chapter 7

From the hot smoking ash shed by the burned wood arose a crow. It squawks while it flaps its wings to rise above the ash. The group who watched it miraculously appear were shocked and amazed at the same time. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

The crow stood on the remains of the burnt wood. It squawked once more. The old lady opened her eyes and paused her chant. She held the crow with her two bare hands. 

"Anapem han makin uka'sna. (Hanapin mo ang may-ari nito).San nagan di makin bagi...Nick(Ang pangalan ng may-ari...Nick)," she whispered. 

Then, she gave it a little piece of cloth she tore out from a shirt Undoy's friend had given to him. The crow immediately took it with its beak. The old lady stood up and she let the black bird go. She and the five watched it flew away from the place. 

The five people later moved closer to Lola Aurora.

"Ano na? Tapos na ba?" Danny asked her.

"Hindi pa Danny." The old woman replied. She looked at the sky once more, but the bird was gone. 

"Maghintay na lang tayo kasi hinahanap pa ng uwak na iyon ang taong hinahanap natin." She told.

"Hanggang kailan po kami maghihintay Lola?" Benjie asked.

"Maaaring mamayang gabi o bukas ng umaga." 

Then she knelt down again.  

"Hangga't maari, wala sanang dedisturbo sa akin hanggang hinahanap ko pa kung nasaan siya." She advised as she closed her eyes. She breathe so deep to regain her concentration.

The group then walked away from her. 

....

Grace Joy was walking along the shaded corner of the wide ground. She was hugging the book she had borrowed at the library. She was scanning around as she moves. She admires how the pathway she was at. It's tiled and roofed. Golden bushes at its both sides. Behind the bushes on each side has a line of shed area filled in with concrete tables that has pine tree barks design on their rims, each of them has two concrete benches across.

Suddenly, among the shades she was viewing...she suddenly widened her eyes in terror. In the near shed shade away in front of her, she saw Sherdel sitting down on a bench. He was alone and his face didn't show any emotions at all. He was just staring at the ground. And so, she halted.

"Hal-la!" She panicked. "Anong gagawin ko? Baka aasarin niya ako." She told to herself. Then, her mind suddenly brought out the moment when they met at Burnham Park.

"Hindi. Baka 'yung alam niya gusto ko lang siyang hawakan noon." 

"Naku! Anong gagawin ko. Baka sinabi niya sa lolo niya na hinaras ko siya!" 

While muttering, anyone who passes her by were looking at her, wondering why she's acting hysterical.

"Hindi." She then contradicted what she had told to herself. That path is the only way to go to the small building where her class was.

"Relax ka lang Grace Joy. Huwag OA ang imagination. Gusto mo lang siyang i-comfort sa time na iyon at hindi iyon harassment ,okay?" She was making herself to calm down. " Nagkataon lang na naging awkward." She added. "Breathe in...breathe out." 

"Bahala na diyan. Wala na akong magagawa." 

She resumed to move forward.  Her heart beat faster and faster as she moved closer and closer to the shade where he was in. 

Finally, when she reached where he was at, Sherdel's eyes saw her passing by. But he seemed to not to care at all. Grace Joy sighed just after she had passed by, her heart beats normal again. 

And suddenly...

"Psssst," someone behind her cat called.

Because of that, she widened her eyes in shock as she gasped. She slowly turned around to face the stranger who called her. It was him. 

"H-hi?" she nervously waved her hands. She was wondering if she was the one he was calling or someone.  She looked around but she was the only one there at the direction Sherdel was looking. She watched him approaching. Her heart raced faster as he got closer and closer to her. She felt that he might going to tease him again just like what he did at her first day.

"Bakit?" She asked.

"May load ka ba diyan?"

"Load?" She wondered.

"Wu-wala..." she stuttered.

"Ahh...sige." He said. After that, he walked away. He went back again to the shed.

While watching him walking away, Grace Joy suddenly got confused. 

