Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A pill bottle. Running water. Cold against the fingertips. A glass of water. One Biogesic capsule should be enough.

It’s bitter down the throat, even when neutralized with water. She looks at herself in the mirror, sees her own eyes. Irises so dark it’s hard to recognize the flecks of hazel swimming in them. She sees the redness tinting the undersides of her eyes, the bags carrying them.

Regina Vanguardia slumps against the sink, heaving out the heaviest breath. She’s been sleeping late these days, unable to shake the sense of fear that crawls up her spine when she lays on her bed each night.

For God’s sake, she needs to get her shit together. There are cases to solve, a foundation to run. She needs to sort through the documents Ali had left on her table—another defamation case, another instance of petty crime, of domestic violence, criminal case after criminal case, and now she has to count the days when someone more powerful than her father might want her dead and—and—when will this goddamn headache go away—

“Ma’am?”

Regina blinks. She gives herself a moment before she shuts the tap off, pats herself down, and then walks out of her private bathroom. She sees a familiar petite woman standing there, in her distinct red EMT uniform.

“Akala ko sinabihan na kitang tawagin akong Regina?”

Narda Custodio chuckles, smiling brightly as she walks over. “Good morning, ma’a—eh, Regina pala. Naghahatid lang ako ng mga documents. Sabi nila na, eh, total magkaibigan naman tayo…”

Regina smiles, taking the folders from her. “Thanks. Okay ka lang ba? Just checking in, you know… after everything.”

Narda giggles again, but Regina notes a hint of trepidation tracing her features. “Huwag na po kayong mag-alala. Okay lang talaga ako. Sayang lang oras mo para mag-alala.”

“It’s normal for a boss to worry about her employees, isn’t it?” Regina shrugs, setting down the folders on her desk.

Narda smiles at that. “Salamat, m—Regina.” She takes a step back. “Oh, s’ya, ayokong makaabala pa sa’yo.”

“You aren’t.” Regina smiles, shaking her head, but waves when the girl leaves anyway. She watches her back retreating from behind the glass doors, feels her own smile droop. She sighs.

She likes Narda, she thinks. She knows she’s a good person, better than even her oldest employees, than Ali, than herself, even. Still, when she smiles, she thinks back to the same expression being flashed at Brian.

Your Brian.

Shut up.

She rests her palm on her forehead.

She likes Narda. She thinks she might want to be her friend—after all, she did save her. Once. A long time ago, on a clear sky, atop an empty cliffside. Her hands warm and soft—the same hands, warm but now calloused when she’d held hers last time.

Still, a strange venom gurgles somewhere inside her gut, a bitterness snakes itself along her chest cavities, when she thinks about how Brian smiles at Narda—that damn boyish, dimpled smile—the way she wishes he’d smile at her.

She likes Narda. But she hates how she makes her feel. Hates the anger that comes up when she thinks about the countless times Brian had to save her, the time they spend together. Hates how it’s always a catalyst to the headaches, the voices—they’re worse now than ever. Ever since Bautista died, her headaches have worsened, the voices, once garbled, have become much clearer, and oftentimes, she has to drown herself in alcohol to make them shut up.

Patayin mo siya…

Kunin mo siya…

Sa’yo si Brian, diba…?

Shut up.

She slumps against her desk. Pathetic. Regina Vanguardia, slouched over her desk, felled by imaginary voices in her head and a mean headache. What’s dad gonna say when he finds out his daughter is a schizophrenic maniac? He’ll probably just be worried about his reputation going down the drain.

Well, meron sigurong paraan…

A thought flickers through her mind, and it makes her snort. She pushes herself off her desk, turns in her cushioned seat to face the large windows, at the less-than-ideal view of the cityscape outside.

There’s a knock on the door, and in peeks Ali. Tough as he looks, he always seems timid around her, slumping his shoulders and pursing his lips. As if he wants to appear small to her. Even more so now than before. She pretends not to notice him as he steps through.

“Regina?”

“Ali, siguro nababaliw na ako,” she mutters, massaging two fingers against her temple.

The man halts halfway into the room. “Bakit mo nasabi yan...?”

Regina snorts. “I’m worrying over trivial things. Worrying over a stupid headache, over…” she shakes her head. “I haven’t had a good win lately, and—and parang… parang nawawala na yung sarili ko.”

Ali pales at that. “Ano ang... ibig mong sabihin?”

Regina looks at him, finally. “I feel like I’m losing my… style—I don't know. Or, or—maybe yung kakayahan ko. I feel like some pathetic version of myself.” she stands up, laughing at her own ridiculous words, as she makes her way to stand in front of the large windows in her office, resting her knees against window nook. “I’m tired all the time, my head’s killing me, wala pa akong case napanalunan these past few weeks, at dumarami-rami lang yung mga trahedyang nangyayari dito. Tapos nandiyan pa yung nakakainis na Babaeng Lumilipad na ‘yan!”

She catches Ali sighing (in… relief…?). “Siguro pagod ka lang?”

“Pagod nga ako, pero di naman normal na maging pagod palagi,” Regina huffs. “I’m Regina fucking Vanguardia. I’m always on top of my game. Not… not like this.”

Ali’s eyes seem to soften at that and he takes a step forward. “Tao ka pa rin, Regina. Siguro kulang ka lang ng pahinga.” A beat, then, “Kailangan mo lang siguro ng distraksyon. Baka kailangan mong gumugol ng oras sa mga kaibigan mo."

Regina snorts. "Ali, the only friends I still keep in touch with are abroad, out of town. And as for family friends... They're not exactly my top picks for people to hang out with. Alam mo naman yon." 

Ali nods grimly, purses his lips. "Kung ganoon... paano naman si… Brian? Magkaibigan naman kayo, diba?”

‘Magkaibigan.’ She suppresses an urge to smile and repeat that no, she wants to be more than friends.

And again, she suppresses an urge to roll her eyes because like hell Brian would spend time with her. When they were younger, maybe a year ago, maybe he would. He’d awkwardly followed her around like an eager puppy then, because “belib na belib talaga ako sa’yo, ma’am, hanga-hanga ako sa ginagawa mo.”

At the time she’d found him cute—just cute—but lately, he’s become the only person she could actively rely on, fully depend on, without it eating at her morals. The one good person she can trust, who quells the anger, the voices in her head. And meanwhile, Ali is nice, and Ali obeys, but Ali’s whole world is her and she knows—and though useful, a small part of her hates how he’d ignore everything, even his own morals, just to bend the world over for her. And the voices seem to like that.

And she wonders if maybe a small part of Ali hates her for it too.

And she wonders if maybe that’s why she wishes Brian was her partner instead.

But Brian isn’t, and Brian nowadays has found a new owner to snag his puppy leash on. Someone worth ignoring her over. That bright and sunny girl, a girl she loathes to hate and loathes to like.

Someone she wishes were her friend, someone she wishes she’d never met, someone she wishes never got involved in any of this.

She blinks, turns to Ali. “You know what, that’s not a bad idea.”

The man looks as if he was stung, but quickly schools it. “With Brian?”

Regina scoffs as she pushes herself off the glass pane. “No. I’d like to be friends with Narda.”

Ali gives her a bewildered look. “Akala ko di mo siya gusto.”

“Who said that?”

“Well, naalala ko lang yung time na… tinawagan mo si Brian…”

“Should I be bothered by that? She’s just his friend, just nothing,” Regina waves him off. “Anyway, you don’t need to be driving me home tonight, so pwede kang umalis ng maaga.”

Ali doesn’t say anything as Regina sits herself back down on her chair, thumbing through the documents on her table. A minute passes before he steps forward, placing a gentle hand on the table.

“Sigurado ka bang kaya mong gawin ‘yan?”

Regina quirks a brow. “Ang alin? Befriending a nice girl? Wait, actually we’re already friends. Anong problema kung gusto kong makipag-bonding with a friend?”

Ali looks at her suspiciously. “So… wala kang… balak?”

Something stings, deep inside her. Regina looks up, glares at the timid man before her. “And what do you mean by that?”

Ali looks away. “Nothing.”

“I…” Regina sighs, puts the document down. She levels him a hard look. “Hindi ako isang kontrabida, Ali. Besides, sa ating dalawa, hindi ako ang nag-hire ng isang carnapper na sirain yung brakes ni Protacio.”

A tense silence fills the air, charged by their locked gazes, Regina’s a simmering poison and Ali’s a fading conviction. It takes a moment before the man finally looks away, taking a step back and nodding. He says nothing else as he walks out of the room with slumped shoulders.

Regina sighs. Di ka ba talaga kontrabida? Kaibigan mo naman si Ali, diba?

She refuses to dwell on it, instead turning to her desktop and finding a document containing her employees’ personal info.

--

Narda bounces a little down the steps of Vanguardia Foundation, typing in a quick goodbye to a worried Brian, as a black sedan rolls to a stop in front of her. She stops in her tracks, uncertain.

When she sees Regina’s face emerge from the rolled down windows, she breathes out a sigh of relief.

“Regina, ikaw lang pala yun.”

The woman smiles. “Get in.”

Narda quickly obeys, opting to take the front passenger seat. She wonders briefly if it’s okay, but Regina doesn’t seem to mind, smiling widely instead when she’s buckled in.

“Salamat po talaga, ma’am,” Narda says. “‘Di niyo na talaga kailangan pang ipag-abala.”

Earlier in the day, Narda was surprised to find a text message from Regina herself, offering her a ride home when her shift was over. Though hesitant, she didn’t want to be rude and turn it down after the first time the woman had insisted.

“Ano ka ba—ayokong mapahamak ka na naman. How many times have you been dragged to the epicenter of some crime? Diba na-kidnap ka pa nga?” Regina huffs as she pulls down the gearshift into normal, maneuvering the car out the company’s driveway. “Hindi naman available si Brian palagi para sagipin ka.”

Narda shifts in her seat. “Hindi ko naman ginusto…”

Regina glances at her, smirking. “Lately, you know, para kang isang magnet. Parang ano-ano man lang na mga gulo ay nakasunod palagi sa’yo.”

“Hindi ko rin ‘yan sinasadya,” Narda chuckles. “Pero ‘yan lang talaga ang realidad ko. Realidad dito sa Nueva Esperanza.”

“Still, I admire you, you know,” Regina turns the steering wheel. “Through it all, nagtiyaga ka. Masipag ka pa rin sa trabaho mo, at alam ko, hanga-hanga rin ang mga tao sa’yo.”

When she glances over again, Narda’s lips are quirked up to one side, and her cheeks are darker than normal (if only it were daytime, maybe she would know if it was the shadows or a blush). “Binobola mo lang ako, ma’am. ‘Di naman ako ganyan ka galing. Ikaw nga yung kahanga-hanga. ‘Di mo talaga kailangang gawin ‘to para sa’kin—after all, empleado naman lang ako.”

“Regina,” she corrects again, “At ‘di kita binobola, noh. Besides, I’m not just doing this out of the goodness of my heart,” she flutters her lashes, delighting at the way Narda giggles at that. “Meron akong ulterior motive, actually.”

“Huh?” Narda looks at her. She wonders why she seems to pale at that.

Then, with an internal slap to her face, she realizes—of course she’d be scared. This girl has been through way too much within the span of two weeks. Regina reaches over to pat her thigh quickly. “I wanted to take you out to dinner.”

Narda blinks. “Dinn—Regina, gusto mong mag-date?”

Regina fails to suppress a burst of laughter from her lungs. Thankfully, the stoplight’s red, and she doesn’t accidentally crash into the vehicle ahead of them.

“Want it to be?” she quipped.

“Di—ah, er, I mean—no, hng—hindi sa ‘di ko gusto pero—” Narda is tinged visibly with red now, and it makes Regina laugh even harder.

“It’s okay, Narda; it was a joke. Gusto ko naman lang mag-eat-out,” Regina says through fits of giggles. “Thought maybe I could spend the time getting to know you instead?”

Narda grins, but pauses, suddenly hesitant. “O-okay lang po ba talaga, Regina? I mean, ikaw pa rin yung boss ko. Baka aakalahin akong sipsip…”

“Kung may sasabi niyan sa’yo, sabihin mo lang ako, and I will make sure they will be gone the next day,” Regina says seriously. In the distance, she sees the restaurant finally take into shape through the thin fog of the night.

“Huwag naman po. Parang masyadong maliit na rason lang yun para paalisin ang tao…”

“Narda, our company is all about serving people and giving them the justice they deserve. Kung ‘yan ang pinapractice natin sa labas, ano naman lang ang sasabihin ng iba kung malalaman nila na hindi pala natin pinapanindigan ‘to sa loob ng kompanya mismo?” she chances a glance her way as she pulls into the restaurant’s driveway. “I refuse to foster such a toxic environment where friendliness is somehow equated to being ‘sipsip’. Diba sabi ng mama mo nga: ang pinakalaking kasalanan ay kung meron kang kakayahan, pero wala ka namang ginawa?”

It takes a moment for Narda to reply, but when she does, it’s punctuated by a soft laugh, and afterwards, an even softer smile. Her eyes seem to twinkle when they meet hers (and Regina wonders if she’s ever seen kinder eyes in someone, even kinder than that of Brian’s).

“Mabait ka talaga, ma’am Regina.”

“Ma’am na naman—”

The girl places a warm hand over hers. Everything seems to freeze in this moment in time, here, trapped in a warm gaze’s embrace. The car’s engine has been shut off, and only the night’s quiet ambience has pervaded their space.

“Salamat, Regina,” Narda says. “Mabait ka talagang tao, kaya mula noon pa, hinahangaan na talaga kita.”

It takes another moment for Regina to return to her bearings, and when she does, all she can do is smile and nod and step out and walk over to open the door for Narda. She doesn’t walk beside her, instead pacing herself just a bit faster than the other girl, because she can’t look at her and her sunny countenance shining brightly amidst the dark night. She can’t.

How can she? When she knows that this isn’t just about friendship, about kindness, about a boss protecting her employee—when she knows this entire thing is really just a ploy to get her away from Brian once and for all.

--

The night passes by in a blur, amidst bright chandelier lights, the ambience of classical tunes, and the soft laughter of a sweet girl undeserving of her little schemes. The restaurant is as stuffy as she remembers, and she vaguely recalls a crueler part of her choosing it as some weird power play. Which horse is bigger? This cruel part of her posed the question, and the only answer she received is Narda’s bright grin and ‘thank yous’ and promises to pay her back someday.

She downs her second glass of wine—she’s certainly not a light drinker, so this is totally fine.

Just enough to drown out the yapping voices.

But really, she never needed it, because Narda’s voice and laughter is a tad too hypnotizing for her alcohol-ridden brain to handle. The restaurant is stuffy, often used for corporate events and by those of the "upper class" in this town, and she can tell that Narda is uncomfortable in here, especially given the weird looks they’d both been getting given Narda's stark EMT outfit, but still, the girl converses with her, tells her jokes, talks about her day, about her family, of small glimpses of Brian he doesn’t show to her.

And before she knew it, it was closing time, and they walked out a bit lighter and brighter than they were before they came in.

“Parang ika-walong beses na yata yang tawag na ‘yan,” Regina snickers as Narda clicks her phone off after another call from Brian, huffing indignantly.

“Para akong bata,” Narda grumbles as she buckles the seatbelt. “Di naman ako girlfriend niya.”

Regina looks away at that word. The g word. She starts the car. “Of course not.”

“Nakakapagod lang. Kung saanman na mapapadpad kami sa parehong lugar, sisigawan kami ng buong barangay na bagay kami sa isa’t-isa.”

Regina’s grip tightens around the steering wheel. “Well, maybe there’s a reason why. Gusto mo bang maging girlfriend niya?”

Her heart drops as she notices a pink flush dusting the girl’s cheeks. “Haaaa—? Hindi noh..." She hears a cough bounce off Narda’s throat, punctuating the end of her reply. The girl shifts in her seat, noticeably more awkward than before.

“Hm.”

A chill breezes through the silence in the car. Regina regards her coolly, but says nothing as she moves the gearshift and drives off. Thankfully, Narda doesn’t seem to notice, confusing her cold response instead with that of teasing. So, when she drops her off her humble home, Narda turns to face her through the open window, beaming wide.

“Thank you… for tonight. Regina.”

Regina exhales a tense breath, responding only with a teasing shake of her head. When she pulls away from the driveway, she sees Narda still smiling, still waving at her from her rearview mirror.

When she reaches home, she collapses heavily on her queen-sized bed, too tired to even change out of her day clothes. Sleep overcomes her easily, and she doesn’t even realize the voices do not startle her awake, do not invade her dreams that night.

When she awakens, it’s with a start, as she realizes that it’s the first time in days since she’d slept for eight hours.

Her phone pings with a new message. On the screen, a single message bubble reads:

Narda Custodio [7:31 AM]: good am regina, hope na maganda yung tulog mo! ☺ tysm again for last night ♥

Chapter Text

Regina stares at the relatively empty conversation window absentmindedly as she waits for Ali to pull the car up into the company’s parking lot. Not that she’s expecting anything—because why would she expect anything from her self-proclaimed-rival-turned-somewhat-friend and generally naïve girl, Narda Custodio? (I mean, not even a follow-up message after she’d told her good morning too? Isn’t she a nice girl?)

Truthfully, some part of her also hoped that Brian would send her a message too, then maybe she’d quiet some juvenile part of her that wishes to proclaim, “Ha! My efforts were totally not a waste!”

But neither party sends her a message, and after a while of restless pondering, she realizes how embarrassing it is for a woman her age to worry about the fact that she’d been the one who’d sent the last read message to both of them. Maybe bagay talaga sila. She sighs and clicks her phone off.

Ali glances at her from the driver’s seat. “Okay ka lang ba?”

“Peachy,” Regina fakes a big smile.

It’s not as if she expected to be buddy-buddy with Narda right after that dinner anyway, even after she’s been consistently letting Ali and herself drive her home whenever Brian couldn’t for the past week. But as she exits the sedan, a bout of resolve suddenly washes over her.

Baka kailangan ko namang yayain siyang mag-dinner.

Regina finds Narda later in the same office, standing at the same desk, doubled over in laughter as she jokes around with two of her fellow EMTs—both men, she notes. She stops, peeking through the doorway before anyone from inside can spot her. Does she not have female friends?

The answer comes within a matter of seconds, as she sees one of the female EMTs get up and shove her way past Narda, whilst the other group of female EMTs still sitting around the conference table snicker and cast glances towards her.

Venom sizzles up her insides; in her head a cacophony of voices hiss angrily in the flash of an instant, and before she can stop herself, a burst of anger pushes her feet to move. She obstructs the doorway before the lone EMT could walk out. The girl visibly pales. Regina, what the hell are you doing?

“Good morning, ma’am.”

“Good morning, ah… ano yung pangalan mo?” Regina cocks her head to the side.

“A-A-Aubrey po, ma’am.”

Regina flashes a smile that completely ices over the entire room. “Well, Aubrey. Bakit mo tinulak si Ms. Custodio?”

“Po?”

Regina glances upward, meets Narda’s wide eyes for the briefest second, before she places her hand on this… Aubrey girl’s shoulder.

“I’m asking you, why you pushed Narda.”

“H-hindi ko po siya t-tinulak, ma’am… N-nakidaan lang—”

“So, you’re calling me a liar?”

The girl’s eyes widen. “N-no, not at all, ma’am! Please, aksidente lang po talaga—”

“Parang iba naman ang nakita ko. So, ano ngayon ang pinapahiwatig mo? Na bulag ako? Bulag ba ako o sinungaling?”

“Ma’am, please, hindi po talaga, pasensiya—”

“Alam mo,” Regina leans closer, dark eyes boring deeply into Aubrey’s timid gaze. The girl chokes on her words. Regina’s voice drops lower, dripping with a venom enough to melt the floor beneath. “Diba responsibilidad niyong mga EMT na tulungin ang kapwa? Ano kayang mangyayari kung malalaman nila na ang mga taong liligtas sa kanila… are nothing but big bad bullies?”

The girl pales even more than before, eyes glossing over with forming tears, lips trembling with fear. It takes everything in Regina not to smile at the sight, it takes everything in her not to indulge the whispers and hissing and the taunts of the voices crowding her head—

Sige ganyan nga—

May kapangyarihan ka—

Iparamdam mo kung gaano kaliit, gaano kawalang kwenta—

“Ma’am.”

The voices quiet, infilled by the gentleness of Narda’s voice. She turns to meet her gaze, regarding her curiously.

“Nagsasabi siya ng totoo, ma’am. Nabangga lang niya ako dahil nakaharang po ako,” Narda says, subtly trying to ease herself between Aubrey and Regina.

Regina hardens her gaze. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Narda’s own gaze doesn’t waver. Her shoulders are squared, fists clenched at her sides.

As if she’s ready to fight her. Regina steps back, letting out a single huff of laughter. Kung alam mo lang.

“If you say so, Ms. Custodio. Nasaan si Secretary Racquel?”

“Nasa office lang po niya, ma’am,” It’s one of Narda’s male EMT friends who answer. For some reason, it irritates her.

“Thank you.” She says simply, not sparing either girls another glance as she weaves her way through them.

When she closes the secretary’s door behind her, she forces herself to take a deep breath, forces her muscles to lose their tension, unfurls her clenched fists at her sides. When she sees the secretary’s bewildered face, she pastes on the widest smile she can muster.

Regina Vanguardia, what the hell was that?

--

Guilt, perhaps.

She watches herself in the mirror, notes the life that had somewhat returned to her cheeks after the few days she’s surprisingly managed to catch a good night’s sleep. The headache came back in the noontime, packing with it more bite than necessary. Like teeth sinking deeper and deeper into the softness of her brain. And now she’s left to dull her senses once again with another shot of Ibuprofen.

It hasn’t escaped her notice that the pain has considerably lessened ever since her dinner with Narda. Though, it also has been coming back in waves—she vaguely wonders why. But really, somewhere inside of her dreadfully seems to have an idea why.

Maybe that’s why she’d been a little too eager to invite her out again a while ago, to grasp at another chance to dull the pain. Why she’d almost lost control so easily. Does that mean that the epicenter of this strange pain is her little love triangle with Brian and Narda?

Fucking ridiculous.

“Regina?”

The déjà vu almost sends her sprawling on the floor. She blinks, sighs, turns off the tap, and then walks out of her office bathroom. Narda stands there, in the doorway this time, looking sheepish.

“Pasensiya kung naisturbo kita ulit.”

Regina waves it off, settling herself down on her desk chair. She gestures for Narda to come in. “Ano’ng kailangan mo?”

Narda hesitantly walks in. “Uh, gusto ko lang sana humingi ng tawad? Sa nangyari kanina…”

Regina raises a brow. “Why are you apologizing?”

“Eh… kasi naman, parang nagalit ka sa amin, kaya…” Narda tries a smile, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“No. I’m asking, why are you apologizing?”

Narda just bites her lip, unable to answer. Regina sighs.

“No wonder you thought na ‘sipsip’ lang ang friendship natin. Ganyan rin ba ang tingin nila sa relasyon niyo ni Brian?”

“Wala naman po kaming relasyon ni Brian, Regina…” Narda weakly defends.

“Hindi yun ang point,” Regina stands, crossing her arms. “Kailan pa ba nangyayari ito? Bago lang ba? A month ago?”

Narda scratches the back of her neck. “Wala naman pong…”

“Don’t lie to me, Narda,” Regina hisses, “I know what bullying looks like. Do I look stupid to you?”

Ganyan nga…! A nasty voice whispers from somewhere inside.

Regina halts. She notices the way Narda avoids her gaze, the way her teeth dig into her bottom lip, the light dusting of pink along her cheeks. Shit. Regina looks away momentarily, composing herself, before she turns and approaches Narda once again.

The girl looks up as she places her hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry.”

Narda blinks. Once. Then, again. “Uh, w-wala naman po kayong kasalanan, m-ma’am…”

‘Ma’am’ again. Regina, stop being a bitch.

“Meron akong kasalanan. I yelled at you. I was harsh. I’m sorry.” It’s her who takes Narda’s hand this time, brushing her thumb along her knuckles.

Narda laughs weakly. “Okay lang yun… Regina.” She pulls away. “Sa totoo lang, since the start pa nangyayari yon.”

Regina’s brows shoot up. “Ba’t ngayon mo lang sinabi?”

“A-ayokong gawing isyu. Gusto ko lang magtrabaho. Wala naman silang ginawang… masama talaga sa akin. Honest.”

Regina breathes an unconscious sigh of relief. “Still, you could have told someone. If not me, si Brian.”

“Eh, hindi naman talaga problema sila, Regina,” Narda smiles weakly. “Sa totoo lang, naiintindihan ko naman po sila. I mean, imagine lang na may isang babae na unqualified maging EMT, ‘tas bigla lang inaccept, kahit merong ibang mas qualified pa sa kanya. Late pa sa unang orientation, pero nakapasok lang dahil may koneksyon sa loob? Sino bang hindi magagalit doon?”

Regina purses her lips. She glances at the nearby couch. Maybe this is way out of her expertise, or their boundaries, or even her pay grade, but—she glances back at Narda’s forlorn expression—she sighs. “Hey, come sit with me?”

The girl meekly follows her, taking a seat on the couch beside her—with some respectable amount of distance between them.

“Narda, I’ll be honest with you,” Regina says, “Nakita ko yung stats mo. Nakita ko yung work ethics mo, yung progress mo in the time you’ve worked here and even before. And honestly? Nobody else here is as promising an EMT as you. Before you even worked here, ang rami mo nang natulungan. You risked your life to help others multiple times. I made this company on the foundation of your mother’s words, and nobody else here, not even me, practices it better than you do.”

“Pero, kasi, what if may ibang taong mas qualified? Na mas deserving sa EMT posisyon ko—tapos baka ninakaw ko lang ang posisyon na ‘to sa kanya?”

“Narda,” Regina levels her with a steely but meaningful gaze. “You did not steal this position from anyone, because you deserve to be here, just like all the other EMTs. Bakit… parang wala kang tiwala sa sarili mo?”

Narda bites her lip. Regina places a comforting hand over hers. “H-hindi ko alam… minsan kasi, kahit na sinusubukan ko namang tulungan ang lahat… meron paring iba namang nasasaktan…”

Regina smiles gently, takes a chance to place her other hand on the girl’s other shoulder, squeezing there. Just once, before she pulls the arm back again. “But hindi mo naman sinadya yon, diba?”

“Kahit na hindi ko sinadya man o binalak, meron pa ring mapapahamak. Merong mga taong hindi ko mailigtas.” Something dark passes over Narda’s eyes.

“Narda, hindi naman sa ganyan,” Regina looks at her seriously. “In your line of work, you cannot save everyone. My point is, that you tried to save as much as you can. Sure, maybe you made mistakes, maybe people did get hurt, but you tried your best to save everyone. Okay naman kung magkamali minsan, dahil ang mga pagkakamaling yan ay tutulong sa’yong matuto at maging mas malakas. Para… in the future, you’ll have a better chance at saving more people.

“At alam ko na responsibilidad yan na papanindigan mo. Kaya alam ko rin na you absolutely deserve to be in this position, here in this company. With me.” Regina squeezes her hand in reassurance. Hoping that the words would hit, that they’d find their way into this humble EMT’s heart.

At that, Narda slowly, but finally, meets her gaze. In her dark eyes, Regina sees those twinkling stars again, buried deep within the flecks of brown dotting them, and she’s unable to suppress a smile.

“Did that make you feel better, Ms. Custodio?” she quips.

Narda chuckles. “Attorney ka talaga, Regina. Pero… yes, it… made me feel better. Salamat, ha.” She bumps her shoulder against hers.

“I know,” Regina hums. “You can come to me anytime na kailangan mo ng peptalk.”

Narda snorts as she gets up. “Pag-iisipan ko pa. Pero, kung pwede lang…” she smiles sheepishly, “Hiling ko lang sa’yo na… sana huwag kang masyadong maging malupit sa ka-teammates ko? Ayoko talagang gumawa ng isyu kasi. Okay lang talaga ako, eh.”

Regina huffs. “Fine. But if sumusobra na sila, sabihin mo na ako.”

Narda grins. “Deal.”

Regina watches the girl leave, noting the almost subtle bounce in each of her steps as she practically prances away. And when she disappears off the corner, she slumps against the couch, slinging her hand over her eyes.

Now, Regina, you’ve done it.

Diba karibal mo yan? Ba’t mo siya tinulungan?

Di mo nga siya niyayang kumain.

“Shut up,” Regina mutters at nothing. Three fingers dig at the palm of her left hand. Her head throbs in periodic waves, constant and consistent. She reaches down and without looking, dials a number.

“Hello?”

“Brian,” Regina breathes out, and it feels as if she’s expelled sand from her lungs. “Kamusta? Any leads on that case I sent over?”

There’s a brief silence on the other end amidst the ruffling of papers. Then, a frustrated sigh. “Wala pa, eh. Sorry, ha? Babalitaan kita kapag may bagong impormasyon.”

“Dammit,” Regina squeezes her eyes shut, forcing down the strange, unbidden urge to cry. Just one damn win. Please.

“Regina? Okay ka lang ba?”

The question fills her with a brief moment of hope, one that is immediately squashed by the memory of Narda’s smile and his boyish, gentle grin. Still, she pastes a smile on. “Wala. Sakit lang yung ulo ko…” she trails off, hoping maybe he’d get some hint.

However, all he does is grunt, and say, “Mag-ingat ka ha. Uminom ka lang ng Biogesic. Baka napapagod ka lang.”

Men. Regina heaves out an indignant sigh. “Sige. Salamat, Brian. Update mo lang ako, ha? Please.”

“Opo.” The call ends without so much as a goodbye. She drops the phone down the couch, watches it tumble softly around its leather surface and thankfully not on the vinyl floors. She wonders maybe if she had been Narda, would he have immediately rushed to her rescue, would he have maybe even at least said goodbye, like a gentleman would?

Duh.

She slams a pillow to her face and screams into it.

--

“Night po, Regina,” Narda grins, as she usually does, as she waves the other girl goodbye. Regina, in turn, smiles and rolls the window of her car back up. Narda stays a moment to watch the sedan safely drive out of their neighborhood, and when the lights disappear, she sighs wistfully and makes her way inside her Lola’s traditional home.

“Oh, Apo, mabuti naman at nandito kana. Parang nadadalasan na yata yung pag-oovertime mo, ah,” Lola Berta chides upon her entrance. She then hurriedly adds an extra plate to the table, pausing only when Narda asks for her blessing.

Ding, however, excitedly bounds over to his sister to sling an arm over her shoulders. She raises a brow at him—she’s still a bit bitter now that he’s grown taller than her.

“Meron ka yatang bagong sundo, ate,” Ding teases, moving conspiratorially closer. He gives it a momentary thought, but then suddenly frowns. “Huwag mong sabihin yun yung poging lalaki na medyo creepy yung vibes?”

Narda pretends to sigh in exasperation. She supposes this is normal. Their little neighborhood only ever seems to pay attention when Brian is bringing her home, somehow missing each time Regina or Ali have brought her home within the week.

“Hindi. Actually, si Regina yun.”

Both her brother and Lola shoot her an incredulous look.

“Diba boss mo yun?” Ding asks her first, pulling away to study her face.

Narda snickers. “Oo… at kaibigan.”

“Grabe naman Apo,” Lola Berta chuckles, ushering both siblings down into their seats. “Tatlo na ata yung mga taong tagahatid sa’yo.”

“Apat,” Narda corrects before she can catch herself, “kung mabibilang mo ang assistant ni Regina.”

“Pft, deserve mo yata and level na atensyon na yan,” Ding grins amidst a mouthful of rice he’s shoved into his mouth. “After all, ikaw ang Babaeng Lumilipad, ang malakas, ang magiting—si Darna!”

“Ano ka ba! Baka may makakarinig sa’yo,” Narda playfully scolds. Though, even as she shoves at her brother, she’s laughing and smiling and exchanging meaningful glances with her Lola.

And in the midst of the gleeful chaos, a glimpse of a familiar dinner scene flashes through her mind, and she pauses. Huh. She smiles at the memory to herself, recalling how surprisingly well her dinner with Regina had gone that night a few days ago. Regina, even in her semi-inebriated state (“Di talaga ako lasing, ano ba!” she’d said, and Narda just kept giggling as her cheeks reddened further) had seemed such a lively person, a bit different from her usual cold and icy persona, but strangely similar as well.

When she settles into her bed that night, she pulls her phone out and scrolls through her messaging app. She pauses, hovering over Regina’s name.

Ba’t ka kabado? She chuckles at her own meekness and clicks on the name, typing out a message as quickly as she allows herself before her own anxiety can get the best of her.

Narda Custodio [10:02 PM]: hi regina! gusto ko lang magpasalamat uli sa kanina. tbh yung words mo… nakakatouch tlga. i rly needed that i think. thank u ♥

Narda hits ‘send’ before she can rethink it and places the phone quickly onto the nightstand. Maybe she’ll reply in the morning. That’d be good enough. She grins into her pillow. It’s… nice, she thinks—being able to make a female friend at the foundation, since… well, since none of the other female EMTs seem keen on even approaching her.

She hasn’t even closed her eyes when the phone rings with a new notification from the nightstand. She’s surprised to find that it isn’t Brian’s late night ‘goodnights’ but instead one from Regina.

Regina Vanguardia [10:09 PM]: Hello, Narda. Wala yun. At… salamat din, ha? For trusting me with your… feelings basically. ☺ I hope you know that I meant what I said, that you can come to me any time… if you’re comfortable with it. ☺

Narda Custodio [10:11 PM]: ofc… tbh, totoo rin yung sinabi ko noon… na kapag tumitingin ako sa mga mata mo, nawawala tlga yung alalahanin ko… bait mo kasi tumingin hehe.. at, ikaw rin regina… if ever na need mo rin ng karamay, nandito lng ako ☺ kung super regina ka, super narda rin ako ♥

Regina Vanguardia [10:11 PM]: Salamat Narda… That means a lot, actually. At haha okay lang na hindi ako magiging ‘super’ kung nandiyan ka rin… mas qualified ka siguro. Tsaka, magiging crowded na kaya kapag may dalawang supers dito, diba?

Narda Custodio [10:12 PM]: pfff ano ba naman, like what you say: NONSENSE! syempre may lugar dito para sa dlawang superhero!... ay wait tatlo pala dahil nandito yung babaeng lumilipad wahahaha

Regina Vanguardia [10:14 PM]: Ehh… Ayaw ko sa kanya, kontento na ako kung kita lang dalawang magiging super hero haha

Narda Custodio [10:17 PM]: 2022 na ms regina, di na uso ang magkaribal na babaeng palaging magaaway wahahahahaha

Regina Vanguardia [10:18 PM]: Kailangan ba talagang maging magkaribal? Ayoko lang sa kanya hahahaha ayoko siyang makita… at all.

Narda Custodio [10:25 PM]: i mean… parang mahirap namang maiwasan siya… kasi naman hinahangaan siya ng mga tao……

Regina Vanguardia [10:26 PM]: Simple strategy, Narda. I simply choose to see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil ☺

Narda Custodio [10:28 PM]: evil ba talaga yung babae na yun para sayo?..

Regina Vanguardia [10:34 PM]: No. No actually. It’s just that… someone with that kind of power… if magwawala siya, sino ang makakatigil sa kanya? Ang mga extras? If she makes a mistake… so many people could get hurt. Or worse: die.

Narda Custodio [10:39 PM]: diba sinabi mo sakin kanina na ok naman lng magkamali… na matututo ang tao mula sa kamalian nya? na hindi naman kasalanan ng tao yan… as long as sinubukan tlga nyang tulungin ang iba…?

Regina Vanguardia [10:43 PM]: Iba yan. Tao ka, Narda. Inosente. Hindi mo naman kasalanan kung meron talagang extras na aatake, kung meron mang mga calamity or disasters. Pero sa babaeng yun, it’s different. She can probably wreck a building by herself if she wants to. That amount of power needs a larger amount of responsibility. With so many factors to consider, mahirap ng ipagtanggol ang taong may mas malakas na abilidad sa normal na tao.

Narda Custodio [10:50 PM]: cguro may point ka naman…

Regina Vanguardia [10:51 PM]: Attorney ako diba? ☺

Narda Custodio [10:52 PM]: yan lng ba ang pangdepensa mo sa lahat…

Regina Vanguardia [10:53 PM]: Ikaw ang nag-una Ms. Custodio, hindi ako 😉

Narda Custodio [10:55 PM]: ako nga ang uuna… ang mauunang matulog dahil maaga pa bukas! regina matulog ka na nga! dba masakit yung ulo mo? dapat matulog ka para mawala na yan!

Regina Vanguardia [10:55 PM]: Aba! Wow! Ikaw pa ang nag-uutos sa akin hahaha

Narda Custodio [10:56 PM]: …ok lng po ba yun regina? biro naman lng hehe…

Regina Vanguardia [10:56 PM]: Okay lang… I mean, after all, it’s afterhours isn’t it? Di na ako boss mo sa oras na ito.

Narda Custodio [10:57 PM]: sa anong universe ka nanggaling at bakit ambait ng mga boss doon? ano to? nasa ibang planeta ba tayo?

Regina Vanguardia [10:57 PM]: Hindi… I am just a one in a million boss ☺

Narda Custodio [10:58 PM]: heh. swerte ko naman… but regina, srsly dapat matulog ka na. para makapahinga na ang super intelligent na utak mo ☺

Regina Vanguardia [10:59 PM]: Sipsip ka talaga pala Narda haha… but fine. Good night. See you again tomorrow. ☺

Narda Custodio [11:01 PM]: gn regina ♥ sana masarap ang tulog at mga panaginip mo ngayong gabi… at, hehe, sana makakausap uli tayo ng ganito balang araw… ☺

--

Regina Vanguardia [7:02 AM]: Well, what’s stopping us? Good morning, Narda. ☺

Chapter Text

What exactly was her plan anyway when she started this entire thing?

She doesn’t wait for the cashier to read out the price before she wordlessly hands her a card. She eyes the box of assorted donuts blankly, uncertainly. This is okay, right?

Nothing wrong with gifting her new employees a box of Krispy Kreme? It has been a while…

It’s also been a month now since Narda and her had started exchanging frequent text messages, but that’s got nothing to do with this.

Ali waits for her in the car, a strange look on his face.

“What?”

“Wala naman.”

The ride to the company goes on like that, with unspoken words hanging precariously in the thick air. Regina, however, cares too little to prod at this balloon of uncertainty, instead opting to sort through her emails instead. She’s in the middle of typing out a response to one of their shareholders’ inquiry when her phone pings with a new message.

Narda Custodio [9:21 AM]: regina nakita mo ba yung coin pouch ko?

Regina Vanguardia [9:22 AM]: Wala… when did you see it last?

Nard Custodio [9:24 AM]: kahapon lng eh…di bale na nga tatanungin ko lng si bri

‘Bri’? So, they’re on a nickname-basis then? She clicks her phone off and sighs.

Originally, she’d planned on stealing Narda away from Brian by showering her with unnecessary attention so she could somehow keep him to herself. But what’s the point in that when he seeks her out each time anyway, outside of her own jurisdiction?

She slumps against the headrest. It’s been one month, hasn’t it? She can say that Narda and her are good friends now, right?

Maybe she can ask her to back off. Nicely, of course. Duh. She can maybe tell her she has feelings for him. Narda’s a nice girl naman, diba?

She’ll understand.

She casts a glance at the box of donuts sitting idly beside her.

Yeah, she’ll understand.

She walks in the EMTs’ office to find some of them sat around listening to the Daily Esperanza news station—some dull report about strange activity in the nearby forests or some such—stealing the officers’ attention away from the TV instantly. She walks in long strides, shoulders back and head held high, exuding the aura of a princess on her way to coronation day, an image muddled only by the donut box she held in her hands.

“Good morning, guys!” She chirps, revels at the way the EMTs stare at her in awe—except for the new girls, who cower away in fear, and Narda, who just beams, like an excited little puppy.

Huh. Parang si Brian noong una.

She sets the box down on the conference table, opening it to reveal a dozen assorted donuts inside. She can feel the EMTs eyeing them hungrily.

“I feel bad na hindi ko pa kayo nalibrehan, even after all the hard work you guys have done,” Regina says, clapping her hands together. “So, let’s settle for this lang muna, ha? Next time, libre ko kayo sa magandang restaurant.”

At that, she sends a wink to Narda.

“Nako, hindi mo naman kinailangan pang ipag-abala yan, ma’am.” It’s Richard, one of Narda’s two friends, who says it, smiling bashfully.

“Nonsense. I wanted to,” Regina smiles and waves it off. “You guys have done a phenomenal job amid the Extras that have emerged these past few weeks, and I’m so proud of you guys… for the most part.” She shoots a meaningful look towards the group of girls huddled in the corner, trying their utmost to look invisible.

The EMTs awkwardly approach the table, undoubtedly conscious with her in the same room as them. Narda, however, walks up to her with barely any hesitation.

“Salamat po, ma’am, ha?” She smiles. It’s that word again—ma’am. She calls her that every time they’re not alone together.

…Which is understandable. Regina nods. “It’s no problem at all,” she pats the girl’s upper arm. “Let me know if you guys need anything… or if meron man kayong suggestions kung saan—”

“Good morning, guys!”

Brian’s voice cuts through the timid air like summer flowers lathered with morning dew. The air lightens in the room immediately, but for Regina, a chill settles lowly in her chest. She looks up and sees the policeman in question bounding inside, carrying with him… two boxes of donuts. From Dunkin’ Donuts.

He pauses when he sees her, and then raises his brow when he sees the opened box of donuts on the table.

“Huh. Pareho pala tayong ideya, Regina,” he jokes, but it comes out a bit strained.

“So, it seems,” Regina pastes a grin, and cannot, for the life of her, understand why she’s more irritated than happy to see him today. The rest of the room, however, does not share her sentiments, as they celebrate his arrival and quickly crowd around him as he sets the boxes down.

Beside her, Narda smiles sheepishly, reaching up to quickly squeeze her arm before she walks over to Brian. The policeman, predictably, excuses himself from the crowd as he approaches her too, meeting her halfway. Like a moth gravitating to the brightest light source, found in the sunlit smile decorating Narda’s face.

When the two converse, it’s as if they’re the only ones standing in the room, focusing only on each other even as they’re stood between a crowd of excited EMTs. Eyes twinkling as they smile their soft smiles, as they share hushed whispers and quiet laughter.

And all Regina can do is stare. Smile. Stay quiet. Just like always, unsure of what to do, how to feel.

So, what she does is simply turn and walk out of the room, finding Ali waiting obediently outside, giving her a sympathetic look as he walks into stride with her.

Before they can leave, however, something catches her by the hand. She’s surprised to find Brian behind her. A spark of hope.

“Regina, actually…” he hesitates, “Sinamahan namin si mayor dito…”

The fire that sparks inside her is immediately doused with a cold and venomous chill. Regina pulls her hand away. “I see.”

She leaves without another word. The world drowns out around her, blowing her ears out with a storming cacophony of voices fighting to best each other. All immediately silenced when she pushes the doors to her office open and finds Mayor Zaldy there, standing with his back to her, looking out the windows. He turns to face her upon her entrance, smirking, as he always does.

She gestures for Ali to leave them. “Mayor, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

She delights in the way his mouth twitches, a flash of irritation passing his features momentarily. “Ms. Vanguardia, gusto ko lang naman batian ka. Congrats. I heard you just won your first case after a… month-long drought.”

Calm down, Regina. He’s just trying to taunt you.

“Mayor, with all due respect, I’d rather na batian mo ako with some good news… say, kung meron kayong mga plano para i-address yung mga dumadaming Extras sa Nueva Esperanza? Or ano’ng plano mo para sa Snake Lady at Babaeng Lumilipad?”

Mayor Zaldy chuckles, eyes tracing over her features condescendingly. “Regina, isang superhero ang Lumilipad na Babae. Ano bang kailangan gawin diyan? And that Snake Lady? Please. She hasn’t even appeared in over a month. If anything, baka umalis na siya, sinunod ang mga kapwang ahas at nagtago sa latian. Where they all belong.”

Regina narrows her gaze, feeling an indescribable rage simmering deep within her chest. She breathes deeply, already feeling the ache knocking slowly on her head. Fuck. Now, she has to take those painkillers again.

“Aantayin ba nating mapahamak naman ang mga tao bago aaksyunan natin?” She queries, raising a challenging gaze up at him.

“Of course not,” the Mayor takes a step forward. Then another. And another. Smiling. Always smiling. “My point is, Ms. Vanguardia, that actually, there has barely been any Extras coming out in the past month. At kung meron man, palaging nandiyan naman ang Babaeng Lumilipad para sagipin ang mga biktima. There has barely been any fatal incidents in the past month.”

He stops in front of her, still smiling. But his eyes flash with a venomous glare Regina matches with her own.

Nandiyan lang siya sa harap mo—

“So, why, Ms. Vanguardia, have you still been consistently bashing me on social media platforms with the same baseless questions? Ano’ng rason kung bakit parang nakatuon ka pang kumalat ng takot sa mga… inosenteng tao sa Nueva Esperanza?”

Regina is unable to mask the sneer that carves into her lips. “Mayor, hindi ako kumakalat ng takot. What I am spreading… is the truth. It says more about you that you’re scared of it than impassioned. Bakit? Meron ka bang tinatago?”

Mayor Zaldy’s expression shatters for the briefest second, and in his eyes, she sees a spark of anger flashing through the darkness. Still, he instead grins wider, leans closer, hovering his lips over her ear.

“Huwag kang maging masyadong kampante, Ms. Vanguardia. Attorney ka man dito, but you are not above the law.” He pulls back, fixes her a cold, albeit polite gaze. “But guess who might be?”

Regina suppresses the strongest urge to spit in his face. His lips curve into a devilish smirk, as if he’d just read her mind.

“In this town, I am the law. And you should be careful, Ms. Vanguardia. The only reason you are here is because I allowed you to be here. Kung kakasuhin kaya kita ng libel case, sino sa tingin mo ang mananalo? One measly, noisy, lawyer na kulang sa atensyon? Or ang mayor na may suporta sa mga may totoong kapangyarihan dito?”

Regina scoffs. “‘Kulang sa atensyon’—”

“I mean, let’s face it, Regina,” the Mayor takes a step back, still regarding her coolly. “The truth is you don’t even care about those Extras. Or the people.”

Regina blinks. Her nails pierce into the flesh of her palms with the force in which she clenches her fists. “How dare you—”

“The truth is, Regina, you are doing all this to show off to your dear old dad,” the Mayor grins fully now, visibly reveling in the way he’s actually managed to get under her skin. “I mean, napakadelikado na ang trabaho ng isang attorney, but you go off on social media every day, practically advertising for the whole world to know that you are this government’s number one public enemy.”

“Integrity, Mayor. Ever heard of that?”

“Bullshit.” The Mayor spits, finally sneering at her. “I don’t see integrity in you. All I see is one big crybaby na naghahanap ng atensyon sa isang pabayang ama.”

Gusto mo bang ganyan ka lang tratuhin nitong tutang ito?

Walang kwentang bata—

Shut up!

Regina closes her eyes, breathes in deeply.  “Do not talk about my father like that.”

“Or what?” The Mayor guffaws. “Ano’ng magagawa ng walang kwentang, pabida-bida niyang anak na wala namang maipapakita?”

Isang kagat lang—

“I have friends in higher places, my dear Regina. At ikaw,” he stops right beside her, patting his large, grisly, and calloused hand on her shoulder. “The only thing keeping you here is your name, Ms. Vanguardia. But a name cannot hold its power forever—not when its owner is someone like you. Don’t forget—I was there when you were still small, still nothing, still just a public defender. One who could not defend their own client.”

The anger that flares through her entire being is almost unbearable.

Isang kagat, at mawawala ang lahat ng problema mo.

Regina squeezes her eyes shut. Every hoarse breath is every chain she’s woven tightly around herself, every single fiber of her being suppressing the strongest urge to flash her eyes at him, grab him by the neck, and—and—

No no no nonono—! Shut up shut up shut— “Mayor, with all due respect, I think you should leave.”

The older man just smirks. “Perfect. Tapos naman tayo dito.”

With that, he leaves, oblivious to the fact that if he’d stayed to taunt her a few seconds more, if he’d even so much as flash her one more condescending grin—the headache is a white and hot stabbing pain, and the voices have grown so much they’ve turned into incomprehensible white noise.

“Ma’am, okay la—?”

A shrill scream erupts from somewhere deep inside her, unbidden and uncaring of anyone who might be able to hear—is her office soundproof? It has to be, right? She sweeps a palm through a portion of her desk, sending the documents, booklets, and pens there flying through the air. When she turns, she finds Ali staring at her, wide-eyed and pale.

I must look so pathetic.

The Mayor’s words ring incessantly in her mind. Crybaby. Crybaby. Cry-fucking-baby.

“Ali,” Regina almost chokes, covering her entire head with her two palms. “Get me some Ibuprofen—it’s in the drawer. Please.”

The man obeys. Like he always does.

Soon enough, Ali worriedly watches her down three capsules of the painkiller as they stand together in the bathroom, washed away by glass after glass of cold water. When she’s finally recovered, she finds her eyes are red-rimmed, cheeks flushed a hot pink.

“Fuck him,” she spits.

Ali says nothing, opting to respectfully pat her back instead.

“You know, alam ko ano’ng gusto mong sabihin sa’kin kanina,” Regina coughs, turns the tap on and washes her hands vigorously under the running water. “Alam ko—I know—I’ve lost myself, nakalimutan ko kung ano yung dahilan kung bakit ko ginagawa ‘tong lahat in the first place.”

Ali says nothing, like always.

She shuts the tap off. “I need you to bring the car around, Ali. We need to pay some of dad’s friends a visit.”

--

“Okay lang ba si ma’am Regina?” Narda casts a worried glance in the direction of the attorney’s office. The EMT office has been working in tense silence for a while now, as everyone had heard what sounded like a muffled scream from the direction of the CEO’s office a few hours ago. She’d risen in an attempt to offer help, but the others had just pulled her back, given her a grim, warning stare—a clear message of do not interfere.

The Mayor had emerged seconds after that, smiling at them with that fake, camera-ready smile of his, before leaving. It’s enough of an answer to warrant the wariness that had overtaken the room.

“Nag-cocool down lang siguro yon,” Brian quips. “Yan talaga’ng nangyayari kapag si Mayor ang pinag-uusapan.”

“Bakit kaya kinamumuhian ni ma’am si Mayor?” Narda asks. When Brian flashes her a pointed look, she waves him off. “Di ko naman siya tinatanggol… pero, ba’t parang ang lakas ng galit niya sa kanya?”

Brian sighs as he sets down a stack of papers in front of her. “Di ko rin alam, eh. Siguro trabaho mo nang malaman yan.”

Narda raises a brow as she taps the corners of the documents against her desk. “Uh, bakit naman ako at hindi ikaw? Diba mas matagal mo pa siyang naging kaibigan?”

“Kaibigan? Uh,” Brian mulls over the word, face a bit flustered—an expression which confuses Narda. “Honestly lang, hindi ko alam kung ano ba talaga kami. Kung kaibigan man o… simply co-workers.”

“No labels, parang ganern?” Narda snorts.

The cop gives her a look. “Basta, hindi ko siya kaano-ano. Just… a boss. If anything, ano, ikaw lang siguro yung ma-ikokonsider kong kaibigan niya.”

Narda pauses, furrowing her brows. “Ako lang ba? Di naman…”

“Diba text-mates kayo?” Brian defends, “besides, out of all ng mga tao na nakilala ko, ikaw lang ang pinapakita niya ng tunay niyang ngiti.”

“Wehh,” Narda snorts again, but it comes out more forced than usual. She clears her throat in an effort to mask the heat blooming faintly on her cheeks.

“Totoo nga!” Brian leans forward, planting two hands on her desk. “Sa akin, yung smile niya… parang—parang ngiti ng taong may balak? Natatakot nga ako minsan, eh. Pero sa’yo? Wala eh. Siguro nakakatawa talaga yung mukha mo.”

She shoves him playfully, chuckling, but is unable to respond to any of his words. They have become closer over the past month, haven’t they? Regina and her. They text regularly, even exchange regular ‘good mornings’ and ‘good nights’, and a part of her does know—does see the glint in Regina’s eyes, the way they crinkle when she laughs at something ridiculous Narda has said, the way her smiles turn dimply when they exchange one of their inside jokes.

But a part of her also knows that there’s a question of ethics woven somewhere deep between the layers of their camaraderie. Regina is her boss, and Narda is just an employee. A mere soldier ant to a single queen. And now, whenever she does something well worth being proud of, whenever she’s given even a simple pat on the back, it’s tainted with an undercurrent of whispers of nepotism and ‘pagiging sipsip’.

But Regina is her friend. And she hates that she has to worry about senseless things when she might not be okay.

She chances a glance at her phone, where a single conversation window lies open for her to see.

Narda Custodio [11:08 AM]: regina? ok ka lng ba?

No reply yet. The clock reads 1 PM now, and it’s already Brian’s second visit for the day, in fact. Well, it’s not as if it’s the first time Regina’s replied late. She’s understandably considerably a lot busier than she is, so her replies sometimes come late, often written and punctuated tersely. Still, it’s the first time she’s heard such a… powerful scream coming from someone who might be her. She can’t help but worry.

“You know, big girl na yun si Regna,” Brian comments, noticing the way her brows knit together as she eyes her phone screen. “I’m sure nagpapahangin lang yun, and before you know it, she’s back to being her cool self. At ikaw, babalik ka na rin ulit sa mga responsibilidad mo.”

Narda rolls her eyes. “Ano ka? Boss ko? Bakit ka pa nandito? Diba nasa presinto ka nakatrabaho?”

The cop grins as he shoots up out of his seat. “Nandito lang naman ako para husgain yung trabaho mo.”

“Wow.”

“Para maireport kita kay Regina.”

“Uhuh, nakuha ko na. Bye-bye, judger,” she rolls her eyes and waves him off, not missing the way he grins at her the entire way out of the door. Ugh. Magiging tsismis na naman ‘to sa mga babaeng yun.

Bahala na.

She assembles the documents in front of her, grouping them alphabetically.

At least, meron akong isang kakamping babae dito.

She glances at her phone one last time, biting her lip.

Sana okay ka lang talaga, Regina.

--

She raps her fist against the frosted glass double doors. Just three knocks. No answer. Narda bites her lip, waits just for a few seconds, and before she can stop herself, opens the door anyway and peeks through.

“—mong sabihin si Dad. Great. Glad to see we’ve reached an agreement.”

Regina’s voice is always a tad different when she’s in business-mode, talking up clients, business partners, and shareholders. It’s always an octave lower than normal, smoother and more polished, and her accent is almost always completely masked.

The attorney has her back turned to her as she faces the large, almost floor-to-ceiling windows, shrouded partially in blue moonlight. Most of the office’s lights are turned off, and the few that remained are dimmed considerably, bathing most of the room in total darkness. It is late, after all. It paints quite an ominous image—a woman, stood alone in a room almost completely covered in darkness.

But to Narda, it’s just Regina, painted blue by the calm night. It suits her, somehow. She can’t explain it, but Regina’s always reminded her of midnight stars and waning moonlight.

Regina’s phone clicks off. The woman turns to her, finally noticing her presence. Narda pauses halfway through the door—Regina’s eyes are gleaming in the moonlight, and in the flash of a second, she thought she recognized them, thought she saw something in them reminiscent of those glowing eyes that sometimes haunted her nightmares.

But Regina blinks and the feeling dissipates, and Narda internally chides herself for even thinking such a thing.

“Narda.”

“Hi,” the girl slowly tiptoes in, exerting much effort just to hide the thing behind her—

—to no avail. Because Regina notices it immediately. “Ano yang tinatago mo?”

Narda’s smile is sheepish. “Uh, wala naman,” she slowly moves the plate out from behind her. “Nagtira lang ako ng isang piraso para sa’yo.”

The woman quirks up a brow at the small offering of a donut. The same Krispy Kreme she’d bought for them just this morning, before—

“Nilagay ko ‘to sa ref bago inihain, promise,” Narda grins.

Regina chuckles, shaking her head. “Wala naman akong sinabi.”

“Parang gusto mong sabihin.”

“Ganyan ba talaga ako kaarte sa mata mo?”

Narda flushes at that, setting the plate down on the coffee table. “Hindi, noh…”

“Biro lang,” Regina goes over to pat her lightly on the shoulder.

Narda watches the woman sit on the couch, taking tentative bites out of the chocolate-glazed pastry then. Her expression is unreadable, her movements a bit too stiff to make meaning of. And for the first time in weeks, Narda finds herself a bit nervous around Regina.

“Um, Regina, okay ka lang ba?”

“Kailan ba ako hindi okay?” Regina mumbles through a mouthful of the donut.

Narda smiles. “Seryoso akong nagtatanong, Regina.”

The woman pauses, rests her head against the sofa’s headrest. “Yes… no. No, actually. Napapagod lang siguro ako.”

Narda chances a step closer. “Um. Dahil ba ito kay Mayor…?”

Regina raises a brow at her.

“I mean, honestly, ayoko rin sa kanya,” Narda scrunches up her nose. “Masyadong bida-bida. Wala namang maipapakita.”

The other girl blinks, silently contemplative for a moment, before bursting into fits of giggles. She sets the unfinished pastry down, scooting over to let Narda sit with her. The EMT happily obliges, though she’s a bit bewildered as to why Regina seems to find her words so funny.

“Alam mo, yan rin ang sabi niya sa akin,” Regina finally says after recovering from her chuckling fit, wiping a stray tear off her eye.

Narda furrows her brows. “Bakit naman niya nasabi yan? Eh, mas nakakatulong ka yata sa iba kaysa sa kanya.”

Regina’s silent as she mulls over the answer to such a question. After a moment, she sighs. “Di ko rin alam.”

Narda chews on her bottom lip, unsure of what else to say. She’s aware Regina isn’t telling her everything, and it’s not as if she blames her for it—there’s still a tangible line between them, put up there by the ethics of work-place relationships. And though lately they’ve been teetering along the edges of that line, she knows it’s still there, and that Regina has her own right not to reveal all her secrets to her. A mere employee.

So, all she does instead, is scoot carefully over, and place a comforting hand on Regina’s shoulder. The woman in question looks at her, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“Kung ano mang dahilan yan,” Narda smiles, “alam ko hindi yan totoo.”

Regina narrows her eyes. “At bakit mo nasabi yan?”

“Sa tingin ko, mas kilala ko naman kita kaysa sa kanya, Regina. At ikaw… may mabuti kang puso, kahit na minsan nakakatakot yung ugali mo—” she giggles as she hears Regina scoff at her joke, “—hindi kagaya sa sipsip nating Mayor. Diba may saying—'actions speak louder than words’? At yung mga gawa-gawain mo ay ang patunay na mabuti ka talagang tao, di kagaya ni Mayor—puro lang salita at ngiti. I mean, ikaw lang yata ang attorney na alam kong merong mas maraming pro bono clients kaysa sa mga kliyenteng nagbabayad.

“Kaya, Regina, kahit ano pa mang ibabato ni Mayor at iba niyang kakampi sa’yo,” she chances a glance her way, turning flustered when she finds the other woman already staring at her, “Alalahanin mo lang na nandito ako bilang kakampi mo. Dahil naniniwala ako sa’yo at sa kabutihan mo.”

Even as she punctuates the end of her sentence with a lighthearted chuckle, Regina remains silent, staring at her intently, contemplatively. Her dark eyes are both curious and scrutinizing, and Narda shrinks under such a heavy gaze, unsure of what to do, what to say, or how to feel. And in the pressure of such scrutiny, she misses the flash of pain that passes over Regina’s expression.

“Narda, I…”

The girl blinks. “P-po?”

Regina’s brows are knit together, her lips pursed, jaw tense. She looks as if she wants to say something, but no words come out immediately. “I… you know, I—”

Finally, she curses under her breath, looks away. Narda leans closer. “Regina?”

“I—I’m… grateful… for your friendship,” Regina says through one tense breath. She shakes her head. “I don’t… think I’ve had someone as… good as you, Narda. As a friend. For that, thank you… talaga.”

The words take the EMT aback for a moment, but the surprise in her face quickly melts away into warmth, and an unbidden smile finds its way to her lips. “Salamat din, Regina. Importante din sa’kin yung…” she places a hand over Regina’s. “…yung friendship natin.”

Regina returns her soft smile.

The two sit like that for a while, shoulder to shoulder, blanketed in dim moonlight, a comfortable silence settling in the air between them.

As the minutes tick by, Narda suddenly feels something warm on her shoulder, and she almost flinches at the contact, but when she looks over, she’s pleasantly surprised to find Regina’s head leaning onto it. She looks away momentarily, training her gaze on the cityscape beyond the windows, unsure of what to do—not that she minds the contact, really, but—this is Regina, and Regina is—is—

“Is this okay?”

Narda takes a deep, placating breath. She hopes Regina doesn’t hear it tremble in its escape. “Of course naman.”

Regina smiles. “Thanks.” A beat, then, “May bayad ba ang unan-service na ‘to?”

“Wala…” Narda hums. “Pero… di rin ako magrereklamo kung may katapat ‘tong pagtaas ng suweldo…”

She feels the other woman chuckle against her. “Come back to me in a few more months and maybe you’ll get it.”

Narda blows a stray fringe from her face. “Well, kung ganoon man, ikokonsider ko nalang bayad ang friendship natin.”

Regina doesn’t say anything to that, but the lightness in the air somehow lets Narda know the other woman is already smiling. And though she wants to peek at it, she doesn’t want to disturb her position. Malambot ba talaga ang mga balikat na ‘to?

“Madali ka sigurong pasayahin,” Regina remarks after a while.

“Marami namang mga bagay na makikipag ligaya sa mundo,” Narda says softly, “Dapat alam mo lang kung saan sila hanapin.”

It’s Regina’s turn to hum. “Ang corny mo talaga.”

The women share a few giggles. And as the night wears on, hushed conversations and soft laughter fill the otherwise quiet office, masking each tick of the passing seconds, minutes, hours.

--

Ali gives the door a single knock before he enters. It’s been a while now since Regina’s last contacted him, and it’s already 11 PM, way past closing hours. He’d thought she’d left without him, but his blood had run cold when he saw the car still parked downstairs.

He’d ran all the way over here, hoping against all hopes that nothing bad happened to her.

Or that the other her didn’t wake up.

Instead, what he finds in the office are two women, sat together on the couch in the middle of the room. Dark, wavy tresses of hair fall elegantly against red clothing. The girl with bright EMT letters printed onto her shirt’s back has her neck craned, head pressed gently against the other head of hair resting on her shoulders.

The sight alights a twinge of pain in his chest, one he quickly squashes down, just like all the other times.

He steps closer, and Narda Custodio turns her head to look at him, surprised.

“Ah, Sir Ali—”

“Ma’am Narda,” he greets, rounding the couch’s corner. He looks at the sleeping Regina resting on her shoulder. His eyes are dark and unreadable.

Narda’s smile is sheepish. “Nakatulog na si ma’am, eh—ayoko namang isturbohin.”

Ali nods slowly, taking a deep breath. “Ako na bahala sa kanya.”

“Salamat ha,” Narda lets him pull Regina to his chest, watches him strain to carry her in his arms bridal-style. It’s a… strange sight, to say the least—the way he does it so easily. She blinks and looks away.

She vaguely wonders about the extent of their relationship.

“May hatid po ba kayo, ma’am? Pwede kitang ihatid,” Ali offers, though something in his face says he’s not doing it out of kindness.

Narda bites her lip, glances out the window. “Ah, huwag na. Ihatid niyo lang po si Regina.”

The man does not protest or even ask further, simply nods and bids her goodnight. And then she’s left all alone in the office, surrounded only by the quiet of night.

She exhales softly, pats her hand against her pocket, where she feels the hard indentation of the White Stone nestled there.

Chapter Text

Right from the start, some part of her did know that the fundamentals of her plan were flawed. After all, if she was interested in Brian, why not force him to spend time with her instead? Why’d she pull in the proverbial ‘other woman’?

Regina doesn’t know. She’s been a bit more careless lately, and she realizes, as she’s sat in the backseat of her car, forced to self-reflect amidst Ali’s tense silence, that this plan may just have been her desperate grasp to any semblance of control in the teetering balance of her life.

You couldn’t even say it.

She knocks her head against the car’s windowpane. Yes—she didn’t—couldn’t—say it. The window had opened for her a few nights ago to follow through the final steps of her plan to convince Narda to leave Brian alone, to distance herself. Regina’s an attorney, after all—she can weave the threads of any superficial story to convince almost anyone what she wants them to believe, and she sure as hell can convince sweet, naïve Narda to back off and leave Brian alone so she can have him instead. All while coming out as the good guy in the end.

Except she didn’t. Couldn’t. Wouldn’t.

She’d choked. Regina Vanguardia had choked.

How utterly, truly pathetic.

She can already hear her father berating her all the way from whatever business trip he’d flown off to last week. All you do is bring shame to this family.

The car rolls over stray pebbles splayed in the dirt path, and as it lurches forward, Regina braces against her seat, more irritated that it’d interrupted her train of thought than anything. It does bring her attention, however, to the fact that the car is slowly pulling into a driveway covered with dirt and thick underbrush. It’s hidden well within the gaps of two arching trees, surrounding an abandoned and dilapidating shack. And beyond that shack, enclosed by tall chain-link fences extending beyond the horizons marked by tall trees, looms a large concrete compound, a single, towering brutalist building at its center.

‘Authorized Personnel Only. Keep Out!

-Signed, Vallesteros and Co. Chemicals’

Regina sighs, massages the bridge of her nose with two fingers. Her little internal spiral can wait. She has business to attend to.

The shack is an abandoned warehouse—a fact that becomes clear when they enter and find rows of rusted metal shelves lining the walls, see stacks of wooden crates littering the dusty floors. Cobwebs hang off every perceivable corner in the room, and an unmistakable scent of iron taints the air, muddled together with the distant chemical tang from the chemical plant beyond the fences. Though the sun has not yet even set, far from it, darkness shrouds the innermost spaces of this structure, blanketing its secrets in thick shadows.

Something snaps. Regina turns at the sound, crosses her arms when her gaze lands on a lanky, middle-aged man, standing in the doorway of a side exit. Strands of gray powder portions of his dark hair.

“Ms. Vanguardia.”

Regina stretches her lips out into an amicable smile. “Mr. Nacordo,” she takes a step towards him, extending her hand out, “It’s good to finally meet you.”

The man is unfazed by the greeting. He raises his hand to shake hers firmly. His jaw is set, shoulders tense. In the flecks of brown in his darkened gaze, Regina recognizes an emotion as fiery and old as time itself—hatred.

She can’t blame him, and though a hint of guilt bubbles up somewhere inside Regina, she lets it fizzle away almost immediately.

It’s not as if she committed a crime. She simply… cashed in on a favor. The way her father would often cash in on his.

“Ano’ng gusto mo, Ms. Vanguardia?” the man asks, keeping his gaze levelled on hers.

She lets her posture relax, lets him know that nothing about this is new to her, that nothing about this bothers her. “You know what I want. Why do you think we’re here?”

Nacordo scoffs. “You wanting to come here to ask me to be your whistleblower only tells me that you’ve got a suicidal streak somewhere inside you. Sa tingin mo ba hindi delikado ang ginagawa natin?”

Regina’s gaze hardens. “Sa tingin mo ba magandang desisyon ipagalit ang taong may hawak sa buhay mo ngayon? Huwag mong kalimutan, Mr. Nacordo, you are indebted to me. Ako lang makakabalik ng lahat-lahat ng mga pag-aari mo.”

The man, though taller and older than her, shrinks under her cold gaze, forced to look away.

The smile finds its way back up to Regina’s lips. “So, we’ve come to an understanding. Hm?”

Nacordo glances at her. “There is… a section in the complex, once used for bookkeeping. Inabandona na nila pagkatapos nilang maitayo ang bagong building. May impormasyon doon magugustuhan mo. Walang tao doon sa oras ngayon, even though there are still confidential files there. After all, alam naman natin tamad ang Mayor.”

“Perfect,” Regina’s smile is as sweet as a viper’s venom. “Take us there, will you?”

The man only grunts in response, turning around and gesturing for them to follow. Regina exchanges a look with Ali, who, for the past few days, has been wearing a dubious expression on his face.

“Ano?”

Ali gives her a grave look. “Regina, delikado ‘to. Sigurado ka ba talaga dito?”

A flicker of irritation crosses Regina’s face. “Meron ka bang alternatibong solusyon?”

“Hindi yan—”

“Might I remind you how that turned out the last time?” Regina gives him one last warning look, before she turns and wordlessly follows after Nacordo. Ali sighs in defeat, following after.

This. Is. Fine. Regina repeats over and over in her head. She hasn’t committed a crime. She’s just… collecting what this man owed her family all those years ago. And yes, it did involve harsh methodologies, did involve dangling the man and his family over loan sharks and bank solicitors and anything else she could use against him, some of whom actually did bang on his door demanding payment.

But she hasn’t killed anyone. Neither did she cause anybody’s unintentional demise like her reckless henchman did. All she did was cash in on a favor—she repeats—that is all she did.

It doesn’t matter that she’d instilled an everlasting fear in this man’s family. Because in the end, this is all for the greater good.

The world, after all, isn’t all sunshine and butterflies. Not everything can be saved by some mysterious superhero or a morally sound cop… or even the twinkling eyes and sunlit smiles of a sinless EMT. And once upon a time, in a holy parable she deigns to believe in, God had asked a devout follower to sacrifice his son as an offering, and the man had obliged, proving his undying faith. It did not matter then how the son had felt, and it does not matter now.

--

There are things in the woods that go unnoticed by many, especially by those not familiar with such environments. Certainly like the two heading this small expedition. But not for Ali. No.

For a while now, he’s felt the air shift, heard misplaced sounds masked by the forest ambience. The entrance into the complex should not have been more than two kilometers away from that warehouse, yet the air has shifted multiple times, the leaves have rustled strangely, and he’s heard branches snap in the far distance where there should be nothing there.

His eyes settle nervously over Regina, just a few paces ahead of him. She’s become too reckless these days, and he can do nothing to stop it. It’s not his place. After all, he is just the lapdog who’d bend earth and water over just for her.

He grits his teeth. “Tabi tabi po,” he whispers, but it’s to no avail.

In this world, it is not myth one must be afraid of. He hurries to Regina’s side.

“Bilisan natin,” he whispers to Regina.

“I agree. Mr. Nacordo, nasaan ba ‘tong tinutukoy mo?” Regina announces out loud, though she does flash Ali a strange look.

The man stops just a few feet ahead of them, bending over to move a large boulder. Ali moves over to help him. When the two finish, Regina’s brows shoot up as she stares at the large hole carved into the chain-link fence there, once obstructed by the boulder. The gap opens to a more ominous hole dug into a nondescript concrete building.

“Right here, Ms. Vanguardia,” Nacordo answers her question, eyeing her warily. “Are you up for it, after all?”

Ali watches Regina’s face twist into a scowl.

“Of course. Lead the way.”

--

“Magiging okay ka lang po, ma’am. Huwag kang mag-alala.”

Narda squeezes the woman’s quivering hand from where it rests on the ambulance gurney’s arm rest. She smiles, meets her terrified gaze, as she wills herself not to stare too much at the blood spattered on the corners, at the mess that is this woman’s right leg. Diyos ko po. This is the reason why you don’t try to drive through a red light.

On top of the random, albeit fortunately sparse Extra attacks, the road accidents, robberies, and assault incidents have not made her job as an EMT any easier. And it’s in these moments—these high-adrenaline, stress-inducing moments—that she unbiddenly allows her mind a flash of a bittersweet thought, a glimpse of the what-ifs, like—

What if she were a doctor? Maybe instead of sitting in stuffy vehicles like this, desperately trying to calm both a would-be patient and herself down, only being able to provide entry-level care and nothing more, she would have instead been able to administer treatment. She’d be able to give patients an actual, more permanent solution, and they would smile at her, give her their utmost gratitude. EMTs, after all, are not as memorable.

But that is no longer a dream she has any intention of achieving. No. And it’s fine, really. Her job now is still just as noble, she believes—still just as important in society as with any other medical position, in spite of its lesser pay. She knows this, as the ER nurses and doctors rush to her and her peers, firing question after question as they moved to wheel the patient into ER.

She supposes she should be grateful—she doesn’t even have a college degree. Plus, her position does help her train, help her hone her skills, expand her knowledge to be able to perform her job better as Darna. It also provided an avenue for her to honor her mother’s name as Narda, the daughter of famed EMT Leonor Custodio—'ang ganda naman at sinunod mo ang nanay mo,’ as one of her neighbors had said. And she’s met quite a number of fascinating people too—both irritating and wonderful (she thinks of a gracious doctor, of two grinning men; she thinks of a navy-blue police cap, and finally, of blonde streaks stark against brunette hair).

She supposes she really should be grateful. Still, as she watches the nurses wheel the patient away, disappearing into the ER’s double doors, a drifting sense of longing tugs at her insides.

She sighs. No. It’s Ding’s responsibility now to reach for his dreams, and it’s hers to ensure that he does.

She’s in the middle of scrubbing her hands clean in the hospital bathroom when her phone rings in her pocket. She flinches when she hears police sirens blaring on the other end.

“Narda?” It’s Brian’s voice, sounding a bit frazzled and frantic.

“Brian? Ano’ng nangyari?”

“Nasaan ka ngayon?”

“Nasa… ospital, kakatapos lang ng isang emergency… pero ‘di yan importante. Ano’ng nangyayari? Ba’t ang ingay diyan?”

“Akala ko pap—hay, salamat nalang. Di bale. Yung power plant kasi na nasa kabila ng bundok… may Extrang umatake doon.”

