f o u r

     Ang marahang tunog ng mga kubyertos sa hapag kainan ang namayani sa bawat sulok ng dining area. Mabagal at ingat na ingat kaming magkakapatid sa pagkain habang maya't maya ang pagsulyap sa isa't-isa.

Masiglang-masigla naman ang ekspresyon sa mukha nina Ash at Nix. Paano ba kasi, minsan lang namin nakakasabay kumain ang aming ina. What was more surprising was that our mother was eating comfortably with us, her phone or tabloid was missing in her hands.

Is this the first time?

I still felt awkward and even more uncomfortable with her dining with us.

Why can't she just do what she always does? You know, like leaving us alone.

Muntik ko nang mabitawan ang aking hawak na tinidor nang tumikhim siya at nagsalita. "So, how was your first day in Royal Academia?"

Parehong gulat kaming nagkatinginan ng mga kapatid ko. She even asks about our day now? Is this a miracle?

Dali-daling uminom muna ng juice si Nix at nagpunas ng labi gamit ang table napkin bago sinagot ang kaniyang tanong. "Um, well, we were late on our first class becau—"

"You were what?"

Agad na naalerto kaming lahat sa biglang reaksyon niya. Uh-oh. Are we screwed?

"Well," she stuttered, "we had trouble with the car on our way there and we couldn't find a cab so we decided to run for it. We got a little lost but—." Muling naputol na naman ang pagpapahayag ni Nix nang sumabad ang aming ina.

"You ran? Oh my goodness..." Damien immediately dashed towards her when she was about to faint on her seat. "Where's Lucien? How could he let you run?" She was talking about our driver slash butler that drove us on our way to Royal Academia—Damien's twin brother.

"Lulu is still out to pick up the car from the repair shop, Madam," kalmadong sagot nito.

Naguguluhan talaga ako kung anong milagro ang nangyayari sa aming ina.

She's concerned about us now? Since when? What's with her? She's acting strange.

Bumuntong-hininga siya matapos abutin ang baso ng tubig at nilagok iyon. Pinaypayan naman siya ni Damien gamit ang kaniyang pamaypay. "Anything else happened at your new school? What are your opinions about it?" she asked as soon as she recovered.

I met Ash's eyes with a shock expression that I couldn't hide. She's even curious about our thoughts now?

Tumikhim si Nix at hinigpitan ang paghawak sa table napkin, halatang nagpipigil ng emosyon. "Well, nothing much happened. Just a normal first day—." And for the umpteenth time she helplessly interrupted Nix again. 

Rude. She was the one who taught us to never interrupt when someone was talking. The hypocrisy.

"Excuse my interruptions pero napapansin ko lang, bakit ikaw lagi ang sumasagot tuwing tinatanong ko kayo, Nicole Trixie? I want to hear from your sisters."

I froze on my seat upon hearing her words. She turned her head towards my direction. Terrified, I quickly avoided her gaze and shifted my focus right at my Caesar salad. The moment that I had always dreaded was finally happening!

So she noticed at last? Bilang pinakamatanda sa aming magkakapatid, although being only one year older than us, since the moment we came to this world, Nix already bore the responsibility of taking good care of us. Furthermore, she usually stood-in as both a mother and a father figure because of our always absent parents who should had been doing it instead for us.

Hindi ko naman masisisi si Dad dahil wala na siya rito sa mundo. But our mom? Hah. There was never a night I did not wish that she should have been gone instead of him.

"What do you think about the school, Hazel?"

Muntik na akong mabulunan sa lettuce na nilulunok ko. I quickly snatched the stemware at my right and drank in the water to empty. I turned to our mother and I immediately felt the chills streamed down my spine when I met her cold brown eyes.

I almost did not realize her choice of name. More so, with the fact that she could actually recognize which of us is which. Buong akala ko talaga ay hindi niya kami makikilala.

For someone who had constantly given us so little of both attention and affection, I found it very impressive. Most of the people we knew, even our relatives couldn't distinguish between Ash and I.

We are so physically identical except our personalities, mannerisms, preferences, and of course that one birthmark I have at the back of my shoulder and while hers, flawless.

Can I be honest? Kung gaano ko kinamumuhian ang eskwelahang iyon? No. I loathe being in this place first and foremost! This house, this city, and that hell school!

"Fine," was what I could only muster instead before I focused back to my salad.

Wala nang nagsalita matapos ang huli kong sinabi. Sobrang nakuryos ako kung ano ang reaksyon ng aming ina ngunit mas pinili ko ang huwag tagpuin ang kaniyang mga mata.

"I see," she replied after a minute. "How about you, Ashley?" Her gaze switched to Ashley who was eating in front of me.

Nilunok muna ni Ash ang pagkain niya at bumwelo bago sabik na nagsalita. "Paaralan ba talaga 'yon o palasyo, Mom? Grabe, sobrang ganda ng campus nila! Akala pa nga nila Ley na nasa Disneyland kami, e." At humagikhik siya.

Napatigil ako sa pagnguya at kuryosong nakinig sa kaniyang talata.

"Meron pa lang gano'n sa Pilipinas? Saka 'yong classrooms din hindi pang tipikal na classroom ng high schools! Ibang-iba sa dati naming paaralan. The bad part was, ang papangit ng ugali ng mga estudyante doon! Napakamapanghusga! Saka big deal ang pagiging High School Royalty ba 'yon?"

