The Mask

The Mask 3

SHE confusedly looked at her sister Calixta when it stood up after sipped the last drop of her wine.

“Where are you going?” she asked confused.

“I will impress them of how clever Black Card sisters are,” Calixta answered her and smile. Napa-iling nalang silang magkakapatid na naiwan sa couch na kina-uupuan nang mag tungo si Calixta kung saan. Ilang minuto matapos mawala ang kapatid ay bumukas ang malaking screen na naka sabit sa itaas, kung saan naka highlights ang mga scene para sa patimpalak na magaganap.

Calixta will surely join the contest.

Para sa unang patimpalak na magaganap, they will answer consecutive riddles. Every correct answer is equivalent of gold coins for rewards. Riddles derives from crime scenes.

Five minutes later the riddles started to showed up on the screen. Dead body on the floor and the messy room.

The pain inside her brought back after staring at the showed riddle on the scene. Reminiscing the same incidents of how she saw Jed's lying on the floor with pool of its own blood together with his messy room. She gulped at ikinuyom ang kamao, pinigilang maluha at mabilis na tumayo. Kunot noong tinignan siya ng mga kapatid ngunit hindi na nag tanong pa nang lisanin niya ang silid. Nakatitiyak siyang batid ng mga ito ang nararamdaman niya ngayon kung kaya't hindi na nag tanong.

She can’t help Calixta to solve the riddle, dahil ang sarili ngang kaso ng nobyo ay hindi maresulba.

Mabigat ang pag hinga niyang pinipigil ang luha at dumeretso sa malapit na comfort room. Doon, ay hinubad niya ang soot na mascara at tinitigan ang sarili sa salamin.

Miserable, in pain and dumbfounded. 

Malalim siyang bumuntong hininga at kumuha ng tissue upang upanasan ang namumuong luha sa ilalim ng kanyang mga mata. She don't want to ruin her make up for this night. She stayed there for a minute and let her worry disappeared before decided to go back to the seat with her sisters.

Napahinto siya sa labas ng comfort room nang pag labas ng pinto nito ay bumangga siya sa dibdib ng isang lalaki.

“s**t!” she cussed, when her mask fell on the ground. Kinuha niya ito, mabilis na sinoot at humarap sa lalaki.

J-Jed?

She mouthed his name on her head, as she saw the statue of Jed on the guy she was bumped. A familiar scent of the man she loved. Umiling siya at inalis ang kung anong bagay sa isip at ibinalik ang sarili sa kasalukuyan.

“Sorry, are you okay?” a cold voice from the man she bumped at prenteng naka titig lamang sa kanya.

Nang madinig ang boses nito, she finally admit it. He's not Jed.

Hindi niya mawari kung ano ang itsura nito dahil sa maskarang soot. Taas noo siyang humarap dito at tumango bago ito lagpasan.

“Wait!” awat nito sa kanya. She faced him confused And eyed him asking “Why?” but he was just staring at her and move his hand in the sudden to touch his cheek pero agad niyang iniharang ang kamay niya sa kanyang mukha upang pigilan ito sa binabalak. 

What a----

“Bastard!” she mouthed.

“No, you’re wearing your mask tilted,” sagot nito at ngumisi. Nainis siya dahil sa inasta nito, because of it she coated her self in coldness and faced him poker behind her mask.

“Back off!” she said and rolled her eyes.

“Oh, sorry. I did not mean to be jerk. I was about to look for the comfort room but you caught my attention,”

“You were watching me inside?”

“No, I saw you walking out the party after the first riddle so I wonder why?”

“That's none of your business.”

“It's mine. You caught my attention.”

“Bastard!” she said with gritted her teeth.

“I know you killed many, but what is the reason of running away after seeing the murder riddle?”

Malalim siyang huminga at nag iwas ng tingin.

“With all of your respect, please... leave me alone,” pakiusap niya rito at tuluyan nang iniwan ang lalaki. Bumalik siya sa silid at inabutan ang kapatid na si Calixta together with her explanation about her given answer.

“I noticed the scattered pieces of medicine on the messy floor. If you were going to zoom it in, the bottle of the medicine is Wellbutrin.” Panimula nito at ngumiti. “Bupropion, a medicine used to treat depression. Meaning to say the victim has depression and the murderer knows about it reason why the tablets on the floor were different from Bupropion. The murderer let the victim intake a wrong medicine. They used to know each other. As you study the stabbed parts of the body and the messy room, it showing that the victim showed aggressive behavior. Stab on the legs means the murderer tried to reach him out.”

Hindi na niya nagawa pang mag focus sa pakikinig kay Calixta nang mapansin niya ang mga matang naka titig sa kanya hindi kalayuan. It was him again, staring at her but she can’t see his eyes clearly.

“Damn him! ano bang problema nya!” mahinang boses niyang sambit, na ikinapagtaka ng kanyang dalawang kapatid na katabi sa upuan.

“What are you talking about?” Celestine asked her habang naka mata namang naka titig lamang sa kanya si Wesley.

“N-no, wala lang. May naisip lang ako,” sagot niya sa dalawa at pilit na ngumiti. Tumango naman ang mga ito bilang pag sang-ayon sa kanya.

“Anyway George, I will send you the document of what you asked me to do yesterday. I worked it today,” wika ni Wesley na nakapag paangat ng kanyang mukha at tumingin dito. Wesley talking about the lot she wants to get from Mr. Catakano.

“H-how is it? nakuha mo ba?”

“Yes, of course!”

“How?”

