The Moonlight Daughters

Never Either

Somewhere in the forest of Sagada. The three - Benjie, Daya, and Danny, were waiting for someone to come. Benjie was leaning himself on a pine tree as he stood facing the pine needle-covered narrow pathway. Beside Benjie was a rock where Daya was sitting on. Danny was standing in front of them. He was whistling as a response to the chirping birds that were flying around from one tree to another. He was trying to eradicate his almost fifteen-minute boredom. While Daya was scanning around, appreciating the beauty of nature.

A few moments later...

They sensed that someone was coming towards the space they occupied. Because of that, Daya slowly stood up while looking at the pathway's farthest distance her eyes could see where the sensation was coming from. She kept on smelling the incoming visitor's scent.

"Is that him?" She asked Danny. She suddenly felt nervous.

"Yeah. That's him." Danny smirked.

Benjie and Daya slowly walked towards Danny, curious about what does he look like.

Then, they can already see a man walking, getting closer and closer. At the same time, his scent was getting stronger and stronger. A few walks later, he has finally reached Danny.

"Danny!" He gladly yelled as he spread his arms wide.

"Undoy!" Danny yelled back. Then they hugged each other.

"How are you?" Undoy asked.

"I have bandages all over my arm( speaking in Kankana-ey)." He laughed. Undoy also laughed.

"I always told you not to get reckless," Undoy said.

"Huh...that's hard to do, bro."

"Yeah..." His friend shrugged. "Especially these days. It's hard to avoid the conflict inflicted by the father-in-law of your brother."

Danny turned around and he looked at Daya for a second then he faced his friend once again.

"I agree," He agreed. "I really hope you can help us."

"Of course," Undoy laughed once more.

"You don't really have an idea where to find your friend?" Danny whispered. Undoy responded with a smirk.

"I told you before." He laughed then he grabbed Danny's shoulders. "But don't worry, our questions will soon be answered later ." He added.

****

Study Hour, an hour held three 'o clock in the afternoon every day to rest every high school students' minds and some students take this hour to do club activities. Although that hour is not available for college students, the hour was still Ana's free time since her next class was an hour away, at exactly four. And so, she decided to spend her free time in the library.

Grace Joy was also at the library. She was searching for a vacant table where she could read the book she was handling. Later, she found Ana sitting alone while reading an animal book. She walked slowly towards her. Without Ana knowing, Grace sat across her.

"What are you reading?" Grace Joy asked with a smile.

Ana suddenly startled. Her eyes widened in shock, as she gasped.

"You scared me," she told her. She put her right hand on her chest.

"Sorry." Grace Joy apologized. "Can I seat here?" she asked.

Ana bit her lips as she immediately nodded.

"Well, you are already sitting there, so why not?" She answered.

"Salamat!"

"So, what did you bring?" Ana curiously asked while looking at the thick small book Grace had put on the table.

"It's a mystery novel. I'll read this book while waiting for my next class," she responded.

"I see." Ana sighed. "The Arts Club doesn't have a meeting right now so I came here to kill time." She added.

The last statement of her suddenly made Grace Joy think for a few seconds.

"Do you think it's more fun to join clubs in college?" Grace Joy suddenly asked.

"Absolutely," Ana answered.

"Wait?" Ana wondered. "You haven't joined any club yet?"

Grace Joy shyly shook her head. The upper part of her nose creased as she brought her eyebrows closer to each other.

"You should join one"

"I like to...but...I feel like it will be a distraction for my academics."

"Grace Joy." Ana sighed. "You know what? You can't enjoy the benefit of this school if you don't join any club. Besides, Club organizations in college are more active than in high school. In this school, I guarantee that every club here is active."

After hearing what Ana had said, she bit her lips as she looked down and she gently nodded. She was reflecting on what the girl in front of her had said.

*****

Somewhere in the middle of the forest, an area west of the echo valley. Where Undoy's family was hiding. He and his wife and children were living together in a nipa hut and it's a little far away from the civilization.

"Ay kayo ta sunggep tako. Ma-id man babain.( Come in. Don't be shy)." Undoy told them.

The three guests (Benjie, Danny, and Daya) slowly walked through the door while scanning the interior of the hut. As they enter, they were already in the living room.

"Wow... seems like you are living alone," Benjie faintly chuckled. He sat down on a wooden chair next to a sofa.

"You are wrong, pare," Undoy said as he sat down on a sofa that's made of entire rattan. "My wife accompanied my youngest child to school. My eldest son went to the neighborhood for an errand."

