Chapter 19: Maria Cacao

It was almost midnight when the case was solved. The person responsible for the murder already asked forgiveness after I exposed his crime. Matapos iyon ay humiram ng cellphone si Ryu sa isa sa kanila at may tinawagan. Nagpaalam na rin siya sa mga taong natitira doon.

"Wait. We're leaving at this hour? Sigurado ka ba sa sinasabi mo dyan Ryu?", I asked him habang nasa labas kami. Malawak ang mga lupain doon at walang mga kabahayan doon. Ilang saglit lang ay nakarinig ako ng munting tunog mula sa kalangitan. Unti-unti iyong lumalapit sa amin at may ilaw mula doon na humagip sa direksyon namin.

A chopper ?

"Did you just summon the mafia chopper?", I asked him. He gave me a nod bilang sagot and that's when everything in my head boils. "Bakit ngayon mo lang yan naisip? We shouldn't have walked in a hill with snakes or slept in a hut sa baryo ng mga pugante!"

"I told you I hate being followed by the mafia but now I've got no other choice. I just called Mnemosyne and she tracked the GPS of the phone that I used", he said with a smirk. Argh! Nakakainis! Kung dati pa niya itong naisip edi sana ay maayos na kaming nakauwi kahapon pa lamang!

Lumapag malapit sa amin ang chopper at bumaba doon si Mnemosyne. "Hi babe!", nakangiti nitong bati kay Ryu, but the latter just ignored her. Her voice was loud enough for us to hear dahil maingay kasi ang tunog ng sasakyang panghimpapawid. Lumapit siya sa akin at bumeso sa pisngi ko. "Hi Amber!"

I gave her a smile and Ryu dragged me towards the chopper. "Let someone take care of Old man Rionessi's car tomorrow", wika niya at iginiya ako papasok sa chopper. I know he was referring to Mnemosyne kaya hindi na ako nagsalita. Pumasok rin siya at tumabi sa akin while Mnemosyne sat beside the pilot.

"Hi Amber!", nakangiting bati ng piloto and I was surprised to see who it was!

"Red?!"

"Yeah, that's me!", he said at muling pinalipad ang chopper. What the hell? He can fly a chopper?! I thought he's a psychology student and yeah. A reaper.

Nilingon kami ni Mnemosyne. "I know what you are thinking. It's like 'what the hell, Red can fly a chopper?! And yeah, he can. He's been driving flying objects since 15", nakangiting wika nito. Uh, mas lalo yatang ayoko ng malaman pa kung ano ang kayang gawin ng mga reapers.

"And babe—"

"It's Apollo", putol ni Ryu sa kanya.

"Yeah. Apollo. Here's what you're asking for", inabot niya kay Ryu ang isang lumang kahon. "I got that from Scott's old abandoned house."

Binuksan iyon ni Ryu at tumambad sa amin ang larawan ng isang lalaking maputi at mabalbas. In one of the pictures, they were making pots, some were cleaning gold pieces at ang iba naman ay litrato na nasa minahan.

"The young white man is obviously Scott and the other guy is the Russian Ivanovich himself. As of the tattoo in his arm that you sent, those acrylic characters simply means APPRENTICE, tatttoed by Ivanovich", paliwanag ni Mnemosyne.

"Which means that Scott isn't Scorpion?", Ryu asked.

"Yeah."

"What? He suffered in prison for 20 years ngunit hindi naman pala siya ang may kasalanan?", I asked in disbelief.

"He's not the only one who suffered such fate Amber. You're too naive for the cruelties of life. Believe me, there are others who have been to worst. If there's worst than worst, many have been there", seryosong turan ni Ryu.

Mnemosyne snapped her fingers. "Okay, let's cut the drama. And you Ryu, prepare your face for the fists that's gonna land there later. The Vander Boys have been itching to throw punches. Even the reapers didn't mess up with them. They're scary", nakangiting wika niya.

"I'm excited with the raging war with the gods later", nakangiting komento ni Red at sinamaan lamang siya ng tingin ni Ryu.

Vander Boys? Plural? Ibig sabihin ay hindi lamang si Cooler ang naroon? Ilang minuto lamang ay lumanding na ang chopper sa heliport ng mansion. Agad kaming bumaba doon and Mnemosyne held my arms in a friendly way.

