Dare Me To Love You (ITL Series #1) |COMPLETE

Dare 21

CHAPTER 23

GABRIEL

IT'S BEEN A WEEK since I stayed in our mansion and there was still no sign of Dad. I can feel Mom's uneasiness and worry as days pass by. Hindi na siya makakain at makagalaw ng maayos. She was not the same Mom anymore.

I sometimes catch her sighing and tearing up but she always tries to lighten up the mood at the dinner table. And I'm not used to it. Hindi ganito ang Mom ko.

Ngayon nama'y nasa dining room kami at kumakain. Silence filled the air and the only sound I could hear was the spoon and fork against the plate. It was an awkward dinner but I chose to stay silent.

I can feel Mom's disfavor while eating, nawawalan rin ako ng gana sa tuwing ganon si Mom. And I can't stop myself from concluding things. From looking at my flat plate I looked at Mom when she cleared her throat, "How's school?" tanong niya at pilit na ngumiti.

"It's fine." I answered and played with the fork.

Hindi na muling nagtanong pa si Mommy. After dinner I helped her gather the plates and went straightly to my bedroom feeling incongruous. My mind was filled with thoughts like;

Ano ba talaga ang tinatrabaho ni Daddy?

Bakit hanggang ngayon wala pa rin siya?

Why does it feel like they're hiding something from me? Why?

Questions without answers kept on ringing inside my head. Nakatulog ako sa mga tanong na bumabagabag sa akin. Questions that I should not be asking and conclusions that felt wrong and right.

I woke up in the middle of the night to drink water. I slowly opened my door, scared that my Mom will wake. I walked outside sleepy, pero nawala ata 'yung antok ko ng makitang bahagyang bukas ang pinto ng study room ni Dad. The lights were on, too.

I looked at the giant wall clock facing our staircase, it's 2 AM. Ano namang ginagawa ni Mom sa study room at the middle of the night? Curious, I quietly walked closely to the door and heard two people talking.

"Gabriel is making a move to know the reason of your sudden emergency, Nathan." Nag-aalalang sabi ni Mommy. Dad's home? Why didn't I know that? At bakit sila nag-uusap ng medaling araw? Something's up.

"Gabriel is not a minor anymore. He can make decisions on his own." Narinig kong sabi ni Daddy at napabuntong-hininga.

"So what's your plan? I don't want Gabriel be part of your organization. I can't lose another son, Nathan." Mommy's voice cracked and I know that she's in the verge of crying but she said that in a hard and straight tone.

"You're getting thinner. Don't you worry, let's go to sleep." Narinig ko ang paghalik ni Daddy kay Mommy. Naririnig ko rin ang mga yabag nila. Shit! I ran as fast as I can to my bedroom, quietly. My heart was beating so fast and my breathing hitched.

I have a sibling.

And Dad has an organization.

Why are they keeping all of this a secret? I'm not a child anymore and... and this is one serious family problem. I'll just ask Daddy about the organization thingy tomorrow. But I can't stop myself from thinking about it. What if Dad denies everything?

I closed my eyes and tried to sleep but I couldn't. It's hard to sleep knowing that I have a sibling and I should make my own investigations when Dad rejects everything. Sumasakit ang ulo ko sa iniisip.

A throbbing pain hit my head that a long deafening sound filled my ears. I tried to calm down and forced myself to sleep. And different voices starts to echo.

"Kuya!" iyon ang narinig ko at isang batang lalaki ang nakangiti habang tinatawag ang isa pang batang lalaki na mukhang mas matanda sa kanya ng dalawa o isang taon.

"Kids!" si Mom naman ang tumawag sa parehong bata. Mukhang nasa isang parke ang mga ito. Nasa kabilang banda ang dalawa at nasa kabilang banda naman sina Mom at Dad.

May tumigil na itim na van sa harap ng dalawang bata at bigla na lang kinuha ang nakakatandang bata papasok sa itim na sasakyan. Everything looks vague, I can't see their faces but I can recognize Mom and Dad's voices. Bago pa makuha ng isang naka-itim na mask ang nakababata nitong kapatid ay umalingasaw sa paligid ang tunog ng putok ng isang baril. I know that sound, because Dad trained me with guns and weapons when I was still a kid.

Dinaluhan ni Mom ang batang lalaki na tinatakpan ang magkabilang tenga gamit ang dalawang kamay. humarap sa gawi ko ang batang lalaki—it was me.

"Gavine!" naiiyak na sigaw ni Mom ng umalis na ang sasakyan. Mom's cries made me flinch. The child that looked like me looked so confused about what's happening but he was crying with Mom. Napuno ng mga sigaw ni Mom ang buong lugar and I was pulled by the darkness...

Nagising ako at habol ko ang hininga, pinagpapawisan at ramdam ko ang init ng katawan. I breathed heavily, catching my own breath that my dream took away. It felt so real...

Ramdam ko ang pagmamanhid ng pulsohan. Napatingin ako dito at nakitang may nakaturok na dextrose. I tried to take it off and find Dad to answer my questions but my head starts to spin.

Bumukas ang pinto at pumasok si Mom dala ang isang basong tubig na nasa tray. Nang makita niyang naka-bangon na ako ay agad siya lumapit sa akin.

"Hey, you okay?" tanong ni Mommy sa akin nang mailapag ang tray sa bedside table. Sapo pa rin ang ulo na umiling ako. I slightly massaged my forehead.

"What happened?" I asked Mom, while grabbing my hair.

"You were sleeping and we tried to wake you up but hindi ka magising and you also have a fever. So, I called our doctor to check you up. You need to rest, Gabriel," Mom placed her hand on my cheeks, caressing it.

"Mom, who is Gavine?" she stopped caressing my cheeks and looked at me shock at what I said. She remained silent.

Ilang segundo pa bago siya humarap na may ngiti sa mga labi pero umiwas agad siya ng tingin. "Uhm..." inikot niya ang tingin niya sa kwarto, trying to escape my gape.

Ilang segundo siyang hindi nagsalita ng pumasok si Daddy. "Honey, the kitchen awaits you. Gabriel needs to eat." Iyon ang sabi ni Daddy at hinalikan si Mommy sa nuo bago siya lumabas.

Dad stood up near beside the bed and messed my hair. Just like how he does when I was a kid.

"I know you have questions, and I'll answer all of them. Don't worry, as long as your Mom won't know." He chuckled and patted my head and shoulder.

"But you need to rest for now, Gab. Bibigyan mo pa ako ng apo." Tumawa ako ng mahina sa walang connect na sinabi niya. Humiga na lang ako sa kama at narinig ko ang pagbukas sara ng pintuan. If Dad denies it, then I guess I have to get it myself.