“Mom, Dad!”

I heard my sister Elly yelled from the basement. Ugh... here comes the helpless bitch again.

“Yes sweetie? What happened?” Mom, as usual, hurriedly ran towards her with an overdramatic reaction. Let me guess, Elly got pricked by the spindle wheel again. Absolutely her mistake for being stupid.

“Leo, quick! Hand me the medicine kit!” Mom shouted after reaching the basement. And my father, who’s so fond of my twin sister, made a haste towards the kitchen corner to grab what mom was asking.

While to satisfy my nosy ass, and to mock my sister and swear her with a million times again in my mind, I elegantly went down from my room towards the basement. And voila! There lies my beloved sister with her bleeding middle finger while mom looked like she’s losing her mind while putting a band aid on it.

“C’mon, Elly, it’s just a prick, quit being such a baby,” I uttered with a squint. Masyadong madrama. Palibhasa ay paborito.

“Melly, honey, don’t say that,” as usual, Mom defended her.

“Whatever, Mom,” I answered with rudeness evident on my voice which made my father give me a warning stare. But I chose not to mind it as I climbed on the stairs and leave them with a flip of my hair. How I wish I can thoroughly cut Elly’s middle finger and raise it in front of my parent’s face.

I grabbed a pancake from what mom is making and went inside my car. I stayed for a minute to finish my pancake while I was listening to a news report from the car’s radio.

“A teenager’s body was found cold beside the Norville’s road. Based on the investigations and autopsy report, it was clear that the victim was strangled and poisoned. Authorities also stated that it was identified as the 18 year’s old Gella Castanios, a fourth-year college student from Norville Academy who went missing for a week. As for now, there’s no clue in finding the person behind it. While the family of the victim is ready to give a price to whoever can tell them if who’s the person behind their daughter’s murder.”

What a morning indeed. Gella Castaños, I just saw her last week, she’s my blockmate, who would’ve thought that she’s dead now? She’s stupid anyway. So I guess she deserves it.

“Melly!”

“Holy cow, Elly!” sigaw ko pabalik sa tanga kong kakambal matapos n’yang biglang hinampas ang bintana ng kotse sabay sigaw na para bang mamamatay na s’ya. Oh Elly, the epitome of stupidity.

“Sorry sis, I thought aalis ka na. Can you give me a ride? My car was broken,” she answered with an angelic voice while calling me with that gross endearment again.

“Stop calling me ‘sis’,” I uttered with my brow’s arched.

“And sorry, no space for you,” I added with a feign apologetic voice while teasingly showing to her the empty seats in my car.

I heard her said something, but I chose to ignore it and turned my car’s engine on.

I’m already off to go when I heard my father’s annoying voice that made my eyes roll to heaven for the uncountable time in this morning. Not again.

“Give your sister a ride, Melly. If you don’t want to be grounded,” he stated with full authority.

Sa inis ay napilitan akong buksan ang pinto sa passenger’s seat. Not because I’m afraid to be grounded, neither concern with Elly, but I’m getting late to the festival! I’m certain they’ll bother until I’ll say yes. Geez! They’re getting into my nerves.

“Thank you sis, I love you!” I almost got nauseated with Elly’s words. What a gross bitch.

“Don’t think this is free. You have to pay me of course,” I answered with a tone opposite from her’s.

“Sureness, sis.” Muli na lang akong napairap sa kan’ya. I hate how kind she is. It gives me the urge of throwing her out of my car.

The whole ride became Elly’s whole chance of blabbering nonsense things while I am trying to augment my patience by listening to the music echoing from the car’s radio. Kunti na lang and I want to shut her mouth forever.

“Festival?” she halted from her nonsense chats and asked me with confusion after seeing the crowd and the busy ornaments in Morville. Marahil ay hindi n’ya napansin ang daang tinatahak namin dahil okupado s’ya sa pagsasalita ng mga walang kwentang bagay. Surely, stupidity is inevitable.

