｡˚⛓˚｡⋆. ARES

Agad akong yumakap kay Hades pagkagising niya.

I lost a sister... a friend. We lost Prada.

"Ang sakit..." Hagulgol ni Hades sa akin. The others were in a separate room when the elimination round happened, napanood nila how we tried to find their keys. Pinanood nila paano pinatay si Prada. Crow really had a way to make us miserable than ever.

Ano kaya ang magiging reaction nila kapag nalaman nila ang nakita ko?

"Sorry, hindi namin siya nailigtas," Apollo cried as he scooped into Dior's embrace. I heard her whispering comforting words to him. Hermés had to look away at that.

"Wala kayong kasalanan," sabi ko sa kanila.

All of this... was Crow's fault! Sino naman ang papatayin niya ngayon?! I was so fucking tired of seeing my friends die... both mentally and physically.

I did not want to stay strong anymore.

Now, we were in a white room at alam ko na agad kung ano ang lalaruin namin. A giant Jenga awaited us. Kita ko rin sino ang mga magkakagrupo based on the outfits we were wearing. Gucci, Apollo, and I were wearing white bodysuits while Dior, Hermés, and Hades were wearing black.

Nakita ko paano nailang ang mga kaibigan naming babae because the bodysuit was see-through. At least, we were given the undergarments pero mas lalong namuo ang galit sa loob ko kasi hindi man lang binigyan ng pantakip ang mga babae.

"Boys, turn around," I ordered them. Alam ko na napansin din nila ang mga damit ng mga babae kaya nakita ko paano kumunot ang mga noo nila, getting pissed off. They turned around and glared at the guards.

"Wala ba kayong extrang tela diyan?" Apollo asked the guards who gave him no answer. Napamasahe ako ng sentido. "Kinakausap kayo, oh!"

"Hoy! May mga babae kaming kasama rito!" Saway ni Hades na namumugto pa ang mata. "Ma-konsensya naman sana kayo kung may babae kayong jowa o kaibigan o anak!"

"Just give us any cloth, please!" I yelled, getting stressed out. Wala ba silang decency na mahiya sa mga babae?! The girls were uncomfortable, for pete's sake!

"Crow!" Apollo slammed the walls na para bang lalabas si Crow doon. "Bigyan mo kaming pantakip, tangina!"

Napayakap ako kay Hades nang biglang may nahulog na dalawang puti at itim na tela from the ceiling. Wala namang butas doon! Was it magic?!

"Clingy ka, pre?" Bumitaw ako sa pagkayakap kay Hades when I saw him smirking at me. I regained my composure and cleared my throat but the rest just laughed at me.

"Salamat sa inyo," Dior and Gucci exclaimed at the same time.

"Pwede na kayong humarap," Dior ordered as we faced them. Nakatakip na si Dior ng itim na tela while Gucci was covering herself with the black one. They seemed so relieved to get that cloth.

"Hindi naman halata ang lalaruin natin," Gucci said sarcastically, making me laugh for a bit. Wala nang element of surprise si Crow, except sa tela kanina. That shocked me!

"Good morning, little ones!" Bati ni Crow. Walang good sa morning, punyeta. "As you can see, we will be playing Jenga."

So not obvious.

"This is a game of skill and strategy. The rule is simple, take turns moving pieces until the tower falls over," paliwanag niya. "Your groupings are the black and white team as seen with your bodysuits so Dior, Hermés, and Hades in the black team while Gucci, Ares, and Apollo are in the white team."

"The catch is someone will have to suffer a penalty" My brows furrowed at what he said. I think almost all of us remembered that bullshit. Was it the most suspected one? But, what the fuck? That handcuff was so heavy that it's impossible to stay steady.

It was as if that determined who won and who lost.

"We have a ballot here and the one who got the different ball will have to wear the heavy handcuffs." Pumasok ang isang guard who was carrying a black box. It was impossible to see the balls from here.

Nauna na si Gucci kumuha, followed by Dior, then the rest. Napagpasyahan kong huli na bumunot because I wanted to see their reactions kung kanila ba 'yun. This time, the burden was not solely on the one carrying the penalty.

Apektado ang buong team.

Napangiti ako nang mapait sa mga kagrupo ko when I showed them the red ball. All of them had white. I wanted to apologize to Gucci so much because alam ko na hindi na niya kaya rito. She was supposed to spend her youth outside. Not here.

