Project LOKI ②

Chapter 22: The Petrarchan Connection (Part 1)

CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter may contain content that might be troubling to some readers, including, but not limited to, depictions of and references to death, self-harm and suicide, graphic violence, sexual assault, strong language and more.

Please be mindful of these sensitive themes and other possible triggers. Remember to practice self-care before, during and after reading.

LORELEI

THE GARLICKY scent from the kitchen woke me up. Sa sarap ng amoy, biglang kumalam ang sikmura ko. I also heard the striking of the spatula to the metallic frying pan. Ang akala ko'y sa katabing unit galing amoy, pero hindi pala. Obviously, someone in our unit was cooking. But who?

Not even once did I see Loki cook anything. Ni hindi nga siya marunong magprito ng itlog o hotdog. Lagi siyang umo-order sa mga fast food resto kapag walang dinadalang pagkain sa amin si Tita Martha. Kaya imposibleng siya ang nakagising nang ganito kaaga para magluto.

Could it be Tita Martha? Possible, pero may sarili siyang kusina kaya bakit siya magluluto sa mismong stove namin? Baka nasira ang stove niya kaya nakigamit siya sa amin? But she would not barge into our unit unannounced.

Could it be my great father? My aunt could give him access to our unit, but he would not waste time cooking for her daughter. Hindi ko nga alam kung marunong siyang magluto dahil laging mga kasambahay namin ang naghahanda ng pagkain.

To clear my head of this early morning mystery, I got off my bed and exited my room. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I turned to the kitchen and noticed a girl standing before the stove and frying a couple of eggs. Seeing her long braided hair, I instantly recognized her—Jamie Santiago.

"Good morning, Jamie," I said, walking past her and toward our bathroom.

"Good morning too, Lorelei!" she greeted me with a warm smile. I could not tell if that was genuine or not. "Did you have a good night sleep?"

"Yeah, I did. Thanks to—"

Wait. Something's not right here. I traced my step backwards and stared at the slim figure of my companion. My eyes roamed around the kitchen, slightly confused if this was our apartment unit. The familiar arrangement confirmed it.

Only one question remained: What in the world was Jamie Santiago doing in our apartment?!