She Was Bitten

42: Sisters

Hindi ako makahinga nang maayos nang makita ko ang lalaking nasa harapan namin ngayon.

Buhay pala s'ya? Kaya pala hindi namin nakita ang bangkay niya dahil palabas lang ang pagkamatay n'ya.

And Rianah, she lost her voice when our father died. And now that he was standing in front of us, she found her voice again.

"B-Bakit...?" 'yun lang ang tanging nasabi ko. Dahil nanghina ang mga tuhod ko ay muli akong napaupo habang sapo ang aking bibig. Pilit kong pinipigilan ang pagkawala ng mga hikbi ko habang nakatingin sa lalaking namumutla.

"D-Daddy..."

Tuluyan na akong napaiyak nang narinig uli ang impit na boses ni Rianah. Nagsalita na siya uli pagkatapos ng ilang buwan ng pananahimik.

The man who took her voice away was the same man who gave it back to her.

"Savannah, Max, Rianah..." dinig kong sambit ng ama namin. Nanginginig pa ang boses n'ya.

"Daddy!" tumakbo ang kapatid ko bago ko pa siya napigilan.

Our father scooped her up in a tight embrace. Pareho silang umiiyak.

Max stood there, unmoving. Blangko ang kanyang mukha.

"Who are these filthy kids, Daddy?" taas-kilay na tanong n'ong Saide na inismiran pa kami.

Filthy kids? Kami ba ang tinutukoy niyang filthy?

Narinig ko ang malakas na paghalakhak ni Orpheus. He was back on his seat and seemed to be enjoying our misfortune and distress.

Ang mga Kirkpatrick naman ay tahimik lang sa tabi at parang ayaw nilang makialam.

Saide was the mean looking one while Noura seemed carefree.

"Girls, these are Savannah, Maximillian and Fabrianah Fitzgerald, your younger sisters and brother," kaswal na sabi ni Orpheus kaya tiningnan siya ng masama ng ama namin.

"What!?" OA na palatak ng dalawa.

"Sinadya mo bang gawin ito ha?" biglang naging pula ang mga mata ni Lorcan, our father, or at least that's the name we knew him for.

I wonder if it really was his real name, Lorcan Fitzgerald.

"So what if I did? This is very amusing, isn't it?" kampanteng uminom si Orpheus ng dugo mula sa kanyang kumikinang na kopita.

"You make my life your amusement, old man."

Hindi pa rin natinag si Orpheus. Umiling-iling siya habang nilalapag ang kopita sa mesa saka niya pinagsalikop ang mga kamay at ipinatong ang mga iyun sa mesa.

"You did this to yourself, Lorcan."

"You forced me to leave my family and told me you won't bother them. What is this you're doing right now?" ibinaba niya si Rianah.

Takot na tumakbo si Rianah palapit sa akin at nagtago sa dibdib ko dahil sa malakas na sigaw ng ama namin.

Aming ama. I should have known. He was supposed to be in his early forties, but he looked so much younger for his age. I should have known he was a vampire.

Humikbi si Rianah.

"Rianah...my love," tila naman nagising si Lorcan nang makita ang reaction ng bunso namin.

"What is happening here?" sumali na rin si Max sa usapan. Galit ang nakikita ko sa mga mata ng kapatid ko at natatakot ako para sa kanya.

"Your father was married to a Pureblood and lived in a far place called Macon to pursue his interest in genetics. Dr. Lorcan Gerhardt, the great geneticist, famous for being brilliant. How great was that?" pauyam na sabi ni Orpheus.