Hidden Horns

He's my father

Never before had Yohan noticed how time is so much like water; that it can pass slowly, a drop at a time, even freeze, or rush by in a blink. The clock says it is measured and constant, tick tock, part of an orderly world; the clock lies. The past few minutes had passed like thousands of camera frames per second shown one at a time. In this slow time-bubble the birdsong was louder, coldness was colder and colours were brighter. All the while her insides felt as if there was nothing there, nothing to need feeding, nothing to have need of anything at all and nothing to think of other than Chloe's lips on hers.

They are both looking so closely into each other's eyes. Both wide open and shocked. Chloe didn't know what got into her and why she kissed Yohan.

Maybe because she got excited after Yohan confessed to her. Or maybe she felt too overwhelmed and her brain had a short circuit for a moment and she couldn't think straight aside from kissing Yohan.

Chloe's kiss is not at all the same as those movie stars, but one steeped in a passion that ignites. It is the promise of realness, of the primal desire that lives in us all. And with it she tells Yohan that she is awake, connected within, that she embraces herself rather than hide as a copy of those romantic idols. She's Chloe Smith, the woman who never thinks first before doing an action.

Chloe pulled away first as she let go of Yohan's head. "S-sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"Yeah, do you know what are the consequences of what you did?" Yohan said, though she's calm outside, her insides are rioting. Her stomach doing a somersault, her heart frantically beating and in any minute now, it'll burst.

"What?"

Yohan stared at Chloe amusedly, then shook her head. "You just stole my first kiss." She chuckled.

"The only thing I could be proud of." Chloe said and she turned her body to hide her flustered face.

Yohan was so amused. She hasn't had her first kiss until Chloe. Not even when she met Nicole, her true love. They've been together for a year but the only thing she did with her was holding her hand.

And then here's Chloe. Making a huge scene in her life. Giving her mixed emotions and she kissed her without even the consequences for kissing a devil.

"I just know that you wouldn't be proud of yourself if you start facing the consequences of your silliness." Yohan chuckled and shook her head. "We should go back."

"Then what? Go back to the thing we need to do like marrying Martin?"

"Do you really have to do that?"

"Yes, unless you would accept my offer of marriage with me." Chloe said with certainty in her voice.

"I can't, unless you would like to live in hell." Yohan said and she offered her hand to Chloe. "Let's go—."

"Let's just stay for a while. This will be my last favour. I just want to be with you alone, without thinking of anyone else but this moment with you." Chloe said.

Yohan stared at her again, as if deciphering what's inside Chloe's mind. But she then realized that she wanted to savour this moment as well. Thinking that being together even just for a moment after confessing her feelings will not hurt either of them. After all, she made that place in case this kind of event happens way back when there's still Nicole. So at the end, she nodded her head and sat back to her spot earlier, then she took Chloe's hand to hers as they both watched the now overcast dark skies covered with stars scattered around.

Who would've thought that everything she hasn't experienced with Nicole is she's going to experience with Chloe, the person who meant her soul to be inside Yohan's body and not even her lover.

_____

"What is going on, Carlo? Where's my daughter?!" Carolina asked furiously after they heard Carlo shouting Yohan's name upstairs right before she vanished with Chloe.

The Lucero's were too shocked but they stayed at the dining area as they were told not to go out since there might be a dangerous situation outside.

"Yohan took Chloe." Carlo replied weakly while sitting on the floor, his back leaned against the wall with one knee bended.

"What? Why did you let her take my daughter?!"

"As if I can do something about it." Carlo scoffed and he leaned back his head as he shut his eyes. "I don't know what I'm gonna do anymore."

"You should've told me sooner about your deal with that Demon!" Carolina yelled, tears streaming down on her face.

"Then what? You'll give her my daughter?"

"No! I would give you instead! You put our daughter in danger instead of dealing with it alone!"

"I did that for you!" Carlo yelled and he stood up abruptly. "I did everything just for you to stay with me! Because if I don't have money, you will leave me for someone else who's rich! You almost cheated on me with Harold!"

Carolina was at a loss for words upon hearing her husband, because it's true. When Carlo was struggling to save his company, Carolina started flirting with Mr. Lucero and Carlo knew that. That's why he sold his soul to a devil in exchange to save his company.

