The Eternal in Abyss

Chapter 6: Divulgence

HAILEY CAPRIO'S Point of View

Narinig ko ang mga yabag nilang nagmamadaling makisabay sa akin. I groan before fastening my pace to lose them, but they're too stubborn.

Bakit ba ayaw nila akong lubayan? Kanina ko pa nararamdaman ang mga titig nila nang makasalubong ko ang Hellenes sa Imitheos Towers. Umalis agad ako para makaiwas sakanila pero ngayon naman ay sinusundan nila ako.

This getting irritating. Hindi manlang nila tinatago ang pagsunod nila sa akin.

Kilala ko ang mga Hellenes, they know how to conceal themselves and be quiet. They're not amateurs. Kung gusto talaga nilang itago ang presensya nila, they won't be easy to sense.

Mas lalo kong binilisan ang paglalakad ko. At this point, I'm already running. Narinig ko rin ang pagbilis ng kanilang mga yapak.

"Hailey! Sandali!" I grit my teeth. Looks like they decided to finally say something.

I don't stop. Pilit ko silang niwawala pero mas kabisado nila ang Acropolis. Mas matagal silang nandito kaysa sa akin. While I fasten my pace, they manage to go through a shortcut and intercept me.

Humarang si Nephele sa harapan ko. "Hailey, please."

"We just want to talk," Dagdag ni London na sinang-ayunan naman ng isa. "I get that you don't want to avoid the Hellenes, pero hindi mo kami kailangang iwasan."

I roll my eyes in annoyance. "Ano pa bang gusto niyo, na aminin kong mali ginawa ko? Hindi pa rin ba kayo maka-move on?"

London frowns. "Your breath smells like alcohol."

Hindi ko maiwasang matawa. The bottle of wine feels heavy on my hand, kahit na malapit na itong maubos. My head starts to throb when I look at London's pretty face. It takes everything I have to stop myself from smashing the head against her skull.

"You act like you've never met me, London," Mapakla akong natawa. "Kanino ba akong anak? It's my thing! Parang ngayon niyo lang ako nakitang ganito."

It's the only thing I have, to drink and drown in wine like my life depends on it. Maybe it 's the same for everyone but since I'm a daughter of Dionysus, it makes me stronger. Para akong nabibigyan ng lakas at kumaklaro ang mga katanungan sa isip ko.

Wine makes me slur my words and obstruct my vision. I seem like I lose control of myself. The world spins, the chambers of my mind are on the verge of shutting down, yet I have never felt so one with my entire existence. I'm between reality and fantasy, and that's the state I'm best in.

I lose control but I feel real, like I've unlocked something hidden beneath my mind. The insanity, the ecstacy... Wine is the antidote that makes me truly alive. We're stronger because we've reached our father's domain.

Kaya na kahit mukha akong normal na lasing sa harapan nila, the world inside of me is clearer than my surroundings when I'm sober. Mas malakas ang senses ko na nagiging iisa lang sila. It's an overload, sure, but I revel in the madness of everything connected to me.

"That's not what London meant." Humakbang palapit si Nephele nang makita nila na naging mapanganib ang tingin ko. "Alam mong kanina ka pa namin pinapanood at sinusundan, we've seen you down hundreds of wine bottle already. Even for you, that's too much. Hindi ka naman ganiyan kalakas uminom dati."

She sighs, looking at me in the eyes like she's trying to see through me. "Nag-aalala kami sa'yo, Hailey. Nothing of this is like you. You know that."

Tumaas ang kilay ko. "So hindi kayo nagpunta rito para magalit sa'kin dahil sa ginawa ko?"

Nagkatinginan ang dalawa. I'm not good at reading people, but I do know that they have a reason why they're chasing me. Hindi lang para mangamusta sa kalagayan ko. They definitely want to know something.