“Ano?” Narda wiggles the moisture off her hands. She quickly exits the bathroom, panic slowly rising in her throat. “Malala ba ang sitwasyon?”

“Wala pang kongkretong report na naipalabas. Pero…” she hears him hesitate, hears him sigh on the other end. “Narda, huwag kang pumunta doon. Bumalik ka nalang sa pundasyon. Parang… delikado ang sitwasyon…”

She runs a hand over her face, sighing in exasperation. “EMT ako, Brian. Responsibilidad kong tumulong kung saan man may nangangailangan.”

She pushes open the double doors and walks out into the hospital’s service driveway, where her fellow EMTs wait around their designated ambulance.

“Oo nga… pero kung meron ka mang ibang choice… huwag kang pumunta doon,” Brian warns, his voice is low. “Please lang, at—teka, tatawagin kita mamaya, okay?”

“T-teka, Brian, wait lang—”

The call cuts off. Narda clicks her tongue, looks at her blank phone screen. She quickly pockets it as she’s hauled into the vehicle, following after her peers already seated inside. As their driver starts the car, she turns to Andre, who’s squished against her on the bench.

“Sinabihan ako ni Brian na may Extrang lumitaw sa isang power plant sa may bundukan,” she says.

The man nods. “Sa chem factory ni Mayor yun, ano? Bago lang rin binalitaan sa’min. Ibang unit na daw ang papunta doon.”

On her other side, Richard raises his phone up in the air, showing them both the ‘Extras Anonymous’ Facebook page. “May nagsabi daw na malala yung sitwasyon. Bago raw na Extra ang nandoon, at kaya niyang kumontrol ng mga halaman at puno.”

Narda chews on her bottom lip apprehensively. “Diba pwedeng pumunta tayo doon? Mas… mabuti naman kung mas marami tayong nagtutulungan.”

Andre shakes his head. “Bago lang naman nating natapos yung isang emergency—alam mong kailangan pa nating mag-file ng paperwork.”

Narda sighs, lays back and rests her head on the seat.

“Huwag kang mag-alala,” Richard tells her, patting her lightly on the shoulder. He appears entirely too calm in spite of the news. “Diba papunta naman si Brian doon? I’m sure kakayanin ng team niya yun, especially since… diba knight in shining armor mo siya?”

Her two friends’ lips part into mischievous grins, almost in sync. Narda rolls her eyes. Sige na naman.

“Besides, I’m sure na pupunta rin yung Babaeng Lumilipad na yon doon, and then she’ll save the day as usual,” Andre adds, humming. Richard nods in agreement.

Narda can’t respond to that. After all, that ‘Babaeng Lumilipad’ isn’t there right now—no, she’s here, sat inside a car stuck in the middle of late afternoon traffic. And all she can do is count the seconds passing by, unable to do anything but wait. And wait. And wait. God. She wishes she were in a world where she could just freely parade around her secret identity everywhere without consequence—it would certainly make her life easier.

For some reason, her mind wanders back to Regina’s words all those weeks ago. They were sat shoulder to shoulder then. Warm hands pressed gently against her arms. You cannot save everyone… but at least, you tried your best to save everyone.

And with the memory comes an inexplicable dread, a strange and cold fear that creeps along her fingertips, a foreboding sense of wrongness coiling in her gut. And as both Darna and a trained EMT—she knows never to disregard gut feelings. Something must be wrong. She purses her lips, cranes her body so she can somehow meet the driver’s eyes through the rearview mirror.

“Pakibilisan po!”

They finally arrive fifteen minutes later, and the EMTs quickly pour out of the car in swift, practiced motions. Before they can get in the building, however, Narda pulls Andre aside.

“Kailangan kong humingi ng pabor,” she whispers to him. “Pakifill up mo nalang yung incident report ko.”

The man eyes her suspiciously. “Bakit?”

Narda internally groans. “Kailangan ko kasing kunin si Ding sa eskwelahan.”

It’s a fragile lie, especially since her friends should be aware by now that Ding is pretty independent—he often goes home by himself. Still, Andre just sighs, nods, and bids her good luck, as if he somehow knew what she was up to. A dangerous possibility, really.

But it’s an issue for another day. She quickly finds a secluded alleyway devoid of security cameras and people, swallows the gleaming stone, and yells:

“Darna!”

--

“Shit!”

Brian narrowly misses the wooden debris that had come flying his way. He ducks behind a protruding pipe chase wall, uses the time to reload his handgun—he’s only got two clips left.

“Mayor Zaldy Vallesteros,” the Extra’s voice—a feminine and raspy tenor enveloped by an otherworldly echo—booms. In the distance, he hears a tree being uprooted, sees the same tree launched in the direction of a police car. It crumples immediately under its weight. “Nasaan si Mayor Zaldy Vallesteros?”

Of course. The Mayor has been the common denominator for quite a number of these Extras’ source of scorn. It’s frequent enough to make him wonder why that man had not yet been impeached until now.

He eyes the vines snaking slowly along the ground, watches them creep along the walls and—pucha, he jumps out of the way before another set of them can snag him from where they’ve wrapped around the wall behind him.

“Kasalanan mo lahat ‘to, Mayor,” the Extra’s voice is hoarse and ethereal, all the while tinged with the remnants of a strangled sob. “Dahil sa’yo… dahil sa’yo…!”

From behind the factory wall, he hears a sudden, deafening roar. His heart drops when he hears several other trees being uprooted, sees them launched one by one at his fellow officers. He looks away before he can see one of his teammates being crushed by one of them.

Nasaan ka, Darna?!

The internal call is answered immediately, when the Extra’s roar is turned suddenly into an anguished cry, and he hears something drop to the ground. He chances a look around the corner, and relief floods him when he finds Darna there, floating in midair, right over the fallen Extra.

The woman turns around partially to glance at him. They share an amicable look and a nod before something suddenly bursts forth from the ground and snags her.

“Darna!”

“Ang mga tao—!” Darna struggles to get the words out, as the moving masses of branches coil tightly around her legs. “Iligtas mo… ang mga tao…!”

Thankfully, Brian catches the message immediately, though his eyes flash with a hint of hesitation. He calls for his teammates to find any survivors.

Darna grunts, raising her hand up and bringing it down as hard as she can on the branches. It strains and breaks, and as the tree crumples, she hears the Extra’s anguished cries pierce through the air.

“Bakit mo ginagawa ito?” the Extra bellows, as vines and branches and foliage of all kinds spurting from the ground wrap around her, turning her into an almost unrecognizable being. “Si Mayor ang kalaban… siya ang may kasalanan nitong lahat…!”

Darna grits her teeth, an unearthly anger flaring through her that she forcefully calms down with human intuition. “Kahit na, dinadamay mo ang mga inosente!”

“Inosente? Ha!” the woman’s eyes glow green. A devilish smile stretches onto her face. “Ang mga taong ito, sila ang bumoto sa kanya, nagtrabaho para sa kanya.” The Extra slowly rises into the air to level with her, suspended by the meshes of tree branches emerging from the underground and growing exponentially.

The Extra gestures around them, to the wasteland that has become of this factory complex. It’s only then Darna realizes the extent of the destruction she’s caused—concrete buildings crumpled like paper, crevices filled with what looked like large, branch-like vines, random trees piercing through building funnels, some smattered with—ugh—blood.

A weight settles heavily unto her chest, piling pressure upon the guilt already knotting within her insides. Kung nandito lang ako kanina…

“Lahat sila’y may kontribyusyon sa trahediyang nangyari sa maliit naming baryo,” the Extra seethes. “Katulad sa’yo—ikaw na may kapangyarihan, pero walang ginawa. At lahat kayo… ang magbabayad!”

Darna’s face twists into rage. The Extra screams, throws her arms forward, sending a mass of forest foliage and vines straight at her. She reacts too late.

The impact launches her through the air, and no matter how much she tries to lose the building momentum, flailing her arms and moving her body around over and over, she cannot. The mass of vines and branches brings her down through the face of a distant building in the complex. She feels every impact of stone, concrete, and wood all at once, and as she finally hits the hard floor within this structure, a part of her chuckles at the fact that if she weren’t Darna right now, if she were just ordinary Narda Custodio, she might have just ended up as flattened meat, like some human burger patty.

But right now, she is Darna. And Darna raises her two fists and brings them down into the branches, shattering them immediately. With a grunt, she pushes them off her, stomps her foot hard against a large piece so it’d break off. In the distance, she hears a scream, but she doesn’t care—this Extra is much too powerful for—

“Ma’am Regina, please—”

Something inside Darna drops. Her eyes widen, fingers turn cold. Her head swivels around to where the sound had come from, only to find two figures there. One crouched on the ground—a woman—another standing over her—a man. Familiar, wavy dark brown tresses flow over the fabric of a white button-up.

It’s only then she notices the mess this room’s interior is in—file cabinets crumpled into nothing, strewn about the floor, vines sprouting from every corner, bounded by thick branches, devouring the structure, the torn papers scattered around every surface, some of them even sprouting what looked to be seedlings.

And at the far corner of the room, where the man and woman faced, is another man—an older one, with graying hair—skewered into a wall that’s partially devoured by the creeping forest. His eyes are lifeless, blood dribbles slowly down his lip—a tree branch has stuck itself right in the middle of his chest, essentially pinning him to the wall.

Finally, Darna registers that the two people staring at this corpse are not at all strangers, but Regina and Ali.

No.

The cold fear that had suddenly gripped her just a few minutes prior suddenly makes sense.

Bakit ka nandito, Regina?

“Kailangan niyong umalis,” Narda struggles to keep her voice as Darna from trembling. She takes a careful step forward.

Only Ali manages to acknowledge her presence, wide eyes turning to stare at her. His hand, pressed against Regina’s back, is trembling.

“R—” Narda catches herself. Hindi ka si Narda. Ngayon, ikaw ay si Darna. “Ma’am, sir, delikado po dito. Pakiusap—”

Regina finally acknowledges her then, angling her head just a little to look at her, and she freezes when their gazes meet.

Regina Vanguardia is crying.

And Narda can't be here to comfort her.

A tree stalk bursts through a side wall, and Darna tears her gaze off the woman, just in time to brace against the impact of the slithering mass of branches and vines. She grits her teeth, strains (casting one last look at Regina, sees the emptiness in her dark eyes), and, with a scream, tears a large portion of the stalk off its source. She flies quickly outside, carrying the massive trunk with her.

When she spots the Extra, she lets out a huff of breath as she raises the tree stalk, closing one eye, using her enhanced senses to aim at the wood-witch. Before the Extra can spot her, she roars once more, hurling the amalgamation of wood, branches, and vines at her. She doesn’t wait for it to land, instead turning around and speeding back into the building she’d come from.

Ali is no longer there when she returns, and she deduces he must have fled when Regina had remained frozen on her spot there, unmoving. No doubt in shock—and who can blame her, when even Darna hadn’t anticipated such a gruesome outcome to the end of this otherwise normal day?

But there is no time to waste. She doesn’t wait for Regina to respond when she tries to call her. She pulls her close instead, wrapping her arms around her torso and flying her out of the building. Suspended now in midair, she takes a moment to look around—this factory complex is unfortunately surrounded by much greenery, which is terribly unsafe considering the nature of this Extra.

She feels Regina’s arms slowly snake around her neck, feels her cold trembling fingers skitter along her skin. She grits her teeth, tightens her grip. Ipapalayo kita sa panganib, Regina—she wants to say—sisiguraduhin kong ligtas ka.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take her long before she spots a few ambulances parked a ways away, on a roadside spot thankfully free from much forestry. She swiftly flies towards it, landing right in the middle of the little camp the EMTs and paramedics have set up there.

“M-ma’am Regina?!” An EMT gawks as she lands in front of her. “At a-ang Babaeng Lumilipad?!”

Darna smiles politely, moving past her to set Regina down on the ambulance’s aluminum floor.

“Huwag kayong lumapit sa factory,” she warns the approaching officers who’ve become privy and curious to her presence. “Yung mga biktima, madaliin niyong i-transport sila sa ospital.”

The paramedics and EMTs share uncertain looks amongst themselves, but one hard look is all it takes for them to start moving. At that, she turns her gaze back to Regina, who’s sat stone-still on the vehicle’s rear step, staring at nothing in particular, her face incredibly pale.

Darna bites her bottom lip, uncertain. On one hand, Narda would like nothing more than to stay and comfort her friend, but on the other, she has a responsibility as Darna—

That Extra is still alive.

She squeezes her eyes shut. “Mag-ingat ka.”

She turns to leave, but before she can, cold fingers close around her wrist, tugging her back. She shudders, turns her head to look at Regina again.

For a split second, she thinks she sees a dim green glow swirling in the woman’s eyes. But when she blinks, its gone, and she forces herself to ignore the twinge in her heart when she realizes the woman’s eyes hold nothing but hatred for her.

‘What separates that girl from all the other Extras is just one bad hair day.’ Regina’s voice rings loudly in her ear—a memory, not even two months old. The same voice speaks to her now. Low and dangerous.

“Bakit ka pumunta dito?”

Darna looks away. She’s unsure if she should speak—after all, she can only do so much to mask her own normal Narda voice. She’s spoken too much already today.

Regina’s grip tightens. “Kung hindi dahil sa mga katulad niyo…”

Darna closes her eyes, exhales slowly through her nose. “Ms. Vanguardia,” she says in a voice at a lower octave, “Naniniwala ako… kung saan man merong espesyal na abilidad, na kapangyarihan, na lakas… may kasama din yong mas malaki pang responsibilidad.”

She chances a glance at the woman’s eyes, leveling her cold glare with a steeled gaze.

“At sisiguraduhin ko, na kahit ano mang mangyayari, isa yung responsibilidad na papanindigan ko.” She smiles, catching a flicker of surprise in Regina’s face, as she gently pries her fingers off her wrist. “Sa tingin ko, ang paniniwala na yun, ang responsibilidad... importante yun para sa'yo, hindi ba?"

And with that, she turns around and leaves, leaving the lone attorney there, in the back of an ambulance. Regina watches her fly into the air, launch herself back into the foray, where the wood-witching Extra has once again emerged from the debris of forestry.

Chapter Text

Alternating blotches of green streak past translucent black windows. Overwhelmed occasionally by bright flashes of red, blue, red, blue, red. The wailing of passing emergency cars are a distant resonance to her ringing ears. Deafening at the peak of a sound wave, and then dissipating like echoes in an empty vacuum.

One. Two. Three.

The leather of the car’s backseat is hard and smooth, the bumps of its texture distinct against her fingertips. Chemical citrus permeates the cold air from the air-conditioning unit, sharp and sour and sweet but not at all unpleasant. Traces of iron linger strangely along the back of her tongue, spreading a warm, blood-like tang inside her dry mouth.

Four. Five. Six.

Her fingertips tap against the seat in steady rhythms. She’s here. Right here. Back in her car. And she’s not alone. Ali is there, right there—he’s already driving. He’s been driving for a while now.

Seven. Eight. Nine.

Regina takes a breath with each number she counts. What is happening? They’re driving home—yes, home, back to Nueva Esperanza’s urban landscape. What had happened?

Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

There was a fight. That Babaeng Lumilipad was there. She’d carried her to an ambulance, and then flown back to deal with the Extra.

‘…Kahit ano mang mangyayari, isa yung responsibilidad na papanindigan ko.’

She inhales sharply. Why does that sound familiar?

Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen.

The events come back to her in steady waves. Ali watches her through the rearview mirror, sees the sweat beads on her forehead, sees how quickly she blinks.

The fight after was brief, and not because of a superhero’s success. No. After the fourth hit, the Extra had suddenly let out the most deafening screech, one that had reverberated throughout the complex and the areas around. When everyone and even the Babaeng Lumilipad had come to, the Extra was already gone, and only the scars of the fight remained in the foliage and vines coiled around the buildings around the factory. It was a battle that ended in a draw.

And Regina had witnessed it all. Or at least, she thinks she did—she does remember it. Or was it Ali who told her? She’s not sure. She hadn’t felt herself the entire duration in which the chaos ensued. Truthfully, she hasn’t been feeling at all there since that tree stalk had sprouted out of nowhere and pierced through Nacordo’s ribcage.

‘Pakiusap… protektahan mo… ang pamilya ko…’

She squeezes her eyes shut, lets her head fall back unto the headrest. It’s done now. She’s here now, in this car. She’s not at the factory. She’s here.

Her grimy fingers hold on tightly to the documents Ali had managed to retrieve. She glances at him then as he sits on the driver’s seat, sullenly maneuvering their car back into the city. Into safety from these woods.

“Ali,” she manages to whisper after clearing her throat, “thank you.”

The man glances at her through the rearview mirror. Though he doesn’t say anything, she sees the corners of his mouth twitch upward slightly.

Though he’d left her alone a while ago when she’d refused to budge, leaving her in the hands of that superhero, he’d surprisingly come to find her when the chaos had settled down. He’d emerged from the woods already driving their car, and though he was scraped and shaken, there was a pile of scattered documents in the backseat.

‘Baka makakatulong ‘to,’ he’d said through a trembling voice, as he gestured to the several papers, documents, and files that had been torn, creased, and moss filled laying all over the backseat. He’d gone back to save them.

It’s a comforting thought, she thinks—that even amidst the hellfire, she knows this man would be here for her.

She pities him.

“Wala na talaga, Ali,” Regina sighs. “Ang dalawang whistleblower na nakuha ko, namatay. And all because of those… fucking Extras.”

Ali purses his lips. “Hindi ka pa natalo, Regina. Meron pang ibang paraan, meron pang ibang taong makakausap mo. Yung mga documents na yan—”

“What does it matter?” Regina watches the passing landscape slowly turn to the telltale entrance signs of the approaching townscape. “Wala na si Nacordo. If meron mang sensitive info dito, we can’t present these as evidence anyway, or else ma-incriminate tayo.”

And if that happens—God, her father might disown her.

Ali’s jaw tightens. “I’m sure merong ibang paraan, Regina.”

“Even if there is, Ali,” she sighs, fights back the forming tears—come on, Regina, you’re done crying—fights back the voices that have been clawing their way back to her head. “It doesn’t change the fact na lahat ng ginawa ko over the past few days are all for nothing. Dinamay ko pa ang pamilya niya, tinakot at binlackmail sila, and for what? Now that man is dead, and my efforts are now all just… worthless.”

She presses her head against the window, watches the passing landscape go by—clean and untouched, as if it weren’t from the same earth that had caused so much death just minutes prior.

Her attention turns towards her phone, laying idle on top of the scattered papers. The last call she’d made was to Nacordo. Only two hours ago now.

That man was here today because of me.

She reaches over for it absentmindedly, unlocks it, and clicks open her contact list.

That man died because of me.

And I’ve destroyed a family for nothing.

Mabait ba talaga ako, Narda?

She eyes her contact list on her phone, thumb itching to scroll through it, to find someone, anyone just to… validate her feelings? To comfort her?

Mabait? Ikaw?

Pagkatapos ng lahat ng ginawa mo?

She thumbs through it, pausing over the name ‘Brian Robles’.

Enough with this senseless charade.

Wala kang matutupad kung palagi kang aasa sa katuwiran.

Be quiet.

She scrolls past the name, finds another instead. Her thumb presses on the name ‘Narda Custodio’, and then again on the green call button.

Please pick up.

Bakit?

The dial tone rings once.

How desperate are you for validation?

Twice.

Mula pa sa taong niloloko mo?

Four times.

Kaibigan? Nakalimutan mo na ba kung bakit mo siya kinaibigan in the first place?

Six.

Ginagamit ka lang niya, katulad ng ginagawa mo sa kanya.

Seven. There is no answer.

Sa tingin mo bibigyan ka niya ng simpatya?

She hangs up before it can ring for the eighth time.

Pagkatapos ng lahat ng ginawa mo?

A memory echoes in her head, in her eardrums—a man’s voice, crying out for his family, for some divine being’s salvation. Her ears had been ringing then, in the small crawlspace she’d hidden off to with Ali where she did absolutely nothing to help that poor man, even as the Extra lifted him up easily off the ground and pierced the earth’s roots into his chest.

Huwag kanang magpanggap.

Hindi ka inosente dito.

You do not deserve that girl’s kindness.

Katulad lang naman siya sa iba.

Di nga niya sinagot yung tawag mo.

Regina squeezes her eyes shut, slings both hands over her eyes, willing everything inside to just be quiet for once, Jesus Christ. She prays, begs for it even as Ali finally drops her off at her place, even as she buries herself into her blankets. The headache throbs in waves, stabbing at her from every corner, every angle, even after she’s downed three capsules of Ibuprofen.

Shut up shut up shut up shut up please just—

A voice unlike any other, so familiar yet so unknown, so close yet so distant, pierces through the cacophony of noise inside.

Aking munting anghel.

A tear rolls down her cheek. A glimpse of the past flickers through her mind. The smile of a father—and no, not her father now—her papa, who had once been so kind to her, who’d always been proud of her. No matter what.

And that fateful night when he was taken from her.

Why don’t you sleep now, my angel?

It will all be over soon.

And so, exhausted beyond belief, Regina lets herself be lulled by the voices. The darkness that consumes her is warm and peaceful, a serpent’s call to the fruit of a tree.

--

Narda Custodio [8:10 PM]: regina! sorry di ko nasagot yung tawag mo, nabusy ako e. ok ka lang ba? anong nangyari??

--

Narda Custodio [9:31 PM]: [3 Missed Calls]

--

The clock reads 10 PM now, and there is still no reply or call from Regina. Narda sighs, turning her phone off. In a minute or so, she’ll probably turn it back on, but for now, she turns to look at her brother instead.

“Nag-aalala ako, Ding,” she says as Ding carefully re-applies the bandage over her arm. The wound is probably going to sting tomorrow.

The boy glances at her before he secures the knot. “Bakit naman, ate? Marami namang taong nailigtas mo kanina.”

His words make Narda grimace. She did save some people then—but for many others it was too late. And the Extra is still out there, alive and completely capable of causing such havoc again. And now there’s Regina too. Regina, who was there at that incident—Regina, who won’t answer her texts or calls now. There’s too much to think about, and all she can really do is knock her head against the wall to numb the pain and tension away.

“Hindi yan sapat,” she sighs. “Nakatakas ang Extra’ng kinalaban ko kanina. Ang lakas pa niya… di ko siya pwedeng pabayaan, Ding. Plus… nakita ko si Regina doon.”

“Si Regina Vanguardia?” Ding blinks back in surprise. “Yung best friend mo? Regina Vanguardia?”

“Ano’ng ‘best friend’—”

“Diba magkaaway sila ni Mayor? Ba’t siya pumunta sa factory niya?”

Narda shoots him a look, but nonetheless shakes her head and sighs. “Di ko rin alam. Nag-aalala nga ako sa kanya, eh. Parang ang… lifeless ng mga mata niya kanina… Tapos, wala pa siyang reply sa mga messages at tawag ko. Hindi ko alam kung ano’ng nangyayari sa kanya—kung okay ba siya o—o ano…”

Some part of her vaguely wonders what would have happened if she’d arrived any later a while ago. She wonders if she’d have found something else in that building instead, if both Regina and Ali would have been—

She doesn’t want to finish that thought. She can’t.

Ding hums, going over to sit himself down on her room’s windowsill. “Normal naman siguro na reaksyon yan, ate. Nakita ko rin naman sa balita—maraming nasugatan, namatay. If I were in her place, siguro ma-shoshock din ako, especially kung nakita ko mismo kung ano ang nangyari.”

Narda casts a glance at him. “‘Shock’ lang ba talaga yun, Ding? Yan ang pinag-aalala ko, eh. Sa mga sandaling wala ako doon kanina, hindi ko alam kung ano talaga ang ginawa ng Extra na yun. Baka—baka… kung ano nalang ang ginawa niya—”

Ding reaches over to place a hand over her shoulder. “Ate, kalma lang. Siguro kailangan lang niya ng… pahinga, diba? Gabi na naman din; baka natutulog lang siya.”

Narda takes a placating breath, moving to lean on the wall beside him. She does think Ding has a point—Regina must have been there when that older man in the factory had been speared through by the tree stalk. And while Narda has the experience of seeing quite a few tragedies in both sides of her life, has the stomach for it at this point, has learned how to numb and drown it all out, Regina does not.

She still remembers the first time she’d seen death before her eyes—her own mother. She’d been in a dark place then, and sleep was never a safe option to her. She’d met Regina then, she recalls fondly, standing over a cliffside. They’d made a promise to each other then.

She bites on her bottom lip as the memory now brings back a touch of fear amidst the affection. She wouldn’t—

She presses the call button, and still, it ends with an automated answer from the service provider. Ding looks at her sympathetically.

She wouldn’t. She has to believe in that—that Regina wouldn’t go back to such a dark place—even as she now paces the area beside her bed. She’s just at home, asleep, and then tomorrow she’ll be back to call her.

She catches a glimpse of herself in the floor-length mirror in the room, sees the exhaustion marring her features, the tension in her shoulders especially now. Though she has a cut lip and a gash on her upper arm, those are thankfully the only things she sustained from the fight a while ago. Thank God the stone grants her high amounts of invincibility; otherwise, she’d arrive to work tomorrow looking as if she’d been beaten up by Pacquiao.

Even so, her body is entirely sore, and she’s more than ready to collapse into her bed and call it a day, but…

She pushes herself off the wall. “Kailangan kong mahanap yung Extra.”

Ding looks at her like she’s crazy. “Pero ate, wala ka sa kondisyon para lumaban ulit. Diba sabi mo na nga? Powerful siya na Extra.”

Narda takes the White Stone from her pocket, scrutinizes it through a narrowed gaze. “Oo, pero kailangan ko ‘tong gawin dahil nga delikado siya. Wala akong choice, Ding. Kung hindi ko man siya mahanap ngayon, baka meron pa rin akong ibang mahanap… baka meron siyang iniwan doon na makakatulong sa’tin hanapin siya.”

With that, she quickly transforms back into Darna, ignoring the aches along her limbs and torso, and shoots off into the night sky. She arrives at the site of the destruction less than five minutes later. Strange pillars of smoke billow from unseen areas, and most of the site has been blocked off by yellow caution tapes. People in hazmat suits mill about the area, assessing the impact the plant’s destruction might have in the surrounding areas and in Nueva Esperanza itself.

God. What can she even find amidst the rubble of this destruction?

A twig snaps. She whirls around to find a familiar policeman approaching her.

She breathes a sigh of relief when her eyes meet Brian’s—at least there’s a familiar face around, even though it’s already late. He’s thankfully not too injured, sporting just a few scrapes and bruises along his arms and on his face. Still, he looks a lot more rattled than usual.

“Kanina pa kita hinahanap,” he says, and then suddenly grins, “Diba pwedeng pa-add ng number mo para mas madali kitang ma-contact?”

“Ano’ng nahanap mo?” Darna deadpans.

The cop’s smile falters. Still, he recovers quickly, clearing his throat and rummaging through his back pocket. He pulls out a ziplocked bag moments later, within which a pendant is sealed.

“‘Eto,” Brian hands it to her. “Alam kong dapat ko itong ibigay sa forensics team namin… pero naisip ko na baka mas useful ‘to para sa’yo.”

Darna lets herself smile as she accepts it. “Thank you. Pero… sure ka lang ba? Diba kailangan niyo ‘to?”

Brian gives her a grim look. “Alam mo naman… narinig ko kasi na mas interesado si Mayor na itago lang ang lahat ng ito. Ayaw niyang may bad press ang factory na may pangalan niyang nakasabit.”

Darna sighs. Of course. “Salamat, Brian. Makakatulong talaga ito.”

Brian flashes her a boyish grin. It’s the same one he flashes Narda all the time. “No problem.”

With that, Darna quickly leaves, and as she floats through the chilly night sky, she takes the moment to look at the pendant they’d found. It’s not an ordinary pendant—rather than a picture or a name, engraved in it are strange letters. Its shape is unconventional too, appearing to be some sort of sigil.

It tells her nothing of the Extra, so she pockets it with a sigh. She supposes she can ask Lolo Rolando about it tomorrow. For now, she flies back down and above Nueva Esperanza’s cityscape.

As she floats above it idly in midair, a thought randomly passes. She could check on Regina right at this moment, couldn’t she? She could just… take a peek into her bedroom, see if she’s really okay, and then leave.

She internally slaps herself. No, she shouldn’t do that. Regina’s just a friend, just a boss—she still has her boundaries, and if she’s not even ready to talk to Narda, then what makes it okay for her to come visit as Darna? She has to trust her.

She shakes her head, changes her flight path back home instead. But before she even reaches halfway, a sudden chill settles into her gut. Around her, the wind is shifting strangely—wrongly.

She pauses, focuses her enhanced senses on catching anything that might be amiss.

Something hisses ominously in the distance.

Cold fear coils around her stomach. The familiarity of the sound registers.

There.

She swallows thickly before she speeds through the windways, through the clouds, and then back to the ground. When she lands, she finds herself in a deserted, foggy alleyway in the boundary between the city and some high-end neighborhood she’s yet to set foot in as Narda.

Bright, alert eyes glance around every corner, searching for any hint of movement, any little sound, any sign—even a prickle of misplaced sensation—

A serpent’s hiss. Behind her.

She whirls around, stance ready, but finds nothing there. Just the same old empty alley, bathed in the blue of night and a thin layer of fog. The ground muddied with puddles from a light rainfall.

A whispered laugh pierces through the heavy air.

She turns around again, still finding nothing there. Where is she?

Nasaan ang Babaeng Ahas?

The question is answered immediately, with a distant plop… a few paces behind her. She schools her expression, takes a few steadying, calming breaths—okay lang ‘to. Hindi ka si Narda ngayon. Ikaw si Darna.

When she spins around, a thicker curtain of fog has pervaded the alleyway, obstructing the corner in which it turns to. A faint silhouette stands beyond it. It’s a woman’s figure, but even from here, she can make out its head of snakes.

“Ikaw.”

She feels more than sees the smile that carves into the Extra’s lips. What she sees is a pair of green glowing amidst the fog that obstructs her.

“Darna.”

At that, Darna pauses. “Paano mo nalaman ang pangalan ko?”

The only person who knows her name is Brian. And in the chaos that transpired just a few hours ago, it must have been impossible for anyone to have heard him yell her name out loud. Except the Extra. But that Extra is different. How—?

A strange, strangled tittering slices through the heavy late-night air. The Snake Lady’s voice is an otherworldly legion of echoes accompanied by multitudes of hisses.

“Kahit noon pa man at ngayon, at maging sa magpakailanman…” the Extra bellows, “Alam ko na ang pangalan mo. Ito ang aking habang-buhay na sumpa.”

Darna bites her lip anxiously. She hears her take a step forward.

“Ang ating pagtagpo ay tinadhana sa mga bituin—dalawang dating magkaibigan, kalaban, pinagtagpo muli. Reunited. Just like every lifetime before.”

‘Kaibigan? She must be one of her mother’s old enemies then—maybe even one who’d come from Planet Marte itself. Then—ibig bang sabihin nito na hindi siya isang Extra?

And what does she mean, that this meeting had been written in the stars? Darna grits her teeth.

“Hindi tayo magkakaibigan,” she snaps. “Ano’ng ginagawa mo dito?”

“Hindi ako nandito para kalabanin ka, Darna.”

Darna looks at her apprehensively. “Hindi ako naniniwala sa’yo.”

A heavy sigh is thrown into the air. “Gusto ko lang namang huminga.”

“At dapat kitang paniniwalaan?”

“Ilang taon akong pinatulog, nilunod ng isang simpleng batang nasaktan sa walang kwentang mundong pinili mo. Gusto ko lang huminga sa sandaling ito.”

Darna clenches her fists tighter, takes a single step forward. What does she mean? What does any of this mean? ‘Pinatulog ng isang bata?’ So, someone knows this… being’s identity? Someone’s been hiding her away all these years?

Another laugh pierces the night air. Two glowing eyes angle upwards into the sky. More than a dozen snakes rattle and hiss ominously.

“Hindi mo ba nararamdaman, Darna?” the Snake Lady asks. “Umiba na ang daloy ng hangin, ang agos ng tubig, ang amoy ng nakakapaligid… may paparating, itinanda na sa mundong ito.”

The Snake Lady lowers her head to stare back at her.

“Sa tingin mo ba, handa ka para sa kinabukasan?”

Darna’s jaw tightens. She subtly widens her stance, raises her fists up to her chest. The snakes on the woman’s head hiss threateningly.

“Malapit nalang,” the Snake Lady takes a small step forward. There’s an ominous smile tainting her otherworldly voice. “Malapit nalang at gigising na siya…”

“Sino? Ano ang pinagsasabi mo diyan?” Darna hears the frustration in her own voice. Her fists tighten at her sides.

“When the time comes, will everything change then? For you and me?” the figure stops where the fog has thinned out. Darna catches a small glimpse of her face, catches a glimpse of an inky black substance staining her cheeks, pouring from her eyes.

“Sino ka ba talaga…?” Darna’s stance falters.

“Sa panahon na yon, maaalala mo ba ang pangalan ko?”

Bright green eyes bore into her soul—their glow a hypnotizing radiance, deep pools swirling in endless chartreuse spirals beckoning her to just jump in.

In this hypnotic gaze, she feels a name spelled out for her in the back of her mind.

“…Valentina.”

She sees the glimpse of a wicked smile through the fog.

Before she knows it, one of the snakes lunge at her, stretching over an impossible distance with its fangs bared. She narrowly dodges it, sidestepping away just in time before the reptile could bite her. When she recovers, the Snake Lady is already gone.

Something dark falls from above. Darna rolls out of the way just in time to dodge Valentina’s claws, which then dig into the ground. She curses, moves to strike the gorgon before she can recover, but a myriad of serpents move to lunge at her once more.

Quickly thinking, she pushes herself off the ground and flies into the air, circling back momentarily to return to the alleyway. However, it is empty when she returns, and the only thing that remains of the otherworldly being is a scrap of green fabric.

“Hanggang sa muli nating pagkikita, Darna…”

A laugh punctuates the echo of voices, and though Darna strains her eyes scrutinizing her surroundings, Valentina is nowhere to be found anymore.

“Shit,” she hisses, surprising even herself. It’s the first time she’s ever cursed out loud as Darna, and she has a feeling it won’t be the last.

She had one job. One job and one huge window of opportunity. Instead, she let it slip by her. Because, though she hates to admit it now, she’d actually let herself believe Valentina wasn’t there to fight, that maybe—maybe, by some impossible probability, Valentina was one of the good ones. Just a misunderstood and unsung hero. Like Toledo.

And the more juvenile reason—that inside, Narda was deathly afraid, so terrified of the monster that had stood before her.

Instead, she’d found an even bigger problem than that wood-witch from a while ago.

Because Valentina knows her to some degree, knows Darna, and the only thing that protects her now is the hope that Narda has not yet been found out.

And what was that feeling a while ago? The hypnotic lure in the monster's green gaze, a strange beckoning, a whisper that spelled out an unknown name? How did she know Valentina's name?

But there are no answers to her questions in this now deserted alleyway. Just the quiet night, the fog, and the omen that comes with it.

--

“Sa balita ngayong umaga, isang lalaki ang natagpuang patay sa loob ng isang subdivision sa Nueva Esperanza. Hindi pa inilantad ang pangalan ng subdivision o ang pangalan ng lalaki, pero sa pagkakaalam namin, napuno ng mga kagat sa ahas ang katawan niya.

“Pagkatapos ng isang buwan na walang balita, bumalik na ba kaya ang Babaeng Ahas?”

A sigh escapes Brian’s lips as he leans over his dining table. He runs his hand over his face, through his hair. The morning news drones on in the background.

“Bago lang pa naman sumulpot ang isang bagong Extra, bumalik na naman yang Babaeng Ahas na iyan,” he grumbles.

Another death. Another tragedy. All at the hands of those goddamn Extras.

One day, he swears. One day, he’ll find a way to rid Nueva Esperanza of all these Extras.

--

Four black, ten white, three brown. At least five jeepneys. Two stray reds. An even rarer blue. Her eyes track every passing vehicle below the building, small blobs of color arranged in dull lines of two along the asphalt. Oh, another white. Typical.

It’s become a habit of hers, looking out her large office windows, she supposes. It’s a mind-numbing activity, just watching nothing in particular—nothing too meaningful at least. Just Nueva Esperanza going about its day as usual.

Just enough to dull the senses.

The door opens. It’s probably Ali, here to tell her something ominous again.

Instead, a feminine voice clears her throat. Regina blinks, glances back to find Narda there, looking more tired than usual. She’s been frequently over these past few weeks. Although, for some reason, she hadn’t expected her to come today.

She shakes her head. “Narda.”

“Regina, I—” Narda sighs. She wears a somber, apologetic look. “Sorry. Hindi kita nasagot last night… noong tumawag ka? Hindi ka nag-reply, eh.”

Oh. Regina looks away and back at the streetscape. Huh. She doesn’t recall seeing anything on her phone screen this morning—even just vaguely remembers making any calls at all in the first place. Strange.

“It’s… fine,” Regina furrows her brows.

She hears Narda take a step towards her. “Uh, b-bakit hindi ka nag-reply? Nag-alala ako tuloy sa’yo.”

Regina presses a hand against the cold windowpane. Squeezes her eyes shut. “I didn’t… know.”

There’s a beat of silence. Then, another step forward. “Regina… ano ba ang nangyari? Okay ka lang ba…?”

Regina sighs. Her fingers curl against the glass. For some inexplicable reason, it’s not a question she wants to hear, and neither is Narda the person she wishes to hear it from at all.

It almost makes her laugh to herself—the fact that for the first time ever, some part of her actually wants Narda to leave her alone.

“Walang nangyari,” she tells her, hoping her voice holds enough conviction. “Just… forget it. Nakalimutan ko na rin.”

It’s not untrue, but it’s not entirely honest either. She doesn’t really care if Narda buys it. She just wants her away so she could tend to the white noise buzzing in her cranium, creeping along her bones. A strange sort of exhaustion wracks her entire being, like that of the aftermath of pulling an all-nighter—and she cannot, for the life of her, explain why, when she at least recalls falling asleep early last night.

And she does not understand why, for the first time ever, Narda seems to hold still in spite of her cold demeanor. She hears her instead take a few more steps forward, and then she feels a warm presence settle near her.

“Regina,” Narda says so softly, so gently, she’s surprised she manages to perceive it through the white noise. “Alam ko na… wala sa lugar ko na pagsabihan ka, pero… magkaibigan tayo. Noong sinabi ko na maaasahan mo ako, na nandito lang ako kapag kailangan mo ng karamay o kausap, I meant it.”

God. Not now, Narda.

Regina tries a smile. “Alam ko. Thank you. But wala talaga akong problema.” She eyes a black sedan rolling into the building’s driveway. “Siguro… pagod lang talaga ako. I’ve been tired a lot these days.”

She feels Narda sidle up to her side, not touching her or anything. She’s just… there. Warm and present.

“Well, kung wala man talagang problema…” Narda whistles, leans closer to the windowpane. “Siguro sasali nalang ako sa ginagawa mo. Ano ito? I-Spy?”

Regina can’t help but snort at the joke. She glances over at her, sees the goofy smile playing on her lips. Cute.

The word leaves her lips before she has time to rethink it. “Sure.”

Narda’s lips curl into a playful but warm smile. “Okay. I-spy with my little eye… isang puting bagay!”

“Ang daya mo,” Regina chuckles, inches herself closer to the glass to examine the roads below more closely. “Ang dami kayang ‘puting bagay’ sa ibaba.”

“Kaya nga, diba? Eh di mas challenging na ngayon.”

Regina shakes her head, laughing. “Baliw ka talaga.”

The two women play the juvenile game for a few minutes, firing prompt after prompt at each other, until finally it ends in a draw, when Narda is unable to find the blue object Regina was pointing to.

“Ikaw ang madaya dito. Wala kaya akong nakikita!”

Regina smirks, points to the far distance, where a blue blob is nestled in front of a utility pole’s transformer. An electrician doing maintenance on one of the distant utility poles partially obstructed by a building—his shirt is a stark blue.

Narda nudges her shoulder. “Okay, sige na nga, fair game. Pagbibigyan nalang kita.”

Regina scoffs. “Anong ‘pagbibigyan’… tie tayo, noh.”

Narda giggles, rests a hand on her shoulder. But after a moment, it fades back and dissolves into a small smile, her expression turning serious, and Regina feels a little small under her gaze.

“Okay ka na ba ngayon?” she asks.

Regina’s smile flickers. There’s pure kindness in this girl’s eyes, and Regina has to look away, because she’s reminded every time, even more so now, of the reason she’d befriended her, the reason she’d wanted to get close to her in the first place.

Yet, the single truth there is that she realizes now, is that Narda is the only one who’s able to quiet the noises in her head.

“I don’t deserve you,” Regina says softly.

Narda grins. “Sa tingin ko, ako ang hindi deserving sa’yo.”

A twinge of pain flares up in her chest. Regina’s smile is strained. “Do you really… think I’m that good, Narda? That I’m a good person?”

Narda’s fingers find hers, intertwining them together.

“Bakit mo naman natanong yan, Regina?”

She shakes her head. “Just… I need to know.” She looks at her. “I need you to tell me if I’m really… really someone you consider to be good.”

Here she is once more, searching and finding comfort in the hands of one Nardia Custodio—her supposed, self-proclaimed rival, of all people.

Pathetic.

But Narda just smiles at her, like she always does—all kind and non-judgmental. She smiles a warm smile decorated by a sunlit gaze. “Yes. Sa tingin ko, you’re one of the best people na nakilala ko. And sa tingin ko, sa ating dalawa, ako ang swerteng maging kaibigan mo.”

Outside, the sun shifts. In this office, the large windows offer nothing more than a grim backdrop for her, a reminder of why she’d spent those grueling years in law school—to serve this dying city. It’s captured in the tall buildings, the cityscape that pervades her window view. As such, oftentimes only small patches of sunlight can snake through the gaps between the buildings and shine into her office, offering little natural lighting.

Right now, here in this moment, these small packets of sunlight cascade softly only unto Narda’s skin.

A strange sort of ache spreads throughout her chest. It’s not like any normal pain, no—it’s warm and heavy, and it makes her want to choke. Seeing Narda like this, bathed in slivers of daylight—it makes her want to choke.

So, she instead looks away once again. Clears her throat. “Narda, tell me something about yourself na hindi ko pa alam.”

“Po?”

She closes her eyes, sighs through her nose. “Kailangan ko lang ng distraction. Maybe pagod nga lang ako. I want to think about other things besides… work.”

“Di pa ba sapat yung laro natin?” Narda giggles, but nonetheless squeezes her hand in comfort. “Hmm… ano’ng hindi mo pa alam tungkol sa akin…”

The girl mulls over the question for a few moments before it clicks, and she hums.

“Alam mo ba na gusto kong maging doktor?”

Regina looks at her, wide-eyed and genuinely taken aback. “Really? I didn’t know that.”

Narda beams. “Well, alam mo na ngayon. Baka nasa med school na ako ngayon kung hindi lang, er…”

Regina squeezes her hand this time. “I’m sorry. For what happened to your mother.”

Narda had told her some time ago, in passing, about her mother’s death. They were talking about their first meeting—back at the cliffside. It’s ironic, really, that each of them had lost a parent and had found each other that day. Narda had called it fate, but Regina’s a bit more practical than that.

Narda smiles, shakes her head. “Salamat, pero okay na ako, eh. Kaso lang… minsan, hindi ko talagang mapigilang mag-isip. What if.”

“Hindi naman imposible yan, you know,” Regina muses. “Bata ka pa. Marami ka pang oras para makamtan ang pangarap na yan.”

“Wow, ha. As if naman ganyan ka na katanda sa’kin.” Narda teases. They share a laugh for a minute, but after a while the EMT sighs. “Pero… mahirap na, eh. Kailangan ko pang asikasuhin ang pag-eskwela ni Ding. Plus… mahal kaya ang med school, noh.”

“So pera lang ba ang problema mo?” Regina eyes her curiously.

Narda hums. “Meron ding ibang factors… pero kung meron nga kaming pera, it’d… make it easier. Yun lang.”

“Hm.”

Regina thinks quietly to herself. Narda glances at her, smirking, before she nudges her shoulder.

“Pero… honestly, hindi ko na siguro dapat pang isipin yan. Ang mga ‘what-if’ scenarios, I mean,” she says.

Regina quirks up a brow. “Paano mo nasabi yan? It’s natural to want something more.”

A slow smile spreads across Narda’s lips, sweet and dangerous. She leans a little closer to her, drops her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Kasi sa mga scenario na yun, baka may chance na hindi tayo nagkatagpo, na hindi tayo naging magkaibigan. Ayokong mangyari yun.”

She squeezes Regina’s hand, all soft and affectionate. Regina looks away—has to look away. Because that choking feeling has returned again. Because everything about Narda Custodio makes her feel like choking.

“Kahit kailanman,” she manages to say through a shaky breath, “corny ka talaga, Ms. Custodio.”

Narda giggles.

A knock on the door disturbs their little moment, making Narda spring away. It’s just Ali, however, peeking in with a few folders in hand. At that, the EMT smiles and excuses herself, giving her hand one last squeeze, before she disappears out the doorway.

There’s something unreadable in Ali’s eyes when he watches the woman leave, and for the first time in a while, Regina resigns herself to ask.

“What?”

“Hm?”

“May gusto kang sabihin,” Regina says matter-of-factly as she plops down onto the couch. “Nakikita ko sa mga mata mo. Spill it out.”

Ali hesitates, but nonetheless, he speaks as he sets the documents down. “Ano ba talaga kayo ni Narda?”

Regina blinks, taken aback. “Ano? We’re friends. Isn’t that obvious?”

Ali sighs. “Noong una, alam ko na meron kang ibang balak noong bigla mo nalang ginustong kaibiganin siya. Pero ngayon…” he eyes her warily. “Pero ngayon… h-…hindi mo ba napapansin ang sarili mo?”

Tension knots her insides. Her hands curl unconsciously around the fabric of her blazer. “And what’s there to notice, Ali?”

She can see a hint of terror in his eyes, and she glares at him, dares him to go on. The man sighs, but, shockingly, he does go on.

“Naalala ko noon kay Brian, umiiba ang pagtingin mo kapag tinitignan mo siya,” his voice is strained as he says it, “at ngayon ulit, ganoon din ang nangyayari—the way you look at Narda, hindi siya pareho sa pagtitig mo sa iba.”

A heavy silence settles into the air between them, woven with tension from the way Regina stares daggers into Ali’s eyes. But the man remains steadfast, staring down at her in spite of the venom in her gaze.

“Is that so?” she finally says after a long moment.

Ali visibly swallows.

“You must be imagining things,” Regina scoffs, takes a document from the table and flips it open. “Narda is a friend. A good friend. At kung meron nga akong balak noon na hiwalayin sila ni Brian—”

“Hindi ko sinabi—”

“Then what makes you think there would be any chance in hell I’d ever look at her the same way I do Brian?” Regina flashes her eyes at him, cutting him off immediately. “So, unless you have anything else important to say, you’re free to excuse yourself.”

Another beat of silence passes, interrupted only by a single flip of a page as she angrily peruses through the document—some incident report of some road accident yesterday.

Ali sighs after a while. “Hindi ko sinasadyang pagalitin ka, Regina. In the first place, ikaw ang nagtanong.”

Regina ignores him.

“Ang pakay ko lang naman talaga ay… siguraduhing okay ka.”

At that, Regina pauses, casting a wary gaze at him. The man tucks his hands into his pockets, pursing his lips.

“Kahapon… noong dinrop-off kita sa bahay mo… wala bang… nangyaring kakaiba?” Ali asks slowly, hesitantly, as if he’s scared to prod at the topic.

“Bakit?” Regina hardens her gaze. Tension tightens her grip on the folders she has in hand, borne from a place unknown inside her. Why is she so uneasy…?

“Nag-aalala lang ako, Regina,” Ali says softly, taking a careful step towards her. “Pagkatapos ng lahat na nangyari kahapon—”

Her mind flashes with glimpses of memories. A man. Mouth hung open. The moving forest. A superhero’s gentle smile. An unanswered call.

Regina swiftly stands up, letting the documents fall unto the ground, and moves towards her desk, where her trusty wine flask sits. She pours herself a single glass easily, downing it in a matter of seconds.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she tells Ali after she lets out a puff of alcohol-tainted breath.

“Pero, Regina—”

“I said, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Regina flashes him a cold glare. “Kung ano man ang nangyari kahapon. Wala na yun. The past is in the past. Ba’t mo pa pinag-iisipan yan?” She pours herself another glass. God. Now the white noise Narda had managed to quiet is coming back, and of course it’s because of Ali.

Ali guiltily takes a step back. “Nag-aalala lang ako, since malapit na rin ang anniversary gala, baka yan lang ang pag-uusapan ng mga tao—”

Wait. Regina pauses, attention piqued. “Ang anniversary gala…?”

At that reaction, Ali gives her a quizzical look. “Ang… gala. Yung annual gala na gaganapin ng kompanya next month?”

Regina blinks at him, letting it all process for a moment before she almost lets out an incredulous laugh. Of course. How could she forget? It was her own idea—the very date she’d formed this company would always be a day of celebration. There’s always a gala held on the day, often made to be a fundraiser. God, she’s a mess.

But as she brings up another glass up to her lips, she pauses, realization slowly dawning on her.

“The gala…” she says slowly, “where the company invites some of Nueva Esperanza’s top business executives… at kung saan iilan din sa mga heads ng mga NGOs dito ay dadalo.”

Ali looks at her inquisitively for a moment, but as he slowly arrives to the same realization as her, he raises a brow up.

“Ano naman ang… kahalagahan sa mga NGOs na dadalo sa party…?”

Regina smiles. “Because if they’re not affiliated with the government, then there’s a chance they might be against the Mayor, diba? And if they’re against him, meron ding malaking chance na may concrete reason sila kung bakit, at kung malalaman natin ang dahilan na yon…”

Ali clicks his tongue, finally understanding the point she’s trying to get across.

Regina downs another glass, relishing the way the alcohol spreads through the back of her head, drowning everything inside out. “Mas laganap din ang tsismis sa isang party, you know? What kind of gossip do you think we can catch around businessmen and women all one way or another affiliated with our beloved Mayor?”

In the past galas, she’d always used the opportunity to passively network—to tsismis, as they say. This time, however, she has a different, more concrete goal. It’s both a celebration and an opportunity. A way to glean information from the unsuspecting. A way to gain a few allies. Maybe even an informant. And if she’s even luckier, she could find something else that can help break Nueva Esperanza’s incompetent head.

Regina looks at Ali then, a slow smile spreading across her lips. “You know, Ali, I feel like I’ve never heard of any companies here holding a masquerade ball for a gala event before. Sa tingin mo kaya, oras na para baguhin yon?”

Ali blinks. He looks away. “Magiging kakaiba siya. Makukuha mo ang atensyon ng marami.”

Regina’s smile widens. This is it. An opportunity. Forget about everything for a moment—the factory incident, Mayor’s threats, or—or N—

She sets the empty glass of wine down and moves over to the other side of her desk, closer to where her telephone sits. Forget about everything. Even though the seeds of a sprouting realization had already been planted into her mind, borne from Ali’s words. Forget it.

There is a masquerade ball to plan.

Chapter Text

Since the announcement of the gala a few weeks ago, things have become more hectic within the foundation. Sometimes the event planning crews come to visit, often milling about in tight hallways used for the EMTs’ passage; other times, police officers come to visit themselves, coordinating with the other security departments involved.

Narda finds herself encountering them more than Regina these days. She’s not surprised—she’s been made to take frequent visits to the hotel the foundation has rented, after all, thrust with the additional workload that accompanies a major corporate event. When she’d checked in on her a while back, the woman had reassured her that it was okay, that it was a “good distraction”, in fact.

She trusts Regina, of course, but sometimes she worries. She’s been a bit different since the factory incident—something which she hasn’t told her yet, which stings a little but okay, she’s not her guardian or anything.

Still, even she finds herself a bit lonely sometimes, staring idly at the empty message inbox for long stretches of time.

Well, at least she has some company, like—

“Narda!”

There. The voice of a familiar, friendly police officer. In Regina’s absence, Brian has become a more prominent presence around—after all, Regina herself had asked him to handle security during the gala.

‘Binigyan niya nga ako ng imbitasyon,’ Brian had whispered conspiratorially to her once, grinning. ‘Sabi niya kung may break ako, pwede akong magbihis at sumali.’

Narda had chuckled along with him then, even though a small part of her had been tinged with envy—why’d he get an invitation and not her?

The reason is that all the EMTs are already invited by default, of course—but her muddled brain had not thought to consider that. Because the point was that Brian received a personal invitation, when she was under the impression that she was the closer friend.

Uto-uto.

Brian moves to walk in stride with her, grinning that same grin. Always so boyish and young-looking. “Kamusta?” He takes off his cap and runs his hand through his hair.

Narda watches him, finding amusement in the fact that just wearing a cap for a few hours can really change the shape of men’s hair. “Ayusin mo nga yung buhok mo.”

The cop raises his hands—an ironic sight, really—laughing. “Oo na po, mama.”

She gestures pretending to hit him and he theatrically dodges. They share a laugh. She likes Brian this way, she thinks, when he’s just bickering with her like they’re two dumb teenagers walking home from school. She wishes they’d stay this way forever.

The constant jeers and teasing has made her like him a little less, however, when she catches him staring at her sometimes, in a way that foretells something beyond friendship.

Like now, when she grins at him, and he’s looking at her as if she’d just said the funniest thing in the world, had done the most benevolent act known to mankind. It makes her smile falter.

“Meron na bang balita tungkol sa mga bagong Extras? Sa Babaeng Tuod man o ang Babaeng Ahas?” she asks him to dissolve the strange atmosphere.

Brian doesn’t seem to notice the attempt—his smile remains pasted on, bright and giddy. “Wala pa, eh. Ang last sighting ng Babaeng Tuod ay doon sa factory, ilang linggo na ang nakaraan. Ang Babaeng Ahas naman… merong iilang sightings sa kanya noong nakalipas na buwan. Pero ang confirmed victims ay tatlo lang. Hanggang ngayon, wala pa kaming mahanap na makakatulong sa amin na malaman kung sino talaga siya.”

Narda bites her lip. The only clue they ever really found of the wood-witching Extra was the pendant from a few weeks ago. When shown to Lolo Rolando, he had told her it wasn’t from a cult, even though she’d initially thought it was, but from a village alliance of sorts. From a non-descript village cluster that had once been located near the factory, made up of villagers passionate about environmental protection. Ominously, all members of the villages had already died due to unknown reasons years ago, which had led her and Brian to a dead end.

It doesn’t help that Valentina has started making appearances here and there over the past month. Doesn’t help that each time she’d arrived at the scene as Darna, she would only be met with a bloodied body littered with snake bites. Or nothing at all.

The only time she’s ever really managed a glimpse of the Extra was that one time, over a month ago. The day of the factory incident. She was always somehow one step ahead, as elusive as wisps of smoke passing between fingertips.

But even so, there isn’t much room to dwell on it. There are still other Extras that have appeared here and there—thankfully involved in more small-time crimes than murder—most calling for her attention to deal with. And then there’s her job too as an EMT, her responsibility as Narda the sister, the friend, and—

There’s too much to think about.

They’re walking up the steps to the second floor when Brian suddenly perks up. “Teka… ba’t ka nagtatanong?”

Narda rolls her eyes. “Of course tatanong ako. May party dito sa susunod na linggo. Ayokong may mapahamak doon.”

“Tsk, wala ka bang tiwala namin ni Darna?” Brian nudges her playfully. “Kung meron mang Extra susulpot, sigurado akong dadating siya at magiging tag-team kami!”

“Ang taas ng mga pangarap mo, Brian,” Narda quips, grinning. “Dahil lang nakipagtulungan sa’yo, ‘tag-team’ na agad?”

Brian smirks. “Parang nagseselos ka yata? May gusto ka bang sabihin sa’kin?”

Hay nako. Narda shoves him back, laughing as he stumbles a few steps down the stairs, wobbling on his feet. “Sa panaginip mo lang.”

“Hoy! Muntik mo akong mapatay!”

Narda laughs even harder as they emerge out of the main staircase and into the second-floor atrium. She stops in her tracks, however, when she finds Regina in the far end of the large hall, blank eyes strangely trained on them. She furrows her brows, raising her hand in an attempt to wave—

“Ah, Regina!”

Brian beats her to it, however, as he quickly makes his way over to her. The woman blinks out of her stupor, smiling swiftly as Brian reaches her and opens a folder in front of her. Narda supposes that’s what he’s here for in the first place, though she’s a bit bummed Regina hadn’t greeted her. Ah. Well.

She turns around and leaves them be, realizing she still has much work to do for the day.

--

Vanguardia Foundation’s main second floor hall is one connected directly to the guest entrance and the atrium, and as such, opens directly below, providing a clear view to anyone above of anything that happens to be on the ground floor atrium. And with the amount of people moving about below with the hectic event planning schedule, it’s a wonder why Regina Vanguardia’s eyes are drawn only to a single thing.

Two people, walking through Vanguardia Foundation’s entrance hall, laughing and bickering amongst each other. Their colors starkly bouncing off each other well—red and blue, complementary. A combination often paired together for as long as time itself.

Her grip on the railing tightens, her lips quiver with subdued irritation—they’re together again, Narda and Brian. She’s spotted them together a lot these days, and each time, irritation flares up her insides.

Some part of her is relieved—this means that Ali’s wrong, after all. Because even after all this time spent with Narda, she knows she must still have feelings for Brian—after all, why else would she be jealous while looking at him?

But then, she notices Narda’s lips quirk up cutely at something Brian says, notices the relaxed aura her body language exudes with Brian, the way she shoves him playfully, even as they’re going up the stairs, how she laughs freely at his unserious misery—

Why isn’t she like that with her?

Aren’t they friends? Close friends, even?

“Ah, Regina!”

Fuck. She must have been staring. She turns to Brian quickly before she can catch Narda’s gaze, smiling as he presents something to her. As the cop prattles on, she consciously tries her hardest to avoid looking at Narda—can’t this weird feeling go away?

“—at naka-posisyon ako dito, sa side entrance na’to, dahil mas malaki ang chances na may magtatangkang pumasok dito, since hindi siya—Regina?”

Regina blinks awake from her reverie. She looks up at Brian, sees worry lining his features. She shakes her head. “Ah, sorry, pwede mo bang ibalik?”

Brian looks as if he wants to say something else, but he concedes, reiterating his basic security plans for the event. They move on to a more secure room later—the security office—having realized how unsafe it is to discuss such plans out in the open—Regina blames her straying mind for the embarrassing incident. Really, she’s not been herself lately.

When he finishes after ten minutes, Brian closes the folder, looking hopefully at her.

Regina, of course, smiles and gives him a pat on the arm. “It’s good. You did well, Officer Robles. I-coordinate mo lang yan muna with the head of our security department at sa hotel para ma-finalize niyo na yun.”

Brian beams. “Salamat, Regina.”

Regina nods. “Of course. I knew I could count on you. Anyways, babalik lang muna ako sa trabaho ko ha—”

“Actually,” Brian quickly interrupts her, suddenly sheepish, “Regina, meron din akong… gustong itanong sa’yo.”

Regina checks the time on her wristwatch. “Okay… pero madaliin mo lang sana? Meron akong meeting.”

Brian sighs, scratches the back of his neck. He looks apprehensive, suddenly distant from the way he was just seconds prior.

“May alam ka ba sa… village alliance na tinawag na Espranza Tri-Alliance for Forest Conservation?”

Regina blinks back in surprise. She hasn’t heard of that name in years—now, hearing it from Brian’s lips, it fills her with both dread and sorrow. She looks away.

“Yes,” she says sullenly. “Wala na sila. Ilang taon na ang nakalipas since their disappearance.”

Brian sticks his tongue against his inner cheek, thoughtful. “Kakaiba ang circumstances ng pagkamatay nila, at mas nakakabahala pa na maliit lang ang impormasyong mahanap ko tungkol sa kanila sa mga database dito.”

Regina leans against a nearby desk. She’s thankful there’s nobody in the security office right now. Truthfully, she doesn’t like to think about the village alliance. It’s one of her first and only failures—and it had costed so many lives.

She was just a young, up-and-coming attorney back then. No. Not an attorney. A public defender.

“Bakit mo naitanong?”

Brian rubs his stubbled chin. He smiles, but it’s not a friendly gesture. “Habang naghahanap ako ng impormasyon sa database sa presinto kanina, meron akong nakita. Akala ko hindi importante—resibo naman lang, eh. Kaso lang, nakita ko yung pangalan mo.”

Regina closes her eyes, reminisces briefly on the memory. “Ah. And why are you interested in this… alliance?”

She hears Brian step toward her. “Regina, sa tingin namin ng Babaeng Lumilipad na… baka may koneksyon ang grupong yan sa nangyari sa factory noong nakaraang buwan.”

Regina opens her eyes, shoots him a confused look. “Imposible yan. Patay na sila.”

She sees something dark pass over Brian’s eyes. “Yes. Pero alam mo rin kung gaano kadali burahin ang impormasyon sa isang simpleng kompyuter.”

Regina chews on her lip. “And… you think na meron akong involvement doon.”

Brian avoids her gaze. “Protocol lang naman, Regina. Kinokonsider ko lang ang lahat ng mga posibilidad.”

Regina sighs, pushes herself off the desk. “I thought we were friends.”

Brian doesn’t answer. For some reason, it bothers Regina a lot less than she expected.

“Kliyente ko sila noon. They were a group made up of three factions—three villages, nakatira noon sa may bundukan. Natalo kami,” Regina says, “Ang resibong yun… that’s just one of many from our restaurant meetings.”

Brian seems to sigh in relief. “So… wala kang kinalaman sa…?”

Regina thinks this should offend her, but it doesn’t. “Wala. Kliyente ko lang sila dati.”

“Alam mo ba ang mga pangalan nila?”

Regina picks at a stray lint on her blouse. “Ang mga village chiefs nila—Gregorio Castillo, Jaime Dimaano, at si Estrella Cabatana.

Brian nods, taking out a notepad and penning them down. He hesitates as he finishes, looking up at her. “At wala kang alam tungkol sa… pagkalaho ng impormasyon—?”

“When we lost the case, they cut off contact with me. The next time I heard of them, mula na sa balita,” Regina says through grit teeth. “At nawala na ang lahat sa mga database dito.”

At that, Brian leans back onto a nearby desk, deflating. “Sorry. Di ko naman sinadyang akusahan ka… eh, kaso lang, ikaw lang talaga ang nahanap kong lead.”

“So hindi mo pa sinabihan yung… Babaeng Lumilipad na yan?”

Brian shakes his head. “Bago ko lang namang nahanap.”

“Good. Who knows what she might do if she thinks I’m somehow involved—maybe she’ll take this entire building down just to find and kill me.” Regina turns away, rubs a hand against her forehead. Today’s painkillers are wearing off. The headaches have not been as frequent, but today, they had blossomed back to life, forcing her to take some Ibuprofen again. She really hopes she doesn’t become too dependent.

“Hindi naman siya ganyan, Regina.”

“Why? Close ba kayo?” Regina glances at him. “What do you know of the capabilities of someone with that much power? Diba dapat mong ikokonsider ang ‘lahat ng mga posibilidad’?”

Brian doesn’t say anything. She feels a light tension hang in the air. Well, it’s his fault, isn’t it?

“You know, you should be careful who you accuse of… something that heinous, Officer Robles,” Regina shoots him a hard glare.

“I’m sorry.” Brian says, sounding genuinely remorseful. “Really. Hindi ko naman ginustong paghinalaan ka, Regina. Naniniwala ako sa’yo.”

Regina rubs the bridge of her nose, feeling the prick of irritation flare up again. “You can go, Brian, kung wala ka nang kailangan sa’kin.”

There’s a beat of silence in the air. Then, Brian walks in front of her, bowing his head slightly. She can see the remorse drawn over his features, the apology in his eyes, but she can’t really bring herself to look at him. Even though it’s not as painful as she’d thought it should be, what he’d said still hurt.

Before he leaves, however, he pauses in the doorway. He turns to her, another question in his eyes.

“Noong dinepensahan mo sila, sino ang nakalaban niyo? Sino ang defendant?”

Regina looks at him grimly, lets out a humorless chuckle. “Si Mayor Vallesteros.”

Brian’s face darkens. He nods, leaves it at that, and leaves her alone in the security office. She sighs, letting her face fall back into her two hands. She’s always hated the memory of that ill-fated group. They’d asked for a lawyer, but had no money for it—and she was young then, three years ago, and she’d eagerly taken up the case, hoping to prove something to her father.

They’d wanted to accuse the Mayor of murder for poisoning their water supplies with the establishment of that chemical factory. A perfect job for a public defender like her, she’d thought. She was young then, naïve. Refused to settle, refused any offers for amendment, conceding to the villagers’ every wish. It was a Sisyphean task, and she should have known it.

The trial ended with a tremendous loss. It was the first and only time she’d ever experienced being spat on by her own clients. Only her name protected her then.

But she recalls the Mayor’s sly grin, the wink he’d sent her way, as they stood on the same roadside curb, while he ducked into a car following the trial. For years now, she’s made it her mission to wipe that grin off his face, all because of that moment.

Ha. She realizes now how petty she is. Because, some part of her, some indistinct part she often buries deep down inside her, knows that the reason behind her contempt for the Mayor isn’t because he’d taken advantage of such poor, pitiable villagers—no. It was because he’d smiled like that on that day, because he’d gloated over his win and her loss.

Because in the end, some part of her knows what she’s sought after all these years is plain, petty, juvenile revenge.

Kasi ikaw, Regina Vanguardia—

Hindi ka naman talaga isang mabuting tao—

Hindi ba?

--

“Tingnan niyo ‘to! Ang ganda, oh! Pwedeng-pwede suotin sa kahit anong okasyon—beshie, ipakita mo! Bigyan mo nga yung viewers natin ng twirl! Oh, diba—kaya i-claim niyo na 'to!”

A quiet laugh escapes his lips. It’s a hoarse whisper in the emptiness. The phone screen that illuminates the planes of his face is the single source of light in the darkened bedroom. The two girls on the screen twirl around a cramped, vernacular-designed room. One taller than the other. And while the shorter girl is the louder of the two, his eyes remain trained on the other, watching every movement, every crinkle on her face as her lips break out into a smile.

His single source of comfort in his otherwise terribly pathetic and gloomy life. A puny EMT working for his father’s little archnemesis, while at the same time endeavoring in online selling to make ends meet.

He blows out a thin plume of white smoke. Utterly pathetic. Still, as he clamps the cigarette stick between his two lips, he can’t help but scroll through the pair's Facebook page. It’s addicting, he thinks—he’s thought so for a long while now—this girl’s sweet, crinkled smile.

If only he could snag a chance to at least talk to her. Introduce himself properly. Take her out on a date, and, and—

He runs a hand over his face, his hair, the back of his neck. He’s getting ahead of himself.

As he scrolls through their Facebook page, something catches his eye. There. A shared post. His thumb hovers over the notice. It’s an announcement of Vanguardia Foundation’s annual foundation gala ball—this year it’s a masquerade ball.

His eyes pore over the words on the post, and then stop. Right at the block of text that reads ‘Meet all our esteemed, hardworking EMTs—’

He gets up from his desk.

He’s found it at last. A window of opportunity. A smirk crawls slowly up his chapped lips. He finds a number easily within his contact list. Whoever it is on the other side answers after three long rings.

“Andre, my man,” Noah Vallesteros drawls into the phone speaker, a wicked grin marring his features. “Listen. May pabor akong ihihingi sa'yo.”

--

Brian Robles [6:05 PM]: Ok ka lng ba talagang mag-isa? Di ko talaga maiwan ang pinagtatrabahuan ko ngayon e

Narda Custodio [6:08 PM]: ano baaa ok lng tlgang hndi mo ako ihatid. di ako bata no

Brian Robles [6:09 PM]: Di ba pwedeng mag-alala sa kaibigan ko?

Narda Custodio [6:12 PM]: ang oa mo lng kasi

Brian Robles [6:12 PM]: Importante ka sakin Narda. Natural lng na mag-alala ako, diba? Especially since babae ka

Narda rolls her eyes at that, clicking her phone off again. She adjusts the straps of her bag against her shoulder, as she walks down the steps of Vanguardia Foundation. The sunset bathes the evening sky pink today. And though distant buildings set away from streetlamps end up shrouded in the darkness, she can’t help but pull out her camera for this moment to take a picture.

Pink sunsets are her favorite thing, she thinks. It’s a rare sight in Nueva Esperanza, and she thinks it poetic somehow—the sun, unable to ever meet the moon, instead leaving lingering trails of its presence in the sky the moon will soon occupy. The blended colors a painted memory of its existence. A love letter for the moon.

After all, she does love the idea of a love story between the sun and the moon, even if the native folktales tell of a different tale.

She stares at the pink sky for a bit, basking in its glow with a soft smile, before she locks her phone and starts walking down the streets to a jeepney stand. She’s not even halfway through when she’s taken aback by a car suddenly honking at her from behind.

The smile finds its way naturally back to her lips when she turns around and sees Regina leaning out the window of a familiar black sedan—this time, being driven by Ali. The woman gives her a puzzled look. Even though it’s been a few days since they’d last talked, Narda can’t help but smile when she sees her now, bathed in the pink sunlit sky.

“Regina,” she says, walking over to face her on the backseat’s side window. “Kamusta.”

“Akala ko ihahatid ka ni Brian pauwi,” Regina pauses to glance around. “Ba’t naglalakad ka ulit?”

Narda shrugs. “Busy siya, eh. Kaya eto… pero okay lang naman ako, Regina. Kaya ko namang umuwi na mag-isa.”

Regina raises a brow, a corner of her mouth quirks up in bemusement. “Why do you need to defend yourself, Narda? Alam ko naman kayang-kaya mong umuwi ng mag-isa.”

For some reason, the words give Narda a bit of relief.

“Hindi ko naman dinedepensahan ang sarili ko… Just, ha,” she shakes her head, smiling. “Di bale na nga—kailangan ko nang umuwi—”

“Wait,” Regina fumbles with something below her. Narda steps back as the door is suddenly pushed open, and the other woman scoots over, beckoning her inside. “Halika rito, ihahatid ka namin pauwi.”

Narda looks between her and Ali, who’s even offering her one of his small, rare smiles now. “Regina, ayaw ko namang abalahin ka…”

Regina quirks up a brow. “Diba di ka naman tumatanggi sa mga car-ride offers ko dati?”

Narda wipes her hands off the sides of her pants. “Eh, kasi naman… busy ka usually these days. Ayoko namang maging abala sa’yo…”

At that, a gentle smile slowly spreads across Regina’s lips. “You’re never a bother to me, Narda. And plus, kaya nga, eh—busy ako usually these days, kaya minsan nalang tayong nagkikita. I…” she looks away momentarily, chuckling breathlessly to herself. “I—I missed you, Narda…  Which is why gusto kitang ihatid pauwi.”

“Na-miss mo ako?” Narda blinks, then flushes, having realized she’d just thought out loud. Regina’s smile seems to flicker, but nonetheless, her gaze is insistent. Narda sheepishly gets in the car.

She cannot understand why she feels so awkward in Regina’s car—she supposes it’s been a whole week since the woman had last offered her a ride home, and a few days since they’d last talked. A couple of other factors too—like this strange suspicion that she’s been avoiding her. But surprisingly right now, as Narda sits on the corner opposite hers, it’s Regina who scoots closer.

“So… kamusta?” Regina leans closer. “I feel like it’s been forever since we’d last talked.”

Narda’s smile is a bit strained. She supposes she can’t blame Regina—she is busy—but for the past few weeks she’s felt as if she was actively avoiding her. So, this moment here now is just—

It’s a bit off-putting, to say the least. But more than anything, she’s still relieved that Regina seems back to her normal self right now.

“Oh, alam mo na. Busy sa mga emergencies.” Narda says. “Ikaw?”

“Busy sa gala, oh my God,” Regina sighs, slumping down on her seat. “Ang daming mga bagay na nangangailangan ng atensyon ko—plus, meron pa din akong mga cases na kailangang asikasuhan! You know, one time, I literally fell asleep with my makeup still on!”

Narda can’t help but chuckle at the image. “Parang ang cute kung iimagine.”

Regina pouts. “Not cute when the only thing I'll get out of it is acne.”

Narda laughs again, and, upon seeing the warm smile playing on Regina’s lips, she takes a chance to scoot over, finally finding the familiar comforting presence this woman often offered her.

“Cute ka pa rin siguro, kahit na meron kang pimples at acne.”

Regina crosses her arms, gives her an incredulous look. “Please. You haven’t seen me in high school yet. And you wouldn’t want to.”

“Bet,” Narda quirks up a brow. “Sa tingin ko crush ka pa rin ng bayan noon.”

Regina opens her mouth to protest, but then stops, clamps her mouth shut, and then slumps back to seethe in her seat. Score one for Narda—she chuckles and reaches over to give her hand a gentle squeeze.

“Pero, in all seriousness, I think kayang kaya mo yan. Ikaw pa. Pero, like always, Regina,” she leans closer, “kung kailangan mo man ng tulong o ng kausap, nandito lang talaga ako. Sabi naman din ng iba na magaling akong karamay.”

Regina laughs, pulling her hand back in to twine their fingers together. It fills Narda’s lungs with warmth. It’s been a while since she heard that laugh, been a while since she’d last held her cold—but strangely comforting—hand.

“Tama naman din ang sinasabi nila, eh—I would know,” Regina shakes her head, “You’re always there for me, and I like talking to you. Sa totoo lang, Narda, you’re one of the only people I can be vulnerable with.”

The words alight a heat up in Narda’s cheeks, and she hopes against all hopes that it’s dark enough in the car to mask her deepening blush. She just laughs instead, unable to really reply to Regina’s statement. In front, Ali casts a wary glance at the two through the rearview mirror.

