Siren of Julio Santayana: A Dark Revenge Romance ENGLISH

Chapter 6

She reached the Angel's Night Lab a little early. One of the regular workers greeted her but audibly gasped when she glimpsed the bandage on her face. It was so out of place with that dress and the make-up. It doesn't change one bit of her and definitely doesn't make her less unattractive. In fact, the waitress thinks, if Siren were to be a model and come out with that bandage, it'd be a trend. She's sure people will copy her style.

Only that it wasn't her style. And she moved to help her with it, redoing the bandage she obviously just put to stop the bleeding blood, before Miss Katty saw her.

The girls came after one another, and it surprised each one of them to see her early in the house. Widening their eyes to put up with the most exaggerated reaction Siren had ever witnessed. Plainly inappropriate and faked. Her neighbors will make a natural surprise reaction to remind her they're human. Unlike these girls who's a human being is already questionable, but here they are, once again overreacting.

She kept her head high, averting her gaze, and thinking about the plain walls worth her attention more than anyone else.

"Oh, God, Siren! You have the face to come to work with that face?" one of them bravely exclaimed. Marinel was one of the groups crowding her. Her face expressed curiosity and a strong eagerness to get an answer.

"Eileen, it's not like she's invalid for work," the waitress who's helped her with the bandage rolled her eyes to the girl, she remembers named Eileen. That's when she remembers the waitress's name was Esphie. With shoulder-length brown hair. A straight line behind her. A wide black eyes. A full lips and a little rectangular face.

Eileen rolled her eyes behind Esphie. She's taller than Siren, but it doesn't make her look a lot more attractive. That's one reason she envied Siren. Everyone praised how tall and beautiful she is. But Eileen, although tall, doesn't look tall. There are people who are tall but don't look tall. And Eileen is one of them. There was a time she had to push her chest against Siren to measure their heights and let everyone know. But who's interested, right?

"I'm only concerned, you know?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Let's wait and see for Miss Katty's reaction once she sees it."

"Right." Marinel stepped closer as if to let everyone know she's here and they ought to hear her opinion. Her voice was low and sympathetic. Only that Siren knows better of their acts. "Maybe you can work here, but what about in the Playhouse? There's a requirement there and seeing how you have a very visible wound on your face..." she let her words hang for everyone to get what she's talking about. Well. she has a point, and everyone nodded with her, even Esphie. She gave Siren an apologetic look, with an unspoken sympathy: that's the truth.

Siren only took a deep breath. If that's the case, then be it. It's not like she'd die resting from work only until her scars heal. They should ask Franco though if he can wait for her scars to fade away. Siren knows the answer.

Everyone waited for Miss Katty. Usually, she's just around the Angel's since she has a room upstairs, and most of the employees stay in, so the whole clubhouse is an open house for everyone. But today, she's out somewhere and came late to check if everyone's ready.

No one spoke a word. They waited and let her see Siren's face, and as expected, she cried so loud they bet the nearby clubhouses thought the entire area was burning down. Some girls covered their ears and turned their back. Eileen's group rolled their eyes with a genuine smirk of satisfaction on their lips. Feigning their concern when Miss Katty looked around as if to blame everyone but Siren.

And Siren has said nothing for an explanation. She showed herself to their boss, well-dressed as to how much their uniform can make them look 'well-dressed'. What's the need for an explanation when the decision is all left to their boss. She will do it later if there's a need for it, but...

"She accused her of being a slut," one of the girls answered Miss Katty's hysterical question. She was grasping her hands in front of her, ready to squeeze anyone for an answer, but the little devil only kept her silence as if no one worth hearing her voice.

To her surprise, the girl answered with confidence. But the way she held her chin up, Siren could tell how she grasped the opportunity to share that with everyone. Especially to Miss Katty. Angie's face is familiar, but she doesn't remember seeing her around their neighborhood. That's only because she rarely set her eyes to anyone around her unless it's necessary. She even failed to glance and see the look on Anita's face earlier.