"Ryu", tawag ko sa kanya. Nilingon niya ako ngunit hindi siya nagsalita. "It's 1 in the morning and I'm so hungry. We haven't eaten neither lunch nor dinner." Hindi kasi kami kumain ng tanghalian dahil wala na kaming pera at nang maghahapunan na sana kami ay nagkaroon pa ng murder doon.

"I was thinking of it too. Mnemosyne, have the maids prepare foods for us", wika ni Ryu.

"Aye aye Captain", wika ni Mnemosyne at nagpaalam sa amin.

Pagpasok namin sa living room ng mansion ay nakakatakot ang ambiance doon. On the long sofa were the four reapers, Artemis, Hermes, Eros and Hades. Si Ares lamang ang reaper na wala doon. Nasa pang-isahang sofa naman si Cooler at si Gray. Both of them are clenching their fist at sabay ang mga itong nag-angat ng tingin ng tumikhim si Artemis nang makita kami.

"You bastard!", wika ni Gray at lumapit sa amin. Anong ginagawa niya sa Vander Mansion? Naalala ko ng huling sinama ko si Ryu ay sinuntok niya ito ng walang dahilan kaya bago pa man niya maiangat ang kamao ay tumayo na ako sa harap ni Ryu. Natigil ang tangka niyang panununtok ngunit si Cooler naman ang nagsalita.

"You asshole! Who told you to tag Amber along wherever pits of hell you wished to go?!", the cool Cooler seemed to lost his temper.

Bigla na lamang kaming napalingon nang sumipol si Artemis. "Couple shirt."

"What the hell!", bulalas ni Gray nang mapagtuonan ng pansin ang suot naming damit. Nakatayo pa ako sa kanan ni Ryu so our shirt's most corny caption and arrow were pointing on each other.

"Food's ready! And oh,Vander boys, let them eat peacefully because their last meal was breakfast, so you'd better stay here", wika ni Mnemosyne at somehow ay nawala ang awkward na feeling sa paligid. Ryu grabbed my wrist at dinala ako sa dinning room ng mansion, totally ignoring the reaper's 'Mind-explaining-what-happened-kind of look, as well as Gray and Cooler's.

"Explain everything later bastard!", narinig kong wika ni Gray nang papalayo kami.

"Apollo! You have a lot of explaining to do", wika naman ni Cooler.

Pagdating namin sa kusina ay agad naming nilantakan ang mga nakahandang pagkain. God! I'm so hungry! Dahil sa gutom ay nagkamay na kaming dalawa ni Ryu at sunod-sunod ang pagsubo namin. No one dared to speak at panay lamang ang subo.

Mnemosyne was on one chair, watching us carefully. Pinagmamasdan niya ang bawat subo namin. "Kailan pa kayo naging patay-gutom?", she asked and we both scowled at her.

Umakto siya na tila ini-zipper ang bibig at kapagkuway tinulak palapit sa amin ang bandihadong may lamang porkchop.

"Wala akong sinabi. Oh sige kain pa kayo", wika niya at itinuloy na namin ang pagkain.

Matapos kaming kumain ni Ryu ay nakaupo kaming lahat sa sala. The reapers were on the long sofa at nakamasid sa amin. Ryu and I sat on the single sofa samantalang nakatayo naman sa harapan sina Cooler at Gray. Wala ni isa man sa kanila ang ngumiti! Pakiramdam ko tuloy ay nasa hukoman kami ni Ryu at kasalukuyang ginigisa ng mga prosecutor na sina Gray at Cooler while the reapers are those people who attended the trial. What's worse is that kami ni Ryu ang defendant, sariling witness at sariling abogado. At ano ba ang kailangan kong ipaliwanag sa kanila? Wala. Tumayo ako at nagreklamo.

"I'm very tired and sleepy. I'll take advantage of your generosity. Tutal ay pinakain niyo naman ako, can you please lend me a room at nang makapagpahinga ako. May pasok pa ako bukas", wika ko sa kanila. Bumaling ako kay Mnemosyne."And can you lend me some of your spare clothes and undergarments? I badly need one."

"Sure! I have some. I'll send it to your room later, wait. Saang kwarto ka ba?", tanong ni Mnemosyne. Nagulat na lang ako ng hinawakan ako ni Gray sa pulso at hinila.

"She'll be staying on the room intended for me so send it there", wika niya at hinila ako paakyat ng hagdan. Naiwan lamang sina Cooler na hindi nakapagsalita at ang mg reapers na para bang nanunuod ng pelikula.

"Ikaw Gray? Saan ka matutulog?", tanong ni Cooler nang hindi pa kami masyadong nakalalayo.

