Chapter 2: Beyond Redemption

Two days after my declaration of love to Elias Montejo aka Poseidon, here I am, working as a student assistant at the faculty office of the College of Arts and Social Sciences. This would have been a great plan, except for the fact that most of the time I spent here is doing actual Student Assistant work! 

Ilang pages na ba ang naphotocopy ko? I even have to wash the mugs used by the visitors of the dean! IfI would have smacked their faces with these mugs if this was not part of the plan! But what can I do? this would not raise suspicion. 

This is perfect, only if Poseidon stayed a lot here. Pero hindi eh, pinakamahaba na siguro ang limang minutong pamamalagi niya rito, which is something I didn't think of from the start. Yes, he's just a lecturer but what the hell? I cannot even complain!

Pinunasan ko ang kamay gamit ang panyo ko matapos ilapag ang mga hinugusang baso. I heard someone cleared a throat from behind me kaya agad akong napalingon, somewhat disappointed that it's not Posei. 

"Hi, Sir!" bati ko. It was Paulo Cuizon, an associate professor. Matinik sa mga babae, kasi feeling niya pinadala siya sa mundo para magpakilig. His trademark move? Brush his hair with his fingers. Of course, as part of my act, I researched a lot about the faculty and staff in my college.

"Star!" nakangiting sabi niuya, sabay suklay ng daliri sa kanyang buhok. "You're working hard, huh?"

Nginitian ko siya kahit labag iyon sa loob ko. "Oo nga po, eh." 

Obvious ba?

"Grabe ka naman sa 'po'", sagot niya at mas lalong nagpa-cute.

Go away.

"Ganoon po talaga," nakangiti pa ring sabi ko.

"I don't think we're far in terms of age, Star. I didn't see that guy hanging around you lately," puna niya, pertaining to Tristan.

Just go die.

And speaking of Tristan, he's probably discarded already after he served his purpose.

"Naku, sir. Ayon sumakabilang bahay na." They won't know Tristan is already dead, by now. The Capo's men already took him down after he stabbed me. 

"So, you're single?" tanong niya, obviously trying to flirt. Kung wala lang kami sa faculty office, malamang basag na ang mukha niya. I would have already signaled the men watching us somewhere to kill him in this instant. That "cute" act is actually disgusting. Alam ba ng mga lalaki na hindi bagay sa kanila ang magpa-cute?

Napakamot ako sa ulo at pasimpleng naghanap ng daan upang makaalis doon. Unfortunately, nakaharang siya sa pinto, so I can not leave without walking past him, kaya nakipag-plastikan na lamang ako sa kanya. 

"Unfortunately, after being dump, yes."

He smiled, iyong ngiting nakakaloko and that very moment I think of nothing but ripping that smile off his face. "Wanna have coffee?"

So disgustingly straightforward.

"I'd love to po sana, Sir but unfortunately, my 45/hour rate won't make the cut," rason ko. "I have a tight budget now--"

"Not a problem."

Bakit ba hindi ka na lang mamatay?

"Ano po kasi--"

What a surprise. Poseidon just walked in, and stop halfway. Nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin niya sa amin. Tiningnan ko siya, silently hoping he will be able to read my pleading eyes.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting something," paumanhin niya.

F you Posei!

"No, you didn't!" I said, the same time Paulo said yes. I may not have the strength to wring his neck, but I have the Capo's men to do the actual job for me. But of course, I would not do it, knowing it would raise so much suspicion, lalo na ngayong kasisimula pa lamang ng plano ko.

I put on my jolly act at agad na lumapit kay Poseidon. "Sir Elias! Finally nakita rin kita! May question lang po ako do'n sa test questionnaire n'yo."

Blanko ang ekspresyon niya, ayaw makisabay kaya nilakihan ko ang mga mata. Still he couldn't care less about it kaya minura ko na lamang siya sa isip ko. Nilingon ko si Paulo at apologetic na ngumiti.

"Pasensya na sir ha, mauna na po ako," napatingin ako sa suot na wristwatch. "Byeeee!"