"I'm not in the scene," Angie continued, waving her hands around her as she narrated her story. In school, Siren learned that people who moved their hands around as they spoke are telling the truth. It's a mannerism that is usually natural to everyone. But that philosophy is well-used and well-known to everyone who wished the listeners would listen to them as they speak. But with Angie's, it's really natural to her. Not to make everyone believe a single word she says, but she's a little nervous.

Her face shows confidence, but her body trembled like she's having an anxiety attack all the while trying to be natural. It's a natural reaction whenever she gets everyone's attention.

"My mother told me Anita went to town to buy groceries when she came home and saw her husband and Siren... flirting with each other. She called her a slut. She believed Siren purposely ate lunch late, and while Anita's away to use that chance to try to steal her husband from her... She's calling her slut and home-wrecker."

"The audacity!" Miss Katty exclaimed.

Siren rolled her eyes to nowhere. Steal her husband. Home-wrecker. Why, because she has no home? It's not like stealing someone else's home can make you finally feel at home.

"Narrow-minded b***h!" Miss Katty continued. "Does she even know how Siren can buy her husband and throw him to feed the crocodiles? That's the worth of her husband, whoever that Anita is! I want her to pay for the damage and see if there's really worth stealing from them! The nerve to call Siren a slut? She's damn tighter and intact than those b***h-faced!"

The women start to back away to avoid getting hit by Miss Katty's flying hands. Esphie brought a glass of water to calm her down, but she accidentally hit it with her arm, making a loud shrilling sound as it hit the ground. She brought another one and made sure the water reached Miss Katty's mouth and throat before the raging woman threw it against the wall.

"Those worthless people just ruined my night! Look at you!" She gestured her hands to Siren's blank face. "What did you do?"

And that's the cue for her to finally speak. At least to answer the demanding question. She sighed and let her hands fall on her sides, which she hadn't realized were crossed over her chest. "I turned away."

Their boss gasped. Siren could see the back of her throat. Her eyeballs were popping out of her eyelids. "Turn―well, that's better, I guess." She quickly recovered from the shock, realizing turning away was the best option. "I won't forgive them, and you, if you get yourself all wounded and bruised. They're not worth your energy, those worthless people!"

"It's bad, though. That you must work here for tonight and―" Eileen was saying but Miss Katty spun around her, her hair came flying around her head. Her palms on her waist. They won't be surprised if her choker ripped with how much the veins in her neck are protruding.

"What the hell are you saying? You'll be kicked out of here and the Playhouse, but she will work with me even if she lost her finger!" It was an insult to Eileen and supposed to be a compliment for Siren that Miss Katty wanted her to stay, making sure she won't go unemployed for the rest of her life. Or until her fingers, or the whole hand were cut off of her.

It sounds like an insult for her, being tied to this kind of living for the rest of her life, but Siren has no time to be sentimental, or be affected by nonsense remarks people blurted out all of a sudden. Besides, who's not familiar with Miss Katty's exaggerated remarks?

However, Eileen doesn't seem to keep it light. While Siren was contemplating whether she should take it as an insult or compliment, Eileen believed it was nothing but a terrible insult merely directed to her. Her face grimaced. A flashed of hatred crossed her eyes. For Siren, or for Miss Katty, or for the rest of the girls, no one can tell. But she's mad.

Siren assumed she has weak walls guarding her heart to be easily affected by it. Her will to smile at poor Eileen halted when she remembered how a certain mysterious and unknown man made her feel like the walls she created around her were all missing.

She frowned instead.

The rest of Miss Katty's sermons became a background to her as she indulges herself in the street's silence as they drove to Makati and to the Playhouse. Or pretend the dusk is silence.

Homeless people are dying in the corner, in the dark, like a shadow. Street children ran away from the market as the owner of the vegetables sped after him. Or the bakery's owner. The bank is locked from the inside. The nozzle of a gun is sticking out from the mirrored wall. People are kneeling, embracing the ground for their dear life. The guard is contemplating whether to move to do his job, save the people, or risk his life and refuse to see his growing children again. If he survived, he would have a promotion. An award. Money, or a scholarship for her children. That would be nice, and he thought of jumping to the closest man who has his back on him. But one of them has his gun pointed at the crowd of kneeling people, including him.

