#DS3Unscripted #BelayaxPierce #LKCouple #DaggerSeries

CHAPTER 29: PANDORA

BELAYA'S POV

A moment could be so fast. One second, one blink of an eye, one short breath, one last touch... last kiss. It goes too fast that sometimes it will take you by surprise that it will be just that... the last thing that you will have; just a moment.

"It's going to be okay."

"J-Jackson..."

"You're... you're going to be okay."

I can't move my body. Something is pinning me down. But I can still see him. I can almost hear my heart breaking because I know... I just know that he had it worse.

Nanlabo ang mga mata ko sa luha nang makita ko kung paanong pilit na ngumiti siya sa paraan na lagi niyang ibinibigay sa akin. His hand that is holding mine lightly squeeze it, so faint and yet even that feels like it took a lot of strength from him.

"I love you. You know that right?" he whispered.

"I-I know..."

"It's going to be okay."

He was a dream. My dream. Together we made more... things to do, to look forward... to reach for. He promised me a lot and I know that he will do everything in his power to give it all to me. That's how he is. He's perfect. He's compassionate, he's understanding, he's hardworking... and he never lied to me.

But at that moment he did because I know... that at that moment and what will follow will not be okay.

He lied and I made myself believe.

I wanted to believe.

I opened my eyes with a gasp. I can feel cold sweat covering my forehead while my vision remain blurred. I was expecting to feel the pain, the frigid water soaking me, and to smell the mud... and the blood. But there's none of that except the warmth coming from the blanket wrapped around me.

"Kitten..."

The sleep clouding me started to slip off me, giving me the chance to focus on the man in front of me. Nakabadha ang pag-aalala sa mga mata ni Pierce na siyang nakatayo sa harapan ko. Umangat ang isa niyang kamay at marahan niyang pinunasan ang mukha ko na alam kong balot ng pawis. "I wanted to let you sleep in the room but they need me here. I don't want you to be there alone."

Iginala ko ang paningin ko sa paligid at nakita kong nasa opisina kami ng bahay niya. Trace and Coal are also here.

"We have the clearer version of the footage from the night of Lucienne's birthday." Pinisil ng lalaki ang balikat ko at diretso akong tinginan sa mga mata.

"D-Do... do you know who's doing this?"

"Not yet, Kitten. I'm sorry."

Tumango ako kasabay nang panlalabo ng mga mata ko. I heard Pierce cursed under his breath before he pulled me to him. I closed my eyes, letting the comfort he's giving settle in me.

"Who's cruel enough to do this?" Isinubsob ko ang mukha ko sa dibdib niya at naramdaman kong humigpit ang pagkakayakap niya sa akin. "W-Why? Why is he doing this to me?"

Pierce didn't answer but he also didn't moved away. Nagpatuloy siya sa paghaplos sa likod ko na para bang gusto niyang pawiin ang takot at sakit na nararamdaman ko.

"Belaya? I'm really sorry to ask you this but I need you to look at something."

Pinahid ko ang luha ko at nag-angat ako ng tingin kay Coal na binigyan ako ng maliit na ngiti. Lumapit siya sa sofa na kinaroroonan namin at binaba niya sa coffee table na nandoon ang hawak niya na laptop.

Coal played the video and I saw the familiar place where Lucienne had her birthday. The footage was from the restaurant. Isang lalaki na may suot na itim na ball cap at mask ang pumasok sa establishment. He's wearing a simple black fitted shirt.

Para bang alam niya ang posibilidad na makukuhanan siya sa CCTV dahil nananatili siyang nakayuko nang pumasok siya. Lumapit siya sa isang empleyado at may binigay siya na kahon.

"Does he seem familiar to you?" Coal asked. Umiling ako at napapabuntong-hininga na inulit niya ang video. "Not even his built?"

"He looks a little different from the day of the attack. Back then he was wearing bulkier clothes."

He played it at least four times more when something caught my attention.

"Play it again."