"Sa kwartong gagamitin ni Amber", sagot ni Gray na ikinakunot ng noo nina Cooler at Ryu.

"What?!", halos magkanapanabay nilang tanong. Nakaupo naman ang mga reapers at tila amused na amused.

"I don't trust anyone of you here, lalo ka na", he said na pinatungkulan si Ryu. "Kung hindi niyo man lamang kami papayagang matulog sa iisang kwarto, we'd better leave." Okay, it's Gray who did all the talking without my consent. What makes him think na sasama ako sa kanya na umalis sa ganitong oras?

"No way!", magkapanabay ulit nilang pagkontra sa sinabi ni Gray. What's wrong with them?! Uso ba ang chorus?

"Great. Then we'll be going", wika ni Gray at muli akong hinila paakyat sa grand staircase ng Vander Mansion.

Pagdating namin sa kwarto na dati ng pinagdalhan ni Cooler sa akin ay agad akong pumasok sa banyo. I cleaned my body at nagbihis sa damit na pinahiram ni Mnemosyne sa akin nang ihatid iyon ng katulong.  Paglabas ko doon ay nakaupo si Gray sa kama at hinihintay ako.

"What happened Amber?", he asked. I took a deep sigh. I'm too tired and sleepy to tell him everything."Fine. We'll talk tomorrow. Can I sleep beside you?"

Malawak naman ang kama at nasasanay na yata ako na may katabing matulog. Kawawa naman si Gray kung sa sofa ko siya patutulugin.

"Yeah sure", tinatamad kong sagot at nahiga sa tabi niya. Tumalikod ako sa kanya at ipinikit ang mata ko.

"Amber?"

I'm too tired to answer pero sinagot ko pa rin siya. "Hmmm?"

"Goodnight", wika niya. Nakapikit pa rin ako kasabay ng pagsilay ng ngiti sa labi ko. His goodnight sounded like a sweet lullaby on my ears.

***

"

Good morning bestfriend!", masiglang bati ni Jeremy sa akin nang dumating ito. Maaga kaming umalis ni Gray sa Vander Mansion kanina at umuwi sa kanya-kanyang dorm upang makapaghanda sa pagpasok. Pagdating ko sa classroom kanina ay mas nauna si Gray sa akin at nakapangalumbaba ito sa mesa.

"Morning too Je and please, drop the bestfriend", sagot ko sa kanya. Bumaling siya kay Gray at ito naman ang binati.

"Good Morning Gray!", bati niya ngunit hindi ito sumagot. Teka, tulog ba ito? Dumating na rin ang iba naming kaklase at si Math. She's staying at the dormitory too pero magkaiba kami ng floor.

"Good morning everyone!", bati niya at lumapit sa akin upang bumeso. Mukhang bahagi na iyon ng daily routine niya. Bumeso sa amin kapag nagkita o kaya ay bago umalis. Nang akmang bebeso siya kay Jeremy ay bigla na lamang nitong pinagkuros ang mga daliri at itinapat iyon kay Math.

"Masamang demonyo! Layuan mo ako!", he said while still forming his fingers into a cross. Grabe naman ito! Anong akala niya kay Math, demonyo?

"Ang arte mo talaga Jeremy Martinez. Baka bakla ka!", she said at lumapit kay Gray. Dahil nakasubsob ang mukha nito ay hindi siya nakabeso dito. "Good morning Gray!"

"No way! Hindi ako bakla, conservative lang talaga ako. You just can't go around Bridle and stealing kisses from people, even their firsts. Diba, Gray?"

"What? That kiss was your first Gray?", tanong ni Math ngunit hindi pa rin ito sumasagot.

Paulit-ulit itong inalog ni Math kaya nagising ito at umayos ng upo. He rubbed his eyes and fixed his messy hair.

"Bakit mukha kang puyat?", tanong ni Jeremy. "Hulaan ko nga. May katabi kang babae kagabi ano?"

I coughed many times nang masabi iyon ni Jeremy! What the fudge! Yes Jeremy! May katabi talaga siyang babae kagabi!

"Yow Gray, bakit namumula ka? Nagbublush ka ba?", tudyo ni Jeremy. "Hala may katabi nga siya!" Natawa ito sa reaksyon ni Gray. Kapagkuway malakas na tinapik niya ang balikat ko. "Hala Amber, may katabing matulog na babae si Gray."

