HARRIET

AYOKO PANG mamatay!

My legs were trembling as I stared at the two red dots on my right leg. It was not hurting anymore but the snake's venom must have entered my system. And if I couldn't get to the hospital soon, I would be a dead body in the next few hours!

Is this how it ends? Ayaw ko pang mawala sa mundo. I'd like to see the day that my fellow Holmesians would beat the Moriartards and take away the championship from them. I'd like to see the day that I would wipe that occassional smirk on Morrie's lips and savor the shocked expression on his face as their House goes down.

"Pa-Paano ka natuklaw ng ahas? Napatay ko naman kaagad si besss bago siya nakalapit sa 'yo?" Worry dawned on Aiden's face as he examined the snake bite. He sounded so genuinely concerned about me.

Dahan-dahan akong napaupo at ini-stretch ang dalawa kong paa. "I might have hit the snake when we fell. Dahil natamaan siya, bigla niya akong tinuklaw."

I groaned as my fingers pinched the wound, causing more blood to ooze from it. Kailangan kong matanggal ang kamandag ng ahas bago ito tuluyang kumalat sa sistema ko. I don't know kung anong klaseng snake ang kumagat sa akin but I hope its venom wouldn't kill me in a matter of minutes.

"Dapat madala ka kaagad sa clinic o hospital para ma-injection-an ng antidote," Aiden said, looking up from where we fell. Thanks for stating the obvious. "Ang problema, na-trap tayo rito sa hukay. Mahihirapan tayong makahingi ng tulong lalo na kung walang daraan dito."

"Should I accept that I'm about to die?" Muli kong pinisil ang sugat para lalo itong magdugo. "Can you climb the rocky wall, get out of here and ask for help? Because I can't."

Umiling ang blonde kong kasama. "I haven't tried wall climbing. Sorry. Mukhang ang mga taong daraan sa parteng ito ng kagubatan ang maaasahan natin ng tulong."

Huminga ako nang malalim. Bakit ba ang malas-malas namin ngayong araw? Kanina, kami ang hinabol ng hound at dalawang beses na nadapa itong si Aiden. Tapos, nahulog kami rito sa butas. Ngayon, nakagat ako ng ahas. Ayaw kong isipin may balat kami sa pwet kaya nangyari 'to.

"But there are only a few of us who are wandering in the forest. Baka ilang oras pa ang lumipas bago may maka-rescue sa atin. By that time..." I would be dead. The venom would have spread in my body by then.

"Kailangan nating pigilan ang pagkalat ng lason, tama?" tanong ni Aiden sabay tingin sa sugat ko.

I nodded. "Hindi ko alam kung effective itong ginagawa kong pagpisil. I hope it works."

Bigla niyang hinawakan ang binti ko at tinitigan ako sa mata. I could see the hesitation in his eyes for what he was about to do. Teka, teka! Hindi porke't natuklaw ako ng ahas, pwede na niya akong hawakan kung saan-saan! Was he taking advantage of my misfortune?

"Why are touching my leg? Get your hands off me!"

"We need to suck out the venom," nahihiya niyang sagot. Halata sa mukha niyang ayaw niyang gawin, pero kailangan. "Kaya sana, with your permission..."

"Ba-Balak mong sipsipin ang lason?" No way! I wouldn't let his filthy mouth touch my skin!

"Mamili ka, Harriet!" sigaw niya. "Gusto mo bang makatakas nang buhay o matagpuan kang malamig na bangkay?"

Nagkatitigan kami nang ilang segundo, ni hindi ako kaagad nakakibo. What he suggested was embarrassing lalo na kung may ibang makakakita sa amin. But in this situation where my life was on the line, there seemed to be no other choice.

"I heard that sucking the venom from a snakebite is dangerous," paalala ko sa kanya. May mga nabasa akong articles na nagsasabing hindi ligtas ang balak niyang gawin. Kahit na may sama ako ng loob sa kanya, ayaw ko siyang madamay sa kamalasan ko. Paano pa siya makahihingi ng tulong kung pati siya, malalason din?

"Only if I have wounds in my mouth," sagot ng blonde kong kasama. "Sa paraang lang 'yon makakapasok ang lason sa katawan ko. Don't worry, hindi tayo parehong mamamatay sa gagawin ko. Trust me."

Bumuntong-hininga ako at bumalikwas ng tingin sa kabilang direksyon. Nanindig ang mga balahibo ko nang dumampi ang basang labi ni Aiden sa balat ko. I wasn't used to this sort of thing. The snakebite stung a bit when he sucked the blood out of it. Mabilis niyang idinura ang nasipsip niyang dugo at paulit-ulit itong ginawa.

"There." He wiped his lips with his applegreen sleeves and looked at me. "Nabawasan naman siguro ang lason. Pero kailangan mo pa ring madala kaagad sa clinic at ma-injection-an."

