Chapter 24. Mon Amie
Aeon's POV
"Fiery is the closest person that I have aside from my sister after the mess she made" panimula ni Thalia sa kwento niya.
"How did you meet her?" tanong ko sakanya. Many things have been bothering me since she died and I have to find out the answers to those things.
"Our first encounter was very unpleasant for seeing me in an awkward way with someone" nahihiyang sagot ko ng maalala ko ang una naming pagkikita.
"But that's not actually the first time I saw her" napakunot noo ako sa sagot niya.
"What do you mean?" tanong ko sakanya.
"We're actually schoolmates even when we we're in pre school. Hindi nga lang kami close. We became close when we were in middle school" sagot niya. Lalo akong napakunot sa sinagot niya. That's impossible.
"So, you're saying that you first met her in preschool?" tanong ko sakanya. It doesn't make sense.
"Yup. She's actually popular even then" sagot niya. All the information that I have right now is making my head spin.
"What happened after that?" tanong ko sakanya. I have to know what happened when they became friends.
"We became close. Nagpalipat pa ako ng unit sa unit niya para lang magkasama kami araw araw. We're actually inseperable. Sabi nga ng karamihan parang mas kapatid pa ang turing ko sakanya kaysa sa tunay kong kapatid. Maybe that's one of the reasons why my already broken relationship with my sister severed" kwento pa niya.
"You shared the same unit?" tanong ko sakanya. Tumango naman siya bilang sagot.
"I want to see your unit" sabi ko saka agad na tumayo.
Tumayo naman si Thalia saka nag umpisang maglakad na sinundan namin ni Dark. Lumabas kami ng building saka naglakad patungo sa pad na tinutuluyan ni Thalia. Hindi naman nagtagal ay nakarating rin kami. Tiningala ko ang building ng Political Science Department. I've never been to this part of the school dahil wala naman akong dahilan para pumunta sa department na to. I took a step forward but has been hault when a memory suddenly flashes through my mind. It's Thalia and she's smiling while talking to her as they walk into this building. Why am I seeing these things?
"Are you okay?" biglang tanong ni Dark na siyang nasa likuran ko.
"I'm fine" sagot ko sakanya saka tinuloy ang paglalakad. I tried my best to reign the pain in my head everytime strange scenes keep flashing through my mind. Hindi ko alam maintindihan ang sarili ko. Why am I seeing memories that she had?
Ilang minuto pa kaming naglakad bago makarating sa ikaapat na palapag ng building. Naglakad kami sa may hallway hanggang sa matapat kami sa isang unit. Nang makita ko ang numero ng unit ay bigla nalang may nagplay sa utak ko na mga memoryang hindi ko maintindihan kung sa kapatid ko ba o sa akin. It's a scene where Thalia is standing with someone infront of this same unit.
"Are you sure you're okay? You look pale and you're like in pain" ani Dark sa tabi ko.
"I'm fine. Pwede na ba tayong pumasok?" I assured Dark then ask Thalia. Tumango lang siya bilang sagot saka tinapat ang kanyang key card sa nagsisilbing lock ng pintuan. Tumunog ito saka bumukas. Niluwagan ni Thalia ang pagkakabukas sa pintuan para makapasok kami. But when I saw the room memories plays inside my head. It's like a video which is played with fastforward.
Wala akong nagawa ng bigla nanamang sumakit ang ulo ko. This pain. It's like when I was in our house. When a memory played inside my head. Napaluhod nalang ako habang hawaka ang aking ulo.
"Aeon" sabay na sabi ni Dark at Thalia saka nila ako nilapitan.
Hindi ko magawang balingan ng atensyon ang nasa paligid ko dahil sa sobrang sakit ng ulo ko hanggang si namalayan kong unti unting dumilim ang paligid ko.
"Do you want to get out of this island someday?" tanong ng isang tinig pagkamulat ko at nagulat nalang ako ng nasa harapan ko si Thalia. I don't know if who's she talking to but I felt like it's me.
"Where is this coming from?" tanong ng isang pamilyar na tinig na hindi ko alam kung saan galing.
