Behind The Cloack

Chapter 1

Yhessa’s POV

“Ahhhhh!” I cried out in pain as Sabrina yanked my hair.

I’m already used to this. Used to the pain and bruises I get every day because of what they do to me.

They don’t feel pity anymore; they’re the reason why I became like this. The once cheerful and smiling child turned serious and stopped smiling.

I became like this ever since I found out my parents died in a car accident and their bodies were never found — at least that’s what Aunt told me. But I can feel it wasn’t just some ordinary car accident that happened to them.

Since they were gone, my life turned into a mess. I’m still living in our house with my aunt, uncle, and their child, but they only treat me like a servant.

I couldn’t continue studying because they don’t send me to school. Even with food and clothes — there’s barely anything. They only give me their leftovers. They even took my clothes, jewelry, and savings, leaving me with nothing.

Even though it’s hard, I stayed here just to survive and have a place to sleep. I endured all their cruelty without complaining. I rarely speak.

Sometimes people around me laugh at me because I look like a beggar from all the dirt. Others feel pity for what I’ve gone through since my parents died.

After finishing all the house chores, I immediately went to the big tree planted at the back of the house. This is where I always go when I feel sad. This is where I cry every night. This is where I pour out my pain.

This tree has become my companion in my problems ever since my parents died. We used to hang out here with Mama and Papa.

“Mama, please come back. I can’t handle this anymore,” I whispered to myself while looking up at the stars above.

Even now, my tears never run dry. People only see me as someone emotionless, never sad or happy, because my face is always serious.

Mama, Papa, I promise this will be the last time I cry. I will never be weak again. I promise that one day I will be free and happy.

I was startled when an old man suddenly appeared in front of me. I almost hit him but stopped my hand just in time. My eyes widened as I saw fire come out of my hand. I thought I was going to burn the old man because of it, but he dodged.

I quickly hid my hand behind my back. Since I was little, I knew I had powers because Papa explained it to me. Papa also had powers, but he said mine were stronger. He came from a place of people with powers and lived here to be with Mama, but I don’t know what that place is called.

When I turned 12, we always went behind the house to train on how to properly use my power. Papa said his power was the element of fire, while mine was fire, water, earth, wind, and light — thunder included in my light power. I can also heal and read minds, though it’s my choice whether to read someone’s mind or not.

At a young age, I already knew who and what I am. Mama, on the other hand, always gave me words of wisdom. But her most important advice was: “Don’t trust people around you too easily.” That’s what stuck in my head.

“Don’t worry, child, your suffering will soon end. Always remember, every hardship has a reward of happiness, and every happiness has a shadow of sorrow,” said the old man before vanishing into the darkness. What the heck? Who was he? That was creepy.

I calmed myself down before going back into the house and straight to my room. As soon as I lay on my bed, I noticed an envelope tucked under my pillow. I picked it up.

To Ms. Sawyer.

That’s what was written on it, so I opened the envelope. A letter? Is this letter for me? Inside was indeed a letter. I took it and read:

To Ms. Sawyer,

Greetings from Impo Academy! We are now searching for students like you. We are inviting you to be part of Impo students. We are waiting in the Crimson Building at exactly 10 pm. We will be expecting your presence there.

Impo Academy

That’s what the letter said. Are they kidding me? Going to the Crimson Building at night is suicide. There are rumors of ghosts in that abandoned building — the Crimson Building. I’ve never even heard of Impo Academy.

Splash!

I woke up because a huge splash of water hit my face. Wait — water? I quickly sat up from the bed because of the cold.

When I looked to see who did it, I saw my aunt holding a bucket. She didn’t even bother waking me up properly.

“Get up and cook because we’re going out today!” she shouted before leaving the room. I just sighed. I have no choice but to endure.

I got up and cooked. I made chicken adobo and fried eggs.

“Remember, never ever leave this house, understand?” my aunt said, and I just nodded. What else can I do? If I leave, Sabrina will tell on me anyway.

After they left, I immediately sat on the sofa and watched cartoons. I did nothing the whole day because Sabrina stayed in her room and didn’t come out.

Night came and they returned home. I was done cooking, so I just had to serve it on the dining table. While carrying the food, I heard laughter in the living room, so I peeked. I saw my aunt, uncle, and Sabrina happily laughing while drinking wine.

I was about to approach them when I heard something I never expected, causing tears to fall one by one.

“Poor Yssa, she doesn’t know we killed her parents so we could take their property, hahaha!” my uncle said while laughing. Monsters. They were the ones who killed my parents.

Out of anger, I threw the food on the table, making them look at me. I thought they would say I misheard, but they only smiled.

“You monsters! You killed your own sibling. You have no shame. We’ve been nothing but kind to you!” I shouted, filled with rage. How could they do this? Heartless.

“Oh dear, don’t be mad because they’re already dead,” she said, making me freeze. What? She even dared to call her own sibling “dead” in front of me.

They’ve gone too far. I can’t bear it anymore. I felt the wind around me grow stronger. I needed to calm down or I’d kill them.

Calm down, Yssa.

“You’ve gone too far!” I screamed at them and ran out of the house. Mama, Papa, I’m sorry. I promised you I wouldn’t cry again, but I failed. I can’t stand living in that hellhole anymore. They’ve gone too far.

I ran away from the house even though it was dark and I didn’t know where I was going. I just kept running because of the pain I felt. I wiped my tears as I continued running.

I stopped when I noticed many people my age standing not far from me. Out of curiosity, I approached to ask.

“What’s going on here?” I asked a girl who looked about two years younger than me. She looked at me as if shocked.

“Ahmm… well… it’s just that…” she seemed unsure whether to tell me or not and glanced at her watch. I also looked to check the time. It was 10 pm already. Only one thing came to mind —

the letter.