Midnight Requiem.

may of spring, day 22

may of spring, present

            I couldn't get Tori and her brother out of my head. Or, well, hindi ko maalis sa isipan ko ang pinag-usapan nila bago sila umalis.

Seeing Tori leave and watching her walk away was painful and seeing her face with tears streaming down her face while her brother tugged her arm was devastating.

Bago sila umalis, magmaka-awa si Tori sa kapatid niya na isama kami. She was begging her brother to have us escape with them. Hindi ko maintindihan bakit sa kuya niya nagmakaka-awa si Tori pero hindi ko magawang magtanong ng makita ko kung paano tignan si Tori ng kapatid niya.

Izek looks blanky at Tori as his sister cry for help and all Izek did is stare down at her. His eyes doesn't held an ounce of sympathy nor emotion. He gaze at his own sister with nonchalance that sends shivers down my spine.

Tori was crying, begging . . . pero hindi man lang siya kumurap.

"Izek, please. . " Tori's lips quiver as she held on the cell tightly. "C- can't you do that? For me?"

"I can," he responded almost immediately, na kahit ako ay hindi mapigilang mapalingon dahil sa sagot niya. But his next words completely took me off guard. "But that's not how this whole shit works, Selene."

"A contract is a contract, angel. You know better." Halos mabingi ako sa katahimikan at mahihinang hikbi na kumakawala sa bibig ni Tori.

Tori was never the emotional one among us. I couldn't even remember the last time she cried. . . Pero hindi lamang yun ang tumatak sa isip ko. Contract. . . What contract are they talking about? Bakit parang sa kapatid niya din umaasa si Tori na makalabas kami dito?

Just who did she asked help from?

Hindi pa ganon katagal ng umalis sila Tori at nagkakagulo na sa underground.

Halos mabilaukan ako sa kaba ng makita ko si Joseph sa labas ng selda ko. Ngayon, hindi lang si Joseph ang nandito, marami sila. Mga tauhan din siguro ni Senator Borce. Sobrang ingay ng underground at ngayon ko lang napagtanto kung gaano karaming selda ang nandito ng makita ko ang ibang bilanggo na hila hila ng ibang tauhan. I can hear someone shouting, crying, cursing habang si Joseph naman, tila ba hindi mapakali habang nakatayo sa labas ng selda namin.

"Boss, tapos na namin mailabas yung iba." May isang lalake na lumapit kay Joseph at para akong mabawian ng hininga ng bigla nalang nitong binaling ang tingin sa akin.

"Ilabas niyo yan," I froze when he pointed at Kio. Pareho kaming napatingin ni Kio sa isa't-isa at hindi maikaila ang bahid ng takot sa mukha niya. It's probably mirroring mine because I'm more afraid right now than the first time I find myself inside this cells.

"At yung babae," I was completely frozen and Kio looks livid as he clench on the rusted bar tightly. "She'll come out last. Ayusin niyo at may paggagamitan pa yan." I was scared, nervous and anxious and so, so scared na hindi ko na namalayan na umiiyak na ako. Tuluyan lang akong napako sa kinatatayuan ko ng maalala ko ang dahilan kung bakit hindi kagaya ni Kio ay ni minsan, hindi ako sinaktan ni Joseph.