I swear i could still hear the flames.
Like, right there sa gilid ng tenga ko—yung pagkalansing ng metal habang bumabagsak, the sound of panic thick in the air, and Paul's voice calling my name over and over again.
“Aurora! Go! Run!”
Pero hindi ako gumalaw.
Hindi ako makahinga.
Because the man who let my best friend was standing in front of me, wearing a goddamn Loro Piana jacket and calling himself my coach.
What kind of sick joke is this?
“Stop looking at me like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said, smiling like a fucking devil. “We’ve met before, right?”
My fingers twitched.
You piece of sh—
Before i could speak, Calix stepped between us.
Literally—his body blocking mine, like instinct.
His jaw was tight, shoulders squared.
“Who are you?” Calix asked, voice low, but the threat was there.
The man gave him a once-over, that smug condescending look na parang 'Ah, ikaw pala yung bodyguard.' And then he turned to me again.
“Your father didn’t tell you? I’m Lucien Argos. I trained Olympic riders in Germany. He asked me to fly in for you.”
Lucien.
Lucien fucking Argos.
Of course he’d use another name.
Another identity.
Para hindi siya matrace.
Pero i know what i saw.
I remember those eyes.
That voice.
The way he walked past Paul like he was disposable.
Like his life didn’t matter.
My stomach churned.
“Excuse me,” I mumbled.
Hindi ko na hinintay pa.
I stormed off. Fast. Faster.
Somewhere, I heard Calix calling after me, but everything was muffled.
Parang nasa ilalim ako ng tubig.
Lunod sa sarili kong galit.
Sa guilt. Sa trauma.
I locked myself in one of the grooming rooms. Slammed the door.
Slumped to the floor.
Putangina.
Putangina, bakit siya nandito?
I grabbed my helmet and slammed it against the wall. Once. Twice. Until the plastic cracked.
I couldn’t cry.
I refused to cry.
So i screamed. Inside. Tahimik. But my throat hurt from holding it in.
Then—knock knock.
“Aurora?”
Calix.
Of course it’s him.
“Leave me alone.”
“No.”
I blinked. “What?”
“I said no.”
Putangina, sino ba siya?
“Open the door,” he said gently. “Hindi ako aalis hangga’t di mo ako pinapapasok.”
I pressed my back against the door. “Why are you like this?”
“Because you scare me when you go quiet.”
My chest ached.
I didn’t respond.
But my hand reached up, unlocked the doorknob. Slowly. Parang mabigat.
And when i did, hindi siya nagsalita.
He just stepped in.
Closed the door behind him.
Sat on the floor beside me like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Walang tanong. Walang “Are you okay?”—which, thank God, kasi i’m not and if someone asked, baka bumigay ako.
Minutes passed.
Tahimik lang kami.
And that was the best part.
His silence didn’t feel like pressure.
It felt like a hug.
“You know,” I whispered, eyes still on the cracked helmet, “you’re the only person i don’t feel the need to impress.”
He chuckled softly. “Then i’m honored, I guess?”
“I’m serious.”
I turned to him.
Our shoulders were touching.
His knees were up, arms resting casually. Like this wasn’t strange. Like sitting on the floor of a dusty grooming room was where he belonged.
“Everyone else sees the name Zobel and suddenly expects me to be perfect,” I said.
“But not me?” he asked.
“You see me too clearly,” I whispered. “Too honestly. Parang walang filter. And i hate it.”
“Ouch.”
“But also... thank you.”
Nagkatinginan kami.
His eyes were softer now.
Walang yabang.
Walang sharpness. Just... warmth.
Then he said something that nearly shattered me.
“I don't care if you scream. Or break things. Or lock yourself in this room everyday. I’ll still stay.”
And that—right there—was the moment i realized...
Calix wasn't just a safety pin.
He was the only piece of calm in my entire goddamn storm.
-
I went back in my unit.
I didn’t tell anyone what happened.
Not Dad. Not the staff.
I just went straight to my room, took a hot shower, and let myself collapse sa kama ko with damp hair and zero will to even open my phone.
Pero fate really said, “Not tonight, girl.”
Because ten minutes later, my phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
Message:
“You’re still as stubborn as ever. But i like a challenge.”
I froze.
Another message followed.
This time with a photo.
And i swear—my blood turned to ice.
It was a picture of Paul.
Taken from that night.
But this time...
I was in the background.
Barefoot. Crying. Trying to drag Paul’s body.
And in the corner of the photo...
Was Lucien.
Smiling at the camera.