I'm sleeping. Sleep is a natural state of rest during which your eyes are closed and you become unconscious. However, there is a little twist if you're an assassin. We're sleeping with our tiny part of consciousness and still aware of our surrounding. I can still hear and feel small things with my strong senses. It's useful though quite annoying, too. Especially, when I want some peaceful sleep.

"You fucking stop staring or I'll wrench out your eyes." I said in a controlled tone. "I'm sleeping here." I added. My eyes are still closed. At wala pa akong planong buksan ito sapagkat sinusulit ko itong malambot na kama.

Madami na akong napapansing sumusulpot na pagbabago sa takbo ng aking buhay. Isa na dyan ang pagiging isang masunuring serbidora. Which was really odd of me being obedient without killing anybody. At ngayon, isang taong may koneksyon sa Mafia ang palaging lumilitaw at pumepeste sa akin. Well, hindi na bagong pinepeste ako ng mga taong galing sa organisasyon. Ang bago at gumugulo rito ay ang hindi niya pa ako dinadala roon o pinapatay. In fact, he even brought me to a mansion to have my decent sleep. Though in a harsh way. Anyway, that is so mind-bogglingly outcast. I mean, naglolokohan lang ata kami rito.

Pero tulad ng plano kong hindi pagmulat ng mga mata at pagtuloy lang sa aking napakagandang pagtulog ay wala rin akong planong litisin ang magulong pangyayareng ito sa ngayon. Break muna. I'm tired of predicting Mafia's shit.

"What the!" Kakasabi ko pa lang na wala akong planong magmulat ng mata pero heto at nakatingin na ng masama sa taong pumepeste sa akin. He opened the curtain and the light of the sun blinds my eyes. I was forced to open them.

"Gumising ka na. I don't tolerate late employees." Devon told me. Peste talaga tong bwisit na 'to. Tinakpan ko ng unan ang mukha ko para hindi ako masilaw sa liwanag.

"Don't worry. I'll send you my resignation letter, Mr. New Manager." I countered. Tahimik akong nagdiwang ng tumahimik ito. But soon I heard footsteps coming nearer me and the next thing happened is that my pillow was tossed away from my face. Ugh! Sinamaan ko ito muli ng tingin.

"I know what you are planning." Wika nito. "Plano mong tumakbo muli palayo para tumakas at magtago sa ibang lugar." Tsk. Napaka-spoiler talaga ng taong 'to. How did he even know that that's my plan for today? Is it too predictable? Sabagay, ganon palagi ang ginagawa ko. Pagnakita na nila ako, tatakas ako palayo.

"My only plan for today is to go back to sleep. Kaya wag kang epal!" Wika ko at nagkumot. Ngayon at alam niya ang gagawin ko, I'll take the counter flow. I'll execute my plan next time. Sa araw na hindi niya inaasahan. So I got no choice for today but to work as a waitress. I'll consider Max's suggestion for now.

"No. Kailangan mo ng kumain. You haven't eaten since last night." He ordered. Groaning, I push the beddings off my upper body.

"Fine!" I said in defeat. But honestly, nagutom ako noong pinaalala niya. Umupo ako ng maayos sa kama. He placed a tray-like in my lap carrying foods on it, an omelet with a filling of cheese, vegetables and meat, hotdogs, pancakes, rice, and a chocolate drink. Mas lalo akong nagutom. However, I don't trust people easily.

A breakfast in bed. It looks like a sweet move for lovers. It just that, there are no lovers here.

"May lason ba 'to?" Ito ang unang kong naisip. I look at Devon. He was kinda surprise with my question but quickly went back to his cool composure. Well, who knows, right?

"Bat' di mo tikman ng malaman mo." He told me with a teasing smile. I just glared at him. He went to the sofa and slump on it. I keep staring at him for a minute until he spoke again. "Poisoning someone is not my style. If I want you dead, you'll be dead on the spot." Pahayag nito. Somehow, I believed him. He had a point. Kung may plano nga siyang patayin ako ay dapat matagal niya na itong ginawa. Still, I don't trust him.

