God's Cage | WOTG #1

nine | a display of power

CADE
A Display of Power

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Sa laki ng mga ektarya na sakop na lupain nitong university ay sigurado akong hindi ito mapupuno ng mga tao. P'wera na lang siguro kung titipunin dito ang lahat ng nakatira sa Sapphire District.

Umalis na kami sa plasa at sinundan ko si Tina sa parking lot kung saan nakaparada ang kaniyang Land Stormer S997 na pinag-ipinunan niya mula sa mga una niyang sahod sa ospital. Buti na lang at mayroon siyang sariling sasakyan at hindi na namin pa kailangan mamasahe papuntang apartment niya.

"Ano ba kasi gusto mong sabihin sa 'kin? Tsaka gano'n ba kaimportante 'yan para tawagan pa 'ko at sunduin ka rito? P'wede mo naman sabihin sa 'kin through the phone kung private," dakdak niya habang naglalakad kami. Hindi ko na siya sinagot at nanahimik na lang. Kahit ba may gusto akong sabihin hindi ko magawa. Nagmo-monologue kasi siya.

Napahinto ako sa paglalakad nang may kumalabit sa akin isip. Nang mapansin niyang wala na ako sa tabi niya ay tumalikod siya.

"Oh, bakit?" tanong niya habang nakakunot ang noo. "May problema ka ba, Cade?"

Was I really going to tell it all to her? What if she freaked out and told our parents about it? I pushed the thoughts away. I knew she'd understand my situation because she was my sister. And that was what sisters were for, right?

I exhaled through my nose.

"Cade," tawag niya at lumapit sa 'kin. "Okay ka lang ba talaga?"

"Nothing." I gave her a reassuring smile. We continued walking side by side, drinking our own nasty lattes.

. . . catastrophic ability.

. . . catastrophic ability.

. . . catastrophic ability.

The words repeated themselves inside my mind like a song stuck on a loop. On each step, these thoughts never got tired of running around my brain as if it were a boy tugging at his mother to buy what he wanted. Was it catastrophic as Professor Xeán had said? Was my ability enough to be compared to the power of a god? I shook my head and pushed the thoughts to the deepest part of my mind.

"Hoy, nakasimangot ka na naman. Bakit ka napapailing d'yan? Go on, tell me. May kinalaman ba 'to sa kung anong sasabihin mo sa 'kin?" sabi niya. Buong paglalakad namin ay nakatingin lang ako sa paanan namin kaya nang inangat ko 'yong ulo ko ay nakita kong nasa harapan na pala kami ng sasakyan niya.

"Yeah, yeah. Papaliwanag ko na lang sa 'yo lahat mamaya."

"Bakit hindi pa ngayon?"

"Sinabi ko na sa 'yo na it's private nga. Tsaka may—"

"Eh 'di ibulong mo na lang. Bilis," sabi niya at inilapit sa 'kin ang kanang tainga niya na parang sabik sa tsismis.

"Besides, may ipapakita rin ako sa 'yo," sagot ko. "Let's just go." She unlocked her car and I hopped in.

"Make sure this is worth my time." She got in the driver's seat. "Nagpapahinga na ako dapat eh."

"Sabi mo busy ka?"

"Oo. Busy magpahinga."

After ten minutes of driving, we swerved left to Gutierrez Boulevard where the residential buildings of the district were built. We had taken another turn before we arrived at her apartment. The building loomed over us with its curved rooftop and stared at us like we were specks of dust.

The lobby was filled with people and maybe some of them were colleagues of my sister. I could tell it because of the way they look: something about being under the same pressure that my sister was under. Since it was Trina's day off, she wore a simple white blouse she didn't bother to iron and a pair of black jeans.