Street Lights

Episode 16: Training

Matteo's POV

“Baby, Alliyah's still sleeping. We stayed up so late.” my mom said after seeing her in the kitchen.

“Yeah, right. How was the night?” I tried to act as normal as I could. I can just hope that it went well.

I hope they did really get along.

“She's the perfect girl for you, Clare. No joke.” she smiled sincerely, the truth is in her eyes!

But in exchange, I secretly smiled bitterly! The perfect girl for me, but I'm not the perfect man for her.

Because I killed her parents.

“Come on, mom. Don't tease me again and again. I'll help you cook for lunch.” nakamot ko ang ulo at inaya na siyang tapusin ang nasimulan!

Iniba ko ang usapan namin habang naghahanda ng tanghalian at naghihintay kay Alliyah na magising. Sinisilip ko naman siya bawat oras sa kwarto niya.

She's sleeping deep, her face was angelic, I wonder how it gets when she gets mad.

Especially when she'll know my darkest secret.

I reached out my hand for her cheeks. She has this really baby face, big cheeks, has not-so pointed nose but still it has the perfect shape. Her eye lashes were somehow thick then followed her fleek eye brows, it's not really thick like her lashes but it fits the overall of her face.

I imagined her eyes, it was dark brown. Her smiling lips whenever she's happy. Her deep dimples that are so attractive. And how she stares at everything, everyone.

She is perfect for me.

Not until she widely opened her eyes and slapped me immediately when she saw me! “Ouch! Freaking— What the hell was that for?!” I hissed!

Gulat at nanlalaki parin ang matang tinitigan niya ako habang binabalutan ng kumot ang buong katawan niya!

“Sorry.. I didn't mean to, I was just shocked! What are you doing here, anyway?” nagsalubong ang kilay niya at marahang binaba sa kama ang kumot na hawak niya!

“I-I was just checking on you.. Lunch is ready.” I awkwardly said and left her inside the room!

My cheek's freaking hurt! Slapping me after she woke up was not I expected! With furrowed brows, I walked to my mom who's now sitting on her chair and waiting for us!

“What's with that face, baby?” I rolled my eyes because of her sentence!

“Mom, when will you going to stop calling me that?” pag-iiba ko sa usapan! Suddenly, all my problems just disappeared because of what Alliyah did!

It's like she woked me up from my sleep! “And my cheek hurts, she slapped it!” I hissed again, after feeling my hurting cheek!

“I didn't do it on purpose! It was an accident!” and there she goes defending herself!

“Oh really?” I raised an eyebrow at her!

“Yeah! And I already said I'm sorry!” she argued and sat back across me!

“Okay.. stop it you two. Let's have lunch, it's already late, I don't want Alliyah to get sick. I will be scolded by her parents then if it happens.” immediately, i turned my gaze at Alliyah who is now staring at my mom!

“Uh.. Okay, let's eat now, mom. Enough of talking!” I felt really really awkward!

She shouldn't brought it up! And I thought they were having a chit-chat last night? Didn't she told my mom about her living on her own?

“I don't have them anymore, tita.” Alliyah said, with a sad smile on her lips!

“Oh! I'm sorry, darling. I didn't know. Why didn't you told me last night? Oh, don't mind me, please. Let's just eat, okay?”

After eating, Alliyah stayed a little bit longer after she decided to go home. And of course, I drove her to her house.

“Salamat, Matteo.” we smiled at each other. I am happy having her in my house.

Who wouldn't be? Your girl visited your mom? How sweet it could get?

“Thanks. Now go get back your sleep. I've to go.” before rolling up my window, I watched her walk inside her house.

I went to Misty after. She was worried, it showed on her face! “Matteo! The council wants us now, all of us! There's a big problem in the Paradise! My mom is already there, and I bet your mom, too.”

Hindi ako nakapagsalita agad! “That fast?! It can't be, Misty!” how could a small problem grew that fast?!

“Yeah, it does! I'm worried about Liyah. I think I should say goodbye?”

“And let her think where we're going? Hell no!”

“We can't just leave, Matteo! Alam mong tinuring ko na siyang pamilya! At nag-aalala ako sa kaligtasan niya! Alam mo kung anong kayang gawin ng mga dark peculiars!” bumuntong-hininga ako ng malalim!

Yeah, of course.

Hindi dapat sila minamaliit. They once entered this world, and we—peculiars—can't let that happen again! It's too dangerous for humans!

“Let's just warn her to stay safe. And bid goodbye, just make sure you'll come clean, no doubts.” I don't want to say goodbye to her because I'll surely come back.

I'm just hoping she'll stay safe until we're back. it's only her will be left, though. And to mention, dark peculiars can imitate a person, or even the same species.

“Let's go now. Portals will be totally close at six pm dawn. It'll be open untill the Zenith ordered.”

And just like that, we left the mortal world. Hours passed, and it is already six pm dawn. We are guarding the portals to take it down until further notice.

“The order has been given! Close all the portals!” a man who has a rank shouted!

All together, we took down all the portals to the mortal world! Taking down a portal can take most of all our strength, that is why every portal are guarded with three persons.

I was with Jack and Misty like it always was. And other groups where scattered to all the portals we have—there are at least ten to twenty portals scattered all around Paradise.

“Hah! This one didn't changed at all!” Misty exhaustedly hushed about the portal we were guarding since we were kids!

“A portal can't change, babe.” natatawang tugon naman ni Jack sa jowa!