"Mayaman pero walang load?" She muttered. "Kakaiba ata iyon ah."

She turned around and she continued walking. Just a few steps later, she got surprised when she heard another disturbance coming from behind.

"HOY PRADO!" someone shouted. Grace Joy got startled. And so, she immediately turn around. She got surprised to see a boy punched Sherdel on the belly. Just when he did that, Grace Joy gasped as she immediately covered her mouth with her hand.

"Ikaw talaga kahit kailan man panira ka talaga sa buhay kong tao ka!" Sherdel's big brother said. Sherdel coughed and coughed because of the pain he felt after his brother punched him on the belly.

"Ano ba nanaman ang ginawa ko?" He asked.

"Wala kang ginawa ha? WALA?" he yelled.  "Ikaw ang nagsumbong kay Lolo na hindi ako umuwi nang isang linggo 'no?"

"Pinagsasabi mo?" He was confused.

"Huwag ka nang mag-inarte pa! Alam kong sinisiraan mo lang ako kay Lolo upang magalit siya sa akin." He said.

"Wala akong alam sa mga ibinibintang mo sa akin, Kuya." He talked back.

"Ah talaga? Sino kayang nagsabi rin na hindi ako umuwi dahil nagwalwal ako? Ikaw lang ang alam kong may galit sa akin!"

Sherdel grabbed his brother's collar and he brought his face closer to his brother. He scowled at him just like his brother was doing. They looked at each other eye to eye while letting their hatred for each other out. 

"Hindi lang ako ang may ayaw sa iyo, Severine. Tumingin ka nga sa paligid mo." He told him with his faint voice. Then he pushed him away as he let go. After that, his big brother turned his head from left to right. He saw a few students passing by while looking at them. Some murmured while others just pretended that they saw nothing and stay silent as they passed. Until, he saw Grace Joy who widened her eyes in shock.

Grace Joy was shaking in fear. She was spotted by Sherdel's big brother. His eyes were staring like her like she was a prey. Because of that, she felt tensed and she don't know what she'll do. Her mind was in panic.

"Ano tingin ka?" He spoke.

Grace Joy's heart raced faster. She immediately turned around as she held her head down in embarrassment and at the same time she's got fear. And so, she walked away.

Severin faced Sherdel once again. He grabbed Sherdel's collar. 

Grace Joy turned around again to see if the angry person was still glaring at her. Then, Grace Joy saw a girl approaching towards them. She immediately tried to remove Severin's hand from Sherdel's clothes.

"Kuya Severin. Stop! Tama na 'yan," She begged.

Grace Joy realized that the girl was Alexa. 

"Huwag ka ngang sumipsip dito!" Then he pushed Alexa away. Because of that, Alexa stumbled.

Grace gasped.

"Kailangan ko na 'tong tapusin ngayon na!"

She went to a shed near where the ruckus was and hid behind the tree near it.

"Hayop ka!" Sherdel punched Severin on the face just after he saw Alexa stumbled. "Wala akong paki alam sa buhay mong buwisit ka!"

"Ah... ganun ah?" Severin prepared his fist. Then, he approached Sherdel.

But before a blow should be taken by Sherdel's face, a pebble of hardened water suddenly came flying at a high speed and it's heading to Severin's head. Neither Sherdel nor Alexa saw it was coming. They got surprised when Severin suddenly fell off the ground. The impact of a very small solid water the size of a pea that crashed on his head made him lost his consciousness. Alexa yelled. While Sherdel watched him lying on the ground with a shock expression on his face.

                                          ***

The crow finally had reached Baguio City. It felt that the person Benjie's group was searching was near. And so, it headed to the western suburbans of the city.  A few flights later, it finally arrived at Green Valley. 

On the other hand, old Aurora suddenly opened her eyes. But instead of seeing grasses and trees, she was seeing what the crow was seeing. The crow alighted on a gate and it was facing a small pink colored concrete house.  The house seemed empty and it could barely hear noises coming from it. The crow stayed there for how many minutes hoping someone in that house come out. Later, someone opened the door from the inside, a man, seems to be the same age as Danny or Benjie, came out. 