The drive to Narda’s house is quite long, but the minutes feel shorter for the two women, who spend the entire time catching up with each other on the weekly events and gossip the other missed. In spite of the few days’ absence of each other’s friendship, it’s still easy to catch up and talk to Regina, Narda realizes—it’s so easy to forget that strange feeling she’d had the past weeks. That suspicion that she was being avoided—it’s like no time had passed at all between them.

Before they know it, they’re already pulling up to a gravelly driveway in front of a vernacular home, and the sun has already set way past the horizon.

Before Narda leaves, however, Regina suddenly takes her by the hand.

“Wait. I almost forgot,” she says, suddenly fishing for something inside her bag. She eventually manages to take out a rectangular velvet box.

“Regina, ano—?”

“Just a gift,” Regina interjects quickly, and for the first time ever, Narda catches shades of scarlet blooming on her cheeks. “May kilala akong gumagawa ng jewelry, at isa ito sa mga new, exclusive designs nila. It… reminded me of you.”

At that, Narda’s brows spring up. “R-Regina, hindi ko matatanggap yan, okay lang talaga—”

“Please,” Regina quiets her with a hand over her own. “I’d really like you to have it.”

Narda chews on her bottom lip, hesitantly opening the box. Inside she finds a small necklace, rose gold in color—the pendant that hangs off its chain is a rose golden sun, enclosing and caging within it a smaller carving of a moon.

An effervescent warmth fills Narda’s chest, spreading throughout like blood coursing through veins. It’s heavy and unknown and pleasant and the most unfathomable feeling she’s ever felt in the world—and even though her lips tremble, the smile that spreads slowly across them is an unbidden reflex.

She runs a hand gently against the necklace, mouth hanging open in awe, before she suddenly chuckles and looks up at Regina. And in the darkness of night, the lawyer is surprised to still find twinkling stars in her eyes.

“It’s… just,” Regina clears her throat awkwardly, looking away quickly. Avoiding Narda’s awestruck gaze. “I wanted to… give you something to commemorate our friendship. And since, next week na din ang gala…”

Narda’s never had a friend like Regina. One who makes her feel these strange feelings. One who gifts her such beautiful jewelry just to commemorate something like a friendship.

One she had also been compelled to do the same to.

She closes her hand over the box. “Regina, gusto mo bang pumasok?”

Regina flushes. “Ay, hindi na—nakakahiya naman, ha—”

Narda places a hand over hers, quieting her immediately. “I insist. Please.”

What choice does Regina have now, except to nod her head obediently and follow the other woman down the path to her house? She’d asked Ali to come, but he’d shaken his head no—it’s not appropriate, his eyes seemed to say—and now she’s left alone to meet Narda’s family for the first time.

She rubs her wrist anxiously. Why is she so nervous about this?

She’s met families of close friends before—especially family friends—and her father’s instruction has always made it such a breeze. She knew she was pretty, and she knew how to charm the often-haughty mamas and papas and lolas who dominated the households of the upper crust.

But as she stares at Narda’s back ahead of her, she realizes it’s different. Because Narda isn’t just some uppity friend she’s made for the sake of business networking, isn’t someone like Ali either who’s content with being her lapdog—no. Narda is different. Narda is special.

(And she hates that their beginnings are rooted in something ingenuine.)

She feels it when she steps in the house and a gentle warmth fills the air, fills her lungs, sugarcoated by whiffs of scents of a homecooked meal, by lively laughter that rings of homecoming joy. At their arrival, two people emerge around the divider that separates the foyer and the dining area. Narda turns to look at her, an ever-present smile playing on her lips.

“Regina, meet my family,” she says, walking back a little to stand beside a young teenage boy. “Eto si Ding, at eto naman ang Lola Roberta ko.”

Regina nervously smiles, reaching a hand out to them both. “Hello po, ako po si Regina. Kaibigan ako ni Narda.”

The boy shakes her hand first, all sloppy and much too hard, yet he’s smiling goofily, and Regina can’t help but return the silly handshake. “Ikaw yung bespren at boss ni ate, diba?”

“Ding, ano ba!” Narda gives him a stern look.

Regina chuckles. “‘Best friend’? Really?” She glances at Narda, who just gives her an apologetic look.

“Akala namin, eh—palagi ka naman niyang kinukwento,” Lola Berta says as she shakes her hand—it’s loose and warm, and Regina returns the handshake in the same manner.

“‘La naman…” Narda’s blushing in full now.

Regina quirks a brow up at her. “Really, now?”

Lola Berta laughs amicably, patting Ding on the shoulder. “Ikaw at si Brian, paborito talaga niyang pag-usapan kayong dalawa.”

Ah. Of course. She clears her throat, glancing momentarily away. Mas una pa naman talaga niyang nakilala si Brian.

Ding eyes her curiously, noticing the way her smile falters at the statement. “Ma’am Regina, gusto mo bang makipag-hapunan kasama namin?”

Regina blinks. “Ay, oh my God, hindi na—busy pa ako, eh—”

Narda nods vigorously, flustered. “Oo na, huwag na natin ipag-abala si Regina, I—” she jumps a little, suddenly recalling something. “Ay, oo nga pala, meron pala akong gustong ibigay sa’yo, kaya nga, er—hintay ka lang muna, ha?”

Narda suddenly leaves her, rushing towards one of the rooms at the back of the house. Leaving her alone with her brother and Lola. She rubs her wrist consciously. God, Regina, why are you so awkward today?

Lola Berta steps forward and places a gentle hand on her arm. “Okay ka lang ba, iha? Parang maputla ka yata.”

“Ah, oh nonono, okay lang ako,” Regina tries a smile. “Siguro, uh, medyo nervous lang ako since… ngayon ko lang kayo nakilala. Palagi ring kinukwento ni Narda sa akin kayong dalawa.”

“Maganda ba ang sinabi niya, ma’am Regina?” Ding suddenly huffs. “Baka kung ano-ano naman yang kinukwento niya sa’yo, baka binunyag na niya ang mga sikreto ko—!”

Regina laughs. “Huwag kang mag-alala. What Narda tells me is that you two are the best family she could ever ask for. And please, call me Regina, ha?”

Ding rubs the back of his neck, an embarrassed smile spreading across his lips. “Dapat lang naman. Kami lang ang tanging pamilya niya, eh.”

Regina’s smile flickers. “Yeah. Sobrang swerte niya nga, eh, that you two are her family.”

Ding and Lola Berta share a warm smile. Narda returns in that moment, her hands tucked behind her like she’s hiding something. She looks at her brother and Lola.

“Ano ba kayo… bumalik na nga kayo sa paghahapunan.” Narda says through reddening cheeks.

Ding rolls his eyes, raising his hands and stepping back. “Oo na, ayaw mo ng isturbo, blah blah…”

Narda smacks him lightly on the arm. He flinches and walks away, laughing as he does so.

Lola Berta stays for a little to squeeze her gently on the arm, smiling. “Masaya ako at nakilala na kita sa wakas, Regina. Sobrang saya ko na malaman na merong kaibigan si Narda na katulad mo sa tinatrabahuan niya. Di ka ba pwede talagang sumama sa aming maghapunan?”

Regina smiles, places a hand over hers. “Thank you, pero marami pa kasi akong kailangan asikasuhin. Pero sa susunod na araw, pagkatapos ng gala, available na ako.”

The older woman chuckles at that. “O, Narda, huwag mong kalimutan, ha? Iimbita mo naman si Regina ulit, ha?”

Narda rolls her eyes good naturedly. “Opo, Lola.”

Lola Berta gives Regina one last maternal squeeze on the arm before she leaves to the dining area. Leaving her alone with Narda, who’s now tinged red in embarrassment.

“Uh.”

Regina leans against the foyer’s divider, smiling. “Ano?”

Narda grins sheepishly, moving her hand out from behind her. “Meron din akong nabili… para sa’yo.”

A cardboard box is caged between her fingers, one she presents out for Regina to see. It’s small, really—just a small cube, with a yellow ribbon knotted at the top, sealing it off. It’s small, really—but somehow, it steals a few puffs of breath from Regina’s lungs.

She’s always liked giving gifts. It’s the reason why she’d sought out the necklace in the first place a few weeks ago, from a friend of a friend. The day after Narda held her hand, bathed in daylight in front of large office windows. She’s never truly expected anything in return.

Back in school, the few friends she’d made who weren’t business connections had never been able to give anything back in return—always just promising to treat her out in exchange. They were always taken aback, always unsuspecting.

But Narda already had the gift in hand. She’d thought to buy her one as well. Before she even gave her a gift.

She smiles. A strange warmth saturates her entire being—both breathing life to her lungs and stabbing pinpricks across her skin. “You got it for me…?”

She opens the box to find a bracelet inside, its chain a silver color, attached to which are charms depicting a crescent moon framed by hanging stars.

Narda rubs the back of her neck sheepishly. “I’m sure na hindi yan makakapantay sa ibinigay mo, pero… nakita ko lang by chance at, uh, sapat naman ang naipon ko, kaya…”

“Nag-ipon ka talaga…?” Regina asks softly.

“Gusto ko naman ding regaluhin kita… for… our friendship. Katulad ng sinabi mo,” Narda smiles.

Regina closes the box. She looks at Narda, looks at the sheepish but warm smile that decorates her face. Something inside her melts, and her legs move before she can stop herself.

She embraces Narda, tucks her face into her soft shoulder. The girl is taken aback at first, but quickly recovers, wrapping her own arms around her as well. Lola Berta and Ding watch from the sidelines, gentle smiles playing on their lips.

“Thank you,” Regina whispers. “I’ll wear it to the gala.”

“Dapat lang,” Narda chuckles, reaching up to rub her hand on her back. “Nag-effort akong piliin yon, noh.”

“Akala ko ‘nakita’ mo lang ‘to?”

She feels Narda stiffen against her, and then she feels the soft tremors of a nervous chuckle wracking her body. “Ah. Sinabi ko ba yun?”

Regina laughs as she lets go. “For what it’s worth,” she steps back. “Nag-effort din akong hanapin ang perfect na necklace para sa’yo.”

Narda raises a brow. “Curious na ako, ha—ano naman ang basehan mo para sa ‘perfect’ na necklace na niregalo mo sa’kin?”

Regina smirks. “I can ask you the same, you know?”

“Ang daya mo,” Narda smiles.

Regina laughs.

She leaves the house in high spirits, and as the car slowly rolls out of the small neighborhood, her eyes remain fixated on Narda’s retreating form, waving at her whimsically from the front porch. It’s only when the woman finally disappears from her sight does her smile fall. She sighs, slumping against the backseat.

She thought the gift would have sufficed—would have quieted all the noise, the guilt, the pain that gripped her whenever her eyes find Narda (which happens to be a lot of times, even amidst the chaos and the crowded rooms). But now, she feels wholly worse—as if there’s something heavy, something warm that has coiled itself around her chest cavities.

She should tell her, she thinks. It’s only right. Tell her the painful truth, apologize, and then hopefully Narda will forgive her, their friendship becomes stronger amidst such a hurdle, and it’ll all be better in the end. She’s a lawyer, after all, like she tells herself a million times over. She can spin the tale to her favor.

She lowers her head, presses it against the headrest in front of her. She can’t take any more of this guilt eating away at her insides. Narda’s her friend. Her one, true, and closest friend. If she doesn’t tell her, then she’ll forever have to bear the burden of knowing that she’d never meant for them to grow that close—that she’d just wanted to steal Brian away from her at the start of this entire farce.

She laughs to herself.

She really is quite a villain.

Even if she’s not too worried about Brian now—a feeling which perplexes every fiber of her being, truly—still—

It's not right. That she doesn’t know.

Because it hammers in the fact that she absolutely does not deserve Narda even harder.

“Masama ba akong tao, Ali?” she says softly, glancing up at the man in the driver’s seat.

Ali doesn’t respond immediately, but when they reach a stoplight, he sighs.

“Regina,” he starts, “ikaw lang ang makakasagot sa tanong na yan.”

Regina scoffs. “You can’t even give me a straight answer.”

“Dahil na sa iyo na yan kung ano talaga ang gusto mo para sarili mo. Kung gusto mo man maging martyr, isang mabuting kaibigan, o isang kontrabida,” Ali turns to face her fully, just for a moment. “You are everything you decide yourself to be. Walang iba ang nagkokontrol sa’yo. Ikaw lang.”

There’s something meaningful hidden beneath the depths of his eyes, an undercurrent of a plea—but to what, she doesn’t really know. But his words do bring cold comfort to her. Not encouraging… but strangely reassuring.

The lights turn green. He turns back around to maneuver the car back into the moving traffic.

“Pero sa tingin mo…” Regina prods again, though it’s more curious than desperate. “Ano ba talaga ako, Ali? Some… villain? Or someone… I don’t know, good?”

“Ikaw…” Ali pauses for a beat. “Ay importante.” He chances a glance at her through the rearview mirror. “Isang… Vanguardia. At kahit ano ka man sa mata ko o sa iba, sa susunod na linggo, kikilos ka bilang anak ni Rex Vanguardia.”

It’s a small caution, she realizes. The days are slowly counting down to the day of the gala, to where she must make at least one significant connection to a backdoor source to the Mayor’s dirty little secrets. To where Rex Vanguardia will once again return and attend to watch her every move with eagle-eyed precision.

She sighs. “You’re right.”

She can’t be distracted. Not right now. Not by thoughts of a kindhearted EMT. Or a cop. Not by the thought of a painful possibility—a glimpse of them dancing in the ballroom. And her, standing there, watching in the sidelines. Or the even more painful possibility of losing her friendship with one of them.

It’s strange now, that amidst all the chaos she’s forcefully burying in mountain-loads of work, she realizes that what she fears the most is the thought of losing the very same person she didn’t want to lose to in a silly game of petty love.

Chapter Text

The water is lukewarm to the touch, lapping at the skin where her ears meet her cheeks, washing over pores and hair follicles. It brings a strange sense of comfort, here, with her face submerged in the washbasin. The water’s embrace almost makes her yearn to stay for a few minutes more, drowning in such shallow water.

But alas, she forces herself out with a gasp a few seconds later, meets her reflection’s gaze in the lavatory mirror. Exhaustion mars her features, but in spite of it all, she still finds it surprising to see a young girl staring back at her whenever she doesn’t have makeup on.

“Ma’am Regina? Nandito na ang makeup artist at ang hair stylist.”

She blinks out of her stupor, dabs a dry towel over her face. When she walks back out into her bedroom, a young lady and a man stand near her vanity, already setting the equipment up.

This is it. In a few hours, she’ll walk into a grand ballroom hosting an even grander party, having invited almost every powerful name there is in Nueva Esperanza and the neighboring towns. The game starts the second she walks in those double doors—the grand charade, the play—'paper faces on parade’ or so the song goes.

But for now, she has peace, she has quiet, sitting on a cushioned seat as the makeup artist dabs foundation on her face, as the hair stylist combs out her wavy hair. At the corner of her vanity table, her phone suddenly lights up.

Narda Custodio [4:09 PM]: see u later regina :) excited na akong makita ang suotin mo hehe

Regina closes her eyes, smiling in spite of herself. Though apprehension coils in her gut, though a foreboding gloom hangs precariously in the thin air, like a balloon seconds away from a needle’s prick, through it all it’s comforting to think that Narda will be there. Like an oasis in a barren desert.

Even though she knows it might be temporary—that she’ll have to pop the proverbial balloon one day, maybe even tonight.

The hair and makeup job finishes an hour later. She slowly slips on her gown for the night, makes sure it fits snugly against her—its emerald green complementing the smokey-eyed look the artist had given her. When she looks at herself in the mirror, sees her heavy makeup, the bright red of her lips, and the way her hair is tied up in such a vintage fashion, she no longer sees the young girl she’d seen in her reflection before.

The central piece for the party is the mask. It’s Ali who presents it to her at the bottom of the staircase, set in a black box with a letter tied to its lock.

She smiles as she reads the message inside—it’s a sweet letter from her friend in the US. She’ll reply to her soon. For now, she pulls open the box cover.

What lays sitting atop a velvet cushion inside is a venetian mask painted in half in different shades of gold, decorated with pure gold jewels across it, soft and glistening even in the dim lights of her living area. Bright reliefs are drawn over in swirls down the two holes of the eyes, interposed at their ends by bright golden flowers. At the forehead, an opening is cut out shaped like a moon, decorated further with even more pearls and jewels. A chain dangles over the chin, connected to the two sides where the jaws are supposed to be.

It's a beautiful piece, serving as both the perfect disguise and a grandiose display of power.

Nothing short of her father’s wishes. He would be so pleased.

But the final piece, of course, is a little secret. One she slips into her wrist as Ali leads her out of the condo, the charms gleaming silver under the dim lights. The way the cold of the metal rests along her skin sends sparks of giddiness through her, a burst of uncharacteristic elation.

“I have a good feeling about tonight,” she tells Ali in the car, even though she knows she doesn’t entirely believe it. Her other hand rests on the bracelet on her wrist.

Ali actually smiles at her this time as he starts up the car.

The drive is shorter than anticipated, and the entrance to the hotel the ball is being held at is littered with a scattered number of reporters who'd been left out of the invitation list wanting a scoop of the relatively exclusive party. It happens all the time during the anniversary gala, but there are a few more present this year—she supposes that’s what happens when a masquerade ball is held in a relatively small barangay. In 2022, no less.

She can see guests already arriving, some even entertaining the reporters outside in spite of their disguises. It's almost funny to see—watching adults in a costume party talking to news publications. A ridiculous premise one would only see on Hollywood’s Met Gala. Yet, the socialites in this small town took the bait. Hook, line, and sinker.

Ali drives the car into the basement parking, where she finds some more of her guests loitering about and getting on the elevator.

As the car shuts off, she slips on the mask—it’s smoother than she expected inside, and fits snugly unto her face. She watches Ali slip on his own—just a simple black and white one, the colors halved in the middle, still covering his whole face, as she’d requested; he looks good in spite of himself, in a simple black tuxedo with a red tie.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you look good,” Regina tells him genuinely.

The man just grunts as he opens the door for her, turning around and saying nothing. But she can see a faint redness on his ears.

“So, give me a rundown of who’s coming tonight,” she murmurs as Ali moves to her side, offering her an arm.

Ali lets her slip her arm around the crook of his elbow. “Ang mga Perez, mga Zamora, at mga Ibañez ang alam ko nag-RSVP ahead of time. Mga board members sila sa iilan sa mga kompanya na affiliated kay Mayor. Maliban sa kanila, nabalitaan kong nag-check-in na ang mga Castro, Chua, dela Torre, at mga Rosales—mga stockholders din sa mga kompanyang yun.”

“Anybody else?” Regina glances around the elevator lobby—it’s fortunately empty for now.

Ali presses the button going up. “Hindi ako sure pero, nabalitaan ko nandito na rin ang mga admin and PR teams ng mga NGOs na may office dito at sa mga kalapit na bayan.”

As the doors slide open, Ali casts her a sidelong glance.

“Besides them, I’m sure na nandito na ang mga EMTs natin.”

Regina pretends not to notice the subtle implication in his voice, pretends the leap in her heartbeat at an unbidden thought is just excitement bubbling over for her little ploy for the night. “Hm. Good for them. They deserve a break anyway.”

Ali says nothing more, opting to press the button to close the doors. They stand there for a few minutes, a tense bubble surrounding the silence between them. Before they reach the designated floor, Ali turns to Regina.

“Kahit ano man ang mangyayari mamaya,” his voice, though a bit muffled through the mask, holds a genuine warmth to it, “alalahanin mo na nasa kampi mo ako.”

The knot in her gut coils itself tighter in spite of the genuine conviction in Ali’s dark eyes. She sighs, nodding. “Thank you.”

He nods as well. And Regina’s sure he means it to comfort her, but his words end up more foreboding than assuring. She deduces she’s just nervous, which is incredibly uncharacteristic of her—Get it together, Regina.

The elevator chimes as the doors slide open, and the two walk in the main lobby to be greeted with the sight of an already increasing crowd of socialites milling about. Regina smiles at that—almost everyone she sees has followed the theme to a tee. She’d specified in the invitations that extravaganza was welcomed and encouraged, and indeed the wealthy came in in the most ostentatious of garbs, with masks of all kinds on their faces—some venetian, like hers, others feathery, others resembling animals, and the more ominous ones in beak masks like plague doctors.

“Oh, ang ganda ng mask mo, iha!” One such flamboyant lady immediately says to her—she’s donning a ceramic mask formed like a cat, with its eye sockets framed in gold swirls. “My favorite alamat naman talaga is of the moon—El Sol y La Luna!”

Regina forces a smile—before she realizes the lady can’t see it anyway. She instead nods her head, laughs, and walks past her.

“It’s her, isn’t it—si Aliyah Zamora?” Regina whispers to Ali once they’re out of earshot. The eldest Zamora’s known mistress, who’s as flamboyant as a peacock and as materialistic as Imelda. While she doesn’t really have a problem with both traits, she has met her before, and the woman was not at all good company.

She’d told her then, the same day they’d first met during a company dinner with her Dad, straight to her face—‘Sa tingin ko, ang babae, ang tanging job niya is to serve her husband! Kaya, you notice diba? Hindi naman magaling ang karamihan sa mga babaeng abogado diyan, eh!’

Eugh.

Her companion nods. “Sa pagkakaalam ko, siya lang ang dumalo mula sa mga Zamora.”

“Jesus,” Regina rolls her eyes. “Tanggalin nga natin sila sa agenda tonight. I’ll probably get a high blood first before I can get her to talk about anything useful.”

She manages to hear Ali chuckle. A rare occurrence, and one that makes her smile in turn. “Well, swerte ka ngayon, since ang grupong nakaharap sa atin ngayon ay ang mga Villaruz—” he gestures subtly to the bowties of the group of men stood a few paces ahead, well within the ballroom itself. “Nakikita mo ba ang insignia nila?”

“Major shareholder sila sa chem factory ni Mayor, hindi ba?” Regina whispers. She feels a small smile forming, unbidden.

Ali nods. “Nabalitaan ko na nagkagulo ang ibang kompanya nila pagkatapos ng insidente noong buwan. Bumaba ang stocks nila. I’d wager na willing silang makipag-usap sa kahit kanino man ngayon na may kahit gaano kaliit na interest sa kanila.”

Regina takes a step forward, untangles her arm from Ali’s. But before the man lets her go, she takes his wrist and gives it a gentle squeeze.

“Salamat, Ali,” Regina says, “I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without you.”

There’s a beat of silence filled only with Ali’s heavy gaze. But before long, he nods lowly, squeezes her hand back. “Good luck, Regina.”

At that, Regina lets go and makes her way to the ballroom’s entrance. The fruits of a month’s worth of intensive planning lay bare before her. She knew she’d demanded much from the event planners, but to say she was not impressed would be simply untrue.

The lights are dimmed to an amber glow in the neo-classical ballroom, bathing everything in shades of golden illuminated by sparkling chandeliers. The same shades of yellow are mirrored across much of the décor—from the ceiling drapes and golden trimmings along the length of cornices and reliefs to the fake flowers scattered throughout. A grand staircase sits as the centerpiece of the room, splitting in two junctions at its first landing, with a velvet red carpet flowing gracefully down its steps.

She drinks it all in as if it’s the first time she’s ever set foot here, lets herself smile inside her mask. She’s always loved the idea of balls and princesses, especially back when she was still a child—here under this golden glow, that little child is gleefully rejoicing inside.

But adult Regina has a job to do, and that job is standing a few paces in front of her. She sighs, steels herself (presses a hand over the silver bracelet), and takes a step forward.

--

“Nandoon, oh! Kitang-kita naman ang mga ilaw!”

Narda points frantically at the building in the distance, leaning over to Richard. The man raises a brow as he steers the wheel of the car, maneuvering it around traffic to get to the building. Once they finally arrive, he stops first at the main entrance.

“Una ka na doon, mag-paparking lang ako.”

Narda grins, slips on the red sequined mask over her eyes. “Salamat, Richard, ha? Kita tayo sa loob.”

Richard grins, bidding her to go. At that, she steps out of the car, left to fend for herself down the steps to the palace-like hotel. She’s alone here amidst the scattered crowd of socialites milling about, all in much too extravagant outfits that make her feel a bit embarrassed in her simple red sequin gown.

She rubs her bare arm, feels the goosebumps pricking over her skin from the night breeze, as she walks up the grand stairs, wishing Andre had been here with her at least—unfortunately, the man had come down with a sudden case of food poisoning. And the two friends she has outside the small circle she’s made in her own neighborhood aren’t around.

It's times like this she wishes her peers weren’t so hostile towards her. It’s lessened significantly since Regina’s intervention a while back, but until now, they avoid her like the plague, give her wary looks wherever she passes, and refuse to acknowledge her outside of emergencies.

She wishes Regina were here with her.

It’s a sudden passing thought, one that crosses her mind as she slowly walks up the stone steps, alone and under the watchful eye of the elite. They would have linked arms, talked about the little details on that one guy’s waistcoat, or that other lady’s embroidered shawl, or the golden deer mask another man dons—the conversations would flow like endless rivers, and her mouth wouldn’t feel so dry, her tongue wouldn’t feel like sandpaper against flesh, and she wouldn’t feel like she’s seconds away from choking.

Ano ka ba, Narda? Party naman lang ito.

But the thought pervades even as she steps unto the landing and now has to face the large entry doors. If Regina were here, she would have squeezed her hand, told her not to worry, that she’s here, that she deserves to be here. And Narda would have smiled, like she always does, because it’s easy to smile around her—easy to smile because of her—would have pointed and talked about how beautiful the venue, the décor, the music—everything—is.

Because Regina might be the only female friend she has in the Foundation but she’s… different. Special. Something like her best friend Mara is to her but… also different.

She places a hand over the pendant resting above her heart. How does Regina look right now amidst the sea of beauty that surrounds her? She should find her later—

There’s a light tap on her shoulder. She turns around, surprised to find someone standing behind her—it’s a man in a simple tuxedo, a black and white mask covering his face (she wonders briefly why she’s seeing quite a number of attendees wearing full-faced masks).

The man leans close, just enough so she could hear him. “Malapit ng magsimula ang program, ma’am. Pwede ba kitang ihatid sa loob?”

A breath of relief escapes her, unbidden. The man’s soft voice is familiar, a comforting octave. He offers her an arm, and she slips hers through it. “Yes. Thank you.”

He simply nods in turn, as he helps her weave her way through the thickening crowd. The interior is somehow grander than the outside, shimmering gold beneath the intricate chandelier lights. She allows herself a moment to breathe, to take it all in, and the man watches and waits as she stops.

She looks to the man, sees him glance around briefly before he looks down at her. He nods again, and they move on, moving like waves with the crowd. Her breath is taken away again by the ballroom, with its wholly golden motif, and—just, the sheer amount of effort it must have taken to decorate this entire room that’s much too big for any human like herself.

“Salamat, Ali,” Narda says, squeezes this man’s elbow.

Beside her, she feels Ali stiffen momentarily. Perhaps wondering how she’d recognized him—it’s not hard to, when he still retains the same mannerisms, still speaks softly and respectfully towards her.

She looks at him, smiles warmly. “Ali, nasaan si Regina?”

The man looks around briefly before shaking his head. “Patawad, nagkahiwalay kami kanina pa. Hindi ko na alam.”

Narda sighs, disappointed, but nonetheless her smile remains. “Okay lang, Ali. Salamat.”

Ali nods before she feels him let her go. He bows low as he steps away from her. “I hope ma-enjoy mo ang party, Narda.”

Narda doubts it, considering she’ll be alone in a stuffy ballroom surrounded by people who could ruin her life with just the snap of a finger. But still, she smiles, nods, and bids Ali farewell, even as she dreads watching him go.

Now alone again, she wonders vaguely where Richard is. How long does it really take to park a car in a high-end hotel?

She hugs herself, feeling small amidst the crowd—some wearing half masks, but a strangely great number in full-faced, intricate ceramic masks. She feels their gazes on her even in the darkness of their masks’ eye sockets, feels the judgement passing their looks, so she ducks behind the shadow of a large column.

She rubs at the skin on her arms, taking in a few deep breaths. Tao lang sila, Narda. Naka-mask pa nga.

Why is she so nervous?

She chances a glance on the other side of the column. Thankfully, the crowd’s attention has moved away, as the music has shifted into a classical ballad, and now couples have paired up and are moving on to the dance floor.

She eyes each pair idly, sees their outfits, surely tailored by high-end designers, with fabrics worth more than her yearly salary. She sees their masks, intricately trimmed with gold and silver, or otherwise strangely ostentatious.

She spots a man in a beaked mask. A woman wearing a feathered, full-faced mask. Another of a jester. Another of a cat. Another that is one of pure gold, with a cut of the crescent moon on the forehead. Another a mouthless, almost rectangular white mask, with gold trims surrounding dark eye sockets.

Narda looks away.

Why is she even here?

Why were any of the EMTs even invited?

Where are any of them anyway?

She moves to leave, to find a place where she could just take a pause, breathe—

She feels something warm enclose her wrist. She jerks back suddenly, whirls around, almost ready to scream—

But there stands Brian, smiling his boyish, lopsided smile, eyes shimmering beneath a simple black mask that barely hides his features. His hands are tucked in his pockets—his suit pockets. His hair is gelled, styled to part at the side, with just one perfect fringe out of place. He has a navy-blue suit on, worn over a simple white button-up.

Narda can’t help but sigh in relief. “Brian… akala ko nakastation ka sa labas.”

Brian shrugs, moves to stand beside her against the column. “Actually, nagsuggest yung ninong ko na magdamit nalang ako bilang isang normal na guest at sumali. Parang undercover mission, diba?”

Narda rolls her eyes. “Swerte ka lang pabor ka rin ni Regina at pinayagan kang sumali.”

Brian smirks, leans closer. “‘Rin’? May iba bang may pabor din sa akin?”

“Hindi nakakatawa ang biro mo, noh.” Narda can’t help but cringe, which elicits laughter from the police officer.

“Natawa lang ako dahil parang napakaseryoso mo,” Brian gestures to the room around them, to the people already beginning to dance and actually enjoy the party. “Tingnan mo, parang nag-eenjoy naman ang mga tao, kahit medyo weird ang theme. Pero eto ka, namumutla. Ano ka ba naman?”

Narda rubs at her arm idly, bites her lip, disappointed that Brian can’t seem to get it. “Ewan ko. Parang nakatingin sila sa akin. Baka alam nila na simpleng EMT lang ako, tapos sila naman—”

“Hindi ka naman ang tag-iisang EMT na inimbita, Narda. And ano ka ba naman? Give yourself some credit.” Brian grins, pushing himself off the column. “Mas cool kaya ang trabaho sa mga katulad natin kaysa sa kanila.”

The police officer raises a hand up towards her. She eyes it apprehensively, not at all convinced by his much too brazen words.

Seeing her dilemma, however, she does notice his gaze soften, his hand loosen up a little. He chances a step forward. “Narda, actually, alam mo ba kung bakit nakatitig sila sa’yo?”

Narda looks away.

Brian takes her hand. “Dahil ikaw ang pinakamagandang tao sa buong ballroom na’to. At deserve mo’ng sumayaw kasama nila, kasama sa akin.”

Narda sighs, lets herself smile a little. He’s just trying to be nice, she knows; he’s just trying to comfort her. Encouraged, Brian tugs at her wrist, urging her to join him to the dance floor, and Narda has no choice but to let him take her away, whisk her to a classic dance—

She supposes she should have some fun, after all.

And at the very least, Brian’s here. Brian’s present to accompany her, and right now, with him, at the very least, she’s not alone.

--

The gala is in full swing now. And in the past hour she’d spent socializing and networking, Regina’s a bit disappointed the most incriminating gossip she’s heard is that the Mayor sometimes frequented the casinos.

But she still has time. She’s still yet to talk to a number of the NGO heads, the business executives on her list.

Regina walks along the length of the ballroom’s mezzanine, finger running down the smooth expanse of the railing. Observing. Who else is there on the list? What are they doing now, down there? She hadn’t specified a theme for the event—other than extra—but the guests she sees now somehow don coordinated colors.

There’s a mass of whites, blacks, greens, yellows, a spot of red, blue—

Wait—

Someone settles into the space beside her, and when she turns around, her breath escapes her.

Rex Vanguardia smiles when their gazes meet. He doesn’t have a mask on, but he’s wearing a blazer she doesn’t see on him often—a single breasted forest green suit.

“Regina,” he says, offering an arm up to her, “I finally caught you.”

“D-dad—” Regina clears her throat, slipping her arm around his. “Paano mo nalaman ako ‘to?”

“You are my daughter. I would recognize you in whatever costume, whatever mask you decide to wear,” Rex says lowly, leans closer towards her, as they move slowly towards the stairs. “I must say, napaka-unique ng party na ‘to, ah. One of a kind. A perfect setting, especially since nabalitaan ko na meron kang i-aannounce mamaya.”

Inside her mask, Regina feels her lips unconsciously curve into a smile. Coolness blooms on her insides, gentle and comforting—he likes it. “Thank you, Dad.”

Rex places his free hand on hers, patting it gently, as he leads her down the steps of the ballroom. “And your get-up—truly beautiful. Nakikita ko rin na pure gold ang mask mo—a wise choice.” He gestures to the crowd on the dance hall before them. “To contrast against all these people before us today, in nothing but fake, golden get-ups. Fool’s gold. Beneath us. And you—Regina, my daughter, my name—you are the single purest piece of gold in this sea of foolishness.”

Regina’s grip around his elbow tightens. She forces herself to look at him, and again, she says, “Thank you, Dad.”

At that point, they’ve already reached the bottom. The man lets his arm fall as he steps back then. That same tight smile remains on his face as he gives her a meaningful look. “Keep it up, Regina. One day, you will take my place, and I am happy to see you are slowly turning into the woman I’ve been raising you up to be all these years.”

With that, he leaves, disappearing into the thick crowd, and Regina is left alone at the bottom of the staircase once more. Free hand grasped tightly onto the stair’s marble railing. Though his words are meant to encourage, she, for some reason, feels emptier now than before. Even more so as she slowly, painfully, lets her gaze wander back to the dance floor.

Where a figure in bright red stands, holding another in blue colors.

She’s not sure how it registers, how she realizes it, but she knows who it is. Knows it from the glimmering rose gold resting upon her chest. From the windswept bangs falling gracefully over her angular face, to the dark tresses that rest upon her waist.

Narda Custodio.

And just like she imagined—she’s dancing with Brian. They’re both laughing and smiling, as if they’re in their own little world. And as they weave through the other couples, she sees heads turn in their direction, the subtle angling of masks.

Regina wonders if Narda knows that she’s captured the attention of the crowd. With her blazing red sequined dress that hugs her body in all the right places—in places she never allows herself to even imagine. A bright red fire in a sea of neutered shades. Her light laughter, traveling through the slivers of spaces between the tight crowds, a melody to the live band’s harmony.

Does she not realize what it means to wear red to a party like this?

Does she even realize the effect she has on this crowd, all wracked with the paradoxical urge to both stand out and conform? And here she is, waltzing in effortlessly and stealing their breaths away.

Or how the sight of her is enough to burn her insides both red and golden in this moment, to strangle the beating organ encaged within her ribs, so wound up and tight that she has to remind herself how to breathe.

She tells herself it’s because she’s dancing with Brian. That it’s because, deep down, some part of her more silent but more powerful than the rest is still infatuated with that goddamn policeman. That policeman, who currently has Narda in his arms.

(Even as her eyes remain trained on Narda—Narda alone.

She has to tell her soon. Confess that it was all meant to be some underhanded scheme, and that it’d turned into a real friendship, apologize, and then make up afterwards.

She has to. Otherwise, this pervasive pain won’t go away.)

“Isn’t she lovely?”

Regina blinks out of her reverie, turning to look to her side, where she finds a man leaning on the same balustrade she’s using for support. He’s wearing a blue tuxedo jacket, lapels colored black with gold trimmings at its edges, a black dress shirt underneath paired with an even blacker bowtie. A white, angular mask rests upon his face, embellished with gold at its corners and swirled around the eyes.

“The girl in red,” the stranger clarifies when she continues to stare at him in silence. “Nasa gitna?”

Regina takes a placating breath, slowly letting go of the spark of irritation that had flared up inside. “Well, of course—red is an attractive color.”

The stranger crosses his arms, leans closer. “Hindi lang yan, eh. It’s her movements too—her very presence lights up the room. Don’t you think?”

Regina feels her jaw tighten, feels a heat traveling down her fingers, to where they’ve curled even tighter around the marble railing. She feels sick—to hear her own thoughts reflected in this man’s words, articulated in such a way—

And the fact that it’s about Narda. Her special friend. The fact that she realizes she shares the same thoughts about her with this man—

She moves away, glowering at the stranger. “I’m sorry—what the hell do you even mean?”

The masked stranger springs up, and she sees through his mask a panicked gaze behind the darkness. “I—Look, whatever you’re thinking, hindi yan ang ibig sabihin ko.”

Regina cocks her head to the side. “And kaya nga sinabi ko: what did you mean?”

The stranger shakes his head. “Just… that… it’s refreshing, to see someone laugh and dance so freely out there. When everyone else is hiding… behind full-faced masks.”

Regina closes her eyes, takes a few more breaths, lets the tension roll off her shoulders, breathes the anger out in slow beats. Fuck. Why’d she jump to some other more heinous conclusion?

She shakes her head. “Sorry. I thought—di bale na.”

The stranger nods. “It came out wrong, so—naiintindihan ko.”

Regina takes another placating breath—calm down. She has to remember what she’s doing here in the first place—she didn’t organize this entire event to get mad over some dumb misunderstanding. She’s here for an entirely different reason.

She clears her throat. “So… ‘hiding’, huh?”

The stranger’s shoulders ease off their tension. He moves closer towards her, folding his two hands together behind him. “Mm, hiding. Tama. Look around—” he gestures to their surroundings with his chin. “Sa gala na ito, you’ll realize who has more to lose being here by the type of mask they’re wearing.”

Though still a bit apprehensive, it’s Regina’s turn now to cross her arms. In spite of the rocky start to this conversation, this stranger is, without a doubt, interesting—there’s a strange charm to him, both innocent and dangerous (and she can see more naïve girls swooning over his mannerisms and voice), and with his opening line being related to Narda instead of some investment option—?

And where has she heard this familiar voice before?

“So, kung ganoon ang masasabi mo, are you also saying you’ve got a lot to lose, Mister…?”

The stranger chuckles, shakes his head. “Ark. Tawagin mo nalang akong ‘Ark.’ At ikaw?”

Regina mulls it over for a moment, but the answer comes in the memory of a boisterous voice, and then of the bracelet resting upon her wrist. “Luna.”

“Well, Ms. Luna,” ‘Ark’ takes a step forward, raises a hand up in offering. “I think I’ve much to lose being here just as much as you do. So why don’t you dance with me?”

Regina looks at his gloved hand for a moment, curious. Though she’s still more irritated than anything that he’d interrupted her earlier train of thought, there’s something about this stranger’s disposition that tells her he might be a valuable asset in the long run.

So, she takes his hand. “Alright then.”

It’s Regina who leads the way, moving further away from the center, more to the side—she pretends it’s to steer clear of unnecessary attention, pretends it has nothing to do with the other pairing there. The man just obliges, but at the start of a classical number, Regina realizes this ‘Ark’ person is actually a well-trained dancer, expertly maneuvering his steps away from her feet so unfortunate accidents don’t happen. They weave gracefully through the crowd, seamlessly moving from one corner to the next, and she notices after a while that they’ve even garnered the attention of a few curious onlookers.

As the song transitions into a slower piece, they take pause from the movement, opting to do a traditional ‘box’ step instead, following the crowd.

“So, Mr. Ark,” Regina starts after a breath, “Magaling kang dancer, hm?”

The stranger laughs, glancing around briefly. “Of course. Mula bata pa, pinapasok ako ng Dad ko sa mga dance training programs. Nakakahiya daw, eh, kung hindi ko matutunan yon.”

Regina nods. So, he’s from the upper class. “I understand. Parang ganyan din ang Dad ko minsan.”

“I imagine,” the stranger steps back for a moment. “Noong nakita kita kanina, I knew right then and there we would get along just fine.”

Regina allows herself a chuckle. It comes out drier than she intended. “So, your dad must be pretty important, huh?”

Ark cocks his head to the side. “And what gave you that idea?”

Regina clicks her tongue, moving so they’d avoid a passing couple. “The fact na kinailangan mong matutong magsayaw at a young age tells me na kinailangan mong dumalo sa mga events na ganito mula noon pa.”

“Fair point, pero,” Ark twirls her around, speaks again when she spins around back into his grasp, “you just gave me a hint, as well, Ms. Luna, na meron ka ding experience dito, na may alam ka sa pamumuhay ng mga… ‘importante’.”

“O baka matalino lang ako.”

“Something tells me you’re both,” Ark interjects.

“Something tells me you’re deflecting.”

The man chuckles, shakes his head. “My Dad… is important as he can be. Pero, katulad lang ng ibang ‘importanteng tao’ dito, madali rin silang tanggalin; it’s easy to cut off the head, hm?”

“Ever heard of the tale of Hercules’ second labor, Mr. Ark?” Regina argues, “Cut off one head, and two more will grow back.”

“And alam mo naman din kung paano rin natalo ang hydra sa alamat na yun,” Ark says, “By burning and sealing off the wound, the hole it would have grown out of.”

Regina eyes him curiously, already catching on to the subtle implication, and wonders now who it is behind that ceramic mask, for him to say something so bold to someone he doesn’t even know.

“Careful, Mr. Ark, baka may makarinig sa’yo,” she tells him.

“Let them,” he says, “I’m sure mas interesado sila sa tsismis. Loyalty means nothing when your words can’t be traced back to you.”

Regina lets him spin her around again. “Is that so? So, pray tell, ano pang ibang ‘tsismis’ ang mabubulong mo sa akin—especially since, sabi mo nga, ‘loyalty means nothing’ when it can’t be traced back to you? After all, we’re surrounded by masks, aren’t we?”

She sees the grin forming on his lips through the light crinkle in his eyes, hears his breath as he pulls her a bit closer. His voice drops to a low whisper. “Alam ko na ang chemical factory na itinayo ni Mayor noon, na nawasak dahil sa Extra noong unang buwan, ay hindi lang isang normal na chemical factory, pero isa ring laboratory na ginagamit ng mga drug cartel dito para gumawa ng illegal na droga.”

Regina’s eyes widen as she pulls back. “You’re lying.”

The man shakes his head, pulling her closer as the crowds begin to move again amidst the shift in the music. “That’s not all I know. I have access to it all—receipts, records, archived conversations, and… the victims’ records.”

Tension knits her guts into tight strings. Regina’s grip on his hand tightens. “Big words, Ark. Pero how am I supposed to believe you, hm? How is it even possible to have access to that?”

The man leans closer again, and even with the mask on, she sees the traces of a smirk forming on his lips, reflected on the way his eyes narrow. “Because, Ms. Vanguardia, I live with the source of all that info.”

It slowly comes to her in waves. She first processes it with the mention of her name—not the aliases they gave each other, but her surname. And then comes the next piece of information—that this man and the Mayor live together.

It clicks.

Her dance partner this entire time—Ark—has been none other than Noah Vallesteros.

She stares at him now, wide-eyed, as she feels something cold and small being pressed to her palm. A calling card. How did he even get in? This was strictly invitation-based.

“Paano mo nalaman kung sino ako?”

Noah merely shrugs. “Gut feeling. I can see blonde sticking out at the sides of your head, paired off pa with a green gown—well, ang pairing na yun ay medyo iconic sa Nueva Esperanza, didn’t you know? But after kinausap kita, that’s when I knew. Hindi ko inexpect na magkikita tayo, but I figured, it would be good to talk to you too.”

Regina’s jaw tightens. “Bakit ka nandito? Hindi ka imbitado.”

Noah seems to sigh as he leans closer again, whispering, “Huwag kang mag-alala. Wala akong balak na masama. All I ask is that you let me dance with your pretty friend in red.”

Regina steps back, shocked and pallid, as it finally registers to her the final piece of information from this interaction—that this man had stirred their path in the direction of another couple, their colors a stark red and blue.

She meets Narda’s gaze through the mask, sees the confusion reflected in them—God, she’s beautiful, especially with her hair down, with her mask barely concealing her identity, now that she’s seeing her here up close. It’s the first time she’s seen her wear make-up, and the bright red of her lips is a much too distracting sight.

But she doesn’t really have time to admire her attire when Noah suddenly pulls her close. She hopes and prays she doesn’t realize it’s her.

“Excuse me, Sir, Miss,” her companion greets the couple, even bowing a little for good measure. “Gusto sana malaman namin ng kaibigan ko kung interesado ba kayong mag-switch ng partners? Just for a moment?”

Brian, in his simple blue outfit, looks apprehensive, immediately stepping back a little and bringing Narda with him. “Sorry, brad, ha—baka hindi komportable—”

“Oh, no, no, no. It’s not me, my partner here is interested in you.”

Regina whirls around on Noah, hoping that he sees the angry glare stewing in her gaze. But alas, he matches the intensity of her stare with his own—both a plea and a warning swirling in the darkness of his eyes.

Her fingers curl around his palm. She turns to the couple. “I’d love it if we could dance together, Mister…?”

Brian and Narda share a puzzled look. And all Regina can do is hope that they turn it down.

But alas, it’s Narda who actually pushes Brian away, urging him on with a teasing smile. “Oh, ayan na, meron talagang may interest sa’yo dito, diba?”

Brian seems to grumble; a light dusting of redness powders his cheeks. Regina’s grip on Noah’s hand tightens. She feels her front teeth dig deeper into the flesh of her lower lip.

Noah turns to her then, eyes twinkling now in the light—it makes her sick. He leans over to whisper to her ear, “Don’t we want the same thing? I don’t like my father—I’m sure everyone knows that—and you don’t like him either. I like Narda, I heard you like Robles. It’s a win-win situation. Fair trade.”

He even knows her name— Regina squeezes her eyes shut, fighting off the strongest urge to curse him out right at this moment.

“If you need anything,” he pulls back, “feel free to call the number on the card. I owe you one, after all… Luna.”

At that, he lets go of her, leading her towards Brian, as he himself walks over and offers a hand to Narda. The other woman politely accepts it, and then he leads her off into the dance crowd, disappearing behind the masses.

And now she’s alone with Brian, who just stands awkwardly there, unsure of what to do. It’s clear he doesn’t recognize her, with the way he’s actually blushing a little, as if he actually believed she liked him.

“Well, aren’t you going to ask me to dance?” Regina says it with more bite than intended, even though she’d meant for it to sound like a joke.

The man’s ears turn red. “Uh, sorry—sayaw tayo?”

Regina resists the urge to roll her eyes as she accepts his hand. Even now, he’s acting like this in front of her—it makes him a bit pitiable.

But she supposes she should actually be happy, should actually thank the Vallesteros boy for it later. Everything did go to plan. She’s got Brian now to dance with, albeit awkwardly and quite painfully, as he steps on her toes a few times. She’s found a backdoor access to the Mayor’s dirty little secrets—a direct access, in fact, from a source who seems to bear ill feelings towards him as well.

But as Brian spins her around clumsily, her gaze wanders frantically around, seeking out red in this sea of gold, whites, blacks, and blues. As Brian steps towards her in a rhythmic pattern, she searches the crowds around them, hoping to find a glimpse of dark hair cascading down bare shoulders, of a red mask framing scrunched eyes and a toothy grin—where are they? Is she safe? God, if Noah took her someplace else—

As Brian even smiles at her, pulls her closer to mirror the dancing couples around them, Regina does not even spare him a glance, angling her head around, eyes wide and frantically searching and searching—where are they where are they where is she—

It’s Narda’s smile she finds first. Small and soft. Aimed at Noah. They’re just an arm’s reach away, obstructed by another pair. He’s got his hands on her waist, she’s got her hands on his shoulders.

The song slows, the movements stop, the lights dim further. Narda’s eyes still shimmer in the amber glow. Her smile a lighthouse in the expanding shadows.

The warmth in Regina’s chest spreads to a dull, rippling pain. Familiar and unfamiliar. Gentle and sharp.

Even as Narda smiles at somebody else, she’s still utterly beautiful.

Oh.

So, that’s what this is.

She lets go of Brian.

“Ma’am?”

“Sorry,” she doesn’t look at him as she turns away, weaves and pushes her way through the crowd, rushes up the stairs, up to the second floor, into an indiscriminate white door off to the side.

The first thing she does as the outside breeze flutters past her skin is pull out her tight updo. Her head’s been throbbing for a while now, amplified further by the dizziness of the dancing. The tight bun was not helping. She throws the hairpins to the floor as she makes her way over to the balcony railings.

Come on, Regina. Breathe.

She grasps on to the stone railing, sees the whiteness on her knuckles from her tight grip. She grits her teeth. She can’t breathe.

Fuck. Just for this moment. She unclasps the chain on her mask and takes it off, inhaling deeply as she frees her face from the stuffy item. She smells traces of petrichor in the night breeze—its iron coolness brings an empty sense of comfort to her.

She could laugh. Really, she could laugh. She wants to laugh. Because she’s sure as hell the universe wants to, because she’s sure as all hell it’s played the cleverest, cruelest joke on her. Bravo. You won.

You’ve really done it this time, Regina.

You fell for a girl.

And not just any girl. It’s her self-proclaimed rival, the very same person she’d wanted to beat in a game of love.

Absolutely, absolutely, pathetic. Ridiculous. Ironic. Moronic.

Has she mentioned pathetic?

Has she forgotten girls carry with them the most painful of heartbreaks?

Has she forgotten the one time her Dad had discovered she’d developed a little crush on a fellow female attorney?

God. And now she’s done it again.

She fell for Narda Custodio. Her best friend. The person she’s deceiving. The single ray of sunlight in this dark and cruel, cruel life of hers.

She could cry. Really, she could cry. She wants to cry. Wants to scream it all out so it’d somehow rip these stupid feelings out of her body.

Because Narda is someone she absolutely cannot be with.

Because Narda deserves the universe and its myriad of celestial beauties, and all Regina can offer her is… this. Nothing more than what she is right now.

Dad had called her the ‘single pure piece of gold’ just a while ago, all proud as he smiled down at her. Ha.

She realizes now she is just as much a pyrite as everyone else is inside. A fake. Sugarcoated rot sprinkled with golden glitter.

She realizes this because Narda absolutely deserves more than that.

And she does not deserve Narda.

Hindi ka naman mabuting tao.

Wala kang kwenta.

I already know that. Regina bends over the balustrade, presses her eyes to her wrist as she wills the forming tears to go away. I know that.

She doesn’t even deserve to be her friend.

And Dad—

He’d take Narda away from her if he found out.

He’d take the one person she can’t afford to lose.

The door behind her clicks open.

Time stills with the air around her. She opens her eyes, keeps her gaze trained on the fields beyond, as the coldest fingers of dread creep along her bones.

She discreetly slips on the mask, just enough to cover her face, as she turns around to greet whoever it is that’s entered her space.

Only to find none other than Narda Custodio standing before her, back against the ivory door, a soft smile playing upon her red lips.

Chapter Text

Regina stares at her, wide-eyed. Her heartbeat rings in her eardrums, its rhythm frantic. What is she doing here?

She should be inside, with Noah. Or Brian. Or whatever.

Not here. Not in front of her while she’s on the verge of both an emotional breakthrough and a breakdown.

Not when she’s just realized she’s fallen for her.

“Okay ka lang ba…?” Narda asks, slowly taking a step forward.

Regina keeps her gaze trained on the floor, hissing a million curses underneath her breath. Calm down. She probably doesn’t recognize it’s her. Or does she? Her hair is already down. Her mask is barely on—

Fuck. Regina, you fucking idiot. Fuck!

She quickly turns away again as she hears approaching steps across the stone floor. Ba’t siya lumalapit sa akin?

She feels more than hears the other woman stop behind her. She feels it in the shifting air, in the warmth that exudes from her skin.

“Di ka ba uncomfortable diyan?” Narda asks, her voice tinged with amusement.

Regina bites her lip hard, realizing how she’s already lost. She slowly turns to Narda, hand continually pressed onto her mask. She finds twinkling eyes staring up at her, framed by an embroidered red mask, a dark red smile.

How had she not noticed before?

“I…”

She sees Narda’s brow quirk up momentarily. But her smile remains warm, fond. She laughs a little, wipes her hands against the sides of her gown.

“Uh, pwede ko bang…?” Narda raises her hands up a little, a question burning in her eyes.

Regina can’t do anything else but bow a little, lean closer to allow Narda’s fingers to curl into the mask’s sides. She pulls it down slowly, so slowly, stretching out each beat of a second.

“Nahanap na rin kita sa wakas,” Narda whispers, “Regina.”

Regina meets her gaze. Just for a moment. Because now she can’t bear to look at her for more than that.

“Narda.” She forces out a chuckle. “I thought you were with…”

She sees her scrunch up her nose. “Eh. Natapos na naman yung kanta. Plus, hindi—hindi ako komportable sa kanya, eh. Di ko naman siya kilala. Kaya… sinunod nalang kita.”

“Was it that easy to find me?” Regina purses her lips.

“I...” Narda settles into the space beside her, reaches out to place her hand over her right hand—right over the bracelet she’d given her a week before. “I just had a feeling.”

Regina tries to look at her. She feels her smile wobbling. “Why were you looking for me?”

Narda meets her gaze. “Wala lang. I…” she moves to stare out into the fields below them. A sigh escapes her lips. “Siguro naging lonely ako kanina. Pero… naalala kita. Naisip ko na… ha, ang boring pala kung hindi kita kasama sa sarili mong event.”

Her heart constricts. Something obstructs the air in her throat. “Bakit?” Regina manages a whisper.

Narda grins, gestures to their surroundings, the balcony, the building itself. “Tingnan mo nga ang lahat na ‘to. Mula sa venue hanggang sa party sa loob—ikaw ang responsable sa lahat ng ito, diba?”

Regina can’t help but let out a huff of incredulous breath. Breathe. Calm down. Si Narda lang yan.

“I just oversaw the planning, Narda. Yung event organizers ang responsable sa lahat ng nakikita mo. From the food to the décor, to the venue, and to the party.”

Narda crosses her arms, leans over the balcony railing. “Oo nga… pero sino naman ang nagbigay ng idea nito?”

Regina chuckles breathlessly. “Well, me, but—”

“Ah, ah. Sino rin ang pumili sa event organizers na gumawa ng lahat nito? Sino ang nag-hire ng mga caterers, ng literal na quartet sa loob—”

“Again, me, but I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what I put the event organizers through. Seriously.”

Narda cocks her head to the side. “Ba’t parang wala kang tiwala sa sarili mo?”

Regina’s hit with a dizzying sense of déjà vu. A glimpse of an image passes through her mind—them, sat together on her office couch, hands pressed against shoulders.

It feels like forever ago now.

“Regina, nakalimutan mo ba na ikaw ang CEO ng Vanguardia Foundation? Ang founder ng kompanyang naghohost ng party na eto, na nagbibigay ng trabaho sa daan-daang taong nangangailangan ng tulong, sa mga taong katulad ko. Ikaw, Regina, ang tanging dahilan kung bakit nangyari ang lahat ng eto, ang dahilan kung bakit nandito ako ngayon. In this balcony, in this beautiful building—ikaw ang dahilan.”

Regina has quite a lot of objections she’d thought up to counter all that, but she can’t seem to say a single one. The smile on her face is easy, fond—it had carved itself into place like an unbidden reflex, as she listened on and on to Narda’s sweet voice.

God. How had she not noticed until now?

“Ang point ko lang,” Narda says breathlessly, as she stares up at the night sky, “is that it would have been nice to walk up those steps na kasama ka. Na kausap ka. Para sana nasabihan kita na… ang ganda talaga ng venue na pinili mo, na nakaka-amaze ang gala sa loob, ang idea mo, na meron akong nakitang taong na nakasuot ng mask na parang ibon—”

The chuckle that leaves Regina’s lips is hoarse and involuntary.

Narda grins, takes a step back. “At para masabi ko sa’yo na… you did such a good job, Regina. Pagkatapos ng lahat. At talagang pinagmamalaki kita, at—proud na proud ako talaga sa iyo. Noon pa man at ngayon, I always have been, ever since nakita kita for the first time sa FB vlog mo how many years ago. Ever since nalaman ko na attorney ka na pala, na CEO ka sa isang foundation na nagbibigay tulong sa mga nangangailangan.

“Kaya nga—” Narda turns to her, gazing at her so deeply she momentarily fears she’s found the place where her own spirit meets her bones. “Kaya hinanap kita, Regina. Dahil kinailangan kong sabihin yan sa’yo. At kaya naman… I’m glad I found you.”

There it is. Again. That choking feeling. Coiling around tightly inside her abdomen, her chest. Her heart drowning forevermore in the warmth of one Narda Custodio. Even as the night blows a cold breeze into the balcony space, there is nothing but warmth that blooms in Regina’s chest.

“Narda, will you dance with me?” she asks softly, stretching her hand out in offering. Her voice trembling the entire time.

Narda blinks, taken aback at first. There’s a beat of silence; Regina holds her breath. But then, the widest, cheekiest smile spreads across Narda’s face. “Why not?”

Palms touch first. Hesitant and slow, as if testing waters. Regina’s cold hand turns warm with Narda’s touch, and slowly their fingers twine together, fitting snugly like puzzle pieces finding home. It’s not the first time they’ve held hands, yet for some reason, it feels different this time.

Regina’s heart is beating out of her chest—a loud and painful drumbeat. She hesitates at the next part, fingers trailing softly against the fabric on Narda’s waist.

But then, she hears Narda giggle. She feels her take her hand, pull it closer, press it against her waist. When Regina looks up, she finds a feather dusting of redness on what she can see from Narda’s cheeks.

Still, this girl keeps smiling—all bright and giddy—as she carefully places her own hand on Regina’s shoulder.

“So… ano na?” Narda quirks up a brow.

Regina can’t look at her. This is dumb. We should— “Hindi naman pala naaabot dito ang music.”

Narda smiles. “Hindi ba talaga?”

She strains to hear something off to the side, narrowing her eyes in concentration. After a moment, she smiles, and then begins humming. It starts off messy at first—disjointed notes floating uncoordinated in the air. But eventually Regina recognizes a tune.

It makes her giggle—this whole thing, this whole scene—it’s utterly ridiculous. The fact that she’s here—the well-known cold and confident Attorney Regina Vanguardia who danced without qualm with countless men just minutes prior—now brought to her undoing by a simple girl with a bright smile, a girl who would have been looked down upon by the crowd she’s invited tonight.

But she tightens her grip, moves her leg, hums along with Narda. They move in a simple ‘box’ step. One foot forward. Then the side. Then back. And then again to the side. It repeats in steady rhythms, simple and uncomplicated. But Regina feels lighter than she ever felt the entire night. Here, with Narda, alone in a darkened balcony, she lets herself smile, laugh, breathe.

Narda’s smiling the entire time—that wide, endearing smile of hers. The one that makes her eyes crinkle behind her red mask, that bunches up her cheeks adorably. Here in this close proximity, Regina allows herself to see more of Narda—her gaze trails down, from her eyes to her nose, her lips, her neck, to the low cut of her glimmering red gown, to where her hand meets the curve of her waist.

But even with all that, her favorite sight is Narda’s smile, hidden now in the curve of her red lips. Adorned by the flecks of stars reflected in her dark eyes.

And as she spins her around slowly, she realizes now that maybe she has always known.

From the moment Narda had smiled at her, held her hand all those months ago, maybe she’s always known.

When Narda spins back around, she falls into her embrace instead, giggling as she does so. Her arm wraps clumsily around her waist. Warm to the touch. Regina finds her own arms entangled against Narda’s body, her cheek resting softly upon her temple.

She closes her eyes.

What she would give to freeze this moment in time forever.

She feels Narda chuckle against her. She feels her pull slowly away. She sees her smiling at her, now all goofy and embarrassed.

“Anong ginagawa natin?” Narda asks now, all light and breathless, her tone humorous. But all Regina can do is stare and stare and gaze into her eyes until finally, her smile falters.

She moves her hand from Narda’s back, trails it along her shoulder, and then presses it upon her soft jaw. Her thumb slips beneath the red mask.

“Reg—?”

She pulls the mask up, lets it rest against Narda’s forehead. She can see sweat beads dotting her cheeks, the bridge of her nose, her jowls. She runs her thumb along each part, feels the shift under her skin as Narda inhales sharply.

Everything about Narda Custodio, she realizes, is beautiful.

God—

Her thumb trails softly over her bottom lip. Her drumming heartbeat whispers a prayer.

I hope I never lose her.

She presses her lips against Narda’s.

--

The time reads 9:38 PM. In a few minutes, Regina has to go up on stage and present Vanguardia Foundation’s newly drafted programs, one of which is a scholarship program that she’s been working on implementing for the past few months.

Regina often tells him it’s only natural for it to be finalized now—after all, it’s always been one of her priority projects since she’d founded the company. But Ali likes to think he has an idea why she’d hastened its finalization over the course of two months.

He knows it even now, as the minutes tick by after he’d seen a girl in red run up the stairs, why Regina cannot be found anywhere in the ballroom in this moment.

Ali dulls the pain that throbs in his chest, feels a strained smile form on his lips. He thinks he’s always known. But he supposes there’s nothing he can do, nothing he can say. And really, it’s okay.

Because all that matters is that he’s able to support Regina, stand by her side through anything and everything. Even if he’s just a simple assistant. Or more accurately, just a bodyguard.

9:42 PM. He sighs, pushes himself off the column he’d been leaning against, and walks towards a service hallway closed off to the side, located behind a partition wall surrounding the bottom stage set across the grand staircase.

As he opens the door, however, his shoulder collides with something hard. When he turns around, he sees brunette hair falling over shoulders, framing a rounded face, and then a simple black suit over a tight pencil skirt.

He narrows his eyes. “Sino… ka? Guest ka ba…?”

The woman blinks, and in the split second it takes her to, he notices her expression quickly school itself—any signs of surprise or confusion immediately melting away from her face.

“Maintenance ako—sorry. Anong kailangan mo, sir?” the woman returns his quizzical look, her expression carrying with it more conviction than his.

Ali purses his lips. “Uh, malapit na ang presentation ni Ma’am Regina. Gusto ko lang sana i-double check ang equipment.”

“Ah,” the woman hums, cranes her neck around. “Kung ganoon man, nasa mali kang pinto. Nasa kabila—doon, sa likod ng hagdan—nandoon ang visual aid para sa presentasyon.”

Ali glances at the door the woman is pointing to, narrowing his gaze. He turns back to her, scrutinizing her blank expression, her wide, alert eyes. He often chaperoned Regina during her visits to this hotel, yet he’s never seen her face around here in the times he’s visited. And he likes to think he’s good with faces.

“Staff ka ba talaga dito?” he questions her. “Parang ngayon ko lang kitang nakita dito.”

She blinks. Smiles politely. “Sir, part-time ako dito, actually. Nagkasakit ang isa sa mga maintenance staff namin, kaya tinawagan ako dito bilang replacement niya.”

Ali watches her face carefully, hoping to catch any hint of anxiety or irritation or anything that might give her away. But this woman’s expression remains neutral, amicable. Her smile consistently plastered on.

Still, something coils around his gut. He remembers this door being the correct one, remembers the manager even leading him to it, as it leads to the AV room. He clenches his fist.

“Meron pa rin akong kailangan tingnan sa kabilang kwarto, so please excuse me—”

The woman holds her hands up as he tries to walk around her. “Sir, off-limits po dito. Please lang—”

“Sandali lang ako,” Ali grits his teeth, tries once more to move around her—

“Anong nangyayari dito?”

Cold fear encases his insides. He turns around to find Rex Vanguardia walking over to them, hands tucked behind him. His narrowed gaze is trained on him.

“Is that you, Ali?” Rex smiles—but it is not an amicable gesture—reaches up to pat him hard on the back. “Bakit mo naman ginugulo ang staff dito?”

The woman looks between them. He sees her expression slip for the briefest moment, sees both fear and anger flash across her dark eyes. But now she regards Rex neutrally, folding her hands together behind her as well.

“Nasa kabilang pinto ang AV room, sir,” she reiterates, looking at him as she says it. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

She bows, turns around and walks back into the door, even though she’d just been leaving it just minutes prior. Ali can do nothing but watch her leave. His jaw tightens, just as Rex squeezes his shoulder hard.

“So. I believe she’s already told you where to go, hm?” Rex tells him. All traces of polite friendliness have disappeared from his face.

Ali glances at him briefly. “Yes, sir.”

Rex pats him again, leans over to whisper in his ear, “Ayusin mo ang sarili mo diyan. Huwag ka nang gumawa ng gulo kung saan wala man. You wouldn’t want to ruin my daughter’s big night with some… senseless issue now, am I right?”

Ali’s jaw tightens. He just nods, not even bothering to reply, as he turns and walks to the other side, to the door hidden behind the staircase.

He’s never liked Rex Vanguardia. He wonders how Regina herself can even stand to breathe the same air he does for more than five minutes.

And though Rex is right to some extent, though Ali knows he’s always just been made to be the unassuming, inconspicuous right-hand man of Regina Vanguardia, he still has a right to act according to Regina’s interests. He has the responsibility to make sure everything does indeed go smoothly for her, even if he has to step out of the shadows for just a sliver of a moment.

And even as he finds the AV equipment in the room behind the staircase, even as he sees it all connected and working well, the gut feeling remains, beating even stronger now than when he’d first felt it as he drove Regina to the hotel.

He grits his teeth.

He hopes Regina is alright, wherever she is right now.

And in the memory of a certain EMT running after her, he hopes that Regina had realized it finally, hopes that she’d come to her senses and seized the opportunity that had presented itself to her in this moment in time.

He hopes she’s found and grasped at the happiness he sees in her eyes each time she looks at Narda Custodio.

--

The seconds feel as if they’ve been stretched out into minutes.

The only thing that fills Regina’s head is a dull, white noise. The same noise that had somehow compelled her limbs to move the way they did, compelled her hands to press themselves against Narda’s cheeks.

She feels Narda kiss back.

The seconds freeze like ice fractals into eternity.

Narda’s lips are warm and soft and moist and taste of cherry Chapstick.

Narda’s hands are warm and calloused and gentle as they land on her own hands.

Narda curls her fingers along her wrists.

Her hands are hard and strong and painful as they suddenly push her away.

The white noise quiets.

She looks at her, sees her wide-eyed gaze, sees her hand fly up to her mouth, sees the redness coloring her cheeks.

“B-bakit mo ginawa yon…?” Narda’s voice is soft. Narda’s voice is trembling. Narda’s eyes are glistening with forming tears.

Regina blinks. Once. Twice. Her fingers move unconsciously to her lips, the ghost of the other woman’s lips still haunting them.

Why…

Why did I do that?

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck—

Fuck!

Regina turns away, feels her own cheeks warming up, feels the wetness crawling up her eyelids, feels pinpricks pinching at her hands, her fingers, her skin, hears her heartbeat ringing in her eardrums.

No. No. Nonononono—

Not again not again not aga—

“Regina, bakit mo ginawa yon?” Narda repeats, her voice rising an octave.

“I’m sorry,” is the only thing Regina can say. The only thing she can muster with her shaking voice. “I’m sorry. So sorry. I—”

She chances one last glance at Narda, sees her still watching her with a wide-eyed gaze. Sees her hugging herself, sees each heavy breath she takes.

Nakakahiya.

Nakakasuklam.

Hangal.

What would Dad say?

Regina turns and walks away, striding as fast as her legs can carry her without running.

She shuts the door behind her. Lets a few seconds go by. Narda does not follow her.

She smiles tightly.

Now she’s really done it.

She supposes she doesn’t need to confess to her now—after all, she’s already ruined their friendship with her thoughtlessness.

Pero magkaibigan ba talaga kayo?

Diba ginagamit mo lang siya?

Di mo ba iniisip na ginagamit ka lang niya?

She could cry.

But instead, she takes a deep, calming breath, one that quiets the voices inside, and walks back into the ballroom hall. Her heartbeat rings in her ears, each drum slowly getting drowned out by a perpetual white noise, growing louder and louder and—

Her chest aches.

She wants to cry, but—

She takes another placating breath as she rejoins the crowd. Heads turn to look in her direction, awe in their eyes—her mask is still back at the balcony, after all. She does not meet any of their gazes.

The dull chatter is just another addition to the growing cacophony of voices already arising in her head—the voices she’d worked so hard to quiet all these weeks.

“Si Regina Vanguardia—”

“Ma’am Regina—”

Regina…

“Ang anak ni Rex Vanguardia—”

Regina—aa…

“Attorney Regina—”

Saan ka pupunta?

Regina…

She clamps her hands over her ears, breathes again and again, willing the choking feeling away, forcing the tears back down. Please—

She feels something close around her wrist.

Her chest hollows out when she turns and meets her father’s gaze. His smile is warm, but it brings her nothing but cold dread.

“Regina, hinahanap ka na ng mga tao,” he tells her, bringing her arm around to her shoulders, as he slowly guides her to the stage.

God. No.

She can’t do this. She can’t.

But her father’s grip is tight.

“Is there something wrong?” he asks just before they step up the stage.

Regina wants to say that yes, there is something wrong, that she can’t be here, not right now. But the way her father looks at her tells her he’s not interested in hearing weak excuses.

She can already hear his voice, smooth and calm, but lathered with thinly veiled venom. You are a Vanguardia.

Act like it.

She smiles, gently prying his fingers off her. “No. I’m fine. Thanks, Dad.”

He smiles then, squeezing her arm fondly. “Make me proud.”

He lets go of her, leaving her alone once again on center stage as he steps off to the sidelines. The lights are blinding from where she stands, even though they are meant to just be warm yellows. The crowd before her, though not even within arm’s reach, is a suffocating sight.

She takes a deep, trembling breath, folds her hands together to keep them from trembling. She glances around.

She sees a man in blue, his mask a simple black one, looking at her with awestruck eyes—no doubt realizing now that it was her who’d danced with him just minutes prior.

She sees another, his mask white ceramic and angular, weaving through the crowds—in the darkness of his eye sockets, she can still feel his cold gaze trained on her.

She sees another man, in a simple black tuxedo, a black and white mask, watching her from the corner of the room—he nods his head a little, almost imperceptibly.

She doesn’t see red.

She looks down, pastes on a tight smile, as she taps on the mic.

“Good evening, everyone,” she says softly, clears her throat. “First and foremost, gusto ko sanang pasalamatin ang lahat ng dumalo sa gala na ito. I know it’s a bit unconventional—sino ba naman ang naghohost ng masquerade dito sa Pilipinas, let alone in the 21^st century?”

She forces a laugh, garnering a few scattered polite chuckles in the audience. She clears her throat again.

“But now, as Vanguardia Foundation has reached our third-year milestone of consistent public service, I wanted to share the truth as to why we organized this entire event in the first place,” she says, nodding to one of the hotel staff manning the AV equipment. “Right from the start, we built this company on the foundation of a single goal—to serve and assist those in need. It is our company’s core value, one that we’ve stood by in the years since its establishment.

“Like someone once told me…” she swallows thickly, glances briefly away. “‘Ang pinakalaking kasalanan ay kung meron kang kakayahan, pero wala ka namang ginawa’.”

She pauses, lets the words settle into the air between her and the crowd, gives herself a moment to take another placating breath.

“But… even when offered assistance, not everyone is willing to accept it. A lot of us like to hide behind masks, nagkukunwaring kaya natin ang lahat-lahat na mag-isa,” she gestures to the crowd, to their masks, smiling, “And a lot of us… are obstructed behind more symbolic, more involuntary masks. Unable to ask for help, unable to see the importance in asking.

“What can we, as a society, do to address these limitations? How can we be more inclusive of everyone in the public, not just the privileged? Well, I have an answer to that question.” She smiles, steps back from the stage as the screen behind her slowly blinks on. “Tonight, I am proud to announce to you two programs our Foundation has been working on implementing for the past few months that address these issues. Because while we pride ourselves in emergency assistance, our main goal has always been to offer more long-term aid to marginalized sectors in our society.”

She watches it for a moment, tapping her heels impatiently on the wooden floor, but when the seconds stretch too long and the screen remains blank, she smiles tightly and turns back to the crowd.

“The two programs I’d like to present to you all today are two programs I’ve actually been hoping to implement since the start of this company. Kaya espesyal talaga sila para sa akin. After all, I think that Nueva Esperanza is severely lacking in terms of inclusivity of the marginalized. And I am of the firm belief that everyone matters in our society, not just the privileged few here today, but more especially everyone else outside these halls right now.”

She sees the few journalists they’ve actually invited in the crowd already taking their notepads out, some pulling out their phones discreetly.

While the company has actually been working on more than two programs over the past year, the two she’s presenting now are what she considers most notable—two she would gladly take pride in as their senior author, especially given how much effort she’d put in finalizing them over the past month. One program is focused on giving mental health assistance to more marginalized sectors who couldn’t afford psychiatric assistance, and the other was a scholarship program, open to people of all ages.

Even as pain now stains the memory of what had inspired her to finish drafting up the latter, she still takes pride in it, still finds glee in the amount of support she’d gained to back the program up over the past months.

She hears the speakers at the corners whir to life. She smiles again, claps her hands.

“To everyone here tonight, I’d like to proudly present to you—”

“‘Sa tingin mo ba magandang desisyon ipagalit ang taong may hawak sa buhay mo ngayon? Huwag mong kalimutan, Mr. Nacordo, you are indebted to me. Ako lang makakabalik ng lahat-lahat ng mga pag-aari mo.’”

All color drains from her face. She whirls around quickly, finding not the PowerPoint presentation her team had prepared but instead a grainy footage from what looks to be an old camera.

