Leashed

Chapter 14

January 1, 2021

Day 1 of the Marriage Game

Even though they were originally from Mindanao, the Balasik family have lived in Iloilo for two scores after Roldan, the patriarch, inherited a piece of land from his grandfather there. He and his wife Rosa have a son whom they named “Owel”, an anagram for the Middle English name of the intelligent nocturnal bird “Owl.” They named him so since his hair is as jet-black as the eventide which the said bird is active. The name turned out well appropriate since he grew up to be a smart and mysterious kid.

Nonetheless, no marriage is ever perfect. Roldan dared to be unfaithful to his wife for one night. His reason was to try another dish other than his demure wife, so he went to a brothel and met the would-then-be mother of his second child. To him, it was just supposed to be a one-night-stand, yet after a dozen of years, Diana, the fruit of that night was introduced to him.

When the DNA result proved their biological connection, his heart did not hesitate to love his daughter; even Rosa, his wife and her stepmother gradually accepted her as part of the family. Yet there were two things he did not anticipate to happen: one was her misfortune of being sexually violated by her own university schoolmates, and another was that his son loved her more than a sister.

He could only watch how Owel fell into despair after her death and how his son became a criminal in order to avenge her. They couldn’t stop him. Owel did not deny that he was the one who killed three of her alleged rapists; he was, in fact, proud of what he did. He was convicted, but while he was in prison, the families of his victims paid people inside to kill him, but he managed to escape and even went after Senator Bueno’s son again.

The aged couple was very appalled to find the face of their son all over the news and wanted. They couldn’t do anything to have stopped him; they couldn’t contact him. All they could do was pray that he’s alive even if he’s caught by the police.

However, on the last week of 2020, a threat from the mourning Senator Bueno came via a telephone call.

               “If you know where your son is, surrender him, so that I may think of sparing, at least, your lives.”

Day and night, they felt there was no peace. The surroundings in their house appeared unsecure and perilous. They felt that there were watchful eyes on them. Just one wrong move, and there might be people who’ll move in and end them.

And then one afternoon, a call came from an unknown number. They thought of rejecting it first for they thought that it’d be another threatening, but when they answered it, they heard the voice of a woman.

“If you want to live, follow my instructions.”

They had to be skeptical at first, but when she said that she knows where their son is, they had to trust her, for they weren’t only desperate; they had nothing else to believe in anymore. So they did as they were told.

Roldan and Rosa boarded a ferry to a city in the second largest island of the Philippines.

30th of December, 2020

“If you’re watching this video message, Owel, anak (son), we’re doing fine with your father. Two days before this was recorded, someone called us to board a ferry to somewhere outside of Visayas. We followed her directions and now, we’re at somewhere safe,” his mother said; the bags under her eyes were darker and bigger than the last time he saw them. Apparently, just like his father, she wasn’t getting enough sleep.

His mother has always been a worrywart; with his current predicament, she has never slept sound thinking of that. He remembered the same face of hers before, and it was when he contracted a fever as a ten-year-old boy. He didn’t like to be admitted to the hospital; he hated—still hates—the sight of despair present with sick or dying people. So, in his bedroom, his mother stayed with him from the evening till morning just to observe his temperature lower. He woke up the next day to find her gazing at him with her puffy eyes over heavy dark circles while stroking his hair.

Weakly, he told her “I’m sorry, Ma, for making you worry again.”

Indeed, one owes everything to his mother—next to God.

              “We’re not allowed to tell you where we exactly are, but compared to staying in Iloilo, we’d rather be here.”

For some reason, he sniffed the hint of exploitation from the author behind the evacuation his parents. He’s not certain if he should be glad because his parents are safe, or if he should be irritated by the fact that that person is using his parents to oblige him to succumb himself for her utilization.

His parents were in front of an HD camera, and behind them was a beach with black sand. The waves of the sea swayed calmly behind them, and the wind lightly tousled their greying hair. It was a place that he has never been to before.

               “Owel, what have you done? We didn’t raise you to be a criminal!” His father supplemented; his tone may have clearly indicated disappointment, but it was also mixed with concern.

His father and he didn’t really engage much with each other; particularly after they learned of his short-lived infidelity. It turned out to be an utter irony since he grew up being told to be like him—to be educated, to be decent and to be faithful. Before the revelation, his father—at least, in his eyes—was the epitome of a model human-being. He is a law-abiding citizen and a stern businessman who disciplined him from every strand of his hair to his every toenail. He could still remember the pain of the impact on his bottom of his folded leather belt every time he scored low on a test.

