♥♡ CHAPTER 50 ♡♥

♡ Author's POV ♡

Syden found herself seating inside the record's office. Maayos niyang tinignan ang buong kwarto na katamtaman ang laki. The record's office can be found inside the library. All records kept there are confidential at tanging mga estudyante lang na may posisyon ang pwedeng makapasok doon. The library was used back then when Curse Academy was just having a normal day. Just like the ground floor, it was also abandoned at ngayon lang ulit may pumasok because the president knew that they had to. 

The record's office looks like a small library but it only contains data that are confidential. Inside the office, may isang lamesang gawa sa kahoy na katamtaman ang laki at hugis parihaba. There were only two shelves, on the left and right side of the room. Infront of the shelf on the left side is Phoenix Vernon while the president is standing infront of the shelf on the right side.  Nakaupo si Syden sa harap ng lamesa habang nakatingin sa presidente at kay Finn na abala sa paghahanap. Nakita rin niya na iilang libro at folder na ang inilabas ng dalawa ngunit sa tuwing bubuksan nila ito ay tila wala silang napapala at halatang hindi 'yon ang hinahanap nila. Dahan-dahan pa nilang pinapadaan ang daliri nila sa mga libro at folder na halatang abala sila sa paghahanap. Walang alam si Syden kung bakit nila siya dinala doon at kung ano ang hinahanap ng dalawa.

"Ano bang hinahanap niyo and why are we here?" iritang tanong nito pero hindi noon nabago ang posisyon ng dalawa. Patuloy pa rin sila sa paghahanap, "You'll see." mahinang sagot ng presidente. 

"Have you found it?" tanong pa ulit ni Fortune kaya napatingin si Finn sa kanya at umiling ito, "Not yet, miss president." 

Muling sumandal si Syden sa kinauupuan niya. She wanted to help them para makalabas na siya. Hindi man nga niya alam kung bakit pati siya, sinama nila sa kwartong 'yon. Irita ang mukha nito dahil halos magdadalawang oras na siyang nakaupo at wala pa ring nangyayari hanggang sa magkibit-balikat ito. Her annoyance almost reached its limit until something popped out of her mind. Muli niyang naalala ang mga pangyayari kaya dahan-dahan itong napapikit. What exactly happened to you? I'm really worried right now. Kung pwede lang na tabihan kita hanggang sa magising ka, gagawin ko. I really want to be by your side kapag nagising ka, but it might be impossible dahil sa sitwasyon mo ngayon. I really want to protect you and no matter how far I can get, I'll do it just for you. I need you, we need each other muffin. She said to herself at muling iminulat ang mga mata nito. Ang irita nitong mga mata kanina ay napalitan ng kalungkutan at pag-aalala. Hindi mawala sa isip niya ang lagay nito. 

Muli nitong natandaan ang itsura ni Dean dahil sa nangyari bago nila lisanin ang lugar kung saan nila siya itinago. His heart beat went back to normal after she said that she would be willing to do anything in order to save him. You might have heard me earlier and it was all true, Dean Carson. Muling saad nito. Tinignan niya ang dalawang kasama niya na abala pa rin sa paghahanap at nanlisik ang mga mata nito. I will totally find out who made you like this. Wherever they are, whoever they are. I will surely avenge you. Masamang sambit nito sa sarili niya. Obviously, the time when she saw him lying there and suffering all alone, tila nawala na ito sa sarili niya, she couldn't stop thinking who exactly did these sufferings to the love of her life. She had been waiting for him for a very long time but he came back like this and she couldn't just forget who did this to him. Her soul bursted out in fire that she almost wanted to kill that time. She couldn't bear looking at him like that. 

"I found it." her mind went back to reality when she heard the president kaya sabay silang napatingin ni Phoenix sa kanya. Matipid na ngiti ang nakita nila sa presidente habang may hawak itong folder. Nagmadaling lumapit si Finn kay Fortune ng buksan nito ang folder at humarap kay Syden habang nakatingin pa rin doon, "Can I go now?" tanong ni Syden ngunit tila wala itong kausap. Aktong tatayo na siya ay natigilan ito ng ilapag ni Fortune ang hawak nitong folder sa harapan niya kaya napatingin siya doon, "What is this?" dahan-dahan niyang hinawakan ang folder at maigi itong tinignan. Nilipat niya sa susunod na pahina ang papel ng makita niya kung kaninong mga datos ang nakalagay doon.

