Chapter 7: Eyes Wide Open
Athena's P.O.V.
I swallowed a sudden lump on my throat as I felt an abrupt anxiety. I guessed, I could have swallowed everything the moment I heard what he said. Now, I was the one forming tons of sweat. Tension immediately ruled over my body as I found it real hard to move even an inch.
I was caught off-guard. I knew that my reddish face suddenly transformed into being pale after he asked that question.
How could he knew about Athena or the real Helena? Whatsoever, kahit ako man ay nalilito na!
How silly? How on earth that I even got confused with my own identity? I was really Athena who was pretending as Helena, but when he asked about Athena... of course I was sure as hell that he was referring to my dead twin sister, Helena.
There were no pictures here to attest that we were twins. As if killing my identity was not enough, Daddy removed all of my photos including those which include our mother... so how could have Cristoff known about Athena?
Is this about my handkerchief?
"Sorry, Helena. If you don't want to answer it, I won't bother you..." pagbasag niya sa matagal na katahimikang naghari sa pagitan naming dalawa.
Lumingon ako sa kanya bago ako humiga nang patagilid sa couch, "It's okay, Cristoff. Anyway, Athena was my identical twin sister. She died just last year when we were on our way to Las Albas. No more questions please." I closed my eyes and pretended that I was already asleep.
That was where I was good at - pretending, but tears suddenly went down my cheeks. It was really awful to say that I was already dead.
Naramdaman ko na lang na nasa harap ko na pala siya nang pahirin niya ang aking mga luha, "Hindi bagay sa'yo ang umiiyak."
I opened my eyes, "How did you know her?" I was still lying sideways on the couch as he kneeled in front of me.
"I saw you browsing her Famebook profile at the library. I'm sorry if I lied to you. I also saw your handkerchief with Athena's name on it," he said. I knew it, it was all because of my handkerchief.
"What else did you know?" walang emosyong tanong ko. My mood suddenly shifted that I didn't know how to control it anymore.
"I searched for your Famebook profile but I found two accounts. I didn't know to whom I would send my friend request then."
Damn it! That explains everything!
"Either you send friend request to any of my accounts... I won't accept it," I smirked. "Matagal pa ba 'yang proposal natin? Gusto mo, ako na lang ang tumapos?" I snapped at him. Nawala na talaga ako sa mood.
Bakit ba kasi napaka-pakialamero niya? Darn it, naiirita na naman tuloy ako sa kanya! He always made me reach my boiling point and I always hated him for doing that.
"It's okay, Helena... it's already done. All we have to do is print the file and present it to Mrs. Cheng tomorrow, kaya magpagaling ka agad ha? Para makapasok ka na bukas dahil sabay natin itong ipapasa sa kanya," he smiled.
Hindi ko pinansin 'yong sinabi niya. Bumangon ako sa couch, nilagpasan siya at tiningnan 'yong report namin. I raised my left eyebrow while silently criticizing what he did.
In fairness for a guy, huh? Magaling siyang gumawa ng report. It was indeed... superb!
Yes, I liked the way how he did the report but I would never admit it. It still doesn't change the fact that I was still annoyed at him.
"So any comments, Miss Delgado?"
I frowned as I looked at him. Wait, did he just smirk at me?
"I thought, you don't want to be called on last name basis. Why did you call me Miss Delgado then?" I raised my eyebrow again.
"Well, you are free to call me Rivera anytime... so I can taste your lips again even for a short period of time," he said that made my eyes wide open. That was when I proved that he was really smirking at me.
Pervert! Flirt! Maniac!
Hinampas ko siya sa balikat nang malakas, "How could you talk to me like that, pervert? May I remind you na nasa pamamahay ka namin, bwisit ka!"
"Relax, Helena. I was just kidding! Pero teka, mukhang magaling ka na ha... ang lakas nang hampas mo eh. Let me check," hinawakan niya bigla 'yong noo at leeg ko, "mukhang wala ka nang lagnat ah? Siguro ganyan talaga ang epekto kapag gwapo ang nagbabantay, ano?" at kinindatan pa niya talaga ako.
Ang kapal talaga ng mokong na 'to! In the first place, wala siyang karapatang tawagin ang sarili niya na gwapo!
