A/n:
Mas maganda ata pag habang nagbabasa kayo, i-play niyo yung kanta para mafeel niyo yung vibes ng bawat chappy. Wala lang. Flex ko lang yung kanta for the story haha

salvaje y libre= wild and free

Gusto ko pa sanang dumagdag ng isang hint but it's too soon so....

Dedicated to the ff:

Bestie kong alam kong makakarelate kay Madie= halle_hallez
Freny kong nirequest talaga ito= @GlaiSanya
To my other labs, whether lab nyo rin ako or nah: @Sangrelenisabelle @mariehoy @glaizadclovers @Arghieglaiza

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9:45 pm na nakarating sina Madie at Liam sa Salvaje y Libre kung saan marami nang fresh grads ang wild na nagpaparty, in their cool, exotic and sparkly attires at mga maskara tulad ng napag-usapan. Mga loko nga eh. Sa lahat ng themes, napagtrippan pa talaga ung magmaskara.

Agad nang bumaba ang magkapatid at dumiretso sa entrance ng venue. Pagkabungad nila ay agad na sinalubong sila ng hiyawan ng mga tao. Masayang-masaya sila sa pagdating ng dalawa, pero more of, kay Liam. Halos lahat sila ay tumumpok kay Liam. He gets along better with everyone than Madie does. He's La Escuela Seria's golden boy, every woman's dream and most ideal guy amongst the most ideal ones. He's smart, athletic, rich, cool, popular, fun and almost everything.

They were happy with Madie present too but she's not the crowd's favorite, although a few did come to her but they left after greeting her. Si Madie kasi yung tipong parang perfect na- maganda, matalino, mayaman, mabait, pero masyadong seryoso trying to fit in and prove her worth sa parents niya by achieving academically kaya naseset aside niya yung fun and meeting other people so she could focus on her studies kaya naman na-o-OP siya most of the times. Introvert kasi siya. Nandun lang siya, nakaupo sa isang sulok, suot suot ang malapilak na maskara na tumutugma sa makinang niyang maikling damit, itim na mga botang abot hanggang tuhod at sa makukulot niyang buhok. Kung titignan mo siya'y mapagkakamalang maldita siya, lalo na't mabangis ang kanyang mukha. Pero kapag mas nakilala mo na siya, mapagtatanto mo na, oo may pagkasuplada at maattitude, pero napakaamo nito, sweet, naive, at may mabait na puso.

Samantala, may pumasok naman ng patago mula sa backdoor kung saan walang makakapansin, dalawang binata- isang taga-La Escuela Seria and the other, an outsider.

"Pre, ang wild neto ah! Galing. Hanep din pala yung party ng La Escuela Seria!" sabi ng isang binatang nakamaskara rin, parang rockstar ang dating- nakabotang pangmilitar, nakasuot ng itim naa vest na bumabagay sa suot niyang maluwag na puting t-shirt at tattered black pants. Mala-bad boy ang dating niya.

"Maganda rin naman yung sa inyo pare ah!" sagot naman ng kaibigan niya.

"Oo pero mas hanep toh! Salamat ah!"

"Wala yun! Bumabawi lang. O sige na, mag-enjoy ka na! Mag-ingat ka ha! Baka mahuli ka."

"Pshh. Kitakits nalang!"

And he wandered across the dance floor, exploring the craze of the party.

Samantala, eto naman si Madison. Bored and feeling OP. She never really liked parties. Sinamahan niya lang si Liam, who is apparently wild and drunk, dancing on top of the stage while his drinking. Lasenggero. Manang mana sa ina.

"SHOT! SHOT! SHOT! ISA PA! WOOOO"

Ang iingay nila, Madie thought. Wala naman siyang magawa because he's such a heavy drinker and wild party guy. Umaapaw na nga yung iniinom niya sa suot niya pero wala lang.