"Awww! Aray Je, dahan-dahan. Masakit ang katawan ko dahil sa nangyari sa amin ni Ryu", wika ko at inalis ang kamay niya ngunit nagulat ako ng nakapamulagat silang tatlo sa akin. Uh, what now?

"Anong nangyari sa inyo ni Ryu?", gulat na tanong ni Gray.

"Bakit masakit ang katawan mo at bakit si Ryu? Bakit hindi ang manok kong si Gray, bestfriend?", tanong naman ni Jeremy.

"Who's Ryu by the way?", tanong naman ni Math. They all have a priceless expression na para bang may ginawa akong immoral.

I gave them a frown. "What are you thinking, perverted minds? Nagkaroon lang naman kami ng 42 hours adventure ni Ryu at kasali na doon ang matulog sa papag na kawayan at banig!", wika ko sa kanila bago bumaling kay Math. "He's Gray's cousin."

Gray and Jeremy sighed on relief. "Akala naman namin ano na. Kinabahan ka ba doon Gray?"

Gray scowled at Jeremy. "Shut up Puns."

"Pinsan? Oh, I see. Maybe you should drink some medicine upang mawala ang mga sakit sa katawan mo", suhestiyon ni Math.

"Oo nga bestfriend Amber. Dapat Alaxan FR", wika ni Jeremy. "Alam ko ang ibig sabihin ng FR." He flashed his silly grin and I knew it. Kapag ganoon ang ngisi nito ay puns ang kasunod niyon.

"What?"

"Nakakawala iyon ng sakit ng katawan diba? Alaxan FR. FR means Fain Reliever! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!", he bursted out laughing again. I knew it, duh.

Math frowned at him. "It's FAST RELEASE, you dummy." Oh yeah, hindi pa siya nakakapag-adjust masyado sa mga puns ni Je.

"Ayy, binago na pala?", he asked at natawa ulit. Oh yeah. Gray and I are used to him.

"You're crazy Jeremy", komento ni Math at pumwesto na sa upuan niya.

"How about I'll give you a quiz", wika ni Jeremy at hinarap si Math. "Genius can answer this, let's see if you can. Gray and bestfriend Amber, just keep your mouth shut."

"Shoot", Math said.

"North, East, West and South. Kung nakaharap sa East ang kalabaw, saan siya nakatalikod?"

"West, of course!", Math answered.

"Mali! Ang sagot ay North. May kalabaw bang nasa pwetan ang likod? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Akala ko ba genius ka?", kantyaw ni Jeremy sa kanya.

"I have an IQ count of —", hindi na natapos ni Math ang sasabihin dahil inilagay ni Jeremy ang isang daliri niya sa labi ni Math kaya napatigil ito.

"Quiet ka na. Nandyan na si Ma'am", he said at tinuro ang guro na nasa harap. Oh! I hate lipstick marks!" Kumuha siya ng tissue mula sa kanyang bag at pinunasan ang daliri na nalagyan ng lipstick ni Math. Hindi na kami muling nag-usap pa dahil nagsimula na ang klase.

Natapos ang umagang klase namin ng maayos at nang sumapit ang ala una ay pinabihis na kami ng PE uniform. 1:00—3:00 lang sana ang PE class namin but Ma'am Saderna traded schedules with our Filipino teacher just for today. Kumbaga magiging 1-5 ang PE namin ngayon samantalang bukas naman ay Filipino lamang buong maghapon. Sinadya iyon ni Ma'am Saderna dahil swimming class namin ngayon. Kailangan pa namin ng water safety orientation bago kami mag-practicum.

Nakahanda na ang mga rash guard namin para sa practicum mamaya. Hinihintay na lamang namin ang speaker para sa water safety orientation sa pool ng Bridle. It was a rectangular shape 25m long and 4.4 ft deep pool.

Nakaupo kami sa mga nakalagay na upuan doon nang mapansin namin ang pananahimik ni Math. Mahina siyang siniko ni Jeremy upang makuha ang atensyon nito.

"Hoooy, Math. Tahimik ka yata. Hindi ako sanay na wala kang binubuhat na bangko mula sa furniture sho— aray", napatigil siya dahil mahinang sinipa siya ni Gray. Hindi pa rin tumitinag si Math bagkus ay napakaseryoso pa rin ng mukha nito.

"Math! Yooohoooooo!", pukaw ulit ni Jeremy. When he waived his hands in front of her ay saka lamang namin nakuha ang kanyang atensyon.

"Sorry. What were you saying?"