"Ayos lang 'yan, tol." Ngiti sa akin ni Apollo, still as patient as ever. "Kaya ka namin tulungan. 'Di ba, Guch?"

Guch was the nickname we made for Gucci and she loved it so we decided to call her that at times.

"Oo naman, kuya!" I felt a heavy weight being pulled out of my chest when Gucci exclaimed that. But still, I was apologetic. "Galingan nalang natin."

Lumapit sa akin ang isang guard as he strapped the handcuffs to my wrist. Ang bigat pa rin! But luckily, my arms were trained with weights. Madalas kasi akong mag-gym with Tiffany noon.

Tiffany.

I miss you so much, my love.

Kung sakaling makalabas man ako rito ng buhay, I will do everything on her bucket lists and plans. She was the type to be organized while I was spontaneous. But, there was one thing I couldn't do in her list.

Be married to Tiffany.

"The losing team will have to face the elimination round." I was snapped out of my thoughts nang marinig ang boses ni Crow. "Good luck, little ones!"

Napaawang ang labi ni Apollo as he looked at his girlfriend. Apollo had many instances in this place where he had to battle against the love of his life. Alam kong ilang beses din siyang na-guilty because he won every single time.

Apollo, please. Let us win for Gucci.

"Kuya..." Lumapit si Gucci kay Apollo. "Gawin natin ang best natin. Tapos sasagipin natin sina ate Dior mamaya!"

I wanted to smile at Gucci's enthusiasm. However, it was too impossible for me to even smile at the moment. I saw how Apollo ruffled her hair and focused on the Jenga in front of us.

I looked around and saw a moveable stair. Mabuti naman... akala ko kanina ay bubuhatin namin ang isa't isa just to get to the tip of the tower. May awa naman pala si Crow.

"Good luck." I flashed a small smile at the other team who looked like they just fought. Pakiramdam ko ay ginalit nanaman ni Hermés ang dalawa kaya iritable sila. Since we came here, Hermés became unbearable to be with.

"Good luck din sa inyo!" Ngiti sa amin ni Hades na sinundan ni Dior. Hermés was busy studying the Jenga... and I think, he was also making a strategy.

"The black team will go first." Anunsyo ni Crow, making me nervous as heck.

Alam kong pabigat ako sa grupo ko this time, and I hated the feeling of it. For the nth time, I felt useless. Hindi nanaman ako ang tumayong leader sa kanila. I was the epitome of bad luck.

"Dior, take this out." Turo ni Hermés at a block near Dior's. Tumango ang babae at dahan-dahan itong inilabas. This game was making me anxious. I saw how Dior held her breath as the block slid into her arms.

"Sanay akong manggulo pero never magdahan-dahan," sambit ni Dior, earning the laughs of the people in the room. She was right, though. I saw her room before and it looked like a jungle.

"Oh, heto." Dior gave Hades the block as he climbed the moveable stair. Hermés held the stair to keep it from moving and to support Hades. Matapos niyang magpakawala ng buntong-hininga, Hades carefully placed the block on top the tower.

At this point, madali pa.

Pero sa side ko, hindi na.

"Gucci, take this block." I pointed at a block near us. Even using my finger required so much strength dahil sa bigat ng posas. It seemed like Crow made this handcuff heavier than ever.

"Okay," she muttered and carefully took out the block that I pointed. Unlike Dior, Gucci was calm and not anxious with the game. Madalas kasi ito nilalaro nina Gucci, Yves, and Zeus who was babysat by Chanel and Tiffany.

"Ako ang kinakabahan," Apollo whispered, his hand on his chest na parang sobrang drama niya sa buhay. Nakakapit ang isang kamay niya sa akin, probably anxious of the game.

"Kuya Apollo, heto." Iniabot ni Gucci and block kay Apollo who took the stair. Apollo took hold of the block as I supported the stair, keeping it stable. The weight of the cuffs were also making the stair steady.

May advantage naman pala.

"Tapos!" Apollo exclaimed as he successfully placed our block on top of the tower. Bumaba siya sa hagdan at niyakap kaming dalawa na para bang tapos na.

Oh no, Apollo, this was only the beginning.