But the old lady grinned and she said "Sa wakas...natagpuan na rin kita." She blinked her eyes one more time. Then, her sight came back to normal.  

"Undoy! Halika rito ngayon na!" she called.

                                         ****

 "Naku! Kuya gising! gising!" Alexa panicked. She knelt down beside his body. She was shaking Severin's body hoping that he might wake up. She began to call for help. Sherdel was just staring at his body on the ground. He couldn't think straight. He felt scared and confused. He don't know if he will help him or not. He was wondering what happened to him.

"Sherdel! 'Yung Kuya mo tulungan mo naman siya!" Alexa begged. "Sherdel!" she yelled once more. Her tears suddenly fell down from her eyes. 

He suddenly came back to himself. He immediately lift Severin's upper body from the ground. Fortunately, three students came and they immediately helped Sherdel to carry Severin.  They  rushed him out from the shed. 

"Pasensya na." Grace Joy quickly went away from the tree. She ran away as quiet as she can  while carrying her guilt. She made sure no single person was near by nor passing by before she left.

                                        ****

In the mountain where lies the barrio of Ba-as Tribe at its foot. On its grassland peak...Dionysus, Daya's father was sitting on a huge rock. He was looking up to the moon above him. It's full and bright. He raised his arms forward. He looked at them, their hairs were growing thicker and longer. His nails slowly turning sharper. He grinned. He put them down and then he looked at the moon.

But he got alarmed when he suddenly heard the sound of the grasses being stamped  by someone. And the sound grow louder as it approaches him from behind. He immediately grabbed his machete that he put beside him. Then, he immediately turned around and he pointed his weapon in front of the stranger. The end point of the machete was almost an inch away from the stranger's neck. Then, Dionysus realized she was someone he knew.

Its a woman wearing a long black robe. She also was wearing a hood to hide her face but her lips. She wasn't surprised to see a blade to almost sliced her neck. She just smiled after he did that instead.

"Anong ginagawa mo ditong mangkukulam ka?" he asked. The woman smiled. She moved closer as he put down his weapon.

"Hindi na ako magpaligoyligoy pa Diony. Ano ba ang pinaplano mo?" She said.

"Wala ka nang paki-alam doon," the old man insisted to answer.

"Nagtataka lang naman kasi ako," said the woman. "Kasi bigla mo na lang sinugod ang baryo ng Ba-as. Tapos pinatay mo ang kapitan ng tribo. Tapos--"

"Ang sabi ko 'Wala kang paki-alam doon'," He said before she finished her sentence.

"Sabihin mo nga sa akin. May balak ka ba na buksan ang lupain ng ginto?" She asked.

The old man didn't respond. 

"Sabi ko nga." The woman chuckled. "Ano ba ang plano mo?" 

"Umalis ka na." 

"Gusto mong angkinin ang kayamanang nandoon 'no?"

"Sa amin ang lupain na iyon. At alam mo 'yun mangkukulam ka!" he yelled.

"Hindi eh..." She then insisted. " Mayroon ka pang dahilan kung bakit nais mong puntahan iyon."

"Umalis ka na." He told her.

"Oo na. Aalis na ako Diony," she said with a smile. 

"Pero may inihatid sa aking mensahe si Apo Gaddo." 

Dionisius scuffed after he heard the name Gaddo.

"Sinabi niya sa akin na maaari ka naming tulungan upang mapadali ang iyong paghahanap." 

"Puwes. Pakisabi kay Gaddo na 'yan na hindi ko kailangan ng tulong ninyo. Marami akong mga tauhan na tumutulong sa akin. Kung kaya't kung wala ka nang sasabihin, umalis ka na." He remained stubborn. "O kung hindi...ako nalang ang aalis." And then he walked through her as he followed the path leading down back to the barrio.