I shoved his hand away, "In your dreams, eew! You know what? You're just making me throw up what I ate for lunch," and I acted like I was going to vomit. "Matalino ka lang pero hindi ka gwapo, 'no? Tsaka tsansing ka ha! Kung makahawak ka sa akin... close ba tayo? Umuwi ka na nga o kaya naman, bumalik ka na lang sa school... may klase ka pa sa hapon!"
Hindi ko alam pero sa kabila nang pagkainis ko sa kanya, there was a strange feeling growing inside me. It was some sort of unexplainable happiness because he was here. 'Yong pakiramdam na hindi ako bored like the past weekends dahil nandito siya? Oh well, kahit na pakialamero siya, kahit na nakakainis at nakakabwisit siya - I must admit that he was making me... happy.
"Later, Helena. I made a promise to your father na aalis lang ako kapag nandito na siya," hirit niya, "tsaka ano ka ba? Kayang-kaya kong habulin 'yong topics natin kahit nakapikit pa, I can even tutor you if you want. So ano na? Any comments so far on our proposal?" He smirked again, looking so proud of himself.
"Stop bragging, okay? In case you haven't yet realize it, you're already cutting your classes! Hmm, do you really want to hear my comment? Well, the report is... ugly. It looks terrible! It doesn't even reach half of my expectation!" Then, I secretly smiled.
Nag-iba kasi bigla 'yong aura niya. 'Yong tipong parang lahat ng kayabangan niya sa katawan ay biglang nawala.
Ha-ha! Serves him right! I rolled my eyes.
So he immediately placed himself in front of the laptop, moved the wireless mouse and double checked the report. "Hindi naman pangit ah! Perfect pa nga 'yong pagkakagawa ko eh. I consolidated everything and I'm sure, wala akong nakalimutang ilagay..." kumakamot siya sa ulo habang binubusisi pa rin 'yong report namin. He even attached my USB again to check if he really missed something.
"You're asking for my comment but you don't want to believe it? Ang gulo mo rin eh, 'no?" I was holding myself not to laugh. Scrolling the report from start to finish, he looked like he was very eager and desperate to know where he could have gotten wrong or which part of the report turned ugly for me. "And excuse me... nobody's perfect, okay?" I smirked.
"Yeah, but for me... you're almost perfect, Helena. Walang halong biro," he whispered. It suddenly stopped me from bursting a laugh. All of a sudden, it felt like my heart skipped a beat and my stomach twirled around. I didn't know what was happening to me... but it only happened first time in history.
Did he really say that I'm almost perfect? No, he was only making fun of me!
I looked at him intently and we were now having an unbreakable eye contact. 'Yan na naman siya, he was again making me blush.
May mga naging crushes na rin naman ako way back elementary at sa dating high school na pinasukan ko. I even talked to some of them in terms of academic matters and I could say na 'di hamak na mas gwapo pa sila kumpara kay Cristoff, but it was only him who could make me feel this way, to think that I didn't even have a crush on him. He was making me happy, yes... but I hated him. We looked like a dog and cat everytime we were together!
We were still not breaking our eye contact and I didn't know what to do anymore, when my cellular phone suddenly rang. It instantly made me look away, na para bang bigla na lang akong nahimasmasan.
Oops, saved by the bell! Thank God!
Daddy was calling based on my phone's screen. "Hello, Dad?" I answered.
"Helena, so how's my unica hija? Are you getting well, my princess?"
As much as I wanted to be happy, I couldn't. Those words were meant just for Helena, not for me. Realization hit me and that hurts. I was suddenly hurt by a mere fact that he was just treating me as Helena, when I was clearly not his favorite daughter. I was already hurt by truth... and being killed by lies.
When will I be able to live as Athena again?
"I-I'm fine, Dad. M-Medyo wala na po akong lagnat though m-malat pa rin po 'yong boses ko," sagot ko. I was trying to ignore my intensified feelings.
"I'll be going home late, okay? I needed to close a big deal. By the way, is your classmate still there?" he asked. Pero kung ako talaga si Helena, malamang ay uuwi na agad si Daddy. Helena was more important than anything. Baka nga hindi pa siya pumasok knowing that Helena was sick.
