Chapter three: Room

"You guys should check the beach, maybe there's another scroll now." Sabi ko habang nagluluto ng lunch namin.

Cassian is still locked in his bedroom. Kaming lahat hindi pa nakakapasok sa kwarto niya, no one dared to kasi sa labas pa lang may nakalagay na sign saying. 'Ravenna is the only one allowed.'

Napaka immature pero desisyon niya na 'yun. Kailangan na din namin matanggal siya sa mga utak namin, dahil hindi kamin aasenso. I finished cooking and sat on the couch, scrolled through Instagram.

Walang bago, until I saw her story. It was just a window showing rain with the city lights. There is a small caption saying, 'missing you real bad, baby :('

Wala na ngang label pero ang harot pa din.

"No sign of anything." Sabi ni Calyx na kakapasok lang ng bahay.

"We looked everywhere, nothing." Dagdag ni Hailey.

"How about Cassian, where is he?" Singit ni Ryota sa usapan at umupo sa tapat ko.

"In his room." Sagot ko, at tumingin sa hagdanan.

"I'll go check up on hi—"

"I'll go." Putol ko kay Calyx at umakyat na.

He picked his room, the opposite of the largest room. That is Ravenna's room. I knocked three times, and waited.

"Get the fuck away from my room, Ryota or Calyx!" Sigaw niya. I knocked again and stood beside the door, just to give him privacy if ever buksan niya ang pinto.

Bumukas ang pinto. "I said get the fu-" Natigilan siya nang ako ang makita. "What do you want?" He asked in a monotone.

"I.. Uhh. Can I talk t-to you?" Nauutal ko pang sabi, I was scared because of his expression. He's literally like her. "Can I come in?" Tanong ko at tumango lang siya.

Pagkapasok ako, I looked amazed. Kind of.. I literally saw a collage of pictures of Ravenna and Him. And his room is all black, everything is. At yung bubong ng room niya ay galaxy. Just what Ravenna likes. It's funny because her room is almost the same as his.

"You really miss her that much, huh?" I said while observing everything. Para akong naligaw na bata sa isang zoo. "Wow." Biglang lumabas na salita galing sa bibig ko.

"What is it?" He said in a monotone, again.

"You know, ayaw ni Ravenna na you're closing and building up walls from everybody. Kapag nanatili kang ganyan, tatanggalin din kita dito." Pagbanta ko.

"Okay." He scoffed. "That's better, so I can find her." Walang ganang sagot niya bago tumingin siya sa malayo, putting his hands on his pockets.

"She wouldn't like that. Pang ilang sabi na namin sa 'yo 'to. Move on for the mean time. Babalik siya kung babalik siya. Pero kahit kaming mga kaibigan mo, nasasaktan din kaya."

"Coming from you? She mentioned that it was your decision." Cassian rolled his eyes.

"Kapag ba emotional at wala na yung lover, englishero na?" Natatawang sabi ko. He just looked at me and said nothing. "You know what, I have to show you something." Sabi ko at hinatak siya, inis niya akong tiningnan at tinanggal ang pagka hawak ko.

"Don't touch me, siya lang ang may karapatan." Pinakita niya ang picture ni Ravenna sa phone niya.

"Ravenna, Ravenna. Puro na lang siya, it's time to let go bro." Sabi ko at kinuha yung susi sa bulsa ko.

"I thought bawal kami pumasok dyaan?" He asked while patiently waiting for me.

"But you let me in your room, so you have to see what this room contains."

Pagka bukas ko ng pinto, it was also all black, with red little accents in the room. Her ceiling is also galaxy themed. Nandito yung mga gamit ni Ravenna na natira doon sa dati naming cave.

"She has personal guns that are customized. None of us gets to use it, we respect her belongings." Sabi ko habang nakatingin doon sa shelf puno ng gamit niya.

Lumapit si Cassian doon sa isang picture frame. "That was her when she graduated high school. Ang cute niya 'no."

"Yes. She is." Napatingin siya doon sa isang shelf na puno ng libro.

"Mahilig siya magbasa?" Tanong niya.

