad namin silang nilapitan at nagulat sila nang makita kami.

“Bestie!!!” he leaped from his chair to run to me with an open arms ngunit naunang dumapo sa mukha niya ang palad ni Gray, preventing him from giving me a tight hug.

“Yow, Puns.”

Napangiwi siya at tinanggal ang palad ni Gray sa mukha. “Hay bumabakod na naman, nakakinis.”

Math gave us hugs and kisses after greeting us. “What brought you here? Hindi ba kayo busy sa school?”

“Amber asked me to come here, anyway one day absence doesn’t kill,” sagot ni Gray sa kanya.

Math made a frown. “I wish I could do the same. Masyado kasi akong busy rito. You see, I’m very much trusted by the management so they gave me a lot of responsibilities and yeah, I satisfactorily meet them. I’m in charge for the student body, school clubs, organizations and others. Not a problem though since I am the best when it comes to time management and I am really efficient in doing my job. Marami rin akong--”

Je moved to my side and whispered. “She’ll end up blabbering about her responsibilities and achievements if we won’t run away. She still doesn’t change.”

Hindi namin pinansin ang hindi pa rin natatapos sa pagsasalitang si Math. “What’s up, Je?”

He pouted and gave me a tight hug. “I missed you, Bestie.”

“We’re here for a treasure hunt, you up for it?” tanong ni Gray sa kanila.

“Treasure hunt?” Math asked. “Sa Bridle?”

“Yup.”

Malawak na ngumiti si Math. “If that’s the case then, I think we’ll see first at the library. I discovered some weird walls there.”

Hindi na kami nagdalawang-isip at agad na pumunta ng library. Math brought us to the end of the library. Dahil sa mga ginawang renovations ay nanibago kami sa buong library, but still it’s my most favorite part of Bridle.

“Look here,” Math said at kinatok ang isang bahagi ng dingding. “It sounds hollow kaya tiyak kong pinto ito. The walls around doesn’t sound like this.” Kinatok niya ang ibang dingding at tama nga siya, it doesn’t sound like the one she’s referring. Ilang beses niya iyong itinulak but to no avail. “Iyon nga lang, no matter how much I tried, it won’t open.”

“Let’s do it together,” suhestiyon ni Gray at nagtulungan kami na itulak ang dingding ngunit ayaw pa rin.

“Alam ko,” Je exclaimed and covered his mouth when he heard the librarian made a hushing sound. Masyadong nae-excite si Je. Tsk. He lowered his voice and looked at us. “What if gaya ng mga palabas ay may bagay na kailangan nating galawin, say for example, a book. Tapos kapag ginalaw iyon ay kusang bubukas ang wall?”

Gray made a face. “Pft, you’re watching so many films, Puns.”

He turned to me like he’s asking if I also think the same and I replied shrugging my shoulders. Napatingin siya kay Math ngunit ganoon pa rin ang sagot na nakuha niya. “Ayaw ninyong maniwala sa akin? Bahala kayo!”

He sulked on the side and leaned on the hard wall ngunit nagulat na lamang kami nang gumalaw iyon. He was too shocked to move kaya hindi kaagad siya nakapag-balance and he ended up tumbling on the floor!

“Oh my God, so the door is the wall that doesn’t sound hollow!” Math said as she helped Je stand up from the floor. Muling sumara ang dingding kaya naging madilim ang paligid. We open our phones’ flashlight habang ini-explore ang kabuoan ng secret passage.

I was expecting a literal treasure like chest full of jewels, gold coins at kung anu-ano pa but I haven’t found any of those maliban sa isang malaking itim na libro sa harap ng mesa.

Lumapit si Gray doon at tiningnan ang libro. “It’s the Black Diamond’s Manifesto!”

Namangha kami habang tinitingnan ang bawat pahina ng manifesto. It contains what the Black Diamond wanted. Their goals, policies for each members and objectives. Gusto nilang magtayo ng mga orphanage na sasagip sa mga batang lansangan at iba pang mga foundation.

“So they steal and 70% of their loot goes to their objective which is to help build a better world,” narinig kong sabi ni Math. “Not bad.”

“They want to build charities, child houses, foundations, orphanage and even schools,” dagdag ni Je.

“We’ll that explains Sir Arman’s charities and foundations. Kaya pala napakayaman niya at piniling tumulong.” Gray tapped the manifesto. “So the treasure is this book?”

I walked towards the wall at itinapat ang ilaw sa napakaraming larawan na nasa dingding. “No, the treasures are the smiles of the children.” Napangiti ako nang makita ang mga larawan sa bawat charity works na dinadaluhan ni Sir Arman. Punong-puno ang dingding ng mga larawan ng mga bata na kahit mukhang may sakit ay nakangiti pa rin. Some photos were taken from child houses, orphanage and even hospitals. Kasama rin nila si Sir Arman sa mga larawan. Some photos were younger version of him hanggang sa medyo tumanda na siya. “Their bright smiles are the treasure.”

Now we fully understand what the Black Diamond wanted.

#

END OF CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

A/N: (basahin ninyo 'to, pag di ninyo binasa hindi ka magiging crush ng crush mo)

Hello! Congratulations for finishing CMIYC! It was a looooong writing journey (tagal kase ng updates HAHAHA)

Satisfied ako sa ending kaya sana kayo rin hihi. I know some are feeling unjustified sa ending na sinulat ko HAHA sorry but si Ryu ang patunay na porket gwapo ka, mayaman, matalino at lahat, hindi mo pa rin makukuha ang gusto mo LOL. Yup, he likes Amber [magbunyi RYUMBER shipper] but we all know they're not meant to be. He likes Victoria, and V may likes him too... as a friend HAHAHAHAHA jk

Thank youuuu for being without all throughout CMIYC journey!

You can read my other stories:

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE (Completed)
sci-fi 'to guys and highly recommended

RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN
(RFYL book 2) highly recommended part 2

AS YOU LIE AWAKE
fantasy/fallen angel
kasama to sa Beta  program so some chapters are locked kaya wag 'nyo na lang basahin kung sasabihan 'nyo lang ako ng "selfish", "mukhang pera", "walang kwenta" etc. okeh??? hintayin niyo na lang na matapos ang program para libre ulet okeh again????

SCARLET MIDNIGHT
vampire 'to guys at on-going pa

FLORENCE AND LAURY
Teen fiction
sisimulan ko na 'to since tapos na ang CMIYC

So ayun...

Thank you ulet. Labyu❤

Love lots,
Tammii/ShinichiLaaaabs