｡˚⛓˚｡⋆. DIOR

This game was making me nervous.

Para akong hinuhugutan ng hininga tuwing may nagtatanggal ng block. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang mas madali... ang mag-alis o ang magpatong. Mukhang mahirap talaga parehas!

"Anong susunod nating kukuhanin?" Tanong ko kay Hermés na malalim ang tingin sa Jenga blocks na nasa harapan namin.

Ang yaman din ni Crow, ha? Higanteng Jenga blocks ang binigay sa amin na para bang special kami. Malambot ang blocks at madaling mahulog... that was the biggest downside of this game.

"Get that from the other side." Tinuro ni Hermés ang block na nasa harapan ng kabilang grupo. Tumango ako at nagsimulang lumapit. Nakita ko paano napalunok si Ares... mukhang balak din nila piliin ito.

"Dahan-dahan..." Dinig kong sambit ni Apollo. Aba, hindi naman ako ang kagrupo nito! Crow, tingnan mo! Pero, hindi ko naman ide-deny na kinilig ako.

I carefully slid the block off the tower kahit nanginginig na ang mga kamay ko. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at napaatras nang bigla ko itong nakitang gumalaw!

"Hay, shuta!" I blurted out as I stood away from the tower.

"Hindi 'yan mahuhulog, Dior!" Sigaw ni Hades as he looked at how the tower moved. Huminga ako ng malalim at pinagpatuloy ang pagkuha roon sa block. I smiled triumphantly when I successfully took out the block.

"Hades." Iniabot ko kay Hades ang block at saka tinulungan siyang ipatong ito sa taas. I supported the moveable stair to keep it from moving.

I then looked at the other team who looked like they were pondering hard about their next move. Lumapit ako kay Hermés para naman tanungin ang plano namin. He seemed to have one in his mind.

"Anong plano natin?" Tanong ko nang makalapit din si Hades.

"We'll take those from the sides first," sagot ni Hermés. "Basta iwasan natin ang mga blocks na walang suporta sa ilalim."

Tumango ako at saka pinanood ang kabilang grupo. Nainggit ako kay Gucci dahil hindi siya nanginginig at kalmado lang siyang nagtatanggal ng block. Alam ko madalas niya rin kasi itong nilalaro.

"Mr. Ares, please put your block on top." My jaw dropped at that. Ares could even barely stand up tapos Crow wants him to put that block on the top of the tower?! Pinagloloko ba kami nito?!

"Gago." I heard Apollo say, glaring hard at the speaker.

"Tangina talaga," Hades whispered and rolled his eyes.

I looked at Ares with worry. Oo, I was still upset and disappointed with what he did... pero kaibigan ko siya. That mattered to me more at the moment. I could deal with my emotions at a later time.

"Tol, bubuhatin ko ang posas mo hanggang sa maiangat mo 'yung kamay mo," Apollo said as Ares nodded. Ares looked so devastated right now... walang bahid ng confidence ang mukha niya.

He looked like he was only waiting to lose.

Ares took the block from Gucci's hand. May ibinulong pa ang babae kong kaibigan kay Ares. He sighed as Apollo carried the cuffs. Narinig ko pa siyang magmura... obviously nabibigatan sa chain ng cuffs.

"Dali, pre..." Mahinang sabi ni Apollo kay Ares. Nakita ko paano siya nahirapan sa pagbuhat nito kaya lumapit ako and helped him carry it. Sinundan naman ako ni Hades at tinulungan din sina Apollo.

"Ate Dior... Kuya Hades..." Sambit ni Gucci. Pucha, ang bigat nga! Parang hindi na sapat ang workout ko, ah! Mabilis ko nalang na binigyan ng ngiti si Gucci habang minumura si Ares sa utak ko.

Tangina, Ares, dalian mo!

Nakahinga ako nang maluwag nang bumaba si Ares. Binitawan ko rin ang chains ng posas niya at hinabol ang hininga ko. Hiningal ako sa cuffs ni Ares! It felt heavier than before!

"Thank you, Dior and Hades." Ngiti nito sa amin at tumango ako. I wanted all of us to come home. Alam ko na hindi na maibabalik ang dati naming samahan but what mattered to me was our safety.

Hindi kaya ng guilt ko na makalabas dito without them. They had a chapter in my life too. Before, I was only ensuring Apollo's survival. Pero ngayon, I was prioritizing them all.