"I always wondered what's outside this world" bigla nalang nag iba ang paligid. Kung kanina ay parang ako ang kausap ni Thalia ngayon naman ay nakikita ko silang dalawang nag uusap, right infront of me. Fiery.
"They said no one can get out of this island because there's nothing out there. Many people from this island attempted to leave but they end up dead or they never came back but..." hindi tinuloy ni Fiery ang kanyang sasabihin. It's like, she's hesitating.
"But?" Thalia asked curiously.
"It's nothing" sagot niya saka nag iwas ng tingin. Napatitig ako kay Fiery. There's something wrong with her.
"You're hiding something from me" ani Thalia. "Look at me Fiery" seryosong dagdag niya. Tumingin si Fiery sakanya.
"Look me in the eyes" matigas na utos nito na sinunod naman ng isa.
"You know something about this island and the outside world" napakunot noo ako sa sinabi ni Thalia habang pinapanood silang mag usap. What's about this outside world? What's about this island? What the heck is going on around here?
"I don't know anything" ani Fiery.
"There's really something out there, isn't it?" pamimilit na tanong ni Thalia.
"Drop it Thalia" naiinis na sagot ni Fiery.
"Then my plan on leaving this island is final" may pinalidad sa boses na sabi ni Thalia.
"Thalia!" galit na saway ni Fiery sakanya.
"Then tell me what you know" matigas na sagot naman ng isa.
"Stop being stubborn. You'll just get yourself killed" ani Fiery na parang naiinis dahil sa katigasan ng ulo ng isa.
"Then stop lying to me" sagot naman ni Thalia.
"I won't if that's the only way for me to make you safe"
"No. You're lying because that's what you're good at. Because that's who you are. Because all of this is a lie. Isn't it, Aeon?"
"NO!" napabangon nalang ako bigla at nabalik sa reyalidad.
"Aeon" sabay na sabi ni Dark at Thalia na nasa tabi ko.
"What happened?" tanong ko sakanila.
"Bigla ka nalang nawalan ng malay kanina. Are you okay?" ani Thalia. Nilibot ko ang paningin ko sa paligid ko ng kwartong kinaroroonan ko.
"Where am I?"
"You're in my room" sagot ni Thalia. Her room? Nang sinubukan kong isipin kung anong nangyari ay bigla nalang pumasok sa utak ko ang nasaksihan kong pag uusap ni Thalia at Fiery.
"I want to know the truth about this island and the outside world" her eyes widened the moment that sentence came out of my mouth.
"H-how?" hindi tinuloy ni Thalia ang kanyang sasabihin.
"I don't know either. I just saw you and Fiery having that conversation in my dream" sagot ko sakanya. Maraming bagay ang bumabagabag sa akin.
"She never had the chance to tell me the truth. If you saw what happened till the end. She insisted on not telling me and" biglang nag iba ang ekspresyon niya sa mukha.
"And?" I asked curiously.
"That's the last time I saw her. After that, we were just shocked when the news about her getting killed spreads" sagot niya.
"It doesn't make sense" nasabi ko nalang bigla.
"What do you mean?" nagtatakang tanong ni Dark.
"All of this. It doesn't make sense. Something is missing" sagot ko sakanya. I never felt hopeless before but this time, that is what I'm feeling.
"What's missing?" may bahid na pagtataka sa boses ni Thalia.
"Why did you call her by my name back then?" tumingin ako sakanya saka nagtatakang tanong ko ng maalala ko ang panaginip kong iyon kanina.
"That same day I learned that she had a twin sister and there's a possibility that they are switching places but that possibility is only 1% and I confirmed that day that it is really Fiery, not her twin"
"But that doesn't make sense. Fiery never had the chance to leave our house" sabi ko sakanila.
"What? Why?" agad niyang tanong.
"Fiery is sickly. Her heart is weak" I lied. That isn't the real reason why we had to hide her.
"So there's a possibility that it's you?" ani Dark.
"That's impossible either" sagot ko sakanila.
"Why is it impossible?" tanong pa niya.
"Because I spent my 100 years in a coffin" sagot ko sakanila.
"You were into an eternal sleep?" nagtatakang tanong nilang dalawa.