"Hey, KC! Wait!"

Chayse stopped in her tracks when she heard Marquessa Legazpi's voice. Pinanood niya ang magiliw na pagtakbo ng dalaga papalapit sa kanya. Her pigtails bouncing just as enthusiastically as she is, with her usual side bangs covering her other eye.

"Kesa? Anong mayroon, may problema ba?"

Napalinga-linga naman si Kesa sa paligid, para bang sinisiguradong walang nakikinig sa kanila, bago hinawakan ang kamay ni Chayse at kinaladkad siya papunta sa kung saan.

"T- Teka! Saan tayo pupunta?!"

"I notice you being all sad and depressed earlier, so I figured you might need to unwind!"

Unwind?

"Pero busy pa ako!"

"So? Hindi dahilan na busy ka para mawalan ka ng oras ngumiti at huminga sandali!"

Ang dami pa niyang kailangang asikasuhin para sa susunod na bahagi ng kanilang plano! In fact, nang magising na si Nap mula sa hypnosis sa kanya ni Evil, agad siyang pinaalalahanan nitong simulan na ang susunod na phase dahil nakuha na nila ang impormasyong makapagtuturo sa kanila sa hideout ng admins.

Pero mukhang wala talagang paawat si Kesa at tumakbo pa! Napilitan tuloy si Chayse magpahila sa kanya kahit na pinagtitinginan na sila paglabas ng gusali.

When they finally got out, Kesa clapped her hands and grinned.

"Do you know your boyfriend has a military tank?"

*

She wasn't joking.

Evillois Neverwood DID have a military tank parked somewhere in the forest!

Hindi na sana niya papansinin ang kumento ni Kesa na "boyfriend" niya ang isang 'yon, pero patuloy pa rin ang pakikitsismis nito kaya napilitan na rin siyang sumagot. Mukhang nahahawa na si Kesa sa kasintahan nito!

"Kung ganoon ano kayo? I heard from Joker that Evil took you to his underground bunker... And that grumpy asshole NEVER takes anyone there!"

"Wala," mabilis na sagot ni Chayse at inayos ang kanyang salamin sa mata. It was a good thing she managed to change into a new set of clothes and drop by her apartment before Kesa "kidnapped" her to do whatever she was planning.

"Wala? Weh? O wala pang label?"

Chayse sighed. "Wala. Besides, we have too many things to prioritize... It's complicated."

At paano kung one-sided lang naman pala, eh 'di napahiya pa siya, 'di ba?

The other female looked at her silently, as if remembering something. Kalaunan, napangiti ito at ibinaling ang tingin sa tangkeng nasa harapan nila. Hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin makapaniwala si Chayse na nahatak siya nito sa gubat para lang tingnan sa personal ang military tank ni Evil. But the violinist's next words caught her off guard.

"People live with regrets on a daily basis, you know. At ang nakakatawa pa, kadalasan sa mga pinagsisisihan ng mga tao ay ang mga bagay na hindi nila nagawa kaysa ang mga pagkakamaling nagawa nila. Somehow, we regret the things we failed to do more than the mistakes we already did. It's because our minds will always wander back to that 'what if'? What if I told him sooner? What if I trusted him? What if I followed my instincts?" Tumingin sa kanya si Marquessa Legazpi. At noong mga sandaling iyon, hindi niya nakita ang music student ng ECU o ang kasintahan ni Joker. No, Chayse saw the woman that Marquessa is---a woman who survived the tragedy of life, no matter how fucked up it was for her.

A living proof that humans can survive anything.

"What if I became selfish, just this one time?" Pagtatapos nito.

Agad na nag-iwas ng tingin si Chayse. Hindi niya alam kung nahawaan na rin ba siya ni Joker ng mind reading abilities dahil tila ba nabasa ng dalaga ang iniisip niya. Pero sa huli, alam niyang hindi niya masisikmura ang maging makasarili. Not after Poison Ivy's death. Not when so many people rely on her and so many lives are on the line.

Chayse can't afford to be selfish, she realized.

