31: Captured 2  

Bumalik sa Grey Academy na humahangos si Lucy. Pumara siya ng ibang mga carriage at mabuti na lamang dahil ang napara niya ay kakilala ng Papa niya.

Nakisakay siya at saka nagpababa sa Grey Academy. Sila Veronica at Anika naman ay nagpaiwan sa bayan para maghanap.

Well, actually, Veronica went first to Purple Boutique to notify Calix.

Si Lucy naman ay humahangos na hinanap si Franco. Hindi naman siya nahirapan dahil agad niya itong nasalubong sa may entrance ng Academy.

"F-franco!" Hinihingal niyang tawag dito.

Agad namang tumigil sa paglalakad ang binata saka lumingon. Tinukso pa nga siya ng mga kaibigan niya bago siya iwan doon eh.

Napailing na lang siya saka nilapitan ang dalaga.

Agad naman siyang hinigit ni Lucy para makapunta sila sa may malapit sa may gate ng school. Napatingin na lang siya sa kamay nito na nakahawak sa kanya. This was the first time that a girl touched him.

Lucy stopped and faced him again. Doon naman niya napansin ang pagbabago sa expression nito. She was in panic and on the verge of crying.

"Any problem, Lucy?"

"Franco, Emy is kidnapped..."

Nablangko ang isipan ni Franco for a moment.

"Franco! Emy needs you. She's been kidnapped!"

Doon niya hinawakan sa magkabilang braso si Lucy. Napangiwi na lang ang dalaga dahil hindi man lang kinontrol ni Franco ang lakas niya.

"Saan?"

Sinabi sa kanya ni Lucy ang lugar.

Ngali ngali siyang kumuha ng kabayo at sumakay doon. He stopped in front of Lucy.

"Come." Nakatiim bagang na sabi sa kanya ni Franco.

Walang nagawa si Lucy kundi ang sumakay din doon. She was sitting in front of Franco habang halos nakayakap na sa kanya ang dalawang kamay nitong nakahawak sa renda ng kabayo. If this was a normal day, baka kinilig pa siya. But she couldn’t. Her mind was getting crazy at the thought of Emy. Namatayan na siya ng kaibigan noon. Would it happen again to Emy?

Ang hindi alam nila Franco at Lucy ay may dalawang tao ang nakarinig sa kanila. One went away to deliver a good news, and the other one, to deliver a bad news.

***

Diana smirked as she heard the news from Alessandra's people. Just the thought of Lucy's panic-stricken face was enough for her to be in good mood.

Well, she was hoping a good show from the sisters.

***

Sebastian was in rush matapos niyang marinig ang ibinalita sa kanya ng tao niya. He grabbed his horse saka nagpunta sa Purple Boutique.

Calix was already on the move.

"Pumunta dito yung isang maidservant ni Miss Hans at sinabi nga niya na may kumidnap sa dito."

"How did it happen?"

Inulit naman ni Calix ang sinabi ni Harley sa kanya.

Napatango si Sebastian.

"Any lead?"

"Wala pang sigurado. But this one came last night para kay Miss Hans." Calix took out a folded paper at inabot iyon kay Sebastian.

'Diana is planning something about you and Lucy. Be careful. She's not deploying the council members so malamang sa labas siya kukuha ng tao.'

Walang pangalan kung kanino iyon galing pero Sebastian had an idea. Malamang sa malamang it was from Alessandra.

So it was Diana, after all.

This time, she acted quickly. He thought of what could be Emy's situation now. Diana wouldn’t hold back for sure.

At the thought, nacrumple niya yung papel na hawak hawak niya. Then napahinga siya ng malalim. He had to calm down.

***

However, it was Franco who really needed to calm down. Namumutla na siya habang pinakikinggan ang istorya nila Lucy at ng mga maidservants ni Emy.

Sinubukan din niyang tahakin ang daan na itinuro sa kanya nila Veronica kahit na alam niyang wala naman siyang maaabutan doon.

Pagbalik niya sa may kainan ay nakapagdesisyon na siya.

"Veronica, Anika, please escort Miss Lucy back to her residence."

"P-pero..."

"I am going home. I need to inform father."

"I'd like to help too, Franco."

But Franco just looked at her coldly. "You have helped enough."

It brought shivers to her heart. Pero mas nag-aalala siya para kay Emy.

Gayunman, wala siyang magawa kundi ang umuwi na lang muna.

***

Emy, on the other hand, just woke up. But her eyes were blindfolded at nakagapos ang kanyang kamay at paa sa inuupuan niya.

Naramdaman din niya ang pananakit ng batok niya. But aside from that, mukhang hindi naman siya sinaktan ng mga ito habang wala siyang malay.

"Sister, why is she still not yet waking up?"

Emy didn't create movements nang magising siya. But her mind was working furiously.

That person who spoke was Cherry. At malamang sa malamang ay si Kelly ang kausap nito.

So it was her beloved cousins after all.

"Let her be. Magigising din yan sooner or later."

Emy heard movements of people and chairs.

"So what is our plan?"

"Well, we're just going to follow Diana's plan. We are going to bring her on the next city and sell her to a brothel."

With that thought, both of them smiled wickedly.

So... it was after all Diana's idea. But she wondered why she made these two kidnapped her.

***