My Love, Darkness

Chapter 24

Present, year 2007

Phoebe winced when heard her stepmother's menacing voice.

"Phoebe! What the f**k, Phoebe?!"

Phoebe rolled her eyes as she keeps chewing her gum while finishing her drawing.

"Phoebe! What the f**k are you still doing here?!" Francheska asked who looks fuming mad.

"Finishing what I've started, what do you think?" She said in a boring voice before turning her gaze to her stepmother.

She smirked. A real gold-digger.

Her stepmother looks so glamorous as always. Wearing a saucy, red high-waist pencil skirt paired up with a black simple shirt. And of course, the luxurious pieces of jewelry on her wrist and neck.

"Oh, you--argh! It's your first day today and we must go now!" sigaw nito sa kaniya na ikinabuntong-hininga niya.

"Fine, get out of my room," she said as she stood up from lying down on her bed.

"Make it fast! Huwag mo kaming paghantayin ng Daddy mo!"

"Blah, blah, blah, blah!" She murmurs as she fixes her sketch pad and put her colored pencils back to a case.

She stretched her body before grabbing her bag pack and goes out.

Nakasakay na sila sa isang limousine. Hindi niya mabilang kung ilang beses na siyang napabuntong-hininga habang nakikinig sa alitan ng kaniyang Daddy at Stepmother.

"Why do I even need to come? It's not like Phoebe is my own daughter anyway," ani Francheska habang nakalukipkip itong nakatingin sa labas ng bintana.

"Please stop, Francheska. Don't make it a big deal. You do know that we needed some appearance outside," her Dad explained but Francheska had some issues to discuss.

"I don't f*****g care! Puwede naman ikaw na ang magdala kay Phoebe sa school niya. Hindi ko naman na kailangan sumama. I had so many important things to do," Francheska said, furious.

"I needed to go to an auction. I'm scheduled to be there. And I need to buy a new gown. I am going to attend a ball tonight. I should look sophisticated as the muse of Rhoades' mansion to that ball."

"Whatever you say, Francheska." She whispered that Francheska.

"What did you just say now?! You're talking back now, huh?"

"Shut the f**k up, Francheska! I had enough of this quarrel!" Her Dad shouted and after that, the three of them are silenced.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. Nasanay na siya sa kaniyang pamilya. It took seven years to get used to the kind of family she had. A messed up one.

And inside the past seven years, a lot of changes happen.

She became aloof to her parents. She's not that needy kind of kid who needs instant attention anymore. She already realized the reality of life, having a rich family who lives in everyone's expectation.

She was already nine years old when she found out about Francheska, being her stepmother and her Nanny, who is really her Mom.

She was badly hurt to find out that her real Mom was already dead. Saka niya lang na-realize ang galit ng stepmother niya sa kaniya kung kailan nalaman niya rin ang katotohanan. Galit na galit siya sa Daddy niya na ginawa pala nitong kerida ang tunay niyang Ina.

Pinaliwanag naman ng Dad niya sa kaniya ang katotohanan. Francheska and Philip's relationship was just a result of an arrange marriage. Kung kaya't inamin ng Dad niya sa kaniya na ang tunay nitong mahal ay ang

She hates her Dad but she can't also argue with it just like what Francheska always did. Ayaw niyang laging inisin ang Dad niya dahil kahit papaano ay kinupkop siya nito.

May mga oras na kinakausap siya nito ng masinsinan pero hindi mawala ang galit niya dito.

She learned to close her doors to everyone. Mas lalo siya naging malayo at tanging mga kasama niya lang ay ang kaniyang mga alaga na si Milaska at Atreus. She has also found out her hobby which is to draw to spend her time with.

Ngayon ang unang araw ng pagpapasok niya sa bilang first year high school student. In her whole elementary year, her Dad chose to home-schooled her.

"We are here."

Huminga siya ng malalim habang nakatingin sa mga taong nakatitig na ngayon sa limousine na dala ng Dad niya.

This is what I don't like. Too much attention.

Napailing-iling siya bago lumabas ng sasakyan. Nanatili siyang nakayuko habang naririnig ang mga bulong ng mga tao na ngayon ay nakatingin na sa kanila.

"They are the Rhoades family."

"What's the big deal about them anyway?"

"You don't know? They are the riches family in this town!"

"Yeah, they had the Governor's back. I can't believe you don't it."

Nilampasan lang ni Phoebe habang ang Dad at ang Stepmother niya ay umaaktong masaya habang nakalingkis sa isa't isa.

Tuloy-tuloy silang naglakad papasok sa loob ng unibersidad habang siya ay hindi komportable sa klase ng mga tingin na ibinibigay sa kanila.