Makainom nga rin. Napaisip si Madie. She had to cross the dancefloor to get to the bar counter. Para siyang ligaw na pusa, struggling her way in between the crowds of drunkards and dancers. Alam niyo naman siguro ang susunod na mangyayari diba?

With this crowd na halos di mahulugang karayom, nabangga si Madie and she was about to trip until may sumalo sa kanya. Yep, sinalo siya ng outsider. No one knew. Not even her.

Kahit may mga maskara sila, nagkatagpo parin yung mga mata nila and the world stopped as if they only saw each other. Another cliche way of meeting right? But it never gets old.

Sa kabilang dako naman ng mundo,

A black lamborghini hastily parked beside a red Mercedes-Benz car. Gabi na. Around 10:24 pm. Bumaba mula sa itim na sasakyan ang may-ari nitong kay-itim rin ang budhi- si Matteo. He hopped off and got in the mansion with ease. Madilim sa loob. He's not surprised. It's the way he expected it to be. Napaupo lang siya sa sofa as if he's chillin' like a villain. He could feel the weight on his body. Gumaan lang lahat when he felt these comforting hands massaging his back.

"Rough night?" a husky voice asked. He smirked.

"I missed you Felicity." he answered as he got up and faced his lover. Malagkit ang tingin niya rito as he stared at his lover's naked and hot body.

"I missed you too, Babe. Mukhang uhaw na uhaw ka na ah. Ready?" mapang-akit nitong tanong.

"Are you?" malandi niya namang sagot.

Without further adieu, inangkin niya na ito and they continued what they're doing at the bedroom. It wasn't long and the room was filled with moans of pleasure and indifference, indifference towards the people na masasaktan.

Back to Salvaje y Libre...

Magkatingin pa rin sina Madie at ang estrangherong tagalabas.

'Sino tong magandang binibining toh? Nakatakip man ng maskara ang mukha niya, alam kong maganda siya...She's captivating..." sa isip ng estranghero.

'Like who is this guy? Who does he think he is? Ang swabe niya masyado. Nakakainis, mukhang ewan. Ano bang ginagawa niya sakin? Shuwehwfuic!' sa isip naman ni Madie.

Sa unang tingin pa lang, they felt something different, the chill that runs through their spine, their hearts beating fast, their worlds freeze for a while. You know, that stereotypical scenes in love stories for kids? Love? What's that? Diba para lang sa mga bata yan? Ika nga nila, "Love is just a game that children play" ... Doesn't mean it's not real right? Just far fetched for the likes of Madie who lives in a home full of quarrels every now and then. She's shattered, feeling invisible ever since, seeking a way through, then here comes this guy, who amidst the crowd, saw her, caught her, and could look at her in the eye like no one could. You know that overwhelming feeling?

Natigil lamang ito ng may tumulak sa binata at kapwa silang natumba sa sahig. How romantic, right? In a platonic way, of course.

But agad na nabalik sa ulirat si Madison at tumayo agad, about to leave when he held her back and pulled her close to him, so close their faces were only centimeters apart and they could feel each other's breath.

"Aalis ka na agad? Ni hindi ka man lang ba magpapasalamat sakin?" mapaglarong sambit ng binata sa dalaga. Pero imbes na sabayan ang mood ng binata, tinulak niya ito palayo, at sarkastikong sumagot, "Thank you. Excuse me, I need to buy a drink."

"Sagot ko na." he offered. "Thanks but no thanks. I can buy myself a drink." sagot naman ni Madie. "Nope. Ako na." he insisted. Dumiretso nga sila sa counter at nag-order ng drinks. The stranger reached deep in his pockets and put out a few coins, and some crumpled bills, leaving no change needed. Madie just scoffed at him. Seriously? Is he broke? Or kuripot lang talaga? She was just leaving, moving from one corner to another but this stranger keeps stalking her.