               He reached high school without considering the need to make friends. The pressure his father placed on his shoulders was too heavy that the only thing where he can freely express his frustration was when he joined the school’s Kali club. At the age of 13, he earned the 8th Dan Sinturon Itim (Black Belt) of the Filipino Martial Art.

The aforementioned martial art is considered one of the deadliest as it does not focus mainly on self-perfection. It is a combat-effective art teaching how to adapt to situations, overcome dangers, and improve with the use of weapons when needed. In the Battle of Mactan, the Filipinos utilized this against the Spanish forces which were armed with rifles and crossbows.

Owel reaching the grandmaster level in Kali did not only mean for letting out his frustrations; not anymore when Diana came to their lives. Puberty wasn’t unfair to her, since she developed into a well-endowed female specimen especially after she gained enough weight to erase any trace of malnutrition. Her skin was as delicate as ivory, and her eyes were bright and calming like the moon.

They both did not expect to grow fond of each other, yet somewhere along the lines, they found a reflection from the other. She was troubled by her origin, and he was troubled by the expectations set by their father. They found comfort from learning of those.

He became the shadow behind her glow. He vowed to himself to protect her as she became the only person who understood how difficult it is to be him. Little by little, in his eyes, she wasn’t only a little sister; she became an important half of himself.

On the contrary, he was terrified of the beat of his heart. It felt wrong; it felt illegal, since no sane brother should see his sister as a potential romantic partner, and no sane brother should ever get jealous of his sister’s guy friends.

He decided that it had to stop; he couldn’t bear violating the image of his biological sister in his mind. So he dated other girls in order to kill whatever he felt for her. When they reached college, he preferred to be in a separate university from her, but that turned out to be the biggest mistake he made.

As Elisabeth Kubler Ross indicates in the Five Stages of Loss and Grief, at the bargaining stage, he blamed himself. If only he agreed to the proposition to be in the same institution with her again, he could have guarded her, and they could have avoided her demise.

But he was too late, and he has gone too far. He can’t bring her back no matter how many times he’d slit the throats of her rapists. He may think that she was justified with what he did to avenge her, still he isn’t satisfied. He will never be satisfied because he failed to tell her that he loves her not as his younger sister, but as the girl who gave him a reason to smile.

              “If Diana was alive, and she saw all of the horrible things you’ve committed, I’m sure she’d never be happy about what you’ve become right now. You’ve become a monster, Owel, and you’ve gotten us caught in a world of violence. Just what do you think you’re doing?” Mad, his father continued to rant while his mother just cried beside him.

               “Do you want us to die that much?! Do you have any idea what we’re going through? We’re too old for this, and we don’t deserve any of this.”

               His mother interjected. “Anak, we understand how it pained you when Diana committed suicide. We are in pain too. She was precious to us, and she still is. But right now, you’re still alive, and you’re all we have. Please, come and see us, and let’s talk things over.”

The video message ended, and he looked at Sol with irritated eyes. He had brought him to a suite of a hotel in Carcar, Cebu.

“Where are they?” He asked through gritted teeth.

The latter smiled knowingly while polishing one of the pair of his Silver Walther Arms Pistols. “I have to apologize, but I’m not allowed to tell you. Though it would be delightful to receive my master’s punishment, but she specifically ordered me not to tell you anything about where your parents are now.”

Peeved, he almost broke the phone when he slammed it on the table in front of him. “What can she get out of this anyway?”

Sol’s smile disappeared. He halted from what he was doing and stood to level Owel’s height. He stared at him with intimidating intensity. “To tell you the truth, I don’t like it one bit that she has to employ you too. I am more than enough already as her only dog; I don’t need an extra with me.”

As an egocentric man who doesn’t want to be defeated even when it comes to staring, Owel scoffed. “Then, why does she want to have ‘this extra’s’ service? Doesn’t that mean otherwise?”

There was definitely tension between them, and any minute now, they’d be at each other’s neck. Yet remembering Neoma’s orders, Sol decided to chuckle it off.

“You should consider yourself lucky that she thinks you can be of use.”

“You SHOULD be the one to consider yourself lucky that you’re able to use my parents to even talk to me.”

“Relax, Bud. I’m not your enemy. Well, at least, for now.”

Of course, it’s not erroneous for me to say that it was “Hate-at-first-sight.”

January 1, 2021

All of the local channels of the country were interrupted again, yet this time, it wasn’t an aged man whose hair had been neatly swept back by claydo, but it was a tall woman with a voluptuous figure who gives off Marilyn Monroe vibes with her dyed blonde short hair. She’s wearing a tight-fitting red leather dress with a very low neckline, revealing her ample round bosom—too much for a merienda on a Friday afternoon.