I glanced over Cristoff and rolled my eyes on him. "Yes, Dad. He's still here, why?"
"Well, I'm glad he didn't break his promise. Let him stay until dinner."
"But, Dad? We already finished our report. I think, he should go." I protested.
"No. Why don't you tour him around so that you two were not just sitting there in the Study Room doing nothing, and for you to get out of the house to breathe some fresh air? Give him your phone, I wanted to talk to him..." he instructed.
I really wanted to oppose my father's decision but I had no other choice. Labag man sa loob ko, I ended up giving my cellular phone to Cristoff.
What did he do to make Dad treat him this way?
I knew my father so well and I could say thay he was very strict when it came to boys asking even a single word for Helena. He would be glad to push me in replacement of her.
Is it because he is starting to accept the fact that I was really Athena? No! I guessed, it's too impossible.
"Thank you po, Tito. I will," that was the only thing I heard from Cristoff before giving me back my phone for me to continue talking to my father.
"Hello, Dad? Are you really serious about this? He should go now!" Pinandidilatan ko ng mga mata si Cristoff na wala namang ibang ginawa kung hindi ngitian lang ako nang nakakaloko.
"What's the problem, Helena? He's a good young man. You see, he paid you a visit and he did your report. He even looked after you while I'm not around."
"But, Dad! Alam niyo naman na I can take good care of myself even if you're not around," I still ojected. Cristoff was laughing while I was still eyeing at him intently. He was even wiggling his dark eyebrows to annoy me even more!
He could really, literally and figuratively... making my blood boil, ugh!
"I'll hang up now, Helena. Daddy will resume the meeting, I love you."
"I love you too, Dad. Bye," and my father ended the call. "Hey, geek! What did my Dad tell you?" I asked Cristoff right away.
"Nothing. He just said that you can tour me around your house," sagot niya. Nakakaloko lang talaga 'yong mga ngiti niya.
"Look, I don't know what you did to make my dad treat you this way - there's nothing special on you. But once he learns the fact that you are competing with me in terms of becoming a valedictorian, he will be mad at you." I smirked.
"I already told him," he winked at me.
"What-" I was shocked. I didn't expect it, pero agad din naman akong nakabawi, "-ever! Hindi ka pa ba uuwi?"
"I told you, I will wait for your father before I leave. He allowed me to get in here. I guessed, he's the only one who can ask me to leave. So can you tour me now, princess?" he teased me.
"Stop calling me princess, nakakadiri!"
"Okay, can you tour me now, Miss Walkout Queen?"
"Stop calling me names, duh! Okay, fine! As if I have a choice, tara na nga!" I gave up. Lumabas na kami ng Study Room na parang walang nangyaring asaran sa aming dalawa.
Checking the time, it was already three in the afternoon. More or less, Daddy would be home by dinner... so matagal-tagal ko pa palang makakasama ang mokong na 'to.
"This is my room but you are not allowed to go inside," I said when we stopped in front of my room at the third floor beside Study Room. "It was a typical girl's bedroom covered in red, bahala ka na lang mag-imagine. That door at the end belonged to my parents and the locked blue door beside them belongs to Athena."
Well, katabi talaga nila Daddy ang bedroom ni Helena. After the accident, at least, Daddy respected my decision not to transfer to her room. That would be more than enough for me to do. Aside from white, she also liked the color blue... and I hated blue!
Mabuti naman at hindi na nagtanong pa si Cristoff tungkol sa kakambal ko. Tumatango-tango lang siya habang nagsasalita ako. Bumaba kami sa second floor at pinakita sa kanya ang aming Movie Room pati na ang sarili kong Music Room.
"Athena loves watching movies while I really loved music. It seems like I can't live without it. I can play the violin, piano and guitar. I love to sing and dance, and those were my hidden talents. But I guessed, it was no longer hidden because you already saw me playing the guitar."
Helena was a certified moviegoer while I was the singer. Minsan nga, hindi ko siya ma-gets kapag napakabilis niyang umiyak over movie scenes na wala man lang kaunting kurot sa akin. Maybe because I had a heart made of stone, I didn't know.