Kinuha ko ang kubyertos at nagsimulang kumain.

"Why aren't you killing me then?" I asked without looking at him. He remained silent and didn't answer. "You're supposed to do that. Bilang galing ka sa organisasyon, kailangang parusahan ang mga tumiwalag rito. You should bring me to the Mafia Boss or to the organization supposedly. But, why aren't you doing those things that I had predicted years ago? Ano bang pinaplano ng Don, hah?" I stopped blabbering as I took a sip of my chocolate drink. Don was also known as Boss in Mafia terminology.

"The Boss is..." He murmured. I look at him. He look slightly daze. Tila nagtatalo ang kanyang isipan kung itutuloy nito ang kanyang sasabihin. "The Boss planned something unpredictable just for you." He said as if it was the safest way to answer my questions.

"Wow. I sound so special for him, huh?" Napailing na lang ako.

"Yeah. You're special to him." He said cooingly but I just sneered. Right! Special to kill, I thought to myself.

"Have you met him?" I asked curiously. Alinlangan itong tumango. "Well, I haven't met that bastard." I told him as took a slice of pancake.

"You already met him." Aniya na nagpataas ng kilay ko. Yeah. Maybe yes, maybe not. I don't know. I just shrugged at him and didn't talk back. Hindi ko nga alam ang mukha nito kaya paano ko malalaman kung nakita ko na nga siya?  

Natahimik kaming dalawa. Ang munting ingay lamang galing sa kubyertos ang maririnig. Tahimik lang akong kumakain habang pinagmamasdan niya ako. Which is, by the way, disturbing. Nacurious tuloy ako sa mukha ko ng maalalang kakagising ko pa lang. Siguradong magulo ang buhok ko pero sana lang ay walang tuyong laway. Well, I don't want a moment of embarrassment with this demon.

"Maligo ka na at papasok ka na sa trabaho mo. Lahat ng kailangan mo ay nasa banyo." He instructed after I ate. He pointed to me the bathroom, which was obviously the other door inside this room. "Bilisan mo." He added before he went out. Ang kaso lang ay hindi ako masunurin.

* * *

"Bat' ang tagal mo?"

Halos tumalon ako sa gulat pagkalabas na pagkalabas ko sa banyo. The demon is leaning on the doorframe.

"At bat' di ka pa nakabihis?" Devon said. His brows wrinkled. Nakatapis lang ako ng tuwalya palabas ng banyo. Dala ko ang uniporme ng restawran, na hindi ko alam kung paano nila nakuha. Ayoko kasing nagbibihis sa loob ng banyo.

"Who cares?" I said in a bitchy voice. "Shoo! Magbibihis ako." He stared at me from toe to head then smirked before he went out and closed the door. Did he just check me out? That jerk!

Maya-maya ay lumabas na ako sa kwarto ng matapos na ako.

"Hi!" Said in a cheerful tone. My eyes dropped to the girl beside the doorframe. Awtomatikong tumaas ang isa kong kilay sa kanya. Tila kinabahan naman ito. I abruptly noticed her hair dyed in a bright blue color. She's three inches smaller than me so I'm kinda towering her. Mukha din itong bata. Hmm. Anyway, I don't know and I don't care. "Ah. Ahm. I'm April! Anong pangalan mo?" Tanong nito at ngumiti.

"I'm Aurora Silvestre. Now, get lost before I'll kill you, kid." I said threateningly. Suddenly, her mouth gape open and eyes grew wide. She looks surprised and a little scared. Inirapaan ko na lang ito at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad.

"Oh my god!" Narinig kong sigaw nito mula sa likod ko. Di nagtagal ay tumakbo ito pasabay sa akin. "You're The Aurora Silvestre?" Her eyes are almost twinkling because of excitement. The Aurora Silvestre? Seriously? Mukha ba akong may rebulto rito at nakilala niya ang pangalan ko?

