Chapter 32. Twin's revelation

Chapter 32. Twin's revelation

Aeon's POV

"Presenting, Mr. Rohan, the Hale twins, Mr. Philips, Ms. Evans and Mr. Howard" anunsyo nito sa kapapasok na magkakaibagan kasama narin ang isang higad. Lahat ng tao ay nakatingin sakanila. I look at them. These are the same guys who say that they are on the scene when Fiery died. Habang tinitingnan ko sila isa isa ay naramdaman kong parang may nakatingin sa akin. Then I look at him staring at me. I can still determine who's who behind those masks. I look at him with no emotions in the eyes. Nag iwas ako ng tingin at bumaling ako sa mga kasamahan ko.

"Everything will be alright" rinig kong ani ni T sa tabi ko. I hope so. Sabi ng utak ko.

"Wait here. I'm gonna go and talk to T" dagdag pa niya saka niya kami iniwan at nilapitan ang grupo ni Trasher na ngayon ay pababa na ng hagdanan.

"Ma'am" alok sa amin ng isang waiter sa mga baso ng alak.

"No thanks" sagot namin ni Dark.

"You're not gonna drink? Well, I am" ani Thalia na medyo lasing na ata dahil kanina pa siya umiinom.

"Stop drinking" pagbabawal ni Dark sakanya.

"You guys are party poopers" maingay niyang sabi.

"Stop drinking Thalia. Who knows if they put something in those?" Dark whispered.

"Why would they put something in here?" Dark covered Thalia's mouth when people around us started to stare.

"Shut up Thalia" pagpapatahimik niya sa isa. Akala ko ay sasagot si Thalia ngunit nanatili siyang tahimik at nakasimangot. Mukhang iba ata ang epekto ng alak sakanya. Liqour makes her shut up.

"Presenting, the headmaster, Mr. Howard" rinig naming pagpiprisinta ng guwardya. Lahat ng atensyon ay nasa headmaster ngayon.

"Welcome" bati niya sa aming lahat.

"Welcome to the Acquaintance Party of the freshman and transfer students" panimula niya.

"We may saw familiar faces here right now but there are also unfamiliar ones. Those who step inside this school as a choice or as something. This is the perfect timing to have friends, not the perfect timing to roam around" there's some meaning behind his words. Those words that he delivered are not for everyone. It is intended for someone.

"Nonetheless, tonight, we enjoy ourselves. Forget everything and enjoy yourselves. Thank you" aniya saka siya bumaba sa hagdanan. Visitors outside the school and people whom I think are the higher-ups shake his hands. Tiningnan ko isa isa ang mga taong nakipagkamay sakanya. Some of them are ordinary people but with noble status in life but there are few of them that caught my attention.

First is a middle-aged man who has a scar on his left cheek and a scar of I think that's because of a burn on his right one. The other one is an old man with a leather hat on with spectacles and the last one is the woman in the middle of them. She has this elegant style with her mahogany wavy hair. These three people caught my attention. Not because they stand out among the nobles but because I can't sense anything with them. It's like when I am around Holly and that psychiatrist.

"She's here" pukaw ni Dark sa atensyon ko.

"Who's here?" sabat ni Thalia na pumupungay ang mga mata.

"Holly" Dark curtsied while pointing her gaze at the girl at the end of the stairwell. Holly with her peach ball gown.

"Ohhh, she's got a bodyguard with her" maarteng komento ni Thalia.

"That's not a bodyguard. That's the council's guards" sagot ni Dark kay Thalia.

"What's the difference?" she curiously asked.

"Whatever Thalia" tanging sagot ni Dark. Mukhang hindi na rin kaya ni Dark ang kalasingan ni Thalia.

"Where are you going?" tanong ni Dark ng akmang lalapitan ko si Holly.

"I have to talk to her. We have some unfinished business" sagot ko kay Dark. I still remember what she told me at the library. Hinawakan niya ako sa braso ng akmang maglalakad na sana ako.

"Are you nuts? Do you want to get caught?" tanong ni Dark. "You do realize that she's guarded and you can't afford to be suspected right now" dagdag pa niya. Kumunot ang noo ko sa sinabi niya.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Look" sabi niya saka niya binaling ang kanyang tingin sa tatlong taong kanina ko pa pinaghihinilaan. I look at them but they look away.

"They keep on glancing this way since they got here. Do you know them?" nagtatakang tanong ni Dark.

"No, and how do you know that they are looking at me? Do they know me even if I'm wearing a mask?" tanong ko rin sakanya.

"That's what I want to know" aniya. Natahimik kami sandali hanggang sa nagsalita ang guwardya na nagbabantay sa mga pintuan malapit sa hagdanan.

"Ladies and gentleman, Mr.Howard" anunsyo ulit ng guwardya. Nagtataka akong lumingon sa taas ng hagdanan.

"What the" rinig kong sabi ni Dark sa tabi ko ng makita niya kung sino ang pababa sa hagdanan. I saw Trasher. No, that's not Trasher. Rinig ko ang bulungan sa paligid. Lahat nagtataka. When I saw him, I already know that he's not Trasher. Nilibot ko ang paningin ko para hagilapin ko si Trasher, and there I saw him with his friends, together with T, looking at the guy with wide eyes. They seem shocked.