"Are you stalking me?" she asked agitated. "No." he sarcastically denied. "Ano ba'ng gusto mo? Bakit ba para kang aso, sunod ng sunod? What do you want?" she confronted him. "Hmm, diba pwedeng malaman ang pangalan mo, binibini?"he asked. "Excuse me?" sagot niyang mataray na medyo naiinsulto na hindi nito alam ang pangalan niya. I mean, napakilala na siya kanina as the valedictorian of their batch.

Paalis na uli sana siya hanggang sa hinila siya ng estranghero na sobrang lapit. Next thing she knew, nasa dance floor na sila. And when they got there, pinaliyad siya nito. "Wanna dance?" pagyayaya ng binata. She laughed him off, playing with his chest through her fingers and pushed him away as she replied, "Dance with yourself." And he grabbed her hand and pulled her close again. "Not so fast." Muli niya itong pinaliyad, atsaka inikot, dancing to the beat of the music. Challenged, sumbay na rin si Madison, bilang magaling rin siyang sumayaw. "I like your moves..."pagcompliment niya sa lalake.

From an upbeat rock music of their time, the DJ hit a mellow, romantic, happy-sad song that also set the mood for Madie and the stranger. Madie turned as the stranger held her hands while she faced her back on him, and swayed her body as he went with her flow. Kumawala naman sila sa posisyong toh at pinagtapat ang dalawang kamay nila, as they slowly turned side to side, moved one step forward, then one step backward, atsaka nagchange direction kung saan ang magkabilang kamay naman nila ang magkatapat, repeating the same moves.

She went from disliking him to feeling more at ease with him real quick. Habang magkatapat pa rin yung mga kamay nila, the guy held her other hand behind her back and they once again twirled. And they faced one another returning from the twirl again with her hand on his shoulder, the other on his hand, while his hands on her waist and the other on her hand.

They were nearing the chorus of the song, pinaikot niya uli ito and lumiyad siya, ngunit nung bumangon muli siya, both her arms were just around the guy's neck, and his on her waist. Approaching the climax of the song, binuhat siya ng lalaki and she was overwhelmed as he lifted her up, like he doesn't care, like he only sees her, like she's on top of the world. Nung binaba na siya, her legs clipped to his legs habang lumiyad sya and he assisted her, their faces close to each other. After that, he lifted her back to the normal position, his hands on her waist and hers on his shoulders.

They were very close, and they just stared for each other while gently swaying with the beat. It was just like a fairytale, the prince charming and the princess dancing in the ball room, dreamy eyes. But what was different is that it wasn't just pure happiness that can be read in Madie's eyes. Bakas rin ang sakit at mapapait na alaala mula sa mga mata niya. He could sense that. But instead of looking away, nanatili parin si Madison na nakatitig sa lalaki because, somehow, deep down in the depth of her soul, she's comfortable with him.... she felt safe.... and....important? No one has ever looked at her the way he did, not even Giselle, not even Liam, and certainly not Matteo. He looks at her like she's a gem he can't live without. He pursued her. Kita naman kanina diba? Hindi niya ito sinukuan hanggang sa pinansin na siya nito. Kahit na tinulak niya ito palayo, palagi pa rin siyang lalapit at hihilain ito palapit.

Her smile slowly faded away as she remembered how she taught herself to forget happiness, to lock her heart away, to harden it like stone cold ice, build a wall around it, so she doesn't get hurt. Pero wala eh. Kahit gaano pa kataas yung mga pader sa puso niya, balewala yun kung manipis at marupok lang din naman ito. Kaya andali-dali lang niyang masaktan kina Matteo at Giselle, at kay dali lang rin para sa kanyang magpatawad. Kahit sa ibang tao, ganun siya. Matigas sa una, pero pag di tinigilan, bumibigay rin, hanggang sa inaabuso nanaman ang kahinaan niya. Madalas, hindi na man lang sinubukan ng iba na kilalanin siya, o intindihin siya. She's pretty much misunderstood because no one really understood her pain, her trauma, how it feels to be in her shoes, being side-lined, being neglected and abused by her father, her brother having more importance and credit, her mother always abused and silenced. Many sees her as a perfect girl, matalino, mayaman, maganda, napagkakamalang masungit at hambog, KJ di tulad ni Liam, but did anyone bother to ask her, "Ok ka lang ba?", "Kamusta ka na?", "Anong ganap sa buhay mo?", "May kailangan ka ba?"