In it, she sees herself, along with Ali, standing inside an abandoned warehouse. In front of them stands a man with graying hair. Static breaks the screen momentarily. And then it shows them exchanging a professional handshake.

No.

“‘So, we’ve come to an understanding. Hm?’” She hears herself say through the screen.

No. No.

The crowd is deathly silent. The screen flickers again. Once it clears, it shows footage of them walking through the forest, each footstep crunching through the thick underbrush. The footage is filmed from the side, at an angle from the tree line on that day. Regina grits her teeth—she doesn’t remember seeing anyone there that day. What—

She turns around, meets Ali’s wide-eyed gaze in the crowd. Even through the mask, she sees his skin turn pale, sees the whites in his bulging eyes. She gestures with her eyes. The man blinks out of his reverie and quickly nods, pushing past the crowd and moving towards the AV staff, who’s sat still in his seat, just as shocked as everyone else.

“‘Are you up for it, after all?’”

“‘Of course. Lead the way.’”

Static again.

“Um,” Regina speaks into the mic, hoping to grab the crowd’s attention, “I think there’s been some technical—”

A metallic roar is heard. She feels an icy chill blow into her inner chest cavities, feels the fingers of cold fear snaking up her spine. She doesn’t want to look. She doesn’t want to remember.

But she forces her gaze back to the screen.

To that fateful, fateful day, just a month ago.

The footage now shows the insides of a derelict room, inside a small concrete structure. With paper strewn everywhere, vines creeping along unseen corners. Three people stand in the room, their posture tense and alert, facing a large stem that has pierced through the floor and out of the ceiling.

Suddenly, another, an even bigger tree trunk stabs through the room from the side, creating a loud almost metallic roar as the concrete crumples in its force. Two manage to dodge it, but it effectively separates them from the other person. On one corner of the room stands Regina and Ali, who’s doing his best to shield her from debris, while on the other, separated by a large trunk, stands Nacordo, looking paler than he’s ever been.

From the hole created in the wall, through the fog of dirt that has risen, a figure emerges.

Just a woman. A simple woman in a torn black shirt. Long, wavy dark hair fluttering in the breeze.

Time seems to stand still.

And then she throws her arm forward, and a stem pierces through from the floor and into Nacordo’s chest, sending him flying to the other corner of the room.

Regina sees herself from a month ago, witnessing the entire thing from the other corner. She sees herself slowly back away.

She sees the Extra—that Babaeng Tuod—look right at her. Her eyes glowing a bright green. Spindly, twig-like veins snaking up her cheeks.

Only a beat passes.

She sees herself turn away and run in the opposite direction of Nacordo’s dying body, out of the camera’s field of view.

The Extra turns back to the dying man, slowly approaching him.

Nacordo sputters and coughs up blood with each step she takes.

“‘Naalala kita,’” the Extra says, her otherworldly voice turning muffled from the footage. “‘Nandoon ka… sa araw na yon.’”

The man breathes deeply, sputtering out blood one more time. His face seems to turn in the direction of the camera—he raises his arm slightly, reaching his weak fingers out to her.

“‘Pakiusap… protektahan mo… ang pamilya ko…’”

The screen cuts out then. She hears a door open and close in the background.

It’s silent at first, and then whispers erupt from the crowd.

Regina feels something cold stream down her cheek. She blinks, brings a hand up to quickly wipe it away. She turns around. The lights are even more blinding now. The crowd is staring up at her, gesturing towards her, whispering and gossiping about her.

“I can’t believe it—"

“So ganyan pala ang ugali niya—”

“To think I was going to support her—”

Her heartbeat rings like white noise amidst the clashing voices in her head, in her surroundings. Every pair of eyes in the room are trained on her, seem to glare at her, to judge her.

She turns her head around to search for something—

She meets her father’s gaze instead, his dark eyes brimming with nothing but anger and disappointment. He avoids her gaze, turns away, and walks off.

Now, she’s really alone.

She feels arms scoop her up into an embrace.

“Halika rito,” it’s Ali’s voice whispering into her ears. It’s Ali who pulls her away from the stage, from the crowd.

But as they step down, a man immediately goes up to her—she recognizes him as Sigfried Cruz, Nueva Esperanza’s most notable and famous TV reporter. He shoves a phone up to her face.

“Ms. Regina Vanguardia, care to comment on the footage that had just been shown to us? Ano ang relasyon mo sa lalaking yun?”

Regina’s mouth is dry. She wants to say no, she wants to shove him off, but her body does not want to listen. Ali steps between them, acting as a barrier as he continues to pull her away.

“Gusto niya daw tulungan ang mga marginalized sectors… pero siya nga ang unang tumakbo sa video na yun—”

“Hindi ba illegal ang blackmail…? And she’s an attorney too—”

“Ohmygod, she’s so dead.”

Regina squeezes her eyes shut, taking every word, every ounce of gossip thrown her way, as Ali forcefully pulls her.

Wala na, Regina—

Stop.

Wala na ang lahat—

Just stop!

Her eyes snap open. The shrillest scream erupts from her lungs as she forcefully shoves Ali away. The crowd freezes then, finally bearing witness to her breakdown. But she doesn’t care. She can’t care—she no longer has much energy to. All she can do now is glare at them, glare at Ali, who watches her with a pained expression.

“Don’t fucking touch me. And don’t even think about following me,” she hisses.

And with that, she turns and storms away into a door off to the side of the room.

--

What just happened?

Narda leans over the balcony railing, taking a few deep breaths.

Seriously. Ano ang nangyari?

Regina kissed her.

Regina Vanguardia kissed her.

Regina—her special friend. Her boss. Her… she doesn’t know.

She presses her palms to her face. Takes a few more calming breaths. She feels the heat still searing on her cheeks. She hears her heartbeat thrumming in her ears, feels it drumming hard on her ribcage.

Her lips still retain the memory of Regina’s soft lips against them.

Why did Regina kiss her? Her—of all people?

She doesn’t have feelings for her, does she?

She almost snorts at the thought. No way. Imposible. How can she?

After all, Regina is—well, she’s Regina Vanguardia. Famed CEO of Vanguardia Foundation, celebrity attorney and vlogger, beloved by a large portion of Nueva Esperanza.

While she’s just… Narda. Plain old Narda Custodio, who just happens to have a side hustle as Darna. But Darna and Narda are not even the same, because Darna dons the power of the sun, and Narda is just a regular EMT working to support her brother. Just… normal. One might even say, weak—Brian sure likes to make her feel like it sometimes.

It’s something she’s thought about for a while now, since the start of their strange friendship. Regina, her boss and employer; and herself, just a mere employee.

She knows she’ll be there if Regina needs her, knows she’d always gladly offer her a hug for warmth, a shoulder to lean and cry on, or even just a hand to hold, if the need ever arises. But she never saw herself as someone worthy to stand beside her. No.

After all, if Regina were the sky, then Narda would simply be the earth. If Regina were the moon, then Narda would simply be the waves of the ocean, moving along with her gravity, only ever able to gaze upon her cool beauty, forever unable to reach her.

But—

It was Regina who kissed her.

And—

It was her who pushed Regina away.

She moves her hands from her face. She turns around, leans her back against the railing as everything slowly comes back to her in waves.

Pucha. She pushed Regina away.

She pushes herself off the railing, moves swiftly to the door.

She didn’t mean to do it. Really. It’s not as if she disliked it. It’s just—ha, she almost laughs to herself because she doesn’t know. Doesn’t know what it really was that compelled her to kiss her back and then push her away anyway.

But she vaguely recalls the feeling. Vaguely recalls that when Regina’s lips had pressed onto hers then, a strange warmth had engulfed her entire being, one she felt herself suffocating in, and she remembered in the split second after that she had felt fear—fear at the thought of drowning in the intensity of such heat. Because—

Regina was—is—her friend. Her… special friend. A best friend but not quite like it.

And she kissed her. She kissed her in a way friends absolutely do not do.

And when she’d shoved her back, Regina had looked like she’d wanted to cry.

Oh God. What had she just done?

She has to find her.

When she rejoins the party, however, she’s surprised to find that the classical music ambience is gone—instead, the backdrop is filled by a growing cacophony of whispers. She sees a few attendees even start to filter out the doors.

Something had just happened. She can see it in the slowly growing chaos in the hall below, sees it in the way masked heads turn this way and that, drowned in gossip.

She’s suddenly pulled back by a hand on her wrist.

“Ano ba?!” she snaps. When she turns around, she’s not surprised to find Brian there. “Bakit ba palagi mo akong hinihila—?”

“Sorry,” Brian says, looking genuinely apologetic. He places his hand on her shoulders, squeezing gently. “Si Regina kasi…”

Narda swallows thickly. “Bakit? Anong nangyari?”

As if on cue, she feels her phone vibrate in her gown’s hidden pocket. She quickly fishes for it, surprised to find a message from Ding.

Ding Custodio [10:21 PM]: Ate, nandito ka sa event na to diba??? Anong nangyayari??

She clicks on the link Ding sends her, scrunching her brows up as she finds herself watching someone filming this very same ballroom, obstructed by a few heads. It’s footage of the central stage, atop which stands—

Regina stands with her back facing the camera, watching the large screen on the wall surrounding the stage along with the rest of the crowd. Within which displays another footage of that fateful incident in the chemical factory a month before.

Blood drains from Narda’s veins.

Watching it now, she finally witnesses how the events had played out on Regina’s end on that fateful day. She watches her shake her hands with the victim, sees her wading through the forest underbrush, sees her run away as the man is skewered into the opposite wall.

And when the video finishes with a blurred close-up of Regina’s tear-stricken face as she screams at Ali, she finally realizes why Regina had refused to tell her, finally has an inkling as to why she asks her over and over if she truly is a good person.

Her chest aches.

“Nasaan si Regina?” she asks softly.

“Nagwala siya kanina, eh,” Brian mutters as he rubs the back of his neck. “Bigla nalang siyang tumakbo at umalis. Di ko nakita kung saan siya pumunta.”

She purses her lips, glares up at Brian. “Bakit parang wala lang para sa’yo ang nangyari? Di ba kaibigan mo siya? Kaibigan natin si Regina!”

Brian looks guiltily away. “P-pasensya na… Pero yan nga talaga ang nangyari kanina…”

Narda lets out a frustrated huff. There’s too much on her mind right now, and she really shouldn’t be taking it out on Brian—the sudden kiss still lingers like a ghost in the back of her head—but it’s hard to focus when all she can think about is finding Regina. Let that video be damned.

Then, she remembers the last person she’d seen Regina talk to in that video. She perks up, moves over the banister to scrutinize the crowd.

“Narda.”

She almost jumps in surprise, but her shock quickly dissolves to relief when she turns around and finds Ali standing a few paces behind her, his face bare now without a mask, hiding in a side hallway obstructed by a marble sculpture of some typical naked man.

“Ali,” she whispers as she swiftly walks towards him. “Ali, nasaan si Regina? Nakita mo ba kung saan siya pumunta?”

The man purses his lips. “Oo, pero… tinulak niya ako papalayo. Narda, sa tingin ko… ikaw lang ang makakausap sa kanya sa panahong ito.”

Narda chews on her bottom lip. “Pakiusap, dalhin mo ako sa kanya.”

Ali glances between her and Brian, a bit apprehensive. But as she steps forward, as she stares at him, hoping her gaze is all it takes to somehow convince him, she sees something meaningful pass over his eyes as he looks at her.

He closes his eyes, nods. “Sundin mo ako.”

--

One. Two. Three.

Regina counts each number with each footfall against the ceramic tiles. Her footsteps echo in the deserted hallway, each soundwave bouncing off its high ceilings and plaster walls. She’s sure she’s in one of this hotel’s service hallways—the lights are dimmed significantly here, and there are no windows around. Just large, blank expanses of white walls filling the perimeter.

She hisses as her gown snags on something, tearing out a piece of fabric. Fuck. She leans against the nearby wall, taking a moment to catch her breath. She raises a hand up to dab at her wet cheeks, wipe the moisture off her undereye. It’s just a goddamn dress. But her heartbeat continues drumming incessantly in her ears.

Four. Five. Six.

Her fingers curl around the edge of its corner as the most bitter laugh escapes her lips.

Come on, Regina. Stop crying.

Di pa tapos ang lahat.

She pushes herself off, moves through the hallway again.

There’s a way to fix this.

There has to be.

There always has been.

She pushes a lone side door she finds open, relieved to find it empty, relieved that none of the staff are present to stop her. It’s just a storage room, albeit its finishing makes it appear as if it had once been used as a function room. Now, it is just dark, abandoned, and devoid of life, with cardboard boxes and broken equipment being its only inhabitants.

She shuts the door behind her, walks towards storage boxes stacked taller than her. She presses her palms on one of them, caring little that it’s covered with dust and cobwebs.

Seven. Eight. Ni—

No. Come on, Regina. Isip-isip muna.

Anong pwede mong gawin?

Vanguardia Foundation already has an existing PR team at her beck and call. They should have some story drafted to cover tonight’s events up come morning light—it’s their job. She doesn’t care much what story they draft up to save her face, as long as it does its job to get her out of hot water.

She also has a large business network she can pool support and resources from—from family friends to business partners to shareholders. She’s been diligently supporting them for the past few years—it’s only right they do the same for her. Right. They’re in support of Vanguardia Foundation, after all—an organization so focused on offering aid in times of need. Yes. Right.

She could also tell everyone the truth. That she’d made some… sacrifices for the sake of garnering information on a scummy company, on a scummy Mayor. A vigilante effort if you will.  She could tell them the truth as she sees it—that she’d done it all for the greater good.

But there is the company to worry about—its employees, its people, its values—everything that will be forced to bear the consequences of divulging such a heinous truth.

Especially from the underhanded actions of a CEO who prides herself in using only lawful methods to fight crime. Because what then makes her different from the rest of Nueva Esperanza’s corrupt elite? If she can just cut her own corners like they often do?

Pareho ka lang sa kanila.

You came out from the same pit of tar as they did.

Crawled out of the same hellish womb.

You are a Vanguardia, remember?

And before that, you were—

“Shut up,” she hisses as her legs fail her, as she crumples onto the ground, sobbing into the flesh of her knuckles. “Shut up shut up shut up—please just shut up—”

She truly is this cruel universe’s plaything.

Now, alone in this dusty storage room, sitting in the dark as tears flow nonstop from her aching eyes, she recalls a time, a memory long gone. A camping trip during a quiet summer night. She remembers papa then, the father she once had who’d often invite her out to such trips to cool off; she remembers how he’d smiled and pat her back, how he’d tell her just what she needed to hear to make her feel better.

She wishes she were there again, back to a time of liberating youth. Even amidst her parents’ impending divorce then, she remembers the brightness of his smile, the way it made her feel lighter, as if there was nothing to worry about in this world.

She sees the same smile in Narda Custodio now that she thinks about it.

She laughs wetly at the thought. No wonder she enjoys her presence so much, often gravitating towards her; no wonder her favorite sight is her wide and toothy smile—it’s a smile that mirrors her late papa’s.

But he’s gone now. Just as she is sure Narda’s special smile will be for her.

She remembers the horrified look on her face, just minutes prior.

She sobs harder. A different kind of warmth spreads through her insides—the kind that burns, searing every corner it touches in her bones. But as she curls her fingers around the box, splintering the skin there, she feels something shift in the air, hears the sounds of the shadows lurking in the far corners.

A soft laugh pierces the quiet air.

Her blood runs cold.

She sniffles, forces herself to look up, only to find someone standing in the shadows. A woman, leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed.

Regina quickly wipes her tears away, smearing mascara over her cheeks, and forces her legs up.

“Sino yan? How long have you been standing there?” she queries, her voice dripping with venom.

Another laugh. The figure seems to step forward. Cold fear grips her insides.

It solidifies to ice crystals pricking at her chest when she sees the face that emerges from the darkness, illuminated by blades of moonlight filtering through clerestory windows.

It’s the Extra. The Babaeng Tuod. Except this time, she looks normal again—just a human, a young woman, unlike the last time when the vines had swallowed her.

“Sa wakas at nagkita tayo muli,” she says, “Ms. Regina Vanguardia.”

Regina tries her utmost to keep her composure, to keep her fingers from trembling at her sides. “Paano ka nakapasok…?”

The Extra gives her an incredulous look, smiling again. “‘Paano?’ Ang dali-dali naman sagutin yan. Masquerade nga ang theme, diba? Ang dali naman din makabili ng mask sa tabing daan lang.”

Regina inhales sharply. The police were supposed to handle security. Brian was supposed to handle it, with the task force literally under his command. How were two uninvited guests able to slip through? How many more could there have been? God.

“Katulad nga ng sinabi ni tatay,” the Extra takes another step forward, “Parehong-pareho lang kayo lahat. Bulag kayo sa mundong nakapaligid sa inyo. Hindi mo ba naisip na ang dali lang para sa iba na makapasok sa event na ito na walang imbitasyon? Total nagsusuot man ang lahat ng mga maskara? Na ang dali lang saktan ang mga tao doon sa loob? Sabagay, mas tinutuon niyo naman talaga ang sarili niyong interes lamang. Yan lang naman ang mahalaga, diba? Sa mga katulad niyong mayaman?”

Regina’s jaw tightens. She feels her lips tremble—not out of fear, but a growing sense of rage, stemming from something otherworldly inside her. Calm down. She subtly pats her fingers around her gown, before remembering it has no pockets, and her phone must still be somewhere in the car.

She closes her eyes, breathes through her nose, raises her hands up to placate her. She has to remember that this Extra is the same Extra responsible for the destruction of a large factory complex alone.

“Alright. Look,” she sighs, “Kung ano man ang kailangan mo sa akin, sabihin mo na. There is no need to cause violence anywhere, Miss…?”

The Extra cocks her head to the side. “Hindi mo ako nakikilala?”

Regina furrows her brows. “Am… I supposed to…?”

A beat of silence. Then, the Extra laughs again. “Ah. Talaga naman. Di ko naman talagang inexpect na makikilala mo ako. Ngunit… medyo nakakairita pa rin, noh? Pagkatapos ng iilan mong mga pangako, pagkatapos mong sabihin ang lahat ng iyon kanina. Na hinahalagan mo talaga ang mga—ano nga yun—‘marginalized sectors’ ng lipunan?”

Regina feels something sharp snake along her feet. Her eyes widen. She attempts to step back, but it registers to her too late, as thorny vines wrap around her ankles and hold her in place.

“Pero pagbibigyan kita. Teenager pa naman ako noon,” the Babaeng Tuod drawls, leans closer. Her eyes gleam a bright green, two glowing embers in the darkness. “Hindi mo ba talaga naaalala, Ms. Vanguardia?”

Regina scrutinizes her face, the angular planes of her jaw, her button nose, willing everything inside her not to cry at the pain searing into the flesh of her ankles. A foggy memory flickers into existence, bringing with it the ghost of a long-forgotten pain. “S-sino ka ba talaga…?”

The Extra stares into her eyes. “Ang pangalan ko ay Lucille Castillo.”

It takes a few seconds to register. But then it hits her, and Regina’s eyes widen. Castillo. A village chief. From that ill-fated village alliance. She recalls now a young feminine face, always hovering in the corner of the room where they held their meetings. She must have just been sixteen back then.

“You’re… Gregorio’s daughter…”

The smile finally falls from the Extra’s lips. “Wala kang karapatang banggitin ang pangalan niya.”

She walks off, wiggling her fingers around in the air. Regina feels more vines climb up her legs, feels another pair snag at her wrists. She bites her lip, swallowing down a yelp of pain, as she forces herself to stare after the pacing Extra.

“Why are you doing this…? To me? Tinulungan ko kayo noon.”

“‘Tulong?’” Lucille whirls around, glaring at her. “Tulong ba talaga yon? Sinabihan ako ng tatay ko tungkol sa’yo. Tungkol sa mga katulad mo.”

Regina squeezes her eyes shut. She remembers Gregorio being the most difficult of the village group to deal with—the single person who consistently refused any forms of settlement from the Mayor.

The person she’d naively followed then—because back then she hated the fact that the man was the only one who disliked her, the only one who refused to hide it, at least.

“Ginawa ko ang lahat para lang tulungan kayo. I—” Regina blinks away forming tears as she recalls her feelings from back then. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry we lost, okay? Mas bata pa ako noon. Naïve, weak—you name it.”

Some part of her still believes she is, especially now as she stares upon the Extra’s glowering gaze, as she feels the sharp vines climb up her arms. But an idea crosses her mind. She grits her teeth—she has to try.

“L-look. We can still change things, turn things around. Mas may kapangyarihan na ako ngayon. I can help you. Kung ano man ang kailangan mo—kailangan niyo—I can help provide it.”

Lucille takes a step forward, leans a bit closer. Stares into her eyes. For a flicker of a moment, Regina sees something human return to her expression, a glimpse of human hatred in the glistening sheen over her inhumane eyes.

Regina feels something collide against her cheek. She doubles over, but is held in place by the vines.

She looks up and sees Lucille holding a hand up, breathing heavily. All traces of her sadistic amusement from seconds prior are gone.

“Wala kang hiya,” the Extra snarls.

Regina whimpers. Her cheek stings. “What did I ever do to you? I did everything—everything I could to try and help you and your people win that case!”

“Alam ko ang totoo, Regina Vanguardia,” Lucille says as she crouches down to level her gaze with her. “Huwag ka nang magpanggap.”

Regina’s lip trembles. A single teardrop rolls down her eye as she meets the Extra’s gaze. “I did everything to help you…”

The Extra narrows her gaze. “Hindi mo ba talaga naaalala? Sa lahat ng mga meetings mo kasama ni tatay at ang iba, hindi mo ba naaalala na meron ka ring kasama noon?”

Dread coils in Regina’s gut. Something that’s been buried for three long years prods at the ground under which it rests.

The Extra smiles. “Naaalala mo naman, hindi ba?”

Regina looks away, closes her eyes. In its darkness she sees a face, always hovering over every meeting, every consultation. She sees her father, with his lips pressed into a thin line, eyes narrowed, as he watched her every move then. She vaguely recalls it now—how suffocated she was under that gaze, how she grew quiet each time he forced his opinions into that case.

‘It’s your first big case,’ he’d told her then, smiling that empty smile. ‘I have to oversee it.’

She recalls the feeling of her father’s hands pressing down on her shoulders as he watched over her from behind, watched her read over a document mailed to their shared household. Reads over the letters in bold print: ‘From the Office of the Mayor.’

There’s a reason Regina dreads the memory of that goddamn village alliance.

‘It’s a hopeless case, Regina,’ he’d said. ‘If you continue doing what you’re doing, you will not only lose the case, but you will also lose the power the Vanguardia name holds.

‘You will become an enemy to this state. You will lose every opportunity our name would have extended to you. You will never be able to practice law.

‘Remember. You are not fighting a normal criminal. You are going against Nueva Esperanza’s Mayor.

‘That very same Mayor is extending you an olive branch.’

Regina bites her bottom lip hard enough she starts tasting blood. She finally opens her eyes, meets the Extra’s green gaze.

‘I advise you be smart and take it.’

Because while they had refused legal settlements, the Mayor had given her an offer, mailed in secret.

She just had to plant a dud in the evidence files.

She didn’t even want or need the money, but the offer included one thing her father had zeroed in on: that he’d allow her to continue practicing law in Nueva Esperanza, that he’d ‘forgive it all’, that he’d turn a blind eye to whatever else she does.

The only condition was that she’d never take him to court, ever again.

That she’d keep her mouth shut about the truth of that doomed case.

She recalls hesitantly taking up a pen and signing it. She recalls her father smiling at her, his cold demeanor suddenly turning warm—that same warmth had spread to her then, compelling her to return his smile, blinding her to the consequences of her own actions.

She feels a cold teardrop roll down her eye.

“Sa tingin mo hindi namin nalaman?” Lucille’s voice is cold and human again. “Ipinangako mo sa amin na tutulangan mo kami. Pero sa huli, ibinenta mo rin kami kay Mayor.”

“I’m… sorry. I didn’t—” Regina takes a breath. “I… ginusto ko naman din tulungan pa rin kayo sa huli. The money… it was to help you—”

“Sa tingin mo ba matatanggap namin ang perang ginamit para bilhin kami?!” the Extra screams. The vines tighten their grip. “Alam mo ba kung ano ang nangyari sa amin pagkatapos ng lahat?”

Regina lets out a withered breath.

“Pinuntahan kami ni Mayor. Naaalala ko pa—ang sigla na nasa mata niya, ang tawa niya, na parang nagmamayabang siya na natalo kami at nanalo siya. Ha!” Lucille steps back.

Regina sees the vines snaking along her arms, moving beneath her flesh—she feels nauseous.

“Pagkatapos ng isang taon, isa-isang nagkasakit ang mga kapit-bahay namin—ang mga kaibigan ko, mga kamag-anak, si nanay, tatay… Alam mo ba na ang tubig na ginagamit at iniinom namin ay nagmumula sa isang ilog? Alam mo ba na doon din sa ilog tinatapon nila ang latak nila?”

Regina dreads to hear the end of this story. After all, she does know. There’s a pipe running through that river that connects to the factory’s waste department. But that complex, upon review, had not followed the required regulations. It had been built without much consideration of the opinions of water engineers and experts.

The pipe had burst.

“Sinubukan nina tatay maghanap ulit ng abogadong makakatulong. Pero bago nila magawa yun, isa-isa ring nawala bigla ang iilan sa mga bata, mga babae sa mga barrio. Ano sa tingin mo ang nagyari? Ano sa tingin mo ang katapusan ng kwentong ito?”

Regina looks away. There have always been rumors surrounding the Mayor about everything he’s dabbled in under the table. Drug trafficking, human trafficking—God.

Her breath quivers. “I’m sorry.”

“Wala ng saysay ang paghihingi mo ng tawad. Sa ilang daang taong nakatira doon noong una, ako nalang ang natitira. Ang aking buong pamilya—nalason at namatay. Ang iba… hindi ko na alam kung buhay pa sila o hindi. Naglaho lang sila na parang bula. Walang salita ang makakabalik sa kanila, sa mga buhay na ibinenta mo kay Mayor.”

A heavy silence settles in the air between them. Regina is the first to break it, after a moment’s wait. “Anong mangyayari ngayon?”

“‘Anong mangyayari’?” Lucille turns around to face her again. “Alam mo ba, Ms. Vanguardia, ano ang pinlano ko para sa’yo noong unang buwan, noong nakita kita sa factory?” She takes a step forward. “Ginusto kong makita mo ang lahat bago kita patayin. Ginusto kong makita mo na lahat na nangyari doon ay dahil sa ginawa mo—dahil sa ginawa niyo ni Mayor sa amin.”

Regina is tired. Exhausted beyond belief. As the tears flow down her cheeks, hot anger flares up her insides, borne from all the despair and misery she’s been forced to deal with in the span of a few minutes. She forces her gaze up, glares up at Extra.

“Bakit ba ako ang sinisisi mo? Sa tingin mo ba na ginusto kong gawin yun? Do you think I don’t hate myself for what I did?” she spits. “I did what I had to do. I’m sorry that what happened to you happened, but hindi ko naman ninais na mangyari yon. Do you think I don’t beat myself up every day for it?”

“Huwag kang sinungaling,” Lucille hisses. “Alam kong nakalimutan mo na ang tungkol sa lahat ng yon. Katulad din ng buong Nueva Esperanza. Namatay, nawala ang ilang-daang taong nakatira sa mga barrio namin, pero bakit walang nagbalita tungkol doon? Binura kami mula sa alala ng buong Nueva Esperanza, at parang wala naman lang pakialam ang mga nakatira dito.

“Kaya pumunta ako dito ngayon,” the Extra trails her fingers along the edges of Regina’s jaw. Lucille’s lips quiver now, not in fear but in visible scorn, her eyes glistening with what looks to be angry tears. “Pumunta ako dito para ipakita sa mga tao ang isang eksenang hindi kahit-kailanmang malilimutan nila—ang pagbagsak ng sikat at kilalang abogado na si Regina Vanguardia.”

Regina’s eyes widen. “You—you were responsible for that? Ikaw ang nag-hack sa AV equipment namin kanina?”

Lucille smiles wickedly. Her eyes flash an ethereal green, and with that, her anger molds into otherworldly sadism. “Oo. Ako nga. At ngayon na nandito ka, pwede ko na ring kumpletuhin ang plano kong inisturbo ng Babaeng Lumilipad na yun noong unang buwan.”

Cold fear settles in Regina’s chest. The vines tighten around her.

“Sasabihin ko na sa’yo ngayon—ikonsider mo nalang bilang paalam ko—wawasakin ko ang buong gusaling ito. Nakaposisyon na ang mga ugat ng mga puno ko sa ilalim.”

No.

“Ang mga taong nanatili sa loob—papatayin ko silang lahat. Isa-isa ko silang hihilain pababa, ililibing sa mga punong kinukontrol ko—hanggang ang bawat isa sa kanila ay mamamatay. At ikaw, Ms. Vanguardia—mapapanood mo ang lahat ng iyon.”

Fear tightens its coils around her. In her mind she sees glimpses of people—the very same people she’d invited and promised she’d keep safe tonight.

“Ipapakita ko sa’yo ang bawat isa sa kanila. Ipapakita ko sa’yo at sa publiko na ang lahat ng ito ang kahinatnan ng mga ginawa niyo ni Mayor.”

An image flickers into Regina’s mind. Just a hazy glimpse. Blood-stained red amidst a mountain of blues.

Narda’s sunlit eyes, blank and lifeless instead, as she lies on the debris of this hotel, engulfed by vines.

Heat flares up her chest.

No.

Ano na, Regina?

“At pagkatapos ng lahat na yon? Bago ka huhuliin ng mga pulis, ng mga reporter—isasama kita sa mga biktima. Magiging mensahe ka, katulad nila, para sa Mayor. Mamamatay ka, katulad nila—at lahat ng yon ay dulot sa mga kasalanan niyo.”

The headache comes like a tsunami bursting through a dam. The voices boom like thunder storming through her already throbbing head.

Glimpses of unwanted sights flash through her mind, all of them stained dark red by spatters of blood.

Hahayaan mo ba na mangyayari yon?

“Naiintindihan mo ba, Ms. Vanguardia?”

Hahayaan mo bang talunin ka niya?

“Mamamatay ka… para sa—at dahil kay—Mayor Vallesteros.”

Regina’s eyes flash.

In the glimpse of a moment, everything she sees is red.

The most bloodcurdling scream erupts from her lungs. With an otherworldly strength, she pulls her arms free from the vines, throwing them forward. Her fingers close around the Extra’s neck, gripping hard, fingernails turning to sharp claws. She feels movement around her head.

The air stills. Lucille’s eyes widen.

For the first time in months, Regina’s head feels lighter than air.

“I-Ikaw…?” Lucille croaks.

Regina breathes heavily. Gaze flitting from the Extra’s face, her eyes, cheeks, to her neck, to—

She realizes her fingers have dug themselves deep into her skin, drawing blood from her throat.

She sees blood pouring elsewhere, and she realizes in horror there are snakes that have sunk their fangs into Lucille’s flesh, in various places around her face, her upper body.

Where do they come from?

Why are they—

Oh God.

She lets go, and Lucille immediately crumples to the ground. The earth trembles momentarily as she hits it.

She gurgles, writhes on the ground, and Regina can see the venom coursing through her veins—inking them purple as they bulge from her skin.

“I-ikaw… ang Babaeng Ahas…?” the woman says through frantic breaths. “Ikaw…?”

Regina stares at her hands, stained black and red—sees how monstrous her fingers have transformed, its skin spotted with forming green scales, sees the claws that were once her green-painted fingernails. She hears the vipers rattle and hiss around her, sees them framing the corners of her sight. She feels her own eyes ache, sees her vision clouded by a strange and subtle greenish tint.

Her gaze travels back down to Lucille. She sees how she strains to even breathe, how each breath comes out heavy and weak, how her movements are slowing down.

Still, she laughs that same sardonic laugh as she takes the last of her dying breaths. “Bagay… na bagay nga sa’yo, Regina… Vanguardia…”

Her movements still. Her skin turns an ashen gray. Her bite marks swell and purple like bruises.

Regina takes a step back. Her breaths turn frantic with each passing second.

Sa wakas at nagising ka na—

Valentina.

She screams.

Screams over the realization of what she’s just done.

Screams over the realization of what she is, who she has become—

Who she always has been this entire time.

Screams until all air has been expelled from her lungs, until spots of blackness ink one by one across her vision.

And as she takes her last breath, cold darkness overcomes her, and she collapses unto the floor.

--

It’s been a while now since the last scream had pierced through the night air.

Narda swallows thickly, moves quickly along the deserted corridor. “Regina?!”

Beside her, Ali slams open a side door, grumbling when he finds it empty, just like the other doors they’d been searching through.

“Akala ko nakita mo siya?” Narda turns to him, brows knit together in worry.

Ali looks guiltily away. “Hindi niya ako pinayagang sumunod. Nakita ko lang kung saang pinto siya dumaan.”

Narda sighs. She knows she shouldn’t be too harsh on Ali, but almost a half-hour has passed, and still, there is no sign of Regina. But then, she sees Brian walk past her, stop at a random spot on the ground. He crouches.

“Nasa tamang direksyon tayo,” he says after a moment, raising something up in the air. “Tingnan niyo ‘to.”

Narda approaches first. Anxiety fills her insides upon seeing the torn fabric colored Regina’s signature green between his fingertips. She steels herself, continues onward.

“Regina?”

God, she hopes they find her.

She hopes she’s okay.

She hopes Regina knows she’s still here for her—that she’ll always be here for her.

She sees a door to the right. She walks past Ali, twists the knob—it’s unlocked—and shoves it open.

Her heart drops.

There, lying on the floor, are two women. One, pale and lifeless, blank eyes staring up at a corner of the ceiling. The other lies face-down, her green gown pooling around her figure.

Regina.

Narda rushes to her, grabs her shoulders and moves her so she’s lying on her back. There are red marks over her wrists, her ankles, but for now, she focuses on something else. She pats her face down—she’s cold, but not deathly cold—and presses two fingers against the side of her neck. It takes a moment, but there’s a pulse. She leans closer, positions her ear to the woman’s mouth—she feels air passing through, hears her steady breathing.

She could cry out in relief, but she swallows it down. Instead, she rises, presses her hands against Regina’s soft cheeks, patting them lightly.

“Regina? Regina, gumising ka!”

She grabs her shoulders, shakes her a little.

Meanwhile, a few paces beside her, Brian walks over to the other body. She hears him inhale sharply.

“Ito ang… Babaeng Tuod…”

Narda turns to him. “Ano?”

“Ang babaeng ito… naaalala ko siya mula sa factory noong buwan… Siya ang Babaeng Tuod.”

Narda swallows thickly as she turns her gaze to the corpse. She sees her littered with snake bites all over her face, her body. Her blood runs cold.

Regina coughs, sputters awake.

Narda turns her attention back to her, running her hands over her face, wiping at the traces of mascara that seem to have dried along her cheeks, their inky blackness trailing down her eyes.

“Regina?” she says softly, leaning closer. “Regina, okay ka lang ba?”

The woman looks up at her blearily—she can see exhaustion marring her features, she sees the redness in her eyelids from the ghost of fallen tears.

And as their gazes meet, she sees something akin to fondness reflected in Regina’s eyes. Her heart skips a beat.

But just as quickly as the moment passes, the light in her eyes dissipates, replaced instead with something darker, unreadable. She looks away.

“Ali…?” Regina croaks. Her voice is hoarse, trembling. “Ali, nasaan—nasaan ka…?”

Something seizes Narda’s heart, coiling painfully enough she feels blood rush through her in waves. Why won’t she look at her?

Bakit hindi ako ang tinawag niya?

But even though she does not want to, she forces herself to let go of Regina, forces herself to move back as Ali takes her place.

She watches Regina’s arms wrap around Ali’s neck, sees the way her fingers tremble as they curl around the fabric of his suit. She watches as Ali scoops her up into his arms and gets up.

And when she tries to meet Regina’s gaze, the woman purposefully avoids hers, burying her face instead in her assistant’s chest.

Her chest throbs.

Bakit hindi siya makatingin sa akin?

Brian attempts to block their exit, mumbling something about protocol, but she sees Ali give him a look. The police officer quiets, and after a moment of tense silence, he moves aside to allow them through.

Leaving them both alone with the corpse of the Extra. Brian takes out a radio—static crackles from the small device.

Narda grits her teeth, looks away.

A dull pain ripples within her chest, reverberating with the rhythmic echoing of each heartbeat.

Chapter Text

Ali watches Regina slip in and out of consciousness the entire duration of the car ride back home. But each time her eyes flutter open, it’s clear in her blank irises she’s not really quite there yet. Just half asleep. Sometimes he even hears her mumble things.

Sometimes it’s an incoherent jumble of groans. But most of the time, the string of sounds that come out of her lips weave together words that sound like I’m sorry.

But another word he hears her say is a name. Narda.

He doesn’t know what had transpired between them in the moments she was gone prior to the presentation, but something tells him it had not been what he had hoped would happen from the way Regina had acted onstage.

His jaw clenches. His grip around the steering wheel tightens.

But what worries him more still is the moments that occurred after that presentation. The fact that she was alone with a now-dead Extra, the fact that there are bruises around her wrists, her ankles, and how her cheek swelled—

The fact that that dead Extra had snake bites all over.

After they pull up into the driveway of the condominium building, Ali leans—collapses—against the steering wheel, presses his head against his knuckles. He lets out a heavy sigh.

Does she know?

Has Regina finally realized who she is?

His grip tightens.

What’s going to happen now?

He chances a glance around at Regina’s sleeping form, sees the way her brows are knit together, her lips tremble, how tightly her jaws are clenched.

Ali pushes himself off the wheel, turns off the engine, and gets out of the car.

Hindi bale.

He moves around to the backseat to carry Regina in his arms.

Whatever happens, happens. All that matters is that he gets to stay by her side. All that matters is he gets to see her wake up in the morning, alive and well.

And so, he waits.

After he tucks Regina into her bed, after he sets her high heels on the floor beside her, after he leaves her some of her trusty medicine and a glass of water on the nightstand, he decides to wait.

He doesn’t sleep that night, opting instead to sweep around Regina’s kitchen floor, wipe tables, clear the mess she’s left on her desk.

When he sees the morning sun peek through the blinds, he decides to cook her some breakfast. Just eggs and some corned beef—her go-to meal whenever she’s hit with those headaches of hers. A small comfort meal.

It’s already 9 AM when Regina finally emerges from the upstairs hall. Ali is waiting patiently by the kitchen, leaning over the counter, too afraid to sit on any of the available seats. The TV he’d left on as white noise drones on in the background, playing some morning reality show.

Regina looks as beautiful as ever as she walks languidly down the steps. Her bare face now is a stark contrast to her appearance just the night prior—he always liked how she looked without all the makeup.

Because then it reminds her of how she looked back then, who she was all those years ago when they first met.

But right now, he can see how swollen her red-rimmed eyes are. He can see no traces of life behind her dark irises.

Regina says nothing as she sits down on her usual seat. She says nothing as he quietly serves her breakfast.

She stares at the runny yellows of the fried egg’s yolk. She makes no move to take her utensils. Makes no move at all even as Ali places a cup of tea in front of her, even though it’s her favorite brand, mixed in her favorite way.

“Ali, tell me it isn’t real.”

The man swallows thickly. “Ang alin?”

Regina doesn’t look at him. She instead leans closer to the table, resting her elbows against it. Her fingers delicately trail across the utensils.

“Tell me it isn’t real.” She repeats.

Ali clenches his fists. He has an idea what she’s referring to, but the words refuse to come out, refuse to unearth the secret he’d sworn to bury to his grave.

But in the end, he didn’t need to say anything. Because it is with a blanket of dread he realizes that the TV had been left on, and the telltale morning news jingle has started, and the face of infamous reporter Sigfried Cruz has overtaken the screen.

“Sa balita ngayong umaga, trahedya ay muntikang sumapit sa exclusive na masquerade gala ng Vanguardia Foundation kahapong gabi. Bandang alas-diyes ng gabi, natagpuan ang bangkay ng Extrang tinatawag na Babaeng Tuod sa loob ng hotel—”

The reporter’s words continue to drone on in the background, but the air around the two has been sucked into a vacuum.

“—Ang nakakabahala ay ang mga iilang kagat na nahanap sa katawan ng Extra. Mga kagat ng ahas. Ngunit, noong nakarating na ang mga pulis sa eksena—"

Ali tries his utmost to keep his composure, to keep the shock at bay. His gaze travels slowly to Regina, who has her head ducked low, her face a blank mask.

The only indicator that she’s even here is the way in which her swollen lips tremble.

“So, totoo nga.”

A bitter laugh escapes her. One that is cut short by a gasp of air that sounds somewhat like a strangled sob. She leans over the tabletop, presses her palms against her eyes.

“Alam mo na, hindi ba…?”

Her voice is so quiet, Ali almost misses it. But he doesn’t because he’s so attuned to everything about Regina Vanguardia.

He folds his hands behind his back in an effort to keep himself calm.

“Alam… mo…?” Regina repeats, louder this time. Her gaze moves up momentarily to meet his. “Alam mo ba… kung ano ako, Ali…?”

Her eyes are wet with tears.

Ali closes his eyes, purses his lips. All to keep himself calm, collected. All to keep Regina from seeing how badly he wants to cry for her too.

“I’m sorry,” is all he manages to say.

Regina scoffs. But it’s weak and hoarse. “‘Sorry’.” She mimics in a condescending voice.

Ali lets out a breath. He opens his eyes, looks at her. She sees her leaned over the table, shoulders shaking, hands pressed hard against her eyes. He sees teardrops fall one by one on her plate.

“Kailan pa…?” Regina asks again. Her voice trembles with wet tears. “Kailan mo nalaman?”

Ali’s fingers dig into his palms behind him. “Nandoon ako… noong namatay si Bautista.”

Regina’s fingers curl inward. “So, you lied to me. Nagsinungaling ka sa akin noon.”

Ali casts his gaze downward.

“Iilang buwan na ang nakalipas… and all this time…” Regina’s voice trembles with each word. It is hoarse and wet, but beneath it all, Ali can hear a desperate kind of rage building up with each tremor. “All this time, you knew.”

Ali swallows the bile rising up to his throat. He takes a deep, shaky breath, and then chances a step forward. Takes another chance placing his hands against the table. He gazes at her, even as she refuses to meet his gaze, as her wavy tresses fall over her face.

“Patawad,” his voice breaks. Still, he tries. “Sorry. Sorry talaga—hindi ko naman ginustong ilihim sa’yo.” he takes one last risk to place a hand over hers—her skin is cold. “Regina, ginawa ko lang yun para protektahan kita. Para protektahan ka—”

“Mula sa ano, Ali?” Regina spits. “Mula sa ano?”

His lips tremble as he forces the words out. “Mula sa halimaw na nasa loob mo.”

Regina doesn’t respond. Her shoulders continue to tremble.

Ali exhales. “Regina, mula noon hanggang ngayon, lahat ng ginagawa ko ay para lang sa kinabutihan mo. Alam mo ito. Regina—”

“Hindi mo naiintindihan, Ali.”

Her fingers curl beneath his. She finally raises her gaze—her eyes are bloodshot.

“Ang halimaw na tinutukoy mo,” she says through grit teeth, a painful smile carved into her mouth, “—ay ako. That monster is me, Ali. Me.”

Ali quickly shakes his head. “Hindi naman ikaw yun, Regina. Si Valentina yun. Ang—”

“Valentina?” Regina spits the name through grit teeth. “Ali, ako pa rin iyon. Ako pa rin ang nakagawa sa kanyang mga krimen. Itong mga kamay ko ang nakapatay sa Extra kagabi—no, that girl. Lucille. She was just a teenager. Ako rin ang pumatay kay Bautista, at—oh God, who else, Ali? Who else have I killed?”

Ali purses his lips, recalling the various news reports over the past months, the murdered victims filled with snake bites. And he can see that Regina sees it in his eyes too, realizes the answer to her question without him needing to say anything. A bitter smile curls into her lips. Tears stream down her pale cheeks.

“Regina,” Ali places both of his hands on hers, squeezing them gently. “Ikaw at si Valentina ay mag-iiba. Ikaw ay si Regina Vanguardia. Isa kang attorney, civil servant. Hindi ikaw ang nakapatay sa kanila—si Valentina iyon! Nakita ko mismo, Regina—sinaniban ka niya sa mga panahon na iyon. Hindi ka naman talaga naniniwala na ikaw yun, diba?”

He smiles, but it’s in a futile attempt to comfort her. Because Regina no longer seems to be listening. Her blank eyes stare at nothing. Her fragile smile trembles upon cracked lips.

“Paano ma masasabi yan, Ali?” she asks.

“Dahil kilala kita, Regina.”

Regina lets out a hoarse and humorless laugh. “‘Kilala?’ Then why can’t you understand at all?”

She leans closer. Ali swallows thickly. Through the blanket of tears in her eyes, he sees a cold glower reflected in the specks of hazel in her irises.

“Ali, isa akong human rights lawyer. At nakapatay ako ng tao,” she says slowly, each word drawn like bowstrings launching arrows. “I am a murderer. What does that make me?”

She shoves him off, pushes herself off her seat. Her gait is unsteady as she turns and moves away from him. He hears her sniffling, sees her wipe furiously at her eyes.

“I’m just… a hypocrite,” Regina turns around to face him again. A bitter smile plays upon her lips. “Just like everyone else.”

She takes a few steps backward, collapses upon the split-level step of her living area. She takes her head into her hands, ducks low, sobbing quietly, and all Ali can do is watch, because something tells him he’s one wrong move away from detonating a landmine in this relationship. Even though the sounds of each breath, sob, and hiccup stab at his chest all the same.

“Everything… everything I did, I did it to prove I could be someone different. Someone better. Better than Mom, better than Dad… than myself. I wanted to be like that girl I met in the mountains four years ago. Naaalala mo, diba?” She raises her bed, stares at Ali. Her eyes are bloodshot.

Ali looks away. He knows this story. Knows it like the back of his hand in the same way Regina has engraved it into her soul. Knows who she’s referring to in the first place.

“That sweet girl, who was so nice to me… even until now,” Regina says, laughing softly. A hint of tenderness filtering through the cracks. “Even though I didn’t deserve it… back then when I was such a… bitch. Sa bait niya nahanap ko ang isang layunin na pwede kong abutin—I wanted to be someone like her. Someone who could deserve that sweet girl’s kindness.”

She ducks her head, shakes it. Her smile falls back into a frown, and the warm tenderness dissolves back to bitterness.

“I wanted to be someone who can… be worthy of Dad’s approval… but also worthy of Narda’s kindness. To be different from the rest of Nueva Esperanza’s elite. From Dad. From Mayor. Pero sa huli, wala, eh,” Regina runs her hand through her hair. “Sa huli, katulad lang ako nilang lahat. Ha, who am I kidding? I’ve always been like them. Alam ko na ngayon, alam ko na mula kagabi, when it all… blew up in my face.”

Ali clenches his fist, takes a few careful steps forward. “Hindi yan totoo.”

Regina scoffs, shakes her head. “You don’t believe that.”

Ali steels himself, strides forward faster. He kneels before her. “Alam mo na hindi yan totoo. Regina, hindi mo maalala ang mga ginawa mo bilang si Valentina, diba? Kaya hindi mo talaga pwedeng sukatin sila. Naniniwala ako,” he places his hands on her shoulders, “Na hindi ikaw si Valentina. Ikaw ay si Regina Vanguardia lamang. Ang CEO ng Vanguardia Foundation. Ang boss ko. Ang taong kumupkop sa akin noong panahon na nawala sa akin ang lahat.”

He remembers it clear as day. Three years ago. He’d met Regina when she’d helped his family win his late father’s case—he’d been falsely accused of murder—and convicted the real criminal. He remembers the kindness in her eyes—the young, ambitious pro-bono lawyer she was—as he knelt before her. He’d sworn he’d pay her back one way or another, even as she repeatedly refused.

“Why don’t you work for me?”  She’d offered.

His answer was quick and immediate then. He knows it’ll stay the same even now—it has been and always will be a yes. No matter what. As he’d sworn on that day that everything he did from then onward would be for her sake.

For the woman who redeemed his late father’s legacy.

He sees the same woman in her now, even as she sits here before him, broken and sobbing. He sees her in the light that flickers back into her eyes from the memory, and it fills him with joy that the memory somehow brings comfort to her too.

But just as quickly, the light is snuffed by sadness. And then bitterness.

“Ali, you don’t believe that.”

The man shakes his head profusely. “Bakit hindi ka ba naniniwala sa aki—”

“Because you’re a hypocrite too.”

The words escape him. He furrows his brows, confused.

Regina chuckles humorlessly, leaning away. “If you truly, really believe that… then why did you hire Bautista to kill Protacio?”

Ali pales.

“Why… would you do those things… for me? If you really believed all that, bakit ka sumunod sa akin doon sa factory kasama ni Nacordo? Bakit hinayaan mo lang akong i-blackmail siya? Bakit hinayaan mo lang siyang mamatay?”

Ali’s grip on her shoulders loosens. She slowly stands, moving away from him.

“Sa tingin mo rin na hindi ko alam? Ang mga nagawa mo para sa akin? Na nasa labas na ng mga utos ko?” Regina scowls.

Ali’s lip trembles. “Regina, nangako ako sa’yo na susundin ko ang kahit anong utos mo. Lahat ng ginagawa ko ay para sa’yo.”

Regina smiles a withered smile. A stray tear rolls down her cheek. “But Ali, you said you know me. Did you think… that I’d be okay with you lying to me about being Valentina… about what I did?”

The man is unable to answer.

“Ali, if naniniwala ka talaga na hindi ko kayang magawa ang nagawa ni Valentina, then why didn’t you say anything? Why were you so complacent? Sa tingin mo ba na magagawa ng isang matinong abogado ang nagawa ko? And why would you just… let others get hurt for my sake?”

Ali looks away.

A part of him has realized that the proverbial landmine has already long gone off. From the moment he’d locked eyes with Valentina in the backseat. From the moment he’d uttered that lie, all those months ago.

“Isa akong Extra. And a murderer. A hypocrite and a liar,” Regina says. He feels her fingers trail along his cheek, slowly moving down his chin. He feels her pull his chin up so he could meet her gaze.

She looks at him now as if he was vermin between her fingertips.

“Just like you.”

The slap comes before he’s even able to blink. He doubles over, grasps at his stinging cheek in shock. When he looks at her, she sees her shoulders trembling, sees each heavy breath she forces out.

“Get out.”

“Regina,” Ali tries, feeling something cold drip down his eyes. “Pakiusap—maniwala ka sa akin, lahat ng ginawa ko ay para lang sa kinabutihan mo.”

He shambles forward, tries to take her hands. But her clenched fists remain firm.

“You lied to me,” Regina snarls, shoving him away. “Huwag mo akong hawakan—”

“Regina—”

“You don’t even believe in me!” Regina screams now as she grabs his shoulders, doing her utmost to push him out the door. “Ali, look into my fucking eyes and tell me I’m a good person. Tell me I could never ever be Valentina.”

Ali gazes up at her, tears streaming down his eyes. His brows are furrowed. He opens his mouth as if to say something, but no words come out.

Regina smiles tightly. That was all she needed.

“Fuck you, Ali,” she spits. She pushes him one last time. “Huwag ka nang magpakita sa akin.”

The man gives her one last withering look as he lets her slam the door in his face.

And now she’s alone, once again.

She lets a few minutes tick by before she finally allows herself to collapse unto her knees and sob.

--

Brian traces over the words on the autopsy report through a narrowed gaze.

Lucille Castillo. 19. Average build. Though she appeared relatively healthy, there were strange markings and discolorations along her skin, almost reminiscent of patterns of tree bark. There were also signs of bruising around her neck, coupled with deep indentations enough to draw blood.

Cause of death: envenomation from 13 snake bites along her upper torso and face, inducing a fatal hemorrhaging in her vital organs. Strangely, the venom found in her system belonged to multiple subfamilies of the Serpentes suborder of the Reptilia class.

The autopsy report is familiar, even though it belongs to an Extra this time. After all, it’s the same cause of death as every single one of that Babaeng Ahas’s victims.

He places the folder down, palms his face, and sighs. The strangest thing about this entire ordeal is that the hotel they were in was still, for the most part, secured. He fails to understand how an Extra as distinctive as the Babaeng Ahas could even slip through.

But then he recalls how Lucille had looked. Recalls how normal she’d appeared on the autopsy table. Just a regular human girl. Too young to be found in a morgue. An unbidden anger flares up in his insides—it’s always that goddamn Snake Lady Extra—

Brian lowers his hand. A thought slowly occurs to him.

“Brian.”

The police officer blinks out of his reverie, turns to look up at his godfather. He smiles. “Oh, ninong.”

Ernie Antiporda returns his smile, before laying out another folder in front of him. “Anong nalaman mo mula sa autopsy report?”

“Ah… katulad nga ng hinala ko—biktima siya ng Babaeng Ahas,” Brian responds as he opens the folder before him. “Uh, may nahanap ba ang pathologist sa loob ng katawan niya na kakaiba? Na alien?”

His godfather sighs, shaking his head. “Unfortunately, walang nahanap si Doctor Etienza. Para talaga siyang normal na tao.”

Brian sighs. Just like all the Extras before, there truly is no sign of that “Green Crystal” Darna had mentioned to him recently in their bodies. The cause of all this mess. It’s as if it dissipates once it’s absorbed into their bodies.

As if fully embedding itself, fully assimilating into a person’s biochemistry.

The thought makes him shudder.

Darna really needs to find the root cause of all of this as soon as possible. Though he likes to toy with the idea that he’d be the one to find it, he’s quite aware a superhero has more resources to actually find such an alien object.

So, for now, he has just one main problem to deal with. That Babaeng Ahas.

And as Ernie drones on and about delivering the relevant morning news, stray thoughts churn in Brian’s mind.

On the eve of the gala, only two people were found inside the room Lucille’s body was found in. The room itself was secluded, windowless, and quite deep within the building. And of the two people inside, one was Lucille herself, already dead, and the other…

He shakes his head.

What is he thinking? How could he ever even think such a thing?

Even though he’s not entirely sure how he feels about Regina these days, he’s never thought of her as someone who’s capable of committing such… heinous acts.

Yet, as he goes on about his day, the thought persists, peeking out from the pocket he’d filed it away into in the back of his mind.

-†-

Regina finds it strange. How she feels so claustrophobic even in the large space of her condo unit.

She’s never really minded being alone here before, since she actually is most of the time, but now—

The emptiness is all-consuming, suffocating. The air that surrounds her is akin to catacomb walls closing in on all sides. She supposes it’s better this way. Alone. This way she can’t hurt anybody else. And even though she’s angry at Ali, at least he’s safe from her.

And there’s nothing she can do, really. Nothing she can do but retreat deeper into herself. Dunk her head deeper into the bathwater. Resurface when she loses breath—is there even a point to all this?

When she rises from the bathtub, dries herself off with a towel, she sees the bruises along her wrists, her ankles.

It scares her that there are no traces of scrapes or visible wounds there. Just swollen flesh.

Even though she remembers the blood gushing from her skin last night. Remembers feeling their warmth and sticky moisture flowing around the thorny vines.

She blinks, rids herself off the thought. Puts on her robe. Goes over to the sink to brush her teeth.

But as she does, she meets her own gaze in the mirror. She frowns.

Her reflection smiles.

Her heart drops.

The items on the vanity scatter as she quickly scrambles away from the mirror with a yelp. What was that?

But then it’s back to normal again, and all that stares back at her is her frightened reflection. She meets her own bloodshot gaze. Sees her swollen eyebags.

She huffs in frustration. Fucking hell, get it together, Regina.

Nababaliw ka na.

She pushes herself off the wall and returns to the vanity. But she keeps her gaze low as she goes about her morning routine, refuses to meet her own reflection’s eyes.

“Bakit ka natatakot?”

There are no voices in her head. No voices piercing through the quiet air. None. None at all. No. She quickly turns to leave the bathroom.

“Reginaaa—”

No. No voices.

Her bedroom is cold today, even though the ACU is turned off. She shivers as she steps out, rubs her arms to fend it off—she feels goosebumps pricking at the skin there. She moves to her bedroom vanity, to where all her skincare products lie.

Except, there it is again—in the reflection of its mirror.

Someone who looks like her but isn’t her. The Regina that stares back at her is wearing a sinister smile.

“Leave me alone,” she hisses.

Her reflection seems to cock its head. “How can I do that?”

“Stop messing with my head.”

Her reflection’s smile widens, and then it laughs. It’s an eerie tittering that bounces off the walls, echoes from all directions of the room. As if she’s everywhere and not just stuck in the mirror.

“Regina, I can’t leave you alone.”

Regina scowls. “What do you want with me?”

A voice whispers a laugh into her ear. She flinches, turns around, but there’s nothing there.

“Wala naman.”

Regina whirls around. The voices come from all sides now—but all the same, there is nothing to see.

“Nakalimutan mo ba? We’re stuck here together.”

Another laugh. More otherworldly this time. A legion of voices punctuated by hisses.

“Alam mo naman, hindi ba?”

With a shudder, she turns around to face her reflection again. This time, what stares back at her is not herself—it’s a monster. A woman, an amalgamation of the human form and a snake’s. Scales litter her entire body. And on her head—oh God—a multitude of snakes, sliding against each other like rolling waves, akin to Medusa’s hair.

A smile plays upon this creature’s lips.

“Ikaw at ako ay iisa.”

Something cold fills Regina’s chest. She doesn’t want to, but she forces her gaze downward—

She sees blood painting her pale hands. Rich red in color, as if it’s been recently spilled.

The tears come unbidden. A scream bursts forth from her lungs as she collapses, as she presses her hands against her ears. And still, she hears the laugh of the monster before her, as if it’s knocking inside her cranium. An omnipresent ringing.

“Bakit ka umiiyak? Ginusto mo naman, hindi ba?”

“What do you want from me?!” Regina sobs, glaring up at her reflection. At Valentina, whose smile remains steadfast. “I didn’t want any of this! Hindi ko ginustong magiging Extra na pumapatay ng tao!”

But her reflection just laughs at her. “Huwag ka nang magpanggap, Regina Vanguardia. Ikaw at ako ay iisa—alam ko ang mga pinakamalalim na pagnanasa mo. I know everything about you.”

Regina grits her teeth as she forces herself up, as she strides forward and grips the edges of the mirror—in the corners of her vision, she realizes her hands are dry, clean, and without blood. “Shut the fuck up.”

The monster mirrors her pose, smiling menacingly. “Alam ko na wala ka namang pake sa mga kliyente mo. Are they not just fodder to serve your own self-interests? Hindi ba napakadali lang silang ipagpalit para sa sarili mong kapakanan?”

Regina’s insides twist into knots. “That’s not true—”

“Isa kang makatwiran na abogado sa mata ng publiko, pero sa pinakalalim mong kalooban, kinamumuhian mo ang bawat taong kinakalaban mo sa korte. Sa pinakalalim mong kalooban, gusto mo silang burahin, patumbahin, patayin—"

Something cold drips down Regina’s cheek. “No—”

“You’re a spoiled brat, Regina. Gusto mo lahat ng kagustuhan mo ay masusunod, matutupad. Gusto mo lahat ng nakaharang sa iyong landas ay mawawala. Noong namatay si Protacio, you knew it was because of Ali, at lumigaya ka pa rin.”

Regina shakes her head.

“Lahat ng pinatay ko—ginawa ko lang naman ang kagustuhan mo, Regina. Si Bautista. Yung mga criminal na pinatay ko noong buwan… At syempre, si Lucille Castillo.”

Regina’s chest hollows out. She meets her reflection’s gaze. Sees her own face again—not Valentina’s—except her eyes are a pale green, glowing. Her pupils are narrowed into slits.

“Dahil sa huli, ikaw ay ako. We share the same feelings. We want the same thing. Just like last night. When you wanted Lucille dead.”

“Shut up!” Regina screams, pounds her fist against the wall. “Nakalimutan mo ba na ako pa rin ang may control, ang may-ari ng katawang ginagamit mo? I’ve shut you up, buried you for four years. And I can do it all over again.”

Maybe even permanently.

She has an entire house to her disposal.

Her reflection cocks her head. “Hindi ka pa rin ba nakakaintindi, Regina? Ikaw ay ako. Subukin mo kaya ang iniisip mo.”

Regina’s frown deepens.

“Do you think there’ll be something left… if you did that? How? Paano mo ba tatanggalin ako?”

Regina glares at it, tightens her grip around the mirror. But, ultimately she lets out a breath and curses through grit teeth. It’s right. She doesn’t know. She doesn’t know how without—

She doesn’t want to think about it.

Her reflection’s smile widens. “Poor child, if only you’d let me in, I could help you. Kaya kong alisin ang lahat ng nakaharang sa daan mo. Kaya kong ipaghiganti kita—everyone who has hurt you, everyone who has done you wrong. I can take care of them for you. Dahil kaya kong gawin ang lahat na hindi mo kayang gawin. I can take care of everything, everyone, who has hurt you.”

Regina sobs.

“Sino ang nanakit sa’yo, Regina?” her reflection seems to whisper. “Ang iyong ama ba, na tinalikuran ka? Si Ali, na nagsinungaling sa’yo, na hindi naniwala sa’yo? Si Brian, na inabandona ka sa unang senyas ng kainipan? Si Mayor Zaldy, na pinagmukha kang talunan, all those years ago?”

“Shut up—"

“Or… was it that girl?”

Her breath escapes her. Cold fear drenches her chest. Her tightened grip trembles against the mirror.

“What was her name?” her reflection drawls in a sinister hiss. “Narda Custodio? Yung walang kwentang babaeng yan? Na wala namang maaabutan sa buhay? Na palagi nalang umaasa sa iba para sa kanyang makasariling interes?”

Regina glares. Her guts twist into tight knots. No. “Tumigil ka—”

To say such things about Narda—

“Mas maganda ka pa nga sa kanya. Mas kaaakit-akit. Ngunit lahat nalang ay nagkakagusto sa kanya. At nakaya pa nga niyang tabuyin ka?”

Regina’s heart constricts as the memories from last night come rushing in. “Please—"

These can’t be her own thoughts.

It can’t.

“I can take care of her for you. Kaya kong gawin sa kanya ang hindi mo kaya—”

“Tumigil ka na!” Regina screams, flinging the mirror down into the ground. It shatters upon impact, even more so as she stomps her feet against it. She doesn’t care if the glass shards are piercing through her slippers. Doesn’t care even as each stomp stings the undersides of her feet.

Doesn’t care even as she slips, as she collapses unto her knees, as her palms press against the shattered mess.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up—shut up!” she sobs as she pounds the ground with her fists over and over again. Every part of her being has now turned numb. The only thing that tells her there should be pain is the droplets of blood staining the carpet.

-†-

Ali Corpuz [10:30 AM]: Narda, may ihihingi ako sayo… sana makahanap ka ng oras na dalawin si Regina.. kailangan niya ng kasama ngayon… please

Narda Custodio [4:51 PM]: ali? sorry naging busy ako buong araw, pero meron na akong oras ngayon. pero bakit ali? di mo ba sya kasama ngayon?

Ali Corpuz [5:22 PM]: Meron lang isyu kinailangan kong tuunin… kaya hindi ko sya pwedeng samahan ngayon… please Narda, kailangan ka niya

Narda Custodio [6:13 PM]: sge ali… papunta na ako dun

Ali Corpuz [6:34 PM]: Salamat Narda…

Narda sighs, slumping back into the jeep’s headrest. In her periphery, she sees the grand condominium building slowly moving closer in the distance. Each meter covered is anxiety dripping down her ribcage.

Her heartbeat rings in her ears like a persistent drum. She feels her guts stuck at the base of her throat. She keeps clicking her phone on and off. Each time she sees the time, her heart rate speeds up.

She shouldn’t be so nervous. She couldn’t even message or call her the entire day (though her fingers had hovered over the chat window multiple times). This is Regina. Her friend, her boss.

The woman she kissed last night.

The woman who pushed her away.

Something pricks at her chest, itching for attention. She ignores it.

As the jeepney passes the private road’s entrance, Narda quickly calls for the driver to stop, handing the fare on the way as she exits the vehicle. The walk up to the building is short, and as she reaches it, she stares up at it. It’s a mid-rise, but it’s wide and modern. Her stomach twists into knots.

Regina’s place is a penthouse suite on the building’s top floor. 702. Okay. Okay.

The ride up is excruciating. She’s alone in an elevator filled only with the sounds of machine whirring—wala naman lang elevator music? Left alone to nothing but her thoughts.

She doesn’t know what to do. Doesn’t know how she’s supposed to act when—if—Regina opens the door.

Should she act like everything’s normal? As if last night never happened?

But we kissed—

And so what if they did, when she’s the one who pushed Regina away? And then after, Regina pushed her away too.

‘Ali, nasaan ka?’

Narda can still hear her withered voice. She hates that her heart seems to ache for a reason other than worry for her friend.

The elevator pings, and the doors open. Dread fills her insides, coming back to haunt her as a choking sensation. But she steels herself, grabs hold of the small pendant Regina had gifted her weeks ago and squeezes it for comfort, takes a calming breath.

Narda, nandito ka bilang karamay. Bilang kaibigan.

She should stop thinking about… irrelevant things.

She steps forward. One. Two. Come on. A few more strides forward, a few turns, and then she finds herself in front of Regina’s door. It’s dark inside, from what she can see through the sidelight, and there seems to be no one inside.

Still, with another placating breath, she musters up the courage to ring the doorbell.

“Regina? Nandiyan ka ba?”

Nobody answers. She’s not sure what she’s hoping for. Whether she wishes for Regina to respond the way she usually does with her, or whether she wishes she wouldn’t be here at all.

It’ll at least save her from this tightening apprehension.

But then she hears a few footsteps on the other side. She hears the lock click. The door opens.

And there’s Regina. Dressed in a simple green robe.

Narda’s breath escapes her.

Her gaze travels down and she can see bandages wrapped haphazardly around Regina’s knuckles, around her palms. She can see the same tied around her knees, her ankles.

Her heart seizes.

“Narda, what are you doing here…?” Regina’s voice is faraway. Hoarse and empty.

Narda blinks up at her, looks at her face.

The woman’s eyes are red and swollen. Her face is still stained with dried tear tracks. Her nose is red. Her cheeks pale.

Yet, she’s here. She’s mostly okay.

Some part of her had been scared that she’d—

Narda’s legs move before she can stop herself. She wraps her arms around Regina. Her body feels cold to the touch, so she pulls her as close as possible, hoping her warmth could reach her. She releases a breath she doesn’t realize she’s holding.

Regina freezes in her arms.

“Okay ka lang ba?” Narda asks, breathes it into her shoulder. “Nag-alala talaga ako sa’yo.”

“You… were…?” Regina’s hand skitters around the edges of her back.

Narda tightens her grip. “Of course. Kaibigan kita. Nag-alala rin si Ali sa’yo, noh. Pinapunta niya ako dito.”

There’s a beat of silence. And then she finally feels Regina hug her back, feels her arms wrap loosely around her back.

She hears her sniffle.

Narda pulls away. Her chest aches at the sight of the tears streaming down Regina’s cheeks. She reaches up to wipe them away with both her thumbs.

“Regina?”

“I’m sorry,” the woman whispers. Smiles sadly.

Narda shakes her head. “Ba’t ka naman nag-sosorry? At…” She pulls Regina’s hands up, tracing her fingers along the bandages. Everything inside her aches for Regina. “Bakit—?… Halika.”

She drags Regina forward, and she feels weightless with each pull. The woman obediently points her in the direction of the bathroom, the medical kits, and to anything else each time she asks. When she finally has all her supplies, Narda sits her down on her couch.

She crouches before her, takes her hand.

“Pwede ko bang ireapply ito?”

Regina just nods.

Narda smiles, unties the bandage. “Sabihin mo lang ako kapag masakit.”

The process is slow. Because a lot of the times Narda pauses to stare at the wounds on Regina’s hands. They’re mostly scattered around her knuckles, the edges of her palms. She wants to ask what happened, but the thick air in the atmosphere tells her it isn’t the time, so she just follows procedure. Disinfects it, dabs in betadine-soaked cotton balls, and then wraps it in new bandages. The same goes for her knees, and the few cuts and scrapes she sees littered along her legs.

When she finishes, she wants nothing more than to cry because what on earth happened here? But instead, she smiles and looks up at Regina, rubbing her bandaged knuckles with a thumb.

Regina returns the gesture with a small smile. Her eyes are glistening with tears. Her cheeks are red.

But at least Narda feels the warmth return to her skin.

She glances at the clock on the far wall. Barely past 7. “Kumain ka na ba?”

Regina shakes her head no. Narda smiles gently, pats her hand.

“Lutuan nga kita.”

Regina blinks. “You don’t have to.”

Narda chuckles. “Ano ka ba—gusto kong magluto para sa’yo.”

She jumps up to her feet, bounds over to the refrigerator. Thankfully, it’s filled with a large array of ingredients for her to pick from.

“Punong-puno naman pala ng ref mo, Regina. Ano’ng gusto mong kainin?” Narda glances back.

Her breath hitches when she meets Regina’s gaze. She sees a familiar glint in her eyes reminiscent of many in the past. Reminiscent of last night.

Right before she leaned in to kiss her.

Narda looks away, unable to bear the weight of such a gaze. Not after everything that’s happened.

“I’m fine with anything,” Regina’s soft voice calls.

Narda coughs into her sleeve. “Sige ba. Napakalaki yata ng tiwala mo sa akin.”

She hears her chuckle. “Of course. I trust you.”

Narda swallows thickly. She smiles in spite of herself as she begins pulling out ingredients from inside the fridge.

The night goes on a lot more pleasantly than Narda had anticipated. In the end, she’d ended up making Regina soup—tinolang manok. When she’d served the bowl in front of her, the woman had smiled mischievously, poked fun at the chicken part that had been served. A mere chicken wing.

“Baka napagkamalan mo akong isang padre,” Regina grins.

“Noli me Tangere yarn?” Narda snorts. “Yun lang ang chicken part na available, noh.”

Regina giggles. But as she calms down, she gives her a genuine smile. “Thank you.”

Warmth spreads across Narda’s chest, to her cheeks, her ears. She smiles back. “Nandito ako lagi para sa’yo, Regina.”

Regina doesn’t respond, choosing instead to finally drink her soup.

That’s alright, Narda thinks. At least she’s made her smile, even for a bit. At least she’s here with her.

But as the minutes tick by, and the night draws closer to 9 PM, Narda realizes she probably has to leave, even though some part of her doesn’t want to. Still. She doesn’t like commuting at late hours, even more so when she’s alone.

But as she gets up, ready to pack up her things, she feels Regina’s fingers tug at her wrist.

“Kailangan ko na palang umuwi, Regina—”

She quiets when she sees the look in the other woman’s eyes. Sees the plea reflected in her irises.

“Stay,” Regina whispers. “Please. Just for the night.”

Narda smiles tightly.

She wonders if there’s some distant universe where she was able to say no to that.

--

Regina walks Narda to her bedroom in silence.

It’s awkward. It’s strange. After all, she’s often chatty around her. She’s used to that Regina—the one who likes to take charge. The Attorney. But right now, she seems so small as she quietly leads her to her room. Just playing with her fingers in front of her.

When the door opens to her room, Narda freezes. There’s a towel splayed out on the carpet on one side of the bed, a few bottles of skincare products and makeup toppled over on the vanity table, a bucket with a dirty washcloth in the corner of the room. There’s also a rectangular indentation above the table—as if there was something there that’s been removed. It’s as if there had been some mess here that’s already been cleaned up.

Regina curses under her breath. “Sorry. Wait—”

She goes over to move the bucket into her bathroom, leaving Narda alone. Though she’s still curious about what had occurred here, she can’t help but gawk at the room.

It’s larger than hers, definitely. Expectedly. Cool tones trimmed with gold and amber pervade its design and décor—she recognizes it as something Regina had called art deco before. She’d mentioned she has a slight preference for it, reflected in the way her own office in Vanguardia Foundation has been designed.

Narda smiles. It’s nice to see it still here in her room. It’s as if she’s enclosed in a space that’s been truly touched by Regina Vanguardia herself.

The woman returns soon enough, changed into a pajama outfit, a silk robe over a camisole—Narda forces herself not to stare at the patches of skin peeking through the robe—and bringing with her a set of clothes for Narda to use. And though she offers to sleep on the floor, Regina insists she stay on the bed with her, mumbling something about it being unsafe.

How can she be okay with that?

But she’s not left with much choice but to obey, so she does, changing into the proffered clothing—just a simple white shirt and pajama pants—in the bathroom and soon slipping into the covers with Regina.

It’s dark now, and Regina had left her bedside lamp on, dimmed just enough so a soft amber glow blankets their silhouettes. She’s got her back turned to her. And because Narda’s unsure of what to do, she turns her back to her too.

But… she can’t sleep. Doesn’t even try to. She’s wide awake, unable to close her eyes. Her breathing’s uneven.

Anong iniisip mo, Regina?

How is she okay with any of this? After… everything that happened last night. The kiss, the Extra.

Ang Babaeng Ahas.

She can’t put this off any longer. She takes a breath, turns around. Only, when she turns around, she finds Regina already facing her, eyes open. Already staring at her.

“Uh—”

“Sor—”

Narda can feel the heat rise up to her cheeks. She shifts in her position in an effort to take attention away from it. “Um. May gusto kang sabihin?”

There’s a beat of silence before Regina shakes her head. “Ikaw naman? What were you gonna say?”

Why was she looking at her then?

It doesn’t matter. For now, Narda takes a chance to lean a bit closer. “Regina, may itatanong ako sa’yo.”

Regina blinks. She purses her lips. “Okay.”

