Monsterstruck

CHAPTER XXI: PROMISES

        Vylet was mesmerized by the lush green picturesque beauty that lay before her eyes. Different species of plants abode the surroundings. She had to catch her breath when her eyes flickered to a unique specie of a plant that seemed to look like from the family of a cactus, though this one was yellowish in color.

        "I like that one too." Craig chirped smiling at her.

        "It's beautiful. Your father is such a great botanist, I mean beyond great," she commended musing at the plant.

        "Yeah, how I wish he was still here so that I could introduce you to him," he beamed.

        Vylet's smile abruptly faded in her face as waves of guilt started to pull her under.

        'I don't think he will like me Craig, I'm a monster.' She thought bitterly.

        "I forgot to tell you, I've gone to Chief Rendoza," he piped.

        This made her nerve on edge. "Really? What did he say?" She prodded enthusiastically.

        Craig started to prattle the nuts and bolts of what Chief Rendoza had talked about his dad's case. Vylet's heart was hammering as Craig already figured out that a yoma is the suspect of all these gruesome murders.

        "He told me that I always have to keep this cresclunar," he said fishing it from his pocket. It was the amulet he used months ago from those entities! The amulet shone brilliantly again that almost made her feel giddy and she didn't know why.

        "Vylet?" He asked worriedly as he saw her clamping her head.

        "No, I'm fine. I guess I'm just...tired," Vylet mumbled as her teeth chattered.

        "I guess I'll drive you home," he deliberated.

        The cresclunar touched against her skin and it made her skin feel a burning sensation coursing deep down in her.

        “Arghhh!" She winced in pain as she covered her arms.

        "Vylet what's wrong?" He asked in an alarming tone.

        Vylet just shot her glacial look to the cresclunar, but Craig seemed to be clueless about where her pain come from.

        "Yeah, let's go home, please…" she said wryly and inched away from him.

        Damn. Why do I feel like it's going to kill me?  That cresclunar have saved my life but I guess it'll also be the death of me.

        She had carefully averted her skin from the cresclunar throughout the ride home. The motorcycle sped off and passed by the greenery of Heinville's.

        "Craig?"

        "Hmmm?"

        "What else did he say about yomas?" She asked in a strangled voice.

        "Well Chief Rendoza is not well informed about those monsters, but he introduced me to Mrs. Mendez who's also a cresclunar owner like me. She said that auras of yomas varies in three colors: purple, gray and burgundy. Some people can read auras while some can't. And we both can't and that sucks because we're unable to detect one from the sea of faces."

        She slyly thanked for his inability to read auras because if it happens that he can, she was doomed.

        "Really? I have known about auras but I can't read either." She noted while wondering what the color of her aura was. Maybe purple?

        "And she said that she once had a lover who was also a yoma, but she didn't kill him for her love for him prevails despite from what he is” He clipped.

        "Wow. True love," she remarked as she silently wished that could also happen to her; that someone would still love her despite what she is. A loophole was starting to form in her heart as she thought of him, Craig. He is a cresclunar owner, and the likes of him would be the death of her.

        "Yeah. It was." He acquiesced.

        "Uhmm if you were to put in her shoes...would you still love that person?' She asked feebly.

        The cold gust of wind whipped past across in the luscious surroundings that sent shivers down their spine.

        "I don't know." He replied. "I don't know what I'm going to do for it's hard to answer that unless it happens to me, but I guess that's not going to happen," he said confidently as Vylet could tell that he was smiling behind the helmet.

        "Why did you say so?" She shot back with a bitter edge in her voice.

        "Because you're not a monster," he asserted confidently.

        She imagined herself puking snakes upon hearing that.

        "I wish. I'm ...not," She replied and laughed nervously.

        Craig just laughed merely, and they were now nearing to her house. The sky was dusted with stars as it gleamed radiantly over the dimly illuminated road that stretched before them.

        "Uhmm by the way, I saw Dr. Bautista last time at the small house only a few blocks away across the lake." She piped.

        "Really? What was he doing there?"

        "I don't know," she lied. "But I saw a pretty woman there, maybe about as his age and they seemed to be sweet."

        "Oh yeah? But as far as I know he's still a bachelor in his mid- forty's. I don't know if he still has any plan to get married since I heard nothing about his love life."

        Then she remembered the woman's sobs about her son. She had this inkling that Dr. Bautista and that woman was caught up in a complicated or even a secret love affair. She didn’t want to jump into conclusions though, but something about them seemed to be fishy.

        "Maybe she's her girlfriend? I don't know but he..." she trailed off.

        Oopps, Vylet you didn't want to come out as nosy chic right? And you even said to him lately that you didn't know what they are doing there, so snap your goddamn mouth shut.

        "But what?" He prompted.

        "Nothing. I guess you should ask him about his love life the next time you see him." She said shrugging off her shoulders and they stepped down.

        "I don't know why people here love to flirt in their middle age," he remarked, chuckling dryly as he removed his helmet.

        "People here? You mean you know a lot of people like that?"

            He just nodded and grinned at her.

        "Who else?"  She probed with her curiosity skyrocketing.

        "A lot, but anyway they're not important. What important is you should go inside, and you take a rest now. Anyway, how are you feeling now?" He asked warily.

        "I'm fine...like I said maybe I'm just tired. But thank you for taking me to your dad's botanical garden and I'm sorry that I messed up." She countered in a flat voice.

        "No, you don't have to be sorry.  And you're welcome I'll take you again maybe next time," he beamed.

        She managed to suppress a smile though her heart was sinking into melancholic mood upon all the grueling fact that he is a cresclunar owner and he would be the death of her or maybe they'd be the death of each other, someday. Suddenly the dream she had last time about how his hate filled eyes looked at her and how he almost killed her with his cresclunar flashed in the edges of her vision. She wanted to scream her heart out, to shun those nightmares and to curse her fate for making her a yoma. All these hideous thoughts were making her human body slowly slipping into a coma.

        "Thank you for this day Craig," she said smiling faintly at him trying to placate her fear.

        Craig held her hands and leaned his face closer to her.

        "I love you Vylet. I know that I may not exactly what you're looking for and I know that we're living in a chaotic world full of hideous beings around but trust me I'll fight off with all my might and main and my love for you will be my powerful armor, more powerful than my cresclunar. I know you hate me sometimes, but I don't care. My love for you is steadfast as the poker face you used to wear in your pictures. Just kidding, it is as steadfast as your strong conviction that always had this hold on me," he said looking at her hazel eyes.

         Looking at those, he finally found the gateway to heaven, a blissful place where everything is perfect and divine.

        Vylet could feel the damp moisture of her eyes threatening to stream down. She just stared into his eyes, mentally wishing that he would keep his words. But her identity had taken its toll on her. She curled her lips and inevitably, tears started to spring down as she buried her face on his chest.