"Ok ka lang ba?" ang estranghero.

Muling namulat si Madie sa katotohanan. The stranger lifted her face and she felt as if her heart is melting. Ewan. Ngayon niya lang nakilala ang lalaki pero iba ang dating niya eh.

"Ok ka lang ba?" Paulit-ulit umalingawngaw sa kanyang tenga yung tanong na yun. What does he care? Ano ngayon diba?

Wag marupok please...Heart...Wag marupok please....

Litanya niya sa kanyang sarili. Tinatanong pa nga lang siya kung ok lang siya tas parang natutunaw na yung puso niya. Pagpasensyahan niyo na si Madie ah? You can't really blame her after all. She barely felt affection her whole life then here comes this stranger. Bakit ba di niya ito nakilala noon pa?

"Gusto mo bang lumabas rito?" tanong niya.

Tumango lang ang dalaga. He held her hand as he escorted her to the garden of the place. Pumunta sila sa bandang may tulay-tulayan sa gitna ng kanilang artificial lake. It was really magical.

"Ok ka lang?" he asked again. She just smiled. "Why wouldn't I be?" pekeng sagot niya. "Kasi, kabaliktaran ang sinisigaw ng mga mata mo...Hindi naman sa nanghihimasok ako...pero alam mo, pag kailangan mo ng kausap, andito naman ako."

"Life hasn't been so kind to everyone." she answered. "Aba, takteng buhay yan, asan siya? Sisipain ko yan eh." he joked and she laughed at his corny joke anyway. "Yan, mas bagay ka sa ngiting yan." sabi niya and she froze for a second. He moved closer and removed her mask. Di nga siya nagkamali, napakaganda nito, in and out. Gently, hinaplos niya ang pisngi nito, and hinawi ang buhok nito sa likod ng kanyang tenga. She smiled at him like a child. "Thank you." she said. "Huh? Para saan?" he asked cluelessly. "For making me happy...kahit sandali lang." she answered with all honesty. "Sus, haw sa yun lang?" sagot niya. She smiled bitterly and sat beside him on the bridge.

"Hindi yun basta-basta...That was my first dance..."

"Huh? Weh? First pero ang galing na. Tsaka nung prom? or PE?"

"What I mean is, first real dance. Yung hindi scripted, or choreographed...First dance with a stranger...First time na may nagyaya saking sumayaw, who wasn't my brother, thank God."

"Wala yun. Mababaw lang pala kaligayahan mo eh. Kala ko kung anong sungit mo."

"Mababaw ba yun? Sa bagay...hindi mo alam kung gaano kahirap yung buhay para sakin. Yung ang taas ng expectations, standards sa'yo, pero parang invisible ka, walang nakakakita, walang nakakapansin. Nakikita ka lang kapag may kailangan sa'yo pero pagkatapos nun, naglalaho na sila. Pag may nagawa kang tama, parang kulang pa, pero pag nagkamali ka, kulang nalang ipapatay ka. Alam mo ba yung pakiramdam na kahit ikaw yung todo kayod, ikaw palagi yung second option? Minsan nga, mas masakit, kasi I find out that I was never an option to begin with. And every night, I'm haunted by the ghosts of the unknown." mahaba niyang salaysay.

"What ghosts?" tanong ng binata.

"Wala. Pagtatawanan mo lang ako pag nalaman mo."

"Try me."