The man didn't stay long in the footage. He's smart. Alam niya kung paanong iiwas at ikukubli ang sarili niya. He planned this and he's more calculating that I thought he could be. Inabot ko ang laptop at inulit ko ang maikling video. I paused it at the time where I noticed something. Nanginginig ang mga kamay na itinuro ko ang screen.

"The back of his neck has a mark. Near his shoulder." Halos hindi iyon visible. Unless you know what you're looking at.

"A mole?" Pierce asked.

"It looks like it but I don't think it is." I traced the screen, showing them what I mean. "There's a faint line going downwards that is connecting to the other mark."

Bumaling sa akin ang lalaki at bahagyang kumunot ang noo niya. "Alam mo kung ano 'to?"

"I think it's a tattoo."

I can only recognize it because I've seen it before. Sa eksaktong lokasyon pero sa isang tao na alam kong hindi magagawa ito sa akin.

"J-Jackson has it. It's the shoulder of Orion. It's known as Bellatrix star. He... he got it for me because of my name."

Sandaling nagkatinginan ang magkapatid bago tumayo si Coal para lumapit sa kinaroroonan ni Trace na tinapunan ako ng nag-aalalang tingin bago pinagpatuloy ang sariling ginagawa.

"Axel compiled files about Jackson Cooper. Pinadala niya iyon sa amin," sabi ni Pierce.

"It's impossible. It can't be him. Someone is using him because... because he knows how it will affect me."

"You know what happened to Lia, right?"

Tumango ako. Una kong nalaman ang tungkol kay Lia sa balita. When we became close she opened up to me about it and told me the things that the news didn't really talked about that much.

"She said... she said it was a conspiracy against her."

"It was. Her manager faked her death. It was part of the plan to shake her up."

Alam ko kung saan patungo ang sinasabi niya. Naiintindihan ko kung bakit kasama iyon sa posibilidad nila. But I know better and I know how impossible it is. "It's impossible."

"We just want to cover everything-"

"If he's alive he won't do this to me. Hindi niya ako hahayaang mag-isa sa loob ng maraming taon. Hindi niya ako hahayaan na masaktan ng ganoong katagal. If he's really alive, he'll be right here with me."

Something crossed Pierce eyes but he didn't say anything more. The guilt inside me tripled than what I'm already used to carrying.

"His family was tight lip with what happened to him. Hindi nila gustong paulit-ulit na makita sa media kung anong nangyari sa kaniya at hindi nila gusto na... na mahirapan pa ako. My family helped them buried everything."

"The files just said that he died on impact because of the accident. A truck plowed the car that you both were in. It was a hit and run but the truck driver was caught and they found out that he was drunk."

I shook my head as I wrapped my arms around me as if it can keep me together. "He didn't die immediately. Madaling-araw na no'n at walang masyadong dumadaan sa lugar kung saan nandoon kami. The car rolled a couple of times before we fell into a ditch. He was alive then." Nag-uunahan sa pagpatak ang mga luha ko nang sinalubong ko ang mga mata ni Pierce. "We were there for three hours. He held on until the very last hour. When we were brought to the hospital he was gone. They tried to revive him but there's no brain activity. He's an organ donor and they immediately contacted his family because... because his organs is still viable. I was conscious all those time and I was with him when he died. That's why I know."

Nanatiling nakatingin ako sa lalaki. I expected him to look away... to hate the fact that I'm clearly breaking just by talking about this. I expected him to hate me for obviously still having feelings for a man that died years ago. But Pierce didn't moved away... he didn't look away. Sa halip ay inabot niya ang kamay ko at ikinulong iyon sa mainit niyang mga kamay.

"Before he passed," he said carefully, his eyes gentle on me. "May mga nakaalitan ba siya? Someone that you think will have a reason to do this? An ex-boyfriend of yours that perhaps that hated him?"

"He's my first boyfriend. He's... he's a kind person. Lahat ng nakakatrabaho niya walang masabi sa kaniya. He was really a good man and he was liked by everyone."

"Wala rin rason para idamay ka kung sakaling may naging problema siya sa isang tao." His forehead knotted as if he's suddenly lost in thought. "Someone sent you a hoodie and I guess Jack of hearts is Cooper's, right?"