"A-Ano pa bang ginagawa natin dito? It's not like we know how to drive a tank," pag-iiba na lang niya sa usapan.

Napabuntong-hininga na lang si Kesa at pinalampas na ito.

"Well, I happen to know someone who can," she announced before whistling. "Hey, Raff! Tara na!"

Mula sa halamanan, bigla na lang nagulat si Chayse nang lumitaw ang isang lalaki. Kung hindi siya nagkakamali, ito ang kakontsaba nina Evil noong nakaraang EKT na pumasok pa bilang referee. 'A friend of Kleopatra,' the blonde recalled from the files she read.

"Raff, this is KC. KC, Raff. Okay, let's get go!"

But of course she won't say that so Chayse just shook his hand as if this is the first time she's meeting him.

Sabihin na lang natin na matagal-tagal nang inaaral at sinusundan ni Chayse ang magkakapatid kaya kung anumang impormasyon ang nalalaman niya, mas mabuti na lang itikom ang kanyang bibig. Yes, the Rebellion's resources are that extensive.

*
"WOHOOOOO!"

Hindi pwede ang claustrophobic sa loob ng isang tank.

"Raff! Wala na bang mas ibibilis ito?"

Sigaw ni Kesa na kasalukuyang nasa gunner's seat, sa harapan ni Chayse. Pareho silang nasa turret o itaas na bahagi ng tangke habang si Raff naman ang naka-assign na driver. He was almost lying down on a horizontal position in the front of the tank called the hull.

"HEH! THIS IS A TANK, NOT A RACE CAR!"

Sigaw nito pabalik. Himala talaga na nagkakarinigan pa sila sa kabila ng maliit at armadong espasyo. Chayse, on the other hand, watched the outside world. Mula sa hatch, kitang-kita niya ang pakataranta ng mga residente ng Eastwood sa bigla nilang paglitaw. Hindi na nga nakausad ang traffic dahil na-stuck ang mga sasakyan para bigyang-daan ang tank. Nagkakagulo na sa labas at sa 'di kalayuan ay may nakita na siyang police vehicles. Imagine a tank that is almost ten feet tall suddenly (and casually) driving through the city out of nowhere in the middle of the day!

Most importantly, hindi alam ni Chayse kung bakit ba siya naupo sa commander's seat!

Wala naman siyang kaalam-alam sa pag-command ng isang tank!

Wala ito sa training niya sa Rebellion!

"Saan ba tayo pupunta?!"

Kesa laughed. "Beats me! You're the commander!"

Oh, God. No, no, no. Mukhang hindi pa sila na-orient na reyna ng kapalpakan si Chayse at na mas marami pa siyang nasirang equipment sa lab nila kaysa nagawang matinong research!

"TURN RIGHT! NO, THE OTHER RIGHT! MASASAGASAAN NA NATIN ANG KOTSE!"

Chayse panicked when the tank went over a car. The sound of the crack and shattered glass was heartbreaking as the alarm system went off. Walang kahirap-hirap na dinaanan ng tank ang kotse gamit ang naglalakihan nitong caterpillar tracks, habang kung saan-saan naman umiikot ang Smoothbore cannon. Nakakahilo dahil kasama sila sa pag-ikot!

"Teka anong ginagawa nito?"

"Kesa, hindi mo yata dapat--!"

The cannon went off.

Napanganga si Chayse nang silipin nito kung saan tumama ang ammunition, only to find out they aimed it at an office building a few blocks away.

Nagliyab ang gusali at tumakbo papalayo ang mga tao.

"I... I didn't know the cannon was loaded!" Kesa shrunk in her seat, but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oops?"

Nagkatinginan silang dalawa.

Mali pero...

Maya-maya pa, natawa sina Chayse at Kesa.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Their laughter caused Raff to climbed into the turret, looking at the two strange females. Napailing na lang ang binata at napabuntong-hininga.

"Pareho kayong nasisiraan na ng bait."

---

Time was never gold
nor silver or bronze either
It was an ugly gray in between
what will and what will never.

---Evillois Neverwood