For some reason, Apollo looked guilty. Hindi siya makatingin sa akin. At alam na alam ko bakit siya ganoon. I noticed him being like that noong chess game pa. Lumapit ako sa kanya and whispered something to his ear.

"Don't worry about my team losing," bulong ko. "Baby, let's save our friends."

"Kasama ka sa sasagipin ko, Araceli." He looked into my eyes, hopeful. "Walang kokontra, itutuloy natin ang plano natin."

Oh, how I remembered that plan. Everything was set pero ang daming setback ng buhay. Our lives went haywire na para bang ayaw talaga kaming hayaan ng mundo na sumaya. We wanted the world for ourselves but it said 'no'.

Lumayo ako at nakitang nakanguso si Apollo. I bit my bottom lip to stifle a smile kaya mahina kong sinampal ang pisngi nito. Tangina naman kasi... napakacute. Mukha siyang aso. Hilig pa naman niyan mangagat.

Charot.

Bumalik ako sa grupo ko at napakunot ang noo ko dahil matalim ang tingin sa amin ni Hermés. Nagkatinginan kami ni Hades at that. Punyeta, ano nanaman bang problema nito? Pinaglihi ba ito sa sama ng loob?

"Why did you help the other team?!" Napaawang ang labi ko sa tanong ni Hermés. Was he fucking serious? Si Hermés ba talaga itong kaharap ko ngayon? I never saw a person this heartless and selfish.

"Baka nakakalimutan mo na kaibigan natin sila, Hermés," Hades said, bakas sa boses niya ang pagkairita. That was right, though, kasi iritang-irita na kami!

"You're sounding so selfish right now," panggagatong ko. Hello? May kaibigan pa siya rito na buhay pa. Hindi niya kami kalaban for Pete's sake!

"I just want to survive." I had to scoff at Hermés' answer. Parang kami ayaw? Ever since the first day, I did my best to survive the challenges and find clues tapos ito lang ang sasabihin sa akin ni Hermés?

"FYI, gusto rin namin mag-survive," I fired back. "Sadyang gusto ko lang din na makaligtas ang mga kaibigan natin!"

Nakita ko paano tumingin sa gawi namin ang kabilang grupo. Nakakahiya naman! Bakit kasi sa lahat ng oras na pwede kaming mag-away ay ngayon pa?!

"Ares is given a penalty for a reason," Hermés calmly said pero halata na sa boses niya ang pagkairita. Kung irita siya sa amin, aba, mas irita kami sa kanya!

"Ayun nga e, unfair na!" Tumaas ang boses ni Hades. "Dahil sa penalty niya, hindi mapagkakaila na madali silang matalo!"

"We just wanted to fucking play fair and as a friend," mariin kong sinabi kay Hermés who was staring at us coldly. Napamasahe ako ng sentido ko. I was so stressed at that childish conversation.

"Huy, kalma!" Apollo interfered. I looked at their group and saw Ares' face screaming guilt. No, Ares, you shouldn't be. I wanted to say that to him. I hoped his team could tell him that for me.

"Kuya Hermés, they didn't mean to damage your team!" Mas may sense pang kausap itong si Gucci kaysa kay tanginang si Hermés. "They just wanted to help us!"

Nakita ko paano kumuyom ang kamao ni Hermés, trying to calm himself siguro. Apollo and Gucci then went near to Ares and comforted him. Habang kami ni Hades ay... nasestress.

"The next time you fight... I will electrocute one of you." Binalot ng kilabot ang katawan ko as soon as Crow said that. Naalala ko na may metal collar nga pala ako sa leeg. It was attached to us since the first day and never removed.

Ayan, Hermés, narinig mo ang sinabi ni Crow, ha? Huwag makipag-away? Masusuntok kita!

Huwag makipag-away! Tangina, nasestress ako! Imbes na sa laro kami magfocus, Hades and I were focusing at the irritable and unbearable Hermés. Pati ako ay nahawa sa sama ng loob ng kagrupo namin.

"Hades, Dior..." Tawag sa amin ni Hermés. His face was so cold and grim na para bang handa na siyang patayin kami. Well, I challenge him! Napairap ako at what he said after.

"Don't blame me if the crows kissed your death."