ELEMENTS BOOK 4 Taming Wind (Completed)

Taming Wind Chapter 9

Naliligaw si Camille sa loob ng labyrinth. Madilim kasi at halos wala siyang makita. May mga lugar kung saan natatakot siyang humakbang dahil baka iyon mga patibong kung saan siya mahuhulog.

Marami siyang naririnig na ingay. Hindi niya maintindihan kung anong nangyayari. She only knew that she was lost and cold and hungry.

Dalawang pagpipilian...

Nakatayo siya sa dalawang daanan pero natatakot siyang gumalawa. Paano kung mali siya?

'Camille, come back to me honey,' narinig niya ang boses na iyon.

It was Adam.

Gustong-gusto niyang sumunod dito. Pero hindi niya alam kung paano.

Biglang sumambulat ang liwanag sa kanyang mukha. Halos wala siyang makita. Ang labyrinth... nasa loob pa rin siya...kailangan niyang makalabas. And then she remembered, hindi parating ang mga mata niya ang ginagamit niya sa bawat puzzle na kanyang sinosolusyunan. Maging sa pagbubukas ng mga lagusan, hindi laging utak lang... Pinapakiramdaman niya, kinakapa ang bukasan... Her heart always knew which doors would open for her, which path led to safety.

And her heart was responding now to one call.

Adam!

A hand touched her and she slowly opened her eyes. Nakaupo sa tabi ng kama si Adam, nakapatong ang siko nito sa kanyang higaan at hawak ang kanyang kamay. Nakatitig ito sa kanya na para bang natatakot itong mawala siya kung iaalis nito ang paningin. Nagmulat na siya pero parang hindi pa nito iyon napansin.

"Adam," she softly called his name.

Kumurap ito at saka lamang tila naintindihan ang nangyayari.

"Camille..." his voice sounded hoarse, like the voice of one who had not slept or had been crying for long.

Sinubukan niyang kumilos pero napangiwi siya.

"Don't try to move honey, be still." Hinaplos nito ang kanyang noo. "Kailangan pang makarecover ng katawan mo. But you'll be fine. Sabi ng doctor, kapag nagising ka sa loob ng ilang oras, ibig sabihin wala kang head injury and you will be alright."

"What happened, Adam?"

"I got worried about you. Hinanap kita and I found out where you are. Nalaman ko rin kung bakit, your father told me everything. Sinundan kita and we were just right in time to save you. We opened your email and got the memory card. It is over for Yuson and his operation."

Ngumiti siya. "Mabuti naman."

"You should have told me, Camille."

"I'm sorry. I felt it was something I should do on my own... he was a monster I had to fight on my own terms. Nagagalit ka ba?"

Umiling ito. "Naiintindihan ko. You won't be the Wind that I love if you did it differently. I was just so afraid... I thought I'd lose you."

She attempted another smile. "No way. Hindi ko papadaliin ang buhay para sa iyo by simply leaving you, Adam. You've had it too easy nung wala pa ako."

Ngumiti ito sa pagbibiro niya. "True."

"Adam, kapag magaling na ako, will you take me to a long vacation?"

"Yes. For as long as you want."

May duda siya sa sinabi nito. "As long as I want? Are you sure? But what about Elements? Wala ka bang..."

He lowered his mouth and kiss her softly on her lips. "Later, we'll talk about that later. You need to rest."

Hindi niya agad naunawaan ang ibig sabihin ng pangako nito o ang hindi nito pagdi-discuss sa kanya ng tungkol sa Elements. Nang dalawin siya ng mga kasamahan ay saka lang niya iyon naintindihan. Wala noon si Adam, napilit din itong umuwi sandali ng bahay nito matapos ng ilang araw na pagka-camping sa tabi niya.

"Hey, girls. Let me see, Earth, Fire and Rain... all the Elements are here," nakangiting sabi niya.

"Hindi mo pa alam," sabi ni Earth.

Kumunot ang noo niya. "Ang alin?"

"I am no longer Earth. My name is Aira. And this is Lyka," itinuro nito si Rain.

"I am Guia," sabi ni Fire.

"What's happening?"

"We're regular people now, Camille," sabi ni Guia. It was weird thinking about them with their real names.

"Why?"

Lumapit sa kanya si Aira. "Hindi simpleng sundan ka sa kuta ni Yuson, Camille. Maraming kailangang ayusin si Adam para gawin iyon. At certain point, kinailangan niyang mamili. Igive-up ang Elements o ikaw,"

"Adam chose me," hindi makapaniwalang sabi niya.

"He did."

Tumingin siya sa mga babaeng naging kaibigan na niya. "Paano kayo?"

Ngumiti sa kanya ang mga ito. Si Guia ang unang nagsalita. "Nag-usap na kami. Maybe it is better this way. Kailangan si Rain ng kanyang lumalaking pamilya. She had lost so many years with Jordan, tama lang siguro na bigyan niya ito ng mas maraming panahon. "Si Earth, kailangan na siya ng mga naiwan ng kanyang ama and she is more than ready to take over. At ako, I have been looking for a home and a family... I found Kane," muli itong ngumiti. "We're getting married as soon as puwede ka ng mag-maid of honor sa amin at siyempre si Adam ang best man ng brother niya."

Nakangiting lumapit din sa kanya si Aira. "So you see, everything worked out perfectly for us."

"Paano si Adam?"

"I think we know the answer to that pero hahayaan na naming siya ang tanungin mo ng diretso."

Para mangyari iyon, hinintay lang ng tatlo na dumating si Adam bago saba-sabay na nagpaalam ang mga ito.

Naiwan silang dalawa sa silid at tinititigan niya lang si Adam habang na-iisip kung paano bubuksan ang subject na iyon.

"Adam, why did you give up Elements?"

Tumingin ito sa kanya.

"The girls told me," amin niya.

Lumapit ito sa tabi niya. He laced his fingers with hers. "I left the US Army service dahil kailangan ako dito sa Pilipinas but I could not let go. I was addicted to the challenge, the thrill of finding solutions and the high of solving one mission after the other."

"And now? You don't want those anymore?"

"Hindi naman. It's just that I found something better."

"Really?"

"Someone who would always make my life exciting... someone who will create puzzles for me to solve..."

"Someone who changes you and messes up your life," dugtong niya.

He smiled gently at her. "Someone I love."

"Someone who loves you," sambit niya bago niya itaas ang magkahawak nilang kamay at halikan ang likod ng palad nito.

"Someone I can't live without," pagtatapos nito. "So, my darling Wind, when you think about it, there isn't really any choice but you."