"Fine...Gabi-gabi, napapanaginipan ko na nasa gubat ako sa tapat ng Kalye Maravillas, at parang may humahabol sakin na anino, but I always end up seeing this lady, a ghost, who kinda looks like me...And she always led me to my death...except just this night, she led me to another unknown lady of the lake."

"Hanep yung panaginip mo ah. Parang adventure time. haha"

"Sabi na nga ba pagtatawanan mo lang ako." pagsusungit niya nanaman. Bumaba na siya sa tulay-tulayan, pati na rin ang binata, at niyakap ang dalaga ng patalikod.

"Nagsusungit ka na naman..." malambing niyang sabi kay Madie. Kumalas naman ang dalaga at hinarap ito. "Hindi ako nagsusungit. It's just that, parang wala na talagang nakakaintindi sakin."

"Meron naman. Marami kaya. Si God, tsaka yung pamilya mo, mga kaibigan mo...at ngayon, ako..."

"Of course, hindi ko makakalimutan ang Diyos. Isa lang ang best friend ko, si Kira, pero wala siya dito ngayon. At hindi mo maiintindihan kung gaano kagulo yung pamilya ko..."

"Alam mo, maswerte ka na may pamilya ka. Yung iba nga diyan, iniwan lang sa kalye, walang mga magulang, walang bahay, nalulungkot, nag-iisa, walang kaibigan, walang kasama. Kailangan pang manlimos. Mas kulang sila kesa sa'yo kasi wala na nga silang materyal na kayamanan, wala pa silang mga magulang. Eh ikaw?"

"Tama ka naman. Alam ko naman yung sinasabi mo...at nagpapasalamat ako sa pamilyang meron ako. Mahal ko sila. Sobrang mahal. Kaya patuloy pa rin akong umaasa na magiging maayos din ang lahat...pero tao lang rin naman ako...Nasasaktan, nahihirapan, napapagod...lalo na kapag ipinapamukha sa'yo ng buhay na wala kang lugar sa mundong ito..."

"Sigurado akong may lugar ka na dito sa puso ko..." pagbibiro ng binata. Napailing lang si Madie sa itinuran ng binata. "Nga pala, anong pangalan mo?" tanong ng lalaki.

"Seryoso? Hindi mo ako kilala?" she asked as she raised her eyebrow. "Hindi nga. Sorry naman." sagot naman ng estranghero. She sighed and smirked as she answered, "Madison. Madison Divinigracia. or you can call me Madie."

Tila'y natahimik ito. "Isa kang Divinigracia?" para bang gulat siya. "Yep...And you're a gatecrasher, aren't you?" tanong naman ni Madie. Oh well, mautak rin naman si Madie kaya nabuko rin agad ang binata. "Grabe ka naman maka-gatecrasher." sabi naman ng binata.

Lumapit rito si Madie, hawak ang pisngi ng binata, only a few inches away from his face, to take off his mask. "Please tell me your name after this." she said. It was picture perfect, just like a fairytale. Magical, but it comes to an end. Bago niya pa natanggal ang maskara nito, the clock struck 12 mid night and their joyful night is over. Parang Cinderella lang noh? Kung kelan nagiging ok na, saka naman babawiin ng oras, saka naman matatapos.

"MADIE!" galit na galit na sigaw ng isang lasing na lalaki mula sa kalayuan. Padabig at mabilis itong tumakbo palapit kay Madie at agad na binawi mula sa estranghero.

"Liam, anuba? What's wrong?" tanong ni Madie kay Liam pero hindi siya nito pinansin at sa halip ay binakuran siya nito at sininghalan ang estranghero, "STAY AWAY FROM MADISON!"

"Liam, bakit ba?! He's harmless!" giit ni Madie. "Umuwi na tayo Madie! 12 na." mariing sabi ni Liam habang nilalayo ang kapatid. "Teka lang, pre, wala naman akong ginagawang masama!"-estranghero.

"SHUT UP"-Liam.

"Liam, anuba!" pagpupumiglas ni Madie. Halatang hirap na ito dahil napakahigpit ng kapit ng kapatid.