Walang pag-aatubiling hinila ko si Poseidon palayo roon. He did not complain at nagpahila lamang, but I can feel the muscles in his arms tensed. I grabbed my bag at hawak-hawak pa rin siya sa braso na nilabas sa faculty office at dinala sa cafeteria. Thank goodness, hindi masyadong matao ngayon.

"Ang hirap mo namang pakiusapan, Posei!" Maktol ko at pasalampak na inilapag ang bag sa mesa.

"You did not say anything," sagot niya. Ngayon ko lang napansin ang hawak niyang tumbler, probably the reason why he walked in that moment.

"Ang slow mo, alam mo ba?" Inis na sabi ko. "He's flirting with me!"

He sat, looking bored. "Wala akong pakialam."

Napahawak ako sa dibdib at umastang nasasaktan. "Ouch, grabe ka nama  sa akin!"

He did not comment at tiningnan ako nang maigi, as if trying to read what's in my mind. Gumanti ako ng titig, meeting his eyes directly but in my most innocent act. 

Haha, I won! Siya ang unang nagbawi ng tingin!

"Alam mo Sir, maganda pala ang mata mo no?"

He ignored my remark. "What's your question about my test?"

Ngumisi ako. "Hays, why are you so frea— sorry. Alam mo sir, matalino ka eh, pero ang slow mo. There's nothing wrong with your test, okay? Gusto ko lang makaalis do'n kay Sir Paulo, ang landi-landi, hindi ko naman siya bet. Alam mo namang ikaw ang bet ko."

It didn't faze him. Wala yatang emosyon ang taong ito. Or was it his upbringing as reaper? Whatever it is, he was just silent. If I didn't study much about him, malamang nag overthink na ako na pinagdududahan niya ako. But this guy is literally a man of few words.

"What do you want?" Direktang tanong niya.

"Ikaw, sir. Syempre!"

See? Walang epekto.

"I'm not playing games, Ms. Miranda," seryosong turan niya, playing the empty tumbler in his hand.

"So am I," sagot ko, bot breaking eye contact. Napakamot siya sa ulo kahit alam kong hindi iyon makati. "Hindi ba sabi ko gusto kita, sir? And call me Star. Not Bituin, not Miss Miranda. Star."

He looked around, as if trying to see if somebody can see him twist my head to death. "Look, I know the first time we met is not really pleasant—"

"It is!" Itinaas ko ang damit so he can see my healing stab wound. "If not because of you, ano na kayang nangyari sa akin." Mas lumapit ako sa kanya at bumulong. "Pero sir, undercover police ka ba?"

His forehead creased. "A what?"

"Because you've gut a..." I made a gun hand gesture, you know, for discreet. Mahirap na baka marinig kami ng ibang nga estudyante sa paligid.

Natampal niya ang sariling noo.

"Okay lang 'yan sir, ilang beses na talagang na raid ang bar na 'yon," sagot ko. "But wait, bakit kayo nagtuturo kung pulis kayo? Eh 'di ba fulltime naman—"

He cut me off. "Hindi ako pulis."

"Eh ano kayo?" Biglang nanlaki ang mga mata ko. "SINDIKATO?!" Napalakas ang boses ko, causing attention to the people around. Natatarantang napatayo si Poseidon upang takpan ang bibig ko.

"Keep your voice down," utos niya at dahan-dahang inalis ang kamay sa bibig ko.

"Sindikato?" I mouthed.

"No."

Nakahinga ako nang maluwag. "Hay, kinabahan ako do'n, sir. Pero teka nga, bakit may baril ka at hinahanap mo si Tristan. You even said something about ano 'yon? Trapo? Copa? Chupapi?" I would be killed for making fun of the Capo's title but they wouldn't know anyway.

"Forget about it," sabi niya. "My question is, why did you act so normally at gunpoint?" There was suspicion in his voice, but like I said before, I am a master of deceit. I won't do anything na wala sa plano, so whatever my claims are, I have anything to back me up.

"Eh sa ilang beses ba namang na-raid ang mga lugar na pinupuntahan namin ni Tristan, friendship ko na yata halos lahat ng pulis eh."