I bent my right knee so the venom wouldn't quickly circulate in my body. If what Aiden did would save my life, malaki ang dapat kong ipagpasalamat ko sa kanya. But I don't want to have any debt of gratitude to him.

Umupo siya sa tabi ko at sumandal sa malamig at mabatong pader. Kung wala akong kagat ng ahas ngayon, I would have distanced myself a few meters away from him.

"Paano kaya tayo makakatakas dito?" tanong niya habang nakatingala. Parang gabi na sa labas dahil sa sobrang dilim. "Hindi tayo marunong mag-wall climbing. Wala rin tayong lubid na magagamit para makaakyat. So basically, we are stuck here."

Wala akong nagawa kundi mapabuntong-hininga. "And unfortunately, ikaw ang kasama ko rito."

Better him than Morrie, I guess. Duda akong tatangkain ng Moriartard na 'yon na sipsipin ang lason. He'd rather watch me die than take any risk. I hope that Mina's doing well with him. Sakaling may masama siyang balak, the Watsonian could paralyze him using the stun pen.

"Ganyan ka ba magpa-thank you? Matapos kong tanggalin ang lason sa binti mo?" sumbat ni Aiden. Heto na nga ba ang ayaw ko kapag nagkakaroon ako ng utang na loob sa ibang tao.

"I did not ask you to do that!" I told him. Hindi ako nagmakaawa sa kanya para gawin 'yon. "Ikaw mismo ang nag-volunteer kaya huwag mong isumbat sa akin."

"Fine! But I will still take that as a thank you," Aiden said, flashing his dazzling smile that could enchant all girls except me. Hindi ako tinatablan ng charms niya. Kung ibang babae siguro ang nasa posisyon ko ngayon, baka nagtitili na sila o kaya nahimatay na.

Isang himala ang kailangan namin ngayon. Himala na sana'y may dumaan na ibang tao at mapansin kaming nahulog sa butas.

"Bakit ba lagi kang naaasiwa sa akin?" tanong ng kasama ko. I was not expecting him to shoot me with a point-blank question. "You're always making faces kapag nakikita mo ako. Kahit yata anino ko lang ang maaninag mo, naba-bad trip ka na."

Napatawa ako nang mahina at yumuko. Wala rin naman kaming magagawa ngayon kaya papatulan ko na. "Ikaw pa talaga ang nagtanong niyan? It all started when you spied on me sa gymnasium. Tapos bigla mo akong binaligtad sa harap ng student regent?"

"Hey, I was just playing around noon! Parang hindi ka naman madaan sa joke."

"Joke? I-choke kaya kita riyan para makita mo ang hinahanap mo? Sa tingin—OUCH!" Humapdi ang sugat sa aking binti kaya natigil ako sa pagsasalita. Pulang-pula na ito at magang-maga na. Pasalamat ang blonde na 'to na may sugat ako, baka kung ano nang nagawa ko sa kanya.

"Let me guess. Nag-start ang galit mo sa akin dahil kay Morrie, tama?" An annoying smirk formed across his lips. I was starting to hate these smirking guys. "Masyado mo kasing sineseryoso ang rivalry n'yong dalawa."

Tumaas ang kaliwang kilay ko. "And who are you to lecture me about that? The rivalry is between Houses Holmes and Moriarty. Mas mabuti kung shut up ka na lang, okay?"

Shaking his head, Aiden let out an exasperated sigh. "Listen to me, Harriet. Kung gusto nating manalo sa teambuilding activities, kailangan nating magtulungan. Alam kong may personal differences tayo sa isa't isa, pero kailangan nating isantabi muna 'yon, okay?"

"Willing akong makatrabaho kayo. Kaya kong lunukin ang pride ko. But it would have been much better kung hindi ikaw at si Morrie ang napunta sa team natin. I can work perfectly well with Mina kahit na puro Morse code siya."

"Natatandaan mo pa ba nang dalhin tayong dalawa sa warehouse ng Russian roulette killer?" he recalled. "Pati na ang pagpigil natin sa assassination attempt sa university chancellor? Hindi ba't mas mabuti kung may gano'ng klaseng cooperation tayo sa isa't isa?"

Naningkit ang mga mata kong nakatitig sa kanya. Bakit bigla siyang nag-preach tungkol sa inter-House cooperation? I could sense something odd here. "Ano bang ipinupunto mo? Huwag ka nang magpaligoy-ligoy pa. Get directly to the point."

Huminga muna siya nang malalim, malamang nag-ipon muna ng lakas ng loob sa pag-inhale niya bago siya humarap sa akin. "Can we start over again? Para maging harmonious ang relationship natin?"

Starting over again? Ano 'to, isang romantic movie? Huwag ako, Aiden. 'Yong iba na lang.

"What is your game, Aiden Alterra?" I asked, scrutinizing his face with my suspecting eyes. "Kailan ka pa naging ambassador for House unity?"

"Huh?" Kumunot ang noo niya na parang hindi niya naintindihan ang tanong ko. "What do you mean?"