He jumped, thrilled with the thought of promotion and scholarship. High-salary. Or simply being heroic and saving the crying little girl with her pregnant mother, or the man who's only starting a business, pleading with the armed men the money is for his only son's tuition fee.

The guard jumped. Forgetting for a second her wife is pregnant and due this month. He jumped to the armed men, successfully dodging him, as to how the bullets of the rest of the armed men, four of them, went directly to his body.

At least the people outside will know there's such an unfortunate event happening inside. Once again, a sacrifice. How cruel, Siren thought.

They reached the Playhouse in time. Miss Katty placed an almost skin-toned band-aid on her forehead. It was barely visible with the dark and dancing lights, but too palpable not to notice at a closer distance. She called Kendra and informed her friend of what happened, but Kendra's not in the clubhouse.

She informed Maureen to take care of it. Kendra won't break the rules of her clubhouse, but there's always an exception. That explains the sour faces of the girls with them.

But when they got out of the vehicle, Sito was waiting for them. He informed them Siren can't enter the place yet. The girls silently celebrated. It's the flash of light in their eyes that gave their triumph away. Barely able to get hold of simple happiness.

What's wrong? Siren thought. That's another awful nature of humans. Being happy to someone else's misery.

But before Miss Katty could start a commotion in such a place, and let the rich know the poor are trying to get along with them for money, Sito brought them to the side. All the while motioning for the other girls to come inside already.

"What's wrong?" Miss Katty exclaimed. They were hidden in a large palm tree on the side. But not totally hidden with all the bright and colorful lights around that make the entire area look like a foreign place. That was what she heard because Siren never got out of Luzon. What more to visit other countries. If not for the two customers she escorted, she wouldn't have got outside Makati and Muntinlupa.

Sito looked down at Siren. That's when a look of worry appeared on his face. Anxious, even. She frowned.

"Don Cartel's men are here," he breathed and visibly shuddered to Siren's amazement. That Pablo Cartel must be that terrifying for this bulk muscle of a man to shudder like that. His face even wrinkled as if someone's watching him from the dark.

Miss Katty gasped and instantly covered her lips to keep Sito from seeing how deep her throat was. Siren believed that's a cue for her to be shocked, too. To show whatever reaction. Something that is similar to Miss Katty.

In a blink of an eye, the name registered on her. Don Pablo Cartel. That was the name of the man she came across a month ago. The reason a mysterious man gave her cold cash in the middle of a dark alley.

This might not be the night for Siren to work. First was the man's threat. Second is the wound on her forehead. And this one. Perhaps, the world wanted her to rest since she nearly got killed by a snake, of all the creatures in this world.

"W-What...? But... But why?" Miss Katty mirrored the fear in Sito's face. Siren swallowed hard when Sito turned to her. Of course, the answer is her. She's the reason why.

"They're looking for you. They were asking for Kendra, but she doesn't want to face them. She's in the gay pub and wants us to make an alibi for her. Maureen and Aaron are talking to them. But Don Cartel was certain Siren would come to work tonight. He decided to wait... for you." He blinked at her.

"Anyone related to illegal drugs is dangerous." Miss Katty hissed. "I can't give her to them." She frowned at Siren, not asking for her opinion if she wanted to meet the man because she knows well, even if this little kitten of her decided she wanted to w***e herself to a rich daddy, Katty won't object. But she'll give her to the president of the country, but never to anyone with illegal transactions funding their empires.

Siren's lips frowned at the word. 'Give'. Like she really has no choice and a decision to make for herself. "Should I go home now?" she asked and shrugged. She has never experienced commuting on the way back to Muntinlupa, but she hopes Miss Katty will ask the van to take her back.

The two frowned at her, but only Sito nodded at her suggestion. Miss Katty glared at her like she's a little kid playing b***h in the middle of a preacher in the church. Though she doesn't remember the last time she visited their local church to remind everyone she's still one of them despite owning a house of sins.

"You're not going home yet! You have customers waiting for you outside. They'll be expecting you."

"Shall I say hi to that Don Cartel, then?" She meant to be sarcastic, but with Miss Katty's reaction, she failed to be sarcastic.