“Whatever. Tara, let's have a break. There will be a meeting later on.” napapatangong sumunod kami sa kaniya.

After having our break, the council immediately called for a meeting! Thousands of peculiars showed up all at once! The open field was filled with all of us!

Peculiars has a large number of population too. And because of that, Paradise isn't enough for all of us, that is the reason why we are scattered all around the mortal world, but we kept our real identity hidden.

There are also peculiars who married a mortal, which is not really a problem for our race, but a problem of more increasing numbers! Humans are known to be producing more races than us, immortals.

Even our Zenith likes it in the mortal world, but can't leave the Paradise. “I am expecting that you all know why I want you here. Our opposite for how many years the dark peculiars are trying to fight for the Paradise again. And I have received a threat that this time, there will be no mercy.” sandaling napahinto sa pagsasalita ang Zenith at inilibot ang paningin sa lahat ng narito!

“And because of the threat, I would like to put everyone on training. We have to prepare for a battle. Use your abilities, your power, your uniqueness. Let's fight for our land.” taas ang noo ng Zenith na sinabi ang lahat ng 'yon!

I couldn't believe what I just heard! Why all of a sudden?! What's with the rush?! Peculiars were silent all these years, and then this problem suddenly destroyed our silence, and now the Zenith is mad!

After na meeting, my batch went straight to our training grounds. Every batch has their own training grounds so the other batch can't be disturbed by their practice.

Names of our batch was call and we are all present except for one person! “Where is Juliana?! We can't proceed training if we lack one!” one of our senior shouted!

I heard murmurs everywhere our training ground! “I will report this to Zenith. All of you stay here.”

Agad na lumakas ang mga bulong-bulongan ng mga kasamahan namin nang makaalis ang isang senior! Sabay na nag-abot ang mga paningin namin nina Jack at Misty!

There is only one person that we can possibly think of!

“Alex..” Misty didn't held back anymore.

“Damn!” I hissed! “Does anyone know his records?” I hesitantly stated!

Misty immediately gave her response, and it was a no! When I turned to Jack, “I just know that he's one of us, but I don't know about his records.” I hardly closed my eyes!

“This will be one another problem..” natatakot na bulong ni Misty sa kawalan! Jack and me stared at each other until,

“We have to tell them.” Jack said and tried to get to the higher ranks!

“Stop! There's one more person that we could be asking, Alliyah.” Misty pulled him back and said!

My brows immediately furrowed! “She can't be knowing, Misty. You know it's forbidden. We hide our real identity.” I tried to make her understand, and she did!

“Oh, yeah, right. But don't you think? Baka may napapansin siya? There could be a wa—”

“Let's just immediately tell the seniors!” Jack pushed again!

“Where is my daughter!? Tell me where she is!” suddenly the chatters fade away! It was Julianas mother!

You can feel her emotions flowing out! She was scared, confused and hopeless while she was making her way to us!

“Misty! Where is my daughter? You know where she is, right?” Nakita kong umawang ang labi ni Misty, she obviously doesn't know where her daughter was! “Right, Misty?”

“N-no.. I'm sorry.” Misty looked down, disappointed by herself because she wasn't able to help Juliana's mother. She was always like this. Especially when the car accident happened which involves Alliyah and her parents.

“Oh no. This can't be! Don't tell me she's still in the mortal world?!”

“Please calm down, Mrs. Bason. We will look for her.” a senior calmly said, trying to make her calm too.

“What if she's still in the mortal world?! All portals were already took down!” she was crying like she already lost her daughter, but she did.

“We will know, Mrs. Bason, please cooperate with us so we can immediately find Juliana.” umiiyak pa ring sumama si Mrs. Bason sa mga senior habang napagbilinan naman kami na magsimula na sa pag-eensayo dahil kailangan pa nilang nahapin si Juliana.

As the head of my batch, I stood up in the middle of our training grounds. “Please settle. From here, I will take the seniors place as your head and as ordered by the higher ranks while they are taking care of Juliana's disappearance.” all of them listened as I continue. “Let's all do pairs and try to oppose the uniqueness of each other. I will be coming to oppose you as my training, too.”

And there, the training began. A peculiar trying to fight with each other to posses new unique abilities. But of course, everyone is making sure that they won't hurt the person they were fighting to.

So to began my training, I walked infront of Layla. “Guess who came to me.” she smiled, flirting.

“Enough of games, let's train.” a serious tone left my mouth! “Ready? attack!” we started fighting each other, attacking whenever we both had a chance! No one will accept defeat, that is how we are trained!

I used my illusion to take her to a beautiful garden and let her imagine things! But suddenly, everything when wrong! She was just playing with my capabilities! She attacked me inside that illusion so I changed it!

“You thought that would work on me? I am better than you know, Clare!” she aggressively attacked me again! “Romance illusion won't work on me anymore!” she laughed at her own sentence so I took advantage!

I brought her down the ground and placed my blade against her throat! “Now tell me it didn't! I just distracted you, Layla.”

She rolled her eyes at me! “Saying my name is still the sweetest thing I've always hear, darling. And yes, of course, you were taking advantage of my feelings for you.. so obviously I was distracted!” she pushed me aside!

“It was nice training with you.” I said so she smiled at me, still flirting. But seeing her improvements, I exchange smiles with her.

After opposing with Layla I tried to oppose everyone on the batch. There were still weakness, but there are also who's somehow stronger than me.