Benjie slowly nodded. Then, he looked at the two who were just touring around the room.

"Oh, how disrespectful of me..." Undoy suddenly stood up. "Would you like some coffee?" He then asked. "Just wait here. I'll go boil the Barako." Then he rushed toward the kitchen.

A few seconds later, someone opened the door.

The people in the living room looked towards it. They saw a teenage boy entering. Next, after him entered an old woman.

"Have a seat, Lola." The teenage boy assisted her to a wooden chair. After helping her sit down, he then looked at his father's unexpected guests.

"H-hi...po." He got shy.

"Hello," the three responded.

"Oh, I didn't know you're a handsome one," Daya said which made the boy blush.

"What's your name?" she then asked. The boy lowered his head slightly due to his shyness.

"Marlon po," he answered.

"Nice to meet you, Marlon!" She smiled.

"Nice to meet you," Benjie said next.

"Hi, Marlon," Danny greeted.

Then, the boy called his father.

"Daddy! Na-ey kami et. (Daddy, we are here!)." He went to the kitchen.

"I see. You are the visitors Undoy was talking about?" The old lady spoke.

"Yes, Lola," Daya immediately smiled. After her response, the old woman faintly laughed. The three then looked at each other, wondering why's she laughing all of a sudden.

"Why are you laughing?" Daya asked.

Then, she pointed at Danny.

"I can feel that you have a strong kind of 'vessel' inside you." She told him.

Danny raised one of his eyebrows, deciphering what does she meant by ''vessel".

"Tell me, you man of Baas tribe. What kind of wolf are you hiding in you?" she asked.

" I can't tell you," he responded.

The old lady smiled.

"Then, I won't ask anymore."

"Salamat po," he said.

"I just came here because I heard that you are looking for the "keys" to the ancient land," she told them her intention. "I might be able to help you."

"Are you a Lignodon? Like us?" Benjie asked. "I can't sense anything wrong on you."

"My boy. I am just an ordinary human," the old lady responded.

"I don't believe you," Danny told her. "How did you know that I have an unusual another vessel?"

"I just sensed it," she answered.

****

While blending into the crowd, Cainnick and Gilhameer were walking across the ground towards the main building of the school. Suddenly, Cainnick halted. And so, Gilhameer also stopped.

"Why?" Gilhameer asked. He's wondering why his friend seemed frightened.

"Is...is there any problem?" He added.

"Gilhameer..."He said his voice stuttered. " I feel something strange coming from behind. Can't you sense it?"

"Huh?" Gilhameer about-faced. There he finally felt what Cainnick was talking about. Not only that, he even saw the person which the feeling was coming from. Because of that, he got shocked as he widened his eyes. Then, he immediately faced back in front.

"Bro!" He told Cainnick. "He's looking at us."

"Is that so?" Then he slowly turned his head. Just slight, just enough to see him through his peripheral vision.

"Yeah. He looks angry," he looked at Gilhameer.

"You know him?" Gilhameer then asked. "I had never seen that man in my whole life," he added.

"Let's not look at him. Pretend like we are not sensing anything and walk fast.," he instructed.

"Right," Gilhameer agreed. And so, they walked as normal as they can so that the boy who's a few meters away from them wouldn't realize that they noticed him.

***

While Marlon was serving hot coffee to the guests, the adults were discussing how they would find the missing key. They were gathered around a square table where Marlon laid their coffee down.

"First of all, I am Aurora," The old lady introduced herself. Then the three guests introduced themselves.

"I called Lola Aurora here so that we can search for my friend's family. Her methods can make the search easier and faster." Undoy told them.

The old lady thanked him afterward.

"Lola. They are the visitors that came from the barrio of Ba-as," he told.

"Yes, yes. I know," Aurora replied.

"Nice noon to you all," she greeted.

"Let's cut to the chase then," Benjie told them. "We are aware that anytime now Dionysus might have obtained the remaining two keys. We must have to find the other one first before he does. "

Danny, Daya, and Undoy sighed.

"He is right. We must find it as soon as possible," Daya worriedly said.

"That's the reason why you need me here," The old lady interrupted them.

"What makes you think you can help us?" Danny wondered.

"Ask Undoy?" She turned her head to Undoy.

"Hay nako," he sighed.

"Lola Aurora has the ability to talk to anito(spirits)."

The three looked at each other.

"Anito?" Danny asked. "Really?"

"So, she is like a Babaylan?" Daya wondered.