"Tanga ka ba? Kakasabi ko lang." I said harshly. She suddenly covers her mouth then screamed, creating a muffled sound. She's chanting a lot of 'Oh my' while looking at me intently.

"April heard amazing stories about you! April knows your legend! Oh my! April met a legendary assassin!" She keep chattering and talking to herself in a third person point of view while I just keep walking. Hindi ko ito pinapansin. "This is so amazing! The stories are true. You're so gorgeous. April can't wait to see you fight. April is your number one fan! Why didn't the Don tell April that she is meeting an assassin like you ─"

"Don? The Boss ordered you?" I abruptly asked, cutting her off. Tumigil kami sa paglalakad at hinarap ko siya.  Her head tilted slightly while looking at me confusedly. "Where is he?"

"You─you don't know him?" Inosenteng tanong nito.

"Duh! Itatanong ko ba kung alam ko?" I said sarcastically. "Where's the Boss, blue head?" I gave her a scrutinizing look then folded my arms.

"A-ah... Ahm." She stuttered. Naging malikot ang mata nito at halos hindi makatingin sa akin ng deritso. "He-he is behind──."

"Let's go, Aurora." I heard Devon spoke behind my back. I glance at him but went back urgently to April. Nakayuko na ito at tila kinakabahan.

"He is what, blue head?" Tanong ko. Hindi ko kasi naintindihan ang huling sinabi nito ng magsalita si Devon.

"I said let's go." Bigla na lang akong kinaladkad nitong demonyo. Tahimik na sumunod si April. It's as if she saw a ghost and her energy had drained. Suddenly, she changed her mood and became serious. This kid is creepy.

"Hey! Bitiwan mo nga ako!" Kulang na lang ay kumalas itong kamay ko sa balikat ko kakahigit niya sakin. We are on our way out the mansion and he kept dragging me. Ugh!

The same car we used last night was still parked in front of the mansion. Three armored men stood beside it. The other one opened the car door and Devon tossed me inside. Aaargh! What is the problem of this guy?! Questionably, the creepy blue-headed girl followed inside the car and sat next to me.

"What is she doing here?" I questioned.

"She'll be your guard." Devon told me and April smiled brightly to me. Err. Guard? You mean bodyguard?! What on earth would I need one?

"Ano ako preso?!" I shrieked looking at the two unbelievably. Devon just closed the door and didn't talk again. April is still, yeah, smiling. Groaning, I slouched in the seat exaggeratedly. Bakit ba ako napunta sa kalagayan kong ito? Tsk. One of the armored men sat on the driver's seat then he started the car engine. Meaning, the demon is not coming with us. Nanahimik na lang ako hanggang makalabas kami sa mansyon at makalayo rito.

Akala ko ay magiging tahimik ang buong byahe. Pero akala ko lang iyon. "April can't believe this! I'm guarding a legendary assassin." She went back to her bubbly self. I sighed and then crossed my arms.

"I can't believe it, too." I told her sounding bored. I can't believe that a creepy kid will be guarding me. Pero kung sabagay, mas madali siyang patumbahin kung naging sagabal ito sa magiging plano ko. Maybe I can use her for some information from the Mafia. Wait! Ano nga ba siya sa organisasyon? "By the way, who are you again?" I asked.

"I'm April. April is fifteen years old, an orphan. Clemente Mafia's rival enemy, Dark Clan, killed my parents. April can't remember anything about the incident. The Mafia helped April to recover. They taught me how to fight and April was lineup as one of Mafia's assassins. April's latest mission is to guard Aurora Silvestre. The Don ordered April to guard her and report all her unnecessary doings. April's favorite color is red. April's is 5'2 in height, weighting forty-eight kilos. April lives in one of the condominium units in Mafia's property. April play games like−."

"Okay. Shut up." I stopped her from reciting everything that comes in her mind. Tumigil na man itong magkwento tungkol sa talambuhay niya. Wow! That a lot of information coming from her. Pati utos ng Boss sa kanya ay nasabi niya na sa akin. Hah! I knew she'd be useful. "Who is Devon?" I asked again. Pagkakataon ko ng malaman ang tungkol sa demonyong 'yon.