Still he was suspicious. "I don't see the relevance of your claim."

"Not that they're incompetent or something, okay? That bar always has something going on pero patuloy pa rin na nag-ooperate. Whoever is pulling the strings there, it must be someone with power. Pero back to your question, it's not the first time na tinutukan ako ng baril. Sure it was scary, but I was trying to walk my way out, not to mention I was high that time due to my stab wound and special brownie."

"Special brownie?"

"I don't do drugs, okay? I consumed it in good faith. On my defense, mukhang masarap kaya kumain ako. Please don't think I'm a bad girl," I said, trying to act cute. Normally, I would have puked but I did my best to act like a totally smitten girl. I know he was trying to read my sincerity at hindi ko alam kung ano ang tumatakbo sa utak niya ngayon. I took out my phone to continue on my premeditated plan.

"By the way, I received a text from Tristan—" hindi ko pa man natatapos ang sasabihin ay hinablot niya ang cellphone ko.

He looked disappointed. "What's this?"

"Text nga niya!"

He looked annoyed. "Love?"

"Yup, that's me— but oh, please do not be jealous ha? I'm over him, I like you now," nakangising sabi ko.

He chose to ignore me. "Just 'love'? Walang ibang sabi? Did you try to call him? How do you know it's him? Did you ask about his whereabouts?"

Kinuha ko ang cellphone mula sa kamay niya. "Chill, okay? I know it's him kasi siya lang naman ang tumatawag ng love sa akin. And yes, I tried calling him pero hindi ko siya macontact. I don't know where exactly he is right now, but..."

Well that caught his attention, kaya sinadya ko siyang bitinin.

"But what?" naiinis na tanong niya.

Ha ha! Reaper is impatient!

"But I know where to find him."

Tiningnan niya ako nang ilang segundo. "Tell me."

Mabilis akong umiling. "Not unless take me with you."

Of course, I'm putting on my annoying girly façade, the one who won't give up on their crushes. I guess he's well aware of it. 

"Do you really want to be in this mess?"

"Syndicate. You're definitely from a syndicate," konklusyon ko, ignoring his question. 

Napabuga siya ng hangin at hinila ako. I smirked to myself as I let him pull me towards the direction of the school's parking area. May iilang studyante ang nakakita sa amin, kaya napangiti na lamang ako.

Nang marating namin ang parking area, he fished his key on his pocket. I was expecting he would sport the latest car ngunit sa lumang sasakyan niya ako dinala. Well, this would not raise suspicion to someone pretending to be on a part-time job, right?

Hindi niya ako pinagbuksan ng pinto, and I pretended to sulked about it just to get into character. Nakangusong umupo ako sa shotgun seat at kinapa ang seatbelt na hindi ko alam kung nandiyan pa ba.

"What?" tanong niya nang mapansin ang pagnguso ko. 

"You didn't open the door for me," I replied, acting annoyed and sulky.

"Hindi ka ba marunong magbukas ng pinto?" he shot back.

"Alam mo Posei, pogi ka sana eh pero--"

He cut me off. "Stop calling me that."

"What should I call you then?" pilyang napangiti ako. "Baby?"

Posei's not pleased. Ang hirap namang biruin ng taong 'to!

"Call me Mr. Montejo--"

My turn to cut him off. "Ayaw ko nga. Kapag ganitong tayo lang dalawa, Elias ang tawag ko sayo."

He stared at me, as if trying to kill me in his mind.

"Or do you prefer Posei?"

Napabuga siya ng hangin ngunit hindi sumagot.

"Elias, it is!" deklara ko. "Where the hell--" 

I looked at him and he looked like he's ready to kill me. 

I made a peace sign. "Ano kasi, 'di ko makapa ang seatbelt."

He was definitely annoyed, but he was trying to suppress it. He leaned closer towards me, you know that cliché position when someone was putting your seatbelt on. Kapag nakikita ko ang mga ganitong eksena sa mga movies at iba pang palabas ay nandidiri ako. Surprisingly, I did not feel disgusted right now. Sa halip ay nanigas lang ako sa kinauupuan, unsure of what exactly was happening around me. Saka lamang ako tila nagising sa kung ano mang hipnotismo nang marinig ko ang pag-click ng seatbelt.

