---

"This is your mask." Lannie placed a mask on my lap as my hands were busy weaving my hair into a loose braid. The color of the mask is a shade I favor, but I am not sure what is the name of the shade. Maybe. . . teal?

"Stephanie," Lannie said. "Nakikinig ka ba sa akin?"

It was only then that I realized that I was lost, staring at the windshield. Tumingin ako kay Lannie para masabi na niya ang gusto niyang sabihin. She was looking at me as I finally finished styling my hair. Binigyan ko naman siya ng "why" look, but she didn't say a thing at that moment. Maddie and Lannie both don't need much hairstyling, actually. Ang ganda kaya ng buhok nila. 'Yong akin, ang hirap kausap, e.

"Okay," Lannie said in a way that it seemed like she was still collecting her thoughts. "I'll tell you what you have to know about Town in a Building."

I sat up straight, and I caught myself being thrilled. Bakit ba masyado akong excited?

"Siguro naman ay alam mo na ang maskarang 'yan ay sinusuot, 'di ba?" ang sabi ni Lannie habang nakangisi.

"Oo naman," I chuckled as I looked at the features of the mask. Simple lang ito, pero kung bibigyan pa ulit ako ni Lannie ng isang chance na pumili ng bago, I think I'd still pick this mask. Strange as it seems. . . hindi ko rin naiintindihan.

"So. . . first of all, when you enter the Town in a Building, you must wear the mask you have," Lannie started. "These masks aren't just simple masks. They are registered with numbers."

"Whew."

"Each mask is registered—yes, but walang name na nakarehistro sa kanila," Lannie continued. "Basta't nanggaling sa kanila ang mask, at dahil bawal makita ang mukha mo, online ang process sa pagbili ng mask. A bit complicated."

"But in the Terms and Conditions, they said that your IP Address and such won't be compromised," she added quickly.

There's nothing complicated for her though. Siya ang pinakamadiskarteng taong kilala ko. And when Lannie was speaking, I slowly felt nervous. May naramdaman akong mga alaalang bumabalik, pero pinilit kong kalimutan na lang. I'm afraid, pero hindi maaari. It might ruin my experience for today.

"When you wear that mask, Stephanie," Lannie said, "your name is Cerulean Hathaway."

"Whew." Nice name. I was amazed once again. . . but I was a bit sad because there were memories coming back. I'd forgotten them long enough, but they kept coming back.

"Kailangan mong tandaan ang golden rule sa Town in a Building," Lannie resumed. "You must not reveal anything about the one behind the mask you are wearing."

"Meaning?"

"You must not reveal your true self, your name, your. . . pretty much everything."

"Okay, okay." I could hear my own breathing. It was heavy. Pinakikinggan ko ang bawat tunog na naririnig ko, although the sounds were minimal.

"Ano pa ba?" Lannie said, then I realized that she was talking to herself. "Oh! Mayroon pa pala."

I looked at her. Parang masaya siya sa sasabihin niya, pero hindi naging masaya ang boses niya.

"It's a place filled with lies," she said. "Be careful. Hindi lahat ng nandoon ay totoo. Napepeke roon ang lahat. . . kahit na ang pagkakaibigan, pagmamahal, at pagiging totoo."

Oh, shit. Napatulala na lang ako sa labas. Parang ayaw ko na tumuloy, I cowardly thought. Baka makita ko rin kasi 'yong mga lalaking naka-itim. Nakakatakot kaya.

"Malapit na tayo," ang sabi ni Maddie. Lalo ko pang pinag-igihan ang tingin ko sa mga dinadaanan namin. I saw a foreign-named shop that caught my attention for the second time around.

-

العصر الذهبي

-

"Ano pa ang kailangan kong malaman?" ang kinakabahan kong tanong. Hindi nagtagal ay nawala na rin sa paningin ko ang shop na 'yon. Maddie was driving her car at a good speed, and it wasn't too fast in reality, but it felt so rapid.

"It's up to you if you'll be true about your attitude or you'll be false about your everything," she replied. "Basta't 'wag kang maglalapag ng totoong pagkatao mo."

The way Lannie said things sounded so illegal—so wrong, but all I thought about was that I mustn't back out. . . that I must face this. Yeah, I must face this.

"We're here." Hindi ko pa namamalayang na-park na ang kotse (sa harap ng lugar na sa tingin ko ay nagligtas sa akin mula sa mga lalaking naka-itim) kung hindi pa nagsalita si Maddie. Nakita ko ang neon lights sa labas ng structure ng Town in a Building, at noon ko lang na-realize na may mga salitang nabuo ang mga neon lights sa taas. Town in a Building, woah.

"Stephanie," ang pagtawag ni Lannie, at bahagya pa akong nagulat. "Your mask. . . . Bababa na tayo."

Tiningnan ko ang mga mukha nina Maddie at Lannie para makita kung may maskara na silang suot. Mayroon na nga. Then, I wore the mask that will make me Cerulean Hathaway, and I did it on a purposely sluggish way. I wanted to feel the change in my mindset as I slowly become someone who wasn't me. You are Cerulean Hathaway, I kept on convincing myself.