"You're not stepping low to that man! There are better candidates," she objected.

Right. She believed she's being honest with her opinion. Siren was half-heartedly disappointed. She thought Miss Katty knew him better when it comes to men and their sick attraction towards her.

"Like a corrupt senator, or the public official who scammed billions from the working people?"

"You think a mere public official can do that alone?" Miss Katty raised her brows at her in a challenge but shook her head to dismiss that kind of conversation. "You're not going home, okay? We'll wait for them to leave."

"I don't think they'll be leaving anytime soon, Miss Katty," Sito said in a much lower voice. He squinted his eyes around them. "I'm not sure, but his men can be lurking around, waiting for her. It was luck that most of them are not familiar with Siren."

"Then we have to leave before they become suspicious of us talking here," Siren said.

Miss Katty grasped her arms, her long nails biting on her skin. She looked down at her shaking hands. When Miss Katty noticed, she pulled her hand back and caressed her palms against her skin to make sure she didn't hurt her and left some marks.

"You should go to the gay pub for now. I'll inform you when it's time to go here."

"You'll stay inside?" Sito asked, and Miss Katty quickly shook her head so aggressively that her hair turned wild. Siren realized the icy wind, so she wrapped her arms around her.

"I don't want them interrogating me, okay? We'll wait until they get tired of waiting."

"And if they don't?" Siren probed.

"Then you'll go home. Don't worry, I'll let the customers know of this... unfortunate circumstances. I'll still pay you so no worries of Franco being hell mad like a lunatic, worthless man, that he is."

So they did. Miss Katty went inside the waiting van. Sito jerked his head to Siren for reassurance. She flattened her lips and headed toward the side of the club where some groups were talking. Mostly in twos. Customers and their women. Flirting. Kissing. Making out. But only those who are brave enough to do it out here. Those who have nothing to worry about. Those who don't have the media or anyone waiting to expose to the public this dark side of them.

Some of them were catcalling her. One of them, her calling card out of nowhere. When she turned for the back door of the Playhouse, she threw the card on the garbage cans. She's a few steps away from walking past the back door and there are few who use the alley to go somewhere else since it's still early and people walked freely without thinking of danger.

But Siren noticed the silhouette of the men standing outside the back door. They don't look suspicious since there are some people who are exhaling smoke and talking to someone over the phone. But Siren knew it's not every night in this place, especially the door to the Playhouse, with men.

Even from the distance, she could tell most of them are foreigners with dark colors and heights. A black-Americans like that of Pablo Cartel’s men. And they are all in the same black shirts that Siren knew instantly they're here all together for the same reason.

To catch her, perhaps.

She took a step back to stop them from seeing a glimpse of her. She's not sure if these men here are familiar with her face. She hopes they're not. She hopes the little lights hide her identity from them. One of them turned to her, so she quickly looked away before he noticed she was watching them. Pretending to be looking around, she stupidly looked at the sky. The man mimicked her. On cue, she turned around and back to the way she came from. Cursing to herself how lame it is to pretend and then run.

Anyone who's looking for someone and waiting can already realize how suspicious her action was. And true enough, she heard the urgent noise from behind her. It was indistinct, so she hadn't heard what they said, but she knew they're running for her.

There's no way she could run away from them, especially if she's using the wrong way. She's close to losing hope and giving up. Siren was shocked with that thought in her mind, so she mentally slapped herself for it. Before she thought of stopping and bravely faced the men, an arm appeared from the dark and grabbed her almost instantly, like the owner of the arm knows where to grab her and prevent her from trying to struggle.

She felt the cold wall behind her as she was drastically shoved against it. The same event from a month ago flashed in her eyes. And true enough, the smell and familiar hood and bringing him back to the same event.

He heard the nearing footsteps of the men. They stopped beside them and before she could turn to them; the man pushed her down from her shoulders. She fell on her knees by the sudden force, but a hard stomach that felt like a pack of stones muffled her protest. Her palm flattened on the man's thigh. The other one is gripping his arms. But she went still when he made a guttural noise that sounds too erotic she felt an odd reaction from her stomach.

She's never heard an intense sensual groan as intense as this one.