"Kako wala ka yatang binubuhat—"

"He's asking why you're mentally absent", wika ni Gray. "Got any problems? Do you have aquaphobia?"

Umiling si Gray. "No, no. Wala. May naalala lang ako kapag nakakakita ako ng tubig."

"Ikwento na yan", Jeremy said at hinarap ang upuan kay Math. "What was it about?"

"It's about the typhoon Sendong that once hit Iligan City last 2011", she said. I've heard about it on the news too.

"Yes. I remember that. I think the death on that two cities, Iligan and Cagayan de Oro were around 1,147 people while a further 1,993 sustained injury", komento ni Gray. I'm not surprised if he remembered it, he got a photographic memory.

"Bakit? Ano pala ang nangyari doon?", Jeremy asked. I was one of the volunteers of Red Cross that time pero hindi ako nakasama sa mission nila sa Mindanao.

"Kilala niyo ba si Maria Cacao ?", Math asked and Jeremy shrugged his shoulders.

"Hindi eh. Baka taga ibang section yan", Jeremy said and Math scowled at her.

"Maria Cacao is not a Bridle student, dummy!", Math said at mahinang binatukan si Jeremy. "Seryoso nga!"

"Hindi ko alam talaga. Si Maria Ozawa lang ang kilala kong Maria", he said and this time ay si Gray na naman ang bumatok sa kanya.

"You Puns! Bakit mo ba yan kilala?", Gray asked in surprise. Ngumiti si Jeremy ng isang pilyong ngiti.

"Kung paano mo siya nakilala ay ganoon din sa akin", he said and Gray scowled at him.

"It's not like that puns —"

"Kunwari ka pa Gray. Normal lang naman yan", natatawang wika ni Jeremy. Math and I were both puzzled. Sino ba kasi si Maria Ozawa?! Ma-search nga sa facebook mamaya.

Panay pa rin ang tudyo ni Jeremy kay Gray kaya ako na ang sumagot kay Math. "You mean the fairy in Philippine mythology? Yung mula sa Mt. Lantoy ng Cebu?"

"Yeah. Ayon sa mga kwento, whenever rains flood the river, or a bridge is wrecked, it's a sign that Maria Cacao and her husband Mangao have traveled down the river in their golden ship to export their crops or traveled up the river on their way back."

"Ano naman ang kinalaman ng kwentong iyan sa bagyong Sendong na tumama sa inyong lugar dati?", tanong ni Gray.

"It's a legend that depicts how long the production of tableya from cacao but there's a contemporary evolution of such myth", Math said.

"Ano naman iyon?"

"It is said that Maria Cacao's boat was a soul-harvesting boat."

"That's creepy but please go on", wika ko. I hate creepy stories but this one is a bit interesting. I heard of such diwata in a folklore before gaya ng kwento ni Maria Makiling at Maria Sinukuan. Fairies in the Philippine folklores are supposed to be good to mankind but this soul-reaping version is somewhat interesting.

"Ano nga kasi ang kinalaman ni Maria Ozawa dun sa Bagyong Sendong sa Iligan?", naiinip na tanong ni Jeremy.

"Maria Cacao nga!"

"Paki mo ba kung gusto ko si Maria Ozawa?", Jeremy said at napa-facepalm na lamang si Gray.

"Sino ba kasi yan? Ise-search ko yan mamaya sa facebook dahil nako-curious na ako sa babaeng iyan", wika ko sa kanila at parehas silang napamulagat ni Gray sa akin.

"NO! DON'T DO IT!", magkapanabay nilang wika. Uh, weird. Bakit kaya? Sino ba kasi si Maria Ozawa? Ex ni Je? Or celebrity crush nila?

"So ganito nga iyon. Sa kasagsagan daw ng bagyo, some residents in Bayug Island, which was almost eradicated by the typhoon, saw this ghost ship." Kwento ni Math.

"Ghost ship?!"

Tumango si Math. "It was a big ship with a modern design. All the windows were closed but the ship was so bright and if you’ll take a closer look, there were spotlights situated on both sides. The ship seemed floating on the ground and river."

"Did you see that ghost ship on your own?", tanong ni Gray.

"No. We were in US that time to have a white christmas", she said and she sounded like she's bragging.

"Baka naman rescue boat", wika ko. Ghost ship? Soul-reaping boat? Pfft. Sinong niloloko nila?