“Anong… anong nangyari… kagabi?”

Regina inhales sharply. “Sa alin?”

“Noong…” Narda licks her lips. Her mouth feels dry, her tongue scrapes like sandpaper. “Noong naiwan kang mag-isa kasama ang Extra.”

Regina sighs. She sinks deeper into her pillow.

Narda chews on her bottom lip. “O-okay lang naman kung hindi ka kumportableng sabihin. Gusto ko lang malaman kung… hinamak ka ba niya, o…”

She can see the lights bouncing off in the amber flecks of Regina’s irises. She’s not sure if they’re sparkling because of forming tears or… just because they are. It makes Narda choke a little.

But alas, Regina smiles. It’s not a familiar smile, however. It’s sad. Empty.

“Her name was Lucille,” she says softly. “That Extra.”

Narda nods slowly. “Lucille… Kilala mo siya?”

“No. Not really,” Regina responds. “She was just… a victim.”

“Biktima…?” Narda furrows her brows.

“Yes,” Regina sighs, turns to face the ceiling. “When I think about it, Narda, lahat ng mga Extra ay mga biktima naman, hindi ba?”

Narda purses her lips. She knows this, of course. She’s realized this long ago, when she’d witnessed a kind man turn into a monster in the first Extra she’d ever fought—Strongman—when she’d watched Toledo sacrifice his life for his wife and child. She supposes with the amount of Extras she’s had to deal with—especially those troublemaking ones—she’s learned to tune the fact out.

But now, something aches in her insides, hearing such a question from Regina. She doesn’t know why.

“May… sinabi ba siya sa’yo? Si Lucille?” Narda whispers.

“She… helped me open my eyes. To some things. That’s all,” Regina says.

Narda shifts closer. “At ano yun?”

Regina blinks, turns around to face her once more. “Just that… Is there really no other way to deal with… Extras, other than to kill them?”

Narda chews on her bottom lip. Truthfully, it’s been something that’s been playing in her mind for a while now. But she’s never really arrived at an answer. Lolo Rolando has made a number of attempts to research the alien crystal particles, but to no avail. And each time an autopsy is made on a dead Extra’s body, no traces of the Green Crystal comes up, according to Brian.

Truth be told, they’ve been stuck at a dead end for a long while now.

“Hindi ko rin alam,” Narda sighs. “Pero… may pag-asa ako na merong paraan. Ang mga pangyayaring ito, hindi naman sila nagsimula noong una pa. Biglaan silang lumitaw. Kaya sa tingin ko, kung may sanhi ang biglaang pagkalitaw ng mga Extras, may paraang baligtarin ito.”

Regina hums. “I wonder if there really is a way. To reverse it. To get it out of your system.”

Narda stares up at the woman’s face, her gaze tracing the apprehension lining her furrowed brows. “Regina, ano ba talaga ang… ginawa niya sa’yo? Bakit mo natanong ito? Ano’ng nangyari sa mga kamay mo? Sa paa mo? Ano’ng nangyari dito kanina?”

She reaches down to trail her fingertips along Regina’s bandaged wrist. Regina meets her gaze once more. She sees her eyes are glistening with tears now.

“Regina, kausapin mo naman ako.” Narda can’t keep her voice from breaking. Even though she doesn’t want it to. Even though she knows Regina needs someone strong right now. Someone who’s able to shoulder the burden of her troubles without breaking too. Someone like Ali. Or maybe even Brian.

But each time she sees the tears crawling up Regina’s eyelids, a little piece of her heart shatters. And she can’t help it.

Because—Because Regina is—

“She… had these vines,” Regina says slowly, interrupting her reverie. “She wrapped them around my wrists. My legs. Kaya… yan ang dahilan kung bakit may mga sugat sila ngayon.”

Narda stares at her. Unable to say anything. To respond.

Because she knows she’s lying.

She’d seen her wrists and ankles yesterday. They were bruised and swollen, but today’s wounds were not there. Something had happened today. There’s a reason why this room feels suffocating. And Regina isn’t telling her.

But before she can prod at it, Regina shakes her head, turns her gaze to Narda’s collar. Something shifts in her eyes. Her fingers seem to instinctively reach out to touch the pendant Narda is wearing.

“You’re still wearing it…”

Narda’s heart seizes. “Oo naman.” She glances down at where Regina’s fingertips meet the rose gold pendant of the sun. “Bakit ko naman tatanggalin? Galing siya sa’yo.”

Regina’s gaze shifts to meet hers, and in it, she finds a secret question holding the weight of the universe in its grasp. Wordless and unknowable. But some part of Narda thinks she might know it, might have deciphered it.

Unfortunately, she’s unable to decipher for herself an answer. All she has is an aching heart.

So, instead of saying anything, she reaches up to take Regina’s hand, tangles their fingers together.

“Okay ka lang ba nito…?” Narda whispers, pulling their entwined hands up to rest in the space between their faces.

Is it alright for her to hold her hand like this? Is it alright to be this close to her? After everything that’s happened…?

But a gentle smile slowly forms on Regina’s pale lips. She squeezes her hand, pulls it closer to herself. She seems to play with her fingers for a moment as her mind travels elsewhere. Narda watches her carefully, sees the lines knit on her brows, the way her eyes narrow in concentration, the way her smile slowly falls.

“I don’t know what to do anymore, Narda,” Regina whispers. “I feel like my entire world has been pulled out from under me, and I’m a prisoner in my own body, forced to watch it all implode. Unable to do anything but stare.”

Narda takes a deep, trembling breath. “Bakit…?”

Regina shakes her head. “I… can’t—I don’t know how to explain it.”

Narda offers her a kind and supportive smile. “Okay lang. Hindi mo kailangan sabihin.”

“It’s just—” Regina sighs. “Have you ever felt that feeling—like—like, you’re forced into… a singular box? A single role? Like you have no choice but to be just… one thing. And gusto mo mang palayain ang sarili mo sa kapalarang ito, but… the universe just… pushes you right back in.”

Narda inhales sharply. Of course she knows what Regina means—she probably understands it more than anyone else in Nueva Esperanza, she thinks. She’ll never forget the dread that had filled her insides when the White Stone had fallen in front of her all those months ago. Her heritage has always been both a blessing and a curse.

“Oo,” she whispers back. “Alam ko.”

Regina purses her lips. “How do you deal with that? Hindi mo ba gustong… lumaya?”

Narda smiles sadly. “Wala akong choice, eh. Parte na siya sa akin—yung ‘role’ ko. It took time, pero… siguro nakasanayan ko nang mamuhay kasama nito.”

“So, you just… ‘live’ with it? Hindi ka ba… nagsasawa?” Regina asks.

Narda looks at her. “Tao naman din ako, Regina. Of course, nagsasawa rin ako. Minsan, gusto ko ngang talikuran ito, pero hindi ko kayang gawin yan, dahil meron akong responsibilidad na patuparin ito.”

Para kay Mama. Para sa Marte at sa mundong ito.

Regina is quiet for a moment, but then she breathes out, “But what if… masama ang ‘role’ ko? What if I don’t want it?”

“Ano ang… ibig mong sabihin…?” she asks.

Regina sighs. “Just…” She seems to ponder on it for a moment, opening and closing her mouth several times, as if wanting to answer but being unable to. “Never mind.”

Narda watches her closely—the way her irises dart back and forth, the way apprehension lines her features.

Could this be about the leaked footage…?

Or about the kiss…? About the fact that they’re both women…?

Truthfully, Narda doesn’t know. But what she does know is something she must put into words for Regina to hear. So, she squeezes her hand, shifts closer. “Regina, naniniwala ako na mabuti ang nasa kalooban mo. Kung sa tingin mo na magbabago iyon dahil sa nangyari kagabi, then nagkakamali ka. Sa tingin ko na maganda ka… sa labas at sa loob.”

She sees a light dusting of redness upon Regina’s cheeks, but the woman says nothing.

“Isa ka sa mga pinakamabuting taong nakikilala ko… Makatarungan ka pa. Willing mag-call-out sa korupsyon. At this point, ang kulang mo nalang ay mga pakpak, eh,” Narda continues, “Kaya… huwag mo sanang masamain yung sarili mo. Kung ano mang dahilan ang meron ka para gawin ang ginawa mo… paniniwalaan kita. Nasa panig mo ako.”

Regina doesn’t say anything. There’s a thoughtful look on her features—her glistening eyes are far away and distant.

Did she say something wrong?

Narda chews on her bottom lip. “Regina, huwag mong kalimutan, na kahit ano man ang mangyayari, nandito ako para sa’yo. Palagi. You can trust me, okay?”

A pregnant pause fills the air between them as Regina mulls over her words. Narda hopes she knows that she means it, that it rings true from the deepest fibers of her being.

Because no matter what happens, no matter whatever their feelings are, she will always be here, ready for Regina’s beck and call. Because this is Regina Vanguardia. Her… special friend. Her favorite person. And she will always matter to her.

Finally, Regina inhales deeply, blinks up two twinkling eyes at her. “Narda, I really don’t deserve you,” she whispers.

Narda smiles softly. “You deserve the world, Regina. Ako ang hindi deserving sa’yo.”

Regina doesn’t respond. Narda takes it as quiet acceptance. She takes one last risk to reach her free hand up to stroke Regina’s temple, tucking a stray fringe behind her ear.

“Matulog ka na, Regina,” she tells her. “Nandito lang ako.”

Is this too much?

But Regina just smiles. It’s warm and genuine now. Her eyes glisten no longer with tears but with the depth of midnight stars. “Goodnight, Narda.”

Her eyes flutter close, and Narda releases a quiet, relieved breath. She continues to stroke her hand along her arm, patting it in a slow, rhythmic pattern—something she often did for Ding before when he couldn’t sleep, back when they were younger.

Eventually, she feels Regina’s breaths even out, grow deeper. When she whispers her name, she no longer responds, so she smiles, places her free hand instead to rest upon their interlocked hands. She lets herself fall asleep finally.

They stay that way for most of the night, facing each other beneath the thick blanket of Regina’s bed. Clasping each other’s hands. Sharing each other’s warmth.

A small pocket of heaven in the midst of a hurricane.

--

Regina wakes up first.

The first thing she sees is Narda’s sleeping face, just a few inches away from her own. Their noses almost bumping each other. And then she sees their entwined fingers.

The sight makes her smile instinctively. She squeezes her hand, shuffles closer, yearning a bit more of Narda’s warmth.

Five minutes. It takes her five minutes to reawaken to her senses.

This isn’t right.

She sits up, runs her hand through her thick locks—she truly has some of the worst cases of bed hair. She hugs her knees close to her chest. She looks down at Narda’s sleeping form, curled up to her side, a small smile playing upon her pink lips.

How could she ask her to stay? Regina rubs her temples.

She should have known better. After all, she’s Valentina.

And Narda is afraid of Valentina.

And still, when she’d felt the first droplets of fear last night, seeing her get up to leave, she’d pulled her back, practically begged her to stay.

In the end, even though she knew it wasn’t right to ask Narda to stay, knew that it was unsafe because she didn’t know what Valentina could do when she’s asleep—she didn’t want to be alone.

She didn’t want Narda to leave her.

Pathetic.

Truly, truly pathetic.

Regina Vanguardia, you are utterly selfish trash.

Regina’s breath comes out in a quivering gasp.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

She runs her knuckles across the skin of the other girl’s cheeks—it’s soft even through the fabric of her bandages. Her fingers pause, hovering above her lips.

She still feels the ghost of the kiss two nights ago, lingering like an old and fading tattoo.

She pulls her hand back. It feels as if something is stuck in her throat.

She needs to leave.

So, she does, moving as quietly as possible, hoping Narda doesn’t wake up.

When she reaches the door, she takes one last glance at her, still slumbering beneath her covers. A smile curls unbidden to her lips. But her heart beats a painful drum.

Because she knows last night is a temporary haven. Because she knows that the best thing she can do for her from now on is to stay away. At least until she can get everything under control. At least until she can be truly worthy of Narda’s promise last night.

So, she closes the door.

--

Narda wakes up late. Later than usual.

She’s often awake already by 6—a force of habit—even during Sundays like this. But when her eyes open, when she checks her phone, her heart drops when she sees it’s already 9 AM. She gets up, but it’s only then she realizes she’s in an unfamiliar room. One that’s empty and cold.

Memories of last night rush to her in an instant. She blinks, turns and plants her hand to her side—Regina is gone.

“Regina?” she calls, slowly pushing the bedroom door open. Nobody answers, except for her own echo, bouncing off the walls of the large condo. She walks over to the second-floor hall’s railing, looks down below. The living area is empty, but she notices something on the dining table.

She quickly makes her way down, bounds over to it. She sees that there’s a covered plate and a note beside it.

She opens the letter, sighs in relief when she sees Regina’s message for her.

‘I need to take care of something in the office. May niluto ako para sa’yo—please eat it. Feel free to use anything in my condo as needed, but don’t wait for me. Thanks for last night, Narda. :)

- Regina’

Narda sits herself down on the dining chair, opens up the plate laid out. She’s surprised to find a stack of pancakes prepared for her, coupled together with maple syrup and even some eggs. Still, she smiles.

Amidst the tragedy from two nights ago, Regina’s still able to do something like this for her.

Warmth blooms through her chest.

In spite of it all, they’ll be okay. They have to be okay.

In spite of it all, everything will go back to the way it was.

She lays it out like a hopeful prayer in front of the morning meal.

--

Everything will be okay. Regina chants it like a mantra. Chants it over and over so it drowns out the other voices. She tugs her sweater sleeve over her hand, hoping it’s enough to conceal the bandages there.

Sure, she took a day off to sort through… everything internally. But she’s here now. She’s called the logistics and PR team over. They’d mentioned they already had something drafted for Monday.

But when she walks into the office hallway, she’s surprised to find a row of Vanguardia Foundation’s shareholders and executives exiting the conference room.

“Good morning… ladies and gentlemen…?” she greets them slowly, bemused.

Instead of greeting back, however, the businessmen and women all share awkward looks, murmuring and bowing instead. Regina furrows her brows. Something’s not right.

She feels a hand clamp down on her shoulder. Cold to the touch. She flinches and turns, eyes widening when she sees Rex Vanguardia at her side.

He smiles politely at their peers, nodding for them to leave, before he finally turns his attention back to her.

“Mag-usap tayo sa office mo, Regina.”

Regina looks at him in confusion, but nonetheless obeys, following suit as he quickly makes his way to her office.

But as the glazed double doors close behind them, cold fear grips upon Regina’s chest. A strange sort of anticipation curls into her ribs—as if there’s a ticking time bomb somewhere inside the suffocating air of this room.

A few paces in front, her father keeps his back turned to her as he runs his index finger across her desk. Swipes it across its edge and brings the finger up to his face, rubbing his thumb against it. As if collecting dust where there isn’t.

Regina swallows the lump down in her throat, chances a step forward. “Dad…? Bakit nagmeeting kayo…? It’s a Sunday. At… bakit hindi mo ako tinawag…?”

“What do you think?” her father’s voice is cold and calm.

Regina suppresses the tremor in her fingertips. She clasps her hands together, takes a deep breath. “This is about last Friday.”

She hears Rex scoff. He turns around to face her then. She hates how he manages to hide his emotions even as he’s attempting what looks to be a smile.

“You’re smart, after all,” Rex says. “It’s a wonder why Friday happened at all.”

Regina’s chest hollows out.

“I had asked you to make me proud then. But what did you do?” Rex’s voice is eerily calm. Cold, yes. But calmer than she’d expected, even though he still punctuates the end of every word.

“I was sabotaged that night,” Regina struggles to keep her voice even. She keeps her head low. Her gaze trained on her sandals.

“Exactly. You somehow didn’t anticipate such a thing happening?”

“I did. There was security—”

“Look at me when I’m speaking to you.”

Regina squeezes her eyes shut, takes a calming breath. It’s okay, Regina. It’s just Dad. Come on. She raises her gaze up to meet his—

“You’re a disappointment.” Rex spits.

The frown carves itself into her lips. Suddenly, she feels like she’s a child again, being scolded by her haughty mother.

“I-I’m sorry—”

“Pinahiya mo ako, pinahiya mo ang pangalan natin. You shamed your own company.”

Regina wants to cry. She wishes she weren’t alone right now. Wishes she had a hand to hold. But all she can do is take it all in, release it all through a deep breath.

Rex shakes his head, takes a few steps backward. His face turns neutral again, his gaze is leveled. He exhales through his nose.

“We had a meeting to arrange an emergency turnover.”

Dread claws its way up Regina’s spine.

“You have one week,” Rex tells her. “One week to take care of any loose ends left to this company, to pack your things. One week, and then after, you will be stepping down from your position as the CEO of Vanguardia Foundation.”

Chapter Text

It’s as if the air in the room has been sucked into the ether, and all that’s left is the vacuum of space. Each second ticks by like the footstep of an hour. Drawing on for what feels like an eternity.

But eventually, Regina blinks herself awake, forces herself back into the present, where she stands in front of one Rex Vanguardia, standing tall and proud, with his hands folded behind him.

“What?”

The man before her clicks his tongue. “Hindi mo ba ako narinig? Come next week, you will no longer be Vanguardia Foundation’s CEO.”

Regina blinks once. Twice. She furrows her brows, gasps out an incredulous laugh. “I’m sorry? But this is my company. How—?”

“It might be ‘your’ company, but sinong pangalan ang nakakabit sa kanya?”

Regina’s sure gravity must have shifted beneath her feet. It has to. After all, why has she been hit with the most dizzying case of nausea?

She takes a few steps backward, uses the door behind her for support. “Y-you—”

Rex finally smiles. But it’s an unkind smile—just a corner of his lips quirk up. “Yes. I will be taking over your position as the CEO.”

Breathe, Regina. Breathe. She takes a placating breath, shakes her head to rid herself of the ringing sensation. “You can’t do that.”

Rex sighs. “I already have.”

He drops a stack of papers to her desk. Regina eyes it warily. He gestures towards it, and she has no choice but to obey. She quickly walks over to it, opens it, reads through the contract inside.

With each new stanza, her grip on its edges tightens. She feels tears crawl back up her eyes, hears her heartbeat ringing like incessant drums in her head.

“T-this—”

“You left us no choice, Regina,” Rex says calmly. “The amount of controversy that had come from last Friday was enough to send the stocks into a nosedive. Your partners, shareholders had called me for help.”

“You can’t do this,” Regina says through grit teeth.

Rex doesn’t answer. He doesn’t need to. He’d already sealed it in paper. All without her knowledge.

Regina whirls around on him. “This is my company.” It takes everything in her not to scream. “Ako ang nagtayo nito. Lahat ng nakikita mo ay naitayo sa mga kamay ko.”

Rex regards her coolly. “Have you forgotten that it was with my name you were able to do anything at all?”

Regina can’t wipe the scowl that curves into her lips. Even as she feels them trembling. “Y-you—” she glances away briefly, takes a deep breath. Come on. “Still. Dad, with all due respect, pangalan mo lang ang nakasabit dito. I was the one who spilled my blood, sweat, and tears for this company. It’s mine!”

Rex narrows his gaze at her.

Regina presses onward. “All these years, I did everything—everything—to make you proud. I did everything you asked for. I obeyed you. Worshipped you. You can’t take it all away for just one mistake—”

“You’re a lawyer, aren’t you, Regina?” Rex interjects. “You, of all people, would know the weight of a single mistake to the trajectory of a person’s life.”

Regina feels the cold drench her insides. Her words become stuck in her throat.

“You could be a saint, sinless and benevolent as can be. But this world is cruel—a single dot of black ink is enough to taint a neon painting. One mistake is enough to overshadow every good deed you’ve done in one lifetime.

“They write it in the legends. Your own God is a saint crucified by His people for their own sins, even after He’s performed countless miracles for them. And you? You will taint everyone else around you with your rot,” Rex saunters over to her, hands folded behind his back. As if he’s just giving a lecture to an impertinent child. “You should know this, Regina. You are a human rights and criminal defense lawyer.”

Regina clenches her jaw. “It’s not the same.”

“Not the same? Why? Because it’s happening to you?” Rex scoffs. “Palibhasa sa’yo, nasanay kang maging spoiled brat, lasing sa kapangyarihan ng isang pangalan. You’re a lawyer. You, of all people, should know the consequences of such reckless behavior. So, stop whining, because hindi ka na bata.”

Regina doesn’t know what compels her to even so much as glare up at him. But she does. Her fists are clenched tightly. “If you take everything away from me, then I’ll have nothing left to lose.”

Rex is unfazed by the quiet threat. A smirk cuts into his lip. “Good. Then maybe that way you’ll learn how to grow up and stop acting like a child.”

There is no winning in an argument with Rex Vanguardia. Regina knows this. She’s always known. Still, it hurts each time he shuts her down in such a composed manner.

Her lip trembles. “Then what am I supposed to do now?”

She hates the softness of her voice—how much it trembles with the weight of oncoming tears. How much she sounds like a child.

Because in the end, she truly is one pathetic kid.

But Rex only sneers as he fixes his suit. “I suggest you leave for a few months. Right now, your presence does nothing but stain our name with controversy. But other than that, figure it out yourself. You’re an adult, for God’s sake.”

At that, he turns and walks to the doors.

Before he leaves, however, he glances at her one last time. “Get your shit together, Regina. Huwag mong kalimutan na ang tanging minana mo sa akin ay ang pangalan ko. At wala akong anak na bobo at talunan.”

The door slams as he leaves, its sound reverberating through her walls in a lingering echo. Knocking at her cranium, even now when she stands alone in her office.

She smiles tightly. Feels a cold tear roll down her cheek.

The minutes tick by. The air is heavy, thick with an invisible gas leak. Seconds away from igniting and imploding into itself. And at the center of it all stands Regina Vanguardia, alone.

The minute hand strikes 6. The tears stream down her cheeks. Her face crumples in anguish as the most guttural scream erupts from her chest, as she instinctively runs her arms through her desk, flinging the items on it off its surface.

Papers fly in the air. The small ornaments she’d used as decor shatter on the ground. And in the wreckage scattered on the floor, she collapses to her knees and sobs.

--

He clicks his phone off.

Other than work emails, there is no other notification. Not a call, not even a message.

It’s been two days. Regina Vanguardia has yet to contact him.

Noah Vallesteros sighs, thumbing through the folders stacked on his desk. He knows he’s just being impatient, but at the same time, the sooner he gets a message from her, the sooner he’ll probably be granted another chance to spend with Narda.

That way, maybe he’ll finally get to bring home a girl Dad might be proud of. She’s the daughter of famed EMT Leonor Custodio, after all. The woman he’d once used as the face of his campaign.

But still, there is nothing that appears on his inbox. So, he sighs, stretches his arms out—he hates that his Dad had forced him on Sunday shifts in the office to prevent irresponsible night-outs—arranges the folders on his desk and plucks a particular one out, getting up from his desk.

Mayor Zaldy is alone in his office when he knocks, just sat there, reading the morning newspaper. Noah pushes down the urge to grin. It’s all in the little things—it’s a good sign that the Mayor might be in a good mood today.

“Mayor, sir,” Noah greets, approaching him. “Just dropping by to bring you this month’s financial report, and the projected budget for the following months. From the logistics department.”

His father quirks up a brow at him, humming. He accepts the proffered folder, opens it, quickly skims through it before narrowing his gaze. “Napansin ko na mas tinaasan mo ang budget ng medical sector.”

Noah gulps. “I just thought it might be appropriate with the times now, given all the new Extras appearing. I’m anticipating a lot more casualties sa mga krimen nila, kaya…”

Fuck. He’d forgotten to consult his Dad about that. He clenches his fists at his sides. He braces himself for an onslaught of beration.

But it doesn’t come. Instead, the Mayor mulls it over before nodding. “Alright. Understandable.” He places the folder down on his desk, folds his hands against each other and rests them on his abdomen.

Noah can’t help but give him an incredulous look, which then elicits laughter from the man.

“Nag-expect ka bang papagalitan kita? My boy, you’re bound to take my place as mayor one day,” Mayor Zaldy says after guffawing. “It’s good you’re taking responsibility in making decisions without needing my guidance.”

Noah gapes at him. “I-it’s good…?”

“Of course.” The man stands, walks over to him. “As long as may tamang dahilan ang mga desisyon mo, at hindi lang basta-basta mong ginagawa. Hindi ka na bata, Noah. You do not need me holding the pen for you to write on all the time.”

He pats him heavily on the shoulder, smiling tightly. “T-thank you, Da—sir.” Noah barely manages to choke out.

“Although, I heard you weren’t in your office last Friday night. I wonder why?”

Noah feels a sweat bead trickle down his temple. “Oh. I-I was… er…”

The Mayor smiles. “Coincidentally, that was the same day as that Vanguardia girl’s foundation gala, wasn’t it? The same one where a huge scandal had leaked out about her?”

The fingers resting on Noah’s shoulder curls and tightens around the flesh there. He grimaces as the Mayor leans closer, whispers into his ear.

“Masaya akong nagiging mas aktibo ka na finally sa family business, my boy.”

Noah leans away, stares at him with a wide-eyed gaze. What did he—?

But the Mayor just smiles, eyes glinting conspiratorially. As if he’s sharing some secret with him that he’s supposed to know.

And Noah—

Noah can’t help but smile back in awe as realization slowly dawns upon him. “O-of course. Dad. Sir.”

Zaldy grins, pats his shoulder one last time, before turning around to return to his desk. “Keep it up, Noah. I’m excited to see your progress in this department.”

Noah stares at him, awestruck and unable to keep the hopeful smile from his face.

Zaldy leans against his chair, smirks. “Make me proud.”

When Noah finally exits the room, he’s unable to keep the excitement contained, bouncing on his toes and pumping his fist in the air.

For a moment, he forgets that he’s still expecting a message from Regina Vanguardia herself in the first place. For a moment, he even forgets about the idea of Narda Custodio.

For a moment, he forgets that he had no idea what had happened on that night in the first place. Whatever. If Dad thinks he had something to do with it, if it makes him worthy in his eyes, then so be it.

--

The wine bottle rolls down the floor, hitting her coffee table’s leg with a distinct clang. It’s her third for the day, even though the sun is still high up in the sky, and the clock’s hour hand rests comfortably at the number two.

Her head is throbbing. But still, she sniffles and reaches for another in her mini fridge. It’s the only way now she knows to drown her sorrows in. The only way available.

She’d always feared this was bound to happen one day. After all, she knew the consequences of tying her family name to her company instead of her own. But it was the only way. Even though the name itself is not her original birthright.

Rex had power she did not have. When he’d taken her in four years ago, when he’d helped speed up her days in law school, he’d made a promise to treat her as his very own daughter, even though he was just her mother’s past love affair. He’d promised to train her to become something more. More than her deadbeat elitist mother. More than her late biological father, who had come from a more impoverished family.

He had always been kind to her, ever since she'd met him when she was younger. Papa and he were best friends before it all went to shit. And when both her parents died, he had offered her a warm smile. Had offered her a helping hand. He promised her he would raise her to be a Vanguardia. And having nothing left in life, Regina had gladly accepted it, even if he was the reason for her late parents' divorce. After all, who was she to refuse?

And so, she’d obeyed his every wish. She’d held on so tightly to his name.

And now, she’s suffering the consequences of such devotion.

Pathetic.

She scoffs, popping open another wine bottle as her free hand curls into a fist and pounds the ground, crumpling the papers she’d left scattered around her with each impact. Yesterday’s wounds sting, but there is solace in the pain it brings. It’s the only thing grounding her now to the present amidst the alcohol haze.

Just—

Just for one moment, she wishes she had a chance to breathe. To just—

The glimpse of a face crosses her mind. Bunched up cheeks, a wide, toothy grin. Eyes scrunched up into crescents.

She can’t help but sob again. Each breath becomes a gasp of air. She desperately reaches for her phone and clicks on a name. She presses it against her ear as the call rings out.

Please pick up.

Just once more.

Gusto ko lang makarinig ng boses mo.

All she wishes is to live forever in a moment filled with nothing but the serene warmth that Narda brings her.

But reality is cold and unforgiving. The line goes dead, unanswered.

Narda never responds during moments like this. In the moments she’d needed her the most.

Bitterness comes in the alcohol that pours into her system. But even its morphine quality is no longer enough to keep the voices from slithering in.

“Poor child—”

“Hindi ka nila naiintindihan, hindi ba…?”

She feels cold fingers trail against her cheek, even though there’s nothing there. Even though she’s alone.

“Hindi ka ba nasasaktan, Regina…?”

“Nobody understands…”

“You’re all alone…”

Regina squeezes her eyes shut, feels the tears filter out and flow down her cheeks.

“Hindi ka ba napapagod…?”

“I am tired,” Regina breathes out. “So… fucking tired.”

Even though there’s nothing there, it’s as if she hears the rattle of hissing snakes moving near her, feels them slithering against the skin of her temples.

“Pwede kitang tulungan, Regina,” the voice whispers, ever so present. Sweet like venom.

Regina’s breath shudders. Still, she forces her gaze up to face the floor-length mirror in the room.

In its reflection she sees two figures—herself, laid out on the floor, surrounded by the mess that was once her desk clutter and empty wine bottles. And then there is Valentina, hovering right over her. The monster’s hands are resting upon her jaws, framing her face. Even though there’s nothing there in reality, Regina still feels the cold of her touch.

She wonders if it’s all because of the alcohol. She wonders if it even matters.

“Napapagod ka na, hindi ba?” Valentina whispers, and it’s as if she’s right next to her, breathing into her ear.

Regina keeps her gaze trained on the distorted reflection, watches as another stray tear falls from her eye.

“Aalagaan ko… ang lahat ng sakit na nasa puso mo.”

She sees Valentina stroke a loose strand off her forehead. A cold breeze flits across her face.

“Ipaglapit mo ang kalooban mo sa akin. Tanggapin mo ang aking tulong,” Valentina whispers. “At mararamdaman, matitikman mo ang tunay na kalayaan. Unbound by the shackles of this cruel world.”

Regina finally lets her gaze meet Valentina’s through the reflection.

The monster in the mirror, in her dreams, in the deepest, darkest pockets of her fragile mind smiles in a way a viper would before striking its prey.

“Ako na ang bahala sa lungkot mo,” she whispers. “Ilagay mo ang lahat ng iyong mga suliranin, ang iyong mga pasanin, sa aking pangangalaga.”

Regina sees it in her reflection—the way Valentina’s fingers crawl up her face, slowly encaging it.

“Dito sa aking yakap, mahahanap mo ang totoong kapahingahan.”

The truth of the matter is that Regina is exhausted. Beyond all measure or hope. The cold of the viper’s touch becomes comfort to her tired bones, and as she feels herself encaged in it, all she can do is close her eyes and let the darkness consume her once more.

“Oh, you sweet child, it’s time for you to rest.”

And so, she does rest.

In some twisted way, there is comfort to be found in the prison of one’s own mind.

--

Darna grunts as she kicks the Extra off her. He falls to the ground, bruised and exhausted. She moves over to press her full weight on him, subduing his body and the lizard tail that has grown out of his bottom, while off to her side, Brian slowly approaches, gun pointed at the downed Extra.

The Extra is a cross between a lizard and a man, and though he’d drawn blood a few times with his sharp claws, he was ultimately weak, having nothing but a powerful detachable tail and super strength. It took Darna only two days to subdue him to this state. Though, she supposes it’s just a bit annoying that he’d appeared right after the death of another Extra. As she pins him down, he slowly reverts back to his normal, more human self.

Brian quickly bounds over to slap handcuffs to his wrists, calling over his team as he does so. One officer drags over a bucket of water and quickly dunks it on the Extra. It’s ice cold, and Darna cringes as the man writhes in agony. Another officer unloads a bag of naphthalene balls into the man’s shirt, securing them inside with rope, causing him to squirm and protest.

“Kailangan ba talaga ‘to?” Darna queries. A part of her can’t help but pity the Extra. “Hindi ba toxic din yan sa mga normal na tao? Baka mapahamak mo siya…”

Brian watches his team pull the Extra up to his feet, dragging him over to the car. “Pasensya. Hangga’t wala tayong mas feasible na paraan para itigil ang kanyang pag-transform, ‘yan lang muna ang naisip naming alternatibo.”

Darna looks at him. His brows are furrowed, but upon scrutiny, she realizes it’s not out of shared pity. He seems irritated.

“Okay ka lang ba?” She asks.

The man seems to blink out of his stupor, turning back to her with a light smile pasted on once more. “Of course. Nahuli na natin siya, sa wakas. Wala pang patayan ang naganap, so malaking bonus yan.”

Darna sighs. She realizes he must still be thinking about two nights ago—the battered body of the Babaeng Tuod. The snake bites. His failure in fully securing the hotel.

So, she reaches over and pats him on the shoulder, hoping it’ll ease some of his discomfort somewhat. It’s just a friendly gesture, and he smiles appreciatively in turn.

But then she sees something dark cross over his eyes. He furrows his brows once again. “Darna,” he whispers. “Meron sana akong… sabihin sa’yo…”

Darna quirks up a brow. “Ano?”

“Tungkol sa… Babaeng Tuod… o ang Babaeng Ahas. Noong una sa gala ni Regina.”

Light dread grips on Darna’s insides. But she doesn’t know why. “Bakit…?”

Brian opens his mouth. But no words come out, and he closes it after a second. He seems to mull over his words for a moment, before sighing and shaking his head.

“Ayaw kong sabihin, pero—”

Suddenly, his radio crackles to life. The two share a look, passing a moment of understanding, before he pulls it out of his belt and clicks the receiver on.

“PO2 Robles responding—”

“Brian, may emergency,” It’s the chief’s voice that comes through. “10-79. Isang pamilya.”

Brian’s face seems to pale. Darna’s heart drops. In the times she’s worked with Brian, she already understands the meaning of the code.

Death.

The police chieftain prattles off the address. Before he even finishes, Darna has already launched off into midair, speeding through the windways towards the subdivision the man had mentioned over the radio.

When she arrives, stone cold dread drenches her insides at the sight of three corpses in the pristine home.

Their skins are an ashen color. And all three bodies are filled with a myriad of snake bites.

--

She slithers in through her bedroom’s open window, falls to her knees against the floor. The carpet is soft beneath the touch, warm, even. And in its fabric her fingertips leave traces of bloody fingerprints.

Regina wants to puke.

She rushes into the en suite bathroom as fast as her legs let her. Her senses are all hazy—her body does not feel like her own.

She practically collapses unto her bathroom sink, toppling the bottles of cosmetics there over and to the floor. She stares down at the dip of its ceramic surface, sees the droplets of blood staining it one by one like raindrops.

She can still hear the screams linger like an echo in an empty stadium.

She turns the faucet on.

Regina desperately tries to rub the blood off her hands beneath the hot water stream. The heat stings, but none of that matters when she can still feel its traces on her skin.

But it remains there. A smatter of red against blue-green scales. She looks up, meets her own gaze in the reflection—what stares back is that monster, the one that resides deep within her mind.

The one that had compelled her to kill that poor family.

She presses her palms against her cheeks, curls her fingers into the sickly scaly flesh.

“Bumalik ka na,” she hisses. “Bumalik ka na sa normal, parang awa mo.”

But still, the image of a Gorgon stares back at her in the mirror. Wide-eyed, teeth bared. Pupils in thin slits against purely ivory eyes, tinted by a green glow.

“Bakit hindi ka bumabalik?!” Regina screams.

If she could just—she curls her fingers in, feels the scales, the nails dig indentations into the flesh of her cheeks. If she could just pull them out—she grits her teeth, lets out a shrill scream as her nails dig deeper and deeper—

But nothing happens. All she does is dig out a new wound to bleed out of. She falls back unto the sink, gripping its edges hard.

Her face crumples into despair.

What had she just done?

How could she have let Valentina take control? When she knew? When she knows what that monster was capable of?

She still remembers the sensation of it all—how she’d felt as if she was asleep, but not quite. As if she was dreaming with her eyes wide open. Her entire body had felt like a detached universe, and each limb seemed to buzz with white noise.

In the end, all she did was watch. She’d watched herself slither out of her office through an open window, watched herself literally climb down the façade of the building through the serpents on her head, watched her legs move towards a familiar subdivision, where one of her shareholders—one she actually considered a friend—resided in.

She’d felt her own body saunter up that familiar house, watched as it drew closer with each step. She’d listened to her own laugh, muddled with a legion of otherworldly voices, as the man, his wife, and his sole daughter begged for mercy.

She’d felt her own hand dig into the man’s chest, launched by a supernatural force enough to actually pierce through layers of skin and bone. She’d smelled the stench of rotting flesh as the venom from her serpents killed them all one by one. She’d tasted the iron tang of blood in her mouth, a shared sensation amongst the snakes slithering against her skull, all delighting at the fate of their prey.

She’d watched her victims’ eyes roll back into their heads, watched their skin turn a sickly ashen color—the only hint of color then was the throbbing veins purpled from the venom.

It was in that moment she’d woken up. But it was too late. No amount of tears shed could reverse the deed.

Because she knew it was bound to happen in the first place. The moment she’d handed Valentina control.

And she did nothing to stop it.

No. A part of her had even wanted it to happen.

The singular fact compels her to turn the faucet’s heat up to a maximum and dunk her hands back in. It sears with the heat, steams up and fogs the mirror.

And still, the blood does not seem to be coming off.

She hears something from outside the bathroom.

She whirls around, glowers at the crack through the bathroom door.

“Sino yan?” She calls.

But nobody answers.

Regina scowls, pulls her fingers away. She feels blood trickle down her cheek, the heat throbbing in her skin, but she ignores them all. One of the larger snakes on her head launches forward, yanking the door open. Her legs move outside of her own control, once again at the mercy of Valentina.

When she enters her bedroom, her stance is alert, low, as she surveys her room through a tinted gaze. There is nobody there, but her senses now are already unnaturally heightened. She feels something wrong in the air here.

God, not now. Not again.

Not when she had just come back from—

A ‘clang’ resounds from somewhere down below. Regina whirls around, focuses in on the sound—there, through her bedroom door. Her scowl deepens. She quickly bounds over to the outside hall.

She freezes when she sees an unfamiliar figure of a woman standing in the middle of her dining area, shrouded in darkness, back turned to her. But just as the shock settles, it is quickly replaced by an animalistic fury, and again she feels her control slip momentarily.

Before she knows it, she’s already somehow glided down. Her fall is softened by the support of the serpents hanging on to the upstairs railing. Her head throbs with a thousand whispers, luring her back into the dark ether of her mind. Still, she wrestles desperately for control—her body contorts and writhes in the process.

“Sino ka?” She manages to spit out, glaring up at the figure.

The woman turns to look at her. Her hair is brown in color, framing a rounded face. Her eyes are gray—in them, Regina sees an almost otherworldly glint.

She opens her mouth to speak again, but before she knows it, the woman rushes forward. Her movement comes out blindingly swift, and if it weren’t for her heightened senses, Regina would not have been able to dodge the kick that comes her way.

She jumps back, sneers. The unfamiliar woman smirks, strikes an attack stance. Once again, she charges, throwing a punch forward. Regina easily dodges, glares up at her, and lets one of the serpents strike forward.

The woman sidesteps quickly, using the action as momentum to spin and deliver a roundhouse kick that lands against Regina’s temple.

It sends Regina flying to the side, colliding with a side table and toppling the items on it down. She gasps, hisses at the throbbing pain in her head—how did that have so much force in it?

“Kahit na ganyan na ang itsura mo, mahina ka pa rin,” the woman scoffs.

Regina whirls around on her, glowering coldly.

Let me take control—

Tahimik!

Regina launches a serpent out at her. The woman seems to smirk before deflecting the attack with her wrist. She rushes forward once more, this time in a zig-zagged path.

Regina manages to block the strike the woman launches at her side, even amidst the incredible speed. However, as their gazes meet, something flashes in the woman’s eye, and suddenly she disappears from her sight.

Regina blinks, scowls when she finds a fluttering eagle before her. It launches itself forward, using its smaller frame to slip through her arms and go for her eyes. Regina barely manages to cover her face with her arms, and even then, the bird’s talons dig into her flesh deep enough to draw blood.

It pushes off her in an instant, moving to the side, and once again, as Regina quickly lowers her arm, she sees the bird has transformed back into her assailant, using the momentum from the bird’s flight to launch one last kick against her sternum.

It knocks the breath out of her, pushing her back into the wall behind her hard enough to create a few cracks—this bitch is an Extra—

The woman quickly presses her arm against her neck, crowding her and pinning her to the wall.

“Sino ka?” Regina hisses through grit teeth. “Ano ang kailangan mo sa’kin?”

The unfamiliar woman leans forward, narrows her gaze. She regards her coolly, but no words come out of her lips.

She hears the sound of slow clapping somewhere in the room. The woman’s lips curl into a smirk.

Regina turns to her side, finding a figure standing in her kitchen, shrouded in complete darkness. A mere silhouette. There are strange indentations and protrusions on their head, their shoulders, their hips, along their knees—reminiscent of armor. Or something alien.

“Sino kayo? Paano kayo nakapasok dito?” Regina hisses.

The figure takes each approaching step languidly. Clapping their hands all the way.

Finally, it stops. Gold shimmers under the soft blade of moonlight filtering through the window; she sees only a portion of its chest, its arms illuminated. Armor? Its hands—are they scarred?—are folded against each other. “Kami ay iyong mga kaibigan.”

Its voice—his voice—sounds… almost normal. A man’s. But not quite. It’s as if it hides an undercurrent of other voices beneath its rasp. There’s an otherworldly tenor to it she can’t quite explain.

“‘Kaibigan’? ‘Eto ba ang kilusan ng isang ‘kaibigan’?” Regina throws a venomous look at the woman pinning her to the wall.

The man cocks his head to the side. “Ishna.”

The unfamiliar woman—this Ishna—loosens her grip on her, allowing her a gasp of air. As she steps away, Regina all but collapses unto her knees, panting. Today’s events are finally taking a toll on her, and she feels a heavy weight bear down on her body.

Her vision is bleary, and as she blinks to clear it out, she sees the scales retract back into her body, her skin turning pale once more. When she touches her face, she feels soft skin there again.

And all her wounds, both from yesterday and today… they’re all gone.

She looks up at the two figures before her—one now visible in the patches of moonlight filtering through the blinds, the other still a dark silhouette.

“Sino ba talaga kayo at bakit kayo nandito?” she asks.

Ishna glances at the figure off to her side. The man seems to take in a deep breath.

“We are ambassadors.” The shrouded figure says. “Nandito kami para bawiin ang dating sa amin.”

Regina frowns. “‘Ambassadors?’ ‘Ang dating sa’yo’? That still doesn’t explain why you’re in my home, why you k-knew I was—”

“Na ikaw si Valentina?” The shadow bellows, takes another step forward. “Marami kaming alam tungkol sa’yo, Regina Vanguardia. We’ve been watching over you for a long time.”

Regina feels sick. “What the hell do you want from me?”

There’s a beat of silence before the figure takes another step forward. Though she can’t see his face, she feels as if there’s a smirk on his lips.

“Gusto ka naming tulungan.”

Regina scowls. “This is a funny way of ‘helping’ me.”

Ishna sends her a distasteful look. She matches it with a cold glare.

“Ipagpaumanhin mo ang aking… alagad. Nais lang naming malaman kung hanggang saan naaabot ang iyong lakas ngayon,” the shadow says.

Regina scoffs. “Gusto mong malaman ang lakas ko? How does that help me? Kung gusto mo akong tulungan, sabihin mo sa akin kung paano ko tatanggalin itong halimaw na nasa loob ko.”

Another pause of silence, and then she hears a low, rumbling laugh from this alien being. “‘Tanggalin’? Do not be naïve, you poor child.”

“Do not call me naïve—”

Ishna narrows her gaze. “Huwag mong pagsalitaan ang Heneral ng ganyan—”

“Manahimik ka.” the shadow quickly interjects. His head turns momentarily in Ishna’s direction. Regina thinks she might have seen a glint of green in the dark silhouette’s eye sockets.

A heavy silence fills the air as the two stare each other down. But ultimately, it’s Ishna who looks away first, seemingly shrinking into herself.

“Patawad, Heneral.”

Heneral?

The shadow approaches Regina once more. “Ipagpaumanhin mo naman ulit si Ishna. Minsan nalilimutan niya ang kanyang lugar.”

Regina glances at the woman who stands there with her shoulders bunched, looking smaller than before. Her gaze is trained on the tiled floor.

For a flash of a moment, she feels a familiar sense of pity for her.

“‘Heneral’?” She turns her attention back to the shadowed figure.

It takes him a beat before he responds. “Ako ay si Heneral Borgo. Nanggaling ako sa planetang Marte. Katulad ng sinabi ko, isa akong Ambassador, kasama ni Ishna.”

Borgo. Regina mulls it over for a moment. “Then… tell me, General Borgo—why is it naïve to want Valentina removed from my body? Hindi naman siya nandiyan noong bata pa ako, eh. Lumitaw lang ng bigla… years ago. So why can’t she just… not exist? Ano’ng nalalaman mo tungkol sa kanya—sa mga Extras?”

Borgo seems to sigh. “Iilang buwan na ang nakalipas noong unang lumitaw ang Extras. Alam mo ‘yan, at alam din namin. Pero ang hindi mo alam ay kung saan sila nanggaling.”

Regina’s shoulders sag. “So, you do know where they come from.”

A beat of silence. Then, “Oo. Alam namin. Dahil… kami ang dahilan kung bakit sila lumitaw.”

Rage flares up her insides. Her mouth twists into a deep scowl. “You—”

“Ang Babaeng Lumilipad ay isa ring Martean.”

Regina freezes. To her side, Ishna has moved over to lean against the dining table, crossing her arms across her chest. Her gaze is cast downward.

Borgo lets the words settle in the air for a moment. “Katulad lang siya namin ni Ishna. Ngunit ang kaibahan namin ay nasa aming mga layunin. Sapagkat, nandito kami para bawiin ang bagay na ninakaw niya mula sa aming mga Martean.”

Regina watches him carefully make his way over to the window. Small patches of his body are illuminated one by one by the soft moonlight. The golden armor glints under its light.

“Chrysalis,” Borgo says, “‘Eto ang tawag ng isang mahiwagang mineral na nanggaling sa planetang Marte. Napakamapangyarihan nito. A small piece would be enough to power an entire city—eto ang ginagamit na power source sa buong Marte. When the Chrysalis is channeled through a conduit strong enough to handle its energy, then its power can be utilized to more productive means. Sa paglipad ng isang spaceship, for example. Or in powering an entire planet.

“Ngunit, dahil sa kanyang kapangyarihan, kailangan nito ng conduit na kayang pantayin ang kanyang enerhiya. May iilan mang mga materyales at mineral na nasa Marte na kayang gawin ito, pero dito sa mundo niyo, wala. Ang isang nilalang na may kaluluwa—isang Martean, o isang simpleng tao—hindi nila talagang mapapantay ang enerhiya ng Chrysalis.”

Regina’s jaw clenches. “What does this have to do with anything?”

Borgo’s eye glints green in the darkness. “My dear, it has to do with everything. Sapagkat, ang Chrysalis ay ang power source ng Cyborg na dumapo sa mundo niyo… apat na taon na ang nakalipas.”

Regina furrows her brows.

Borgo folds his fingers together. “Four years ago, we sent a Cyborg to this planet. Not to invade you, no. Ang tanging layunin niya noon ay pahinain ang Babaeng Lumilipad para mabawi namin ang bagay na ninakaw niya mula sa amin. Ngunit… may ibang plano ang Babaeng Lumilipad. Sapagkat, sa laban nila, sinadya niyang sinira ang power core ng Cyborg. Winasak ito hanggang sa nagkapiraso-piraso na ito. Nasa bundukan sila ng Nueva Esperanza noon.”

Dread slowly creeps up Regina’s spine. There’s an implication in the alien’s tone—his words are puzzle pieces scattered across a board, and what threads them together is a haunting revelation she refuses to decipher.

The shadow’s head seems to turn in her direction. “Nasa bundok kayo noon, hindi ba? Ikaw at iyong ama.”

Regina can’t keep her lip from trembling, can’t keep the tears from finding its way back up. “D-don’t—you have no right to mention him.”

There’s a beat of silence. The air is thick with tension. Borgo leans his weight against the window sill. “Regina, sa gabing iyon, may mga bagay na nahulog mula sa langit. Naaalala mo ba?”

Regina closes her eyes. Tears threaten to spill over. The memory paints itself across her mind like a blood smatter across canvas.

How could she ever forget? The memory’s been seared into her mind. She’ll never forget the shock, the fear that had overcome her then, when she’d watched Papa suddenly collapse. Unable to wake up no matter how many times she’d shaken him.

She’ll never forget the blackness that came immediately after, the stabbing pain in her back. The myriad of voices that screamed within her cranium.

Her entire world had changed that day.

“Isa na pumatay sa iyong ama, at ang isa naman—” Borgo’s eyes seem to glow brighter with each word uttered. “Isang kumikinang na berdeng crystal. Na siyang pumasok sa katawan mo. Ito ay ang Chrysalis.”

Regina’s breath escapes her. The puzzle pieces are slowly setting themselves into place.

“Regina, alam mo ba kung ano ang nangyayari kapag hindi kayang pantayin ng conduit ang enerhiya ng Chrysalis?” Borgo crosses his arms. “Nagiging iba ang epekto niya. When the conduit is unable to correctly channel its power to something else, it absorbs it instead.

“At kapag ang isang may kaluluwa ay ang naging conduit… its power is enough to pull out the darkest part of one’s soul. Its deepest rot. Bring it out to light. Ganyunpaman, dahil sa kanyang kapangyarihan, nagiging distorted itong parte ng iyong kapwang tao. Lumalabas bilang mahika, bilang isang supernatural na abilidad.”

Everything clicks into place. The coldest sensations of dread and despair slowly eat away at Regina’s bones. She looks down on the floor, at her hands. Her fingers are trembling.

“Regina, it was naïve to assume you could remove this… ‘Valentina’,” Borgo says, “Dahil mula noon pa hanggang sa magpakailanman, nandoon na siya sa loob ng kaluluwa mo. Parte na siya sa’yo mula pa noong unang sandaling binuksan mo ang iyong mga mata. Kayo ay iisang nilalang. One soul. And now, one body.”

Regina feels something cold slip out of her eyelids, sees the teardrop land on the floor in the spaces between her fingertips. “No.” her voice is hoarse. Trembling.

Oh, but yes.

Alam mo na noon pa, hindi ba?

Di ba sinabi ko sa’yo?

Ikaw… ay ako.

“Ito ay kaalamang binahagi sa lahat ng mga taga-Marte noong bata pa kami. Alam namin lahat ito. Pati na rin ang Babaeng Lumilipad niyo,” Borgo continues. “Yet, she’d chosen still to indulge in her own… selfish desires.”

Regina slowly looks up, watching him carefully. A cold glower in the darkness of her eyes. As Borgo takes a moment to let the words settle, Ishna glances momentarily at him.

The sigh that escapes him is tinged with sadness. “Nagnakaw siya ng isang mahalagang crystal mula sa planetang Marte—ang Puting Bato—ang tanging crystal na may kakayahang baligtarin ang mga epekto ng Chrysalis.

“Sapagkat, ang Puting Bato ay isang mahiwagang crystal na biniyaya sa kalangitan at bituin. Its purity is akin to a heavenly body, and as such, its purpose is to enlighten its user’s spirit. Strengthen it, and grant it the power of stars. Kung sino man lulunok nito, mabibigyan siya ng hindi kapani-paniwalang kapangyarihan. At dahil dito, siya lang ang tanging may kakayahang pagalingin at linisin ang mga kaluluwa ng mga nasalanta sa epekto ng Chrysalis. Katulad sa mga tinatawag niyong Extras.”

Regina’s lip trembles with a slowly simmering rage, churning like acid deep inside her, threatening to burst forth.

“Ngunit ngayon, ginagamit na ito para sa ibang dahilan. It is used no longer for a noble purpose—no, sapagkat ginagamit na ito ng Babaeng Lumilipad ngayon para maitupad ang kanyang mga makasariling kagustuhan. To keep all its power to herself, selfishly hiding it away. So nobody else can have it. Ginagamit niya para magmumukha siya bilang isang… ‘superhero’ sa pananaw ng mga ignorante.”

The word comes out in a mocking hiss. Regina feels another teardrop roll down her cheek.

“So ang sinasabi mo… ang Babaeng Lumilipad ay ang responsable sa pagkamatay ng Papa ko, na siya ang responsable kung bakit… ganito ako ngayon?” she grits her teeth. “Na siya ang dahilan kung hindi ako makakabalik sa… normal?”

Borgo nods slowly. “Ito ay ang tanging katotohanan, Regina.”

“And why—” Regina says through a shaky breath, “Why should I believe you?”

Borgo leans forward. Regina’s breath hitches. In the light of the moon, she finally catches a glimpse of his face. It is unsightly in appearance, yet also pitiable. Both alien and man. His skin is an unnatural maroon color. His face is an amalgamation of scar tissue, carved with deep indentations at various areas.

“Because I am living proof,” he snarls, “of her crimes against the Martean nation.”

A heavy silence fills the air once more. Ishna does not meet either of their gazes. Regina’s gaze remains locked with Borgo’s. Yet, she feels no fear, feels nothing else but the smoldering rage deep in her chest. She glares daggers into his eyes, as she finally releases a breath.

“Sino siya?” Regina asks lowly. “Sino ang Babaeng Lumilipad…?”

It takes another moment for Borgo to respond.“In every lifetime, she disguises herself with different aliases, different names, faces. But in these lifetimes, a singular constant identity remains unchanged—ang totoo niyang pagkatao. Her true self and name, and the spell of the stars.”

A beat of silence. Borgo’s eyes glow green. And then, in a low voice, he utters a name.

“Darna.”

The name is unfamiliar and familiar. It is a stranger’s name, yet it is one that a part of her has always known. A name that sears an effervescent pain into her soul. A name that’s reminiscent of home.

“Regina Vanguardia, meron kang lakas na hindi mapapantay ng ibang Extras diyan,” Borgo pushes off the wall, steps closer. “Ikaw ay espesyal, nag-iiba. They came into existence only a few months ago, when your stupid Mayor destroyed our Cyborg’s body in the mountains, spreading the Chrysalis around like pollen. Ngunit ikaw ay naging Extra four years ago. Ikaw, Regina, ang Unang Extra. Ikaw si Valentina, the Goddess of Snakes.”

He stops in front of her. She can see him clearly now—sees how truly otherworldly he is, right from his mere appearance to his entire gait. He hooks a sharp finger under her chin, urges her to meet his gaze.

“Why are you telling me this?” Regina rasps.

She sees a smile curl into his lip. It’s both amicable and sinister. “Dahil ikaw lang ang tanging may potential at kakayahang ipatumba siya, Regina Vanguardia. Yet, you always push back, always fight the only truth there is—you refuse to acknowledge or accept your true self within you. Your true power.”

Regina stares up at him. Another tear escapes her. “Wala akong intensyong pumatay.”

“Oh, but you already have,” Borgo slowly lowers himself to level his gaze with her. He kneels before her. In his inhumane eyes, she sees a hint of kindness.

Regina’s heart constricts. “I didn’t want to.” Her voice breaks with each word.

“I understand you, Regina,” a sad smile seems to curve into Borgo’s lips. “Yet… with great power comes great responsibility. And sometimes, responsibility is not so black and white as to leave you with just two choices. There is great evil in this world, at tayo lang na may kakayahan, na may kapangyarihan, ang makakabura nito. At minsan, masaklap ang paraang ito.”

Borgo reaches out to swipe a stray tear off her cheek with the knuckle of his finger.

“Alam mo ito, Regina. Alam mo ito sa pinakalalim mong kinalooban, bilang isang abogado,” Borgo says. “Yet, you keep pushing it away. Hindi mo ba naiintindihan na ito ang nagpapahina sa’yo?”

Regina sobs as she meets his gaze once more, when she sees the sad smile on his face.

“Kay dami mong lakas na nakatago sa loob mo. All you have to do is embrace it. Accept it. Because, in the end, Regina, all you’ll have is yourself.”

Regina looks away again. She feels Borgo lean closer.

His voice drops to a whisper. “At kapag ginawa mo yun, you will earn the power, the ability to be able to defeat Darna. To avenge your father. To save yourself. You will gain the ability to kill her.”

Everything feels cold. Her fingertips, her limbs. Her chest and her head. Dread coils against her spine, yet an eerie calm settles deep within her. Quiet acceptance slowly settling in.

She squeezes her eyes shut, lets a few tears fall through. “How can I do that?”

She feels more than sees the smile that carves into Borgo’s lips.

“Kami ang makakatulong sa’yo, Regina,” he whispers. “Kaming mga Martean ay may kakayahang tulungan kang makamtan ang tunay mong kapangyarihan mula sa Chrysalis. All you have to do is make a deal with us.”

Regina blinks her eyes open, glares up at him. “What deal?”

His eyes glint in the darkness. His smile seems to widen. “Join us, Regina. I am building an army, isang battalion ng mga Extras na makakatulong sa’yo.”

Regina furrows her brows. “Help me?”

“Tutulong sila sa iyo… sa laban mo ni Darna,” Borgo pauses, and then with another sinister smile, he gives her his offer.“Tutulungan ka namin, Regina, kung maipapangako mo sa amin na papatayin mo si Darna at babawiin mo ang Bato.”

Regina thinks she should feel dread, or fear, or even misery. Yet, all she feels is the cold simmering beneath her skin. All she feels is a deathly calm.

“Kakayanin mo ba talagang gawin yan, Regina Vanguardia?” It’s Ishna who asks it, stepping into her periphery again, shoulders squared.

There’s a curious look in her gaze.

But truthfully, all Regina feels is an eerie sense of peace.

“Yes.”

The answer comes easily, surprisingly. Borgo’s smile widens.

“Masaya ako na binuksan mo ang iyong mga mata sa wakas, Regina Vanguardia,” Borgo tells her, as his hands stretch out towards her, slowly creeping up on her head. “I hope you know that as I watched over you all these years, hearing those words now, I am truly. Truly. Proud of you.”

She feels his sharp, metallic fingertips press against her flesh, his hands encaging her entire head. Yet, even with the pinch from the sharp indentations, her mind replays a singular phrase, over and over.

He’s proud of me?

Her heart constricts. In some sick, twisted way, the words bring a repulsive kind of comfort to her chest, drowning the warmth that Narda had once upon a time planted there in this fraction of a moment.

Yet, a fraction is all Borgo needed.

“This might hurt.”

Regina squeezes her eyes shut.

If Darna truly is as Borgo says she is—

If this is the only way to save herself—

If this is the only way to save Nueva Esperanza—

So be it.

Borgo’s hand glows a blinding white. Heat sears into her skin, her flesh, her bones, digging deep and scorching every nerve, every neuron, every blood vessel, until it quickly travels through her veins, to every fiber of her being.

An unimaginable pain flares across her entire body.

She feels as if she’s torn her vocal chords from the scream that erupts from deep within her lungs.

(In the haze of it all, only Ishna notices the phone vibrating on the counter. Only Ishna sees the name that appears on the caller ID.)

--

Narda awakes with a gasp of air drowned out by a strangled yelp.

Tears stain her cheeks. Her heart is beating out of her chest.

She runs her hand across her face, surprised to find it moist with perspiration after just one swipe. She hugs her knees to her chest, rests her chin in the space between.

Ano yun?

What had she just dreamt about?

Why can’t she remember?

All she knows is that she’d felt fear. So much fear. And then, despair. Hopelessness.

Is Regina okay?

She blinks. Takes a few more calming breaths. Turns to look at the phone on the nightstand.

Did she have a nightmare because Regina hadn’t answered any of the calls she’d placed last night?

She’d been wracked with worry, of course, but she’d once again stupidly convinced herself that she should trust her. That she’d come around—maybe she was busy? Maybe she needed time to herself?

After all, she’d already spent the night in her condo. She didn’t want to impose.

God. She shouldn’t have slept. She only realizes then that it was already 5 AM.

She grabs her phone, opens it—no new notifications.

Worry claws at her insides.

Okay. Okay.

That’s it.

She kicks off the blanket, jumps up to her feet.

Walang saysay ang mag-alala na wala man lang ginagawa.

She tries to call Regina once more, and as the line rings, she pushes her bedroom door open—

Only for her to hear a familiar ringtone just outside.

She halts in her tracks. Pauses just for a moment. Her heart is beating out of her chest as she forces her legs to move again.

When she turns the corner, she’s met with a sight that fills her with the cool sense of relief.

Because there’s Regina Vanguardia, sitting at her dining table, sipping on a mug of hot chocolate, conversing quietly with Lola Berta. A gentle smile playing on her pink lips.

She clears her throat. The two women look up. Regina has her phone in her hand, thumb hovering over the receiving button. But when she’d stepped in, the woman had smiled warmly and ended the call.

“Regina.”

“Narda,” Regina says softly. “Good morning.”

“N-nandito ka…” Narda breathes out.

Lola Berta quirks up a brow. “Ano ka ba? Ba’t ka nagsasalita na parang hindi mo gustong daluhin ka ni Regina?”

Narda blinks once. And then again, shaking her head in the process. “Ah—hindi, noh. Gusto ko yata yun. Eh, kaso lang…”

She trails off, glancing at the clock. The time reads 5:16 AM.

Regina’s smile falters. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“N-no. No, no nononono—hindi, hindi, okay lang,” Narda quickly walks over, leans against the dining chair. She takes a deep breath. “Just… hindi ka kasi sumagot kahapon noong tinawag kita. Okay ka lang ba…? Bakit—bakit ang aga-aga mong nandito…?”

She hopes Lola Berta won’t butt in—some part of her wishes she’d just leave, actually. She hopes her message is conveyed somehow.

Regina smiles (why does it look sad?) and gazes into her eyes. “Sorry, I just… needed to see you.”

Narda only notices it now as the sleepy haze clears, but there’s something different about Regina now. Without much makeup on, she looks so… young. Innocent. Like the same girl she’d met on that cliff four years ago. But with that, her exhaustion is more apparent. Her eyes are faintly red-rimmed. Her skin seems much too pale.

And… there’s just—just a different aura around her. Narda can’t pinpoint as to what exactly. All she knows is her gut is telling her something has changed—but as to what, she can’t quite make out.

And… she’s no longer wearing any bandages?

Her wounds are… gone?

She feels something inside her constrict. Feels knots form in her abdomen.

She doesn’t know why.

It scares her.

Regina sets her mug down. “Narda, why don’t you come with me? I’d like to spend time with you somewhere… special today.”

“H-hindi ba Lunes ngayon…? Meron tayong trabaho…”

Narda realizes a bit too late the question comes out sounding stupid. Regina’s her boss. If she’d will it, any day could be a day off.

And it’s exactly what she does. Regina grins. “Then let’s make it a day off. Or… days off. Three days. In honor of the company’s foundation.”

Narda furrows her brows. She chews on her bottom lip. She wants to ask something, but—

Pwede ba niyang gawin yun?

Pagkatapos ng lahat na nangyari noong Biyernes?

Regina seems to catch on to the question in her eyes. She shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s all being taken care of.”

Narda nods slowly, even as she still feels apprehension in her gut. But as she stares into Regina’s eyes, she finds a glimpse of the warmth in them so familiar, so reminiscent of all the times before.

She loosens her grip on the chair’s backrest, allows herself to breathe.

“Apo, pinuntahan ka na ni Regina dito para yayain kang mag-outing,” Lola Berta suddenly chimes in. “Hindi mo ba talaga isasaalang-alang ang kanyang imbitasyon?”

Narda swallows thickly. She turns to Regina.

The woman smiles, and it’s soft and gentle, and it makes Narda ache inside. “Won’t you come with me, Narda?”

“S-saan tayo pupunta…?” Narda stammers. She has to look away. Otherwise—

To her side, Lola Berta watches on fondly, noticing the visible blush blooming on Narda’s cheeks.

Regina leans forward. “A special place. Where my father and I used to go to camping. You might recognize it.”

Narda blinks. Realization dawns on her. “Ah.”

Regina’s eyes seem to twinkle beneath the fluorescent lights. “What do you say?”

Narda’s certain now. Certain that there is no universe where she would have ever been able to refuse such an offer from Regina Vanguardia.

Chapter Text

The ride over is spent mostly in silence. Only the sounds of the gentle engine whirring, weaved together with the soft tunes filtering in from the car radio fill the ambient air.

An occasional word comes through here and there, a quiet comment about the environment, a gentle giggle in some places, but the conversation is always fleeting.

Oftentimes, Narda spends the quiet fiddling with her fingers, looking out the window, watching Nueva Esperanza’s urban landscape slowly morphing to greeneries, churning worry deep inside her gut—wondering if it’s normal to feel such discomfort when she’s with Regina.

When they finally reach the parking spot—an unpaved flat land some ways away from the tip of the cliff—the silence is filled in with the sounds of the forest surrounding them instead. The fluttering of passing birds, the low buzzing of hiding insects, the shifting leaves in the surrounding trees.

Finally, as Regina goes to take out a bag from the trunk, Narda lets out a breath. Ba’t siya ganito? She marches over to her, steels herself.

“Okay ka lang ba talaga?”

Regina closes the sedan’s trunk. “Bakit mo natanong?”

“Medyo tahimik ka sa buong biyahe, eh…” Narda trails off, glances sideways. “Hindi ka naman ganyan kapag magkasama tayo… usually…”

Regina stares at her. Narda shifts her gaze away, suddenly conscious of herself—her face feels hot.

She hears the other woman take a huff of breath. “I just have a lot on my plate right now. But…”

She feels her cold fingers snake around hers, twining them together loosely. Narda looks up.

“Thank you for worrying about me,” Regina says, pink lips stretching out into a sweet smile.

Narda feels a twinge in her chest. She blinks a stray memory away. Though she manages to return the smile, her lips are trembling—Narda, bakit ka ganito?

“Of course,” she says softly. “Alam mo na…”

Regina chuckles, nods, and lets go of her hand so they can walk onward. Narda curls her fingers at her side, chasing after the ghost of her touch on her skin. She stares after her for a moment, her heartbeat a dull ripple against a cold stream. A strange ache that fills her entire chest. An unfathomable longing.

But then Regina looks around at her, quirks up a brow. “Narda?”

Narda blinks out of her reverie. Takes a placating breath. She walks after her.

Gising, Narda.

Kaibigan mo ito.

Kung hindi lang niya sana hinalikan ako—

She falls into step beside her, arms brushing each other. The contact makes her heart flinch, but Regina doesn’t seem to pay it any mind, grunting as she adjusts the bag strap over her shoulder. Narda observes her for a moment before reaching out.

“Tulungan nga kita—”

She grabs the bag off Regina before the woman can protest. Regina just smiles and shakes her head. But as they settle back into a steady pace up the mountain, side-by-side, even as they bump into each other occasionally, neither makes a move to grab each other’s hands.

(But Narda notices that their free arms have brushed against each other exactly six times.)

Eventually, they stop just a few meters away from the cliffside, by a flat portion of land shrouded by trees. Narda sets the bag down there, and as Regina moves to take things out of it, she opts to stare out at the open view provided by the mountainside. At the horizon, at the cities poking out in the far distance, far beyond Nueva Esperanza’s boundaries.

A cool breeze flits past her skin, and she allows herself to breathe. Her legs move before she can stop them, moving up the rocky surface leading up to the edge of the cliffside.

“Narda, ano ba ang ginagawa mo—?”

“Huwag kang mag-alala, Regina—meron lang akong titignan!” Narda calls without looking back.

She stops a few paces away from the edge, taking a huff of breath, as she takes in the view of Nueva Esperanza before her. A strange sense of calm settles deep into her chest, blooming from a quiet revelation.

Four years ago, she’d stared out at this view seeing a world that had ended for her, a world that she would be unable to live in, let alone protect. Now? She sees her city, her home, its people—she sees everything in new light, as both Narda and Darna.

A part of her world may have ended four years ago with the death of her mother, the famed EMT and protector Leonor Custodio, but it’s not the end of the world. She’s still here. Surrounded by people she knows and loves.

A new world, a new home, set in the warm glow of daylight before her—a world that is her own to protect.

She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath.

She hasn’t been doing the best job at that, has she?

How had it taken it this long for her to finally realize?

She hears the sound of a footstep scraping against rock, just behind her. She turns around.

And there’s Regina, standing a few paces away. She stands at a precarious rocky edge, but her eyes are fixed on her. Only on her. Her gaze holds the weight of the sun’s golden light in it. A look so heavy, so blinding, that it fills Narda’s chest with an inexplicable but warm and gentle ache. Still, she can’t seem to look away.

She supposes she knows why it had taken this long for it all to settle.

(She recalls the incident three nights ago. Seeing a limp body on the ground. The fear that had torn into her chest.)

Truthfully, she’s still not entirely sure how she feels about Regina.

All she knows is there are people she must protect. And that Regina is one of them.

All she knows is that she wouldn’t want to live in a world where she isn’t in it. In a world where she has to see her go through so much pain.

She realizes it now, bathed in the weight of Regina’s gaze.

“Going down memory lane?” the woman asks her, finally breaking her out of her reverie.

Narda grins. “Siguro parang ganoon na nga.”

Regina quirks up a brow, takes another step forward, moving so she could stand beside her. Narda helps her up, steadying her gait as she steps atop the uneven, rocky surface.

When she finally settles into the space beside her, they flash each other tender smiles before turning to look at the horizon. Neither of them lets go of the other’s hand.

“Apat na taon na pala, noh?” Narda says. “Masaya ako at pareho na tayong nakalabas sa bangin.”

Regina doesn’t say anything. Narda looks at her.

“Regina?”

“Kapag tatalon ako sa bangin, sasagipin mo ba ako?” Regina asks softly. Her eyes carry a distant look to them as she stares down the cliffside.

A cold breeze whistles past her. A beat of silence fills the air. Narda blinks. “Bakit… mo naman natanong?”

Her grip unconsciously tightens around Regina’s hand.

It takes a moment for the other woman to answer. “There are things… I’ve done, Narda. Things I’m not proud of. Things that still keep me up at night sometimes.” She sighs, takes a few steps forward, fingers untangling from Narda’s. “All my life, I’ve been trying to convince myself that I could be… ‘good’. That I could be someone… like you.”

There’s a twinge of pain in Narda’s chest. No matter how many times Regina tells her this, she’s still unable to shake away the pain that she feels for her. She takes an exasperated breath, “Regina, you are ‘good’. Sino ba talaga ang nagsasabi sa’yo na hindi ka mabuti? Ilang beses ko ba kailangang ulitin—?”

“But Narda, what if I don’t believe it?” Regina interjects, her voice rising with the wind. “What if… all we really are, are the things we do? Palagi mong sinasabi sa akin na ‘mabuti’ ako sa pinakalalim kong kalooban… but what if there isn’t a ‘deep down’?”

She turns around to face her then, and again Narda sees something heavy, something dark in her shuttered gaze.

“What if all there is, is just… me? Regina Vanguardia—the lawyer, the heiress of the Vanguardia line, the girl who’s done… some things wrong?” She takes a step forward, gazes deeply into Narda’s eyes. “I keep… trying to convince myself na sa huli, mabuti talaga ang mga intensyon ko. But I can’t keep lying to myself. What if there are things I want—things that aren’t… ‘good’? Things that aren’t meant for some… obscure notion of a ‘greater good’? O isang… marangal na layunin?”

And Narda doesn’t even have time to mull it all over, to let the words settle, before Regina takes another step forward, stares her down. “And if I’ve done terrible things—things that I’ve deliberately chosen to do—through it all, Narda, will you still come for me? Tatayo ka pa rin ba sa panig ko? Sasagipin mo pa ba ako sa bangin?”

It seems as if the world has quieted down just for this moment. It feels as if a vacuum of space has invaded the thick air between them.

Narda doesn’t know how to answer.

How can she? She’s meant to be hero, a protector, for God’s sake. How can there be any other option besides what is considered just, what is considered good? And how can Regina Vanguardia—her best friend, her boss, and the person she’s looked up to all these years—say all these things?

This person, who she had just vowed to make happy, to protect?

She looks away. “Bakit mo sa akin natanong yan?”

There’s a beat of silence, before Regina also looks away. “I guess… because we made a promise. Because you’re my best friend.”

Narda glances at her. Purses her lips. Something heavy weighs down on her chest, a foreboding ache. Still, she lets out a breath, reaches over and takes Regina’s hand again between both of hers. She runs a finger across her knuckles.

“Ikaw nga si Regina Vanguardia,” Narda says softly, staring down at her knuckles—smooth to the touch, as if they weren’t just littered with scrapes and bruises two days ago. “Ikaw si Regina, na isang matinong pro-bono lawyer, isang manglilingkod sa bayan ng Nueva Esperanza, at ang matalik kong kaibigan. Huwag mo sanang kalimutan yan.”

She glances up at her, flashes her a pained smile. Something in Regina’s gaze seems to melt.

Narda takes another shaky breath. “Kung sa tingin mo na meron mang makakapagpabago sa pagtingin ko sa’yo, nagkakamali ka. Like I said, noong isang gabi. Nandito ako palagi para sa’yo, at kahit ano mang mangyayari, kahit guguho man ang mundo sa paligid natin, gagawin ko ang lahat upang masagip ka lang mula sa bangin.”

Midday sun bathes everything a bright yellow. From the rocky surfaces, the ruffling leaves on the trees, the city below, illuminating the world around her in its golden light—illuminating even the shuttered emotions in Regina’s eyes. Bringing to light the undercurrent of pain that washes over her gaze, makes her eyes glisten just for the fraction of a moment.

“Narda, you really remind me of the sun,” she says, and it takes everything in Narda not to choke.