"Don helped me when my parents died. April is so thankful because of him. He is busy right now with some important international transactions—-."

"I'm talking about Devon." I cut her off again. Natahimik ito at tila natauhan. She's blabbing too much.

"A-ah. Right. Y-You're talking about Sir Devon." She let out an uncomfortable laugh. "A-April don't know much a-about him." She said then starts fidgeting her fingers. Well, that's not useful. Mukhang wala masyadong nakakaalam sa gagong 'yon ah.

Surprisingly, she became quiet for a couple of minutes until we reached the restaurant.

"Hey, babe! San ka nanggaling?" Bungad ni Jake sa akin pagkapasok na pagkapasok ko sa restawran. Mr. Santiago, the past manager, made up a story about me and that he's supporting me financially by letting me stay in this restaurant free. Kinain naman ng mga nagtratrabaho rito ang palusot nito. Pero ngayon at iba na ang may-ari ay maaaring maguguluhan na sila. Anyway, I don't care. Balak ko ng naglapasan si Jake ng muli itong magsalita na nagpatigil sa akin. "May mga naghahanap sayo." He told me. My lips parted slightly while narrowing my eyes at him.

That doesn't sound well. As far as I know, limited people knows where I am and who I am, mostly are from the underground society. Sino naman ang bibisita sa akin rito?

"Who are they?" I asked.

"Kaibigan mo raw, babe." Nakangiting sagot nito. Kaibigan? Pinagloloko ba ako ng isang 'to? Sa pagkakatanda ko ay wala akong kaibigan na nabubuhay sa mundong ito. "Ayon oh! Sa Table 15." Tinuro nito kung asaang lamesa nakapwesto ang aking mga kaibigan. Tss. Friends? I wanna laugh at that excuse. "Hey! May kasama ka pala." I heard him added while I'm on my way to Table 15.

"Hi! I'm April." Sumunod pala ang isang 'to.

I left them both. As I walk nearer the said table, I see a boy and a girl talking to each other. Later on, I recognize who they are. Ugh! At kailan ko pa naging kaibigan ang mga 'to? The girl saw me first. "Aurora!" She called me. The boy followed her gaze. I just gave them a direct look and sat facing them both.

"What are you doing here?" Bungad ko sa kanila.

"Ah. Hinanap ka namin. Nasabi ko kasi kay Chris na baka wala kang matitirahan at naghahanap ka ng trabaho kaya nagtanong-tanong hangang sa m-makarating kami r-rito." Katy said. My brows furrowed. Siguro naman ay hindi ito nagkwento ng iba pa bukod roon. "Ka-kamusta? Ayos k-ka lang ba rito?" She asked genuinely, full of concern. But, I don't need that concern.

"I'm fine here. You can go now." Pagtataboy ko sa kanila.

"Kung gusto mo, maaari kang sumama sa amin, Aurora. I can give you a job in my company and you can stay at my house together with Katy." Chris offered. Tempting but nah. I still need to find some answers to some questionable situation here. At siguradong susulpot din si Devon sa kung saan ako mapunta. I think he's my freaking shadow or a mushroom. Palagi na lang niya akong natutunton. Tsk!

"No, thanks." Wika ko lamang sa kanila. Nanlumo naman si Katy while Chris looked at me intently with his curious eyes. He stared at me looking amazed.

"O-Okay. Babalik na lang kami rito para i-check ka." Katy told me and I just shrugged. Tumayo na ako paalis at iniwan silang dalawa. Siguradong aalis din sila maya-maya. Masyado silang mabait para sa akin. May allergy pa naman ako sa mga ganong klaseng mga tao. Nakakairita. Kapag may kasama kang mabait at hindi mo natapatan ang kabaitan nito, nagmumukha kang masama. Well, in my case, I'm always the bad guy.

I went to the counter and found April together with Jake announcing something.