"Akala ng iba rescue boat kasi nga narinig daw nila ang siren so tinawag nila iyon by waving their flashlights but as the boat approaches, the ship vanished right before their eyes! Grabe kasi ang nangyari noon! Ang bilis daw tumaas ng tubig, they just woke up in the middle of the night na halos lagpas tao ang na baha."

The ghost ship story gives me creeps but the fateful tradegy is giving me more creeps! Hindi madali para sa mga tao ang trahedyang iyon!

"May nakuha bang mga kaluluwa si Maria Ozawa? I'm sure mga lalaki iyon kadalas— sumusobra ka na Gray ha!", Jeremy nang bigla ulit siyang binatukan ni Gray.

"Baka mga lumulutang lamang iyon na mga bahay", wika ko.

"Possible but there were some who said about the sightings of a boat with a woman at the helm traveling along the river and offering to pick up people. Nang na-uso ang rumor na iyon, mayroon ding kumakalat na warning for people not to accept invitations to board the boat, because the woman was supposedly Maria Cacao collecting souls for the next world at hindi na daw ito makakabalik pa. Hindi ba maraming mga nawala noong kasagsagan ng bagyo?"

Natahimik kaming tatlo dahil sa sinabi ni Math. Both of us were thinking about that 'ghost ship' and its soul reaping function.

"How about you? What can you say about that speculation?", tanong ni Gray kay Math. Mukha kasing naalala ni Math ang trahedyang iyon ng makita ang pool.

"Well my opinion about it? Though may mga living witnesses to testify about the appearance of the boat and they were adamant about it, I believe that those rumors are spread by people who wanted to convey the message about planting more trees. You see, nakakalbo na kasi kadalasan sa mga bundok doon", Math said with a very sad expression. "Trees are everything. They give us food, shelter, shade, fresh air, lahat. Ang mga wooden furniture ay galing sa kanila, the paper that we are using, they're all from trees. They are sanctuaries for wildlife ngunit ang ilan sa atin at hindi nakikita ang kahalagahan nila. If I'm a tree, I would have no reason to love a human. I would have all the reason to hate them."

I was surprised about her ideals. Maarte lang itong tingnan pero isa pala itong advocate ng pagtatanim ng punong-kahoy. She's concern about the Earth after all. Tinawag ito ni Ma'am Saderna kaya naiwan kami doon nang umalis ito.

"Biruin niyo may ganoon palang side si Maya? If I'm a tree, I would have no reason to love a human. I would have all the reason to hate them", Jeremy said as he tried to immitate Math's voice. "Akala ko pagbubuhat lang ang kaya niyang gawin."

"Cut the prejudice Puns. Masyado ka namang judgmental", Gray said and Jeremy just pouted.

"Oo na. Sorry na. Hindi ko na siya babarahin, isang beses na lang", natatawang sagot nito.

The water safety orientation started at nang matapos iyon ay tinuruan din kami ng mga basic strokes and floats. Kanina ko pa iniiwas ang tingin ko kay Gray. He's wearing a boardshorts at topless ito habang lumalangoy. He was good in swimming at alam na nito ang lahat ng stroke even the butterfly stroke na lahat kami ay nahihirapan. Naunang lumusong ang mga lalaki sa tubig kaya nanuod na muna ang mga babae sa kanila.

"Ang gwapo ni Gray ano?", mahinang wika ni Math at bahagyang humagikhik. Kanina pa ito nakatingin kay Gray mula nang lumusong ito sa tubig.

"H-ha? O-okay lang."

"Kunwari ka pa dyan. In denial kay ka dzai uy! Naibog ka niya ba! Klaro man!", turan nito na ikinakunot ng noo ko. Yeah, there she goes again with her alien langguage.

"Wala akong naintindihan."

"Sabi ko masyado kang in denial eh may gusto ka naman sa kanya. Halata naman!", Math said with a grin. Bigla na lamang akong napatayo mula sa kinauupuan ko.

"WALA NO! WALA AKONG GUSTO SA KANYA!", I shrieked at saka ko lamang napansin na marami na pala ang nakatingin sa amin dahil napalakas ang boses ko. Maging sina Gray at Jeremy na kakaahon lamang ay napatingin sa amin.

"Kanino ka walang gusto Bestfriend Amber?", he asked at bahagyang sinulyapan si Gray. Uh, bestfriend Amber. It was one of the lame endearment that was ever created lalo na at isinigaw niya ito.

"Wala."