"Nakita mo naman ang sitwasyon niya hindi ba?" nagkibit-balikat ang presidente habang nakatayo sa harapan ni Syden at tanging ang lamesa lang ang nagdidistansya sa kanilang dalawa. Dahil sa sinabi nito ay nagsalubong ang kilay ni Syden at napatingin sa presidente, "If you really want to save him, you will listen to us carefully and stop complaining. We have no time. He's becoming too weak and you saw it." muling napatingin si Syden sa folder na hawak niya ngunit alam niyang hindi magiging maganda ang kalalabasan ng usapan na ito dahil sa nakita niyang pangalan na nakalagay sa papel. It was a record.

"As you can see, that folder contains Savannah Burleson's record. When Savannah was still young, she wanted to be a pharmaceutical scientist...the one who makes, discovers and formulate medicines. Pharmaceutical scientists are apparently trained to formulate new medicines." pahayag ng presidente na sinundan naman ni Finn na nakatayo sa tabi nito. Ipinatong nito ang dalawa niyang kamay sa lamesa at bahagyang lumapit kay Syden, "But since her mother found out that her father was having an affair...her mother burned her own face. That time, her mother almost burned Savannah's face too because of anger but good to know na hindi natuloy. Savannah brought her mother to different hospitals but they were denied dahil wala na raw pag-asang maayos pa ang mukha ng nanay niya. That was also the time that Savannah did not know what to do. She wanted to continue being that kind of scientist dahil pangarap niya 'yon but later she realized na kung hindi sila makakahanap ng taong maibabalik ang itsura ng nanay niya sa dati, then she would have to do it. At her young age, she had to self-study about her dream with the help of her aunt na isa sa mga magagaling na pharmaceutical scientist habang binabantayan ang nanay niya. After five years of studying pharmaceutical scientist with her aunt's help, she wanted to become a plastic surgeon someday in order to fix her mother's face. Time will come na maibabalik niya ang itsura ng nanay niya sa dati."

"Then why are you saying this to me?" nagtatakang tanong ni Syden kaya nagkatinginan ang dalawa at muli siyang hinarapan, "Dean Carson needs anti-inflammatory drugs such as naproxen..." pahayag ni Finn na itinuloy ng presidente, "Or some anti-seizure drugs to prevent his migraine."

"Then we might be able to find those, right? Inside the campus...clinic? I'm sure there are-" saad nito na hindi nila pinatapos kaya natigilan siya, "Don't you think hindi namin sinubukan na maghanap ng gamot? We already tried anywhere inside the campus...but we only found nothing." sambit ni Fortune. 

"Savannah also experienced having retinal migraine at wala rin kaming nahanap na gamot." mahinang saad ni Finn, "But she's totally fine now, right?" tanong ni Syden. 

"Because she made her own medicine knowing that she had no choice anymore.  Five years of studying with her aunt was enough for her to make her own medicine. She is a very clever woman. Her way of thinking is just...too broad." dagdag pa ni Finn. 

"She made her own medicine to cure her migraine using the laboratory but after she injected it on her own, she went through a lot of pain and she had a very high fever because the dosage she used was unexpectedly high. Glad to know that she was able to overcome it at maayos na ang lagay niya ngayon." -Fortune. 

"So what are you trying to say?" Syden wanted to think na hindi totoo lahat ng hinala niya habang naririnig niya ang sinasabi nila. Unti-unti ng pumapasok sa isip niya kung ano ang gusto nilang sabihin sa kanya but they couldn't just say it directly to her. Deep inside, pinipilit nitong isipin na baka mali ang hinala niya. 

"W-we think that..." nagkatinginan sina Finn at Fortune na halatang hindi masabi ng diretso kay Syden ang totoo, "Say it." mabilis na saad ni Syden habang nakatingin sa kanila. She felt so nervous and scared kung anuman ang maririnig niya but if it's for her muffin, then she would be willing to hear it. 

"We're running out of time, right? Say it." saad pa nito habang diretso ang tingin sa dalawa na nakatayo pa rin sa harapan niya. 