“What?” I responded in a scolding tone.

“Hindi ka papasok?” she asked me again a stupid question. Ako? Papasok? Huh! As if I care about school. I don’t want to sit all day in that rotten chair while listening to boring lectures. I want fun in my life, of course.

“Who cares, bitch? Just grab a taxi or anything, I don’t care. Bayaran mo lang ako,” I demanded.

  “But, sis, for sure Mom and Dad will be mad if they’ll know that you haven’t gone to school,” she responded with her annoying kind voice.

“So, you’ll gonna tell them?” Nakataas ang kilay na tanong ko.

“Of course, I won’t!” she quickly answered while shaking her head.

“You shouldn’t.”

“Just be home at five, okay? Here’s my bayad. Have fun and take care, sis!” Masaya n’yang wika matapos makalabas sa kotse. I grabbed the money and made a U-turn. I took a glimpse of her from the mirror and saw her waving her hand at my direction with a smile on her face. She looks stupid.

I ignored it and head my way towards the parking lot of the Morville mall. I put on my stilettoes and made an elegant entrance which basically caught everyone’s attention, mostly the guard’s. But with it, I held my head high and walked confidently. Stare as long as you want, ya’ll. Fascinate me with your ignorant adorations.

Furthermore, Morville is just meters away from Norville, since it is its twin city. Kaya hindi na malayo para sa ‘kin ang gumala rito for their city’s festival.

After I got satisfied with the mall and bought all I want, I drove towards the city’s bay walk where most of the fun lies. I enjoyed for a while in talking to stupid strangers and eating some of their delicacies. And I was gone for an hour after it for some selfish businesses when I head back towards Morville at six in the afternoon and received a call from my dad asking me to head home. I was already halfway but I was forced to make a U-turn to home.

“What’s the matter, Dad?” I immediately asked with my annoyed voice after reaching house and seeing dad in the front door with brows furrowed and both hands placed in his waist. The cops are here too, talking to my crying mom. I wonder why.

“Where did you drop your sister?” he muttered in an angry voice. I think I know what this means.

“At school?” I answered in an uncertain voice. Obviously mocking him.

“Melly!”

“Okay okay,” saad ko sabay taas ng dalawang kamay ko.

“I went to Morville, but I dropped her in the boundary,” I lied.

“Jesus, Melly, your sister is missing!” dad exclaimed which made me no surprise. I’m not surprised if she’s still not home right now, she’s stupid after all.

“Dad, missing already? What if she’s just out somewhere and wandering around?”

“Wandering around? Kung ikaw, oo. There’s a great possibility. But your obedient twin? That’s far from possible,” walang preno n’yang sagot which made my hand clutch the keychain I’m holding.

It’s no longer new for me to hear that that is how my father sees me. A disobedient daughter.

“And what do you want me to do, Dad?” nauubusan ng pasensya na tanong ko. Because, they called me to go home for what? For just annoying queries?

“I want you to find your sister. You won’t go home unless you found her,” he answered that made my pupils dilate in surprise. What the actual cow?

“But Dad? I –”

“No buts, Melly. After all, it’s your fault why she’s missing now,” he said after cutting my words off. And now it’s my fault? How foolish.

“As expected, it’s my fault again,” I uttered lowly with a complaining tone.

Dad was about to turn back inside when he halted after hearing what I said. “Who dropped her outta nowhere?” he asked in a way that doesn’t need an answer.

“I know I shouldn’t have trusted you in driving Elly to school. I know you will screw up. You haven’t done anything right. Ever since birth, you gave us nothing but headaches! You’re such a stubborn disobedient daughter who know nothing about life but skipping school and strolling around like a stable adult! How I wish you weren’t my daughter...” he blurted out that made the side of my lip raise.

How I wish you weren’t my dad too. How I wish you weren’t my family. How I wish Elly is really missing and will never come back again.

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