Is this the effect of officially entering the Town in a Building for the first time? Kinakausap ang sarili nang ganito?

Nang secured na ang mask, sinubukan kong tumingin sa side mirror na nasa left since nasa likuran ako ni Maddie.

"Paris," Lannie said. "Paris Los Santos."

Goodness, she looks different. Why is that?

"Lannie, nabigay mo na ba 'yong Scrapbook of Moments ni Cerulean?" ang tanong ni Maddie habang nagsusuot ng wig. I looked at her as I was amazed. Now, I understand why she was in a sweater and black jeans. . . plus a scalp-hugging braid for her shoulder-length hair. Her clothes were loose and simple, and they played a good role in hiding Maddie's curves.

"Ay, hindi pa," ang sabi ni Lannie at saka siya kumuha ng isang scrapbook na kakulay ng mask na suot ko. Inabot niya sa akin ang scrapbook na 'yon, at sa tingin ko ay 'yon ang Scrapbook of Moments na sinabi nila.

" 'Yan ang Scrapbook of Moments ni Cerulean," Lannie said to me. "You can let people write there. Medyo maraming pages ang mga Scrapbook of Moments. Kapag may gusto silang ibigay na message or anything that can be related to scrapbooking, sa Scrapbook of Moments nila ilalagay 'yon para makita mo."

Wow, it didn't sound illegal anymore. It sounded like something so. . . I don't know.

"Oh, my goodness," ang bulong ko sa sarili ko. "Excited na ako."

Tiningnan ko ang laman ng Scrapbook of Moments. I know that Lannie has memories in here, but maybe there's a reason why this is the mask she gave to me. Anyway, this place is just for something that isn't so real.

"Let's go?" Maddie said as she caught my attention while unlocking the car doors. "Azure. That's my name, no surname provided."

I didn't pay attention to what Maddie said. . . not until I stepped out of her car. My sight caught a guy of an average height. His hair looked like it was combed perfectly. The mask on his face was azure. Ooh. He. . . was Maddie.

"Seriously?" I giggled. "You look like a guy."

Maddie's eyes widened as I spoke. Nakatingin lang ako sa kanya nang may dumaang grupo ng mga lalaki sa pagitan ng kotse ni Maddie at ng katabi nito sa kaliwa. . . sa gilid namin, all in masks. Oh, shit. And all at once, my mind was filled with a lot of excuses I could use and say, but only one got into my actions.

"Pero in fairness. . ." I recalled his name, "Azure, nagmukha ka nang lalaki. Mukha ka kasi laging bata. Alam mo 'yon? Haha."

Sana maniwala sila sa palusot ko, I thought, kung sakaling nagdududa man sila. Nilampasan lang kami ng grupo na 'yon. Whew, that was close.

"Muntik na tayo," ang bulong ni Maddie. "Azure, ang magandang lalaki."

Oh, yes, "magandang lalaki" kasi babae talaga siya. Napangisi ako sa naisip ko, pero gumalaw na si Maddie slash Azure, kaya hindi niya na ako nakitang tumatawa. He was locking his car. . . Maddie's car rather.

"Cerulean." Napalingon ako kay Lannie na nasa kabilang side ng kotse, at na-confirm kong siya ang tumawag sa pangalang 'yon nang magsalita siya, "Good."

"You know your name," she came close to me and giggled lowly.

Naglakad na si Azure palayo ng kotse habang pinapalapit ako sa kanya. Naglakad na rin ako palayo, at magkasabay pa kaming lumapit ni Lannie slash Paris kay Azure. To be honest. . . Maddie doesn't look like Maddie at the moment. Of course, Maddie slash Azure was covered with the loose clothes, a smooth wig, and an azure-colored mask—her male version's most possible pick. Maybe.

"Let's be different?" ang bulong ni Lannie habang tumitingin sa paligid. Now, I know why she was looking from left to right when I first came here. "Remember the names, Cerulean. I am Paris Los Santos, while. . . she is Azure. Once we step inside the Town in a Building, you call us with our designated names."

I nodded as I looked at their Scrapbook of Moments. Lannie had her shoulder bag with her, and I have mine, too. Oh, wait. I rummaged my bag right after almost ruining the zipper in the most careful way, and everything I needed was there but not my money.

"Why?" Lannie and Maddie both asked.

"Practice lang," ang biro ko para 'di nila malaman, kahit na walang kabiro-biro sa ginawa ko.

We made our way to the door of the Town in a Building. Naramdaman ko ulit ang naramdaman ko noong hinahabol ako ng mga lalaking naka-itim. Feeling scared, I looked over my shoulder to check if the men in black were around. Mabuti na lang, hindi nakita nina Lannie at Maddie na natatakot ako. Baka hindi na nila ako pasamahin, e.