"Precisely, my dear," Aurora responded. She took a deep breath before she continued speaking. "You see, that land was forbidden for how many years. Ancestors always tell that that land does not belong to this world anymore. It belongs to the world where only the spirits dwell. They say that somewhere in the mountains, we can find the portal to that world."

"But why do they want to go there?" Daya was getting more puzzled.

"You must ask that to your old man," the old woman answered.

****

It's already three 'o clock in the afternoon. Cainnick was walking alone along the corridor. He was trying to call his big brother on the phone. Still, he wasn't responding. He stopped walking for a while.

"Tsk," Cainnick slowly shook his head due to his disappointment. He held his phone near his ear once more as it rang.

Sorry, the number you're calling is out of the coverage area.

"Ano ba 'yan?" he scratched his head. "I am so sick of this slow signal." He put his phone inside his pocket at the front of his pants.

Unexpectedly, when he was about to move forward, he got surprised because he bumped into someone. The person wasn't just someone though, he's a teacher. A very strict and hot-tempered teacher whose name was known throughout the school. The worst is that the vase the teacher was holding accidentally fell down the concrete tiled floor. Cainnick and he just watched it rapidly fell. As the vase landed, it broke into pieces.

Everyone's attention was captured after they heard the noise as it broke. And so, they looked at them.

Cainnick's heart suddenly raced. He slowly raised his head up and look at the person who owned the vase. By his surprise, his heart suddenly raced more and he suddenly felt tense. The teacher he bumped was the 'worst' teacher the school has ever had - Mr. Matty is also known as "General Matty". Cainnick's eyes widened as he looked at Mr. Matty's face is stern and turning red, a sign that Cainnick should run away.

"Sorry, po! Sorry, po!" He said over and over as he panicked.

"'Sorry?'"The teacher said faintly.

"'Sorry?'"Then, he yelled in anger. "Do you think 'sorry' can pay whatever you destroyed?!"

"I...I...I'll just pay then," Cainnick replied in a panic. "Naku!" He muttered.

"I'm really! Sorry."

"No. I don't need your money." He insisted. " How about..." he began thinking.

Cainnick took a gulp of his saliva. He was sweating and he was feeling tense while waiting for the teacher to tell him his punishment.

He never knew that the boy they felt strange a while ago was hiding among the crowd. Watching Cainnick scolded by the "General".

****

" Oh? It's already twenty minutes before my next class?" Ana was surprised when she checked the time on her watch.

"Grace. I'll leave you here because I still have a class to attend." She closed the book she was reading, then she immediately stood up and picked up the book on the table along with her backpack she had placed on the floor under the mono-block chair she was seated in.

"It's okay, no problem," Grace answered.

"Sige bye!" Ana immediately went to the shelf where she pulls out the book she borrowed. After she returned it to the shelf, she headed towards the door.

Grace Joy sighed. She stared at the window near her for a few seconds. Then, she continued reading.

Later, Grace Joy checked her watch. It's already ten minutes before four. She widened her eyes in shock. Because of that, she stood up and pulled up her backpack on the table.

"Oh, I forgot! I also have class," she panicked.

Then, she walked away from the table but she suddenly remembered that she left the book she was reading. She immediately went back to pick it up.

****

Outside Undoy's home. Where the place is wide, grassy, and calm. A perfect spot to perform Lola Aurora's ritual. They prepared a bonfire, a plate of pinikpikan, and a glass of tapey and they put them down on the ground. After that, Lola Aurora knelt, facing the sacrifices. Later, she closed her eyes and she began to concentrate. Daya, Danny, Benjie, Undoy, and Marlon moved a little far away from the old lady. A few moments later, the old woman began to mutter.

"I am having goosebumps," Daya softly spoke. Danny, whom she was talking to grin.

"You can go inside the house if you don't wanna watch," he suggested.

"I'll just stay here. Besides, I will be more scared if I am alone in there," she insisted.

"Then, ask your husband to join you," he joked.

Daya slapped him on the back.

"Ouch!" Her brother-in-law reacted.

"Once I helped Wendel escape, I will tell him every mean thing you said to me."

"Would you please shut up?" Benjie said.

"You are scared too?" Danny spoke back. "Daya. You are not the only one who will stay inside after all," he teased.

Benjie hushed while he scowled at him.

Suddenly, the group was surprised when a small twirling wind appeared in front of the old woman. Then, it began to 'dance' around her with the sacrifices. Just after the small tornado moved, another tornado appeared and it began to move around her. The two swirling winds move like dancers dancing around the old woman along with the food, th