AVA MET with Brenda once again, to talk to her about her situation. At first, Brenda was kind of hesitant, thinking that Ava's dilemmas can be explained by science. Brenda even said that maybe Ava's just having a mental condition.
I have a mental condition, alright.
"Look, I am most certain that this is something beyond natural." Pamimilit pa ni Ava.
Well, sigurado naman kasi talaga sya. Kung may kinalaman nga ang lahat ng ito, ang memory lapses nya and all, sa kanyang mental state ay malamang na malalaman nya 'yon. Or at least, mapapansin iyon ng kanyang therapist at sasabihin sa kanya.
"Bakit hindi mo na lang kaya muna puntahan ang pinsan mo?" Brenda suggested. "Yung Lucian, o yung Claude."
"At ano naman ang sasabihin ko sa kanila?"
Tinaasan nya ito ng kilay. "Or...?"
"May malalang nangyayari sa inyo." Sagot nito bago inilahad ang isang kamay sa mesa. "Akin na nga'ng kamay mo."
Ava didn't hesitate to show her palm to Brenda. Hinawakan nito ang kamay nya at sinipat, naguguluhan man ay patuloy na tumitig lang sya kay Brenda. Though the latter looked quite confused. Totoo kayang palm reader ito?
Feeling impatient, Ava asked; "So, ano nang nakikita mo?" Err... should I have asked if ano'ng nababasa nya or what?
Brenda tilted her head to the side and squinted her eyes, before she let go of Ava's hand as she sighed. "Wala."
"Wala?" Naguguluhang tanong nya. "Paanong wala?"
"Wala akong mabasa. Your palm is like an endless pit of darkness. I can't read you."
"But that's impossible, every palm can be read. If there are instances that a palm reader cannot read another person's palm then it's either she's cloaked or this palm reader is not destined to read her palm."
"Where the hell did you get that?" Nakakunot ang noong tanong ni Brenda sa kanya.
Naikurap-kurap naman ni Ava ang mga mata nang mapagtanto ang mga nasabi nya. What in Hell... how did she know that?! Ang weird lang nung sinabi nya!
"Tell me," Brenda commanded. "How did you know that?"
"I have no idea,"
LATER THAT afternoon, Ava just found herself sitting across Brenda's grandmother. Dinala sya ni Brenda sa bahay ng Lola nito, the witch one. Sikat na manghuhula ang Lola ni Brenda kaya hindi na nagtaka pa si Ava nang pagpasok nya sa bahay ng matanda ay marami syang nadatnan na sari-saring mga anik anik sa paligid.
For a moment, Brenda and her grandmother talked in hushed voices. And it honestly felt kind of awkward in Ava's part since the two kept on glancing at her as they spoke. Gosh, can they be at least a little sensitive about my feelings? Can't they see that I feel awkward in here?
Makaraan ang ilang sandali, tumalikod si Brenda matapos magpaalam na kukuha lang ng meryenda.
No!!! Don't leave me with your grandma who's ultra weirder than you!!!
Awtomatikong ngumiti si Ava ng maluwag nang tuluyan nang humarap sa kanya ang Lola ni Brenda. Hindi nya ipinahalata ritong kinakabahan sya, but then she guessed it shows when Brenda's grandmother pointed it out.
"Hindi mo kailangang matakot, Ava." Sabi naman nito matapos magpakilala bilang si Lola Consolacion.
Nanlalaki ang mga matang nagtanong sya sa matanda, "Paano nyo po nalaman ang pangalan ko?"
Oh my God, legit nga kaya sya'ng may superpowers? Kasi kung hindi, paano nya naman malalaman ang pangalan ko? If it was merely a gue—
"Oh, Ava!" Dumalugdog sa buong kabahayan ang tawa ni Lola Consolacion. "Hindi ka dapat masyadong nag-iisip. Nasabi na sa'kin ni Brenda kung sino ka."
Ava leaned in, "Naririnig nyo ho ang iniisip ko?"
"Hindi." She beamed and started to shuffle the cards. "Pero halata ko sa mukha mong natatakot ka sa'kin."
Napatango-tango naman si Ava at pinanood ang matanda na magbalasa ng mga baraha, na sa tingin nya ay Tarot cards. Well, hindi naman kasi siguro sya pinaupo ng matanda sa harap nito para maglaro ng Tong Its, right?
"Hindi ho ako nandito para magpahula." She said.
Lola Consolacion scattered the cards and motioned for her to pick, which Ava found unnecessary because she had other reasons for coming here. She needs answers, not predictions.
She just wants to get this shit done and over with, for her own peace of mind. As much as she hates the idea of being a part of any supernatural error, though she loves to discover a lot about paranormal stuff, she has to accept the fact that she may be a part of some paranormal error.
Instead of just thinking about it, she decided to just say it out loud.
At kahit ayaw nya, napilitan parin si Ava na pumili ng isa. She just picked the first card that came in contact with her hand. Kinuha nya 'yon at tinignan. Napataas naman ang kilay nya, kasabay ng pagtaas ng mga balahibo sa kanyang katawan, nang makita kung ano'ng card ang nabunot nya.
She doesn't know what it's called but all she could see is a devil, with both of its arms raised high in the air, and a human being lying on the table in front of it. Ava doesn't know what it means, but whatever it is, it's not good. She turned it upside down, pero 'yon parin ang nakita nya. Parang mirroring or something.