"L-let's go," sabi ko. I gave him some directions on where I think we can find Tristan. 

He was silent throughout the ride, at nauubusan na ako ng topic dahil sa kanya. He would respond politely on it, until I cursed out of habit.

Hindi siya natuwa, at tinapunan ako ng tingin as if he's ready to throw me out of the car any time. "I strongly dislike liars, but you know what I find more detestable?" He asked in a serious tone. "People who constantly curse." 

Napayuko ako. "Sorry na, nasanay lang.  So you dislike liars? Hmm, how about... thief?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation or else dead air na naman sa loob ng sasakyan.

"Throw them to the pits of hell," sagot niya.

"Murderers?" I asked again.

I felt his hands tensed. Napahigpit ang hawak niya sa manibela. Ilang segundo siyang natahimik bago tumingin ng diretso sa mga mata ko. "They're beyond redemption."

His voice was sincere, considering he's in that category. Tila may awkwardness ulit sa paligid dahil wala sa amin ang nagsalita matapos niyang sumagot.

"Ang seryoso mo naman," hirit ko, just to break the awkward air between us. "Why do you think murderers are beyond redemption, eh pinagbantaan mo nga akong papatayin mo ako, the first time we met?" Sinabayan ko pa iyon ng tawa.

It's the opposite, I know pero nakakatuwang makita ang reaksyon niya, as if he's dealing with someone who does not know anything about his true profession. Muling bumakas ang mga ugat sa kamay niya, as his hands gripped on the steering wheel.

"It's a bluff, ano?" pangungulit. "May pa-I can kill you ka pa, hindi naman bagay sayo. I mean, have you seen your face? You do not look like you can hurt a thing! 'di mo nga makuhang magmura o makarinig ng mura, pumatay pa kaya?"

That was partly true because his face shows child-like innocence. I know he's very dangerous, at wala akong laban kung lakas ang pag-uusapan. All I have is wits, and my best actress performance.

"Looks like you trust people so easily that's why you got involved with Zolotov without knowing much about him," sagot niya.

"So Tristan is really that Zolotov? As in sure na talaga? At ano ba talaga ang gulong pinasok niya?" sunod-sunod na tanong ko.

He was attentive to the road, at maingat rin siyang magmaneho. Not surprising considering this is a totally run-down car. Baka ang kalawang pa ng sasakyan ang ikamatay namin kung sakali. Hindi matao ang daang tinatahak namin, so I presumed we're close to the place I told him about. 

He was being careful, that's why he said nothing about it kaya nanghula na lamang ako. "Was it drugs? Omg, madadamay ba ako, even if I consumed that brownie in good faith?"

"Worst than that."

Nag-iisip pa lamang ako nang magiging reaksyon sa sasabihin niya nang bigla na lamang huminto ang sasakyan. It was so sudden that if I have not worn the seatbelt, malamang tumilapon na ako sa labas ng sasakyan.

"What the heck---"

Poseidon suddenly jumped towards my direction, and in a swift motion, he opened the door beside me at yakap-yakap ako nang pumagulong kami palabas ng sasakyan. The next thing I knew, the car exploded.

"I told you not to curse," pagalit na sabi niya bago napatingin sa isang direksyon. Hindi pa ako nakasagot ay muli kami nagpagulong sa lupa, with him dragging me. There were gunshot everywhere, and he was protecting me at all cost. With shaking hands, I hold on to him. He pulled a gun on his side and fired back.

Two guys in balaclava masks started attacking us, but they were no match against Poseidon. But what do I expect, he's a skilled reaper after all. 

Ilang sandali lamang ay tumakas na ang dalawang umatake sa amin, after Poseidon incapacitated one of them with a single shot in his vital area.

Well, damn. 

What a shame. I think it didn't even last for five minutes. Heads will surely roll if I see them useless scums. 

Next time I'll ask the Capo to send in the most skilled ones. 

#

ShinichiLaaaabs