Chapter 27 The first attack
1565 Words
After that incident, Aria and the kids are transferred to their farmhouse because the villa is already occupied by the farm employees. Aria took the kids with her for her inner peace, and she was accompanied by the kids' nannies. She heard that the Head Master had arrived in the mansion and ordered everyone to clean up and disinfect the whole mansion. It was the first time that Aria had seen fast-moving termites that were as big as the red queen ants.
Selda arrived at seven in the evening to send them their food. Reyes helped her deliver the food to the farmhouse. Luckily, the house has three bedrooms and was big enough for smaller families like them.
"Thanks, Selda. How's everything going in the mansion?" Aria asks Selda.
It was their first night in the farmhouse, and she was a bit wary of the place. It was old, but it is durable and clean.
"It is very tiring in there. We are not done yet, even a quarter of the whole place. I think it will take about a week before we finish everything. I am not sure!" Selda told them.
Reyes was outside waiting for the old lady.
"Wow! I hope we'll get over this soon. Have you ever encountered this kind of incident before?" Aria inquired out of curiosity.
"Never in my entire service on the estate," Selda answered shortly.
"Alright, please keep me posted. I want us all to go back home," Aria added.
Selda answered her with a nod and went out of the house. Aria called Lucio to send her regards and to inform him about what was happening to them.
"What? How did it happen that termites were living in our house? I never heard of that," Lucio exclaimed.
"Yes, there was. I have seen their colony. Remember that mirror-like door before the library? That's where I first saw them. Keila and I have witnessed how fast they can move," she told him.
Lucio couldn't believe what he was hearing. Instead, he ordered her to always be safe with the kids. He asked her to stay at the farmhouse until it was safe to go back to the mansion. After a lengthy conversation, Aria slept with the kids. She never let them stay with the nannies all the time. It was in the middle of the night when a squeaking sound was heard gathering around the farmhouse. Aria was awakened because she could feel some gestures lurking around her. She slowly jumps off the bed and opens the door. She had seen one of the nannies in the kitchen.
"What is it? Why are you still awake?" she asked her.
She was surprised upon seeing her, and she was pointing at something outside the window. It was covered by curtains, and it was hard to see what was outside without taking off the curtains.
"I didn't see anything," Aria said in a lower tone, so as not to disturb the others.
"Madam, there was a big bird outside. I can hear it," she claimed.
"Did you see it?" Aria questioned her in suspicion.
"No! But I can hear it is just nearby. It is outside the house, I swear," she continued and was about to cry.
"How come I do not hear anything?" Aria insisted.
"Sssssh. Just listen carefully," she said, and Aria did not respond.
Instead, she followed what the nanny was saying. The nanny was a native of Siquijodnon, and she was pretty much a believer in bad spirits and other supernatural creatures. After a while of silence, Aria heard a strange squeaking sound that he used to hear a while back. She remembers the nights when she first arrived at the mansion and was afraid of the dark and the scary sounds.
"What does the sound mean?" Aria asked, trying to get some clarification from the nanny.
She explained that if the sound was too small, like a whisper, it meant the subject was too close. "And if it was too loud, it means it was from afar," she explained.
Aria has started to feel the terrifying emotions. She was afraid of herself before, but now she was more afraid of her triplets. She ran back to the room to check on her kids. They are still in deep sleep. Aria felt relieved that they were looking comfortable, like nothing bad was going on. She did not sleep until morning, when she could still hear the strange sound. Her eyes were dark, and she was a bit dizzy.
Fortune checked on her.
"Yeah, Mommy is fine. Go with nanny Mayi and have your breakfast. Mommy just needs some more rest, alright?" Aria advised one of the kids.
Fortune informed the others not to disturb Aria, and she wanted to sleep. Aria woke up because she was starving. She consumed the remaining food and went to look for the triplets. They are outside playing games with their nannies.
"How was your sleep, Madam?" Mayi asked her and gave her a cup of coffee.
"I feel better now. I almost wanted to collapse earlier. How about you? Did you sleep today?" Aria responds.
"No, Madam, I didn't sleep. Maybe later, I don't know. I hope it won't go back again," she wishes.
"I hope so. I can't live like this every day," she complained.
"It was a bad sign. Something was going to happen. We couldn't tell what it was. But according to the elders, it was begging to take one's life before it leaves the place," Mayi explained.
"I don't believe such stories," she refused.
They did not hear anything from the mansion the whole day.
"I guess they are not done yet. If they do, Selda must have been here to help us pack up," Aria assumed.
Mayi prepared their dinner and they had it earlier. Aria wanted to get everyone in bed early. She called her husband, and they talked for a while before bedtime. She did not tell him what happened last night because she didn't want to cause any more worries on his end. It's bedtime, and they all fall fast asleep without any disturbances until the next morning. However, after dinner, Fortune feels ill. He had taken a small portion of his food, and he ran to the bathroom to vomit.
"Oh my God! What's happening to you, Honey? How do you feel?" Aria was worried.
They had no car to use because they were all in the mansion together. They have nothing to help Fortune somehow minimize his painful experience. Aria was confused and unsure of what to do with her child.
"Baby, please tell Mommy what to do. Which part of you is painful?" Aria asked.
"I'm having trouble breathing, Mom, and my tummy hurts," he said, in nausea.
"Let me bring you to the hospital," she announced, even though she was not sure how.
She asks Mayi to call anyone in the mansion to drive them to the hospital.
Right after the call, the new driver arrived. His name is Roberto, and he replaced Reyes after his retirement six months ago. He had been working for the family for more than a decade, but he was previously assigned as a farm truck driver.
"Mayi, please look after Charm and Lucky! I just need to go with Fortune," she instructed the nanny to safeguard the twins.
After they had loaded their bags, Roberto started the engine to move the vehicle.
"Goodness, you are here! Come on! Let's go to the nearest hospital!" Aria ordered Roberto.
In fifteen minutes, they had reached the hospital. It is the same hospital where the triplets were born. They recognized them and immediately brought the kid to the emergency room. He looks pale and sick. His eyes are turning red and he keeps on vomiting. Aria can't stop herself from crying. She could not comprehend what was going on. She cannot remember what might have caused this. She decided to call Lucio even though it was already a late hour. His phone could not be reached.
"He might be charging while sleeping," she uttered and turned off her phone.
She doesn't know how to explain this to her husband. She was afraid of losing any of her family members, especially her triplets. They are too young to suffer from an illness. Early in the morning, Aria tried calling her husband's phone, and it was ringing; however, he didn't answer the call.
"He might be getting ready for work," she assumed and kept calling.
Finally, he took it.
"Sweetie, what's the problem? Why are you keeping calling this early?" he said while on a loudspeaker.
"Lucio, please come home! I don't know what's happening! I can't bear this alone," she cried.
"What are you saying? And why are you crying? Tell me what happened?" he asks, feeling alarmed.
He can sense that something isn't right.
Aria was not an overly sensitive woman. This was the first time that she cried harder.
"Fortune is in the hospital. I brought him here last night. I didn't know what and how it happened. Come home, please. I'm so scared of what might happen to him," she continued.
"Alright, I'll be home. Wait for me. How about Charm and Lucky?" he replied.
"They are with Mayi in the farmhouse. Please proceed to the same hospital," she told her husband.
- Writer