"Trasher has a twin?" tanong ni Dark. Hindi lang kami ang nagtataka kundi lahat ng taong narito. Naglakad siya pababa ng hagdanan at dumiretso siya sa pwesto nila Trasher. Lumapit ako sa pwesto nila.

"Hello, brother" rinig kong bati ng isa kay Trasher.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Trasher snapped at him. I clenched my fist. Everything in my mind is in chaos. Hindi ko alam kung anong iisipin ko.

"Oh, I'm here to enjoy the party," he said playfully.

"Ruin you mean" pagtatama niya rito.

"Why would I? You have a nice party in here" sagot niya kay Trasher.

"What are you doing here, Sorrel?" tanong ng kadarating na headmaster.

"Oh, our eldest is here" nakangisi niyang bati sa nakatatanda niyang kapatid.

"I told you that you can't be seen together at the same time" the headmaster looks pissed. He doesn't seem pleased by the sudden event. "Look what you've done" dagdag pa nito habang nakatingin sa mga tao na nagbubulungan at nakatingin sakanila.

"Oh, I've done nothing. You both did this. Because you chose to hide your little brother" there's a resentment in his tone that can be barely noticed.

"That's because you cause trouble everywhere" sagot ng headmaster.

"Trouble? I cause trouble? Am I really the one who's causing the trouble? Am I always the one who causes problems here? Because as far as I can remember, the one who causes trouble here is him" sagot niya saka siya bumaling ng tingin kay Trasher. Trasher became uneasy under his twin's gaze. Nakinig lang ako sa usapan nila.

"When he took what was supposed to be mine" pagkabanggit niya ng mga katagang iyon ay nagulat ako ng tumingin siya sa akin. Binalingan ako ni Trasher ng tingin na nakakunot ang noo saka siya umiwas na parang walang nangyari. I felt a pang in my chest at his sudden gesture.

"We both know who she really wants" sagot niya Trasher habang nakatingin ng diretso sakanyang mga mata. Ngumisi ang kambal niyang nagngangalang Sorrel bago sumagot.

"That's the problem, want is far from need" Sorrel answered while looking at him with the same ferocity.

"She loves me more than you" sagot naman ng isa. Hindi ba sila titigil sa pagbabangayan? At saka sino ba ang tinutukoy nilang dalawa?

Sorrel scoffs at his answer. "Really?" he mocks. "And how do you know that? Did you ask her yourself? Did she tell you?" he added.

"Did you? Aeon?" my gaze turns to Sorrel. What the hell is he talking about?

"Leave her alone. She's not who you think she is" sagot naman ni Trasher. Nanatili ang mga tingin ko kay Sorrel. He looks at his twin with curiosity then he smiled like he finds the situation amusing.

"Okay," I thought he's thinking of a comeback earlier but I'm surprised that he let the discussion go.

"You should leave" sabat naman ng kuya nila. Tumahimik sandali si Sorrel.

"Okay" nakahinga silang lahat sa sagot niya. Seems like he's really a troublemaker.

"After my dance with this lady" mabilis ang pangyayari kaya wala silang nagawa ng nilapitan ako ni Sorrel at hinila ako sa grupo ng mga taong sumasayaw sa gitna.

"What the hell?" tanging sabi ko sakanya.

"Why are you here again?" hindi siya nag abalang sagutin ang sinabi ko bagkus ay siya ang nagtanong.

"What are you talking about?" I ask him curiously. I don't have a clue on what he's talking about. Nanatili kaming nakatayo sa gitna ng mga taong nagsasayawan. We're not even dancing, well not that I'm expecting from this man.

"Look, I don't even know you so whatever business or problem you have with your brother, count me out. I don't have anything to do with him" sagot ko sakanya. He looks at me curiously then he smiled again like what he did earlier with his brother. He really finds everything interesting huh?

"Okay" I narrowed my eyes at his sudden willingness to listen to me.

"But I still want to dance with you" bigla niyang sabi. I shouldn't have believed that he's the type who listens to other people easily. I was about to abandon him on the middle of the dance floor when he pulled me closer to him and place both my hands on his shoulders while he puts his hands on my hips. I was about to pull my hands away when he stopped me.

"Don't" he firmly said then I find myself listening to what he said. Why am I even with him?

"You don't really remember me?" tanong niya pagkaraan ng ilang segundong katahimikan. We sway through the music.

"No" maikling sagot ko. I heard him chuckle.

"You're really the type of guy who finds everything amusing," I said nonchalantly.

"And you're still the woman with few words" he's talking like he knows me. I look up to see his face.

"You seem to know me" sabi ko sakanya. Hindi siya sumagot bagkus ay ngumiti nalang saka siya humiwalay sa akin. Hinawakan niya ako sa kamay saka niya ako hinatid sa pwesto ko kanina malapit kila Trasher. Akala ko ay bibitawan na niya ang aking kamay ngunit nagulat nalang ako ng iangat niya ito papunta sa labi niya saka niya ito hinalikan.

"I'm giving her to you, again," he said not to me but to Trasher. Nakita kong napakunot noo si Trasher sa ginawa ng kambal niya. Binalingan niya ako ng tingin. Akala ko ay may sasabihin pa siya sa akin ngunit hindi siya nagsalita sa halip ay ngumiti lang siya. His smile is pure and genuine, with no pretense. Pagkatapos non ay naglakad na siya paalis. I don't know if he's really going to leave but I didn't even have the time to think when someone pulled me away.

Next Chapter: Haunted