"Are you sure this is the right place?" hindi na napigilang tanong ni Caitlin habang pinagmamasdan niya ang madilim na kapaligiran.
"Kaya nga, I can't see a damn thing. Nasa civilization pa ba tayo?" hindi na din napigilang tanong ni Luce.
Sabay na nagkatinginan sina Luce at Caitlin. Agad naman na nagkaintindihan ng tingin ang dalawa pagkatapos ay magkasabay ding lumipad ang tingin ng mga ito kay Lors na nakaupo sa may backseat.
Simula ng nagbigay ng specific instructions si Lors kung saan liliko at dadaan dahil biglang nagka-problema ang Waze na naka-install sa phone niya, hindi na mapakali si Caitlin. She's having a bad feeling but despite that she decided to remain quiet and trust Lors sense of directions. Well, until now.
"Naliligaw na ba tayo?" ani Caitlin
"Naliligaw na ba talaga tayo?" segunda naman ni Luce
Pero ang bruha hindi sila inimik. Busy si Lors sa pag-sipat sa sarili sa compact mirror nito para tingnan kung maayos pa ang make-up nito, pagkatapos ay muling ibinalik ang atensyon sa may kalsada na parang wala sila sa loob ng kotse at hindi man lang sila nagtanong.
Silence.
Muling dumakdak si Luce. Halata na ang exasperation sa boses nito.
"Ano ba Lorelei?! Sabihin mo na kasi kung naliligaw talaga tayo o hindi"
"Tumigil nga kayo!" sa wakas ay sinagot na rin sila nito. Tinignan sila nito ng masama. "FYI hindi tayo naliligaw, mas marunong pa kayo sa akin"
"Nakikita mo ba ang nakikita ko?"
Umiling lamang si Lors. She heave a huge sigh.
"Actually wala akong masyadong makita e,medyo madilim" nasabi na lamang ni Luce. Naitirik niya ang mga mata.
"That's the point! Mukhang wala na tayo sa civilization! At para rin tayong nasa ghost town! Sinong matinong negosyante ang magtatayo ng negosyo niya sa lugar na walang katao-tao at puro ipis, daga, at lamok lang ya--may biglang umalulong sa may di kalayuan...ok may kasamang aso sa listahan, isama na rin natin pati pusa dahil tandem lagi ang dalawang iyon,… ang tanging NANINIRAHAN DITO!" sumasakit ulo ni Caitlin dahil sa mga kaibigan niya
"Yeah, may point nga naman si Lee-Lee" biglang sang-ayon ni Luce. Thanks the heavens! But Caitlin saw Lors rolled her eyes.
"Kayong dalawa wag kayong masyadong mag-isip ng kung ano-ano" anito na parang nagpapangaral sa bata. "Una, hindi tayo naliligaw. Pangalawa, hindi talaga tayo naliligaw. At pangatlo hinding hindi tayo maliligaw" Lors enunciated every word.
"And to prove that, were here!" biglang anunsiyo nito.
Pinasadahan ng tingin ni Caitlin ang paligid niya. Ganoon din si Luce na tahimik ring ininspeksyon ang hinintuan nila. She's not even tempted to step out of the stuffy car kahit kanina pa niya gustong lumanghap ng sariwang hangin. The moment she saw the place she's even tempted to run home. The place just totally screams "Booooooo!" Hindi niya maiwasan ang kilabutan. Pasalamat na lang talaga siya medyo may naaaninag pa siya ng kaunti dahil mayroong kumukurap-kurap na street lamp sa may bandang kaliwa nila. Kung kanina na may nakikita pa siyang mangilan-ngilan na establishments papunta doon ngayon as in wala talaga. Puro abandonadong buildings ang nakikita niya kahit saan man siya tumingin. At marami pang ibang abandonadong buildings na halos magkakadikit na at tanging madidilim na eskinita lang ang nagsisilbing daanan sa mga pagitan niyon. Nababahala at nagugulamihan na talaga siya.
"Sigurado ka bang ito yung lugar na dapat nating puntahan?" diretsang tanong niya dito. There's no time for a nonsense talk. Napansin niya ang pag-aalangan ni Lors bago ito bahagyang sumang-ayon.
"Sigurado ka bang inimbitahan ka ni Sebastian o nananaginip ka lang--at nandito tayo ngayon dahil hindi mo talaga alam ang pupuntahan?" tanong naman ni Luce. Lors just barely shook her head.
"You're not telling us something Lors. TEll US. NOW." she can't help but commanded. And she felt bad for it kaya lang kasi pakiramdam niya nasa delikado silang lugar ng mga oras na iyon. When she looked at her she knew that she got through her bestfriend because her cool straight facade slipped and she's now staring at them wide eyed, looking defeated and troubled. Still, Lorelei kept silent. Pakiramdam niya tinubuan na siya ng ugat sa kakahintay. Even Luce kept quiet, waiting for Lors to just spill it. Oh my freaking G! Mukhang mabubulok sila sa kotse ng gabing iyon.
