My parents were barely home. They’re always out on trips, business or vacation alike. Sometimes they win at raffles. Or sometimes they’re busy putting up a fight with their relatives. I got used to it. Staying in a house with my sister Janine wasn’t so bad at all.
Though most of the times, I was left alone. She’s a resident doctor which meant she’s always on duty. I have no choice but to keep everything to myself because who could I be talking to except for walls and window panes? My friends weren’t so used to me going through my dramas because they know me as a happy person. A clown. A girl who doesn’t have problems in life. They’re not used to me being serious. So I don’t dare open up to them.
I always think they won’t understand.
Nikki asked me to get her camera in our quarters. She bailed me a Zagu Grande if I did.
When I turned the knob, what I saw inside made my knees tremble. I tried to look away but I just can’t. I fought back the tears that are trying to escape my eyes. Not again.
Don’t do this to me, again.
I reached for something stable to hold on to, and I did. It’s warm and strong enough to hold my weight. I exhaled. I breathed in deep. I caught my heart that was about to fall into the core of the Earth.
Don’t do this to me, please.
“I’ll go get the camera,” someone behind me whispered. “Go back to the awarding now,”
I turned to face Yvan and asked him why he followed me. He just smiled and forced me to go back. He said I don’t need to see Ero hugging someone else’s back. He said I should head back and have fun because I deserve that.
He said don’t cry.
But I can’t help it.
GUJI
Foot Face came back like a cyclone. She was shouting at me for the whole ten shitty minutes of my life she’s actually wasting. She said I should give her clothes back, that I should talk to her because the whole time she was shouting all I do was stare at her, that I will die if I don’t tell her where her pillow cases were.
I plugged in my earphones. I’m beginning to hate her high-pitched voice that I’ll cut her vocal chords off if she don’t shut up in one minute.
“You Brain-dead Monster! WHERE. ARE. MY. CLOTHES?” She charged at me and beat me with the same roll of paper she used a lot of times. I dodged dodged dodged and ran ran ran out of my room and down the stairs. She followed me and said, “IF YOU DON’T STOP RUNNING, I’LL GIVE YOU 100!”
“Hits?”
“STUB WOUNDS! Come here, you Brain-dead Monster!”
We are at the dining hall, running around the table. I could see her panting, tired. I smiled, teased her. “What now? You’re tired already? C’mon, we just started.”
“Shut up!” she screeched, grabbing a chair for balance. I kept my eyes on her as she walk around the hall, her fingers jumping along the counters. She stopped in front of the cupboard. I swallowed.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I demanded. I was hoping for a decent answer from her but all I received was flying saucers.
Our saucers.
She’s throwing saucers at me and I’m frantic that one of those would hit my face.
“DON’T.” she aimed, threw a saucer at me. She missed, the saucer crashed. “EVER. TOUCH. MY THINGS!”
The last one hit me big time.
I saw stars.
MAGGIE
He hung me upside down the chandelier I’m beginning to hate the word ‘circle’. If I remember correctly, I was asleep in the living room when he passed out. The next thing I saw was the floor and everything that’s upside down.
I could feel all the blood on my head. And I’m moving in circles. I hate circles.
“Get me down, you Brain-dead!” I demanded. He shrugged. “Shut your mouth or I’ll drop you dead.”
I called out for help but it’s no use. No one’s here except for the two of us. I waggled myself free but I realized it wasn’t a good idea because I heard the ceiling creaked. I cursed over and over and tried to be still.
It creaked again.
“Tell me I’m safe –”
Creaks.
Then everything went black.
I don’t know what happened after the chains snapped. I don’t know if I screamed the hell out of me and died or if I just crashed into the floor and died. What I’m sure of is that I’m seeing clouds and spirits with chicken wings.
“Where am I?” I asked a spirit. “H-how long have I been here? Am I dead?”
The chicken-winged spirit smirked at me and said, “If you’re just not as stupid as you are,”
“Don’t call me stupid!”
“But you are… Seaweed-brain,” I grew irritated when I heard Guji’s voice. How dare he call me Seaweed-brain? My brain’s not green, and it’s not as wrinkled and dry as he thinks.
Before I could protest at what he said, I felt a sudden earthquake. “Can’t you at least try to wake up and stand up on you own? My limbs are dying because of your weight!”
Consciousness snapped me from I think was a dream and saw Guji’s beautiful angry face. I looked around and saw fragments of glass, bulbs, and cement. It could be a very bad fall if this Brain-dead monster hadn’t caught me in time.
“I’m alive… I’M ALIVE!”
“YOU’RE SPITTING SALIVA ON MY FACE, DUMB ASS.”
“But I’m alive!”
“You’ll shut up or I’ll drop you?” And he did even though I shut up. My back hurt at what he did and said that I should be on a diet. He said that I weighed a thousand kilos that he could’ve died just trying to carry me.
Always such an ass.
He told me that my clothes were outside so I went out to fetch them. What I saw there was a beautiful garden and an odd, rustic drum. A smoke was coming out of that drum and I thought that someone had burn something here just recently. It smelled cotton.
Cotton.
I instinctively ran to it and saw ashes. A small patch of clothing was left from the fire, and I recognized it. Horrified, I ran back inside.
He couldn’t have burned all of my things, could he? He is so going to have a piece of me!
I searched for him everywhere, around the dining hall and living room, inside the jars and refrigerator. I found no one. I gave up playing hide n’ seek with him so I decided I should go to my room and rest. When I was only a few steps away from the stairs, I saw a body lying at the bottom of it. Confused, I walked slowly toward his body, calling out his name.
He didn’t answer. He wasn’t even moving.
“Guji? Guji!”
I dropped to my knees and knelt next to him. He’s limp, and I’m crying in fear, anxiety, guilt, even. There’s blood on my hands and I swear it’s from his head. If he hadn’t saved me, this would not happen to him. The chandelier would not have fallen on his back, and he would still be arguing with me right now.
Don’t die on me, I whispered in his ears, afraid.
I searched for his phone, found it, and scrolled down his phonebook. He has only four contacts here, one of which was Yvan’s.
I tried to reach him. He doesn’t answer. I tried to reach others half-heartedly. Fred could be annoying but I set the thought aside. I need help. But after so many attempts, no one answered any of my calls.
Cursing, I felt his pulse weakening. I felt helpless.