"That card is his trademark. Even his fans knows that."

"Was your relationship public?"

"We didn't really admitted it exactly but we're a love team. He's three years older than me pero we started as child actors. Mas nauna siya sa industriya. I had a crush on him when I was young and I wanted to be paired with him. I was open about liking him and the public thought that me having a crush on him was adorable. Maraming projects na magkasama kami. Even commercials. But we like to keep our job away from our relationship."

"Did anyone aside from your family knew about the two of you?"

"Some of the staff from the projects we had. Hindi naman na nila kailangan kasing itanong para makita. But our managements made it clear that whatever it is between us na makikita nila ay hindi nila maaaring ikalat."

I can almost see how everything is circling in Pierce's head. As if he's trying to put together a jumble of information that really doesn't make any sense. Like how the stalker is obsessed with me but he's also using Jackson who was supposed to be my love interest.

"A copycat," he whispered.

"W-What?"

"There's different kinds of stalkers. Kung may pagkakapareha man sila iyon ay ang paniniwala nila na ang mga ginagawa nila ay para sa ikabubuti ng taong pokus ng obsesyon nila. Stalkers don't really think that they're doing something wrong. They feel like what they're doing is justified because they're doing it for someone they love." Umigting ang mga panga niya at nagbaba siya ng tingin sa magkasalikop namin na mga kamay. "Sometimes they're so lost in their delusion that they are adapting a different person. One that is connected to the subject of their obsession."

"H-He's... he's copying Jackson?"

"He copied his tattoo. The letters he sent to your Manila house are now making sense too. At first we thought the probably of an ex doing in all this is high because of their contents. Lahat iyon ay parang patungkol sa pagbalik sa buhay mo." Binitawan niya ang kamay ko pero imbis na lumayo ay dinala niya ang kaniya sa pisngi ko para punasan iyon. "It's going to be okay. He's getting desperate and the list is starting to become narrow. Kailangan lang natin malaman kung sino ang hindi lang konektado sa iyo kundi pati na rin kay Jackson. Someone that knows the two of you enough to do this."

It's going to be okay.

I hate that word. I hate the lie behind it. Because how many times that those words have been used for the purpose of giving false hope? They'll tell you it's going to be okay but it's not. In the end you're left with no choice but to cope.

But for some reason... a part of me can hear the truth with what Pierce said. As if he's telling me that this time I can trust those words.

It's going to be okay because he'll make sure it will be.

NILINGON ko si Pierce at nakita kong nakatingin siya sa direksyon na kapansin-pansin mula sa kinatatayuan namin. I can't blame him. The place was humongous. Kahit malayo ang kinaroroonan namin ay natatanaw pa rin namin iyon dahil sa kataasan no'n.

"They're in lockdown."

Nagbaba ng tingin sa akin ang lalaki. It took awhile before me managed to come here. We didn't go to the public part of the organization which is the BHO CAMP and we also didn't go to the headquarters not that we're allowed to right now. Instead we took the rough road behind the vast property na malayo sa kinaroroonan mismo ng establishment.

"They're still handling the mass murder case," I told him.

"That's a hard one. I heard in the news that it might not just be one person doing it."

Iyon din ang napag-alaman ko nang tumawag si Kuya Cross kagabi. Hindi pa rin niya nakakausap ang mga kapatid namin pero nabalitaan niya rin sa TV ang mga nangyayari. There's a possibility that there's a group that is doing all the killings.

Binuksan ko ang maliit na panel na nasa mataas na gate na kinaroroonan namin. Pinindot ko roon ang code na iilang mga tao lang ang nakakaalam. Mga tao na konektado sa kung ano ang nasa kabilang parte ng gate.

"Do you know the story of Pandora?" I asked him.

"The Greek mythology story?"

Nang tumango ako ay sa halip na magsalita ay nanatili lang siyang nakatingin sa akin at naghihintay ng sasabihin ko.