"Knowing you, I have expected that you would flirt at me or take advantage of the situation. Instead, para kang pari na nanenermon tungkol sa pagkakaisa ng sangkatauhan. Hindi consistent sa character mo kaya naisip kong baka may iba ka pang motibo."

That's right. Bilang isang detective, kailangang magaling kami sa pagkilatis hindi lang sa kilos kundi maging sa personality ng isang tao. Kung may inconsistency sa isang aspect ng kanyang pagkatao, it might be worth looking at. Kung may taong hindi namin ka-close na biglang nakipag-close sa amin out of the blue, dapat na magduda dahil baka may ulterior motive siya.

"What? Pati ba naman ang malinis kong intensyon, kukuwestyunin mo?" Napayuko siya't napailing nang ilang ulit. Malinis na intensyon? Saan siya kumukuha ng kapal ng mukha para magamit ang term na 'yon? "Gano'n ba kasama ang tingin mo sa akin, Harriet? Kahit ano bang gawin o sabihin ko, laging may lihim na motibo?"

"You're a man of a questionable character," I replied. My gut feeling told me to never trust him. Bagay na bagay nga sa kanya ang kanilang House sigil. Chameleon. Hunyango. Kayang magpalit ng kulay depende sa nakapaligid sa kanya. How could anyone trust people like that? "Ever since that day in the regent's office, I completely lost my trust in you. Trust is one of the most fragile things in this world. Once you break it, you cannot put it back together the way it was."

"Kaya nga gusto kong magsimula ulit tayo sa una," he spoke slowly. "Clean slate, you know? I want to rebuild that trust."

Why did he sound like he's my ex-boyfriend trying to get the two of us back together? When the thought crossed my mind, nangilabot ako.

I chuckled. "So you think everything's going to be fixed by pressing the reset button? That's not how the world works. There is no reset button! This isn't a video game. You have already left scars and you cannot completely erase them."

The tables turned. I was the one who sounded like his ex-girlfriend who was hurt badly and wouldn't give the poor man a second chance. Thank goodness na kami lang dalawa ang nandito. Kung may ibang makarinig ng pag-uusap namin without knowing the context of our conversation, baka na-misinterpret kami.

"All I'm asking is a fresh start," mahinahong tugon niya. "For me, for Morrie, for Mina, for everyone."

"You want to start all over again? Okay, fine! I can forgive you for what you did, but I can never forget about it."

Just an FYI: I'm a firm believer of forgive but never forget. Hindi kagaya sa mga sabong panlaba, hindi na mabubura ang mantsa kapag nagmarka na ito.

"Ang gusto ko'y maging maayos ang samahan nating apat," Aiden shared. "Ang teambuilding na 'to ang perfect opportunity sa atin para patunayang kaya nating i-set aside ang nakaraan at mag-focus sa kakaharapin nating problema sa kasalukuyan."

"Are you genuinely honest with your words?" tanong ko. A part of me wanted to give him a chance. A part of me did not. "Hindi ito isang trick para sa plot n'yong dalawa ni Morrie? I can feel that you two are up to something. And this let's-work-together-scheme might be a pretext."

He waved his hands in front of him. "Huwag mong bigyan ng ibang kahulugan ang pagmamagandang-loob ko. Iniisip ko lang ang kapakanan ng team natin. No lies, no tricks, no secret agenda."

I was searching for any sign of discomfort on his pale face. He appeared so true and sounded so honest to his words, but I wouldn't easily fall for it. Hindi ko nakakalimutang isa siyang Adlerian. He knew how to make face... and control his emotions. Kahit na malapit na siyang mabuking... hindi niya ipapahalata.

Napahawak ako sa aking dibdib... at paulit-ulit na huminga nang malalim. Nahihirapan na akong huminga... malamang dahil sa epekto ng lason.

"Harriet, okay ka lang?"

Of course not! Ikaw kaya ang makagat ng ahas... magiging okay ka kaya? Unti-unti na ring nanlalabo ang paningin ko... halos hindi ko na malinaw na nakikita ang mukha ni Aiden. Parang namamanhid na rin ang binti ko... maging ang mukha ko.

"Harriet! HARRIET! TULONG! TULONG!"

Halos mapaos na sa kasisigaw si Aiden, ngunit wala pa ring dumarating upang sagipin kami sa hukay. I knew it. There was little to no chance that anyone would come to our rescue.

Is this where my journey ends? I still have dreams ahead of me. Marami pa akong gustong patunayan... lalo na kay papa. I wanna prove to him that the path I chose is right. I also wanna make my mama proud of me... that I followed her pursuit of justice.

Bumibigat na ang mga talukap ng aking mata... Nagbu-blur na ang paningin ko. Parang abstract painting na lang ang mukha ni Aiden.

I could feel the grim reaper coming out of the darkness... sharpening his scythe to harvest my soul.

But I don't wanna die.

I still don't want to.

-30-