"Oo, mahilig siya sa mga vampire novels, also yung mga storyang tragic ending. Like.. Uh." Napaisip ako. "Romeo and Juliet." Dagdag ko.

"Hindi naman tragic yung Romeo and Juliet ah, I think that their love was something unique."

"Tell that to her. Mukhang may pagka kasunduan kayo." Sabi ko at umirap sa kanya.

"Bakit ko siya nakikilala lalo kung kailan wala na siya." Sabi niya at binuksan ang closet ni Ravenna.

"She doesn't want her things to be touched." Sabi ko at umupo sa sahig.

"Kanino galing 'to?" He asked in a monotone holding a teddy bear. I laughed, seloso talaga tong hayop na to.

"That is from her mother, selos agad." Isinara niya yung closet at tumingin saakin.

"Do you want to move into her room? I think she wouldn't mind, and besides wala pa naman siya dito sa Pinas."

"How do you know that she is not here in the Philippines?" He asked. Shit!

"I uh..."

"Answer." His voice sounded mad.

"Hindi din ako sigurado, just looking at her stories on IG I thought that she went in a different country." Pageexplain ko.

"Saan siya nagpunta?"

"Hindi ko alam." I honestly said. "Do you want to keep this room clean?" I asked once again.

"Can I sleep here?"

"Yeah sure, just don't let Calyx, and Ryota know about this room." Sagot ko at binato sa kanya yung susi.

"Mayroon kaming spare. Keep that." Sabi ko at lumabas na ng kwarto. Binuksan ko ulit yung pinto. "Also lunch is ready, kumain ka kung hindi isusumbong kita kay Ravenna." Banta ko.

He chuckled, "Sunod na ako."

Pababa na ako ng hagdan pero bigla akong hinatak ni Hailey. "What the heck is your problem?!" Inis na tanong ko.

"Why did you show him her room?!" Inis din natanong niya, I sighed bago sumagot.

"He showed me his room, at puro siya lang din ang laman. It's all over, Ravenna kaliwa't kanan. Diba dati parang hindi pa magkasundo 'yung dalawang 'yun?"

"Baka love story niyo ni Ryota tinutukoy mo," Umirap siya. "Did you give him the spare key?"

"Yeah, he will be probably going to sleep there now kasi nandoon yung scent ni Ravenna." Naghain na kami ng mga plato, at sakto bumaba na si Cassian.

"Kamusta pagmumukmok mo dude?" Asar ni Ryota.

"I'm getting somewhere." Sagot nito habang naglalagay ng kanin sa pinggan.

"Di ka ba nagsasawa sa kaka-english?" Tanong naman ni Calyx. Para kaming magkakapatid dito kung magkwentuhan.

"Nein, warum? Kann mich nicht verstehen," Anong pinagsasabi mo Cassian?

"Pota nag German pa." Nagtawanan kaming lahat pagkatapos nun.

"I'll be out for a walk," Sabi ko habang nagsusuot ng sapatos.

"Sama kami," sigaw ni Hailey.

"'Wag na, kailangan ko i-clear yung mind ko." Malapit na mag sunset kaya di na masyado mainit.

Umupo ako sa buhangin and waited for the sun to set. Palubog na yung araw kaya pinicturan ko ito at pinost sa story with a caption. 'Different times, but looking at the same skies.'

Pauwi na sana ako nang may makita akong isang picture, sa may dulo ng beach.

I picked it up and it was a picture of us six. Pero si Ravenna naka cross out. May nakasulat din sa loob. "You're next."

Did Ravenna... Die?

Pagpasok ko sa bahay, dali kong tinawag silang lahat.

I showed them the picture and all of them were on their thinking faces.

"We shou–" Naputol ang sasabihin ko nang may marinig kaming malakas na kalampog. 

"Help!" Sigaw ng isang boses ng babae.

Kumatok ulit ito ng malakas bago ko siya pinagbuksan.

Nanlaki ang mata ko nang may makita akong babaeng sugatan. At may hawak pang baril.

"Help me, I'm being followed."