"Zeus was angry with Prometheus after he stole fire from Hestia's hearth. Isa sa mga parusa niya ay pagbigay ng isang kahon sa kapatid ni Prometheus na si Epimetheus. Pandora was Epimetheus wife and she got curious. She opened it and because of that she released a lot of evils in the world; diseases, pain, sufferings. It's like the story is telling people that there are things that should just be left alone. Na minsan kailangan mo na lang hayaan na nakasarado ang kahon."

He gave me a small smile before he pushed the doors himself. "But when she shut the box there's one thing left in it." Sa pagkakataon na ito ay ako ang hindi nagawang makapagsalita. "You asked me to bring you here," he said as a statement rather than a question.

"I wanted to open the box." I looked at our joined hands as we walked inside. "To give you a chance to run away when I release everything."

"I don't think Epimetheus left Pandora after she opened the box. Maybe he stayed with her because there's still so much to believe. Hope was the last thing inside the box. It was a punishment but the last thing inside it can be a gift."

"Maybe it was a punishment too. That's why hope was trapped inside the box."

"Or maybe it's being protected so that it won't escape and the world will always have that. Against all pain and sufferings... there will always be hope."

Nag-iwas ako ng tingin sa kaniya at sa halip ay tinuon ko ang mga mata ko sa pamilyar na daan. There's a lot of trees surrounding the place and flowers that naturally grew here.

"Dati mas malapit sa headquarters ang lugar na ito. But the property is huge and my family wanted to create a place that the people here deserve. Para na rin magawang makapunta ng mga taong hindi na parte ng organisasyon pero gustong bumisita rito. They transferred the first to move here and then they put a statue on top of the earth kung saan una siyang hinimlay."

"The first?"

"The first member that my family lost in the line of duty."

Sandaling huminto ako nang bumukas ang tabi-tabing mga puno at iniluwa no'n ang malaking mausoleum na pag-aari ng pamilya namin. Mataas din iyon dahil dalawang palapag iyon. It's in all white but vines are growing at the sides of the huge building.

Lumapit kami roon ni Pierce at pumasok kami sa loob. It has a glass roof so the sunlight is illuminating the place but most specially the center of the room where a tall square boulder is standing proud. Ilang mga lapida ang nakalagay doon na may iba't ibang mga pangalan.

Lumapit ako roon at ibinaba ko ang dala ko na malaking canvas bag. I pulled out one of the two bouquet of flowers that I brought and I placed it at the altar of the boulder. May mga bulaklak ng nakalagay doon na natuyo na. Alam kong araw-araw ay naglalagay sila ng bulaklak dito pero dahil na rin sa sitwasyon ay alam kong walang nakakalabas sa kanila.

I cleared the dried flowers and I put it in the bag. Napatigil ako sa ginagawa nang may mga kamay na humawak sa akin. Nag-angat ako ng tingin kay Pierce na marahang pinagpag ang dumi sa mga kamay ko bago siya na ang nagpatuloy sa ginagawa ko kanina.

"They're your family?" he asked when we both straightened up.

"They are. The greatest. I was young then but I still remember all of them." Nilibot ko ang paningin ko sa paligid. "All of those that are here was once part of the organization o minsan naman ay may pamilya sila na gustong dito rin nila gustong makasama."

Despite the nervousness slowly creeping inside me, I walked around the boulder and I felt him followed me down the hallway. We passed names after names until we reached the farthest side. Huminto ako at humarap ako sa tapat ng lapida ng taong minsan naging parte ng buhay ko.

"His family didn't mind that he's here. Naging malapit sa isa't isa ang mga pamilya namin."

Pierce didn't utter any word but his eyes are focused into one direction. At the tombstone of the man that was once my everything.

Jackson Cooper

"Your love will always be our light."

When he looked back at me, his eyes are clear with the words that I don't want to hear yet. He needed to know everything first. I need to let everything out in the open because he deserve to know.

"Do you want to hear another story? This time it's mine."

He took my hand again. Firm and strong and yet so gentle in a way that I know it won't hurt. He won't hurt me.

"Yes."