"Guys, nandito pala ang kapatid ng bagong manager natin. Hindi daw ito makakapasok ngayon." Jake exclaimed. My co-waitresses were disappointed. Damn! Nakalimutan ko pa lang si Devon at kinahuhumalingan ng mga ito.  

"Hi, guys! I'm April, Kuya Devon's little sister." Little sister?

Napatingin ako sa kanya nang may pagtataka. Kinindatan niya ako. Napailing na lang ako at tahimik na natawa. That's a nice excuse. For sure, these innocent employees will be feed up with the information again. And as expected, April was flooded with flattering comments and comebacks. Tsk. Mga sipsip!

* * *

Night came, April and I were the only one left in the restaurant. Maghapon nitong sinusundan at pinapanood ang mga ginagawa ko. Madalas din itong magtanong ng mga bagay-bagay tungkol sa akin na malamang ay hindi ko sinasagot.

"April will call Sir Devon and tell him that you're finish working." April told me. She digs for her smartphone and start dialing. Pinanood ko lang ito. She leaned her phone on her ear and waited for a couple of seconds. "Hello, S-Sir Devon." She stuttered and I rolled my eyes. Binaling ko na lang sa iba ang tingin ko habang nagrereport siya sa kanyang mistulang amo.

Suddenly, we heard a ruffling sound. A rolling can-like object appeared near our table. Seconds later, it produces a cloud of thick smoke that covers almost our vision. A fucking smoke screen! Pero di lang 'yon ang nagpamura sakin dahil kasunod nito ay isang pagsabog. We abruptly ducked under the table as a small bomb exploded shattering the glass wall. I heard a static-like sounds coming from April's phone, such as her caller is screaming. Perhaps, it's Devon.

"We are currently being attack!" April shouted back and she ended the call.

Sabay kaming tumayo at pinakiramdaman ang paligid. Bagamat may makapal na usok, ramdam kung hindi na kami nag-iisa sa loob. Napatingin ako sa kaliwang bahagi ng may mapansing munting paggalaw. Nabigla na lang ako ng nagpaputok ng baril itong katabi ko sa direksyong akin ring tinignan. Isang maikling sigaw ang aming narinig kasunod ng tunog ng pagbagsak ng katawan. Woah! This kid is good, too. Walang bakas ng pagkatakot ang makikita sa mga mata nito.

By the way, where did she hide her gun?

"Stay there. I'm going to kill these bastards." Seryosong saad nito. Kamuntikan ko ng di makilala ang tono ng boses niya. Maybe this April's killer side. I can't help myself but smirk.

"Wag mo akong utusan. Hindi ako masunuring tao." I told her.

Human form shadows came to our blurry sight. April kept shooting them down until she run out of bullets. I guess, we need to fight them in man-to-man combat. Tila parehas kami ng naisip at sabay kaming sumugod. Mabilisan kong pinatumba lahat ng sumugod sa akin. I'm wrestling them down one by one. I stole the gun of my last victim and aimed it to other attackers. Magkakasunod na bala ang pinapaputok ko sa mga kalaban. Blood spluttered everywhere.

Kung hindi ko lang kasamang nakikipaglaban si April ay maaaring paghinalaan ko ang Clemente Mafia sa biglaang pagsugod na ito. Pero ngayon at siguradong wala silang kinalaman dito, kaninong grupo itong sumasalakay sa amin? At anong kailangan nila?

Soon, I'm starting to feel tired. Nakakapagod tila hindi sila maubos. They are too many. We're outnumbered. Mukhang masyadong pinaghandaan ang pagsugod na ito. I lost my focus when I heard April screamed. I abruptly stopped attacking to look for her. Sinamantala naman ito ng isa sa mga kalaban at agad akong pinatamaan ng bala ng baril sa hita. "Son of a bitch!" I cursed. I lost my balance and fell on my left knee. Dinumog naman nila ako at agad na hinawakan sa magkabilang braso. Next thing I felt is handle of a gun banged on my head, making me unconscious and fell on the floor.