When I started living under the pretense of being Helena and if Dad was here, I had no right to stay in the Music Room and that caused me a little frustration. Nahahawakan ko lang ang mga instrumento ko kapag wala siya. He just wanted me to watch unlimited movies with him, because that was what Helena loved to do.
"Wow, so you're really talented when it comes to music!" he complimented me. "Pero hindi pa kita nakikitang sumayaw!" habol niya.
I just nodded, "Hmm... if that's what you call it. Anyway, huwag ka nang umasa na makikita mo akong sumayaw dahil hinding-hindi darating ang araw na 'yon!"
I could still remember the days when my father had been so against to my music hobby. For him, music was just a noise. But Mommy defended me and brought me instruments that would fully enhance my talent. I was thankful that she brought me everything I needed, even the adult instruments, before she died when I was only six.
When we reached the ground floor, we went straight to the swimming pool. "You want to use the pool?" tanong ko sa kanya no'ng nasa gilid na kami ng pool.
"Can I?" he asked me. His eyes were somewhat sparkling.
"Okay lang, basta lilinisin mo rin mamaya ha? Tingnan mo oh, tadtad ka na ng libag! Naligo ka ba?" tinuro ko 'yong leeg niya. Wala naman talaga siyang libag eh, gusto ko lang siyang asarin nang makaganti naman sa mga pang-aasar niya. Muntik na akong humagalpak nang tawa sa nakita kong reaksyon niya.
"Ang yabang mo ah! Sino kaya ang hindi naligo kasi may trangkaso? Haha," ganti niya. Nagulat pa ako nang lumapit siya sa akin at inamoy-amoy pa ako. "Ang baho mo na, parang hindi ka babae..." tumatawang sabi niya.
At dahil sa napikon ako sa kanya ay bigla ko na lang siyang tinulak sa swimming pool without even thinking. It was too late for me to panic.
Oh no! Wala nga pala siyang pamalit! What will I do?
"He-Helena, tu-tulong... hi-hindi ako ma-runong luma-lumangoy!" Kahit na lubog-litaw ang ulo niya sa tubig ay pinipilit pa rin niya itong iahon para lang makasigaw.
Oh my God! my mind screamed. My palms were on my mouth while my eyes were wide open.
Kung naiinis man ako sa kanya kanina, ngayon naman ay nababalot ako nang kaba. My heart throbbed in fear and panic. Pagkatapos nang pagkamatay ni Helena ay ngayon na lang ulit ako nakaramdam nang takot. Bakit hindi niya sinabi agad na hindi pala siya marunong lumangoy?
What the heck? Anong gagawin ko ngayon?
There was no intercom but Daddy was working on placing one here. The kitchen and the maid's quarter were far from the swimming pool so if I would still go there to ask for their help, baka wala na kaming aabutang buhay na Cristoff pagbalik namin dito.
Shit! Pumailalim na 'yong katawan niya sa tubig, anong gagawin ko? I didn't see any bubbles as well, which added to my anxiety that he could no longer be breathing.
Without any second thoughts ay tumalon ako sa pool, lumangoy nang kaunti at dali-daling inahon 'yong katawan ni Cristoff mula sa tubig. Damn! He's heavy!
I gently laid his body on the marble side of our swimming pool - careful enough not to hit his head. "Cristoff, are you okay?" I asked but he was not opening his eyes. I was gently tapping his face but still, no response came from him.
It was a good thing that I was a trained medic and I knew how to do CPR. Hay, bahala na!
First, check for ABC - airway, breathing and circulation. So I looked at his nose and opened his mouth. So far, he looked okay. He had no airway obstruction but I was not sure if his breathing was still normal. Maybe because of fear that I couldn't locate his pulse... so that's when I decided to perform CPR.
I was on my third cycle nang pagbibigay ng hangin sa kanya pero wala pa rin siyang response, so I pumped his chest again and from there, started the fourth cycle. When I removed my lips from him after I gave a blow, I saw his stare na talaga namang nakakaloko. Kinakagat-kagat pa niya 'yong ibabang labi niya which really freaked me out!
Damn him! He just tricked me! He tricked me from the very start!
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