Parang pusang hindi maihi iyon ang konklusyon ni Caitlin sa kinikilos at hitsura ng pagmumukha ni Lors habang patuloy siya sa pagmamasid dito. Tinignan niya ang oras. It's almost 10 pm. Pero mukhang hindi pa rin ready na magsalita ito at sabihin ang totoo.
"Were going back" biglang anunsiyo ni Caitlin. Sinimulan niyang imaniobra ang sasakyan ng bigla siyang pinigilan ni Lors.
"Stop!" nagmamadaling pigil sa kanya ng kaibigan. Sumingit na si Lors sa pagitan nila si Luce na kanina lang ay naka-upo sa may backseat.
"Just tell us the truth" exasperated na saad ni Luce. Ang akala niya hindi sila sasagutin ni Lors ng biglang sumagot ito ng may napakahina at medyo garalgal na boses.
"I lie--d, o--k..." anito
"What?!" bulalas ni Luce
. Hindi siya nakaimik. Lors took that cue to continue.
"Nitong mga nakaraang linggo, alam niyo namang, I followed Sebastian like a love-sick puppy"
"Obviously" hindi napigilang komento ni Luce
"Well, just about a week ago, nagkaroon ako, finally ng chance na kausapin siya. And I know that he finally noticed me, after all my hardships he finally noticed me. It was magical and li-"
"Pwede bang cliff notes version na lang" komento naman niya. She didn't need to hear the long gory details of their so called magical moment. She needed to know the freaking point of the story.
"Ermm...well, we went out on a date a few times. And then I overheard his band mates talking about a Tuesday Girl"
"Tuesday Girl?" Luce and her both echoed
"I am Tuesday Girl" she said voice deadly quiet. "I'm aware, hell very well aware na maraming babaeng nagkakandarapa sa kanya but I thought I will be that girl that could change him na pwede siyang maging one woman man"
Luce and Caitlin fell in complete silence.
"I'am the girl he gets to play with every Tuesday and I'm fine with it. I try to deal with it but not for long. Hindi ako makakapayag na maungusan ako ni Natalie kaya nandito tayo ngayon to crash the party. I'm not invited to the private party but Natalie was. I'm so not going to just accept it. So I stole Natalie's private pass and I made a replica...so now that the truth is all out. You guys still in?"
"So, hindi talaga totoo na inaya ka niyang mag-date ngayon?" tanong na kumpirma ni Luce. Umiling si Lors. "It's true that he invited me, I mean us to watch him sing but then something came up"
"And that something is this party tonight" Luce supplied
"I asked him to take me instead of Natalie, pero ayaw niyang pumayag. He keeps on saying that I'm not yet ready for that kind of occasion" paghihimutok pa nito
"Sayang naman ang effort natin. Gusto ko pa namang makita kung anong meron sa loob ng Devil's Paradise" ani Luce. May bumangong iritasyon mula sa diddib niya.
"Hey! Did you forget about the part when she told us that Lors is his play thing every Tuesday? And that douchebag has other fucked buddies the other remaining days?" hindi niya napigilang i-point out dito.
"Yeah. I heard it. Actually, it's already tattooed in my mind. I need details later! Details! But let's skip it for now. Before you make the confession of how you got your cherry popped we need popcorns, a bit of a drink and privacy. Geez! I can't believe you already did the deal. I always want to do it too though I am thinking it will be great if he's a drop dead sexy vampire or furry werewolf. What d'ya think?" ani Luce na kumikislap pa ang mata.
She groaned out loud. She can't believe she's hearing this. She looked outside the car and she watched as the slim rays of light from the street lamp dance through the night as well as the glow of the moon adding to its eeriness making her heart jump inside, but not because of fear that she initially felt but a growing sense of excitement. Somehow, she could feel it now, a small sharp tug inside of her, pulling her out to the dark, mysterious place. She concentrated on that feeling, pero bigla siyang naliyo. It's like a fog had settled in her mind. She shook her head, once, twice...but then it's still there growing stronger and persistent.
"Are we still going? o uupo lang tayo dito magdamag?" she can't believe herself say, but the look in Lors face confirmed that she really had said it.
Lors looked at her wide eyed
"Lee?" she called out my nickname looking shell-shocked. Akala siguro nito makakatikim ito sa kanya ng sermon. And strangely, she's thinking of giving Lors an earful but it's just that her body won't respond at all. It's like she was being held back by some force she couldn't explain. Hindi na niya nakontrol ang buka ng bibig niya.
"I want to go. Its fine.I mean, it's not fine for me about what happened but it was your choice and it's over and done with pero hindi pa tayo tapos pag-usapan ito. So, pumasok na tayo dahil sayang effort" pahinuhod niya. Sometimes it feels good to break some rulesand be reckless like Dad says last time. She chuckes inwardly. Oh well, I guess I will just prepare myself for the consequences later on.