Muling napalunok si Finn at nagsalita, "W-we think that Savannah's own medicine..." at nagawa ni Finn na diretsong tignan si Syden, "Can totally help Dean Carson's situation right now." when Syden heard it, she expected it but it still hurts kaya napapikit na lang ito habang nakakibit-balikat pa rin at bahagyang napayuko, "As of now, we don't know kung bakit sobrang sumasakit ang ulo niya. When Savannah had her migraine, hindi naman ganito kalala katulad ng nangyayari kay Dean ngayon. His situation right now is because of his severe headache...not because of his retinal migraine. He couldn't take the pain anymore kaya hindi pa siya nagigising. Up until now, he could still feel the pain of his head kaya hindi siya nagigising."

"Then why do we need Savannah's medicine if it's not his migraine who has been keeping him asleep?" tanong ni Syden na tinignan sila. 

"In order to cure his severe headache, we need to cure his retinal migraine first. It's a process that we need to follow in order to save him. We need to take away those pain step by step. Savannah already tested it yesterday in her laboratory, if his migraine would be cured, then it's also possible that his severe headache could also be cured by her medicine. This is quite complicated and hard to understand dahil wala talagang nakakaalam ng sitwasyon niya." pahayag ni Fortune. 

"So it is only her who can save him?" bahagyang tumango si Finn sa walang buhay na tanong ni Syden, "Then let's talk to her." aktong tatayo na siya ng muling magsalita ang presidente dahilan upang matigilan ito, "We already tried pero hindi siya pumayag." nagsalubong ang kilay ni Syden dahil sa sinabi nito, "What? Why?" 

Nagkatinginan muli ang dalawa bago hinarap si Syden. Napatingin si Finn sa lamesa habang nakapatong pa rin ang dalawang kamay nito sa lamesa because he couldn't just look at her directly dahil alam niyang masasaktan si Syden, "Ayaw niyang kami ang kumausap sa kanya. She said..." at nagawa na rin niyang tignan si Syden, "Just say it to me. It's fine." pahayag naman ni Syden dahil mukhang ayaw ng magsalita ng dalawa. Alam na rin niyang walang magagawa ang takot na nararamdaman niya noong mga oras na 'yon. She had to overcome her fear.

"I-ikaw ang gusto niyang makausap...she wants you to beg for it." mahinang saad ni Finn. Muling napapikit si Syden trying her best to stay calm. It was like she was stabbed hundred times because of what she heard. She expected that it would end up like this. It was like anytime, tears would escape from her eyes but she forcefully stopped it. Iminulat niya ang mata niya at muling tinignan ang presidente na nakatayo pa rin sa harapan niya. 

"Are you really sure na gagaling si Dean kapag pumayag ako sa gusto niya?" tanong nito. 

"Negotiating with her is not a good thing Bliss Syden that's why I had to think that you couldn't do it." dahil sa sinabi ng presidente ay natawa na lang si Syden at muling naging seryoso, "Negotiating, miss president? So she is using my boyfriend in order for me to negotiate with her? Is this a business?" 

"This is a matter of life and death involving your boyfriend, Ms. Fuentes. Savannah Burleson is true to her words. Asking for her help requires an exchange...at alam mo kung ano...at sino ang gusto niya. I guess you know now kung anong klasing sakripisyo ang kailangan mong gawin in order to save him. Alam mo kung ano ang magiging kapalit kapag humingi ka ng tulong kay Savannah..." this time, ipinatong din ni Fortune ang dalawa nitong kamay sa lamesa at nilapitan si Syden. The two of them, dangerously looking at one another, "But it's only her who could save him." after she said those words, kusang tumulo ang mga luha na pinipigilan ni Syden habang masama ang tingin sa presidente. 

She actually knew kung ano ang magiging kapalit ng pakikipag-usap niya kay Savannah. Iniisip niya pa lang ang mangyayari, tila unti-unti na itong sinasaksak ng maraming kutsilyo. She felt sadness slowly consuming her. 

Anger...

Hatred...

Agony....

Misery...

Anguish...

Distress..

and all kinds of negative emotions...

"You have to decide now. His life depends on you now." dagdag pa ng presidente. 

Every. word. was. clearly. killing. her. 

Dean Carson who was lying there, inside the abandoned clinic...and Bliss Syden who was seating inside the record's office...both of them, even though malayo sa isa't isa at hindi magkasama...felt one another's pain. They felt one another's sufferings because they are connected by heart.

In this game, who would win? And who would completely fall into pieces?

To be continued...