𝐊𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐀 𝟏𝟑 | 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒

𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐑𝐀

"I'm unaware that a rat can run as fast as a cheetah."

My eyes automatically rolled when Anthonus talked. Ang dami na nga naming kailangang gawin at lakarin ay nagawa niya pang mang-asar. Bilib ako sa talent niya. Pasalamat siya't hindi ako p'wedeng gumalaw ngayon kun'di magtra-travel siyang may black eye.

Nanatili ang kapit ko sa suot kong cloak. This cloak will make me invisible to the eyes of men from Tibbanus. Napangiwi ako nang titigan ko si Anthonus habang katabi ko si Zander. Nag-make face ako sa kaniya at nakangisi lang siya.

Did he think I'd cry like a baby because I was left alone? Hello no. I even ate chocolates from Arthur and enjoyed my company until Zander said he fell asleep and we traveled here to Tibbanus. Ako ang kailangan nila at sila ang nawalan.

I kept on catching Anthonus stares. I scoffed. Ang sakit niya sa mata. Is he curious how I got here? Simple lang. Nakatulog si Zander at naabutan akong kumakain at pa-chillax lang sa kusina. He even asked me if I was left alone and I said yes. Ang totoo nga'y tinanong niya pa kung ba't 'di ako umiyak at natakot mag-isa. Why would I even cry? Ano ako? Kinder?

''Make sure to keep your eyes on the woman.'' I heard Uno whisper to Zander. Tumango naman si Zander.

Saglit kaming nagkatinginang dalawa ni Zander dahil ilang pa rin kami sa isa't-isa dahil sa nangyari kanina. I noticed that Zander is the smallest between Val and Uno, but he's tall too. I think his height is 6'1. He also has dark blue eyes, pale skin, and grey hair. My eyes stare at Uno. I just noticed that he's wearing his spectacles now that we're in public. Huli na nga pala nang maisip ko na siguro'y malabo na ang mga mata niya.

Guess what happened? Kumandong ba naman ako sa kaniya habang nakasakay kami sa karwahe dahil kulang ang pamasahe.

''Uno told you to smile at the men who will greet us later.'' Zander leans closer. Sa kaniya naman napako ang mga mata ko. He stares at my eyes down to my lips. Umiwas siya ng tingin at napalunok. Bumitaw din ako sa pagtitig sa kaniya't ginala na lang ang aking paningin sa paligid.

While walking, I realized that we were heading to a wide market. Napansin kong halos lahat ng nandito'y mga kubo't stall. I'm amazed by all the potion bottles and anklets on display.

I can tell that most anklets are made from pearl beads, shells, and thick cloth just by looking. Gusto ko sanang tumingin-tingin pero hindi nga pala ako p'wedeng gumalaw at humiwalay sa kanila. I need to keep in mind that I'm invisible right now.

''Did the priest of Tibbanus contact you?'' Uno asked Anthonus. Isang tingin lang ang ginanti nito sa kaniya.

''When did priests on our continent contact me? You know it's always Arthur.'' Naramdaman ko ang tensyon dahil sa sinabi ni Anthonus.

''I heard that they prepared something for the upcoming Royal,'' Uno answered back.

Nalukot na lang ang aking noo nang lumipat nanaman sa akin ng tingin ni Anthonus. Pinagtaasan ko siya ng kilay at hinila paba ang suot kong talukbong. Ano nanaman ba'ng problema nito?

''The one that you should need to prepare is that rat. Isn't Tibbanus the most populated town?'' Gusto kong takpan ang mga tenga ko dahil nanririndi ako sa boses ni Anthonus.

I rolled my eyes while walking as I felt their stares at me. Sweet naman pala ni prinsipe nila. Pinoproblema pa kung baka maubusan pa ako ng hininga e 'di siya na lang humalik sa mga lalaki rito nang 'di niya ako problemahin.

''We won't let her kiss all men in one day, she needs to rest.'' Uno glances at me.

Nakipagtigasan ako ng tingin kay Anthonus. He did the same. Habang patagal nang patagal ang titig niya sa akin ay mas lalong lumawak ang ngisi sa mga labi niya. I frowned at him. Naiinis ako sa ngising-aso niya. Akala niya siguro ay cool na siya dahil sa ginawa niyang pang-iwan sa akin sa daan kanina.