Kung gaano ka tipid ang sinabi ko ay gano'n naman kadami ang ipinutak ng kakambal ko.

Pasimpleng umirap ako sa hangin habang patuloy pa ring nakayuko sa aking pagkain. Well, she literally just summarized everything.

I just couldn't grasp what made her so happy to report to our mother.

"Anything else interesting happened?" Halata sa tono ng boses ng aming ina ang pagka-interesado nang itanong niya 'yon. She never even removed her eyes from us when usually having an eye contact with her was like the 29th of February.

What kind of answer did she expect? As if those weren't interesting enough?

Napansin ko ang pagdadalawang-isip ni Ashley nang saglitang huminto siya na para bang may naaalala at napatingin kay Nix. "Um, aside from our first experience of riding a carriage, nothing else happened, Mom. Just a normal first day, hehe." And she resumed eating.

♔

"OMG! Did I really just told mom about my day?" Ash buried her face again in the pillow and let out another muffled squeal. She's that happy, huh?

"Pero teka, may nangyari ba nang maghiwalay tayo?" kuryosong tanong ko sabay tanggal ng facemask sheet sa aking mukha.

Bumuntong hininga si Nix sabay marahas na inilapag ang kaniyang hairbrush sa dresser habang inis na umungol lamang si Ash at padabog na humiga sa aking tabi. Nandito kaming lahat sa kwarto ko. Kinagawian na naming tumambay sa kwarto ng isa't isa gabi-gabi bago matulog.

"Kung masama ang ugali ko, mas masahol pa ang ugali ng mga kaklase namin," may pag-irap sa hanging kwento ni Ashley. "Guess what? Alam mo bang nagkagulo sa classroom namin kanina dahil lang nilagyan ng bubble gum ang upuan ko kaya dumikit iyon sa palda ko?"

Umiling lamang si Nix habang naglalakad papalapit sa gawi namin.

"And we also met few of that High School Royalties they've been babbling about!" Ash groaned again.

"Oo, expectation versus reality kami kanina about sa bali-balitang mga High School Royalties na 'yan," pag sang-ayon naman ni Nix at naghanap ng maayos na pwesto upang umupo sa kama ko.

"Akala ko talaga'y santo ang mga iyan! 'Yong ka-table ko, 'yong Gabriel Delos Santos ba 'yon? Mala-anghel lang ang pangalan pero ubod naman ng kademonyohan ang ugali!" gigil na sabi ni Ash habang sinusuntok-suntok pa ang unan. "I'm so sure na siya ang naglagay no'ng bubble gum. Argh, napakachildish!"

"Samantalang 'yong ka-table ko naman napaka-rude! Kapag kinakausap, hindi namamansin! Akala mo kung sinong prinsipe," sabat ni Nix. "Wala ring nakikipag-usap sa amin doon na para bang hindi nila kami nakikita. Bakit ba sila gano'n?"

Marahas na napabuntong-hininga ako. "Ugali na ata talaga ng mga estudyante roon ang pagiging bastos at walang hiya," bitter na wika ko nang maalala ang nangyari rin sa akin kanina.

"Did something happen in your class too, Ley?" tanong ni Ash pero pinili ko ang umiling. I don't even want to talk about it.

"Hays... makakasurvive kaya tayo sa shool na 'yon?" tanong ni Nix na nakadirekta yata ang tanong na iyon sa sarili.

I sighed. Same question.

Umayos nang upo si Ash habang niyayakap ang unan na kanina lang ay pinagsusuntok niya. "But did you notice Mom's change of actions?" pagbubukas niya ng usapan.

That was what I had wanted to talk about.

"Right, it was weird," Nix replied, nodding her head in suspicion.

Ashley rubbed her chin with her index and thumb while looking up as if thinking. "I think kailangan na nating baguhin ang strategy natin ngayon."

Andito na naman sila sa mga plano nila at idadamay na naman ako. Hindi pa ba talaga sila nadadala? Kailan ba talaga magbabago itong mga kapatid ko?

"How?" kuryosong tanong ni Nix, halatang interesado dahil inilapit niya pa talaga ang kaniyang mukha na para bang naghihintay ng tsismis o sikretong ipagtatapat.

Ngumisi nang nakaloloko si Abo. "If causing troubles and defying Mom never affected her, seeing this change of her tonight, maybe impressing her and following her rules and advices will increase our chance of success." Tila kumikinang pa ang kaniyang mga mata habang sinasabi iyon na para bang iyon ang pinakamagandang ideya ang naisip niya.

"Success of what? What's your goal exactly?" I asked.

Sabay na bumaling ang kanilang mga ulo sa akin at 'di makapaniwalang tinignan ako. "Of forming that maternal bond with our mother, what else?" they whispered in unison like it was a top secret.

Instead of sounding sad, their expressions were full of hope. I was about to sneer at the thought of it, thinking that it was too impossible and too late to happen, but I didn't want to hurt them and ruin their moods.

Why are we even doing this? We are not supposed to work too hard to earn it. It should be naturally given. Kasi kung gusto niya talaga, gagawin at ibibigay niya.