Narda coughs instead. Shifts her gaze away once more. “Grabe ka naman… Sinasabi mo ba na amoy araw ako? Pagkatapos ng lahat—”

She’s interrupted by Regina’s sweet laugh, and just like that, it’s as if the heavy weight of just the moments prior is dispelled. “You never fail to make me laugh. But no. That’s not what I meant.”

She moves to walk back to the little picnic she’d set up by the trees—something Narda has only noticed now—tugging Narda along with her. The girl has no other choice but to oblige.

“Nakuwento ko na sa’yo si Papa, hindi ba?” Regina says along the way. “I haven’t told you this yet, but we used to camp around these areas a lot, back when he was still alive. Back before… Rex. Dad. But di ba sinabi ko sa’yo dati? That I was familiar with this place? Well, dahil nga doon.”

She stops a few paces away from the trees, turns around to face Narda again.

“Sa mga oras na ito, when the sun is high up in the sky, the light catches in his eyes a certain specific way,” she says, smiling fondly. Her gaze distant, hazy. “It almost makes them glow. In a way. And because of that, when he smiled at me back then, it’s as if the sun is in his gaze. His expression. You know?”

Regina blinks out of her reverie, glances at Narda, before she chuckles.

“Sorry. That sounds stupid, no?”

God. Stupid?

Narda shakes her head profusely.

Regina is so beautiful.

She wonders what it would take for her to understand, to see herself the way Narda sees her?

Regina smiles tightly, blinks again—her eyes seem to glisten in the light of the sun. “Narda, you—you remind me of those moments. The way you smile, the way your eyes scrunch up when you do—they remind me of Papa’s smile sometimes. The way you look—it reminds me of the moment his eyes catch sunlight.”

Another cool breeze flutters past them. Narda chalks it up as the reason tears fill her eyes so quickly. Chalks it up as the reason she has to cough, has to blink and look away.

“Namimiss mo ba siya?” The question leaves Narda’s lips before she can stop herself. Bobo ka ba? Sino ba naman ang hindi mamimiss ang sariling magulang?

She should know. There are still nights where she dreams of Leonor, where she dreams of that fateful moment—watching her body disintegrate right before her eyes.

But Regina just smiles sadly. “I miss him every day. But…” A beat. A heavy breath. “Every day it gets better. I mean, I have things to distract me, people… around me to take care of me, watch over me.”

Her eyes shift to meet hers. Her smile melts to one that exudes warmth once more.

“I have… you. I see his smile, his warmth sometimes in yours. At dahil doon, parang… nagiging okay na ang lahat,” Regina says.

Narda wants to cry. Really, really badly.

Is it normal to want to pull Regina into the tightest embrace in this moment, to press her ears to her chest so that she no longer has to hear anything else this world can throw at her except her erratic heartbeat?

Is it normal to want to grab her hand, twine their fingers so tightly together so that no one else will know where their beginnings and ends meet?

Is it normal to want to kiss your best friend in times like this?

Narda doesn’t know. But what she does know is that truly—truly, she does not deserve Regina Vanguardia.

How can she even think such a thing after she pushed her away in the gala?

Her. Just… small and puny Narda Custodio? Her employee?

Because Regina might call her the sun, but she can offer her none of its light. All she has is herself. Poor Narda. With none of Darna’s light. All she has is her vow as both Narda and Darna, the protector of this world, of the Stone.

And that’s all she does—did—give her. A promise.

But what she can do right in this moment instead is take a step forward, stand on her tiptoes, and wrap her arms around her, pulling her into a warm hug.

She hopes it’s enough to convey that Regina’s embrace, her scent, and her presence, are all reminiscent of home too.

--

By the time they reach Narda’s home, the sun has already set far beyond the horizon. Happy faces fill the crowds scattered around the sides, talking amongst themselves, sharing the daily chismis along the block Narda lives in.

But inside Regina’s sedan there is only quiet. A comfortable kind.

A small smile plays absentmindedly upon Narda’s lips, as her mind retraces the events of the day.

While she’d at first worried about Regina when she’d appeared out of the blue so early in the morning, it all came out okay in the end. They’d spent the entire day having a picnic on that mountain, just sightseeing, talking about everything and nothing, munching on the snacks Regina had brought—she really does spoil her. She should ask her to just minimize that later—she’s still her employee, after all.

When the car rolls into her driveway, she turns to her, unable to suppress the grin that forms.

“Naalala ko tuloy yung unang beses na nag-alok kang ihatid ako pauwi. Parang ang tagal na noon,” she says.

Regina looks at her. There’s something unreadable in her expression as she smiles. “Oo nga, noh? Parang di ko na nga naaalala kung ano ang rason kung bakit pa nga kita inalok noon.”

Narda beams. “Nag-alala ka sa akin, eh. Ganyan ka lang klaseng tao—yung tipong nag-aalala talaga sa sarili niyang empleado.”

Regina slumps against her seat, crosses her arms loosely across her chest. “Maybe.”

Her eyes remain trained on her. Glimmering in the soft light filtered in from her house.

Narda clears her throat. “Uh, gusto mo bang pumasok? I’m sure na hinandaan ka rin ng hapunan ni Lola.”

Regina glances at the house. The smile that forms on her lips does not reach her eyes. “Some other time. I have a call to make, you see.”

“Ah…” Narda nods slowly, a bit disappointed. Still, she grins again, moves over to hug Regina once more. “Then… salamat. Para sa day-off. Nag-enjoy ako.”

Regina’s arms slowly come up and around her back. When they’ve wrapped around her, the woman squeezes gently. “Ako rin. Nag-enjoy ako today, Narda.”

Narda giggles softly, unwraps her arms around her and pulls away. “Sana may ‘next time’…?”

Her breath hitches when she catches Regina’s gaze, when she realizes how close they are. How her hands are curled around the back of her neck, on her shoulder. Gravity seems to hold her in place, hovering a few inches just away from her face. Sharing a singular cloud of breath. So close, she can smell the mint candy Regina had been chewing on the entire ride home.

Her gaze flits to the woman’s pink lips. Dry and chapped—an unusual sight. There’s a flash of a memory. Her own lips are hit with the ghost of a soft touch—

She blinks. Ano’ng ginagawa ko? She forces her gaze up, opens her mouth to apologize, only for the words to die out in her throat when she finds Regina staring at her own lips as well.

Is she moving closer?

Are her eyes closing…?

Her lips parting—?

Narda feels her heart lurch into her throat. “R-Regina…?” She’s unable to keep the name out of her mouth.

But it’s what wakes Regina up from her daze. The woman blinks, looks up at her, eyes widening. Her gaze flits between Narda’s eyes, before finally, she lets out a breath, and instead turns her head away a little so she can collapse unto and rest her forehead against Narda’s shoulder.

The air seems to thin out around them. The space within the vehicle suddenly feels more cramped. And Narda’s chest is constricting, aching.

She wants to wrap her arms around Regina again into a hug, but alas, the woman plants her hands on her sides and pulls away.

“Good night, Narda,” Regina smiles tightly.

Narda swallows thickly. “Good night, Regina.”

She lets herself breathe when she gets out of the car. Lets her heartbeat calm down a little.

God, what was that?

Paano niyang nagawa yun?

Konti nalang at baka—

Behind her, Regina’s car starts up again. Narda shakes herself out of her reverie—gising, Narda. Magpakatino ka. She turns around again and pastes on a smile before Regina can roll up the window on her side.

“See you in a few days…?” Narda says to bid her farewell. Her tone hopeful.

But… Regina has a strange look in her face. An unreadable gaze. Worsened by the fact that shadows shroud her.

“Goodbye, Narda.” She thinks she sees her smile (Why does it look so sad…?).

Narda smiles back, waves as she sees her maneuver the car out the driveway and back into the streets.

A strange sense of foreboding twists at her chest.

Hindi.

She’s not the type to be pessimistic. Especially not after such a warm day. Filled with nothing but laughter and quiet bliss.

It’ll all be okay.

It has to be.

…Right?

--

Regina downs a single glass of wine. Just enough to numb some of her senses. Just enough to quell the dull ripple of pain in her chest.

The clock reads 11 PM. She sits herself down on her office chair, clicks on the button to boot her computer on.

When it blinks awake, it bathes her in a cool blue glow. On one hand she holds up a card, in the other, she dials the number on it to her phone.

She doesn’t need to wait for long before the call comes through.

“Hello?”

“This is Regina Vanguardia,” she says lowly. “Naaalala mo ba ako?”

On the other end, a slow smirk curls into Noah Vallesteros’s lips. He tosses the towel he’d been using to wipe his moist hair to a side chair as he sits on his bed.

“How could I ever forget? You’re supposed to be my number one enemy, Ms. Vanguardia,” he says.

Regina waits a moment, watching the Windows logo load into the screen first. “Stop calling me that. You said I could call you if I wanted to cash in on that… ‘favor’.”

“And here you are, calling me. What can I do for you… Regina?”

Regina types in her password, watches as all the icons appear. Her gaze flits over to her employee data.

“I need you to get something for me. Some files na nasa computer o mga database ni Mayor.”

She hears him hum on the other line. “Parang mahirap yata yan. Ang daming files ni Dad, eh.”

Regina exhales through her nose. Lets the growing frustration out. She needs to be calm. Needs to keep a level-head. Otherwise—

“Ano’ng gusto mo?”

On the other side, Noah rubs the back of his neck. He was actually just teasing. He hadn’t expected Regina to take the bait so easily. He glances around, thoughtful.

Then, it clicks. And he remembers something. “Ah, gusto kong ligawan yung kaibigan mo. That EMT. Si Narda Custodio? Maybe you can give me tips? What does she like? Her interests, hobbies?”

Regina blinks. Furrows her brows. “That’s all?”

“Oo… unless you want something more…?”

“No. No. That’s fine.” Regina leans back into her chair. She closes her eyes, recalling every sensation she’s felt in the day that had just passed. Everything she remembers. Narda’s soft laughter, her smiles, everything she’d shared to her, every story and joke—

Regina feels sick.

All these moments are theirs, and theirs alone. Yet, here she is, bringing them back up to the surface for this… spoiled boy’s perusal.

But we have no choice.

“Narda is… a good person. Kind, selfless, loyal, and brave. Yan ang dapat mong alalahanin kung gusto mo siyang ligawan.”

“Paano ba naman makakatulong—”

“She’s strong. Incredibly strong. Physically, emotionally… She knows self-defense. I wanted her to teach me, but… I never got around to asking,” Regina continues, closing her eyes. “She has a lot of practical skills. She’s good at counting money, waiting tables, cooking, chores—things I wish I could do, but… Well, people say I’m just a pampered princess for a reason.

“She told me she wanted to be a doctor. She told me she can’t be a doctor anymore, but honestly, sa tingin ko naman, may chance pa din makamtan niya yun. I think she just needs the right push. I think she’d be a phenomenal doctor—it’s in her nature, after all, ang pagiging selfless at makatulungin niya. After all, ang saya nga nila ng pamilya niya. Even though she lost people in her life, kaya pa rin niyang napapangiti ang ibang tao.”

She stares idly at the couches a few ways away, recalling all the memories, conversations she’d shared with Narda on that place fondly.

“She likes old OPM love songs. Yung tipong kinakanta sa karaoke. Inimbita nga niya ako once, kaso lang naging busy ako, eh,” A smile forms unbidden on her lips. “She likes sampaguitas, their purity and subtle scent. She likes watching romcoms and sci-fi, kasi madali lang daw mag-unwind sa mga romcoms, at paborito namang genre ni Ding ang sci-fi. Her favorite food… ha, wala naman daw siyang paborito. Food is food. She said any kind of food is her favorite as long as it’s cooked well.

A strange ache fills her chest, breaking through the alcohol that’s fogging up her brain. God, she should have drunk more. But she supposes the thought of Narda herself is already enough to drown her in a drunken haze. The kind that brings with it waves of pain.

“Mabait siyang tao, Noah. Napakabuti. Pure. She’s… beautiful. Inside and out. She’s the kind of girl you look away from because everything about her is so blindingly bright,” Regina inhales sharply. There’s something cold and wet in her eyes. “I wished I could be like her for the longest time. And then… I wished she would like me. I… really wanted her to like me. Like it’s some… sort of pass. Like it’s proof that I could… be better.”

It’s quiet on the other end. Regina pours herself another glass.

“Alam ko kung ano ang niraramdaman mo,” Noah says after a while. His tone sounds sympathetic, serious. She supposes she should be grateful for that. “I’m not… proud of who I was before too. But… when I see her, she makes me want to be better.”

Regina smiles painfully. Sniffles. She uses her free hand to wipe the tears spilling over. “Then, promise me… na kapag liligawan mo siya, you won’t hurt her. Ipangako mo sa’kin na you will treat her right. Because I will kill you, if you don’t.”

A soft laugh comes through on the other end. “I believe you, Ms. Vanguardia.”

Regina downs her drink in one go. Sets it down hard against her desk. “Do not hurt her, the way I am bound to.”

“Sorry?”

Regina squeezes her eyes shut. “She’s important to me. So… important. So, promise me, Noah. Promise me, you won’t hurt her.”

A beat of silence.

“I promise.”

It’s all Regina needs to hear.

She reaches over and clicks on the folder with all her employees’ data. There is only one name she needs to search for. One name whose place she’s already familiar with in the sea of icons before her.

--

Thursday arrives much quickly than anticipated. After all, Regina did come through with the short vacation days she’d promised and called on the entire company. A bit odd… considering they handle emergency services. But alas, she’d told her she would handle everything. And she trusts her.

But when she steps into Vanguardia Foundation, there’s a strange air about it. She sees fewer people around than usual. The usual bright morning chatter is replaced with hushed whispers.

But before she can peek into their conversations, she sees Regina, walking across the hallway in long, confident strides.

She beams, takes a few quick steps forward, and raises her hand. “Regina!”

The woman glances over at her.

But… she immediately shifts her gaze away. Narda’s smile falters. She watches her disappear around the corner without even a single word.

She lowers her hand slowly. Weird.

Baka hindi lang niya ako narinig?

Yeah. That must be it. She takes a breath, files the event away to the back of her mind, before making her way to her office. Though, as she goes through work that day, the memory comes back up like a persistent itch. So bothersome, that she eventually pulls out her phone and sends Regina a message.

Narda Custodio [11:08 AM]: good am regina! nangangamusta lng! ok ka lng ba?

But the day goes by without a single answer. She sighs as she turns her phone off, walking down the steps of Vanguardia Foundation, a little disappointed. A little hurt, to be honest. But then when she looks up, she sees Brian there, leaning against a police car.

“Oh, Brian? Napadaan ka.”

“Gusto ko lang kitang ihatid,” Brian says, smiling. “Medyo matagal na since nag-offer ako last, hindi ba?”

Narda rolls her eyes as she gets in the car. “Alam ko naman busy ka. Hindi mo naman obligasyon.”

“Responsibilidad ko lang naman. To make sure you’re safe,” Brian grins, getting into his seat and buckling his seatbelt.

Narda shakes her head. “Hindi naman kita boyfriend. Di mo yan responsibilidad. Tsaka, kayang kaya ko ang sarili ko, noh.”

Brian snorts. “Lalaki pa rin ako. Inherent responsibility ko na alagain ka, protektahan ka.”

Narda furrows her brows, unable to dispel the irritation that had flared up at his words. “Brian, malaki na ako at 2022 na ang taon. Kung sa tingin mo na ako, na babae, ay nangangailangan ng lalaki para lang alagain ako, protektahan ako, nagkakamali ka. Nakalimutan mo ba na ako ang nag-aaruga at nagbabayad ng tuition ni Ding? Nakalimutan mo ba na isa akong EMT? Hindi lang ikaw may ‘marangal’ na trabaho dito.”

Brian blinks, taps his hand against the steering wheel. A nervous chuckle escapes him. “Sineryoso mo naman. Biro lang iyon, noh. Gusto ko lang naman ipahiwatig sa’yo na…” his cheeks bloom red. “Na gusto kitang protektahan.”

Narda sighs in exasperation. She crosses her arms and leans against the door. She really doesn’t need this, not after the day she’s had. Not after Regina had snubbed her.

Brian glances at her. “Sorry,” he says, genuinely apologetic, as he starts up the car. “Actually, meron naman din akong ibang pakay, ibang kailangang sabihin sa’yo, kaya nag-alok akong ihatid ka.”

“Ano?” Narda closes her eyes.

Brian waits a few minutes, maneuvering the car first into the main road, before he lets out a deep sigh. “Before kong sasabihin, gusto kong malaman mo na ayaw ko talagang sabihin ito. Na ayoko talagang maghinala… pero…”

He trails off. Narda furrows her brows and looks at him. “Ano?”

He doesn’t answer. There’s a grim look in his face as he carefully maneuvers the car around traffic.

This is getting annoying. Narda shoves him, eliciting a yelp of complaint. “Ano kasi yun?”

Brian frowns. “Teka lang. Papunta na ako doon.” He lets out a breath as a stoplight comes on, allowing the car to rest. He turns to her again. “Tungkol sa gabi ng gala, chineck ko ulit ang lahat ng mga CCTV, lahat ng mga eye witness reports na nakuha namin sa gabing iyon. May isang babae na nag-match sa itsura ng Babaeng Tuod na Extra—”

“Si Lucille?” Narda perks up, recalling the conversation she’d had with Regina.

Brian glances at her. “Oo. Si Lucille.” He shakes his head, seemingly a bit disinterested. “Di bale, Extra pa rin siya. Ang point ko ay merong ebidensya na pumasok siya sa gala mismo. Ngunit…”

Narda furrows her brows. “Ngunit…?”

The stoplight turns green. Brian sighs, moves the gearshift again. “Ang Babaeng Ahas naman… wala kaming natagpuang ebidensiya sa kanyang pagdating mismo. Wala sa CCTV footage, eye witness reports man mula sa staff o sa mga guests… Ang tanging ebidensiya na nandoon siya, na siya ang pumatay sa Babaeng Tuod… ay mula mismo sa mga sugat ng Babaeng Tuod.”

Something cold, something dreadful churns deep inside Narda’s gut. “So, ano ang point mo…?”

Brian sighs deeply. “Sa gabing iyon… isa lang ang kasama ng Babaeng Tuod sa mga panahong iyon. Doon sa storage room. Isa lang ang taong pwedeng makagawa noon sa kanya…”

A spark of fury alights within Narda’s chest. One she is unable to suppress.

Because the implication comes across clear as day. And it’s one she absolutely cannot accept. One she absolutely cannot stomach.

“Brian, naririnig mo ba ang sarili mo?” She snaps, glares up at her companion. “Inaakusa mo ba si Regina sa pagpatay ni Lucille? Sinasabi mo ba na siya ang—?”

She chokes, unable to even bring herself to say it.

Another stoplight forces the car to a halt. Brian’s jaw clenches. “Kaya nga sinabi ko, ayaw ko ring ipaghinala siya. Kaso lang, palaging bumabalik sa isip ko, eh.” He turns to face her. “Isipin mo—sa mga oras na hinanap natin siya, walang iba ang pwedeng makapasok sa hotel, patayin ang Babaeng Tuod, at umalis na wala naman lang iniwang bakas.”

“Isa ngang Extra ang Babaeng Ahas, Brian,” Narda argues. “Ang normal sa kanya ay hindi normal sa atin. Hindi mo ba naisip iyon?”

Green light. Brian turns to the road again. “Kung ganoon man—ang Babaeng Tuod… kinaya niyang bumalik sa normal niyang appearance noong namatay siya. W-what if… kaya din yang gawin ng—”

“Edi, baka hindi pala ang Babaeng Ahas ang gumawa noon!” Narda interjects sharply. “Pulis ka naman. Di ba dapat mong ikokonsider ang ‘lahat ng mga posibilidad’?”

Brian’s frown deepens. “Palagi mo bang ibabato sa akin yan? Oo nga. Kailangan ko ngang ikonsider ang lahat ng mga posibilidad kasi responsibilidad ko ito as a police officer—kaya nga sinasabi ko sa'yo na hindi normal na ganyan karaming ang mga coincidences na involved si Regina.”

Narda's lips curl into a deep scowl. She’s unable to swallow down the rage simmering deep in her chest. Unable to stop herself from detesting Brian in this fraction of a moment.

“Brian, nakalimutan mo ba na kaibigan natin si Regina?” She hisses. “Paano mo ba masasabi yan tungkol sa kanya…?”

They pull into a familiar dirt road, one that leads to Narda's neighborhood. Brian's knuckles turn white with his tight grip on the steering wheel.

“Dahil nga kaibigan ko kayong dalawa kaya kailangan ko tong sabihin. Nag-aalala ako para sa'yo, para sa kanya.” His jaw clenches. “Ano sa tingin mo ang mangyayari kung totoo nga ang hinala ko? Ano sa tingin mo ang ibig sabihin nito para kay Regina?”

Narda’s unable to answer. She’s no longer able to stomach the thought of it all. The impossible idea that Regina, her best friend, her favorite person, could be the same Extra that she fears the most.

“Sinasabi ko lang ito dahil nag-aalala ako, Narda,” Brian says, his tone finally shedding off some of his cold conviction for sympathy. “Alam ko na close kayo. Paano—paano kung magkakasama kayo, tapos—?”

“Brian, tumigil ka na.”

Brian swallows his words. “Ang point ko lang—ayaw kong may masasaktan sa inyong dalawa. Ayaw kong masaktan ka. Importante ka sa akin.”

The car slowly pulls into Narda’s driveway. But she doesn’t look up, doesn’t even seem to notice that they’ve arrived. A thick silence fills the thin air between them.

Finally, after a moment, Brian turns to her, opens his mouth to say something, but Narda beats him to it.

“Importante sa akin si Regina, Brian,” she says lowly, almost in warning. “Kaya umayos ka. Kung sa tingin mo okay lang ako sa pagbibintang mo sa kanya ng kalokohang iyon, pwes, nagkakamali ka. Magkaibigan tayo, Brian, pero hindi ibig sabihin niyan na papayagan kitang magsalita at gumawa ng kung ano-ano lang. Na hahayaan kitang pagsalitaan si Regina ng ganyan.”

She pushes the door open and leaves without another word. She feels Brian's eyes on her the entire way to her door, but she doesn’t care. She’s more grateful than anything he doesn’t try to chase her down—there’s too much anger simmering in her veins for her to be able to suppress the final urge to slap him if he does so.

(But some part of her knows. Some part of her has an inkling of an idea that beneath all the anger is the cold touch of fear.

Because some part of her knows Brian is right. That there are too many coincidences lining up.

And the only negating factor, really, is her trust in Regina.

Still, she absolutely cannot, will not entertain the unfathomable idea.)

God. Can this day get any worse?

Her question is answered immediately, when she enters her house and is greeted by grim faces from both Lola Berta and Ding.

Narda almost groans in frustration. “Ba't ganyan kayo nakatingin?”

“May dumating para sa'yo kanina, ate,” Ding answers somberly, going over to her with an envelope in hand.

She quickly takes it, ripping it open impatiently and pulling out the document inside.

Her heart drops.

It’s a notice of termination from Vanguardia Foundation. Signed by Regina herself.

--

Narda Custodio [7:16 PM]: [3 Missed Calls]

Narda Custodio [7:22 PM]: regina kung may oras ka, pls tawagin mo uli ako. kailangan kitang mausap

Narda Custodio [7:45 PM]: regina anong nangyari? biro ba ito?

Narda Custodio [8:12 PM]: regina may… mali ba akong nagawa sayo?

Narda Custodio [9:04 PM]: [1 Missed Call]

--

All Narda sees is red. In every step she takes, every person she passes who give her strange looks.

She sees it so blindingly in the frosted glass double doors of Regina’s office.

She pushes it open, finds the woman there, standing with her back to her, filing things away to a box on her desk.

“Regina.”

She thinks she sees her freeze, but it could have easily just been the trick of the light. Regina doesn’t even seem to want to acknowledge her.

“I’ve already sent in your last paycheck to your account,” Regina says after a moment. “Is there anything else you need?”

Narda shrinks into herself momentarily, not used to this Regina. The cold and stern boss most of her peers know her to be.

But, she lets out a breath. Steps forward. “Bakit mo ako pinapaalis? May ginawa ba akong mali? Pwede ko namang baguhin, pwede akong—”

“Narda, the decision is final. If you have any concerns regarding the details of your termination,” Regina finally turns to her then, regarding her coolly. “Feel free to email them to the email address listed in the letter. Otherwise, leave. You’re disturbing my work.”

Regina walks past her and over to the shelves in the corner. And Narda feels so, so small.

“Pero bakit…? Anong nagawa ko, Regina…?” She hates how her voice comes out in tremors.

Regina, however, does not give her an answer, opting instead to continue filing away books and folders into the cardboard box she was carrying.

“H-hindi ba tayo magkaibigan…?”

She hears a scoff. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Narda thinks this is how it feels to have one’s heart chipped at by a chisel. “Akala ko… okay tayo? D-diba dinala mo nga ako sa—sa bundukan, sa may bangin… sa camping area niyo ng ama mo noon…?”

Regina pauses. “And?”

The fingers of dread clench around her heart, squeezing out every painful heartbeat. “A-anong…” She takes a placating breath. “B-bakit ka ganito? Okay naman tayo noong Lunes. Kung meron kang pinagdadaanan, kung meron kang gustong sabihin…”

Regina whirls around, interrupting her spiel, and pastes on an ingenuine smile. “Narda, can I be honest with you?”

Narda’s words become stuck in her throat. Regina takes a step forward, folds her hands together in front of her.

“The truth is, we were never meant to be friends.”

A vacuum sucks the air within their space. Time itself quiets around them.

“H-ha—?” is all Narda manages to breathe out. She opens her mouth, but it feels so dry, and she feels like choking, that all she does instead is let out an incredulous laugh. “N-nagbibiro ka ba, o…?” She manages after a moment.

But Regina does not smile. Her gaze remains neutral. Cold. Blank. Her eyes a dark shutter to whatever she might be feeling inside.

Narda’s smile falters. “A-…ano ang ibig mong sabihin…?”

Regina glances away. “It’s the truth. We weren’t supposed to be friends. Sa totoo lang, ang pakay ko naman talaga noong una ay ilayo ka mula kay Brian.”

Another piece of Narda’s heart is chipped off. She blinks, lets out another exasperated breath that comes out like frustrated laughter. “Anong pinagsasabi mo…? Nagbibiro ka ba? Pinaprank niyo ba ako ni Brian—?”

But the humor she desperately tries to cling on to quickly dies down in the look in Regina’s eyes. So cold and unamused, that each second makes Narda want to shrink into herself more and more.

“B-bakit—” Narda takes a breath. “Kung totoo nga yan, bakit mo naman… ginawa yun?”

It takes exactly three seconds for Regina to respond. “Because I like Brian.”

It takes another three seconds for the words to register in Narda’s head. For her to remember to breathe again. She knits her brows together, smiles incredulously. “Si Brian? Gusto mo si Bri—”

“Yes, Narda.” Regina says as she turns away once more, grabbing the cardboard box up into her arms. “I like Brian. And I spent time with you so he would stop hanging around you so much.”

She walks past her once more, setting the box down unto her desk.

Something itches deep inside Narda’s chest. Clawing incessantly at the flesh of her beating heart. It’s a sensation that makes her lips tremble, makes her feel just the slightest touch of nausea.

“Nagsisinungaling ka,” is all she musters up to say.

There’s a beat of silence, within which she watches Regina rest her hands against the edges of her desk, ducking her head low. She sees her shoulders droop and sag, sees them inflate as she takes a breath.

Regina whirls around on her once more. “What makes you think that?”

Narda clenches her jaw, unable to respond. Because her answers are things that must not be said out loud, things reserved only for a heartbeat’s prayer.

But Regina takes the silence as a sign of defeat, shaking her head once more. “Narda, you don’t seem to understand.”

She pushes herself off her desk, turns to stare directly into her eyes.

“What makes you think…” Regina takes one slow step forward. “That you and I could ever be friends?”

The ache in Narda’s chest builds up to a rising crescendo. Every heartbeat is the throb of a stab wound from a knife lodged deep into her heart.

Regina takes another step. “What makes you think that I could ever be friends… with you?”

Narda sees her vision cloud over with the onslaught of forming tears. And though she wants to, she can’t blink, or else she’ll start crying.

(But in the haze of her vision, she wonders if she’s imagining the growing redness in Regina’s eyes, the glistening sheen of her iris.)

“You… are just an employee, Narda. And I’m Regina Vanguardia. I’m your boss. I’m the daughter of Rex Vanguardia,” Regina tells her, her tone cold as ice. “At ikaw…? Sino ka?”

A stray tear falls from Narda’s eye, rolling down her cheek and leaving a cold trail down her skin. The ache in her chest has reached its peak, tightly constricting the beating organ within her ribcage.

Regina’s words are everything she wishes she didn’t believe about herself. Everything she’s forcefully buried deep down inside in order to focus on everything else that’s more important around her.

And now they’ve resurfaced out of a pair of lips she’d once kissed, in a fateful moonlit night just a week prior. And now the same woman who’d kissed her stares at her in the same way she used to stare at her own reflection in the worst days—the first days she’d entered this company.

But—

“So…” her voice is quiet and broken. “Sinasabi mo ba… na lahat ng ito… ay hindi totoo…? Lahat ng mga binigay mo, na ginawa mo para sa akin—lahat ng iyon, wala silang saysay…? Na lahat ng sinabi mo sa akin ay hindi totoo?”

Regina’s gaze shifts downward. Her lips are sealed shut; a deep frown has carved its place in them.

There’s a small candlelit flame of hope somewhere. Narda takes a step forward, takes a shaky breath.

“Tingnan mo ako, Regina. Lahat ng iyon… Were they really just… lies?” She asks her.

Regina closes her eyes, takes a breath, and then turns to meet her gaze once more. “Yes.”

“Then bakit mo ba ako dinala sa bundukan noong Lunes? Bakit mo ako dinala sa lugar na ginamit ninyo ng ama mo bilang camping site noong una?” Narda presses onward, pulls her collar down to reveal the necklace Regina had once gifted her. “Bakit ka nag-effort para piliin ‘to para sa akin? Bakit mo inalok ako para sumayaw noong Biyernes—?”

She sees Regina inhale sharply, sees her gaze flit down to her own gift.

“Masasabi mo ba talaga…?” Another step forward. “Masasabi mo ba na hindi totoo ang lahat ng iyon…?”

Regina blinks, look away once more. She purses her lips, frowning.

“Regina—”

“It’s because I needed you around, Narda. Because isa kang sipsip,” Regina cuts her off, turning to face her—her glistening eyes hold a cold glower in them. The words die out in Narda’s throat. “I befriended you to get to Brian, but you were just… so happy to receive attention from your boss. At naawa ako sa’yo.”

An unkind smile curls into Regina’s lips—a gesture like another knife that stabs into Narda’s insides, twisting where the wound is.

“Who wouldn’t want to keep around… a puppy so willing to give you attention… just because you shower her with a bit of kindness and some gifts?”

Somewhere, some place deep within her, the oil that fuels a single candlelit flame begins to run dry. Narda doesn’t bother wiping the tears falling freely from her eyes. Because right in this moment, she feels and hears nothing but a numbing buzz.

There is one last question to ask. And she’s not really sure if she even wants to know the answer now.

“Then…” she manages to choke out. “Bakit mo ako hinalikan noong gabing iyon?”

Once again, the air around them thins. The world quiets in the background. The two stare each other down—one with tears overflowing from her eyes, and the other—

Regina lets out an incredulous laugh. “Do I have to have feelings for someone to kiss them?”

Narda’s lips tremble.

Regina takes a few steps backward, turns around to face the large windows instead. She crosses her arms. “I did it for fun. I did it to see how you’d react. ‘The boss kissing her employee’. Or would it be the other way around?”

She glances over at her. Her eyes look dead. Unfeeling. A blank smile rests on her lips.

“What would they say? Your fellow EMTs, the HR department…” Regina says. “Maybe I did it so I could finally fire you from my company. Maybe I did it so I could finally get you out of the way between Brian and I.”

The small candlelit flame of hope is snuffed out with Regina’s final breath. And though Narda feels the heat, the ache it left behind, a numbing cold settles into her entire being.

She reaches up and dabs her wrist against her cheek, wiping away at the tears there. She sniffles and looks away.

She forces a tight smile onto her lips. She doesn’t look up to meet Regina’s gaze. “Salamat nalang sa lahat, Ma’am Regina.”

With that, she turns and walks away. She pushes open the double doors and strides into the hallway, not sparing Regina another glance, refusing to look back, even as she passes by Richard and Andre, even as she finally walks out of the building.

(She doesn’t see the teardrop that rolls down Regina’s cheek. Doesn’t hear her take a deep, trembling breath, as she too wipes her palm against her cheek.)

--

Noah Vallesteros [6:09 PM]: ready na ba ang lahat on your end?

Regina Vanguardia [6:15 PM]: It’s all already been taken care of. You should worry about yourself more

Noah Vallesteros [6:16 PM]: ha its no prob. he'll never find out i was involved

Regina Vanguardia [6:20 PM]: Good. Let it stay that way. Manahimik ka lang. Ako na ang bahala sa lahat

Regina Vanguardia [6:23 PM]: …Are you really okay with what I’m bound to do?

Noah Vallesteros [6:35 PM]: yes.

Noah Vallesteros [6:36 PM]: i don’t back out on my promises, ms vanguardia. and more than anyone else in nueva esperanza, its dad who deserves a wake-up call.

Noah Vallesteros [6:40 PM]: and you? will you be ok with the fallout?

Regina Vanguardia [7:00 PM]: All you need to know is it’s all being taken care of.

Noah Vallesteros [7:05 PM]: then best of luck to you, regina.

--

It’s been two days now.

Narda sighs as she sets the newspaper down on the bench. The page she’d left open is one filled with red ink. All smattered around hiring ads. She collapses unto the bench and slumps down, exhausted.

She’d spent the entire day submitting resumes and emails to various companies, some of which weren’t even open today—it’s a Sunday, after all. And now, she’s just tired.

Who’s even going to hire her at this point? The only reason she’d even gotten into Vanguardia Foundation was because of Dr. Feliciano in the first place—the fact that she’d saved him once. Not because of her credentials. Or her answers to the job interviews.

After all, nobody would hire a non-college graduate. Someone who hadn’t even taken the K-12 program.

And to top it all off, she still has her responsibilities as Darna. All pro-bono too. If only she’d actually get paid for that—but alas, that probably isn’t something Leonor would be too happy about. Wherever she is now. And who would even pay Darna, when lately she’s noticed the critiques on social media, the uncertain looks thrown her way?

‘Because isa kang sipsip.’

Narda squeezes her eyes shut, wills the memory away. She already had an entire day to cry about it. Now, she has different priorities. One that absolutely does not involve the thought of Regina Vanguardia.

She huffs, jumps up to her feet. It’s going to be dinnertime soon. She should—

The sounds of children’s laughter fill the air.

She turns around, quirks up a brow. Oh. Right. She’s at the edge of the town. There’s an orphanage around here. She takes a few steps forward, looks over the fence of a vernacular house—a bahay na bato—where the statue of Mother Mary stands at the center of its courtyard. There are children milling about, a group of young women her age playing with them.

“Naliligaw ka ba, iha?”

Narda jolts, turns around and finds an elderly woman standing behind her, carrying a box in hand.

Narda blinks, shakes her head. “Ah, hindi po—maaari ko ba kitang tulungan—?”

She takes the box off her, and the woman smiles in turn. “Salamat ha. Why don’t you join us for dinner naman, iha? Malaki ang handaan ngayon gabi.”

Narda grunts as she adjusts the box. “Ah, ayoko naman maging abala, Ma’am…?”

“Aliyah Cortes.”

“Cortes. Ah,” Narda smiles sheepishly as they walk into the courtyard. “May hapunan din kami sa bahay namin, eh.”

The older woman nods in understanding. “Sa susunod na pagbisita mo nalang siguro.” A beat, then she quirks up a brow. “Ikaw si Narda Custodio, diba? EMT ka ng Vanguardia Foundation?”

Narda blinks. “Kilala niyo po ako?”

“Oo naman,” the woman smiles. “Kinu—ah, nakikita namin kayo minsan dito. Kamusta ba ang trabaho?”

Narda purses her lips. “Actually, bago lang rin na pinaalis ako sa foundation, eh. Naghahanap nga ako ng trabaho.” She punctuates the end with a soft laugh, but it comes off more bitter than anything.

The older woman furrows her brows as she opens the door to the orphanage. “Huh. Talaga? Hindi ko inexpect yun.”

“Bakit po?” Narda steps through.

Madam Cortes gives her a meaningful look she can’t quite decipher. “Siguro… sa unang titig palang, parang fitting talaga para sa’yo ang mga role kung saan tumutulong ka ng iba. I mean, ngayon palang, eh, tinutulungan mo ako kahit hindi tayo magkikilala.”

Narda feels a gentle warmth settle into her chest, melting the cold venom that’s been resting there for most of the two days that had just passed now. She supposes she misses this feeling—the pride she gets from being able to extend a helping hand as herself. Not as Darna, not as an EMT, but just Narda Custodio.

A grin forms unbidden on her face. “Salamat po.”

Madam Cortes smiles. “Huwag kang mag-alala, iha. Dahil tinulungan mo ako, tutulungin din kitang humanap ng trabaho, ha? May mga kilala naman ako diyan.”

Narda doesn’t know why she feels momentarily choked up, why she’d wanted to tear up in that moment. All she manages to respond with is a nod as she sets the box down where Madam Cortes gestures.

For the first time in two days, she feels a momentary lightness. A gentle peace.

--

The stones crunch beneath each step she takes. An idle smile plays on her lips. The moon shines high up in the sky now, but she’s found a silver lining between its clouds.

She wonders how long it’ll last? This feeling. The momentary lightness beneath her feet. The momentary liberation from the thought of a certain attorney.

Her smile falters, dissolves back into a frown.

A few paces away from her own home, Narda stops.

It still aches. Somewhere, some place. She pulls out her phone, swipes through her inbox. To her archived messages.

Regina’s name is the only one found there. She clicks on it. The last message there is still her own, from last Friday.

Narda Custodio [Friday, 9:01 AM]: regina pupunta ako doon. kailangan natin mag-usap.

She swallows thickly, stamping down the strongest urge to click on the call button. Just sitting right above the space where her thumb hovers. An enticing temptation. Until—

She tastes the iron tang of blood drawn from the force in which she bites her bottom lip. The new sensation wakes her out of her stupor, and she blinks, shakes her head with a grumble, and then turns her phone off.

When she enters her home, however, she’s surprised to find Lola Berta and Ding once again crowded around the dining table, looking at something.

“Lola, Ding,” she greets, furrowing her brows. “Ano’ng meron?”

Ding turns around to her, a confused smile on his face. “Ate, may iilang bagay na dumating na naman para sa’yo.” He holds up a few envelopes for her to see—one, a thick brown manila envelope, the others, typical mail.

She grabs them, just as he receives a notification on his phone. As Ding moves away to check on it, Narda opens one envelope, pulls out the content inside. Lola Berta watches curiously from her side.

She finds that the document is a letter. From a disaster resiliency foundation. Her brows shoot up.

It was a job offer. Specifically for her. Her hands tremble as she reads over every line, every word. She sets it down, takes out another envelope, practically rips it open and reads through another letter. And then another. And another.

They were all written job offers. From nearby medical facilities, NGOs, clinics—even one that’s in a military base she’s never heard of.

Beside her, Lola Berta picks up one she had hastily thrown away to the table and reads it over.

“‘As per… the recommendation of Vanguardia Foundation’s CEO…’” Lola Berta trails off, eyes widening with each word. She looks up at her. “H-hindi ba si Regina yan…? Hindi ba siya nga ang nagpaalis sa’yo…?”

Narda can’t answer. Her words are lodged in her throat. Her heart is beating a heavy and incessant drum. She sets the documents down, grabs the final, brown manila envelope.

Inside is a bank book. An ATM card. With her name on it. Not Regina’s. Nor Rex’s. Engraved in it is Narda Custodio. She flips open the bank book, eyes widening at the amount she sees inside.

What—

Her heartbeat rings like tinnitus in her ears.

Anong ibig sabihin nito—

“Ate!”

Ding bounds over to her, eyes wide. He squeezes himself between her and Lola, turning his phone over so he could show them something.

Narda feels her heart constrict—she’s not sure if it’s from pain or anger or both.

The video Ding shows them is a livestream. And in front of the camera sits Regina Vanguardia, still at her desk. But it’s only now she sees that it looks cleaner than usual. Barren. Just like the side table behind her. The next thing she notices is that her outfit is familiar, old—the same outfit she’d worn on Friday, when she’d stormed in and demanded answers from her. What—

A grim look is set upon Regina’s face. Her hands are clasped in front of her, resting on the desk. Her head is ducked low, her eyes closed. She takes a breath. After a moment, she opens her eyes, stares directly into the camera—and Narda has to remember how to breathe.

“Nueva Esperanza, I’m sure nakita niyong lahat kung ano ang nangyari sa gala ko noong unang Biyernes,” she says. “I’m sure you’re confused. Angry. Or maybe you’re delighted, happy to see this… ‘nagmamayabang’ na abogado finally get humbled and put in place. And I’m here to tell you why what happened, happened. But first and foremost, I’d like to apologize. I know what I did does not align with the values of Vanguardia Foundation—to work with and blackmail a man working with the same man I’m often critical of. But I’m here to tell you now that what I did was one that I thought was necessary. For you all. For my company.”

She closes her eyes once more. Another deep breath. Narda recognizes the lines of worry on her face, the way her brows scrunch up in concentration. As if she’s about to say something she doesn’t really want to say.

“Three years ago, I represented a group of villagers in court for a criminal case.  For murder. Negligent homicide. We were against the Mayor, our very own Zaldy Vallesteros.” Her gaze flits up. A stone-cold look in her eyes. “You’re watching this now, right Mayor? You remember, right? It was because of the same factory that was destroyed just a month ago.”

Narda feels her heart drop.

“You wanted to shut me up years ago. You threatened me, warned that I would never be able to practice if hindi ko ibasura yung case. And maybe it was smart that I did, maybe it was the only choice I had. But I don’t care anymore now.” Her eyes glaze over, become distant, as if she’s talking to someone else. “I don’t have anything else left to lose.”

A beat of silence, a moment enough to engulf Narda’s entire chest with a rippling pain, a scorching heat. Enough for the tears to find their way back up to her eyes.

The video cuts to pictures of documents, newspapers Narda doesn’t recognize, and even photographs—men in lab coats crowding over strange substances, some obscure white powder, multi-colored tablets, the Mayor himself holding them, shaking the hands of some police officers, men in black suits. And in the background, Regina lays the entire story out. She tells the whole of Nueva Esperanza, all the thousands of viewers watching her livestream, about the factory. About the drugs they were synthesizing, distributing to drug cartels and the black market.

She tells them of the untested chemicals they were using, how they leaked down their drainage. How the factory itself was built in substandard conditions that a pipe had burst into a river, the drinking source for a group of three villages in the mountains of Nueva Esperanza. How it had poisoned an entire town and their genealogy. She tells them of Lucille, the Babaeng Tuod. The Woodwitching Extra. Just a victim. A young girl who was forced to deal with the cards dealt unto her all alone.

She tells them her story. The truth of what had happened, of the buried names of the Espranza Tri-Alliance for Forest Conservation, her village, her families and friends. How, when they had lost the court case, the Mayor had come to visit them. How the men were murdered by poison, the women and children taken, forced into unthinkable deeds. How the Mayor not only held a powerful hand in Nueva Esperanza's drug trafficking rings, but also its human trafficking syndicate. And she had every evidence, every record, account, bank statement to prove it.

All signed by none other than Mayor Zaldy Vallesteros himself.

The stream cuts off. Ding furrows his brows, taps furiously in confusion. But then another stream pops up. And another. And another. There were multiple livestreams played across various social media platforms.

And in all of them, Regina is back in the picture. A look of conviction is set on her face as she stares directly into the camera. But only Narda sees it—only Narda notices the red tint around her eyes, the light sheen of moisture glazed over.

“I know you’re going to try to shut me up, like you have so many times before. But that’s not going to happen this time,” Regina sneers. “After all, hindi pa ako tapos, Mayor. Naaalala niyo ba ang dating mayor natin? Si Mayor Emilio Baron? Who died in a plane crash?”

She slumps back into her seat, quirks up her lips in dry sarcasm.

“What if I told you it wasn’t just some freak accident? What if I told you there was… foul play involved?” Again, her face is replaced with an image of bank statements, transcript records, screenshots of emails. “How strange is it that an aircraft known for being state-of-the-art in air transport can easily crash and malfunction in a place so outside of its set course? Well, only when the current Mayor himself had paid off engineers to sabotage the plane.”

Beside her, Narda hears Lola Berta gasp sharply.

The screen cuts back to Regina once more, sitting grimly, hands clasped together again in front of her. “What I did… the video you all saw livestreamed from the gala… I did all of that just to get this information. I did it to expose the Mayor… all for you.” Regina looks up, and Narda's breath hitches—because even if she knows she’s addressing Nueva Esperanza as a whole, the way her eyes look, the depth behind their darkness—

She recalls all the times Regina has looked at her before.

“I did it for all of you. You don’t have to believe me. Hindi niyo ako kailangang intindihan. It doesn’t matter. As long as nasabi ko na sa'yo—na ang lahat ng ginagawa ko… lahat ng gagawin ko ay para lang sa'yo… Nueva Esperanza.” Regina closes her eyes again, takes another deep breath. “So, with that said, before maunahan na ako—I would like to close this by relinquishing my position as the CEO of Vanguardia Foundation.”

“Ha?!” Ding exclaims, turning to Narda immediately. “Ate, may alam ka ba tungkol dito?!”

Narda can’t answer. Narda doesn’t have an answer. Because her ears are ringing, her heartbeat has grown frantic. Her gaze is a tunnel vision, filled only with the pained expression on Regina's face. She feels something cold run down her cheek.

“I hope that I’d at least opened your eyes to some truth. May napakaraming corruption, kasamaan na nasa lahat ng nakapaligid sa inyo. Responsibilidad ninyo na ngayon para imulat ang inyong mga mata sa mga ito. To be vigilant. And with all that’s been said, I bid you goodbye, Nueva Esperanza,” Regina raises her hand up to the camera, but before she can click it off, she takes a moment to ponder. And then, after another placating breath, a sad smile forms on her lips. “And… I’m sorry. To all those I’ve hurt. Good night.”

The livestream ends.

Narda pulls out her phone. She clicks on a name on her call history. She turns and walks to her front door as she puts the phone to her ear. She does not hear Lola Berta and Ding calling for her in confusion.

“Sorry, the number you are trying to reach is no longer in service—”

Narda disconnects it. Tries again. She practically collapses on the steps leading to her front doorway. She furiously wipes the streaming tears with her wrist.

Pakiusap—

“Sorry, the number you are trying to reach is no longer—”

“Edi, isaksak mo yan sa baga mo!” She practically screams as she tosses her phone to the floor, not even caring that it’s made of rough cement. That she only has one phone she can’t even afford to lose. She curls into herself, hugs her knees to her chest and sobs into her arms.

Bakit mo ginawa ‘to, Regina?

The pain in her chest comes in large rippling waves, lapping salt to all the wounds that have already carved into her beating heart. A stinging pain that runs so deep she can’t seem to stop herself from crying.

She doesn’t even feel the two pairs of arms that wrap around her shoulders, the sweet lullabies and ‘okay ka lang ba, ate?’ of her two companions.

In the storm that pervades her mind, a single thought remains like a wound that cannot be ignored. A single name. The person that owns it.

Bakit hindi mo ako kinausap? Bakit wala kang sinabi?

Bakit mo ako itinaboy?

Bakit mo ako iniwan, Regina?

Chapter Text

In the in-betweens of scenes—what happened before and after Regina Vanguardia released her controversial exposé?

-- a stranger arrives --

It’s the dead of night when she lands. Rather unceremoniously, even—her ship had ended up crashing unto the earth. Parts of its engine had blown up, and one of its wings tore off. It’s quite unlike her, but she supposes this planet’s gravity is unlike home. It’ll be a while before she gets it fixed. Certainly, it’d be enough time. No matter, she takes a large metallic case from its pit, engages the ship’s camouflaging mechanism, and watches it disappear into thin air.

She clicks on the device on her wrist, presses a few keys to triangulate her location. She’s in an island somewhere off this planet’s centerline, one that belongs in a large cluster of other islands. A country, the Philippines—or so it says, according to the data she’d gathered from that floating mechanism above the earth. She downloads their language data into her translator, but then thinks better of it, transmitting it instead into the microchip embedded in the nape of her neck.

And then after, she presses a button on her helmet, waits for its locking mechanism to slide out of place with a slight whir, and removes it. She inhales deeply when she’s freed from the stuffy apparatus.

Ah. The air in this planet is lighter than where she'd come from, easy for her lungs to adapt to. And in its lightness she almost misses it—the faint thrumming of a buried energy, settling like dust particles hanging in the air.

It’s here. It’s unmistakable. The air is tainted with an energy that does not belong in such a powerless planet. An energy with the scent of both Marte and Ludo.

She looks up into the skies, and in her gray eyes, the stars twinkle brightly.

Finally.

She takes a step, and then another, onward into the distant city of Nueva Esperanza.

-- regina’s compromise --

She grunts as she pushes the lid of the luggage bag down on the stack of clothes inside. It takes a while for it to close, but when she finally manages to, she huffs, wipes off the sweat beads above her brow. As if it had taken some herculean effort just to close her second luggage bag.

That should be it. The last of the things she needs.

She blinks, turns and looks around at her condo. For the most part, everything is still there. The ornamental décor, the artworks, books, and appliances she’d left behind. But the clutter is gone. It’ll be gone for a while, she supposes.

A soft sigh leaves her lips—a quiet but fond goodbye for what has been her home for two years now.

The doorbell suddenly rings. Regina turns and stares at the door quizzically.

It takes her a moment, but eventually she walks over to it and opens it.

Her expression immediately sours when she finds Ali standing before her.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she asks lowly. “Hindi ba sinabi ko na huwag ka nang magpakita sa akin?”

The man purses his lips. “May kailangan akong sabihin sa’yo. Pakiusap… bigyan mo ako ng pagkakataong… ipaliwanag ang sarili ko.”

“Why? Why should I waste time on you, Ali? For what purpose?”

Ali’s lips are pressed into a tight line as he raises his gaze to meet hers. His eyes gleam with the conviction of a broken man seconds away from falling to his knees and kissing her feet. “Baka wala. Baka wala talagang halaga ang pagpunta ko dito. Gayunpaman, gusto kong ipaliwanag ang sarili ko—kung bakit ako nandito hanggang ngayon, kung bakit ginawa ko ang nagawa ko.”

Regina crosses her arms and leans against the doorway. She regards him coolly, curiously. She thinks it over for a moment, before peeking out and looking around the hallway.

“Come in then.”

She allows Ali to pass by her, and when he’s in her foyer, she closes the door, presses her back against it, and gives him an expectant look.

The man turns to face her fully. There is a hint of desperate longing in his gaze clouded over by an ounce of determination he’d forced out in the seconds that passed. It’s an irritating sight, and Regina sneers.

“Well… I don’t have all day,” she huffs. “Out with it.”

Ali visibly swallows. In the lines that crease his forehead Regina sees a million thoughts run through his mind—some unreadable, some plain as day, as stark as the glum clouds spattered over the sky. Finally, after a moment of mulling, he sighs, slumps his shoulders.

“Naaalala mo ba… noong una tayong nagkilala?” He starts. “Binigyan mo ako ng trabaho, at may ipinangako ako sa’yo.”

Regina’s mouth twitches irritably. Her fingers tap impatiently against her arm. “And?”

“Ipinangako ko sa’yo noon na lahat ng gagawin ko ay para sa’yo—para tuparin ang lahat ng iyong kagustuhan… at para sa iyong kapakanan,” Ali licks his chapped lips, digging for the words scattered in his head. “At gaya ng sinabi ko noon—iyan lang ang ginawa ko. Iyan din ang gagawin ko hanggang ngayon.”

Regina doesn’t bother suppressing the scoff that’s pulled from her lips. “Sinasayang mo lang ang oras ko. This is what you wanted to say—the same thing you’d been repeating to me a week ago?”

Ali furiously shakes his head, taking a step forward. “Tinanong mo sa akin sa araw na iyon kung bakit ko nagawa iyon—kung naniniwala man ako na magkaiba kayo ni Valentina. Iilang beses mong tinanong sa akin kung mabuti ka ba talaga. Meron na akong sagot.”

Regina quiets, her words seized by the twinge of pain alighting in her chest.

Ali inhales deeply, his breath quivering. “Hindi ka mabuting tao, Regina. Hindi ka isang marangal na abogado. Hindi ka isang marangal na mamamayan, na civil servant ng Nueva Esperanza. Makasarili ka, mapagkunwari, mainitin ang ulo. At higit sa lahat, ikaw ay isang mamamatay tao.”

Each word is her own parroted back to her, yet they still sting with each withdrawal. And when Ali chances a glance at her, he can see her frown deepening, her eyes flashing dangerously. His lips tremble with terror, yet he takes another deep breath, steels himself once more.

“Pero… hindi rin ako mabuting tao. Noon, bago kita nakilala, naging magnanakaw ako, naging gang member, nagbenta ng droga. At noong nakilala kita, nakapatay ako, nagnakaw. Nakaya kong maging stalker, nakaya kong mag-blackmail. Regina, pareho tayong may bahid ng kasalanan. Mga kriminal. Mga masasamang tao. Pareho tayong may dugong nakabahid sa ating mga kamay. Ngunit, hindi ibig sabihin niyan na hindi ako naniniwala sa’yo.” Ali inhales sharply, before he slowly lowers his knee onto the floor.

Regina furrows her brows. “What—?”

“Ang ibig lang sabihin niyan ay kaya kong magkasala, kaya kong bahirin ang mga kamay ko para sa’yo. At ibig sabihin niyan ay kahit na nakita ko na ang lahat ng mga krimen, lahat ng mga kasalanan mo, kaya pa rin kitang tanggapin. Kaya pa kitang paglingkuran.” Ali says, as he finally lowers himself to kneel before her fully. “Kung si Valentina ka man… o ang abogadong si Regina Vanguardia.”

He raises his head, stares at her with so much conviction it shuts her up.

“Regina, hindi ka isang mabuting tao, at katulad mo, masama rin akong tao, ngunit—” Ali’s voice is soft—ironically so, given his declaration. “Nandito pa rin ako para sa’yo. Nasa panig mo ako, ngayon at sa magpakailanman. Kahit ano man ang mangyayari, nandito ako. Hindi ka nag-iisa. May kakampi ka sa akin. Kaya—” He places a hand to his chest, curls his fingers around the fabric of his shirt. And then, he bows his head. “Hayaan mong pagsilbihin kita, Regina. Hayaan mo akong maging alagad mo.”

The silence that follows stretches far longer than he’d have wanted, pulled thin into the air between them, drying his mouth, bearing down on his chest. He chances a glance up, nervous, fully expecting a seething Regina.

But when he meets her gaze, he sees her eyes glisten with forming tears. Sees her tight frown trembling, her cheeks and nose flushed red. She blinks and looks away.

“Iyan ba talaga ang gusto mo?” Regina’s breath quivers as she asks it. “You know, it would be safer to stay away from me. Isa akong halimaw, and you're just... a person. Why would you crawl your way back to me like this?”

“Kung halimaw ka man, pwede akong maging mas masahol pa na halimaw para lamang pagsilbihan ka.” He leans forward slightly. “Ipinangako ko sa’yo na paglilingkuran kita noon. Ipinangako ko na lahat ng gagawin ko ay para sa’yo. At nais kong panindigan iyan. I owe you my life.”

Another beat of silence, strained in place by held breaths, by unwavering gazes. And then, a tight-lipped smile breaks through Regina’s lips, and she lowers herself to crouch before him, leveling their gazes.

“I pity you, Ali,” she says before she moves forward and wraps her arms around him, hugging him close. Ali ignores the slight jolt in his chest, the joy that sparks up—it’s the first time she’s ever deigned to hug him.

But it is neither platonic nor… something more. Not amicable, just—he winces. He feels her fingers dig painfully into his back, as if holding him in place.

“You’re pathetic,” Regina whispers, and it’s in a voice Ali doesn’t recognize—a distorted timbre. The cold fingers of dread roam around his spine. But then, her breath comes out long and shaky. And then he hears Regina again— “But you’re all I have now.”

He lets a hand fall loosely on her back, patting and stroking in comfort, as he closes his eyes. A breath of relief escapes his lips, heavy and trembling.

“You’ll always have me,” he whispers back.

-- narda’s dilemma --

In the nights where Narda can’t sleep, days after Regina’s disappearance, she finds herself reminiscing—she thinks back to every moment she’d spent with Regina, the stories they’d shared, the laughter exchanged. Every happy memory now tainted blue with sadness, loss—

But sometimes—sometimes, there are other things she recalls. Regina’s strange, subdued behavior, how she found her often crying in the office, hands pressed to her ears—there was even once when she’d caught her sneering at nothing in particular, pleading with some invisible force to just leave her alone.

And then she remembers Brian’s words. They come to her at the edges of her waning consciousness, at the critical moment when she is seconds away from finally falling asleep as the morning sun peeks from the horizon.

Brian in his police car—staring grimly at her, white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. A vague accusation falling from his lips.

Her eyes would snap open, fury alighting her consciousness. Heartbeat frantic as if she’d been woken from a nightmare. A nightmare wherein Regina comes back not as her friend, but as something else.

Regina Vanguardia cannot be Valentina.

But after the fifth time, she finds herself approaching Ding, throwing him a casual, unsuspecting comment.

“Kung sana lang may ibang paraan tigilan ang mga Extras… na hindi sila mapapahamak. Kung sana lang may paraang tulungan sila at tanggalin ang berdeng crystal na iyon mula sa kanilang mga katawan…”

Ding mulls it over. “Siguro may paraan nga.”

Narda glances at him. “Sa tingin mo ba makakahanap ka ng paraan?”

Ding blinks, looks up from his notebook. His eyes are wide with caution, his thoughts visibly swimming in his unblinking stare. “Bakit mo naitanong…?”

Narda sighs, shakes her head. “Bakit hindi? Mahusay ka naman, tsaka... tao rin naman ang mga Extras. Hindi nila kasalanang maging biktima ng mga berdeng crystal na iyon.” She grips onto the dining chair’s backrest, her jaw tensing. “Sa totoo lang, matagal na ito nasa isip ko, ngunit... bakit—bakit ngayon ko lang nasabi?" She lets out a self-deprecating laugh.

Ding sighs, places his pencil down. There’s a secret he’s been hiding for the past month or so, one he thinks should be unearthed now.

“Meron akong kailangang sasabihin sa’yo.”

Narda looks up. Narrowed gaze curious.

The same gaze turns sour, burns bright with unbridled fury, when Ding opens the door to Lolo Rolando’s warehouse nestled in the woods. When it lands upon the form of a taller, older man—his face unmistakably one that belongs to the same man who murdered her mother.

Her brother is not quick enough to stop her from surging forward, from launching a fist straight to the man’s face. He crumples immediately, but he makes no move to defend himself, opting instead to stare up at her with a bleeding nose. She doubles down on him, smacking him, hitting him—not as the hero Darna, but as her own self. As Narda Custodio, the daughter of the woman, the Martean hero this man—this Ludonian alien—had killed.

“Bakit ka nandito,” Narda seethes, grabbing a fistful of his shirt collar, ignoring Ding’s protests behind her. “Klaudio?”

“Nandito ako bilang kakampi, Protektor,” Klaudio’s voice is calm, unnervingly so. It angers Narda even further. She raises a hand up, balled into a fist, preparing to bring it down on his already crooked nose.

But right at the moment she’s about to, something grabs at her wrist, pulls her back roughly. She turns around, glaring at Lolo Rolando, as he tightens his grip around her wrist.

“Bakit kinupkop niyo siya?” Narda says through grit teeth. “Mamamatay tao siya. Mapagkunwari. Trinaydor niya tayo—!”

“Narda, naiintindihan ko kung ano ang pinagdadaanan mo. Naiintindihan ko—”

Narda pulls her arm away from the old man roughly, flashing both him and her brother a hard glare. “Naranasan mo bang masaksi ang pagkamatay ng sarili mong ina, Lolo Rolando? Na wala kang ibang magawa kundi manood lamang? Dahil sa hampaslupang ito?! Wala kang naiintindihan!” She almost screams. “At ikaw naman, Ding? Ba’t mo ‘to ginawa?! Nandoon ka naman diba?! Ikaw pa naman ang niloko niya!”

Ding breathes deeply, raising his hands up to placate her. “Oo, ate—alam ko. Naiintindihan kita. Naramdaman ko rin ang galit mo noong una ko siyang nahanap dito. Nagalit ako, inatake siya, sinigawan si Lolo Rolando—”

“Pero bakit mo hinayaan siya?” Narda’s voice breaks with each word, her anger boiling over into something else—something akin to despair, exhaustion, and pain spilling over into hot tears she does not bother to wipe away. “Ding, tangina naman, kung naiintindihan mo, bakit pa siya nandito?”

“Ate, kailangan natin siya,” Ding keeps his voice levelled, even as he’s visibly nervous, slowly trying to come up to her. “Iyan ang gusto kong sabihin sa’yo. Matagal na kaming naghahanap ng paraan ni Lolo Rolando para maibalik ang mga Extra sa dati nilang pagkatao, pero nagkaroon lang kami ng progress noong nahanap namin si Master Klaudio at kinupkop siya.”

Even as he pleads with her, Narda’s expression remains pained, as if she’s been betrayed. And it makes Ding’s chest ache—he never wanted to make her feel that way.

“Ate,” his voice trembles, “May impormasyon siya tungkol sa Marte at sa Ludo, tungkol sa ating mga kalaban, kay Heneral Borgo, na hindi natin alam. At willing naman siyang tumulong—"

“Ibig bang sabihin niyan pinatawad mo na siya, Ding? Na nakalimutan mo na ang lahat ng mga kasalanan niya sa atin?” Narda spits. “Puwes ako, hindi ko nakalimutan. Kahit kailanman, hindi ko malilimutan, na ang letseng ito—!" she faces Klaudio again, wild with fury. “Ang pumatay sa nanay natin. Ang nagtangkang patayin tayo pareho at nakawin ang Bato. Ang nagpahamak sa iyo, Ding!”

She turns to face Ding again, finding him shaking his head weakly, tears glistening in his eyes. “H-hindi—hindi iyan ang ibig kong sabihin, Ate—”

“Eh, ano? Ano ang gusto mong ipahiwatig, Ding—?!”

There’s a soft thump from behind her, stealing her attention away. Something warm radiating where her feet are. She turns around, an ice-cold feeling drenching her chest when she finds Klaudio bowed low on the ground before her, forehead pressed to the floor.

“Walang paumanhin, walang salita ang makakabawi sa mga kasalanan ko sa’yo at iyong pamilya, Narda,” Klaudio says. “Ngunit gayunpaman, ako, si Klaudio… hindi. Ako, si Hergis, mandirigma ng Ludo, ay humihingi ng tawad mula sa’yo. Alam ko ano ang pakiramdam na mawalan ng anak, ng pamilya—sa mga buwan na nakalipas, naging pinakalaking pighati ko ang aking mga aksyon, na kinaya kong gawin sa’yo ang nagawa ni Borgo sa akin.”

Narda’s heavy, angry breaths slowly still upon the revelation.

Klaudio—Hergis—looks up at her from where he kneels. His bleeding face is a pathetic sight, but there is so much conviction in his eyes, steeled by the years, perhaps decades, he’d spent as a warrior. “Hindi mo ako kailangang patawarin. Kung ako ay nasa iyong lugar, hindi ko rin mapapatawad ang sarili ko. Ngunit, ako lang ang may kakayahang tulungan ka. May kaalaman akong wala kayo, kaya ito lamang ang magagawa ko, ito lamang ang maialay ko—”

Hergis licks his lips, finding his mouth dry, his tongue like sandpaper. A bead of sweat rolls down his temple. He bears the weight of a hero’s gaze, burning hotly as a star burns in the sky.

He withdraws a heavy sigh, his bravado shattering momentarily to finally reveal his deep remorse. “Pwede niyo akong gamitin. Lahat na makakaya kong ialay, ibibigay ko—ang mga kaalaman, kakayahan, at tulong ko. Hindi man ito makakabawi sa ginawa ko, hindi man ito makakabalik kay Zora, makakatulong pa rin itong mahanap ang mga totoong nagtangka sa kanyang buhay—si Heneral Borgo at ang kanyang alagad, si Ishna. At mas importante pa—makakatulong ako sa paghanap ng paraan diyan para ibalik ang dating pagkatao ng mga Extras.”

A beat of silence stretches in the tense air around them. Lolo Rolando and Ding exchange uncertain looks. Narda’s gaze, stained wet with forming tears, remains fixated on Hergis.

“Hayaan mo akong tulungan ka… Darna.”

No words are spoken. Nothing breaks the silence, save for Narda’s trembling and deep breaths. And the single teardrop that rolls down her cheek, her chin, and then down to the floor below.

-- a woman, windswept -–

Deep within the mountains, in the midst of a storm, a once still river becomes a raging abyss of torrents.

A hand claws its way up, breaking the surface of the angry waters. The storm rages through, howling winds like a deafening roar. The muddied hand finds a rock jutting out, grabs desperately on to its wet surface.

Another hand claws its way out, digs its fingers into the soil beside it. It pulls desperately until a full arm slowly emerges. Finally, a woman breaks through the surface with a gasp.

She pulls herself up unto land, sobbing, groaning, using every ounce of strength she has left just to escape the pull of the currents.

Finally, she collapses a few feet away from its shoreline. Gasping, panting, exhausted beyond measure.

She sputters, and in her spit, she notices the distinct color of blood. The sight brings tears to her eyes, and she sobs as she lets them rest.

She can’t move. She can’t see anything. So, all she does is lay there. Rest. Until the storm finally calms, until the sun finally finds its way up the sky.

Her breath has become heavy by then. Deep and weak. She knows she’s about to die. She knows there is no hope left, no point in spending all those minutes fighting the currents in the river stream. But—

She hears the crunching of underbrush beneath a footstep. She feels something warm come close. She forces one eye open.

The light is blinding, but it is shaded partially by long wavy tresses of brunette.

“T-tulong…”

There is no answer. No sound. For what felt like an hour but what must have just been a few seconds.

But then, she hears movement, feels the figure shift closer.

She feels something stab into her back. A sharp, searing pain engulfs her entire being, but she can’t even scream. Only whimpers come out of her mouth, weak and breathless.

The tears stream faster down her cheek, her nose. She sobs as she feels her insides reconfigure themselves, her shoulder blades shift, her entire bone structure rearranging itself.

“Magpapasalamat ka rin sa akin balang araw.” It’s a woman's voice that whispers.

It’s the last thing she hears before darkness overtakes her.

-- the mayor’s promise --

The paper pressed between his fingertips is creased beyond measure, with wrinkles and overlapping folds in almost every available blank space. It quivers faintly in his hands, an extension of his own trembling fingers.

Noah has been prepared for this for most of his life, hasn’t he? From all those speech camps he’d been forced to attend, the volunteer works pushed unto him, to the job he’d taken under his father’s office. Yet—

(“Ikaw muna ang tatayo sa lugar ko,” Zaldy had told him, clapping a hand on his shoulder with a laugh that practically buzzed with nervous energy. His bodyguards and the housemaids flit about the room around them, hastily packing things into large suitcases. “Kaya mo ito. Nakatala na lahat ng mga plano ko sa records room. Ikaw nalang bahala doon. May tiwala ako sa’yo, Noah—I’ve been preparing you for this very moment for the longest time.”

Noah had watched him uncertainly. He’d thought he’d be coming with him—why is he leaving him here?

“Saan ka pupunta?” He’d asked. “H-hindi mo ba ako isasama…?”

Zaldy had shook his head. “If you come, then who’ll be left to take over my position? Hindi pwedeng hindi isang Vallesteros ang magiging mayor. Hindi ako papayag.”

Noah frowns but does not retaliate. What’s going to happen to him?

Zaldy at least had the decency to look ashamed. “Hindi ko pa masasabi kung saan ako pupunta. Baka sa malayong lugar, o baka… sa malapit lang. Pero huwag kang mag-alala; I will return. I just need to lose those dogs sniffing around my trail, okay? Ayaw natin ma-involve ang national government dito, diba?”

Noah had then felt his father’s two hands press down on both his shoulders, urging him to meet his gaze. When he looked at his father’s face, he saw a muted compassion and sadness reflected in his eyes… and then another. More sinister. In between the undercurrents of some faux-fatherly kindness, there’s a vague threat written in the hard lines of his expression.

“While nandito ka, gusto kong subukin mo ang lahat ng makakaya mo para linisin ang pangalan natin, alright?” Zaldy had said to him in a low voice. “Make me proud habang wala ako, hm?”)

Noah takes a deep, steadying breath. The truth is, for the longest time, he’d yearned for his father’s—for Mayor Zaldy’s approval. For a single moment where he’d finally turn his attention to him, put his trust in him in the same way he’d done to Brian Robles. And this was it. His moment. A chance to make Dad proud.

But when Zaldy had said those words, Noah recalls feeling nothing but an ice-cold dread gnawing at his abdomen as the days led to the official announcement of his electoral position. Because though there was some semblance of elation there, he’d realized it then that his father had decided to throw him to the wolves. Alone.

Regina too.

She’d kept most of the incriminating documents he’d handed over to her weeks ago. Told him it wasn’t time yet—time for what? He had no clue. But even she had left him to fend off the government agents that had come to visit his home by himself. Because even though Zaldy had tried to prevent it, the national government had already inevitably become involved the second his crimes on trafficking had come to light.

DOJ officials, IACAT, and ICAD agents swarmed his house those first few weeks. It was hell, and he had nobody and nothing, but the Vanguardia princess’s reassurance that everything would be fine.

(And Narda, who he’d paid a visit to in desperation. Who had smiled at him, patted his back, listened on as he poured out his troubles.)

Though he’d barely managed to convince them he had nothing to do with his father’s actions, the only way they’d let him proceed with the mayoral turnover was if he’d cooperate with the investigation.

And most of all, that he’d allow SOCO to operate here with the local police. That he’d allow them to investigate the phenomenon of the Extras.

After all, Nueva Esperanza is a strange case—a city plagued not just with criminals, but superpowered humans.

Even now, those government officials, clad in ominous black getups, are all right outside. Watching his every move. Like vultures surrounding their prey.

He takes another deep breath, clamps his free hand on the other holding his paper to still the trembling. He can hear the reporters murmuring beyond the curtains. He can see the flashes of light from the cameras.

He can do this. He adjusts his suit—a traditional barong—and finally steps into the stage, where he’s immediately greeted by the shouts of the reporters demanding for answers, explanations regarding the scandal his friend had dropped like a bombshell a month ago.

“Mr. Vallesteros,” one such reporter cuts in, practically screaming as she shoves a mic up in the air towards him, “Totoo ba ang mga accusations na ibinunyag ni Attorney Vanguardia noong nakaraang buwan tungkol kay Mayor Zaldy? Iyon ba ang dahilan kung bakit siya bumaba sa pwesto niya bilang mayor? Can you comment on it at all?”

Noah presses his mouth into a tense and thin line, its edges twitching, irritable. Of course this would happen. A news blackout had occurred immediately after the news of his father broke out, and then there was radio silence after.

Thankfully, the existing council members are quick to quiet them down. The oathtaking ceremony goes by quickly, and he easily repeats the Judge’s words back. But he feels his fingers trembling again when he goes up to the podium to make his inaugural address.

“Nueva Esperanza,” he says into the mic, eyes tracing the words on his note, “I would like to first and foremost apologize for the events that had come up in the past few weeks. While I unfortunately cannot make any official comments or statements due to legal concerns, I can say for certain that I had not been aware of anything Attorney Vanguardia had divulged in her livestream. I am just as shocked as you all are, and for that I am deeply, truly sorry. What you need to know is that my f… I will be cooperating with the ongoing investigations.”

He clears his throat, hopes his voice isn’t trembling. “I know you are disappointed. Wala naman sa ating lahat ang ginusto ito. But what I can promise you is this—that I will do my best to serve you as best I could, Nueva Esperanza.”

Uncertain murmurs erupt from the crowd. Noah sees the way they look at him, glance at him; he sees their thoughts written plainly on their faces. He can’t blame them, really—he’s a known troublemaker. If his own father had been exposed to being a part of some criminal syndicate, then why should they trust him? The troublemaker son, with countless scandals already to his name? For all they know, he was part of it too. Still, he takes another deep placating breath.

“Alam ko na mahirap akong paniwalaan. Sino pa ba naman ako, hindi ba? There are more controversies to my name than my dad’s.” he forces out a nervous chuckle. The crowd does not seem to respond to it. “But for the past few months, I’ve met… people who inspire me to be better. And because of that, I have been working hard and diligently to be someone I know… you can be proud of. Someone you can put your faith in. I cannot convince you to trust me, Nueva Esperanza. I don’t really want to, anyway. But what I can do now is try to prove my dedication to you.”

He looks over to the crowd, nerves slowly dissipating when he sees the energy in the room shift, the tides slowly turning in his favor. He glances around him, at the other DOJ officials, nodding at him. He clears his throat once more.

“As the newly appointed Mayor of Nueva Esperanza, my first order of business is to address the ongoing problems of Extras over the past few months. In partnership with the DOH and DOJ, we will be overseeing the establishment of a research complex here in Nueva Esperanza, where captured Extras will be sent to for treatment. It will be a rehab and a medical center specifically catered to them. Because after all—”

He pauses, gauging the reception, pleased to find excited murmurs erupt from the clamoring reporters and the rest of the audience.

