What You Made Me Do

everybody loves her

ASH

Her face had zombie features on it. Scarier than hell itself. Eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. A lot more scarier now that Diane was above her. And the knife. She was trying to thrust it on her face. God, it was just few inches away from her face.

Wala siyang nagawa kundi isangga ang mga braso niya. Ramdam niya ang hapdi sa bawat halik ng bakal sa kanyang balat.

Then she heard it. The mechanical sound. Napalingon siya sa nightshade.

It's already 6 am. The alarm clock kept demanding her attention.

Thank God. It was just a dream. A nightmare, to be exact.

Bumangon na siya at agad na kinuha ang cellphone. She opened the Gossamer app.

A notif immediately popped on the screen. Followed by another one, and then one after another, until it was as if the sounds were never ending.

Araw-araw hindi bababa sa isang daan ang notifications na natatanggap niya. Mula sa mga invites sa thread ng kung sinu-sinong users na hindi naman niya kilala, pati sa mga tags sa posts na wala naman siyang interes.

"F*ck. These idiots are bombarding me with nonsense."

Her fingers were dancing on the close icons of every message when her eyes caught something.

"Diane Lorenzo?" bulong niya sa kanyang sarili matapos makita ang picture ng kanyang stepsister.

Bubuksan nya sana ang message nang biglang may marinig siya sa baba. Ang daddy niya. Kailangan niyang ipaalala ang opening ng art gallery sa school nila.

"Dad? You're going somewhere?"

Naabutan niyang nagbibilin ito sa yaya niya. Kasama pa nito ang kanyang stepmother, at dahil doon ay alam na niya ang isasagot sa kanya ng kanyang daddy.

"Nakatanggap kami ng balita na may nakakita raw kapatid mo," saad nito.

Sumabat naman ang kanyang stepmother. "We're going."

It was almost two weeks mula nang mawala si Diane. And deep inside her, alam niyang siya ang sinisisi nito sa nangyari.

Kitang-kita niya sa mukha ng kanyang madrasta ang pang-uuyam. "Ikaw, di ka sasama?"

There was silence as they stared at each other. Her mind burned with answers, but silence won over in case she said the wrong thing.

"I'm sorry. I know, it's your big day today. But this is your stepsister," saad ng kanyang daddy.

She trailed off, nervously darting around the room, trying to final a focal point. "What if hindi nyo siya mahanap?"

"Anong sinabi mo?!" biglang tumaas ang tono ng kanyang madrasta.

'We'll find her,' her dad said, joining them. 'We don't lose hope in this family.'

They're family. Yes. Except for her stepmother. She doesn't belong in here. She had been living with them for a month now. She and her stupid daughter. But that was it. She will never be replacing her mom. No one could.

"I'm sorry. But we're going." Nauna nang lumabas ng bahay ang kanyang madrasta.

"Babawi ako sayo next time," paalam naman ng kanyang daddy bago nito buksan ang pinto.

As he left, she noticed his expression. How many times had they greeted various officers and detectives during the days after Diane's disappearance? Too many to count, but each time they'd been buoyed up by the possibility of good news only to have their hopes dashed.