''Ulol.'' I mouthed at him. Umiwas ako ng tingin sa kaniya. Sorry siya at hindi ako affected. Tinuon ko na lang ang atensyon ko sa mga binebenta nila para hindi lalong uminit ang ulo ko.

''Woman, do you like anklets? Do you want to buy something?'' Flame leans closer to me. Ngumiti siya. Nakita kong may nilabas siya mula sa kaniyang bulsa't napansin kong nakakabit ito mula sa kaniyang belt.

It was too late when I noticed that it was a leather pouch. Kinalbit naman siya ni Zander dahil mukha siyang tangang may kinakausap sa hangin sa paningin ng iba. Anthonus laughed at Flame. Uno glances at Flame and looks like he's telling him not to talk to me right now.

Tinitigan ko ang laman na pitaka ni Flame kasi naiwan niya itong nakabukas. Napanganga na lang ako dahil kahit hindi ako pamilyar sa mga pera nila rito ay obvious naman na barya-barya na lang ang laman no'n.

I bit my lower lip and stared at Flame's disappointed face. The sun's rays are making his red hair dark brown. 'Yon ang una ko pang napansin, na bagay din pala sa kaniya kahit hindi masyadong matingkad ang buhok niya.

''It's okay, Flame. You can give her something else,'' Zander whispered. Siya naman ang sunod na kinurot ni Val. Natawa na lang ako habang naglalakad dahil sa kulit nila.

''Abala pa rin ba sila Ehmyr at Baste sa akademya?'' Val asked. Saglit siyang tinitigan ni Uno na naglalakad sa likod ni Anthonus.

Anthonus walks first because he's a royal. Kanina ko pa pinagdadasal na sana matisod siya at mahulog sa imbornal. Baka maghanda pa ako ng sampung lechong baboy kapag nangyari 'yon. My dream come true!

"Oo," Uno paused. "They're getting anxious about their upcoming midterm exams. Last time, they got two mistakes only." Napanganga na lang ako dahil sa narinig. 'Yan ang sana all.

"I pity people like them who sacrificed their energy, sleep, and physical being just to maintain high grades. Mahirap talagang maging hampas lupa." Anthonus said sarcastically. Pinandilitan ko siya ng mga mata dahil nanahimik sila Uno.

"Isn't it your responsibility to help these kinds of people? You are lucky because your world isn't practicing democracy. Matik walang boboto sa 'yo." Wala ng paligoy ligoy pa. Talagang pinrangka ko siya.

Naramdaman ko ang patagong pagkurot sa akin ni Val. I don't know how can he hold me when I'm invisible. Hindi makapaniwala akong tinitigan nila Uno, Flame at Zander. While Anthonus stares at me amused.

"This rat has such an amazing tongue. Do you think it's good to display your head in a museum?" Anthonus glances and smirks at me. Binulsan niya ang mga kamay niya't nakataas lang ang ulo habang naglalakad kami.

I hate how he glances at everyone who greets, bows and looks at him. Kung makaasta siya'y akala mo hawak niya lahat ng buhok ng mga nakakasalubong namin.

''Where's Zex and Lolong? I told them to deliver the goods for this town's leader.'' Uno asked Zander. Napansin ko ang pagtingin ni Zander kay Val na para bang may sikreto silang tinatago.

''Zex and Lolong argued. Zex delivered the goods alone. Kakausapin ko na lang si Lolong dahil balak niya raw mag-isa.It was Zander who answered. Napahilot naman ng sentido si Val. I squinted my eyes trying to grasp our situation. Aba, LQ naman pala ang dalawang acla. Kaya pala hindi ko sila makita kanina pa?

We turned around only to be greeted by a group of men. Lahat sila'y nakasuot na magarbong kasuotan. They're wearing loose white shirts with long sleeves. Mahahaba ang mga pantalon nila't walang gusot. Pati na rin ang mga botas nila'y parang bagong bili't makintab.

I stared at them and the only thing that I noticed was that almost all of them looked foreign too. Their hair and eye colors are in various colors. Almost every one of them has golden brown to dark brown colors.

''Greetings, Your Highness.'' The guy in front said. Matangkad siya't mukhang german. He's tall and has a  nice build. Malawak ang kaniyang ngiti habang papalapit kami nang papalapit sa kanila. Bumaba ang tingin ko sa mga bagay na hawak nila. I noticed that they were all holding huge things wrapped in colorful thin papers and a huge red ribbon. I wonder what are those?