"Pre, nasasaktan na siya, dahan-dahan lang!"

"WAG KA NGANG MAKIALAM!" singhal niya rito. Pinagbantaan niya ang estranghero na kung hindi siya lalayo ay baka kung ano na ang magawa niya. Walang nagawa ang estranghero kundi magparaya dahil natakot siya sa kung anong pwedeng gawin ni Liam, lalo na kay Madie. Wala rin naman siyang kakayahang labanan ito.

Tuluyan na ngang inilayo ni Liam si Madie. Pilit niya itong pinasok sa kotse at agad pinaharurot ang sasakyan.

"Liam, anuba?! Lasing ka na! Don't drive! Baka mabangga tayo!" Madie insisted but parang bingi lang si Liam. Ngayon niya lang ito nakitang ganito ka galit, di niya alam kung bakit. Malamang ay nakaaway nya yun.

"Liam, will you please talk to me?! What's wrong?! Bakit ba ganun nalang yung pakikitungo mo sa kanya?! Kilala mo ba siya?! LIAM?!"

Pero wala eh. Di siya nito pinapansin.

"LIAM?!!"

Wala pa rin. Wala talaga ito sa katinuan. Dumaan na sila sa Kalye Maravillas. Sobrang bilis yung pagpapatakbo niya.

"LIAM ANUBA?! BAKIT TAYO DUMAAN DITO?! ALAM MO NAMANG DELIKADO DIBA??!!"

"RELAX! CURFEW IS 12. WE NEED A SHORTCUT!"

"LIAM SLOW DOWN!"

Parang bingi na ang kapatid niya. Walang pinapakinggan, walang sinasanto. This is so not him. Ganito ba talaga pag may alak na ang sistema??

Patuloy lang si Liam sa pagmamaneho ng mabilis at napakapit na lang ng mahigpit si Madie hanggang sa...

"LIAM WATCH OUT!!" sigaw ni Madie noong may nakita siyang babaeng nakaputi at agad namang umiwas si Liam. But it comes with a price.

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BOOGSH!!

Pagkaiwas ni Liam ay nabangga sila sa puno sa kalye Maravillas. Napakasaklap. Nang dahil sa babaeng nakita ni Madie ay naaksidente sila.

Ang babaeng kanyang nakita ay yung katulad rin sa nakikita niya sa kanyang mga panaginip, ang multong kamukha niya. The one who always led her to her death...

Were her dreams a prediction of her fate? Is this the end of it all? Is this what it meant? That because of one mischievous night, because of a car accident sa Kalye Maravillas, ay magiging biktima rin siya ng mga kababalaghang nagaganap sa kalyeng ito? Ito na nga ba ang katapusan niya?

Or is it?

Dahil sa pagkakabangga ay nahihilo pa rin siya. It was a terrible concussion, she could barely think. But because of her love and eagerness to save her brother, pinilit niyang gisingin ito at makalabas sila. But he was unresponsive kahit anong yugyog niya pa. She's losing him, and she's losing her proper state of mind too. She begins to lose consciousness, but before totally losing awareness, naramdaman niyang may humila sa kanya palabas ng kotse. Hindi niya alam kung sino basta may lumabas sa kanya sa kotse and inihiga siya sa gilid ng daan. But the memory was so rough. Hindi niya maaninag ko ano na ang susunod na naganap, except traces of these memories: there was someone who saved her, she could feel screeches of car tires, and there's this lady in white, the ghost in her dreams. Nakatalikod siya, down on her knees, but not long nilapitan rin siya ng babae sa Kalye Maravillas, and her vision fades pitch black.

Ano kaya ang maaabutan niya sa muling pagmulat ng kaniyang mga mata? Muli pa kayang mamulat ang mga mata niya? O babawian na siya ng buhay? Sino ang mabubuhay? Sino ang mamamatay?

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