IT never failed to amaze her...to fascinate her. Her parents' self-absorption. Amber didn't know who was worse. Mommy niya o daddy niya? May panahon sa maraming bagay, walang panahon para sa mga anak.
Oh, but she was past those neglected child sentiments. She was twenty-three, she preferred to be left alone. Neglect had become Freedom. Mas hindi interesado sa kanila ni Darby ang parents nila, mas mabuti.
Amazing lang talaga.
That it has been a year and her parents were still not worried about her sister, Darby. Anong klaseng magulang ang hindi nag-aalala sa anak na isang taon nang hindi nakikita at nakakausap? Pero kunsabagay, they get updates from Darby thru her social media accounts.
Still, no phone calls or live chats? Most parents would be worried sick.
Nailing siya.
Pero hindi nangangahulugan na porke't hindi worried ang parents niya ay hindi na rin siya mag-aalala.
Kinabig niya ang manibela ng sasakyan papasok sa gate ng Pueblo. Umangat na lang ang barrier kaya derederetso lang siya. Her SUV bore the homeowners' sticker. A La Santa homeowner. The sticker was gold.
The car was actually Darby's, pero wala naman ang kapatid niya kaya siya ang gumagamit. She preferred the SUV to her Honda Civic. The Outback was more...well..badass.
Soon she was driving uphill. She didn't want to be here. Kung may choice lang, she'd rather be in Morocco, road-tripping. But she needed to be with Blanche. Blanche was her friend. They've known each other since grade school. They met here one summer. They got really close. Nang magpasukan, nagulat na lang niya na makita sa school niya si Blanche. Nagpa-transfer.
A few more minutes and a couple of turns, she entered La Santa, the part of Pueblo where the most moneyed lived...or in their case, vacationed. The houses were different versions of a Spanish villa designed solely by Solano & Associates, her father's architecture firm. The interiors on the other hand were done mostly by Concepts by Sondra. Sondra was her mother.
So, yeah, they earned their place in La Santa and some other exclusive communities all over the country.
Pumasok siya sa driveway ng isang villa. Houses here didn't have gates. She stopped the car and got off. Maid in pink scrubs and Crocs greeted her.
"Where is she?" Tanong niya.
"Sa likod po, Ma'am Amber."
Dumeretso na lang siya sa garahe na nasa ilalim ng maluwang na balkonahe. The garage was open on three sides, she simply walked to the back of the house.
Blanche was on one of the egg-shaped swings that hung from the balcony floor above.
"Oh, Blanche, how are you?" She ran to her friend. May hawak itong beer at naninigarilyo.
May bandage rin ang kaliwang pulso. Blanche cut herself again last night.
"I can't take it anymore." Sabi nito.
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s i Ni s t e r
General FictionA person who desires revenge should dig two graves. For he who plots to hurt others often hurts himself. But Paige Hipolito didn't know that. She set out to avenge her boyfriend's death and succeeded in penetrating the rich culprits' circle only to...
