Chapter Twenty One
1587 Words
Chapter Twenty One
Gold
POLICE CORPORAL Ajax Manalo, huh?
His named stretched into my mind until the reinforcements finally came. The criminal was escorted with three other police officers. Meanwhile, officer Manalo or shall I call him by his name Ajax--escorted me back in the convenient store. They asked me if I want to be taken in the hospital but I refused. What I need to do now is to check on my group mates if they are still alive or something.
Well, it is not as if I am concern about them. I just feel like they are my responsibility.
"Are you sure you don't need any medical treatments or stress debriefing miss Andino?" Ajax asked me after I get out of the police car, we are already in front of the convenient store again.
"No, I'm okay..." I answered curtly.
I remember him asking my name earlier but I got the feeling that he already knows it prior to his question.
My cold gaze intersected with his intense eyes one last time before he bid his farewell.
"I shall go now, then. I need to go back to the police station," he said before gracefully turning around to ride his police mobile again.
It reminds me of the stunt he did earlier. Isn't he such a daredevil?
"Arylle!" Even without looking, I know the voice came from Guinevere.
I boredly turned around to look at them. Guinevere looked so shock and anxious at the same time.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay? I can't believe what just happened!" She fanned herself using palms like she will have a panic attack any moment.
"R-Right! We were so scared! S-Specially when the guy decided to h-hostage you!" Sheena affirmed with am expression that screams panic.
"It's alright. It's not as if I was killed or what," I said nonchalantly.
"But that was not a joke! I though I'd had a heart attack earlier!" Guinevere wailed dramatically.
The two of them continuously exchanged their panic experiences. I boredly watch them while biting my lips. These girls just won't stop talking, alright.
I let my eyes wander around while half-heartedly listening to their dramatic tantrums.
I was leisurely glancing around the area when my eyes suddenly caught something...
My eyebrows knitted with the strange silhouette that I saw on a utility pole about less than 10 meters away from me. However, the moment I blink my eyes, the odd figure was already gone like it was never there.
No, but I really did see something--or more like--someone standing behind the pole. Is my eyes playing tricks on me or...
My eyes widen when I realized something. The silhouette that I saw resembles a man and the moment I blinked my eyes for split seconds, it was already gone. Could it be...
Rheig?
He is the only person I know who can move stealthily that you would not even notice he was there. He is like a wind that is impossible to catch.
But if it was indeed him then why is he doing here and why do I feel like I was being watched by him?
"Arylle?" I taken aback from my thoughts when Sheena called my attention.
I blinked two times before looking at the two girls.
"I need to go now. Can you two gone home on your own, by the way?" I coldly asked the two of them.
They looks surprised with my sudden decision to go home.
"W-Well, I guess we really need to go home now. And uhm, yeah... Sheena and I will be further by my brother so it's okay." Guinevere answered awkwardly.
"Alright, then. I shall go now. Maybe we can just continue this group project some other time," I said and I did not waste any more time standing there because I immediately searched where I parked my motorcycle.
I need to go home now. Tomorrow is Saturday and I have no classes so it is the perfect opportunity to execute my plan.
I need to go back to our old mansion in Manila.
But first, I must first tell it to Nanang and I also need to pack some light clothes. I might stay there until Sunday.
While driving my way home, scenes from what happened earlier flashed into my mind. The circumstances ate indeed unorecendented and it was kind of slightly shocking, alright. What I experienced earlier was like a scene extracted from an action movie but what surprised is not the car chase thing but the fact that Police Corporal Ajax Manalo was like a driven beast.
His strength was beyond the normal capacity of man. The way he dove in front of a moving car from a motorcycle that almost crashed me and the criminal. He even stopped the car with just the pressure of his weight. After that, he casually punched the front mirror of the car like it was nothing and dragged the hell out of that hoodlum like he was the lightest feather on Earth.
How the hell did he do that? Granted, his body looks well-developed and firm but he it is just the average masculinity in terms of physique. Our school guard even look bulkier than him so how did manage to do all those things?
I gritted my teeth in deep concentration.
Above those bizarre things that he did, another thing really bothers me the most and that is the split-second flicker that I saw on his eyes.
I have witnessed it back in school, at first I thought that it was just the trajectory of light and all but then I saw it again earlier.
How his eyes flickered from gold to black in just a snap of time.
It was disturbing because...
I glance at the rearview mirror of my motorcycle and watch as my eyes change its color into blue.
One of the ways to discover a Lotus mutant is through the color of their eyes.
I gaze at the small mirror as I reverted the color of my eyes into brown.
Police Corporal Ajax Manalo, you are a mystery that I need to decipher next time.
I WAS able to go home after minutes of driving. As usual, Nanang welcomed me the moment I stepped into the house.
"Arylle, hija! You're a bit late today," she pointed out.
"Yeah, a lot of things happened today," I said briefly.
Her forehead wrinkled.
"What do you mean? What happened?"
I sighed before deciding to tell the other details of what happened to me. I started with the most relevant to her and that is Vanessa's death. She was so shocked when I told her about it. Yeah, Nanang has been working for our family before I was even born. She used to be my mom's yaya and now she became mine. She basically witnessed me grow and of course she knows my former friends and that includes Vanessa. It might be a huge horror on her part to know that the kid she used to see before is now dead.
"B-But... H-How--" she could not utter the words properly as if her mouth cannot process what she is thinking.
I get her, alright. Everything is indeed shocking but everyone must move forward.
Its is the essence of being alive.
I told her the remaining of the story. How the investigation revealed that the cause of her death was a sudden heart attack and how aunt Veron decided to cremate her body. I did not told her about the hostage incident that I experience earlier. Because she will only panic more. It's too much for her to bear. Besides, I need to tell her about my plan.
"Nanang..." I called her attention.
She is still currently wiping hee years from the news about Vanessa's death.
"Yes?"
"I plan on visiting the mansion tomorrow,"
She stopped from her tracks when she heard what I just said.
"What? I-Is that true? Are you serious?" Shocked evidently filled her expression.
"Yes. I just... need to find something out there."
"Find something? What is it that you need to find, hija?" She asked curiously.
I sighed.
"Nothing. Just... I just want to go there tomorrow. I will pack my bags now. Please tell Manong Ronald to prepare the car for tomorrow."
I said before deciding to rest inside my room now. This is such a long dsy for me. Besides, I need to all the energy I can get for our trip tomorrow.
After I took a quick shower, my the heavy weight of exhaustion took over me so I let myself melt in the comforting blanket of myself as the realm of unconsciousness embraced me again.
"Happy birthday, Ryz!" My dad smiled at me sweetly.
I hugged him tight with a contented smile on my face.
"Thank you, dad!"
"Happy birthday, sweetie. I hope ae made you happy today," mom's angelic features enveloped my eyes and I smiled at her lovingly.
"Thank you, mom! I am happy because you are here."
They both smiled at me. The other visitors also did.
Blade, Zephyre, Rheig, Lumence, and Gamence were also there. They were greeting me too.
It was grand but intimate party for my 11th birthday.
"Blow your candle now, Ryz..." I heard my dad said while pointing at my birthday cake.
I smiled at him before obliging. I leaned into the cake before blowing it...
The moment my soft breath extinguished the the candle, I was suddenly embraced by darkness.
-C. N. Haven-
- Writer