"Yes!" magkasabay na tili ng dalawa. Hindi na niya napigilan ang mapangiti. Natatawang pinagmasdan niya ang mga ito.
"Let's go girls were going to rock someone's party" ani Lors na abot langit ang ngiti na parang kanina lang ay parang nalugi.
"Hell yeah!" they all answered in unison.
HINDI makaimik si Caitlin ng dalhin sila ni Lors sa may isang abandonadong building, pero si Luce hindi na matigil sa kakatanong, and Lors happily answered.
"See!" sa isip isip ni Caitlin. Hindi na niya kinakailangang magtanong total naman si Luce na ang gumagawa noon para sa kanya.The idea of an underground party is enough to make Luce a one happy woman but for her it's kind of creepy and suspicious but then again she said yes, so she readily shut her mouth.
"Saan na tayo?" mukhang nanginginig sa excitement na tanong ni Luce ng tumigil sila sa isang tapat ng rebulto. It's a dirty white tall imposing angel sculpture with a broken wing and a hollow missing eye with a sculpted sword at his side. It's creepy but she can't help but think it's beautiful in its own way of creepiness .Nakapangalumbaba ito habang nakapatong ang siko nito sa may tuhod. Matapos nilang umakyat ng hagdan at maglakad sa napakahaba at napakadilim na hallway na ang tanging ilaw lang nila ay ang flashlight na baon-baon ni Lors hindi na siya umaasa na hindi na sana siya makakatagpo ng mga weirdong bagay. Tonight, she also had the surprise of her life. Hindi niya akalain na dahil lang sa isang Sebastian natuto ng maging handa palagi ang kaibigan. Lors is the type to always forget the most essential things to bring even though she tends to over pack all the time in their outings and nightly escapades --and all of it is useless most of the time but now...she couldn't help the smile on her lips.
"Just wait, you'll see" pa-mysterious effect pa nito. Lumapit si Lors sa may rebulto at may isinuksok sa nawawalang mata ng angel.
Gah?!! Is it an eyeball?
Mayamaya lang narinig na niya ang pagbubukas ng stone wall sa may gilid nila. She stood there surprise and totally speechless. She watch as the wall slid out and she could just make out a staircase below.
"Woahhh!" Luce said almost breathless
"Awesome right? Let's go. You'll see more of awesomeness tonight" yakag nito sa kanila. They followed quietly. Dahan dahang bumaba si Caitlin ng hagdan. They're descending in a circular staircase that is for sure. At dahil sa sobrang haba ng binababaan nila hindi siya makatingin sa kung saan dahil nalulula siya sa taas at nagsisimula ng kabahan. Yeah, she's kind of afraid of heights but sometimes she can manage it like this time. She tried to even her breathing. Sinimulan ni Caitlin ng breathing exercise niya, at ng nagpatuloy pa rin sila sa pagbaba kahit papaano nawala ang pagkalula niya. Lalo siyang nabunutan ng tinik ng tuluyan na niyang natungtungan ang pinakahuling hakbang ng hagdanan na iyon. Nakahinga na siya ng maluwag, pero hindi niya inaakalang saglit lang iyon. Everything happened so fast in a blink of an eye. The three of them are now standing and gaping at the two huge men already blocking their way. Hindi siya makapaniwala na hindi niya napansin ang pagdating ng dalawa lalo pa't dambuhala ang mga ito. How was that even possible? Para siyang na-estatwa sa kinatatayuan habang nakatago sa may likod ng dalawang kaibigan niya.
Then, she jumped in surprise when they're suddenly bathed in white light. Medyo sumakit ang mata niya dahil sa biglaang exposure sa ilaw. May kuryente naman pala pinahirapan pa sila. Mariin siyang napapikit. Then she heard a soft gasp. Her eyes automatically flew open and for the second time of the night or maybe more, she's stunned speechless. What the hell!
Her heart suddenly made backflips at somersaults.She could suddenly feel it. She feels weightless and at loss with gravity pulling her towards him, to the grey eyed Greek god in front of her. The pull, it's getting stronger and persistent. She felt a sudden hunger she couldn't describe. She can't control her thoughts and what she's feeling right now.
He's like an angel. Or maybe not, her mind suddenly interjected because now he's actually scary while he's glaring daggers towards Lors and Luce. At alam niyang kapag umalis siya sa pwesto niya sa likod at humakbang papunta sa tabi ng dalawang kaibigan, siguradong makakatikim din siya ng nakakamatay na tingin nito. She's suddenly reminded with the angel upstairs beautifully creepy, imposing and scary. Humugot muna siya ng isang malalim na hininga bago naglakas loob na lumakad sa tabi nina Lors at Luce. She actually wanted him to see her even though he's practically steaming with anger. Now, she's really gone mad. Hindi niya malaman kung bakit pero aware siyang nababaliw na talaga siya. She's waiting for the impact as his eyes fell on her.
It feels like she's going to burst up in flames.