Everything happened so fast but Phoebe felt so bored. Until a woman in her thirties entered their classroom with deep green eyes looking at them.

"My name is Gida Pinkerton. I'm your English class teacher... and I only have a rule in my class."

Everyone keeps themselves quiet as they wait for their Teacher to talked. Tinakpan ni Phoebe ang bunganga ng mapahikab.

"I won't handle a student who will defy me for the first time. Pass your projects before the deadline. Do it as early as you can. I want disciplined students to handle and I want you all to start learning. To start managing your time. To what comes up first and not."

Tumango-tango si Phoebe kapagkuwan ay kinuha ang lapis niya. She keeps tapping its eraser part on her wooden table that makes enough loud tapping sound to annoy her teacher.

Ibinaba ng Teacher nito ang chalk at lumapit sa kaniya na may hawak na libro.

She's bored and lost in her thoughts that she did not even felt her that Mrs. Pinkerton was already beside her until Mrs. Pinkerton abruptly dropped the English textbook on her wooden table.

"Does my class is that boring on you, Ms. Rhoades?" Nakataas ang kilay na tanong nito sa kaniya.

Napatingin naman si Phoebe sa lahat ng kaklase niya na ngayon ay tila takot sa kung anumang gagawin ng guro nila.

"No, Mam," she answered as she shakes her head.

"Can I take this pencil?" tanong ni Mrs. Pinkerton na sinagot niya lang ng tango.

Napasinghap ang lahat nang biglang baliin sa harapan niya ang pagmamay-ari niyang lapis. Ngumisi ito sa kaniya na ikinainit ng dugo niya bago siya nito tinalikuran.

Lumipas ang oras. Parang lahat ng mga nangyari at nakita ng mga kaklase niya ay nawaglit na sa kanilang isipan ngunit hindi niya makakalimutan ang ginawa ng guro niyang si Mrs. Pinkerton.

Kaya pagdating niya sa kaniyang buhay, mabilis siyang pumunta sa kaniyang kuwarto at kinuha ang kaniyang diary.

Indeed, many changes happened. And one of them is her always having her revenge back.

Hindi niya maintindihan nang umpisa siyang magsulat sa diary na binili niya, tungkol iyon sa galit niya sa kaniyang Stepmother.

Inis na inis siya dito dahil sa lagi itong may nasasabing masama sa kaniyang tunay na Ina. Isa na do'n ang pagiging kerida ng Dad niya kung kaya't nagsulat siya.

Dear Diary,

Francheska, The Witch is so annoying. She keeps screaming and saying bad things about Mom and I can't endure another second listening to it. I wish her mouth zipped.

When she woke up, she was shocked to find Doctors and Psychologists in their house. Sumisigaw ang Daddy niya sa galit dahil sa hindi nila matukoy na pinagmulan na pagkatahimik nito habang umiiyak. That happened for a week until Francheska is back again.

The second thing she wrote in her diary was being upset with her bully playmate who happens to dislike any kind of pets. Nasaktan nito si Milaska gamit ang isang baseball bat na nagdulot ng pagkakaroon ng head trauma nito. Ilang gabi niya rin iniyakin ang nangyari kay Milaska kung kaya't nang gumaling ito ay muli siyang nagsulat.

Dear Diary,

Billy hit Milaska! I don't care if it's me he has hit. Huwag lang si Milaska at Atreus. They're like my real family and I can't afford losing them both. I wish Billy can feel what Milaska has felt. Milaska did not do anything to him anyway. It's so unfair.

Umiiyak siyang nagsulat sa Diary niya hanggang sa makatulog siya. Kinabukasan, nagising na lamang siya sa isang sigaw ng isang babae.

"Billy, oh god! Billy!"

Nagmamadali siyang lumabas pagkatapos ay nakita niya ang Mom ni Billy. Naglulupasay na ito kakaiyak habang nililipat ng mga tao ang katawan ni Billy sa isang stretcher pagkatapos ay ipinasok sa ambulance.

Lumingon siya sa isa mga katulong niyang pinanood umalis ang ambulance. "What happened to Billy?"

Tumingin sa kaniya ang katulong. "Nitong umaga lang ay nahulog daw si Billy sa terrace ng second floor nila. Kaya ikaw, ha?"

"Po?" Lutang niyang tanong dito.

"Huwag ka masyadong pasaway at maglaro malapit sa teresa, baka mahulog ka." Warning nito sa kaniya na tinanguan niya lang.

She should feel bad but it's not what she feels. Parang mas gumaan pa ang pakiramdam niya nang malamang may nangyari masama kay Billy na sigurado sa kaniyang magtuturo ng leksyon sa kalaro niya.

Serves him right. Napangisi siya sa papalayong ambulansya. "He shouldn't mess with my cat."