               “Hi, there, handsome bachelors. My name is ‘Ara’” she sexily said which reminded the public of a 90’s Filipina pornstar.  “And I am tasked to give you bits and pieces of details and updates about the location of your main target in the ‘Marriage Game.’ Don’t worry. We will try to make them as accurate as possible so that you can be closer to catching her and bringing her back home to her Daddy.

“Oh, and this is important: Boss Wile said that if you’re married, you’re not allowed to join the game. If you dare do so, Daddy will—I mean, Boss Wile will get mad.”

The people at the Dipolog City Port had mixed reactions as they watched the live feed in their phones. Some thought that not only the so-called game was ridiculous; even the “Updater” looked like a plain sleazy i***t. Some found it funny. Some found it unbelievable. And some found it troubling, especially the trio who just arrived there along with them. They succeeded in forging their identities to go on this trip, but with the new development in this dreadful game, who knows when everything will be compromised for them.

               Sneaky old man. Neoma thought. Braided, her hair is still black, and she wore shades to hide her attractive pair of emerald orbs.

She knew Ara. How could she forget her when she was the applicant for the executive secretary position who made a huge scene after she denied her application? She doesn’t care about her the least bit, but she’s terrified of what she just announced.

              “Listen up, everyone, especially you there at the Dipolog City Port! By now, Neoma and her companions may have just arrived there!”

Neoma’s eyes widened. Just how did they know?! She mentally yelled.

“Here? Weeeh?” A man said from behind her, and she couldn’t get away, not with the surge of people she’s entangled in. If she accidentally took off her shades, she’d be easily recognized, considering the extensive distribution of her photos all over the country.

“I bet she’s even more beautiful in person,” another from her right said.

“Oh, come on! I’m way prettier.”

“It’d be nice to get her home, marry her then inherit her father’s money. I could even buy myself a ship bigger than this!”

Inwardly, she was boiling. She now loathed the people surrounding her. It is as if she’s just a prize to be won. Her feelings are disregarded, her will trampled. She felt like trash which someone should take back to the one who threw it.

She balled her fists, and she wanted to cry. More than that, she wished that everyone who covets her father’s money should have grisly deaths.

A huge but warm hand wrapped around hers, and another snaked around her back to her shoulder. There were two masked men by her side supporting her. The one on the right had a red hoodie, and the one on the left had a black cap.

“What are you being scared for? It seems like you’re underestimating what we’re capable of,” Owel told her. Condescension? Yes, it was there, but reassurance was on top of it.

Sol looked at her and smiled. “As much as I’d like you to hurt me, it would be nice if you didn’t doubt what we can do for you.”

Neoma smirked to herself. She was shaking her head as she realized that she should keep in mind that she isn’t only rich and beautiful; she also has these two.

“We have to hurry it up; the car we requested is near,” Sol said.

Not over a minute with that, someone shouted from one corner. “Aha!”

And he was pointing his finger at Neoma. “Aren’t you that Neoma Belmonte?!”

It appeared like time froze and the people suddenly decided to be quiet to scrutinize the three of them.

“What are you talking about, moron!” Owel lashed at the guy, but this guy went closer to them.

“I can’t be mistaken! I’ve memorized every inch of your face since this morning. You are definitely that woman.”

Well, what can I say? The guy’s got one hell of a photographic memory, and top-notch observation skill. He tapped something on his phone and got a picture of Neoma to compare it to her.

“It really i—” Sol suddenly intervened and snatched his phone.

“Stop spouting nonsense. Don’t you know that this is harassment?” He lightheartedly stated.

But this then led to another when a number of males swarmed on Neoma. “Imbeciles! Get your filthy hands off me.”

Sol took out his gun and grinned at them. Several gasped. “If you don’t let her go now, I’ll put holes in your empty heads.”

Owel leapt and slid between her and the guys holding her. He elbowed one on his nose and landed an uppercut on the chin of the other, setting Neoma free.

“Hey, dog!” He called Sol. “Don’t just unnecessarily kill people. Here, catch!”

He had lifted her bridal style—to her stupefaction—and just threw her to him. “Take her and you both go first. I’ll follow suit after I take care of the situation here.”

Neoma, meanwhile, wanted to bash his face especially if Sol hadn’t caught her.

“Arf, arf! My fellow dog,” he teased, and off he went with her in his arms.

The sound of whistles and hurried steps were then heard as the security personnel arrived to check on the commotion.

“What’s going on here?!” Someone from them said.

“You, are you spearheading this confusion?”

Owel lightly fixed his cap in place and pulled his face mask higher over his nose bridge. “Well, isn’t this what they call a ‘Warm welcome?’”