I was thankful to Ma'am Saderna when she called the girls' attention upang kami na naman ang lumusong sa pool. God! That was almost a hotseat!

Nagsimula na kaming lumusong sa tubig at tinuruan ng basic strokes at floats gaya ng mga lalaki kanina. Nanatili kami sa tubig ng ilang minuto bago kami pinaahon para sa group performance ng mga itinuro sa amin kanina. Nakaupo si Gray habang nakatulukbong ng kanyang puting tuwalya. Nanginginig din ito sa ginaw dahil nga mas naunang lumusong sa tubig ang mga lalaki.

"Kyaaaaah! Gray! You have super red lips kapag nilalamig ka!", Math exclaimed at napalingon kami kay Gray. She's right. Napakapula ng nanginginig nitong labi. Nagulat na lang kami sa sunod na nangyari.

Math kissed him.

AGAIN.

ON THE LIPS! Shit! Math kissed him on the lips! This is the second time that she did it! Mabilis at panakaw lamang iyon ngunit for pizza and blueberry cheesecake's sake ay halik pa rin iyon! She stole another kiss from him!

"Nakakadalawa ka na Math!", naiinis na wika ni Jeremy! Bakit ba siya naiinis? May gusto ba siya kay Math? Baka naman kay Gray?! Oh no.

"Sorry, I'm not sorry. Napaka-irresistible kasi ng lips niya", she said with a very sexy smile. Kalmutin ko kaya mukha nito? Iwinaksi ko ang isiping iyon at humarap na kay Ma'am Saderna na nasa gitna.

"Alam mo bang hindi pa nakaka-first base ang bestfriend tapos ikaw dalawang home run na?", Jeremy said. Uh, ano ba ang ipinaglalaban nito?!

Napakunot ang noo ni Math at agad na sinalat ang noo ni Gray. Napabahing rin ang huli. "Oh my God Gray, you're hot."

"Syempre, hot kaya kaming mga member ng Detective Triumvirate", pagyayababang ni Jeremy.

"No, it's not like that. He's literally hot", Math said at muli akong napalingon sa kanila at sinalat ang noo ni Gray. Mainit nga ito.

Jeremy raised his hand. "Excuse me Ma'am! May lagnat po yata si Gray. Sobrang init po niya. Maari po ba namin siyang ihatid ni Amber sa infirmary? KAMI ni Amber lang", he said and emphasized the word LANG. Pretty obvious. Ayaw niyang sumama sa amin si Math.

Pumayag si Ma'am Saderna kaya inalalayan ni Jeremy na tumayo si Gray at nakasunod lamang ako sa kanila habang papalabas kami ng pool area. We went to the boy's locker upang makakuha ng mga damit na pamalit ni Gray.

"I don't have clothes here. Nakalimutan ko, I'm sorry", Gray said nang nandoon na kami.

"Fine. You two stay here. Pupunta na lang muna ako ng dorm", Je said at agad na lumabas doon. Naiwan kaming dalawa ni Gray at wala ni isa man ang nagtangkang magsalita sa amin. He was sitting on the chair samantalang nakasandal naman ako sa pinto habang tinitingnan ang mga daliri ko sa paa. Great, this is just so awkward.

Ilang sandali ring namayani ang katahimikan bago iyon binasag ni Gray.

"Amber."

"Hmmmm?" Note to self, wag titingin sa kanya.

"Are you mad at me?"

Oo! Galit ako. Galit na galit ako pero hindi sayo kundi sa sarili ko.
"Galit saan?", patay-malisyang tanong ko.

"About the kiss. It's the second time." Aba! Ayos ka rin ano? Pinaalala mo pa na pangalawa niyo na!

"Oh tapos?"

"Look at me", he said.

"Ayoko nga. Mas magandang tingnan ang paa ko." Oh, what am I saying? Masyado akong halata!

"Look at me Amber", he said again.

"Ayoko nga sabi eh. At saka pake ko ba sa inyo? I don't care if you kissed Math. Wala akong pake Gray. Walang-wala talaga. Nawawala nga yung pake ko, pakihanap nga please." Arrgh. I'm blabbering here and I'm too obvious!

Bigla na lamang siyang tumayo at lumapit sa akin. Dahil nakasandal ako sa pinto ay wala na akong maatrasan. Wala na akong nagawa ng iniharang niya ang dalawang braso sa gilid ko, totally locking me inside. Inilapit niya ang mukha niya sa akin.

