Hm? Ano 'yon?
Parang may naaamoy akong nasusunog— wait, nasusunog?!
Napabalikwas ako ng bangon at napatakbo sa kusina.
"Shit!"
Pinatay ko ang stove at ipinatong ang pot na may sunog na pancit canton. Binuksan ko ang tubig at pinadaluyan ang nangingitkm na loob ng kaldero.
Nakalimutan kong may linuluto ako, napasandal ako sa mesa at napahilamos ng mukha.
Anong gagawin ko, kailangan kong pumatay ng isang beetle gamit ang kamay ko! Mas malala pa ata ito noong napatay ko ang mananaksak sa akin noon.
[IJONA-SAAAN, HEEELP MEEE!]
Napatakbo ako ulit sa sala par hanapin si Chib. Pagdating ko doon ay agad kong napansin ang liwanag na nagmumula sa ilalim ng isang single couch.
Lumuhod ako at inabot ang phone na kanina pa patay-sindi ang screen. Noong makuha ko na 'to ay sumalubong sa akin ang nakasimangot na avatar ni Chib, her chubby little arms were cutely crossed while she's sitting in indian sit.
[Kanina pa ako tawag ng tawag sa'yo, Ijona-saaaan!]
She puffed her pinkish cheeks and an irk mark appeared on her forehead when I just laugh her off. She huffed and looked away.
"Sorry, sorry, Chib," natatawang saad ko at pinunas ang namumuong luha sa mga mata ko.
[Sorry, sorry, nye, nye!]
Umirap ito at tumalikod, kaya tanging ang likod ng kaniyang chubby figure ang nakikita ko sa screen. Cute.
The name Chib, really suits this little chibi. It would be really funny and entertaining to have a kid like her, but! Sa imagination lang hindi sa real life. There's no way I could stand a kid like this in real life, a bratty kind of a kid.
"Anyway, Chib, about sa second task. Do you have any idea where I can get a beetle?"
Her avatar only looked at me behind her shoulder and teared her gaze away from me.
[Hmp, may searcher app ang device na ito. You can search there, if you want to, hmp!]
Ngumiwi ako at pumunta sa homescreen, I tapped the searcher icon at lumabas ang isang search bar.
[Where can I find beetles?]
[— based from your location, you may be able to obtain a beetle 3 three blocks away from your current location. Please refer to the map.]
Halos malaglag ang panga ko noong makita ang sinasabing lugar na pwedeng makakuha ng mga beetles. I clicked my tongue and problematically looked at the location through the map.
The house was just inside our division, but the thing is, it's the house of my previous science teacher, Mr. Santos.
He was known for being a insect enthusiast among our school, kaya hindi na ito nakakabigla. And the real problem is, his collection of bugs was in his basement on his house at hindi ko alam kung papaano ako makakapasok doon, knowing how protective he is towards those insects.
——•——
5:37 PM
I was pacing back and forth here inside my room, clearly agitated by my current crisis.
I tried to search for another place to get some beetles, but itwas the nearest and safest (?) for me to go. Hindi ako pwedeng lumabas ng aming division dahil paniguradong malalaman ito ni mama.
Madami din ang mga cctv dito kaya makikita ng mga guard paglalabas ang lahat. Especially at Mr. Santos' place, mas mahigpit doon ang security dahil mas malapit sila sa executive part ng division, doon nakatira ang mga mas nakakaangat sa amin.
I sighed and slumped down on the edge of my bed, here I am, thinking I only need to kill whatever they sent me through the device. I never thought being burglar will be a part of this game but on the other hand, it's way much better than being a killer.
It had been crossing my mind a lot, how strangely I adapted to my situation. I would waver but the next moment ay naka move on na ako.
Nakakatakot isipin, I was becoming more and more used in this kind of thing. Unti-unti nang nawawala ang takot sa akin but it was steadily replaced by the will to kill for my survival.
And I. . . don't know whether it's bad or not.
6:59 PM
Tumingin ako sa sariling repleksyon sa salamin dito sa aking kwarto. Nakasuot ako ngayon ng isang gray shirt, at black joggers. I wore the facemask to cover my face and tie my medium lenght hair into low secure pony tail.
[Wow, mukha ka na talagang magnanakaw, Ijona-san!]
Pagpupuri sa akin ni Chib na ikangiwi ko lamang, hindi ko alam kung sinabi niya iyon para pagaanin ang loob ko at pabigatin lamang.
My plan for tonight is to walk around the division all way to Mr. Santos' house. Marami namang naglalakad-lakad pag ganito pang oras o mga nagna-night jogging kaya hindi kahina-hinala.
[Hmm, Ijona-san. I think you should remove your facemask, medyo sus ka pag tignan, eh.]
I looked to my reflection once again and nodded, mukha talaga akong magnanakaw. I teared the mask off my face and grabbed my waist pouch.
[Hehe, good luck, Ijona-san!]
Huling saad ni Chib bago ko patayin ang phone at ilagay sa pouch. For the last time, I looked at my reflection and stared straight into my own eyes.
"Discard the guilt, pick it later."