“Mamamayan pa rin ng Nueva Esperanza ang mga Extras na ito. And I believe we cannot just use violence alone to deal with them,” he glances briefly at the police officers stationed at the sidelines, gaze locking momentarily with his least favorite of the bunch.

Brian Robles looks away, visibly irritated. Noah’s smile twitches.

“They were once just like us. People, with families, friends… But now they’ve been afflicted by a disease. Whatever’s been causing them to turn into Extras… we will find a way to treat them. To reverse its effects. As your new mayor, I cannot abandon any one of you, let alone those poor Extras,” he addresses the crowd again. “That is what I can promise you, Nueva Esperanza. This is what I can do for you.”

He says a few more after, but as he steps down from the podium upon finishing, the crowd bursts into questions, murmurs—reporters clamor for his attention as he walks through the aisle, shoving mics to his direction.

In the chorus of voices, he finds that barely any of them are mentioning his father’s case. And though he’s still being flanked by government officials, still feels them watching him carefully—

(He was given only eight months.)

For now, he’s accomplished what he’s meant to do as Zaldy’s son. As the new mayor. And he lets himself breathe.

-- a father’s offer –

The first thing Narda wants to do when she gets home is dump all her belongings to the floor and just sleep. She’s exhausted. Emotionally, physically, socially.

Losing her job at Vanguardia Foundation meant she’d have to make do with two jobs again. Her day starts at dawn, after she’d taken an online job offer to be a part-time virtual assistant for some obscure company that accepted applicants without a college degree. It continues in the early mornings, as she’d taken a job waiting for a family restaurant on the edges of Nueva Esperanza.

(And yes she knows she doesn’t have to. Knows there’s a bank account under her name with more than enough to get her entire family by for at least a decade. But she doesn’t want to think about it. Doesn’t want to even touch it.)

When her shift ends in the late afternoon, she visits the nearby orphanage where she’d met that kind woman, Aliyah Cortes—who had also assisted and vouched for her for that restaurant job—to play with the kids there. She often gets home way after dinnertime nowadays.

While work has done wonders to distract her from everything that’s happened, her encounter with Hergis a while back has once again left her mind a mess. They’d come to an agreement a day after, but she can’t help the anger that flares up at the mere thought of working with him. Of all people.

So. All she wants to really do now is get home, sleep—

She opens the door to her house and immediately has to suppress the strongest urge to cuss.

Because there in her dining room, sat at her dining table, is Rex Vanguardia himself, conversing amicably with Lola Berta. She’s only seen him on the rarest occasions, only heard about him from Regina, but she’s still intimidated when he turns his gaze towards her.

His eyes look tired—no, dead. And in his gaze, a chill runs across her spine. So, when he pulls a small smile in greeting and gets up, she feels more unnerved than relieved.

“Ms. Narda Custodio,” he says, extending a hand out to her. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Narda hesitantly shakes it, watches in her periphery as Lola Berta leaves them alone to talk. “Magandang gabi… Ano po ang… ginagawa niyo dito…?”

Rex’s smile widens. “I’m sure naguguluhan ka given the… circumstances. I guess… I just recently found out that you’re my daughter’s best friend.”

Narda swallows thickly, unsure of how to feel about his words. “Hindi, uh—hindi naman ako sigurado diyan.” Her laugh comes out weak and self-deprecating.

To her surprise, the older man appears sympathetic. “It must be confusing. She’s your best friend, yet she let you go.”

There’s a twinge in her chest. Narda looks away, takes a deep breath. She can’t do this—she’s been doing a good job so far burying thoughts of Regina down in the deepest darkest crevices of her mind. Or at least, she thinks she is.

Rex’s presence, his words are akin to ripping the bandage of a still-fresh wound. Regina’s pity-money can never erase the hurt that had torn through her from the things she’d said in her office on that fateful day. Every string of insult as she pushed and pushed her away.

“Siguro ibig sabihin niyan ay hindi talaga ako best friend niya.”

Rex places a hand on her shoulder, squeezing in comfort. “I don’t think so. She mentioned you a few times in our conversations. Even on phone calls. Among other things.”

Narda perks up. “P-po…?”

Rex withdraws his hand, chooses to fold it with his other in front of him. “It’s why I was so confused too… when I found out she fired you. The records say, after all, you were one of our most notable EMTs.”

Narda doesn’t know how to respond to that. Rex doesn’t seem to mind, opting instead to walk back to the table and gesture to the seat across his. Narda hesitantly obliges, sitting down across him. He smiles, produces a manila envelope from his suitcase.

When Narda pulls out the document from within, her eyes widen. “Sir, ano po—”

“Please. No need for formalities—feel free to call me Tito,” Rex offers, laying his folded hands out in front of him. A friendly smile rests on his face. “Like I said, you are my daughter’s best friend.”

Narda looks up from the paper, eyes practically bulging, brows furrowed. She lays it out before her. On its header, printed out in bold, reads: ‘Employment Contract’.

“With all due respect, sir, ano—bakit mo ba ako inaalok na bumalik sa Vanguardia Foundation? Hindi ba ako na-blacklist? I’m sure may dahilan si Regina kung bakit niya ako pinaalis.”

Rex hums, leans forward. “Who knows, Ms. Custodio? Maybe she did it for you. After all, she’s no longer around to take care of you, hm?”

Narda presses her index fingernail into her thumb, not too hard to draw blood, but hard enough that a crescent indent is etched into the flesh. She’s unable to respond to Rex’s reply.

“But as the new CEO of Vanguardia Foundation,” the older man continues, “If she did blacklist you, which she didn’t, I can revoke such an order. Start anew. Tinatanong mo kung bakit inaalok kita na bumalik sa Vanguardia Foundation, Narda? Hindi ba sinabi ko nga na you were listed as one of our best EMTs?”

Narda looks up, regards him blankly. She appears wholly unconvinced.

Rex lets a beat of silence go past. And then, he leans forward again. “Think about it, Narda. Best friend ka ng anak ko, yet you were fired from our company. I think it’s unfair that you were… before I even had a chance to meet you officially. I’m just offering you an olive branch.”

“Parang unfair naman na—”

“We have more benefits now, Ms. Custodio—higher pay for diligent EMTs like you, more vacation days. I was made aware you were working two jobs. If you came back, you’d have better pay and more time to spend with your family.”

“Ano ba talaga ang pakay niyo sa akin?” Narda says exasperatedly, slumping back into her chair. She knows her irritation is misplaced, that her actions right now are nothing but impractical. The way she’s speaking back to Regina’s father, the new CEO, offering her a job on a silver platter? Any sane person would tell her she’s being an idiot.

But everything just feels… wrong about it. Off. Being ambushed in her own home about this, the way he’s so insistent—

(—The same way her “best friend” had just left recruitment offers at her doorstep as if that would make up for the things she said to her on that fateful day.)

The fact that Vanguardia Foundation itself is so deeply woven together with all she knows and remembers about Regina, that if she were to step through it ever again, she knows all her seams would come undone, that the wound would burst out from its stitches.

Yet, even in her visible anger, Rex remains steadfast, amicably neutral. “Wala akong ibang pakay kundi tulungan ka, Narda. I just want to help you... the same way I helped Regina four years ago. The same way I took her in to be my daughter.”

Narda refuses to meet his gaze. Stares instead at her fingertips, where her fingernail has dug deep enough into her thumb that she thinks she can see it turning red.

Finally, the man sighs, takes the document up and jogging the papers on the table to align them. “Aren’t you wondering where Regina is?”

At that, Narda’s gaze flies up. “Alam mo kung nasaan si Regina?”

Rex shakes his head glumly. “No. Nobody knows where she’s run off to. She must have brought Ali with her too since he can’t be contacted. Ang tarantadong lalaki na iyon.”

Narda deflates, slumping back into her chair. “Oh.”

Rex looks up at her, though, giving her a sympathetic look. “But think about it, Narda. Vanguardia Foundation is her pride and joy. And I, her father, is at its head now. Baka sa tingin mo na isang socialite si Regina dahil isa siyang kilalang abogado dito, but in reality, Regina’s world is quite small. Her world is her own family and her company. If she ever comes back, saan ba sa tingin mo ang una niyang dadaluhin?”

Narda stares at him, wide-eyed, with realization slowly dawning upon her. So visibly plain on her face that it elicits a laugh from Rex as he slips the document back into the envelope.

“You misjudge my intentions, Narda. But I understand—I’m sure you haven’t heard the best things about me. Pero gusto lang talaga kitang tulungan,” he tells her, sliding the envelope back towards her. “If my daughter comes back, who do you think would be the first to know about it, hm?”

He lets his words settle in the ensuing silence, lets the seconds tick by with each click of the wall clock. And then, he flashes her one final smile as he gets up.

“Think about it, okay? Alam kong matalino ka. I trust you’ll make the right decisions.”

He leaves it at that, bidding them all goodnight without another word to her. Leaving her alone there to stew in her thoughts.

The envelope is creased with how tightly she holds it between her fingertips.

I trust you’ll make the right decisions.

Narda sighs, closes her eyes, and rests her head against the table.

Chapter Text

Five months have passed since that fateful night—the night Regina Vanguardia had disappeared from Nueva Esperanza. The same night Narda had unceremoniously thrown her phone on her front porch and its screen had cracked, its tendril-like form spanning diagonally from top to bottom.

It stares at her each time she turns the device on, like an ugly wound refusing to heal.

In those five months, some of Narda’s dreams have recently started out the same.

She’d be back in her old neighborhood, bodies splayed out around her. Her mother suspended in midair, stuck in frozen time, and her old teenage self, standing stock-still a mere few paces back. Seconds only to spare. The Stone heavy and warm in her palm.

And just like always, she’d be too late. Always too late.

Memories would turn to abstract fragments, movie reels playing out in an endless loop in her mind—Leonor’s smile, her laugh, her embrace, the way she’d tightly wind her arms around Ding and her, pull them so close like she’s afraid of the day she’d have to let them go.

Every memory reel cutting perpetually over and over to the instant the blast had hit Leonor’s body, the second right before it disintegrated, where the terror of it all becomes frozen on her face.

But there are moments—rarer now than a few months back—where the memories shift, a different reel is played. Leonor’s presence is instead replaced by somebody else.

She’d see flickers, glimpses of Regina—every laughter shared, every word spoken, every secret exchanged, every habit, every touch, scent—

Every moment spent on that couch in her office, every embrace shared, the feeling of her fingers intertwined with her own, the warmth shared when they slept on the same bed, or the way her chest had threatened to burst when they shared a dance at the gala—

The way her lips felt on her own—soft and full and warm and—

All always replaced to the seconds before it all imploded on her face in that office. The empty words and the heartbreak. Fragments of memories bursting in kaleidoscopes of colors that converged into golden—golden sunlight.

And then they’d be back at the cliff.

“Kapag tatalon ako sa bangin, sasagipin mo ba ako?”

That moment at the cliffside, with the sun high up in the sky, always flickered back into her nightmares. Regina’s hazy silhouette, the sunrays bouncing off her body, her quiet voice.

Narda would call her name—hoarsely, exasperatedly, desperately. And then Regina would turn around to face her—

But instead of Regina, she’d instead see her. Valentina.

A cry would be torn out of her chest, muddled by strings of garbled words—pleading, grieving, begging over and over, and please God no huwag niyo akong iwan huwag mong sabihing totoo iyan—

Because Regina Vanguardia cannot be Valentina Regina Vanguardia cannot be Valentina Regina cannot—

And then she’d wake up.

Heart beating out of her chest, sweat beads clinging to her temples, dripping down her back, tears spilling from her eyes, breaths shaky and uneven.

Tonight is one of those rare nights.

It takes her five minutes to calm herself down this time, patting her chest in a rhythm of one two three, over and over. It takes her five minutes to finally steady her breath, to finally regain the energy to sit up.

She rubs the wetness off her eyes, taking a few more calming breaths. At least, she thinks, the time it takes to recover has been gradually shortening each time. She recalls the worst days, especially during those first few weeks, months—it would take her half an hour just to calm herself down.

But it’s been five months now. And she needs to be stronger. God. She desperately needs to be so much stronger.

So, just like usual, she gets up, abandoning the notion of sleep, goes over to her wardrobe just to get a hand towel.

(There’s a corner, on one of its shelves. Ordinary and dusty. A little corner where a nondescript manila envelope has been tucked into, and along with it, a velvet box.

And just like each time she opens her wardrobe, each time she has to sift through her clothes and items, she has to force herself not to look at that little corner. Not to think about it. Not to recall the dream that she’s now forcing herself to forget.)

After she wakes herself up fully, she swallows the Stone. She becomes Darna, as she often becomes during these nights, and flies out into the night.

It’s become more frequent recently—those nightmares. And so, with their growing presence comes an increase in her night patrol activity. However, with SOCO forces now operating within the city, her movements have become much more limited. Even though they’ve begrudgingly allowed her to work upon Brian’s request, she knows they don’t really like her.

They don’t like that they don’t know her, that they can’t control her. They’ve been wanting to uncover her true identity for a while now, so she’s a lot more careful about her movements. Nowadays, she just leaves before they arrive at the scene.

Still, she continues working as Darna, tolerating their presence as much as she can. After all, she is the Protector. The media had called her once the ‘Hero of Nueva Esperanza.’ ‘Ang Dayuhang Tagapagtanggol ng ating Nasyon’. It’s her duty to deal with them—help them, and in turn, help the Extras.

And it’s not as if they can waste their efforts to fight her in these times. The number of Extras has been increasing rapidly over the past months, she still can’t find Borgo, and Lolo Rolando’s ragtag team of three (now including Ding) has yet to make a breakthrough about a cure.

New hurdle after new hurdle—like a rock that keeps rolling down the hill no matter how many times she pushes it up.

Tonight, she manages to apprehend that pesky X-Triad gang that’s been bothering the city for the past few weeks, leaving before the police could arrive. They were weaker than others, but one of their members, the Seductress, had always managed to catch her off-guard, hypnotize her to release them.

“Pasayahin mo ako,” she’d purred into her ear that night, as she pulled her face close. “O gusto mo ba na ako ang magpapasaya sa’yo…? Ano ang pinakalalim mong hiling, binibining bayani?”

Darna shudders now, here in the sky, recalling the memory from just a few moments prior. She doesn’t know what that Extra had done, but she recalls her eyes flashing red, remembers that in the glimpse of a moment, the woman had become someone else, that in that moment, she’d look like someone else. A nightmare and a daydream.

It was all it took for her to panic, awaken from the haze, and headbutt the Extra hard. She didn’t even have time to process it because she heard cars arriving and bolted—

She hisses under her breath, shakes her head, ridding herself of the thought. This isn’t the time. There are things to do.

She’s been a doing a good job of forgetting for the past few months. Never mind that they return to her in her dreams, just as long as they don’t interfere with her waking hours.

Tonight, she manages to defeat one other Extra, adding up to four along with the X-Triad. It’s a bit like routine now, really. Her beating Extras, Brian and his team handling the cleaning—thankfully he doesn’t mind covering for her. She should be proud, she thinks. Her family would be. Lolo Rolando would be. But—

No. She needs to be stronger. Even stronger than this.

Because she knows she can be. Knows she hasn’t drawn out the full potential of the Stone yet, or of Darna herself. Knows it especially now, standing on the road, under a light rainstorm, surrounded by a sudden fog.

She should be brave, composed, and self-assured—but instead, fear coils in her gut. She recognizes the fog, the rain, knows it’s unnatural. There’s always an ominous feeling that eats at her when she finds herself in this abnormal weather.

Something lands beside her. It’s a dead body, bloodied and littered with deep scratches and gashes. As if it’d been mauled by an animal.

See, she knows she’s not yet strong enough, because while she can easily take out weaker, more human Extras, some are—well—

Some are different.

She looks up at the sound of beating wings.

But there is nothing there.

“Naliligaw ka na naman, Darna,” a voice reverberates in the air around her.

“Magpakita ka!” Darna responds, voice loud and clear, even as her insides churn with uncertainty.

“Bakit gusto mong lumaban?” The voice comes from her right, bringing with it a sudden gust of wind. “Bakit palagi kang nakikialam?” To her left. Another gust.

“Hindi tama ang pumatay,” Darna says, her voice wavering just slightly.

“Pinaparusahan ko lang ang mga kriminal, mga may sala—” A beat. “—mga manggagahasa.”

Darna’s jaw clenches, her body tenses up. Somewhere, someplace deep inside her chest, there’s a twinge of something that feels a lot like guilt—

A cloud of wind bursts through the fog as the Extra charges at her, body spinning through the air. Darna grunts as she collides with her stomach, suddenly finding herself being lifted up into the air and beyond the reaches of the fog.

At the first sight of the open sky, Darna kicks the Extra off her, using her own abilities now to float in midair. The Extra recovers quickly, snarling as she turns to face her. Darna’s often only seen glimpses of her, as she liked hiding inside her fog.

But now, she sees her—suntanned skin littered with strange feather-like scales, dark blemishes covering her torso, her neck, down to her shoulders, biceps, and taloned hands. Her frizzy hair flies out in the air around her, and a large pair of dotted brown wings sticks out of her shoulder blades, its bone structure seemingly grafted to her shoulders and collarbones. And her eyes, glowing a bright yellow, stare directly into Darna’s soul. Like a hawk watching its prey.

At her first public sighting, the media had immediately dubbed her the ‘Babaeng Lawin’. The Hawk Lady.

She’d emerged just four months ago, recognized after a news report came out that an akyat-bahay gang had been massacred and dropped from the sky. The scene she’d left behind was bloody and vicious—a grisly sight to welcome on that unlucky morning.

“Anong klaseng bayani ang pumipigil sa mga kagaya kong naglilinis lamang ng mga basurang tao dito sa Nueva Esperanza?” the Extra practically screams, her voice scratchy and hoarse, but nonetheless otherworldly.

“‘Naglilinis?’ Hindi pareho ang hustisya sa karahasan! May dahilan kung bakit may pulis, may abogado, may kulungan—hindi tama na pumapatay ka lang ng basta-basta! Hindi ito ang tamang hustisya!” Darna reasons behind grit teeth, fists held out in front of her.

Yet, still—even as she withdraws those words, even as she sees the bloody talons on the Extra—

“Hindi mo kailangang gawin ito—kailangan mo ng tulong!”

Lawin quirks a brow. Darna steels herself, tightening her fists.

Because even though she’s only encountered her two—three?—other times, even though she’s easily someone one could call a monster, she was still once human. She is still a citizen of Nueva Esperanza—

She could help her. They could help her.

She can still turn back.

But a beat passes, and then the Extra just cackles. “Tulong? Mula sa mga taong umapi sa’kin? Wala kang kwenta, Darna. Hindi ka nagkakaiba sa mga bilanggo na nasa kulungan!”

There’s that feeling again. That irritating itch in Darna’s chest. It makes her waver, just for a second. But a second is all the other needs, as the Extra charges at her once more. Darna’s unable to block a scratch to her face, and though she’s often invincible, this time, the attack had hit hard enough that a light scratch is left.

Darna swipes her wrist against her cheek, rubbing the surface wound like it’s mere dust on her face. Babaeng Lawin flashes her a smug look. Darna’s expression hardens.

This Extra is incredibly agile and strong, despite the lines on her skin that tell her she’s an older woman. Whenever it’s time for her to hunt, she’d somehow manage to draw in thick fogs, and sometimes even the rain. She’s a swift but vicious worker—blink once, and suddenly you’re hoisted into the sky, staring at death a hundred feet below you.

An entirely different breed from Valentina, whose victims were always already done with by the time Darna had arrived. If Valentina worked in darkness, Lawin worked in the first glimpses of daylight. If Valentina liked to be silent, Lawin liked to be bold, flashy—her victims always splayed out haphazardly on the streets for everybody to see.

But Valentina hasn’t been around for months now. She’d gone like some nightmare that had slithered off into the night.

And in her place came Babaeng Lawin.

And Lawin is incredibly strong, that even now, with weeks—months—of training, night and day patrols, Darna finds herself thrown to the ground, face-down, after a heated battle in the sky. When she’d come to, the Extra was already gone, and the fog was slowly seeping away. Even as she takes to the sky, no sign is left of the fickle Extra.

She turns at the sound of whimpers, gaze meeting a young teenage girl’s, who’s sat curled in a tight corner between two small wooden houses. Her cheeks are tear-stained, and her gaze jumps back and forth between her and the corpses—all men much older than either of them—that lay scattered around the road. There’s another twinge of guilt in Darna’s chest.

She sighs to herself. It’s all she can do, really, now as she stands there, surrounded by Lawin’s latest victims, as the sun finally peeks above the outline of the cityscape.

“Apat, patay—puros lalaki. Around 30s to 40s. Isang babae, buhay—20-years old,” Brian mumbles, clicking his ballpen’s end as he closes his notepad.

He sighs as he looks around at the covered bodies being transported to ambulances. His eyes shift over to the sole survivor, the girl, sat on the steps of a vacant EMS ambulance, covered in a thick blanket and sipping coffee. She’s shivering.

“Dumadami na naman ang mga biktima ng Babaeng Lawin,” he mutters, glancing over to his side at Darna. “Nagpapasalamat nalang ako na wala na si Valentina ngayon. Hindi ko alam kung makakaya nating talunin silang dalawa.”

Darna gives him a sideways glance, biting back the urge to retort that it’s often only her that has to deal with those Extras. Sure, his local task force deals with weaker Extras, but they can only do so much against the likes of Lawin. And they’re a tad clueless sometimes. They liked waving their guns around against superpowered individuals as if that would help.

As if it would do any help at all to accidentally murder these people.

It’s as if they’re more concerned about beating out those guys from SOCO more than doing their jobs. Like it’s some competition.

“May balita na ba sa kanya?” Darna asks instead, letting the lingering sense of bitterness out through a deep breath.

“Wala. Officially, anyway. Merong balita na may mga kakaibang murder cases sa mga munisipyong malapit sa Nueva Esperanza,” he replies, waiting a moment for her to turn her full attention to him. “Iilang cases na ang lumabas na may namatay dahil kinagat sila ng mga ahas, kahit na nasa siyudad sila.”

There’s a twinge of fear that stabs at Darna’s chest. She purses her lips. “Sa tingin mo ba siya yun? Na lumabas siya at naghasik ng lagim sa ibang lugar?”

“Yun ang problema, eh. Ang mga agents mula sa SOCO, ang mga tagalabas na iyon—ayaw nilang ibigay ang buong detalye sa mga kaso. Mga tarantado talaga—sa tingin ba nila kung hindi nila ibibigay sa akin ang mga iyon na susukuin ko ang kaso ni Valentina?”

Darna stares at him wordlessly. Tagalabas. Outsiders. It’s what the police officers have been calling the SOCO’s agents. Sometimes she pities them, but most times, she’s just as irritated to be so limited because of their meddling.

Brian rubs his nose. “At tsaka, nakita mo naman din, diba? Na may mga reports na may mga Extras din sa ibang siyudad dito sa Pinas. Siguro mas marami lang dito,” Brian tells her. “Pero kung ako ang tatanungin mo… Malaki ang posibilidad na siya yun.”

Darna looks at him grimly. The police officer has his jaw clenched, mirroring her own gaze—yet, it looks as if he wants to say more. He doesn’t, however, and instead turns his attention to the nosy onlookers already pressed against the caution tape.

“Hoy! Crime scene eto! Alis—!” he turns to Darna briefly before he goes over to them. “Darna, sa tingin ko dapat ka na umalis. Paparating na ang mga taga-SOCO.”

Darna watches him walk off for a moment before she decides it’s time to leave as well. Before she can, however, she catches sight of the surviving girl, who’s now staring after the retreating ambulances holding the bodies of those men. Though her eyes were dead and desperate the first time their gazes met, now Darna sees a different emotion in the girl’s—hatred. Vividly reflected in the moist sheen on her eyes.

Darna clenches her fist, digs her fingernails into her skin. God. If Lawin hadn’t been there, what might have—

No. She quickly shakes the thought off her head—they were dangerous thoughts. She turns away, gaze passing briefly over the crowd of onlookers being berated by Brian’s task force.

There’s a young woman staring at her, not much older than her, surely, phone up and recording. Her brows are furrowed, her eyes had somehow drawn her in—dark, intense, and—

Angry?

The crease in the stranger’s brows just deepens. Her gaze is questioning, accusatory, and most of all, disappointed.

Darna blinks, turns away, and launches off into the air instead.

When she reaches home and turns back to Narda, she chances a look through social media, not at all surprised when she finds more people engaging in discourse about her again.

[Bakit ba natin tinatawag na isang criminal si babaeng lawin? Eh yung pinapatay nya lahat puro manggagahasa o holdaper eh]

[si anteh nyong darna naman palagi nlng ang mga extra na katulad ni babaeng lawin ang kinakalaban. tapos nagtutulungan pa sa mga pulis. like HELLO gurll? kurakot kaya ang mga yun!!!!]

[Diba sabi ko yan dati tungkol ky valentina? eh wala sayo nakinig eh. Katulad ng comics, mas may ambag pa tlga ang mga vigilante kaysa sa mga bayani. At least sa pagwala ni valentina, lumitaw ang ating bagong vigilante, the hawk lady]

‘Vigilante’? They’re murderers and victims alike. They need to get treated at the research facility, not left alone to cause trouble outside.

She sighs as she throws herself to her bed, slinging a hand over her head. She recalls back when she’d first started, back when she used to receive unending praises for anything she did from the astonished crowd.

Now, admirers had turned into skeptics, praises turned to criticism. One move, and she’d somehow invoke the wrath of hundreds of a naïve crowd, throwing criticism after criticism her way, as if they even knew anything. As if they had any inkling of what she has to see every day.

Naranasan ba ito ni nanay dati?

Well, of course not. Her mother had only revealed herself once before she’d died in an untimely manner, and the Stone was essentially shoved into her hands.

And now she’s working with the very same man who’d killed her.

God.

She’s just one girl. One tired girl. As the morning sun stands high and bright in the sky, Narda falls asleep with the thoughts of every critique swimming in her head like white noise, her blankets rumpled beneath her, her phone by her head.

--

The passenger’s door slams shut with an audible clang, reverberating through the warehouse-like walls of the research facility’s entryway.

“Bagong cargo,” Brian announces as he bangs on the thick steel plates of the armored truck’s cladding. As the backdoors are opened and the new Extras are ushered out, he leans against its corner, crossing his arms. A few paces ahead, Noah walks towards him, with the head researcher of this facility, Dr. Ibarra, in tow. He regards them coolly.

“Brian,” Noah greets, reaching over to accept a clipboard another police officer hands over to him. He flips through the pages. “Ang X-Triad, huh? Sa wakas at nahuli niyo na sila.”

His gaze shifts momentarily to the Extras passing by him, each being carefully examined by Dr. Ibarra, and then afterwards being led deeper into the facility by other researchers and military personnel.

“Syempre naman. Diba kami naman ang inassign ng ama mo para huliin sila?” Brian scoffs. Although his tone is light, his expression is tight and irritated.

“That, he did,” Noah nods slowly, giving him a peculiar look. “Although… for some reason, you sound defensive.”

Brian lets out an incredulous laugh, surprised. And then, he snorts. “Ha? Hindi, ah. Yung tono mo kasi—parang ipinapahiwatig mo na nahirapan kaming huliin sila.”

“But nahirapan naman talaga kayo, diba?” Noah retorts, his voice kept carefully neutral. “After all, si Darna naman ang kadalasang nakakahuli ng mga Extras.”

At that, Brian can’t respond, opting instead to force out an insincere laugh. As Noah finishes perusing and signing the document, he hands it back to Brian, who receives it begrudgingly.

“Hindi ko kinukwestiyon ang abilidad ng task force mo, Brian. I was congratulating you,” Noah says, furrowing his brows and clasping his hands behind him. He leans forward, smiles wrily. “Mayor na ako ngayon. You’re working under me, and I’m just looking out for you. Or did you forget?”

His smile widens a little when Brian stares daggers into his eyes, lips curling downward in a visible attempt to bite back a response.

“Or… baka may ibang dahilan kung bakit ka naiirita?” Noah presses one last time, voice dropping to a taunting whisper. He watches Brian’s expression carefully, seeing the flash of anger creasing his forehead, his jaw—but then his brows furrow together, a tinge of sadness crosses his face.

Hm.

Brian looks away, takes a step back. His expression turns neutral again. “No. Sorry, sir.”

Though he would have liked to taunt him a bit more, Noah nods and accepts the admittance of defeat. He watches as the police officers pack up and get into their cars, their armored vehicles rolling out of the dim entryway.

As the large roll-up doors slide down, Noah turns to Dr. Ibarra, who looks as if he wants nothing more than to go back to the lab. “Are those new Extras good? Are they enough?”

The older man grunts—Noah takes it as a begrudging yes. “Iyan lang ba ang dahilan kung bakit mo ako tinawag dito?”

“Partially,” Noah tucks his hands into his pockets, turning to face him fully. “But also, dahil palagi ka nalang nakatago sa lab mo. Gusto ko sana malaman ano na ang progress sa antiserum.”

Dr. Ibarra looks up at him. The furrow of his brows and the tension in his jaws give away his thinly veiled irritation. Noah stares him down, unimpressed by this behavior. It’s been a two months now since the lab areas were opened in this otherwise incomplete facility and they’d brought him onboard to oversee the research department.

Dr. Ibarra had been lauded for his apparent talent and skill, but Noah never liked how he seemed to be in his own head a lot, how it somehow gave him an excuse not to acknowledge his higher position unless he needed him for something, how he’d often rudely ignored him when he’s the literal mayor. But it’s been too long, and he’s yet to see any concrete progress.

“Alam mo naman na kailangan pa nating mag-synthesize muna ng stable na sample ng serum bago magawa ang antiserum. Sa ngayon, nakabuo na kami ng prototype serum na may kakayahang gumawa ng mga bagong Extras na nabuo namin mula sa nasagip na crystal particles sa plasma ng mga Extras. Pero, hindi pa siya perpekto. Hindi stable. Like I said, Mayor, mas preferable sana kung mga ‘bagong’ Extras ang madala niyo.”

While he’d explained beforehand that the rather counterintuitive product was necessary to create a reversal effect, the fact that it’s all that’s been accomplished in two months is making the young mayor restless.

Eight months. If not, they’d elevate this case to a national level—and then all hell would break loose.

After all, these Extras were no doubt a potential threat to the nation.

But Dad does not want that to happen. Does not want the national government involved any more than they already are. So Noah absolutely cannot let that happen.

Noah sighs, exasperated. “Yan lang ba ang report niyo?”

“Alam mo naman, Mayor, na dahil sobrang delicate ang procedure ng pag-extract ng particles, mahirap talagang ipabilis ang procedure. Especially since napakadiluted na ng mga eto sa dugo ng mga Extras.”

“Then, paano naman malalaman ng mga pulis kung ‘bago’ nga ang mga Extras? Tsaka, imposible naman sigurong mahanap ang mga iyan. If tama ang hypothesis niyo na nagmula ang mga kapangyarihan ng mga Extras sa mga… mahihiwagang bato from some… other planet, then shouldn’t all Extras existing now be… ‘old’? Gotten powers right as those crystals ‘fell’ or whatever it is you said?”

Dr. Ibarra shakes his head. “Then baka may ibang paraan kung paano nilang na-absorb ang mga crystal. The number of Extras keep rising even over the recent months. Kung gusto mong ipabilis ang progreso namin, tell your task force to bring in ‘younger’ and ‘newer’ Extras—that way, mas hindi diluted ang mga alien particles sa loob nila.”

Noah grits his teeth, but nonetheless agrees with a small nod. “Fine. I’ll tell them. But I want to at least see that sample and see its effects next week.”

The scientist sighs deeply, relenting. “Yes, sir.”

At that, he turns around and walks back deeper into the facility. Noah watches as he leaves, letting the irritation leave his body with each breath. Dr. Ibarra’s lucky he’s not the same man he was a year ago, otherwise, there might have been a screaming match.

Now, he remains quiet as he massages the bridge of his nose. Sometimes, this job really can be fucking draining. But he’d volunteered, he’d proposed it, and it was within the conditions of the higher authorities—it was his responsibility.

--

Ever since she’d come back to Vanguardia Foundation under Rex’s management, there had been a few notable changes. For one, the coffee prepared in the pantry was a different taste. Well, the man wasn’t like their old CEO, who had a quirky little habit of grinding authentic beans for the pantry coffee sometimes.

Ah. Anong pinag-iisipan mo diyan, Narda? The woman looks down at her coffee, scrunching her nose. Perhaps the coffee today is worse than most days. Or maybe it’s today in of itself. She sets the paper cup down.

Her companion, sat across her, with her baby cheeks bunched up as she chewed, looks up at her. “Parang ang lalim ng pinag-iisipan mo.”

Narda blinks, and then laughs. “Siguro hindi ko lang trip ang lasa ng Nescafe ngayon.”

The younger woman scrunches up her brows. “Masarap naman, ah. Akin na nga iyan.”

Narda laughs again, raising her hands up in surrender as the woman reaches over to grab her cup. “Eh, sinasabi mo naman iyan tungkol sa kahit anu-anong pagkain, Luna.”

“Syempre naman. Lahat ng pagkain at inumin ay biyaya sa kalangitan, noh. Hindi sila dapat sinasayang.”

The girl, Luna, with her short pixie cut and baby cheeks, was a new employee that had been hired into Vanguardia Rescue just two months ago. She’d said she had moved to Nueva Esperanza recently from abroad and was looking for work. Narda thinks that must be the reason why she had a distinctly unfamiliar accent—although in the time spent here, it’s been gradually disappearing. And while some of the other female EMTs still avoided her—granted, not all of them anymore—Luna somehow naturally gravitated towards her.

It was a tad intimidating, honestly—Luna was new, but it was quickly noticeable that she was some kind of prodigy. She learned and retained new information quickly and somehow managed to apply everything she’d learned in a three-day training workshop perfectly on the very next day. Even Narda, with her Martean blood, could not accomplish what the woman had in the span of a single week. To have her stuck to her side the second she was given her seat at their office—well, Narda didn’t know then what to do.

But it's kind of funny. It’s like she’s gained another sibling—this time, at work—one who’s actually nice and obedient and awe-inspiring and doesn’t ever get on her nerves, unlike her brother at home. Well—at least, after Hergis had revealed himself to her, he’s started to behave himself, more interested in training and learning about the planets above again without needing to hide.

“Siguro pagod lang ako,” Narda sighs.

“Well, it’s normal naman. Ang daming mga Extras na lumilitaw araw-araw,” Luna mutters.

“Uy, narinig mo ba—” new voices suddenly joined the fray, and a pair of girls enter the room, chattering amongst themselves. “May nakakita daw na nakangiti si Sir Rex sa office niya. Ang weird—”

Ugh. Narda tries to ignore them. Office gossip just gives her a headache. After all, even if it’s not as frequent now, she does remember a time when she had been the constant subject of gossip for these girls for two months straight. Luna pays them no mind, focusing instead on her third storebought sandwich. The two girls continue chatting as they make themselves some coffee.

“Ano kaya ang dahilan kung bakit masaya siya? Nakahanap na ba siya ng girlfriend—”

“Ew. Kadiri ka—huwag mong ilagay iyan sa imahinasyon ko!”

“Eh di… baka… Ah! Sa tingin mo ba may balita tungkol kay Ma’am Regina?”

“May balita na?”

The room immediately quiets. Narda realizes it’s because she had accidentally blurted out the question. Luna stares at her, dumbstruck, as her cheeks visibly redden.

One of the EMTs, Danielle, gives her a look of sympathy. “Ay, hi, Narda. Sorry, wala pa, eh—nag-iisip lang kami.”

The other EMT, Jerma, crosses her arms. “Ba’t ka naman nakikinig sa amin?”

“Ay, hindi—narinig ko lang ang pangalan ni Reg—”

“Bakit ka ba galit?” Luna asks pointedly, thoroughly unable to read the air. Narda supposes it was inevitable—she always did express her displeasure at Jerma’s animosity towards her ever since she’d first noticed it. “Nagtatanong lang siya, ah.”

“O, ba’t ka naman nangingialam—?”

“Tama na,” Danielle hurriedly dispels the growing tension, panicking and red-faced. “Sorry, sorry—alam mo naman… Eto si Jerma kasi, kasama siya sa napagalitan ni Ma’am Regina noon dahil kay Narda.”

“Dani—!”

“Oo na, oo na, tara na,” Danielle says with an awkward chuckle, ushering Jerma out of the room with her coffee in hand. And upon their exit, the room is once again blanketed by silence.

And then— “Napagalitan sila dahil sa’yo?” Luna’s eyes are wide with curiosity. “Ano ba ang nangyari? At sino ba tong si ‘Ma’am Regina’ na ‘to? Ba’t parang sensitive topic siya dito?”

The girl’s always much too observant. Narda sighs. “Wala. Old boss lang.”

She scoops some rice into her mouth and chews, blatantly ignoring Luna’s expectant wide-eyed stare. “And…?”

“Yun lang. Old boss lang,” Narda repeats, ending her sentence with an audible period. Hoping the other gets it.

But Luna just gives her an intrepid look, tilting her head and smirking. “No way. Bago ako pero hindi ako tanga. Na-sesense ko may ‘something more’ diyan. Like… bakit ba napagalitan sina Jerma ni ‘Ma’am Regina’ dahil sa’yo…?”

Again, Narda sighs, dropping her spoon to her Tupperware. “Wala lang. May panahon noon na pinagtripan nila ako. Pinagsabihan lang silang huwag ulitin iyon ni Regina.” And then, she adds, absentmindedly, “Ayaw daw niya mag-foster ng ‘toxic workplace environment.’”

She releases a soft chuckle, unbidden. She doesn’t even notice when Luna scrutinizes her curiously. “Parang mabait siya, ah. Tell me more.”

“Ano pa ang masasabi ko? Itinanggol niya ako mula sa iba noong bago pa lang ako. Itinanggol niya rin ang posisyon ko dito. Tapos, kinausap niya ako, nakinig sa mga problema ko, nagbigay pa ng advice. Napaka-soft niya noon…”

Luna smiles. “Matalik kayong magkaibigan, ano?”

Magkaibigan? Narda smiles wistfully, recalling a few memories. But—

She blinks out of her reverie, realizing her own mistake. Her own stupidity. Tsk. She shakes her head, dropping her smile and finishing off her food. “Hindi. Empleado lang ako.”

Luna pouts, leaning away too. “Talaga? Nung nagkwento ka, may… something na lumitaw sa mga mata mo. Like… parang may naalala kang nakakatuwa?”

Narda wraps her Tupperware up back in its plastic bag, giving Luna a hard stare. “Hindi ko siya kaibigan. Naaalala ko lang na hinangaan ko siya dati dahil itinanggol niya ako.”

Luna sighs, finally relenting. “Fine. Sige. But… nonetheless, parang mabait siya, since itinanggol ka niya ng ganyan. Hindi lahat ng mga boss ganyan.”

Narda gets up from her seat wordlessly, Luna following suit. It doesn’t change anything.

If Regina was good or kind or brave or just or—or anything—none of it mattered. Matters.

In the end, Regina is no longer here. She left. She won’t come back. And that’s fine. Really. She’s gone. There’s no point wasting a single thought on her. At least not when she’s awake. Not when she’s working.

Hindi pwede.

So, she shakes her head to rid herself of the thought, rid herself of some bygone residue of nostalgia from that frivolous time months ago.

It’s okay now. She’s okay now. There are better things to worry about.

The deafening emergency sirens from the overhead alarms drown out her tumultuous thoughts in flashing reds and blues. There. Another opportunity to dive headfirst into much needed work. Noble work, at that.

Yes. This is why she’d taken this job. This is why she’d taken Rex’s offer, after all.

--

This is why he’d taken this job. Yes.

Brian thinks to himself as he presses his knee against the struggling Extra’s lower back, slapping the specialized handcuffs to the man’s wrist. It’s a modification of the actual facility’s neck collars, with the same electric charges that can temporarily disable the Extra’s powers. Whatever. This Extra wasn’t much anyway—just had the ability to control a few pebbles.

“P-pakiusap…”

“Manahimik ka,” Brian spits, taking one more second to press his knee harder before he pulls the Extra up to his feet. See? He can do it too.

He shoves the Extra roughly into the backseat of his car and then soon, they’re driving back on the road. That’s another Extra for the day, filling up the second spot in his weekly quota. Who cares if it was a weak one? If it was one of the ‘lesser’ ones—ordinary ones, as the precinct liked to dub them—who barely had much power that distinguished them from a regular person?

The point is, he doesn’t always need Darna to do his job. He’s the head of the local task force against Extras, for fuck’s sake. All Noah can spew out of his mouth is bullshit.

Besides, it wasn’t Darna who rose in the ranks in the police force. It was him, wasn’t it? When those Outsiders had come in, he’d enforced a weekly quota on the task force (with incentives) on both Extras and local criminals. He needed to show all of them he was worth his title, his rank. That he could be better than his late father.

And it paid off. The number of Extra captures had risen. Granted, it’s not exceptionally a lot per se—it’s not as if every person of Nueva Esperanza is an Extra, anyway—but crime and Extra activity had been steadily decreasing the past few months.

His team had grown, earned the respect of their peers, and his reputation rose. Especially since nobody liked the Outsiders. And he’d trained hard, honed his combat and shooting skills, broadened his knowledge on Extras with Darna.

See. This is why he’d taken this job. It had always been his primary goal to clean out the trash and corruption in Nueva Esperanza through reputable means. And yes, it did include Extras.

And he’s so close—so goddamn close. If he could gain more power, more respect, if he could take the seat of the police chief, then he’d really have the power to clean out the trash in the police force. All without the Outsiders meddling with his affairs.

But then there’s Noah. Noah fucking Vallesteros. The new mayor who refused to give him a higher seat of power, refused to promote him or reward him. And now he’s stuck with just this local task force, and the Outsiders breathing down his neck, doing everything in their power to steal all his cases from him. To fully take over the Extras task force the old mayor had set up.

Pucha. That comment from a few days back really did mess him up. He knows he should be better than this, knows he should have already been used to this, but—

There’s Narda.

Brian withdraws a long and shaky breath. After he’d taken and processed the Extra into the precinct’s special isolation facilities where they’d be held at before being transferred to the research complex, he’d decided to drive to the EMT’s place. He’d bought some donuts along the way. In the recent months, he’d started bringing gifts and food along with him whenever he visited the Custodio household.

After all, ever since Regina’s disappearance, his friendship with Narda had never been the same. She was colder to him, wouldn’t joke around as much as she did back then, and always refused every invitation to hang out outside of work, or to even hitch a ride home.

And then Noah came, knocked on her door and she’d accepted him with a kind smile. Just like that. But what about him? Hasn’t he always been there for her, always looked out for her, worried for her? But why does she turn away when he smiles at her nowadays?

Even now, when he’d arrived, he saw Noah stood at the Custodios’ porch, smiling brightly and conversing with Narda, a large bouquet and more decorative gifts in hand.

Brian wraps his hands around the steering wheel, watches them for a moment, his car concealed by a branch perfectly drooped down to obstruct him but not them.

His grip tightens more and more with each passing second, even more so when he sees Narda chuckle at something Noah had said. In the end, it all comes down to him, hm?

He turns off his engine and prepares his gift.

“Salamat, Narda,” Noah says with a smile as he hands over his gifts. “I know hindi mo obligasyon na pakinggan ang mga… problema ng sarili mong manliligaw pero nakinig ka pa rin…”

Narda shakes her head, accepting everything with a grunt. “Magkaibigan naman tayo, kahit na… er, nililigawan mo ako. Nandito lang ako kapag… need mo ng kausap.”

Noah pulls a strained smile, but there’s still an amused glint in his eyes. “That’s what I like about you. Really. You don’t care about pretenses. You’re still nice to me kahit na mayor na ako ngayon.”

“Diba mas malaki ang incentive ko para maging mabait sa’yo dahil mayor kana?” Narda jokes with an awkward laugh.

“You know what I mean,” Noah grins.

“Hm.”

A beat passes, where they stand awkwardly facing each other. Narda looking anywhere else but at Noah, and the man pointedly staring her face.

“Um,” Narda bites the inside of her cheeks. “Tungkol sa mga Extras… Kamusta ang progress ng treatment?”

Noah blinks, clears his throat. “We’re… doing all we can. For now, ang magagawa lang namin ay mag-run ng mga tests… pero, on the way na ang antiserum… Just between you and me though, they’re making good progress on a pretty big step sa process, so I have hope na it’s underway.”

“Ah… As long as may progress naman, diba?” Narda chuckles drily, already dreading the awkward air swelling around them.

Noah looks at her in a way she knows he’s about to say something she’s absolutely not going to like.

“Narda,” he starts softly. “If… I may, have you… had enough time now to think about my offer?”

Narda tries a smile, but it’s painful and awkward and she knows there’s a visible cringe on her face. “Uh… s-sorry, Noah… pero busy ako, eh… Kailangan ko pa ng oras…”

The disappointment on the man’s face is palpable, but he quickly tries to school it. “I understand. I’ll wait,” he forces a smile. “I hope you enjoy the chocolates.”

“Salamat, Noah…”

“Always,” Noah grins, and then clears his throat, checking the time. “Anyway, I’d love to stay, pero alam ko hinahanap na ako ng secretary ko. Bihira naman lang akong mawala.”

Narda laughs. “Sige. Paalam, Noah.”

“See you.”

The door closes behind her softly. Narda’s smile falls. God. That was tiring. She goes over to the living room and drops Noah’s gifts on the couch.

It’s not that she dislikes Noah. She doesn’t, really, even after her initial discomfort with him at the gala and his past with Brian—but she just—

She collapses unto the other sofa, sighing.

She’s just not interested. Well, at least, she tried to be, especially when he’d first started visiting her a few months back. The first time she’d responded to his messages and a surprise visit—it was just out of pity. Everyone knew he was in hot water for what his father had done. But when he’d approached her with intentions to court her, he’d appreciated his honesty, remorse, and eagerness, so she’d thought—why not?

(Anything to forget, right?)

The first few weeks—months—he was quite the ideal guy. He liked the things she liked, offered her food and gifts she was actually interested in, and invited her out to activities she did enjoy. And funnily enough, he never used his mayoral position to up his advantage, which she thoroughly appreciated.

But as time passed, and her interest waned, she’d found herself unable to refuse because—well. He’s the mayor. And the first time she’d tried to, he’d practically begged for another chance, declaring that he’d try his best, that he wouldn’t give up.

And most of all, she pitied him.

Narda didn’t know how to make him give up. So, she’s relented to leaving him be, instead just carefully keeping him at arm's length. At least she gets the benefit of firsthand accounts on his research team's treatment progress.

Besides, there are other things to worry about. The Extras, Lawin, her duties, the cure for Extras coming up fruitless on both ends—

The doorbell rings. Narda begrudgingly goes up to receive it.

Ah—here’s another one.

Brian stands at her doorstep, holding a box of donuts. There’s a hopeful glint in his eyes, as his gaze jumps between her and his gift—as if there’s something remarkable in that nondescript box.

“Brian,” Narda greets, her voice coming out more exasperated than intended. While she’s able to tolerate him as Darna, right now, however— “Anong ginagawa mo dito?”

“B-bumibisita lang,” Brian says in turn, pulls on an unnaturally wide smile. “Hindi ba pwede?”

Narda gives him a pointed look. She sees his smile falter. It takes her another moment before she sighs and replies, “May kailangan ka bang sabihin?”

Brian’s jaw clenches. “N-nakita ko si Noah dito...”

Narda furrows her brows. “Yan lang ba?”

“H-hindi—” Brian stammers, sighs. “Sinagutan mo na ba siya…?”

Narda crosses her arms. “Wala ka namang pakialam diyan.”

Brian presses his lips together in a tense thin line, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to give a retort. Instead, he withdraws a long and heavy sigh, adjusting his cap with his free hand.

“Sorry,” he mutters, and then awkwardly hands the box of donuts over. “Eto, peace offering.”

Even as he tries to laugh to relieve the tension, Narda doesn’t bite. She looks at the box once and then sighs, shaking her head.

“Hindi ko matatanggap yan,” she says.

“Please,” Brian tries. “para kay Ding at Lola.”

“Brian.”

His fingers are very subtly trembling, his posture is tense, eyes pleading. Yet, ultimately, he lowers the box dejectedly.

“Pasensya na.”

Narda shakes her head. “May trabaho ka pa, ano? Siguro—”

“H-hinahanap ko pa si Regina.”

Narda squeezes her eyes shut as a chill travels up her chest. “Brian—”

“Alam ko na galit ka pa sa’kin dahil sa nasabi ko noon. Alam ko na matalik mo siyang kaibigan. Alam ko. Wala pa kaming leads pero pinapangako sa'yo, mahahanap namin siya. Hahanapin ko siy—”

“Huwag.”

Brian finally stops rambling, breathless, his expression desperate.

Narda glares at him. “Huwag na huwag mo siyang babanggitin sa harap ko.”

“Puh—” Brian frowns. “P-pero—”

“Tama na.” Narda says through grit teeth. “May trabaho ka pa. I think oras na para bumalik ka doon.”

She doesn’t even wait for his response as she shuts the door behind her. It’s just in time for Lola Berta to suddenly walk into the entrance hall, shooting her a bewildered look.

“Si Brian ba yun…?”

“Hindi. Wala yun,” Narda says, giving her a look. The older woman sighs, offering her a sympathetic frown. “Si Ding… nandoon pa ba siya kay Lolo Rolando at Hergis?”

“Oo… siguro nakalimutan na ng batang iyon ang oras—”

“Pupunta ako doon. Malapit na maghapunan.”

“Apo,” Lola Berta stops her before she can move. “If may… pinagdadaanan ka… alam mo naman na pwede mo akong kausapin, diba?”

At those words, Narda seems to relax—her shoulders deflating, tension leaving her bones with each breath. She smiles in soft gratitude. “Salamat, Lola… pero wala talaga akong problema. Promise. Stress lang.”

Still, as her granddaughter leaves, Lola Berta notes the sadness lining her expression, the frown that has taken the place of her usual smile. In the past, Narda would have already laid out all her problems to her and Ding, but now, things have changed. It isn’t helping that Ding's also subjected himself to be Rolando and Hergis's lab assistant.

On most days, the Custodio household has found itself rather empty and quiet. It's different now. Both Regina and Brian’s names have become taboo, and though Ding remains cheery, Narda’s grown a bit more serious.

When she once used to spend mealtimes and family time sharing stories about her workplace—about her best friend—Narda now spends them talking about Extras. Or Borgo and Ishna. Or some other thing about Marte or Ludo. If not, she’d be out, patrolling the city as Darna.

Now, it’s as if she’s willingly taking the burden of a thousand mountains over and over just to keep herself from ever needing to talk.

Diyos ko. Ano na ang nangyayari sa apo ko?

--

The entire ride to the Vallesteros mansion is spent in tense silence. Noah has his face pressed to the windowsill, eyes idly scanning the passing landscapes.

‘UMAMIN KA NA VALLESTEROS’

‘NOAH SINUNGALING’

‘ILABAS SI ZALDY’

‘PANAGUTAN MO ANG KASALANAN MO VALLESTEROS’

Fucking vandals. Noah squeezes his eyes shut, turns away from all the images of the vandalized walls, the paint-sprayed words, the graffiti—all throwing insults at his family name, some even going so far as calling for his impeachment.

Ridiculous. They should be grateful he’s kind enough not to criminally charge them for it.

The white pickup rolls slowly into the driveway of his home. But nobody gets out except for the driver himself. Noah remans seated inside, leaning against a window, deep in thought. Fingers lightly trembling, a gnawing ache itching at his chest.

He remembers those first few weeks as mayor—his controversial speech had made waves, and for a while, the people of Nueva Esperanza did look up to him, praised him—they saw that he was an advocate for change, for better.

And then as the months passed, those praises soon dwindled down, slowly disappeared. It’s been four months since he’s become the mayor, but it feels as if he’s back to square one. The portion of the populace that had placed their hopes in him gradually lost interest. Those that did not like him never stopped—there is still a large portion of the populace that dislikes him, that wants to see him behind bars. As if it was him that was exposed.

The government agents are still keeping a watchful eye on him—putting pressure on him on all sides. They want too many things—they practically want to control him. To control his city—this city full of goddamn Extras. All because they have the advantage over him. And all he has is an underfunded project for the Extras.

And he can’t have that. This city is the Vallesteros’s—he’d promised Dad he’d make him proud.

But how can he? When the only way for the population to fully like him is to turn his back on his dad? How can he make them like him again without having to give him up?

And then there’s Narda. Narda—that kindhearted EMT. His friend—the only one he could turn to during these times. It’s been three months since he’d started courting her—but a while ago, Narda had looked like she was seconds away from rejecting him.

(On the way down the Custodios’ home, he’d encountered Brian. All traces of amicability gone from his face.

“Sa tingin mo ba na tatanggapin ka niya?” Brian had said, almost mockingly. “Ayaw nga ng mga tao sa’yo. Si Narda pa kaya?”)

Noah can’t have that. No. She’s the only source of comfort he’s found in the mess that has been the past few months. With all the walls slowly closing in on him on all sides—it’s too much.

He can’t even confide in Dad because he doesn’t know where he is. Can’t reach him. He can’t lose Narda too.

And so, he pulls out his phone.

--

Narda awakens again from another dream. Only this time, she’s not at home, instead finding herself alone in a dark office. She rubs the sleep off her eyes, stretches.

She didn’t get much sleep last night, unable to after she’d gone to visit Lolo Rolando and Hergis. When she’d gone over, she found them sitting dejectedly around, stuck at another dead-end.

Chrysalis particles are difficult to really remove from the body—it was next to impossible, in fact. The magic of the crystals laid deep roots in a living soul. After all, it was originally a horribly failed attempt at recreating the White Stone. It was a bastardization of it, made by the Ludonians when they’d failed to capture Zora. And while it then became used as their energy source, it is still a corruption of a star’s magic, and its removal, if done incorrectly, would almost always lead to death.

It’s why Hergis had been skeptical of Noah’s research facility.

‘Antiserum? Pucha, anong antiserum? Hindi gamot ang makakatanggal ng Chrysalis. Ang tanging paraan na makakatanggal nito ay napakapangyarihang mahika… o isang himala.”

In earth, however, there is no material, no technology, no such thing as magic that could ever be powerful enough to cure the Extras. All except for the White Stone—the one possible thing available on earth right now that had power and energy that far surpassed the Chrysalis stones.

But Narda couldn’t allow it—after all, that Stone is under her protection. She couldn’t let someone like Hergis actually take it away from her, even if he’d reasoned it was for a good cause.

So now, here she was, with too many thoughts swimming in her head, filling the silence as she sits alone in an empty office, blanketed by moonlight. She’s not really sure what to do anymore. She supposes she could ask or offer assistance to Noah’s research team, but the new mayor had been a lot stingier around her when she turned into Darna, refusing to let her interfere with their work.

She might have to sneak into the facility and steal their files. The thought makes her snort as she gets up, finally opting to leave. It’s the first time in a while she’d stayed this late in the office, and she doesn’t really want to make it a habit.

However, as she’s on the way to the elevator lobby, she suddenly bumps into someone emerging from the hallway that lead to the executive areas. There’s a high-pitched squeak that comes out from the other.

“Luna?”

The young woman blinks, surprised to find her there. “Narda! Nandito ka pa pala?”

“Nakatulog… ako…” Narda trails off, narrowing her gaze as she shifts her attention to the hallway behind her. “Ba’t ka…?”

Luna glances behind her and back at her, smiling. “Ay, wala—may dineliver lang akong mga papeles sa admin office. Nandoon pa sila, eh. Anyway, gusto mong ihatid na kita?”

Narda snorts at the thought. Luna just lives in an apartment right around the corner of this building. “Nandito ka naman nakatira—paano mo ako ihahatid?”

“Taxi, of course,” Luna grins. “I’ll take the chance para mabisita ka sa wakas. Na-meet ko na ang Lola mo pero parang hindi ko pa yata nakita ang bahay mo, noh.”

Narda rolls her eyes. “Sa ibang araw nalang—yung araw na hindi na magiging abala sa ating dalawa. Sa ngayon, mauna ka nalang. Naalala ko lang may kailangan din akong ihatid sa admin.”

Luna giggles. “Still, okay ka lang bang mag-isa? Gabi na, eh.”

“Trust me,” Narda says, “Okay lang ako.”

“Okay. Kita tayo bukas, Narda!”

As the elevator doors close with Luna behind them, Narda takes the chance to go over to the executive areas of the floor. Not because she’s skeptical of Luna or anything, but because she needs to make an inquiry.

When she arrives, however, she finds that the CEO’s office is dark and empty. And while the other departments seem to still be around, she had a different goal coming here.

She bites her bottom lip, recalling her agreement with Rex months ago.

Well. Even if she likes to think that wasn’t the reason why she’d taken up on his offer, it’s something that’s been coming up on her mind recently. Like a relentless itch begging to be scratched.

But alas, since he’s not around again, she walks back to the lobby, breathing out a dejected sigh. So caught up in her own thoughts she almost misses the sound of hissing that breaks through the quiet—

Narda freezes. The hairs on the back of her neck are standing on end. The temperature around her, while naturally chilled by the centralized air-conditioning, seems to have dropped several degrees lower.

She swallows thickly, moves a hand to her side pocket, where she feels the distinct bump of the Stone tucked in there—

Thump.

Behind her. The sounds of a cacophony of hisses, the friction between scales, the movement of limbs. All unmistakable.

Wide-eyed and frightened, Narda slowly turns around.

Shrouded in a perfectly cut shadow, there stands a dark silhouette. Her eyes are gleaming green, her head a tangled mess of moving masses.

“Bakit ka nandito?” Valentina’s distinct voice echoes in the darkness.

Chapter Text

Narda collapses, falling roughly on her backside. Fear coils and tangles itself deep in her chest, making each breath come out like a choking gasp. Her eyes remain trained on the Extra, who takes slow, languid steps towards her.

A blade of incandescent light illuminates part of her face, and there she sees a deep frown on Valentina’s pale lips.

“You’re not supposed to be here.”

Narda’s not sure if her lips are trembling from the cold or from the fear or something else.

And that voice again—so otherworldly, yet somehow so familiar—

The Extra narrows her gaze. “Umalis ka dito.”

Narda digs her fingers into the tiled floor, unable to speak, unable to move. Valentina stops right before her, lowers herself to level her gaze with hers. There’s an unfathomable ache that alights itself somewhere, someplace deep within Narda’s chest.

“Get. Out.”

Narda doesn’t really know what had happened after. Her body seems to have moved on its own, taken off, and ran down the stairs in a cowardly exit. By the time she could finally feel in control of her body again, she’s already outside, panting, gasping as she tries to recover her breath. Her limbs feel heavy. She collapses on her knees, breathes in, out, in, out —

Anong ginagawa mo?

She can’t stay like this.

She’s supposed to be Darna . The Protector of the Stone and the Hero of Nueva Esperanza. Yet, here she is—cowering from some Extra.

Umayos ka, Narda!

She swallows big gulps of air, forces herself to calm down, even when she just desperately wants to take a moment for herself. Even though her fingers are still numb. She never could understand it—why she’s so affected by Valentina, even after she’s already faced her once as Darna.

An image flickers into her mind. A hazy memory of a dream.

No.

That’s not it.

It cannot be it.

Narda pushes every feeling of terror away. She shoves the White Stone into her mouth, swallowing along with it every ounce of apprehension and fear that’s gripped her since the moment Valentina appeared in the shadows.

“Darna!”

All she sees is the red of blood. Slowly, painfully pouring out of this man’s veins and into the snakes’ jaws, taking with it the color of his skin, the breath from his lips, the beating of his heart. Until finally, his muscles have thinned out, blood vessels have run dry, and the light has left his eyes.

She watches her snakes release the corpse, blood dripping from their fangs, a satisfied glint in their eyes.

“P-pakiusap—!”

Valentina turns to the other man, cowering behind a chair, hands raised up in a vain effort to defend himself. A slow smile curls into her lips, delighting in the way he squeals as one of her snakes wraps itself around his neck, hoisting him up in the air.

“Time’s up, Mr. Sanchez. Sa tingin mo ba hindi makakahabol sa’yo ang mga kasalanan mo?”

Her snakes bare their fangs at him, hissing in delight, more than ready to sink into his flesh—

The glass shatters behind her.

“Valentina! Pakawalan mo siya!”

The Extra curses under her breath, turning around to glare at the new arrival.

“Huwag kang makialam, Darna!” she seethes.

But Darna has already launched herself towards her, fist raised. Valentina jumps out of the way, sending her other snakes her way. Darna dodges and deflects each attack.

Valentina grits her teeth, snarling, glancing at her prey—she makes a split-second decision and closes her fist. The snake coils tighter around the man’s neck, around his body, choking the air out of him.

When Darna has finally jumped out of reach, Valentina lets out a light bout of laughter. 

“I knew we would meet again,” a sinister smile carves into the Extra’s lips. “Just like this. Surrounded by death. And you… coming much too late to save anyone.” Mocking amusement morphs into a daunting threat. Valentina’s smile dissolves into an icy frown.

It’s only then Darna realizes what she had meant. She watches the man’s body slump to the ground, broken and lifeless. Something inside her constricts—she recognizes him. He was known as one of the friendlier officers in the accounting department.

Anger blooms like a simmering fire in Darna’s chest, fueled by Narda’s own grief at losing someone she’s acquainted with.

“Hindi ka dapat nakialam,” Valentina clicks her tongue, moving in slow steps around her. Her gleaming eyes hold a cold glower to them. “You took away my prey.”

“Tao yan, Valentina—hindi pagkain!” Darna argues.

The Extra steps back, squaring her shoulders. There’s a sinister sort of amusement lining her expression. “Scum like him… are barely worth calling ‘people’.”

And then she lunges.

Though they’ve only fought once before, Darna can tell that something has changed. Valentina moves in quicker, more flexible strokes, with attacks that come in swinging kicks, somersaults, and barrages of lunging snakes. She no longer takes advantage of the hissing reptiles populating her head to make way for an escape—rather, she’d get up close and use any body part she could just to be able to land a hit on Darna.

She’s faster, stronger, and had clearly honed her skills in combat.

And Darna—used to the sloppy methods of more ordinary Extras, to Lawin’s wide aerial attacks, to absorbing and deflecting slower, heavier hits—is thrown off balance.

“Sino ka ba para maghusga?!” Darna yells as she struggles against the barrage of attacks. “Ang mga taong napatay mo ay may kanya-kanyang mga buhay, mga pamilya, kaibigan—may mahahalagang bagay na iniwan dahil sa nagawa mo. Wala kang alam!”

“Ikaw ang walang alam, Darna!” Valentina snarls. “Sa tingin mo ba walang sala ang mga taong tinatanggol mo ngayon?!”

“At sa tingin mo ba tama ang ginagawa mo? Na hahayaan ko lang kayong mga Extras na pumatay, maghasik ng lagim, dahil sa baluktot ninyong bersyon ng hustisya?!” A strike to the chest, blocked by surging snakes.

A mocking laugh, a roundhouse kick from the side that Darna barely manages to block with her vambrace. “At sa tingin mo rin ba na ‘tama’ ang bersyon mo ng hustisya?”

Darna raises her hands to block a high kick from above, but the attack somehow manages to break the attempt at defense. It knocks her down, and she collapses on the floor, the wind knocked out of her.

Barely even fazed, Valentina falls to her knees, crawling towards her like a predator in prowl, her movements as delicate as a hunting serpent.

“Sino ka ba para ikuwestyon kaming mga Extras,” Valentina hisses to her face, “when you’re a ‘hero’ who only shows up just to hurt your own victims?”

Ano?

Bewildered, Darna furrows her brows, unable to grasp the Extra’s words. But before she can open her mouth, Valentina shoves her down. Two large snakes move to her sides, biting down on her vambraces hard enough to keep her hands on the ground. Valentina hovers over her, arms braced at her sides, lips curling into a sneer.

“A-anong… pinagsasabi mo…?”

“Huwag kang magpanggap! I’ve been watching you all this time,” Valentina whispers. “You, who brought with you the corruption that created us Extras. You, the reason why I became this way—!”

With every word uttered, Valentina’s rage grows stronger, louder. Yet, all the same, Darna sees the despair building up in her gleaming eyes.

“Ikaw ang dahilan ng lahat ng ito… ngunit, hindi ka man lang nagsisisi. Tinatawag ka nilang ‘bayani’, isang ‘super hero’… pero lumilitaw ka lang para bugbugin ang mga Extras na ikaw mismo ang naglagay dito. They’re your victims. But where are you when the very same… powerful people you’re ‘protecting’ hurt and take advantage of the weaker people of Nueva Esperanza?”

Knots wind themselves in painful twists in Darna’s chest. Valentina’s gaze is heated, desperate—yet, she sees a genuine kind of pain in her expression. As if the outburst had been deeply rooted in genuine compassion, hidden beneath all the layers of venom.

(The pain that alights inside Darna’s chest is a gnawing guilt that’s been simmering there for a while now, one that she continually suppresses even now in the name of duty.)

Darna grits her teeth. “H-hindi yan… pareho— k —!” she grunts as Valentina wraps her fingers around her neck, pressing two thumbs into the flesh.

“So, tell me again—sino ka ba para ipilit sa akin—sa amin—ang ideya mo ng hustisya, kung ikaw mismo ay isang malaking mapagkunwari? A hypocrite? ”

Sharp fingernails dig deeper and deeper into her throat, drawing a warm liquid from within. Her other snakes slowly approach her, hissing, baring their teeth in a low threat. Black spots have started to dot the edges of her vision, and every breath feels like a chore to draw.

In the haze of it all, Valentina’s eyes are glowing a bright green.

“Don’t you think you should give up that Stone?”

Darna grits her teeth, unable to speak as each breath comes out as a strangled gasp, short and heavy. The Extra’s smile widens into a menacing grin. But—

A shot rings out in the air. A bullet passes through Valentina’s shoulder.

At that, the hands around her neck disappear as the Extra springs back, crying out in agony. More shots are fired, illuminating the darkness in flashes of light; a distant voice calls out for her. She feels the vibrations of several oncoming footsteps.

Valentina snarls, sending one fleeting glance her way.

“Magkikita tayo muli, Darna.”

She flicks her wrist, and an enlarged snake emerging from her head sweeps across the floor, eliciting several scattered yelps of pain from somewhere behind them. In the chaos, Darna barely registers the hands shaking her shoulders.

“Ma’am Darna? Okay ka lang ba po—?”

It’s the security guard from downstairs. Darna takes the opportunity to recover her breath, pushing herself up on her elbows. One hand flies up to her neck, rubbing the wounded flesh. It stings, and when she looks at her fingers, she sees a smear of blood.

Blood. There have been formidable Extras, yes, but she’s only ever been truly wounded a few times.

With Babaeng Tuod, with Lawin, and now—

Glass shatters as Valentina makes her escape, somehow managing to evade the raining gunfire sent her way. Darna gasps out each breath, glaring after the Extra that’s disappeared. Around her, arriving police officers run around the room, examining the corpses left behind.

“Darna!” It’s Brian’s voice. Somehow, he’s always present in these times. She feels his hand clamp on her shoulder, shaking her out of her reverie. “Hinayaan mo siyang umalis!”

There’s a bizarre color of anger tainting the officer’s tone. She sees it in his desperate eyes as he grabs her shoulders, moves over to face her fully.

“Bakit mo siya pinakawalan?!”

Anger flares up in Darna’s chest. Sino ba siya para magsalita ng ganito?

After everything he’s done? Everything he’s said?

Heaving out a breath, she returns his glare and shoves him back. “Huwag mo akong pagsalitaan ng ganyan!”

Falling on his back, Brian stares up at her, wide-eyed, having realized what he’d just done. But it doesn’t matter. Darna moves past him and launches off outside the broken glass wall. Where is she?

She surveys Vanguardia Foundation’s building, scanning its perimeter and the structures around it. Taking careful measures to scrutinize the thick shadows cast opposite the moonlight, listen to every misplaced sound.

But in the end, she finds nothing out of the ordinary. Only the aftermath of the fight remains. Valentina is gone, having slinked off somewhere into the night.

Darna’s heart beats out of her chest.

Valentina knows about the Stone.

And Valentina had almost defeated her. No— she touches her neck again—

While other Extras, who, if formidable enough, had managed to wound her, it was Valentina who had almost killed her.

Her. With the power of the stars in her hands, with the gift of invincibility— how was she unable to defend against a mere Extra?

--

A guttural wail reverberates through the walls of the cells, resonating along with it the crackle of an electric charge.

The Extra’s body falls back unto the hard surface of the operating table, visibly exhausted. There’s a needle on the man’s body, connected to a large machine hovering over him. Two researchers approach him as he lays there, panting, extracting the vial produced by the mechanism.

Noah watches it all unfold through the thick glass panels of an observation window. His face is twisted into a cringe.

“Kailangan bang gawin iyan…?” he mutters, glancing at Dr. Ibarra, who’s stood beside him, watching as well.

The older man hums, appearing wholly unbothered. “Dahil… hindi natin alam ang lahat tungkol sa mga mahihiwagang Chrysalis, kailangan nating mag-conduct ng experiments upang malaman natin kung ano ang—er, kung anong mga paraan ang makakatanggal sa mga ito. At mula diyan, malalaman natin kung alin din sa mga paraang ito ang pinakaepektibo.”

Noah looks at him, barely concealing a flabbergasted expression. But the researcher merely returns his gaze with an air of neutrality.

“Mayor ka na naman, Mr. Vallesteros,” Dr. Ibarra says, “alam mo na minsan… hindi maiiwasan ang sakripisyo.”

Noah presses his lips into a thin line, turning to look at the Extra again, who now has his face angled to the window. His dark eyes bore into his—and though it’s not quite visible, for some reason, he feels something dangerous when he meets the Extra’s gaze.

That Extra’s name is Elijah Torres—the Levitator. Noah distinctly remembers him, because he used to hound him with controversial questions as a reporter during his first weeks as mayor. Even back then, his gaze held a murderous glint.

“Don’t you think it’s too violent?” Noah reasons apprehensively. “Napakaingay din. If the journalists find this because of all the noise…”

Dr. Ibarra chuckles. “Huwag kang mag-alala, Mayor. Nasa underground tayo, with thick concrete ceilings and walls above and around us. Besides—” The man clasps his hands behind his back. “They’re just Extras.”

Noah’s jaw tenses. There’s an implication in the man’s words that he’s not entirely sure he grasps, not entirely sure he likes .

But before he can say anything, Dr. Ibarra turns to face him, adjusting his glasses. “Would you like to see the prototype samples?”

The walk through the halls of the facility has never not been an unnecessarily tense ordeal. The thick walls closed in on them on both sides, awash only with muted fluorescent lights. And though other lab workers, security guards, and researchers pass through it, they’re often silent or exchange only quiet words with each other. There are no windows, no natural light or ventilation—even amidst the presence of other people, it’s claustrophobic.

They turn into a section where the walls then become filled with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, separated and placed at six-meter intervals. Behind each is a padded white cell housing various Extras—there’s the new arrivals, the X-Triad, that one man that could turn into a ball , that Silent Shocker dude, and then—

Noah meets the gaze of the Extra at the end of the hall. Though she sits calmly on her bed, her eyes, framed by something that looks like black soot, thick grime, hold a murderous glower to them.

The Human Urchin, as the media dubbed her. Or—well, Noah liked to call her Impaler.

Somehow he feels it serves her better, fits her more since she’s placed right across the cell the Levitator is stationed in.

He glances away, continues onward. He follows Dr. Ibarra into a room behind thick metal sliding doors, shuddering when a white fog of condensation leaks outside.

“Ang lamig dito,” Noah hisses. All around the room, thick condensation mists cloud over corners, and the other lab technicians are bundled up in thick, padded coats.

But Dr. Ibarra appears wholly unbothered in his thin lab coat. “Of course. We’re dealing with volatile chemicals.”

He leads him over to a glass case, within which are four vials with a viscous translucent yellow-green liquid inside. Noah’s not sure if he’s seeing it right, but it looks as if the liquids are faintly glowing.

“That’s—”

“Chrysalis. In liquid form,” Dr. Ibarra finishes for him.

Noah wordlessly watches as the older man and a technician operate the connecting machine. It transfers one of the vials into a syringe. The other technician brings over a lone lab rat, and Dr. Ibarra carefully inserts the needle into the animal’s skin. Afterwards, they place it into a hard plexiglass case.

The changes are immediate, and the rodent seizes up, contorts, squeaks, wails in agony, running around its prison without much care for its body. Until it suddenly drops dead.

Noah’s jaw tenses. “Anong… ano ito…?”

“Watch.”

A few seconds pass. The rodent’s body twitches once—and then, it springs up. Its eyes are glowing green. It snarls , and Noah’s eyes widen as smoke billows out of its nostrils. Suddenly, flames engulf its body, shooting in several directions around the glass walls encaging it. An agonizing squeal rips through its body, but nobody moves a muscle, nobody interferes as it burns and burns—

Until only a charred body is left.

“Well. That saved us time for clean-up,” Dr. Ibarra’s soft chuckle is loud in the quiet of the room.

Noah releases a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “What the fuck was that?”

“The power of the Chrysalis.”

“Sh-should that have happened?” Noah turns to him, voice rising. Hand shaking as he gestures to the dead rodent. “B-bakit ganyan ang nangyari sa kanya? What the fuck did you just show me?!”

Dr. Ibarra tucks his hands into his pockets. “Of course that’s not what’s supposed to happen. Unstable pa ang sample namin ngayon. Hindi pa tapos.”

Noah’s face twists into disgust.

Dr. Ibarra rolls his eyes. “I understand na nagulat ka… but rest assured, this is rather normal. Standard procedure lamang, Mayor. Didn’t you want to see ‘concrete progress’?”

