DUGUAN ang mga kamay ni Blanche nang humarap kay Amber.
"I didn't know these trees have thorns." Sabi nito, nakangiti. Parang masayang-masaya sa natuklaan. "I've been wandering...I climbed up here, grabbed a branch...it hurt."
"It's midnight, Blanche." Sabi ni Amber. Kanina pa niya ito tinatawagan at mine-message, hindi sumasagot. Pinuntahan na niya sa bahay. Ginising niya ang maid. Nagulat rin iyon nang makitang wala sa kwarto si Blanche.
So, Amber drove around looking for her friend. She needed to talk to her. Nakita niya ang scooter nito sa tabi ng dirt road.
"She called me up." Sabi nito. "She said I should come here and hang myself...that's what freaks do."
Alam ni Amber na si Darby ang tinutukoy nito. Darby just would not stop tormenting Blanche.
"Why were you looking for me, Amber?"
"I...I just found out Darby was in the flying school. She passed the exam. Dad's happy to let her enroll. I asked Mom about it, she said it was Dad's decision, there's nothing she can do." Amber sobbed, "It's all I ever wanted, Blanche. I've been begging them to just let me have the money...I can't understand..bakit si Darby lang ang mahal nila? Pag si Darby, puwede kahit ano. Bakit pag ako, ang daming dahilan, Blanche? Hindi naman n'ya gustong maging piloto, eh. Gusto lang n'ya akong saktan---"
"Shhh..." niyakap siya ni Blanche.
"I hate her. I hate her so much."
"But what can we do, Amber?" Tumalikod si Blanche, may dinampot na sanga. May mga nakadikit pang dahon, "We'll just end up getting hurt...she's right, maybe we should just hurt ourselves. Save her the trouble." She slashed her arm with the branch.
Umagos ang dugo sa braso nito. Akmang uulitin pa ang ginawa. Inagaw ni Amber ang matinik na sanga, "Stop it, Blanche! Ito ang gusto ni Darby! Hindi na ako papayag! I won't let her hurt us anymore!" Pero napasigaw siya.
Natinik rin siya.
"Can't you see it, Amber? We can't hurt her without hurting ourselves. It's just the way it is."
Ganoon na lang ang iling niya, "No. We'll make her pay, Blanche. We'll make her pay."
Amber sat under the tree. Doon siya dinala ng mahigit apat na oras na biyahe.
"You should have stayed with me, Blanche. You should have." And she should have known better. Blanche had always been weak. And that weakness has become a threat.
She could not allow it. Could. Not. Allow. It.
"It's up to me." It was always up to her.
YOU ARE READING
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...