“I used connections and power,” Wesley answered and smirked, napatango-tango siya at ngumiti ngunit hindi pa din naiaalis ang inis dahil sa mga matang nakatitig sa kanya. She closed her eyes and sighed so deep, trying to let her piss out because of what he's doing.

“Wait, I will just go outside and make a call to my Secretary.” She lied at them, mabilis siyang tumayo sa kinauupuan at batid niyang sinundan siya ng lalaki palabas.

“What the hell is your problem?” she asked him pissed as they stopped walking on the hallway and faced him again. The man she was bumped in the comfort room.

“Hey, calm down!”

“You jerk! stop messing in me.”

“I am not Georgina, I just want to be frien—”

“I don't recognize anyone as a friend."

“Oh!” His only expression, and smiled. From the way he smile, Georgina wants to kick his ass hard and take his eyes off.

“I can be your first ever friend."

“I don't need it!” she told him loudly.

“You really caught my attention Georgina Lewis."

“You bastard! how did you know my whole name!” Nakakuyom ang kamao niyang tanong dito at inis na tumitig sa mga mata nito.

Nang lumapit ito ng bahagya sa kanya ay umusog siya at ang halimuyak ng mabangong perfume nito ang nakapag papalambot sa kanya. The same perfume and scent, she always want to smell everyday from her murdered boyfriend nope.. not just boyfriend but her fiance.

Their wedding was all ready planned and settled, just letting the right time to finally see each other on the isle. Each times she remembering him weakening his knees and the entire body of her.

“Because I like you, Georgina," he whispered on her ears, with that she realized the small distance of this man in her now. Hindi niya akalaing naka lapit na ito ng sobra sa kanya.

“Fvck you bu—"

Hindi na niya natapos ang nais sasabihin nang mamatay ang lahat ng ilaw sa paligid. But, no one attempt to scream like what they used to watch in some movie when the lights went off, people started to scream and panicking. The place remains silent against the darkness.

“What's happenin—uhm!” She was cut off and shocked when the jerk man sealed her lips with his lips. Ginamit nito ang kadiliman ng silid upang putulin ang maliit na espasyong namamagitan sa kanila at mabilis siyang halikan. She almost forgot him in front of her because of the lights.

Malakas niya itong tinulak palayo sa kanya at mabilis na tumakbo paalis ngunit malakas na hinatak nito ang kamay niya pabalik. Out of the darkness, her feet with her five inches high heels failed to saved her from losing her balance and fell on the floor—fell on his chest.

“Ah!” she complains when a pain strikes on her ankle.

“S-sorry!” Nauutal na hinging tawad ng lalaki kasabay ang pagbalik ng kuryente at pag bukas ng ilaw sa buong building. Marahan siya nitong iniupo sa sahig at isinandal sa pader.

“s**t!” she cussed and looked at her ankle.

“I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” sambit nito at tumitig sa kanyang mga mata. Bumuntong hininga siya at inalis ang soot na mascara, she wants to see his eyes clearly but she failed because he’s avoiding her gaze.

Hindi na sila bata upang ipagtabuyan ang isa't-isa. Maybe it's time for her to let her suitors, suit her kahit na batid niya sa sariling wala ng sinuman ang makapapalit sa dating fiance.

“Stop being childish! Mr?"

“Quidd” sagot nito na ikinakunot ng kanyang noo. Seems like she herd his name before.

“What do you want from me?”

“You."

“Stupid!”

Ngumisi ito at kinuha ang mga palad niya upang mabilis na halikan.

“I don't get why you need to be hurt before letting me talk to you more."

She gulped and rolled her eyes. Marahan niya itong tinulak palayo sa kanya at pinilit ang sariling tumayo. Hinunad ang soot na sapatos at Iika-ika siyang naglakad habang naka hawak ang mga kamay sa pader. She needs to go home and treat her ankle, but she can't disturb her sisters to ask for a help. Despite of the thought that she has mission to do tonight.

Sandali siyang huminto nang may maalala. She looked back at him na siyang nakatayo pa rin sa kinaroroonan nito at preteng pinag mamasdan siya.

“Why sudden stoppped”

“You didn't tell me your whole name."

“You can call me Quidd and I don't let anyone see who's behind of this mask," sagot nito, bahagyang tinoktok ang soot na maskara at mapang-asar na ngumiti.

Mapait siyang tumawa at umiling.

“Let me carry you home," he offered her a ride and was about to approach her when she yelled that made him stop.

“What!? No way!”

“Why? I am well updated about you, where you live, where you work, where you go. Your height, your weight and many more, except from the size of your chest and your waist. I will find way to know it."

“Bastard!!” she screamed and thrown him a death glare. Hindi umimik ang lalaki ngunit hindi din inalis ang mapang-asar nitong ngiti.

Who are you?

Tanong niya sa isip habang naka titig sa kabuoan ng lalaki.

Why do I have to remember Jed from the way you stand, from the way you stare at me and even to your fragrance. Damn you!

She wagged her head and turned her back at him, but when his hands immediately took her up and carried her on his chest.

“What the!”

“Psssh! rest your head on my shoulder if you don't want everyone to see your real identity, it would be more dangerous than me, who knows everything about you," sunod-sunod na wika nito habang malayo ang tingin. Then, she realized, many guests coming out from the room where the first contest for tonight was held.

She leaned her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms on his neck to hide her face.

“Help me to get my mask."

“Why would I?”

“Because I am ordering you!”

“No, I don't take orders to anyone."

“The fvck!” she cussed and wrapped her arms to his neck tightly, letting him feel choke.

“I’ll bring you home," maiksing sagot nito na tila hindi naramdaman ang ginawa niyang pag sakal dito.

“Bastard!”