''Greetings, men of Tibbanus.'' Napanganga ako nang malawak na ngumiti si Anthonus sa kanila. Nagsiyukuan naman ang mga kasama ko kaya gumaya rin ako kahit hindi ko alam kung ba't yumuyuko sila. Zander stares at me. Tsaka ko lang napagtanto na hindi nga pala nila ako nakikita. Ang tanga ko lang sa part na 'yon.

''Thank you for inviting me,'' Anthonus chuckled. ''As a token of gratitude, your townspeople especially unfortunate children will receive a gift from me.'' Nagsalubong ang mga kilay ko dahil kung makapagsalita si Anthonus ay akala mo ang amo at sobrang bait niya.

Tuwang-tuwa naman na inabot ng lalaki sa harap 'yong hawak niya. Naiwan akong nakakunot sa likod ni Anthonus dahil hindi ako makapaniwala sa pagbabago ng pananalita't tono niya kapag ibang tao ang mga kaharap niya. I scoffed at his back. What a two-faced jerk.

''Thank you for your heartful action, Your Highness. We will take note of your gratitude this upcoming Crown Prince's voting.'' The frontman smiled. Rumuylo muli ang mga mata ko.

I bit my left cheek. Nagkatinginan kami nila Uno at nahuli ko siyang nakatingin sa akin. I wanted to ask questions. Did I hear it right? No wonder I stepped this jerk's ego when I saw that no one will vote for him if he's in a democratic country.

''These are the men from the village of Orkhalen.'' Anthonus paused. Nang tapunan niya ng tingin si Uno'y agad itong umabante. ''This is Uno Keegan Sauvalor. He's the village's leader and these men's followers, including my dearest twin, Arthur. Uno is a responsible man and smart. He is good in handling documents, as well as exporting goods like you, Solomon.''

Sunod na nilipat ni Anthonus ang tingin niya sa amin. ''He's Solomon Vanlizo. He is Tibbanus' leader.'' Solomon smiled. He's the man standing in front, the tallest and palest among all.

Zander stepped forward. Siya ang tumanggap ng mga inabot ng mga kalalakihan. Pinagpasa-pasahan nila lahat ng mga inabot nila hanggang sa lahat ay may hawak niya. Sumilip ako kay Zander at nakitang parang malaking lata ang hawak nila. Something is written on their huge cans but as expected, I can't read it.

''Stop. You smell so good,'' Zander whispered. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang makitang namumula ang mga tenga niya. Lumayo na lang ako't nang bumaba ang tingin ko sa pants niya at napapikit na lang ako. Tangina. Ano 'yon? My innocent eyes!

''Look, that man is having a boner out of nowhere. Weird. Do men from Orkhalen are always like that?'' One of them laughed, he's a man with golden brown hair and emerald eyes. I noticed that he has a lot of piercings on his lower lip. Their leader, Solomon stares at the guy with lip piercings with piercing eyes. Agad itong natahimik na parang tutang pinapagalitang amo.

Napapikit na lang ako at nagtago sa likod ni Val. Flame laughed at Zander. Kinurot naman ni Val si Flame para manahimik siya. Uno has this usual poker face. While Anthonus stares at us teasingly. Napailing na lang siya. I raised my middle finger at him. Hindi ako nagdalawang isip na pakyuhan siya. Tinaas ko pa ang isa kong kamay dahil deserved niya ng dobleng pakyu.

When Uno stared at me, I stopped what I was doing. Natulad ako doon sa lalaking may lip piercings. Para rin akong tuta na pinagalitan ng amo. When I looked up I saw Anthonus smirking at me. I make a face. Wala akong paki kung ano'ng gagawin niya sa akin sa mga susunod na araw. Kahit ipaputol niya mga daliri ko't ipahila mga kuko ko wala akong paki.

''Going back to our topic. . . May I ask how many men volunteered to be healed?'' Makahulugang sabi ni Anthonus. Nagpigil akong tumakbo papunta sa kaniya at sapakin siya. Kulang na lang nga ay barilin ko siya pero pinili ko na lang umintindi. Napapikit na lang ako't huminga nang malalim dahil hindi ko na matansya kung gaano ako naiinis sa kaniya.