"You think I'm naive and a fool? I saw you with my own two eyes! I watched you and I did everything to make you stay, now tell me? If I go bankrupt that day, wouldn't you go to Harold just to stay in your fancy life?"

"Yes!" Carolina yelled back and even though Carlo already knew the answer, he still felt a sudden pang on his chest. His veins started to get visible as he's holding back his anger and preventing himself from hurting his wife. "Do you really think that I don't know about your mistress?"

"What mistress?" Carlo tilted his head, trying to look confused even if he started to feel nervous.

"So you're still going to deny it? I know that you impregnate your mistress! I know that you're cheating and you know what made me feel so disgusted with you? That you had an affair with a witch!" Carolina yelled, her tears continuing streaming down her face but her eyes were screaming too much anger.

"Carolina—."

"That's right, you had an affair with a witch, not just a common witch! She's the Queen of the witches and when you found out that she's pregnant, you suddenly left her, then miracles happened! You saved your company, you began having too much wealth and—."

"What did you say?" The couple snapped their heads at the door when someone spoke.

"You! You're Yohan's friend, right?! Where did that demon bring my daughter?!" Carolina turned to Jess, who's still looking at her with a blank expression.

"I'm asking you!" Jess suddenly outburst, all things inside Carlo's office started levitating and the couple felt a sudden fear. "You had an affair with the Queen of the witches?!"

"Why are you even asking?" Carlo asked, though fear was visible in his eyes, he still managed to ask Jess.

"And you left her when you found out that she's pregnant?"

"I had to! I'm already married to Carolina and I just have to—."

"To help you about your deal with the devil?" Jess interrupted him.

"Yes!"

"How dare you?!" Jess shouted and her voice blasted the entire house, which caught Agma's attention. She ran upstairs to where the voice came from and she saw her friend burning in anger, revealing her power in front of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. "All these years, I believed that she died because she was defeated by another witch—." Jess stopped abruptly as she swallowed hard to remove the imaginary lump in her throat because it's giving her difficulty to breath or to speak.

"Jess, what's going on?" Agma asked and was about to hold Jess's shoulder but her hand stopped mid air as she felt an intense oppressing sensation emanating from Jess's body. She retreated back and fished her phone out of her pocket to call Yohan, but she wasn't reachable. She hasn't seen Jess like this since they started becoming friends at the age of 8. The day when Asmo brought Agma with him and they met Jess in the middle of the miracle forest where witches are hiding. And that's when Asmo loses his sister to Yohan and Jess.

"Why are you so mad? That wasn't even in your concern—."

"Because that witch is my mother!" Jess yelled and everyone in that room fell in silence. No one dared to speak, even the guest in the dining room could hear the commotion but they didn't try to intervene as Harold knows everything too.

Mr. Lucero knows what is happening, because whatever Carlo has gone through right, he was there. He lost his son's soul for wealth and power. And there's Asmo, he threatened Harold's life so he could execute his plan to take his revenge on Yohan. While Agatha still believes that her son was staying in state and when Harold pretends that Asmo is their son, she is easily deceived immediately.

Harold stood up but Asmo glared at him, as if telling him to stay back in his seat and never make a move.

"Janaya is your m-mother?" Carlo stuttered, couldn't believe that he's now looking at his first child.

"Too shocked?" Jess scoffed and she let her body to levitate from the ground while there were dark smokes coming out from her palms.

"Jess, calm down!" Agma yelled but it seemed that her friend couldn't hear her. "Ugh Yohan where the f**k are you?" She groaned while keep calling Yohan's number.

Yohan suddenly appeared from nowhere and she leaped to grab Jess's hands to stop her from attacking her father and they both rolled on the ground.

"Don't kill him." Yohan said. Agma let out a sigh of relief when she saw Yohan and she ran to the couple and dragged them both out of the room.

"Y-Yohan, where's my daughter?!" Carolina shouted before Agma shut the door.

"Jess, you need to calm down. I will explain everything." Yohan said, still trying to stop her friends from making a drastic movement so she wouldn't hurt anyone.

"He's my father." Jess said with a blank face.

"Yes, and Chloe is your half sister." Yohan said.

"And you were supposed to take his first child's soul." Jess said. Yohan knows that she has a bigger problem now than stopping Chloe from marrying Asmo.

"Yes." Yohan replied, looking straight into Jess's eyes. "Which means, I need to take your soul." She added.

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