Maddie, being the one who looks like a gentleman, opened the door for us. Hindi naman masyadong marami ang mga tao sa paligid. Pero kung sakaling may makakita sa amin, alam man nila ang Town in a Building o hindi, the thought of Maddie, looking like a gentleman will be believable.

"Lan—" I stopped. "Paris, Azure."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. Just. . . practicing. Whatever, let's go."

Naguguluhan ako sa mga naiisip ko ngayon. I was scared, but excitement tried to fight it.

"Cerulean, this is the lobby," Paris said with her voice gradually turning into her whispering voice. "This is where we saw you. . . when you came here in your school uniform."

Gumalaw agad ang mga kamay ko para takpan ang mukha ko, kahit na may mask na magtatago ng kahihiyan ko.

"Yeah, yeah," ang sabi ko. "Shh na lang kayo. Baka may makarinig. Nakakahiya."

"Parang kailan lang—'di ka naman nahiya noon, ah? Joke lang," ang sabi ni Azure, habang binababa ko ang mga kamay kong nakatakip sa mukha ko. Ngayon ko lang napansin na nag-iba ang boses niya. Hindi naman matinis ang totoo niyang boses, kaya hindi naman siguro siya nahihirapang ibahin ang boses niya.

"People here are good at falsifying things," Azure added, whispering. Maybe he knows what I was thinking of—his voice.

"Takot naman kasi ako no'n," I said as I was matching my feet's pace with the matching pace of Paris and Azure. "It's weird—so weird that I think they are monsters. No kidding."

"Sa bagay," Azure said, but I heard a bit of Maddie's voice in him. "Everyone deals with their own monsters. . . everyone."

Azure's words were the words I didn't usually hear from Maddie. . . that it made the voice of Maddie, the one behind the mask, audible. I looked into Azure's eyes, and all I felt was the same feeling whenever I look into her eyes. Napaisip naman ako, habang sinusundan ko si Paris na nasa harapan ko. She led us to a new entrance, and the bluish walls of the lobby were out of my sight. The moment we had ourselves past the entrance, I saw a guard operating a. . . machine, maybe?

The black screen on a white table was the first thing you would notice when you see the machine because. . . it's not totally facing you (but it is), you don't know what it does, and I think it's weird. Lannie, who was used to Town in a Building, took a stylus inserted into a hole of the screen's base. She wrote numbers on the screen with the use of that stylus, and her identity, a little bit of it, was flashed on the screen.

-

-

Wow, I thought as I was not able to speak. I wasn't amazed about how the technology worked inside the screen, but the technology in Town in a Building was good. I was amazed about the concept of this place. And they're all doing this for lies.

Paris looked at the camera, which was on the top of the screen, with a poker face. After one and a half second, the black screen turned into a lime green one, and it had a pixelated check mark at the center. Soon enough, Paris let me stand where she stood.

"The mask isn't mine anymore," Paris said to the guard, the operator of the machine, as if he would care. "I'll write the mask code for her."

Wala akong ibang ginawa kung hindi tumingin kay Paris. I looked at her hand, which was still holding the stylus. Her hand made strokes on the screen (which was black again), and before I could memorize Cerulean's mask code, the screen had the two most important information about the person this mask made.

-

-

I looked at the camera, and when the screen turned green, I came closer to Paris, who was giving the stylus to Azure, the next in line. I would admit that I had a weird feeling when I saw "Cerulean Hathaway" instead of "Stephanie Santiago." And. . . ang bata ni Cerulean. 983–ugh, the mask code!

"Hindi ko nakabisado 'yong mask code," I whispered to her. "Pa'no 'yon?"

"Nasa Scrapbook of Moments mo 'yon," she smiled. "Hindi ko rin gaanong kabisado ang mga 'yan. . . so I had to write them down before."

After hearing Paris' last word of her last sentence about my query, I glanced at Azure. He was coming near to us, and it surprised me that he was already done with the thing you had to do before finally entering.

"Cerulean," Paris called as she and Azure led me to a place where the tables were. "This is where you sit and have a chat with. . . someone you wanna talk to."

Azure pulled our chairs out like a gentleman, and when we had our seats, he sat with us.

"So. . . how do you gain friends?" I asked.

"Wait, seriously?" Azure said.

"Yeah," I said, trying to figure out what was wrong with what I said. "I mean. . . everyone has their masks on. It's scary. . . a bit."

Paris chuckled, "It's normal, Cerulean. You'll finally get to have the courage. Basta, kailangan mong masanay at ma-familiarize sa lugar na 'to."

My attention was divided into two when I heard the girls on the next table talking about a guy.

"Ash Hudson, yeah," a girl said while smiling. "I like him."

"Ako rin si Ash Hudson, actually," Azure whispered to us while chuckling. It took me few seconds before I realized how possible it is. After a few minutes, a girl invited Azure on another table, and it was like he just had to say yes to a conversation.

Lannie said that we can be either false or true when we are in this place of lies, but as time went by and as we made friends, I felt like being myself rather than making Cerulean different from Stephanie or being anyone else.

---

➡ HBD, ILY! ♥