''Among Family Branches, our family is the only one who agreed to heal today. Ang totoo'y halos wala ngang maniwala nang sabihin namin sa lahat ang balitang may babae ang dumating sa mundo namin. They almost called us crazy and rumors spread that we are just making stories to earn money.'' Solomon sigh. Napanganga na lang ako habang salubong ang mga kilay dahil wala akong maintindihan sa mga sinabi niya.

''Family Branches? What are those?'' Uno asked. I nod in agreement because we have the same question. Tumingin din ako sa mga kasama ko at lahat din sila ay parang nagtataka sa kung ano man 'yon. Instead of frowning, Solomon gave us a warm smile as if he was expecting that we were going to ask this and he was ready to answer any time.

''Due to the lack of women in our world, Tibbanus decided to implement a culture called Family Branches. These include having three branches of the family in one. I, for example, am the eldest child, however, my father also has three eldest from three different partners. Now, that you are here, the woman will decide on which eldest she prefers to heal first.'' Mahabang paliwanag ni Solomon.

Napahilot  na lang ako sa sentido nang makuha ko kung ano'ng ibig niyang sabihin. Pinabango niya pa talaga ang salitang anak sa labas. Ginala ko ang paningin ko sa mga lalaking katabi ni Solomon. Naningkit ang mga mata ko habang nakatingin sa kanila. They all look the same. Who among them is his brothers?

''Oh, cool. The woman will surely love that! She said that she is willing to heal everybody, right?'' Anthonus exclaimed. Nakangisi siyang tumingin sa direksyon namin.

''Kingina mo talaga. Buwakanginang shit ka.'' Gigil na gigil kong sabi habang nakatingin sa kaniya.

''That's good to hear. Thank you so much, and by the way.'' Hinawakan ni Solomon ang lalaki sa gilid. It's the man that I noticed who has a lot of lip piercings. Nakakunot noo ito't pilit na inaalis ang kamay ni Solomon sa kaniyang braso.

''Don't touch me.'' The man with lip piercings said. Solomon chuckles and stares at Anthonus and Uno apologetically.

''I apologized. He's just a shy man. This is Vernon Dreyvon, my brother but he's also the eldest from a different Family Branch. While this man is Sebastian Zryno, he's our brother too but an eldest to another Family Branch.'' Sunod namang hinila ni Somolon 'yong lalaking may kulay dark brown na buhok. In contrast to Vernon who was frowning, Zryno was smiling widely. Yumuko pa siya't sunod na nakipagkamay kay Uno.

"We will let the woman choose who among us she wants to heal first," Solomon added.

''Woah. I can see that you have a lot of Family Branches. The woman will surely love playing with you.'' Anthonus said playfully. Hindi na ako nakatiis at pinulot ko ang maliit na bato sa paanan ko. Nanggigigil kong binato 'yon at tinamaan ang batok ni Anthonus.

Kulang pa 'yan kasi desisyon ka sa buhay ko. Sayang, dapat pala hallow bocks na lang ang binato ko sa ulo mo.

Solomon's group wondered where the stone came from because they couldn't see me. Zander leans closer and whispers something. Muli siyang kinurot ni Val dahil mukha siyang baliw na may kausap na hangin. I gritted my teeth while calming myself.

"What was that?" Vernon said. Ginala niya ang paningin sa amin para hanapin kung sino ang nagbato.

"Don't mind it, that's just some bad spirits around," Anthonus answered. Ngayon ay lahat ng katabi ko'y hawak 'yong binigay na lata nila Solomon.

Tumaas ang kilay ko dahil bukod sa akin ay si Anthonus din ang walang hawak na kahit ano. Ang sipag manlait at magdesisyon ng mga gawin ko pero tamad magbuhat. Parang walang bayag.

Solomon smiled. "We would like to showcase our products and services first. Please relax, you are free to pick up food and items in the most famous shop in town. Please accept this as our gratitude for the woman. Kung iniisip niyo ang tutulugan niyo't paliguan ay kami na rin ang bahala. And of course, Prince Anthonus will get an exclusive and separate room and bath."

"As you should," Anthonus answered. Ang plastik ng ngiti niya.

Muli kaming lumiko't naglakad. Anthonus, Uno and Solomon talked about some thing. Pinili ko na lang pagmasdan ang mga kasama ni Solomon. Hindi ko masabi kung magkakamukha ba sila o parehas lang ang kulay ng kanilang mga buhok. With just one look, I can tell that they almost have the same physical appearances and body built too.