“When I asked for progress reports, I didn’t want this—this fucking thing! ”

Dr. Ibarra snorts. “Then ano ang inexpect mo? How did you think we were going to test out the effects of the serum? Huwag mong sabihin na naaawa ka para sa isang… walang kwentang daga ?”

“Hindi—” Noah trails off, his mouth curling into a deep and troubled frown. He meets Ibarra’s steadfast gaze, sees the unwavering conviction in it. Noah clenches his fist.

And then, he looks away, sighing.

“Fine. Just… huwag mong pakialaman ang mga tao ng Nueva Esperanza sa experiment na ito. We don’t need any more Extras than there already is.”

A beat passes. The two technicians exchange nervous glances.

A taciturn smile spreads across Dr. Ibarra’s lips. “Of course.”

--

Ding likes to think he’s been doing pretty well so far in his training, thinks that maybe he’s built up enough stamina to handle extensive movement without working up a sweat. Not like his sister, of course. Never. But he’s sure he’s grown stronger, built up better endurance.

But as he pauses halfway up the gravel trail, he thinks, this is unfair.

After all, Narda had Darna’s flight—he, on the other hand, only had his own legs. And the motorbike was at the shop right now, and Narda wasn’t around because, well—

So, here he is, a Jollibee paper bag in hand, walking the long and painful trail up the mountains of Nueva Esperanza. Hacking and coughing and panting as his heartbeat audibly drums with each step. By the time he reaches the top after a painstaking trek up, his legs already feel like jelly, and sweat beads line his forehead.

The first thing that greets him here though, now that he sees it, is the orange rays of the setting sun slowly collapsing down the horizon, forcing him to squint his eyes and cover it with a hand— it’s not at all helping that his enhanced sight has been turning a bit more permanent these days; some days, he didn’t even need glasses anymore . In the distance, he sees a woman sat on the cliff’s edge, back to him, silhouetted by the sharp rays of light.

Ding sighs. He approaches her with a hand raised up to obstruct the sun.

As he reaches the edge, he plops down unto the space beside her, not at all caring that his feet are now dangling in midair. Beside him, Narda makes room for him.

“Hindi ba masakit tignan?” Ding questions after a silent moment passes.

“Sinong nagsasabing tinitignan ko ang araw?” Narda snorts.

Ding nudges her arm. “Eh, alam kong may dalawang posibleng dahilan kung bakit ka nandito—one, para mag-isip at mag-drama diyan. Second, para mag-sightseeing… kahit na sumasapaw ang araw sa view natin ng Nueva Esperanza. At sa panahon ngayon…” He cheekily takes out a peach mago pie from the bag, offering it to her. “Siguro hindi naman posible na yung reason number one ang dahilan kung bakit ka nandito…?”

Narda gives him an indignant look, before sighing and accepting the offer. Ding grins at that, taking out his own share and quickly unwrapping it.

“Ang weird mo,” his sister grumbles.

“Alam ko. So, anong iniisip mo?” he asks her as he bites into the pastry. “Napansin ko tahimik ka kanina.”

Narda doesn’t respond immediately, instead eyeing the pie in her hands as she slowly turns it over.

Ding’s cheeky smile slowly dissolves, turning more sympathetic. He watches her for a moment. “May naaalala ka na naman ulit…?”

Narda shakes her head, sighs. “Bumalik na si Valentina.”

Ding stops chewing. His eyes go wide. “ Ha? ”

“Kagabi… sa Vanguardia Foundation, nagpakita siya. Pinatay niya sina Sanchez at Devera sa accounting.”

“B-bakit hindi mo sinabi? Bakit walang balita—?!”

Narda quickly grabs his wrist before he can make the move to get up. “Mamaya pa nila ibabalita yan… request ni Sir Rex, eh.”

Ding calms, sitting himself back down. A thoughtful expression crosses his face. “Anong… anong nangyari…?”

“Natalo ako, Ding,” Narda says it quietly.

The air stills around them for a moment. Ding offers her a look of sympathy. “I-imposible naman ata yun… Diba invincible ka naman?”

Narda wears a grim expression. Her fingers move to touch her neck. “Akala ko rin… pero… nung sinakal niya ako, may dugong lumabas. Akala ko…”

She can’t finish her sentence.

“Noong isang araw din… hindi ko rin nakayang talunin si Babaeng Lawin.”

Ding stares out the horizon, squinting against the sunlight. A sigh falls from his lips. “Bakit hindi mo sinabi kahapon… o kanina…?”

“Natatakot ako. Kung… kung totoo talaga na lahat ng mga Protektor na may hawak sa Bato ay may kapangyarihang maging invincible, na may napakalakas na defense… bakit hindi tumalab ang kakayanan niyan sa’kin? Bakit nawala? Anong ibig sabihin niyan para sa’kin…? Mahina lang ba ako?”

“Hindi noh,” Ding refutes immediately. “Sigurado ako na kung may problema man, hindi yan dahil mahina ka o ano. Di natin alam, baka… may sira lang ang Bato? Naging defective? Baka naubos mo ang enerhiya niya? O… baka hindi talaga invincible ang mga nakaraang Protektor?”

Narda looks at him, lips pressed into a thin line. Moisture lines her eyelids.

Ding reaches over and places her hand over hers. “Ate, baka kailangan mong sabihin sina Lolo Rolando at Master Klaudio? Baka may alam sila kung anong nangyayari…”

Narda’s frown wobbles. She looks as if she wants to cry, but instead, she breathes in deep, turns her hand over, and squeezes Ding’s hand.

--

“Maghintay ka lang dito, iha, ha? Pauwi na yata ang mga apo ko.”

Luna smiles. “Salamat po, Lola.”

The older woman returns the smile before walking off, spewing apologies as she excuses herself to retrieve something from the nearby carinderia. Left alone, Luna takes the chance to walk around the Custodios’ home, marveling at the design and architecture—with its wooden beams and posts, the Capiz windows, the open spaces.

It’s quite quaint. Unlike Vanguardia Foundation’s building, or her apartment right now, or —

Something catches her eye—a plain wall with a row of framed pictures hung on it.

Her eyes curiously scan each. She sees one of three people—Narda, Berta, and a young boy that should be Ding—another of a larger group, set in some carinderia, and then another of a younger Berta and an unfamiliar man, and then finally—

Luna’s unable to suppress the urge to pick up the last, a quiet gasp falling from her lips.

It’s a framed picture of a woman. And not just any woman. It’s—

“Luna?”

Luna turns at her name, one free hand pressed lightly on her lips, the other holding the picture. At the front entrance stands Narda and Ding, both wearing bewildered looks on their faces. It’s Ding who first notices that she’s holding their family picture.

“Bakit nasa’yo yan?” Ding hurries over to her, practically snatching the picture from her hands. He gives her a disapproving look.

“Ding! Ano ka ba?” Narda scolds, following after him. She turns to Luna, confused but apologetic. “Pasensya, Luna—minsan di lang talaga alam ng batang ito kung paano umasal. Eto nga pala si Ding, ang kapatid ko. Ding, eto naman si Luna, kaibigan ko mula sa foundaton. Magpakabait ka.”

“Okay lang. I understand naman—importante iyan sa inyo. Sorry,” Luna replies, taking a deep breath to calm herself a little. She flashes Ding a quick smile. “Hello nga pala, Ding.”

Ding gives her an uncertain look, hesitantly shaking her hand when she offers it to him. When he lets go of it, Luna turns to Narda.

“Gusto ko lang pala siguraduhing okay ka… after sa nangyari kahapon…”

Narda rubs the back of her neck. “Okay lang ako. Nakaalis naman ako nung dumating si Valentina… Pero, ikaw? Okay ka lang ba?”

Luna presses her lips together, nodding. Narda furrows her brows, noticing her troubled expression. But before she can ask, Luna’s gaze shifts to the picture in Ding’s hands.

“Ang… babaeng nasa picture na iyan… is that your mother?”

Narda and Ding exchange a look. “Oo,” Ding answers.

Luna takes a few steps back, smiling a wet smile. “So. Kayo nga sila.”

If Narda wasn’t already confused before, she certainly is now. “Anong—anong ibig mong sabihin?”

Luna meets her gaze. “Kayo ang mga anak ni Zora.”

A tense air fills the room immediately. Ding’s frown deepens, and Narda’s brows knit together. That name is used only by the those who come from outside this planet.

The question lies in whether it comes from a Martean or a Ludonian.

Luna seems to understand this, as her smile turns softer, and she raises her wrist up, showing off her wristwatch. She twists a dial on the device, and immediately, tiny metallic slats quickly creep along her body, emerging from the wristwatch. The Custodio siblings watch in awe as the nanotechnology engulfs her body, turning into a gold-plated armor, its design composed mostly of decorative swirls. Her once ordinary wristwatch has transformed into a gauntlet-like wearable computer device. 

“Ikaw ay—”

Luna takes a step forward, lowers herself to kneel before Narda.

“Paumanhin, sapagkat ngayon lang ako nagpakilala sa tunay kong sarili,” she says, raising her head to look at the siblings. “Isa akong mandirigma na nagmula sa planetang Marte. Matagal ko nang hinahanap si Zora.”

Ding takes a step forward, much to Narda’s surprise, and extends an arm out in front of his sister. There’s an apprehensive look on his face. “Bakit mo hinahanap si nanay? Anong kailangan mo sa kanya?”

Luna stares up at him, a conflicted expression on her face. Ding hardens his gaze.

“Lahat ng mga… alien na na-engkwentro namin noon ay parating may balak na iba, na pahamakin kami. Bakit ba kami maniniwala sa’yo—kung taga-Marte ka ba talaga o hindi?” He grabs a nearby object, not at all caring when he pulls it out and it turns out to just be an empty jar pointing at Luna. “Kaya tinatanong ko ulit— anong kailangan mo sa nanay namin?”

“Ding—!” Narda tries to pull him back, but he doesn’t budge. 

But despite the tense atmosphere and Ding’s blatant dislike of her, Luna just offers him a kind and understanding smile. “Dahil estudyante niya ako.”

The boy’s eyes are flashing, lips curled into a deep frown.

Luna raises her hands up to placate him, show that she’s not a threat. “You don’t have to trust me. Pero hayaan mo akong ipakita sa’yo—” She reaches over and types something into her gauntlet. Her armor plate glows momentarily, cumulating towards a stone set at the center of her chest. A bright light pulses from the stone, shooting a holographic image in front of her.

At that, the apprehension in Ding’s eyes melts away into shock, and then pain. The image Luna projects before them is of their mother, of Leonor, sparring with someone unseen. It’s a rather blurry image, but it was Leonor, no doubt, wearing armor that doesn’t quite match her armor as the original Protector— armor from Marte? And it’s apparent it’s a friendly match, as a smile remains on her lips the entire time, and she breathes out a laugh several times.

Tears well up in Narda’s eyes as her gaze meets the holographic image of her mother. A relaxed smile on her lips as her hands rest on her hips—a calm sort of confidence exuding from her stance, from the mere slack of her shoulders.

She misses her so much.

Narda’s heart constricts, as some part of her vaguely reminisces how easily Leonor had fit into her role as the Protector. Even if she’d just seen her as the Protector on TV once, even if she’d found out too late.

So perfectly, in fact, that it has made her own shortcomings so much more apparent, punctured holes in what should have been the extraordinary façade of Darna.

The holographic projection dissipates at the touch of a button.

“May iba ka pa ba?” Ding asks, eyes desperate; he doesn’t even realize he’d asked it out loud, had wanted to chase after the recorded memory.

“Of course,” Luna smiles kindly. “Marami pang mga moments, mga memories, at mga scenarios na-record ko dito.” She points at her gauntlet. Her smile turns sad. “Napakabuti ng kaluluwa ni Zora—napakabait. Matiyaga. Pasaway pa ako noon—noong bata pa ako—ngunit hindi niya ako pinabayaan. She was my guiding light.”

Narda returns her smile, even as hers trembles. “Siya ang pinakakarapat-dapat na saluin ang responsibilidad ng pagiging Protektor.”

Luna turns to look at her. “Ngunit… wala na siya.”

The air quiets again. A moment of solemn understanding passes among the three.

“Paano mo nalaman…?” Ding questions softly.

“Ilang buwan na ako nandito. Nalaman ko mula sa mga news articles na nahalungkat ko from four years ago—may picture siya doon, eh . Doon ko din nalaman na may mga anak pala siya. I just couldn’t find you because they didn’t disclose your names… but then, I met you .” Her gaze meets Narda’s. A hopeful smile forms on her lips. “I wasn’t sure at first but…Totoo nga. Kayo nga sila.”

Ding and Narda exchange another look. “Ano ang kailangan mo sa amin…?” The boy asks.

Luna breathes out a relenting sigh. “Sa totoo lang, nais ko lang tuparin ang misyon ko. I became her student… because when I was young, I was given the role to fight by her side. Be a warrior. Para pagsilbihin siya.”

“‘Warrior’?” Ding sets the jar down.

“Oo. Ang misyon ko ay maging alalay ng Protektor, pero…” a grim look passes over Luna’s face. “Alam niyo na siguro na umalis siya sa Marte dahil sa digmaan… kaya hindi ko natupad ang aking misyon. At ngayon din, wala na siya… Kaya hinahanap ko ang bagong Protektor. At… sa tingin ko, baka may alam kayo kung nasaan siya. Kung sino siya.”

Narda tenses. 

Luna gives her an imploring look. “Alam ko na… wala kayong rason talaga para magtiwala sa akin, pero… believe me when I say na minahal ko si Zora na parang isang ina. She was there for me when I was alone. At dahil doon, nais kong ipagtupad lamang ang nararapat—to honor her legacy by serving her successor.”

The Martean wears an expression full of conviction, of hope. Gray eyes boring into the two siblings’ own gazes. And while Ding still holds an ounce of apprehension in him, still holds himself cautiously, Narda, however, has a thoughtful expression.

If she did train under Leonor’s guidance—

Narda purses her lips, curls her fingers into her moist hands. “Magkaibigan tayo, Luna.”

Baka pwede niya akong turuan…

She takes a step forward, free hand digging into her pocket. Luna’s gaze doesn’t miss the movement. “Sa tingin ko sapat naman ang rason na iyan—”

Baka pwede akong matuto…

Luna’s eyes widen as the gleaming Stone emerges from Narda’s pocket. Behind them, Ding shoots his sister a skeptical look.

Then, sa paraang iyon—

Baka lalakas ako.

“Ako ang bagong Protektor,” declares Narda, presenting the White Stone to the Martean, who stares up at her in awe.

“Ikaw ang—” Luna’s lips slowly curl into a smile. “Of course. Hindi naman yan nakakagulat.” She bows her head. “I am at your service, Protector.”

Ding flashes her sister another uncertain look, but Narda doesn’t notice. Her lips are pressed together, eyebrows furrowed. Conflict mars her expression as she closes her fingers around the Stone.

“Luna, kung naging estudyante ka talaga ni Nanay,” Narda says, “pwede mo ba akong turuan ngayon?”

Luna’s gaze shoots up, widening. “‘T-turuan—hindi ka ba nagtraining…?”

“Masyadong maaga siyang kinuha mula sa’min. Hindi—hindi sapat ang naturo niya,” Narda reasons through grit teeth, through a deepening frown. “Kailangan kong maging mas malakas pa. I need to be better— ”

Luna furrows her brows, a bit bewildered.

“I need—” Narda’s jaw tenses. “Kailangan ko ng lakas… para patumbahin si Heneral Borgo…”

So I can save more people.

Para maprotektahan ko ang mga pinakmahalaga sa akin.

The Martean blinks, taken aback for a moment, before understanding passes over her expression. “Naramdaman ko rin ang presence niya sa planetang ito. Sigurado akong hinahanap niya pa rin ang Bato. At ang bagong Protektor.”

Narda nods, glancing back at Ding.

Luna sighs, and then smiles. “Naiintindihan ko. I will train you, Narda. Ipapasa ko ang lahat ng mga natutunan ko mula kay Zora sa’yo. Sisiguraduhin kong lalakas ka. Iaalay ko ang buong suporta ko sa’yo… Protektor. ”

She takes Narda’s hands with both of hers, shaking them firmly. Narda smiles gratefully, before she steps forward and embraces the girl. Squeezing her tightly. Luna, although taken aback at first, gladly accepts it, wrapping her own arms around her.

A few paces back, Ding watches the pair uncertainly, a gnawing sense of unease coiling in his gut.

--

Ding often worries about his sister, but he’s never too keen on showing it outright. It’s too touchy-feely , too upfront—Narda and him liked to exchange banter, not feelings . He liked to tease her about things he knows don’t matter much to her—like the whole Brian fiasco, before he’d gone and made her mad anyway—but talk about her actual troubles?

No way. That’s just not him—or them . Besides, it’s always Narda who’s better at talking about feelings. It’s always Narda who’d suck it up and prod him about his first. It’s always Narda who’d tell them first if she was worried about something.

But nowadays, Narda doesn’t talk about feelings much, even though he can see the worry lines increasing on her face, the furrow of her brow that seems to have remained in place. It’d bothered him so much he’d even resorted to asking her about whatever it is that bothered her first, and while she did answer him, he feels as if there was more to it than she’d let on. 

And it hurts Ding because in his eyes his sister is already so incredibly strong. She’s Darna—the White Stone chose her—but it’s as if she’s forgotten about that. And most of all, she’s his sister.

It hurts that he can’t seem to make her see it. And it hurts more that it’s really because she won’t tell him more. And he can’t even reveal anything to Lolo Rolando or Hergis because Luna had asked them to keep her presence here a secret. After all, she’s also an enemy of the Ludonians here. And she doesn’t trust anyone—or at least, that’s what she’d said.

“Palagi nalang niyang inuulit yang mantrang iyan— ‘kailangan kong lumakas, kailangan kong lumakas’ . Hindi ko alam kung bakit—siya naman si Darna, hindi ba? Siya naman ang pinili ng Bato!” Ding says instead, when he’d gone over to confide—no, rant —to the two older men. “Bakit hindi niya nakikita iyon?”

“Hindi naman mali ang kagustuhan ng Protektor,” Hergis remarks, glancing up from the workbench. “Gusto niyang lumakas, humusay, dahil kailangan niyang talunin si Borgo.”

Ding crosses his arms, looks at a random speck of dust on the corner of the wall. “Hindi naman… sa ganyan. Wala akong problema kung gusto niyang lumakas—ako rin naman. Gustung-gusto kong lumakas. Pero—”

He presses his lips together, thinks back to the short conversation they had before Luna had visited them—on the trek down the mountain.

(“May sinabi si Valentina sa akin—” Narda had muttered to him.)

Ding’s fingers curl around the fabric of his shirt’s sleeves, bunching the fabric. “Sinabi niya na… mga biktima daw ni Darna ang mga Extras ngayon. Na nandito sila dahil lang sa kanya.”

Lolo Rolando hums thoughtfully. Hergis leans against his bench, stroking his chin.

Ding sighs. “Naguguluhan akong isipan kung bakit. Paano niyang naging biktima ang mga Extras? Ba’t naging… ganyan siya ka-desperadong magsanay ng bigla? Parang may feeling ako na… may hindi sinasabi si Ate, eh.”

Lolo Rolando looks at him for a moment, and then smiles. He places a hand on his shoulder. “Galit ka dahil sa tingin mo hindi ka pinagkakatiwalaan ng ate mo.”

“H-hindi—” Ding stammers, frowns. “Hindi iyan ang dahilan bakit—alam kong may tiwala si Ate sa akin—p-pero hindi sa lahat ng bagay.” His jaw clenches. “Parang… wala siyang tiwala sa mga salita ko. Na parang hindi sila sapat, at… hindi pa rin niya sinasabi sa akin ang buong katotohanan, ang buong kwento…”

There’s always a missing piece to it. He knows that Regina’s disappearance had changed something in Narda—but why exactly it happened, he’s not sure. There’s always a small inkling—he hasn’t missed the way Narda’s still diligently scouring newspapers, social media, and whatever else to find any hints of her whereabouts (even if Narda doesn’t realize she’s doing it).

But it’s not enough. He doesn’t know how it ties in to her attitude change with her role as the Protector. And most of all, he wishes she trusted him enough to tell him more .

They’ve been together through thick and thin, haven’t they? 

“Hindi naman… mali ang sinabi ng Babaeng Ahas, ni Valentina,” Hergis mutters thoughtfully.

Ding shoots him a look. “Ano’ng pinagsasabi mo—?”

The Ludonian holds a hand up. “Pakinggan mo muna ako. Dumating ang Cyborg na nagdala ng Chrysalis apat na taon noon dahil hinahanap niya ang Bato… na nasa proteksyon ng Protektor. Pwede mong masabi na kung wala ang Bato dito, kung wala si Darna, hindi mangyayari ang lahat ng mga ito. At walang taong magiging Extra.”

“Paano mo naman masisisi yan kay Ate? Hindi naman siya ang Protektor noon, kundi si Nanay!” Ding argues, voice rising despite his efforts to calm himself. “Hindi naman niya hininging maging target ng Heneral niyo. Hindi naman siya ang nagpadala ng Cyborg na yun—!”

“Ngunit, siya ang Protektor ngayon ,” Hergis interjects calmly. His tone coldly objective. “At ang Protektor ang siyang pumili sa planetang ito para gawin niyang taguan. At ngayon, kailangan niyang saluhin ang mga kahihinatnan ng desisyong iyan, kahit na totoo man na ang gumawa ng desisyong ito ay ang dating Protektor. Eto ang tunay na kahulugan ng pagiging Protektor, bilang ang kaluluwang pinili ng Bato.”

Ding grits his teeth, understanding what Hergis means but not at all willing to accept it. “It’s unfair.”

The Ludonian’s stoic expression, however, melts away into one of diluted sympathy, and he sighs. “Alam kong mahirap intindihin ang damdamin ng kapatid mo. Ngunit, nakikita ko sa kanya ang kagustuhang iligtas at tulungin ang mga kapwa niyong tao. Sigurado akong nakikita din ni Narda ang kahalagahan ng kanyang tungkulin bilang ang tagahawak ng Bato.”

Lolo Rolando nods slowly, offering Ding a sympathetic smile as well. “Bata ka pa, Ding, kaya hindi mo kasalanan yan. Ang Ate mo, may marami ng mga pasan at responsibilidad. Subukin mong tignan ang buong sitwasyon mula sa kanyang perspective. Kung meron man siyang hindi masabi, siguro hindi yan dahil wala siyang tiwala sa’yo. Kaya, kailangan mong maging mas marahan. Be patient with her.”

Ding chews on his bottom lip, pondering it over for a moment. But the two older men’s gentle gazes bore into him, churning the guilt deep in his abdomen. He was a bit dismissive with Narda, wasn’t he?

He sighs. “Okay. Sige, po.”

He thanks them as he leaves, choosing to spend some time with himself to think things over. As he disappears, Rolando and Hergis exchange a look.

“Sa tingin mo ba alam na ni Valentina ang tungkol sa Chrysalis? Tungkol sa Bato?” Rolando asks quietly.

Hergis crosses his arms. “Kung pinaghinalaan na niya na ang Protektor ay ang may sala sa pagiging Extra niya, wala akong duda na may alam na siya tungkol sa Chrysalis. At kung alam niya iyon, sino sa tingin mo ang nagsabi sa kaniya…?”

Rolando’s gaze hardens. “Si Borgo. Baka nagtatrabaho si Valentina para sa kanya? O kasabwat ba sila?” He leans on a wall, taps his finger on his arm. “Yung sinabi mo kanina tungkol sa Cyborg na nagdala ng Chrysalis—sa tingin mo ba meron pang materyales na natitira sa kaniya na nandito?”

Hergis ponders on it. “Hindi ko alam, pero posible nga. Hindi madaling wasakin ang teknolohiya mula sa labas—mula sa Marte man o sa Ludo—lalo na kapag firepower sa earth lamang ang pinag-uusapan natin.”

A beat of silence passes. Rolando strokes his chin, thinking for a moment. “Sa tingin mo ba… pwede nating magamit ang mga iyon upang gumawa ng gamot para sa mga Extras?”

Hergis thinks on it for a moment. “Siguro… may materyales doon na makakatulong.”

“Baka pwede nating masalba ang mga iyon. Gamitin para sa paggamot ng mga Extras.”

“Kung mahahanap natin.”

“May ideya ako kung nasaan ang iilan sa kanila. Nandoon lang sa computer ko.”

Hergis sighs, rubs his chin. “Pero… kahit na makukuha natin ang mga materyales sa nawasak na Cyborg, kailangan pa rin natin ang Bato.”

Rolando gives him a disapproving look. “Alam mong hindi payag si Narda niyan.”

“Pero yan lang, sa pagkakaalam ko, ang talagang may sapat na enerhiya at kapangyarihang tanggalin ang Chrysalis mula sa mga Extras,” Hergis says. “Biyaya siya mula sa kalangitan, sa mga bituin. May pambihirang mahika na kayang wasakin ang isang planeta, kung totoo ang mga nakasulat sa libro namin doon. Diba sinabi ko? Ang tanging paraan ay mahika.

“Kaya wala pa ring silbi… kung ano man ang susubukan nating gawin sa mga nasalbang mga bahagi at materyales mula sa Cyborg. Kung wala ang Bato, wala pa ring mabubunga ang ating mga gawa-gawain.” Hergis finishes his declaration with a frown, giving him a sideways glance.

Rolando’s jaw tenses, his gaze turns grim, and then finally, he sighs as he looks away.

It’s not as if he doesn’t know that. And he’s sure some part of Narda knows it too.

But he can’t do anything about it. Because he knows Narda has her boundaries, knows Narda needs to come to the conclusion herself first and give them her approval.

So, for now— “Sa ngayon, pagtuunan muna natin ang paghanap at pagkuha ng mga nawawalang bahagi ng Cyborg.”

Hergis gives a soft, disappointed exhale.

--

“Kahapong Huwebes, nagpakita ulit ang nakakilabot na Extra—ang Babaeng Ahas, na siya ring tinatawag na si ‘Valentina’. Kung natatandaan niyo, Nueva Esperanza, apat na buwan na ang nakalipas nung bigla nalang nawala ang Extra mula dito. Pero ngayon, bumalik ulit siya para maghasik ng lagim.

“Bandang alas-otso sa gabi kahapon, pinatay ng Extra ang dalawang empleado mula sa Vanguardia Foundation. Hindi pa pinapalabas ang buong detalye sa mga biktima maliban sa pareho silang lalaki at nakatrabaho sa accounting department ng Foundation. Wala pang comment ang CEO na si Rex Vanguardia ukol s—”

Antiporda turns the TV off, sighing, as he glances over at his godson, who’s sat at another desk, surrounded by documents and paperwork. Even though they’re both at Brian’s apartment, the younger man has been burying himself in work ever since the attack. Although this time, when the Snake Woman’s name was mentioned on TV, he’d perked up.

There’s a sort-of frenzied gleam in his eyes as he stares intently at the now blackened screen. A million thoughts visibly running through his head that cannot be deciphered. Antiporda almost finds it frightening.

The boy’s been obsessing over the Extra for months now, and he can’t really blame him because it’s the case that those pesky SOCO agents have been coveting since they’d first set up their division in their station three months ago. But all the same, something tells him there’s an underlying, deeper reason to all of this. A reason behind his godson’s obsession.

“Brian, tama na yan,” he says, effectively snapping Brian out of his reverie. “Hindi ka pa kumakain, oh.” He gestures to the plate in front of him on the dining table.

“Ah, Ninong, sorry,” Brian lets out a short laugh, sniffling, before he shakes his head clear of his thoughts. He goes back to his paperwork. “Tatapusin ko muna ito.”

“Sinabi mo iyan kanina. Malapit nang mag-alas-otse,” Antiporda stands up, walks over to him.

Brian flinches when he claps a hand on his shoulder. “Ano ba?!”

“Kain ka na,” Antiporda says gently, placating him.

The boy gives him a hard look for a moment, before eventually closing his eyes and sighing through his nose. He slumps against his chair, massages the bridge of his nose, and then his temples.

“Gusto ko lang mahanap sa wakas ang Extrang iyon,” Brian mumbles. “Hindi pala— kailangan ko siyang mahanap.”

“Alam ko, pero dahan-dahan ka lang. Parang nawawalan ka na ng tulog,” Antiporda offers him a gentle smile. “Sigurado akong mahahanap mo siya. Pero sa ngayon, kumain ka muna.”

Brian glances at him through the gap between his fingers. A small smile forms on his lips. “Okay, okay. Roger, po.”

Antiporda grins, claps him on the back as he gets up. “That’s my boy.”

(Still, he feels a prick of worry when he glances over his desk and sees the picture of a familiar attorney sticking out of his ‘evidence’ folder.)

--

Ugh.

Narda presses her hand on her shoulder, groaning as she waves her other arm around. Trainings with Luna really can get quite intense. She’s not like Leonor, who held back because— well , she was just a teenager then. But Luna has no qualms about any of that.

The girl was not at all afraid to show off her combat prowess, with a move set filled with hard-hitting hand strikes mixed with agile movement. It’s a bit similar to what Leonor had taught her, but also quite different—she noticed a significant addition of high kicks and quick evading maneuvers that required a few extra practices in flexibility. 

But much like she’d noticed with Leonor, Marteans had a thing for honor. They fought smart, sure—Luna liked to use the environment to her advantage—but there was always a matter of procedure, of dignity. Luna never charged at her when she was already down, nor did she attempt low blows when Narda was caught off guard.

But it didn’t mean she wasn’t clever. When Narda used her enhanced speed as Darna once to take her on from all directions, Luna had taken the first few hits, observed, and then matched her by predicting every upcoming strike. Until Narda, surprisingly, found herself landing on her back once again.

(“Never be too predictable,” Luna had said, all cheeky smiles and twinkling eyes, as she helped her up after knocking her down.)

She’s a careful and controlled warrior, with deliberate strikes meant to hit in just the right places to easily subdue an opponent. And under her tutelage, Narda gains a few tricks up her sleeve— use her environment more, keep your stance wide—

In just a week, she feels as if she’s improved much already.  Maybe she does end up a bit bruised and battered sometimes— a lot of times —but her movements have come out a lot more polished than before. Her attacks are swifter, her combat more calculated.

So, even if her muscles are sore now, it’s fine. Really. Because this is a necessary sacrifice—she’ll do anything to grow stronger. After all—

A cold breeze brushes across her skin, and she shivers. A memory of a familiar night crosses her mind, a fleeting ghost—green eyes shining through the darkness.

Valentina is back. Narda fought her. Narda learned that she already knew about the Stone. Yet, still, she had nightmares the night after.

Even now, she still shudders when she recalls the Extra’s terrifyingly cold expression, the sound of rattling, the cacophony of hisses from the snakes slithering along her scalp.

She needs to be stronger. Be better. She’s the Stonekeeper, the Protector , for heaven’s sake.

It does not matter that she spends most of these days exhausted now, precariously juggling the roles of Darna, an EMT officer, Luna’s new student, and a family member of the Custodio household between her fingers.

Even now, when she’s finally carved some free time out of her schedule— thankfully Luna’s busy on this Saturday —she’s still filling in some noble role. Walking alone in a deserted alley used as a shortcut to the Esperanza Orphanage, shuddering in the fear-muddled cold—all so she can catch it if someone attempts anything criminal in these secluded areas.

Her mere source of comfort as of the moment is the thought of the kids in the orphanage. She wonders vaguely if they missed her—after all, she used to come in more regularly for visits, bringing Lola Berta’s food or whatever else Ma’am Aliyah would mention. But it’s been a month now.

So, this time she brings food and toys as some form of apology. She did just receive a bonus from Rex, so she got to splurge a bit—some of the kids did mention they wanted new toys there. She finds comfort in the imagination of what their reactions would be when they’d see her—maybe she’ll hear another chorus of ‘ Ate Narda ’s come her way, all from wide open-mouthed grins.

As she nears the orphanage, she sees its form slowly emerging from behind the thick trees, its structure growing with each step. But as she approaches its fences, she hears distant voices.

“…saya ako dahil na-adopt na sa wakas si Nico, pero…” A beat. “Hindi ko alam… hindi ko lang siguro kayang bumitaw. Lumaki yang batang yan sa orphanage, eh, mula noong sanggol pa siya… hanggang ngayon…”

It’s Ma’am Aliyah’s voice. She must be talking to one of the other workers there; though, for some reason, it’s as if she’s speaking in hushed tones. Narda furrows her brows, but nonetheless keeps walking.

“Huwag kang mag-alala, Ma’am Aliyah. It’s normal to feel that way—ikaw naman ang nag-alaga sa kanya mula noon pa.”

Narda freezes.

“But… Nico’s a good boy naman. I’m sure na kung sino man ang pumili sa kanya, nakita niya yun.”

Ang b—

“Siguro nga tama ka. Hay , hindi ko alam. Maybe I’m overreacting.”

Narda forces her legs to move. Takes a step forward. Then another. And another.

“The important thing is… Nico’s finally found a home. I just… naaalala ko noon—palaging walang pumapansin sa kanya dahil sa kapansanan niya. I hated it—seeing him left all alone.”

Narda’s heart is pounding. Beating so hard, it feels as if it wants to break through her chest. Every limb feels cold, numb.

Ang boses na iyon—

There’s a gap between the foliage creeping along the pickets.

“…Namiss ka niya, alam mo ba? Palagi niyang tinatanong noon kung bakit hindi na dumadalo ang Ate Regina niya.”

Narda stops at the gap, breathless as she peeks through. A trembling breath is ripped out of her lips. A chill runs down from her spine, her limbs, and then to her fingertips.

A few paces away from her, beyond the tall iron fences, by a wooden post holding up a canopy, there stands two people, shaded against the moonlight. One is Ma’am Aliyah, arms crossed, stance relaxed. And beside her, standing a few inches taller—

The other person turns, angles her head just enough to reveal her side profile, and the air around Narda thins.

There’s a black cap on her head. Her hair is a bit longer, more voluminous, the blonde highlights remain, now tied into a messy, wavy ponytail. There’s no mistaking it—

“I wish I had been able to at least say goodbye,” Regina Vanguardia says, a sad smile playing on her lips. “But you know why I couldn’t.”

Time freezes for Narda in this very instant of a moment.

Chapter Text

The foliage makes an audible crunch beneath her feet as she takes each slow step. It is the season when tree leaves have begun to redden, have begun falling.  Just in front of her, Aliyah pauses her pace, turning around to face her.

“Babalik ka na ba…?” the older woman asks in a whisper.

Regina gives her a meaningful look before she sighs and looks away. “Who knows?”

“You know na-miss ka ng maraming tao dito, hindi lang si Nico…”

Regina doesn’t miss the vague implication in her tone—she has heard about Aliyah’s new acquaintance. It’s enough to spark a long-buried hope deep in her chest, one she immediately stamps down again. “It’s not that easy.”

“Pero nandito ka ngayon,” Aliyah argues with a chuckle.

“I’m just…” Regina purses her lips. Something painful knots along the cavities of her chest. Eliciting sorrow and longing all at once, all rooted in deep-seated guilt. “Just… trying to clear my head.”

Aliyah watches her as she stares down at her palms. They look and feel more calloused, rougher now than before. She curls her fingers inward.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think Nueva Esperanza condemns you,” the older woman says, reaching over to squeeze her shoulders. “In fact, it was so very like you. Namangha ang buong siyudad sa’yo.”

A small smile tugs at Regina’s lips. She supposes she’s not surprised Aliyah had brought that up after all this time. It’s the first time she’s visited in months. “Is that so?”

“Very much so,” Aliyah grins. But her smile falters, falling alongside her hand. “Hindi… ko alam kung ano’ng pinagdadaanan mo ngayon… o ano ang nangyayari behind the scenes na kailangan mong magtago ng ganyan ka tagal. But know that I will always have your back. Esperanza Orphanage will always have your back.”

Regina gives her a grateful smile, because it’s all she can really offer her at this moment. “Thank you.”

Aliyah exhales deeply, pasting on a sad smile as she steps on the orphanage’s front porch. “Oh s’ya—it was good seeing you again, iha. But… kailangan ko nang bumalik sa loob. Huwag mong kalimutang bumisita ulit, ha?”

Regina nods, adjusting her cap lower on her head. “Yes, of course, Ma’am Aliyah.”

The door closes behind the older woman. She looks up at the house—not too small, but not enormous either. Just a quaint two-storey concrete shack, really. But it looks well-maintained, with a neat yard and cleaned outside walls.

She’s glad her donations have still been put to good use.

A chilly night breeze passes through, and Regina shivers. She realizes then she’s all alone now.

She lingers for a moment, scuffing her shoe against the stone steps, taking a few placating breaths to calm herself.

Come on, we’re already better at this.

Sighing, she turns around then, goes to walk off around the back of the lot, when she suddenly hears a twig snap.

She whirls around at the direction of the sound—squinting her eyes at the darkness behind the vegetation creeping along the fences. The seconds pass like elongated heartbeats, tension filling the thick silence.

But all there is, is the buzzing crickets.

Eventually, Regina releases the breath she was holding, although reluctantly. She hasn’t seen anything amiss in the seconds that have passed.

Takot ka ba?

Ha. What a ridiculous notion. Still, even as she comes to the conclusion it must have just been some animal, she hurries to leave.

She makes it back to the small shack she’s been calling home these past few months deep into the late hours of dawn. Not a single star is visible in the night sky, all obscured by a thick blanket of gray clouds. The small structure is tucked into a corner of the forest by the foot of the mountains, shrouded by clumps of trees and shrubs.

When she arrives, she’s surprised to find that, despite the late hours, she’s not alone. A female figure stands by the kitchen counter, bent over and seemingly in pain.

“Ishna.”

The woman whirls around on her, staring at her with a wide-eyed gaze. But she visibly relaxes when she sees it’s just her. “Ah. Ikaw lang pala yan, Vanguardia.”

She turns around again, dunking her arm beneath the kitchen faucet’s running water. Regina stares at her for a moment, before sighing and going over to the emergency backpack slung over the makeshift coat rack. She dumps it on the dining table, sifts through it for something, and moves to stand beside Ishna.

“Saan na naman galing ang mga iyan?” Regina gestures to the bruises along her knuckles, her arms, the cut on her face.

Ishna’s jaw tenses. “May kinalaban lang akong mga hangal na Extras.”

Regina gives her a sideways glance. “I thought we were supposed to support them.”

“Hindi naman lahat tumatanggap sa suporta natin,” Ishna retorts, swiping her knuckle against the corner of her mouth.  “So, there’s a need to knock some sense into them.”

She turns to face her, furrowing her brows when Regina has an antiseptic and bag of cotton balls offered up to her. Regina raises a brow. Ishna huffs before snatching them away. She takes a seat on one of the mismatched chairs around the dining table and begins applying the ointment on her wounds.

Regina leans against the countertop, arms crossed, watching her silently. It’s not the first time this has happened: Ishna, coming over in the late hours when she thinks everybody around would be asleep to clean her wounds.

It’s not often, but it’s happened enough times that Regina had noticed.

“Yan lang ba talaga ang dahilan…?” she asks hesitantly.

Though Ishna and her are by no means ‘close’—nor does she even consider her a ‘friend’—she is still her ally, of sorts. A comrade. Her other mentor alongside Borgo—although, Borgo was kinder to her, and so she preferred training under him.

There’s a begrudging respect between them she can’t just ignore for pettiness, and her experiences in the field of law have honed her gut senses with some things.

And right now, her gut is telling her there’s something more to it than what Ishna was letting on. Though, she’s not sure what.

Ishna looks up at her, cold glower in her gray eyes. “Anong pakialam mo?” she spits, setting her tools down.

Regina grits her teeth. Well. Emphasis on ‘not friends’.

“…Fine.” She curls her lip, sneering. “Wala naman talaga. Rot in hell, for all I care.”

She swiftly turns around and walks towards the only room— her room—in the house, passing by Ali on the couch, deep in slumber. But before she can turn the knob, Ishna calls her name. Regina turns to look at her, visible annoyance in her expression.

Ishna’s once cold expression turns exceptionally neutral again. “Saan ka nanggaling?”

Regina tenses. “Anong pakialam mo?” she parrots her words back to her.

Ishna lets out a sarcastic laugh. “You’re a bit more sensitive than usual,” she observes.

“ ‘Sensitive? ” Regina scoffs. “What does that have to do with anything?” 

“Everything, Regina Vanguardia.” Ishna gets up from her seat, abandoning the medical supplies. “Huwag mong kalimutan na sundalo ka na ni Heneral. Walang lugar ang mga katanungang iyan, ang mga alalahanin mo, dito. Huwag kang magpadala sa emosyon.”

Regina glares as she approaches. “Wala kang alam.”

Ishna stops a few paces in front of her, crossing her arms and leaning against a nearby post. “Hindi ko man alam kung saan ka pumunta o sino ang pinuntahan mo… pero huwag mong kalimutan ang dahilan kung bakit pinili mong magtago for these past months. Kasama kana namin. You are a part of our cause.”

A beat.

“Kahit ilang beses mong subukang maghugas ng mga kamay mo mula sa iyong mga kasalanan, it cannot wash away the blood you’ve spilled, the lives you’ve taken,” Ishna continues, “Nasa unang hakbang na tayo ng plano ni Heneral. You’ve sacrificed too much to turn back.” Her gaze falls briefly, growing distant.

Regina clenches her fists, fingers digging deep and hard into the flesh of her palms. Her glare could burn holes through Ishna’s face.

But the woman remains unfazed. “Unless duwag ka.”

“Hindi ako duwag,” Regina says immediately, hissing it through grit teeth.

An indignant smile tugs at the corner of Ishna’s mouth. “Good. Then, may training tayo bukas. Alam mo na kung nasaan. 5 AM sharp; don’t be late.”

At that, Ishna leaves the shack, not even bothering to finish treating her wounds or return the bag. And again, Regina is left alone with her thoughts.

She withdraws a slow, shaky breath through her nose, before she allows herself to lean— collapse —against the wall.

Tama naman siya—

We’ve been doing so well—

Pero ngayon, hindi pa tayo nakakain—

Is it all because you saw he—

“Shut up,” Regina whispers harshly. At the voices in her head. At herself. At nothing, in particular, really. “You’ll get your fill tomorrow. Okay?”

The voices die down with each intake of breath. But nonetheless, there’s a gnawing sense of contempt eating away at Regina—

After all, she knows Ishna is right. Knows Valentina —or, well, her own self —is right. God. She’s better than this. She’d trained for months just to— to control herself better. But now it’s just been a week, for fuck’s sake, and it’s as if she’s back to the way she was all those months ago. But—

But it’s not her fault she was there. She did everything she could to take her out of there, didn’t she?

So, why was Narda in Vanguardia Foundation again?

Why did she have to see her again, after all these months?

What could she have done?

What can she do?

(It’s not her fault she feels this way. She tried to bury it all away, tried to stamp down everything there is— every thought, every memory— that reminds her of her —yet, a mere glimpse of that pesky girl is somehow enough to unearth every single effort she’s made. Rupture her world, reconfigure her gravities—and all other things poets or some form of them would say.

And now—

Now, there is a dull ache rooted deep in her chest, an annoying itch, a reopened scab wound—

And at the core of it all is—)

She needs to get rid of this.

--

“Mukha kang walang tulog,” Ali comments plainly. Mere observation. He extends a steaming coffee mug towards her as she enters the open kitchen.

Regina wipes the dirt off her cheek, frowning, but nonetheless accepts the drink. She collapses on one of the dining chairs, sighing. She must look like she’s worse for wear—Ali’s never one to make comments like that out loud.

She did barely get much sleep, and Ishna was a lot harsher during training that morning, despite the few bruises still present along her body. She never liked her dirty combat style—it was smart, sure, but always dirty. Always low blows, somersaulted attacks, swift movements—always hard and fast strikes to the knees, shins, crotch, solar plexus, or the throat.

It’s always about using everything in your power, in your environment to put yourself at an advantage. And though she had adapted it, had learned to utilize it herself, Ishna’s always five steps ahead of her.

She wonders vaguely if this is the fighting style adapted by most Marteans.

Today, she’d kicked up dirt in her face, kicked her shin, and headbutted her hard—only when she’d finally let out Valentina, practically screamed in her face, did the other back down with a laugh.

(“Ganyan nga, Vanguardia,” Ishna had hissed, staring up at her from the ground as Valentina pinned her hands to her sides, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. “Marahas. Matigas. At walang awa. Eto ang ibig sabihin ng pagiging sundalo ni Heneral. Sana huwag mong makalimutan ulit.”)

Valentina had snarled before releasing her, roughly shoving her back as she did so. The warrior had attempted to get back at her, but Borgo had arrived then. And now, she’s here.

“Binugbog ka ba ni Ishna?” Ali asks.

“Manahimik ka,” Regina mutters through the mouth of the cup, though her tone has no malice.

Ali slides a bag of cotton and an antiseptic bottle towards her. But Regina merely gives it a glance, choosing instead to finish her coffee first.

“I don’t need that,” she says, setting the now empty mug down. And it is true. She had been shot just a week ago, but there is no wound left—not even a scar or some leftover soreness.

All she needs is to feed, and for some reason, her wounds would disappear in mere seconds.

There are some perks to being an Extra, she supposes.

The man purses his lips, leans against the tabletop. A thoughtful expression on his face. “Okay. May plano ka na naman bang pumunta sa siyudad?”

Regina looks up at him. “You know I have to.”

“Gusto mo bang samahan kita?” Ali offers a kind smile. He did use to handle the cleanup of the evidence, back in the first few weeks. But eventually, she lost the need for it.

After all, at Ishna’s insistence, she had begun ‘hunting’ outside of Nueva Esperanza. Ishna had said it would be a good idea—to keep off Darna and the Extra task force’s trail, throw off any other trails she would have attracted if she just concentrated her attacks in Nueva Esperanza. Among other things.

In the months after that, Ali had often just stayed here, around the area, in this shack, sometimes even going off to Nueva Esperanza in a disguise. With nothing better to do, he’d sometimes accompany Ishna, the other Extras employed, like that bulky man whose skin turned to metal, training or assisting them.

Most of the times, however, he’d be left alone to house-sit. No wonder he looks a bit hopeful. Regina almost pities him.

“No. Just… do what you always do,” Regina slaps her two hands on the table surface, using them to push herself up. “I’ll be back late.”

Ali nods, disappointed. He watches her walk towards the door. Before she can leave, however, his voice pipes up. “Pupunta ka ba kay…?” he trails off, unsure if it’s alright to finish the question. Unsure if he can even ask the question.

Regina pauses in her stride, glances over at him. “No.” she says after a moment.

Ali nods slowly, exhaling a deep breath. “Then, kamusta ba sila sa orphanage…? Hindi ako nakapagdalo, eh.”

Oh. Right. They didn’t get to talk about that. A small smile forms on Regina’s lips, unbidden. “Na-adopt na si Nico. And Ms. Aliyah says hi.”

A genuine smile spreads across Ali’s cheeks. He did like to play with that little boy whenever they used to visit the orphanage together.

He’d said he was creative and fun to talk to, even if he could only talk through writing, and he had a heart of gold. But that must have been over a year ago now.

“Talaga? Kailan?”

“Just recently,” Regina’s smile falters. She exhales through her nose. “You should visit them and ask about it yourself.”

“T-talaga…?”

“You’ll be able to soon enough.”

Ali’s smile falls, realization dawning upon him. “Kinausap ka ba ni—ng Heneral na iyon…?”

Regina gives him a meaningful look. “He said it’s almost time.”

Ali looks away then, falling silent. At that, Regina lets out another sigh, before she opens the door and leaves.

The rock he stands on rises high above the ground, a small cliffside, providing him a perfect view of Regina Vanguardia’s retreating figure. Turning smaller and smaller, and then finally disappearing into the thick woods. Off to the direction of the city.

Borgo exhales deeply through his nose. The leaves ruffle behind him, the sound of footsteps following after, and then he feels a presence a few paces beside him. A smirk curls into his lips.

“Nararamdaman mo ba, Ishna?” he says, “Umiiba na ang daloy ng hangin, ang agos ng tubig, ang amoy ng nakakapaligid. Malapit na ang panahong makukuha ko ang Bato.”

Beside him, Ishna follows his gaze. “Sa… tingin mo ba talaga… mapapanindigan niya ang role niya sa plano mo, Heneral…?”

The General sneers, turning around to face her. His arm shoots out, and before Ishna can register it, he has her in his grasp, choking her neck as he lifts her off the ground.

Borgo always had a volatile temperament, but it’s even worse when it comes to Regina—or, rather, Valentina . He’d treat her as if she was his own child.

“Wala ka bang tiwala sa akin? Si Valentina ay ang aking mandirigma, ang aking estudyante. Kung kukuwestyonin mo siya, kinukwestyon mo rin ako!” Borgo seethes.

Ishna gasps out a choking breath, struggling against his tight grip. “P-patawad… Heneral… h-hindi yan ang… ibig kong s-sabihin—!”

Borgo curls his lip into a displeased frown before he lets go of her. She falls unto her knees, coughing.

“Ang—ang ibig ko lang sabihin—!” Ishna says between breaths as she slowly gets up. “Parang… may iba siyang iniisip, Heneral…!”

Borgo sneers. “At ano naman ang pakialam ko diyan?”

He steps around her, walking back into the forest behind them. Walking until he emerges into a small clearing where their grand ship lies, portions of it concealed through its camouflaging mechanism.

“Pero Heneral—” Ishna says, almost desperately, following slowly behind him. “Kapag maguguluhan ang isip niya, baka—baka, hindi natin alam, at magtataksil siya—!”

“Hindi yan mangyayari,” Borgo declares.

“Pero alam naman natin pareho na nandoon yung babaeng iyon—”

At that, Borgo lets out the loudest bout of laughter. “Nag-aalala ka talaga sa bagay na yan? Wala namang kinalaman ang babaeng yan dito. And if Regina gets distracted because of that—”

He glances at Ishna, eyes flashing—and for a brief moment, it’s as if he’d looked like a human. A human man.

“I won’t let it happen,” Borgo says in a low breath, as if withdrawing a threat. “Alam mo na hinihintay na tayo ng Ludo. Wala nang oras para mag-aksaya.”

Ishna looks away from him. He turns around again, gaze moving to a distance deep in the forests surrounding them.  

“Besides,” Borgo smirks. “It won’t matter… sapagkat malapit nang matapos ng Engineer ang Agrix. And whether it be through Valentina or with it, makukuha rin natin ang Bato.”

--

Another thumbtack to add to the collection. Stabbed right into Vanguardia Foundation’s location on the map. Along with it, he clips two images on the board—two men, now deceased.

Afterwards, he ties a red string to the thumbtack’s body. He adds another tack, another image, on the location of another office building—Villaruz and Co.’s.

Finally, Brian steps back to gauge his work, arms crossed against his chest, a ballpoint pen in hand. He clicks its push button over and over absentmindedly.

The pinboard—his evidence board—is now almost completely filled with photos, news clippings, post-it notes, yarn strings—all scattered around the map of Nueva Esperanza and outside it. Months-worth of his handiwork laid bare before him. And at the center of it all, is one blurry picture of the infamous Extra—Valentina.

All of the Extra’s major victims so far have been corporate and institutional heads—major stockholders, operations and project managers, accounting officers, lawyers, judges, the like. 

They were all one way or another powerful players in Nueva Esperanza’s business scene—members of old families, or someone with significant connections to the mayor’s office.

Interestingly too, another common denominator is that most of them had attended Regina’s masquerade gala months prior. The night it all went to shit. But that’s information he’s deliberately chosen to omit.

After all, what if Narda visits?

(Still, the crumpled photo of the ex-attorney is well and ready in his shirt pocket.)

At the thought of the EMT, his friend— old friend —the woman he’s realized he’s been harboring feelings for, for a while now, a familiar bout of irritation gurgles up his chest, and he clenches his fist.

Why is Regina so important to her?

She should have just been her boss. But Narda had willingly abandoned their friendship for her sake?

What’s so good about her anyway?

When she’d refused his advances a year ago and got all mad when he started hanging out with Narda—

He hears something crack, curses beneath his breath when he realized his repeated clicks have jammed the pen. Again.

As he turns it over to unscrew the cap, he suddenly feels a hard clap on his shoulder. He suppresses the urge to grumble when he feels Pineda suddenly sidle up to his side, cocky smirk on his lips.

“Uy, Brian ,” the older police officer drawls, smiling crookedly. “Kamusta? May progress na ba ang…” he glances at the board. “…imbestigasyon mo diyan?”

Brian frowns. “Ba’t ka ba nakikialam? Di ba may kinailangan kang asikasuhin sa research facility?”

Pineda lets go of him, chuckling. “Kahapon lang iyon, noh! Ano ka ba? Sa araw na ito, siguro… gusto kong tulungan kita. Bossing. ”

Brian gives him an unamused look, to which he responds with by stretching out his grin wider. All the team captain can do is sigh.

The growth in his team’s reputation meant the interest to join would also grow with it. And for some strange reason, the first to volunteer was Pineda. And even stranger was that Dr. Ibarra seemed to employ his services quite a lot.

Well, whatever. He’d thought then he could monitor him better this way. That was a month ago. Now, well —

Pineda nudges him, tearing him out of his reverie. “Ba’t ka ba nakatulala? Gusto kitang matulungan. Ano ba ang nadiskubre mo na mula sa—”

Again, he gestures to the board with a mocking grin. There’s a mischievous glint in his eyes. Brian glares at him, but he gives off a relenting sigh, setting his pen down.

He doesn’t have a choice.

“May napansin ako—” he mutters, shaking his head. “May pattern ang pagpatay ni Valentina. Kita mo ang mga tali? Parang pumoporma sila ng isang spiral. At palagi nalang sa gabi.”

Pineda nods slowly. “Iyon lang ba ang pattern na nakikita mo diyan?”

Brian glances at him, suppressing the irritation that had flickered on. “Of course, hindi. Iilan sa kanila may koneksyon sa mayor—ang dating mayor—o kung hindi man, mga makapangyarihang negosyante sila. At karamihan din sa kanila dumalo sa gala ng Vanguarda Foundation noon.”

Pineda grins, claps him again on the shoulder. “Tama, tama. As expected of our team leader.”

“But hindi pa sapat ang impormasyon na iyan—napakahaba pa rin ng listahan ng mga taong parehong may koneksyon kay Zaldy at sa mga dumalo sa gala. At iilan din sa kanila ay mga outliers—mga taong hindi dumalo sa gala o walang koneksyon sa mayor.”

Pineda nods. “Tama ka rin diyan, kapitan. Pero alam mo? May isa pang koneksyon ang nakikita ko sa lahat ng mga taong ito.”

“Ano?” Brian narrows his gaze.

Pineda’s smile only seems to grow wider. “Gusto mo bang malaman…?”

It takes a moment to sink in, but when it does, Brian’s frown deepens, and he glares up at the other man. “Ano na naman ang kailangan mo?” he practically hisses it through grit teeth.

Pineda laughs. “Madali ka namang kausap. Alam kong nakita mo ako kahapon.”

Brian’s jaw tenses. He does recall seeing Pineda driving through town with a white van the day prior. The windows were blackened, and he couldn’t see anything inside. But the car seemed to be moving a little even on idle.

He was going to report it to the police chief, or at least file it away for later. But now—

“Wala noh,” Brian bluffs, snorting.

But the older man’s smile turns wicked. “Talaga ba? Eh bakit nakita ko ang kotse mo nung nasa highway ako?”

Shit. Brian smiles through grit teeth. “Ah, ganoon ba? Siguro imahinasyon mo lang iyon.”

Pineda raises a brow in a challenge. “Huwag mong sabihin na gusto mo palang maagaw ng mga taga-SOCO ang case na ito mula sa’yo…?”

Brian narrows his eyes, recognizing the thinly veiled threat. Seconds pass in tense silence, their gazes unbreaking.

Pineda breaks it first by scoffing. “Well, okay. Kung iyan nga ang sinasabi mo, edi wala rin akong ibang pattern na nakikita sa mapa mo.”

Punyeta talaga. Brian massages the bridge of his nose, forcing the anger to simmer down, to come out with each slow, trembling breath.

See, Pineda had volunteered to be on his team precisely because of this. Because it had quickly become apparent to everyone in the precinct that locating Valentina had become his number one priority over the past few months. Even more so when the SOCO had gotten involved.

“ Fine. Sige. Oo, nakita kita,” Brian practically spits out. “Pero ano naman ang kinalaman doon dito? Wala ka namang masamang ginawa, diba ? Para kay Dr. Ibarra lang naman ang… hinatid mo kahapon, hindi ba?”

Pineda grins, reveling in his triumph. “ Wala naman talaga. Pero gusto ko lang makasigurado na wala ka ring sasabihin tungkol doon. Na kakalimutan mo na nakita mo ako. Kung maipapangako mo sa’kin iyan, baka… may maibabahagi akong impormasyon na makakatulong sa’yo sa paghanap mo.”

Brian glares at him, but he’s ultimately unable to retort. “ Wala akong nakita. Nakalimutan ko na. O, ano ang maibabahagi mo?”

“Ipangako mo muna.”

“ Ipinapangako ko. Ngayon… ano ang nakikita mong pattern dito?”

Pineda grins, utterly relishing this win. He leans over, whispers something in the officer’s ear, as he presses a small piece of paper into his palm.

“I-search mo yan sa database,” he says, pulling back. “Mahahanap mo rin ang gusto mong mahanap.”

At that, he turns and leaves, giving him a short, mocking salute.

But just as he reaches the doorway, he turns back to him one last time. “Oh, at Brian—of course, hindi ko naman siguro dapat kang pagsabihan, pero kung sakaling malilimutan mo: huwag na huwag mong ipaalam sa kahit na sino kung kanino mo nakuha ang impormasyong ito.”

It’s only when he disappears from the office, when he’s sure the SOCO Outsiders aren’t around, does Brian finally let himself breathe.

He falls back unto the table, a strange sense of foreboding overcoming him. A grim feeling muddled with guilt and shame.

Wasn’t Pineda just running errands for Ibarra yesterday?

Then why…?

His jaw clenches. He turns his gaze up to the evidence board before him, at Valentina’s distinct figure in the blurred image. Ha.

When did this take over his life? The things he’d sacrificed, pushed aside—his own morals, the investigations on the drug cartels here, on the past mayor, or his father’s death—

All to find you.

He unfolds the paper in his hand, reads the words written on it in pencil.

To clean the corruption in this city.

To maintain control over his task force, over this case.

(And for her.

Because deep down, no matter how much he tries to bury it, no matter how much Narda tries to deny it—some part of him has been convinced for a while now that Valentina and Regina are one and the same.

And if Valentina is back, then that has to mean Regina is too.)

--

It’s never pleasant doing these hunts. She can see what her snakes see, smell what they smell, taste what they taste.

She can feel the blood, the vitality seeping out of the man’s flesh and going down their throats, and though it fills them up, she can’t shake off the faint sense of disgust gurgling up.

But she swallows it down, endures it, because what comes with it is an intoxicating newfound strength that surges through her veins. Energy creeps up her body, bringing life and rejuvenation to her bones, her muscles—a searing but comforting warmth that envelopes her entire being. 

As the snakes let go of the victim, she collapses on to the floor, gasping, panting, but laughing. Her muscles seize. A heavy weight presses down on her chest. An overpowering heat fills her insides completely.

Power. Strength.

Valentina.

She curls her fingers, scratching the asphalt ground.

Maging mas malakas—

Pakawalan ang mga emosyon mo—

Huwag mong kalimutan—

She huffs, lets out a strangled string of laughter.

Lahat ng ito, ginagawa mo para sa kinabutihan ng siyudad na ito.

Hindi ba?

Valentina snaps up, straightens her back, a sinister grin stretched out onto her lips. She stands back up, cracks her neck side-to-side.

It feels good to feel in control again. She looks at the corpse of the man by her feet—just some homeless man. No family. No friends. All alone.

Nobody will miss him.

Sacrifices have to be made.

Whatever ounce of guilt that flares up inside her each time has been getting easier and easier to ignore.

“Corra, Berlie,” she purrs. The two snakes in question hiss in response, before growing larger and, with their enlarged jaws, turn into grapples, allowing her to climb up the buildings surrounding this small alleyway.

When she reaches the rooftop at the decrepit apartment building, however, she’s surprised to find she’s not alone. Another figure stands there, a light fog misting at her feet. Her form is unmistakable.

Valentina raises a brow. “Babaeng Lawin. I’ve heard about you from the news and the rumors,” she tilts her head to the side. “Balita ko mas hilig mong magpakita sa araw.”

The Extra’s golden eyes gleam brightly in the night, so distinct even as her body is faced away from her. “Valentina. Naaalala kita mula noon—ang halimaw ng Nueva Esperanza, ang halimaw ng gabi.” She hums. “Hindi ba nawala ka na?”

Valentina leans against a parapet wall. “What do you want?”

Lawin looks out to the cityscape before them. “Sinong nagsabi na may kailangan ako sa’yo? Hindi ba pwedeng nandito lang ako? Tumatambay?”

Valentina glances down at the alley below them, at the corpse of the man laid out there. “Somehow I highly doubt that. I’m good at telling liars apart.”

“Hindi ko ikukwestyon iyan,” Lawin lets out an empty chuckle.

“Ano ba talaga ang kailangan mo at nandito ka?” Valentina chances a smirk. “Gusto mo bang makipagtulungan? Gusto mo ng tulong ko?”

But the other Extra does not seem to bite into her joke. Instead, Lawin gives her a sideways glance. “Gusto ko lang makita kung paano ka kumikilos, kung paano ka pumapatay. Kung bakit ka ba kinakatakutan ng mga tao noon…”

Valentina curls her lip, glances over the edge again at the man’s corpse. Alone and desolate. “You caught me when I was feeding . Not hunting . Wala kang makikita dito.”

“Nagsasalita ka na parang hayop lang ang pinatay mo. Pero hindi ba inosente lang ang lalaking iyan?”

Valentina scoffs. “Bakit? Kilala mo ba siya?” 

At that, Lawin turns around to face her, massive wings ruffling behind her, a crooked smile donned on her face. “Kailangan ko bang kilalanin ang tao muna para malaman kung inosente siya o hindi? Iyan ba ang prinsipyo mo?”

“Right back at you—paano mo rin malalaman na inosente siya kung hindi mo naman pala siya kilala?” Valentina retorts, tilting her head to the side. “Besides, anong silbi ng pambabato mo ng mga tanong ng etika sa’kin? Pareho naman tayong mamamatay tao.”

Lawin hums in thought, casts a glance at the man’s corpse. “Siguro tama ka,” she says after a moment. “Siguro hindi talaga natin malalaman… sapagkat, napatay mo na siya.”

Valentina observes her carefully as a thick silence befalls them. This is the first time she’s ever really seen and met this Extra, but she has heard about her. Ishna mentions her from time to time, and the news outlets mention her frequently.

About how vicious of a killer she is. About how she’s a vigilante.

And now she’s here.

If what she said was true, why was she observing her movements then?

An unsettling feeling blooms in her chest.

Did she do it to look for a worthy ally?

Or is it to gauge competition?

But Lawin’s expression gives nothing away. Instead, she looks resigned . Valentina narrows her gaze, takes a step forward—

“Why don’t we work together?” She offers, quirking up her lips.

Lawin raises a brow and scoffs. It takes her a moment to reply. “Sinasabi mo ba iyan dahil pareho tayong mamamatay tao?”

Valentina shrugs. “Well. You said ginusto mong makita kung paano ako kumilos. No better way to know than to work together, hm?”

An amused glint fills Lawin’s gaze. “So iyan ang iniisip mo.”

“Ano naman ang problema sa pag-alok ko?” Valentina quirks up a brow, tone bluffing. “After all, there can’t be another reason why you’d want to know… right?”

Lawin’s amused smirk does not fade away. “Hindi ikaw ang unang nag-alok sa’kin na makipagtulungan, Valentina.”

She turns around, walks over to the parapet wall across them. Valentina follows after her, furrowing her brows. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Lawin steps upon the low wall, unfurling her wings—the feathered appendages span so wide, their shadows completely cover Valentina.

“Kasambwat ka ng babaeng iyon, hindi ba? Si Xandra…?”

Xandra. It’s the name Valentina recalls Ishna sometimes goes by. “Anong kinalaman niya dito?”

“Siya ang dahilan kung bakit ako naging isang Extra,” Lawin turns around to face her. “Binigyan niya ako ng ikalawang pagkakataon sa buhay—o iyan ang sinabi niya sa akin. Hindi man lang inisip kung gugustuhin ko ba o hindi…” Then, as if not realizing she’s still speaking, she adds, “Wala na namang saysay ang mabuhay kung wala na ang rason para mabuhay ka.”

Valentina observes her—more curious now than anything. She does know this—Ishna had explained it to her that they had to implant some Chrysalis particles into new Extras now after a new supply had suddenly arrived. That it’s something that they have to do now to have any fighting chance against Darna. Small sacrifices.

“You were supposed to be part of the plan,” she murmurs. Lawin’s eyes perk up. “Alam ko. Isa ka sa mga tumiwalag.”

Lawin hums. “Kung ganoon, siguro alam mo na kung bakit ko tinanggihan na makipagtulungan?”

Valentina just stares at her.

“Hindi mo pala alam—kaya sasabihin ko nalang ang sinabi ko noon,” Lawin’s gaze morphs, all traces of neutral cordiality dissolving and turning cold—her golden eyes almost flashing against the shadows that envelope her body. “Wala akong intensyong makipagtulungan sa mga katulad niyo. Iba ang ating prinsipyo, iba ang ating mga plano. At wala akong pake sa mga pinaplano niyo. Mag-iisa akong nagtatrabaho.”

She flaps her wings, and a gust of wind blows across the roof deck. Valentina shivers, raising her arms up to brace herself—the breeze was stronger than she anticipated. When she looks up, Lawin is already a few feet up in the air, with the crescent moon shining starkly behind her, silhouetting her entire figure.

“Nagtataka ka kung bakit kita pinagmasdan?” Lawin says, her voice taking on a more otherworldly timbre this time. As if she’s making a threat. “Ang katotohanan ay tinitingnan ko lang kung may karapatan ka bang mabuhay… o kung totoong halimaw ka ba, kung isa ka rin sa mga basura na kailangan kong linisin.” 

Valentina curls her lips, frown deepening, even as she feels fear coil around her guts. Feels her own snakes slither and move closer to her— as if they too feel her fear. She clenches her fists tighter at her sides, glares up at the Extra before her.

“At ano ang nakuha mong sagot?” she asks lowly.

A tense few seconds of silence answers her—the only sounds are in the passing breeze, the beating wings, and the eerie movement of the fog surrounding Lawin.

But then, Lawin hums strangely, golden eyes narrowing. “Tingnan natin.”

It’s all she says before she launches off and disappears into the clouds. Leaving Valentina alone on the roof. Staring after her with simmering contempt in her gaze. Frown trembling with barely suppressed irritation.

What did she mean?

She bites her bottom lip, turns away.

Takot ka ba sa kanya? Come on, Regina, we’re better than this.

Huwag kang magpadala sa emosyon.

She shakes her head, morphs back into her human form, before she pulls out her phone and clicks on the most recent number on her call history.

“Noah,” she says when he finally picks up after the fourth ring. “Gusto mo ang tulong ko, hindi ba?”

--

Thirty minutes. He waits thirty minutes before he finally moves, jumping out the dumpster he’d chosen to hide in. He looks around. He reeks , but that doesn’t matter.

There are no more voices. And a while ago, he’d heard the Extra slink off somewhere else. He creeps along the shadowed sidewalk, hugging the tight spaces beside the closed storefronts. Finally, he turns into the small alleyway.

Just as he’d expected, there’s a dead body there, shriveled up to the point that his skin is already hugging his bones. A gnarly sight. An undeserving fate.

He crouches, waits for a few minutes. There is no sound except for the occasional buzzing of crickets in the distance, the whirring of the overhead streetlamps. He steels himself, before springing up and rushing to the corpse’s side.

With a gloved hand, he closes the man’s wide eyes and his mouth.

“Patawad,” he whispers. And then, he pulls out a scrap of paper, pushing it deep in the corpse’s trouser pocket. “Sana ikaw ang unang makakahanap nito.”

He doesn’t stay for much longer, quickly leaving the scene before anyone else can spot him. When he’s finally out of that small area, he ducks to hide under an overpass, pressing himself against one of the large columns. He takes his phone out, makes sure it’s at its dimmest settings, and opens the ‘Extras Anonymous’ Facebook page.

--

She doesn’t know how she’d found herself here once more. It’s been a long time since she’d been here, but it’s as if the way here from the city has become ingrained in her—the streetscapes, the smatter of greeneries, the dirt road, and most of all, its bright and lively people.

It’s not yet the dead of night, so even though the carinderia is closed, it’s still well lit, occupied by a familiar group of people. The inhabitants of this small neighborhood she’d heard about here and there—there’s Aling Rubi, Mara, Pancho, Gardo, and Oleg—all talking merrily amongst themselves. Sharing chismis , probably. There are other people too, but Regina doesn’t know of them as well as she does this group.

(Narda’s stories were always so lively. Just like the people that starred in them.)

But finally, she moves to the store’s other side, where large signboards cover its rooftop, peeking over at the wooden bungalow at the end of the street. That familiar place, the warmth and coziness exuding from its architecture, and its familiar people.

She can smell a distinct aroma coming from it—is it dinnertime still? It’s already nine. What are they doing having dinner at nine? Maybe there are guests?

A sense of longing overcomes her.

Sometimes she still wishes she’d visited that house more, visited it earlier. Sometimes she wishes she’d get to experience its warmth one more time.

Her grip along the boards tightens. She presses her lips together.

What is she doing here?

‘Oo nga, ano ang ginagawa mo dito?’ One of her snakes— Varda —hisses at her, slithering around her cheek.

‘What can we get out of this?’ It’s Corra who asks.

‘Bakit ka ba talaga nandito, Valentina? ’

The front doors open, flooding the outside porch with a warm yellow light from within. Regina ducks down instinctively, surprising the snakes moving around her head. She watches as three figures emerge from the house. One an unfamiliar woman with a pixie cut, the other Lola Berta, and the last—

There’s a dull ache that spreads across her chest as she sees Narda come out of the house, smiling at her two companions.

Lola Berta pats the unfamiliar woman on the shoulder, to which she responds with by smiling and patting her hand too.

And then Narda goes over to hug the stranger.

Regina’s eyes widen. Her fingers dig deeper into the wood.

Oh.

Something pricks at her chest. The dull ache morphs into a hot and searing sort of pain, flaring up, spreading to every corner and space of her ribcages. Just for the briefest moment. Throbbing, hammering what feels like an old and rusty nail stuck forever in place.

Narda lets go of the stranger, but not before rubbing her two arms together in a gesture of familiarity.

She’s smiling so widely, her own eyes seem to shine brighter against the streetlights.

She looks… happy.

She thinks Narda wears happiness the best.

And then she recalls the last time they’d spoke, when she was just herself. Just Regina. Every word uttered, every lie—

And she recalls Narda’s pained expression, the tears streaming down her face.

At that point, Regina finally turns away, slides lower beneath the parapet wall.

Oh, of course.

Of course Narda would be happy. She’s with her friends, her family. She has a job, she can provide for her family.

What did she expect to see coming here? After all this time?

Did she expect to see the same girl who’d left all those emails to her all those months ago?

Ha.

What she’d seen instead is Narda hugging someone else. As tightly as the way she used to hug her.

And who is she to feel this agonizing, gnawing sense of loneliness out of this? Who is she to feel this—this sense of bitterness about it?

Narda’s not only affectionate with her. There’s Mara. There’s that girl. Ding. Maybe the other EMTs now? After all, she’s still at Vanguardia Foundation, amidst everything she’d tried to do.

And then what about Regina? What about her? The woman who’d fired her, spewed out all that nonsense to her face, hurt her .

Of course.

Of course.

What was she even hoping to see coming here?

Why did she come here?

This was stupid. Especially now. Right after she’d finally felt herself again. Right after she’d called Noah.

“Tayo na,” she whispers, voice not all like her usual voice as Valentina’s. Hoarser. Emptier.

But nonetheless, her snakes comply, taking her away from there.

“May training tayo bukas. 6 AM. Sa clearing,” Luna winks.

Narda pretends to groan out of exasperation. “Na naman? Sige na nga. Ikaw ang mentor, eh. Ikaw ang may alam.”

Luna grins cheekily. “Oh, s’ya. Aalis na ako. Baka hindi pa ako makakahanap ng pang-commute.”

However, before she could leave, Ding suddenly rushes out, holding his phone up in the air. The screen displays the ‘Extras Anonymous’ page.

“Ate at Ate Luna, may natagpuang bangkay daw! Doon sa Barangay Lupe! Dahil daw sa mga kagat ng ahas!” Ding practically screams into their faces, shoving his phone to them.

Narda’s eyes widen. She turns around to face Luna. The other girl nods.

“9 AM then,” Luna says to dispel the sudden tense atmosphere. “Susundin ko lang kung ano ang gusto mo.”

“Umuwi ka nalang,” Narda advises her after a moment, patting her again on the arm. “Kung bangkay lang ang nandoon, ibig sabihin niyan wala na si Valentina. Ako nalang ang pupunta doon.”

“Okay, ingat.”

At that, Narda runs into the house and quickly transforms into Darna before launching off into the night. Luna leaves soon after, and Ding retreats back into the house, grumbling about how it wasn’t right that Luna left his sister to do all the work when she could actually help her.

But Berta remains on the porch, staring off into the distance, at a nearby storefront’s rooftop. It’s pitch black in that area, but she swears she’d caught movement there.

The entire time when they’d been outside, she’d felt as if they were being watched. But she isn’t sure where it had come from, or who it was.

A chilly breeze creeps along her skin, pulling a row of goosebumps out. She shivers, rubs her arms, and then finally decides to go back inside.