"She kissed me. I didn't kiss her. There's a distinction between the two", he said as he looked into my eyes. I can feel his heat on me kahit na parehas kaming basa. I don't know if it is due to his body temperature or what.

"P-parehas l-lang iyon", shit! Hindi nakikiayon ang dila ko sa akin.

"No it's not. The dinstinction lies between the doer of the action. Let me demonstrate how does it differs. The one she did was the 'SHE KISSED ME', ibig sabihin, she did the action and this one", he pulled me waist and gently slammed me against his body. "This is what we call 'I WILL KISS YOU."

Unti-unti niyang inilapit ang mukha sa akin at naramdaman ko na rin ang tila nagbabagang init ng katawan. I slowly closed my eyes when his lips were almost an inch away ngunit ilang saglit ng lumipas ay hindi iyon lumapat.

Dahan-dahan kong iminulat ang nga mata at nakita siyang nakatingin sa akin. I felt my cheeks became red dahil sa hiya. Shit, may papikit-pikit pa akong nalalaman tapos bokya naman pala. Arrrrrgh! Nakakahiya! He was still holding my waist at ganoon pa rin ang posisyon namin.

That was so embarrassing! Baka sabihin pa nito na gusto ko ngang magpahalik! Siya naman kasi eh! May pademo-demo pang nalalaman! I tried to free myself from him ngunit mas hinigpitan pa niya ang paghawak sa akin.

"G-gray...."

"I was waiting for you to sneeze first. Ayokong hindi ulit matuloy ito", wika niya habang nakatingin pa rin sa akin.

"G-gray.……" Dumbass Amber. Of course that's his name. Walang ibang lumalabas sa labi ko kundi ang pangalan niya.

"I don't really know what is this but I like being with you, Amber. And I'd like to keep that up," he said. "I'm in rage whenever you're with Cooler, or Khael and that bastard Ryu."

"G-gray....."

"You have no idea how jealous I am when you're out with that bastard for almost two days. Mabuti na lang may nagsabi sa akin na sumakay ka sa kotse ni Ryu. I was so worried that time up to the point that I don't want another day to pass without me, telling you how I feel about you. And I'm not telling you that I love you, because I don't, oh— I don't know, maybe not yet. Love is a big word to define and I don't want to give a false definition of it because I can't really define it for now. Pero kung ano man ito, it's so much more than just like. And for the past few months I've been trying to figure this out", bahagya siyang natawa.

"I'm a detective yet this case that I'm in is so hard to solve. Madali lamang lutasin para sa akin ang ibang mga mystery but this one? I don't know why can't I give a resolution to this mind-boggling feeling. I want to tell you exactly how I feel but there isn't anything that I can use to describe this."

I can see sincerity on his eyes as he said those words. He smiled gently on me at muling ibinaba ang mukha sa mukha ko.

"If you'll get angry on this, I will say sorry but I'm not gonna  regret doing this", he said as his lips touched mine. Tuluyan na akong napapikit as I felt the warmth of his lips.

The kiss was slow and gentle as his lips moved on mine. I never know that this is how a kiss felt like. I've never been kissed at hindi ko alam na ganito pala ang sensasyong dulot ng isang halik.

It lasted for a while at agad ko siyang naitulak nang tumunog ang doorknob mula sa likuran ko. Humakbang ako palayo sa pintong sinasandalan ko na bumukas at si Jeremy. Nakayuko lang ako nang tuluyan itong pumasok. Good thing we were right behind the door!

"Did something happen?", he asked as he handed the clothes to Gray.

"WALA!", magkapanabay naming wika and Jeremy flashed a naughty grin.

"Okay, WALA. Sabi niyo eh", he said at inalalayang lumabas si Gray. "You change into your clothes Gray doon sa CR bago tayo pumunta sa infirmary at ikaw naman Amber, burahin mo yang labi na bumakas sa labi mo."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at agad na napahawak sa labi ko! Shit! It was too late to realized what I did! Napatawa lamang si Jeremy samantalang halos sumabog na ako dahil sa hiya.

"It's okay. I understand. Sana pala matagal pa akong bumalik", he said and we both scowled at him.

"Shut up Puns!"

"Shut up Jeremy!"

Magkapanabay naming wika at muli ay pilyong ngumiti ito.

"I see. Kissing is a good training for synchronized speaking", he said and laughed samantalang pulang pula  na kami Gray.

What the hell?! Synchronized speaking?! Uh, please remind me to kill Jeremy Martinez later.

#

—Shinichilaaaabs