Huminto kami at tumingala ako upang makita ang sinasabi niyang tindahan. Ang una kong napansin ay ito'y tatlong palapag at gawa sa kahoy. Meron itong isa't malaking bintana sa gitna at ito'y nakabukas. However it is painted with cream color and has filled with climbing vines. There are also floating flower pots, and candle sticks from above.

"This store has been renovated," Solomon explained. Nagsitanguan naman ang mga kasama namin ni Uno.

"Cool. I'll be the first one to step inside the store," preskong saad ni Anthonus. I raised my middle finger at his back again.

"Yes, Your Highness," Solomon said before opening the door. Nakataas ang noo ni Anthonus nang pumasok siya sa loob. Napabuga na lang ako dahil mas malakas pa ang kahanginan niya kaysa sa typhoon signal number five.

Solomon and Sebastian smiled at Uno's group while Vernon frowned. Napako ang tingin ko kay Vernon. Napansin kong mailap din siya sa mga tao't nasa pinakagilid lang. I stared at him as he played his lower lip piercing using his tongue. Cool.

"I hope you can choose goods here. We have awesome milk and bone candies," Solomon said. Tumaas naman ang kilay ko dahil sa pangalawa kong narinig. The milk candy is a familiar one, but what's bone candy? That's new.

"Yeah," Anthonus nodded. Nakasunod lang ako sa likod ni Zander. Val glances at me. Tinitigan ko siya pabalik at sumenyas siya na lapitan ko pa sila lalo. I followed their steps. Nahuhuli lang ako maglakad kasi ang lalaki ng mga hakbang nila. Sa tangkad ba naman nila't sa liit ko.

"Welcome!" From afar, I saw a man wearing a suit with a red bowtie. "Oh?" My brows furrowed when I noticed that he glanced at me. I looked away. I held on to my hood tightly, is he looking at me? I thought this was an invisible cloak.

I squinted my eyes when I noticed something odd about him. Wait. . . Isn't that cat ears?

"This is the shop's cashier and caretaker, Dash." Solomon told us. Lumapit siya sa lalaking nakatayo sa counter. Lumapit din ako't inunahan siya.

"Isn't he hybrid?" Uno asked. Napanganga ako dahil sa narinig. What the fuck did he say?

"Yeah, that's right. Dash came from Khanen's Hometown. The home of hybrids, however, he was also granted a permission to live and sell here in Tibbanus. For a long time, hybrids like him faced discrimination and bullying. So they deserved to lived a normal life." Hindi ko na pinakinggan ang mahabang paliwanag ni Solomon. Naglakad ako palapit sa cashier at tumingkayad para silipin kung may buntot ito at totoo nga. Sa malapitan ay doon ko lang napansin ang puti niyang buhok. Dash has whiskers too. And he kept on giggling.

"Looks like the woman is curious about me!" He leans closer to me. Hindi ako gumalaw dahil baka'y mahuli ako. But this cat is staring at me.

"What are you talking about, Dash? There's no woman here," Solomon said. "I apologized," he turned to Uno. Napansin kong pinagpapawisan na silang lahat maliban kay Anthonus na nakangisi lang.

"Hey, woman. Do you know why female cats are noisy during mating? It's because a male cat's dick is full of tiny spikes. Do you wanna try mine?" Dash whispered seductively and licked my cheek. Agad kong nilayo ang mukha ko sa kaniya.

"Tangina mo—" Napasinghap ako nang masabit ang laylayan ng cloak ko. I tried moving but its too late. Tuluyan nang natanggal ang cloak ko kaya nama'y nakita nila akong lahat.

Solomon's group stare at me as if they saw a ghost. Agad nilang tinakpan ang gitnang bahagi ng pantalon nila. I bit my lower lip because I felt frustrated. While Dash laughs like a lunatic. Napasapo na lang ng noo si Uno.

"S-she's here—y-you could have told me—" Isang lunok ang ginawa ni Solomon. His hand shivers. Nakita kong tinitigan niya ako mula ulo hanggang paa. Their faces started heating up. Parang lahat sila pinagpawisan nang malala nang makita ako.

"I-I'm the woman," I tried my best to be formal. I offered my hand to Solomon. I felt that his hand was very cold. Parang nanginginig silang lahat.

When I held Solomon's hand, I saw their boners grow bigger. I also tried my best to smile. Damn, this cat.

𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥...