The Nobles

Chapter 2

ADELAIDE was greeted again with a lot of stares from her... schoolmates. Dire-diretso ang paglalakad niya, sa kabila ng mga bulungan. May iilan pang nagtangkang kumausap sa kaniya ngunit isang tingin sa kaniyang mata ay umatras na ang mga ito.

"She's beautiful, but don't you think she's kinda weird?" One of the whispers she heard.

She sat in her chair, her legs are crossed and her hands rest on her thigh, like a fine lady. It's early morning but the buzz from whispers are hurting her ears. Hindi niya na lang ito pinansin at hinintay ang guro nila para sa umagang iyon.

Natapos ang klase na wala siyang ni isang nakausap. Inoobserbahan niya lamang ang mga bagay na hindi pamilyar sa kaniya, tulad ng habilin ni Claudius sa kaniya. She already know a lot of things like cellphones, laptops, earphones and headphones. Her classmates used to carry those things everywhere on school.

So one morning, she asked Claudius Aeneas while he is cooking for their breakfast before school.

"I want cellphone." She said.

Nasamid pa ito at ilang beses na umubo. Tinitigan niya lang ito habang hinahanap ng kamay nito ang tubig.

Nang makainom, agad itong umayos at tumingin sa kaniya ng mabuti.

"Did I heard it right?"

Hindi siya sumagot at tinuloy ang pagkain. Sometimes, he really tend to over react, Adelaide thought.

"Sabi ko nga, he-he." That's another fake laugh.

"I have an extra phone on my room, my lady. I will do the honor to teach you."

True to his word, Claudius taught her how to use it. She was so clueless that she wanted to give up on it. That thing was so strange!

And now, trying to fit in, she's trying to take pictures around. The classes have ended and she's waiting for her late right hand. What's taking him so long? She wonder.

She was about to walk away when she heard a cry near the kiosk she's in front to.

She look around until she saw a child, crying. He looks so young, this human is probably four or five, she estimated.

She lean towards the child to ask what is wrong. She have no idea how to console a child!

"What's the problem?" She asked.

The child look up on her. He was still sobbing, his tears are all over his cheeks.

"Mommy and Daddy..." He mumbled in the middle of crying.

Adelaide don't know what to say. She's thinking hard how to comfort the crying boy.

"Are they late? My right hand is also late picking me up, I didn't cry." She thought it would make him stop.

Hindi niya alam kung bakit umiiyak pa rin ito, para sa kaniya kasi, ang mga salitang iyon ay sapat na para tumigil itong umiyak. Pinaramdam niya kasi sa bata na parehas sila ng sitwasyon. That's what she's thinking.

"They will come." She added.

The young boy sniff a little before opening his mouth to speak, "But bad guys took them away."

Puzzled, she asked the kid again, "What do you mean?"

"My M-mom and Dad was taken away when—" he sniffed. "they bring me to school this morning." Lalong naiyak ang bata.

Sasagot pa sana siya kaso dumating na si Claudius na hindi man lang nagmamadaling lumapit sa kaniya. He's chill although he is late.

"My lady." He bowed.

Lumipat ang tingin nito sa batang nasa paanan niya. He was a little chubby, and his skin is fair. Namumula na ang pisngi at ilong kakaiyak.

Nanlaki ang mata ni Claudius at mapanghusgang tiningnan si Adelaide, "M-my lady, you made the child cry?"

She sigh, "Claudius, why are you late?"

Agad itong ngumiti at nilapitan ang bata, kinarga pa nito sa kaniyang braso. "Of course, you didn't made him cry."

Napailing na lamang siya sa tinuran nito. Inaalo na ang bata ngayon.

"He said his parents are in danger." Pagpapaalam niya rito.

His interest was suddenly on the child. Agad niya itong tinanong at tulad sa sinagot sa kaniya ng bata, ganoon din ang sinabi nito kay Claudius.

With all seriousness, Claudius decided to go to the child's teacher first. A young kindergarten teacher greeted them. Napatingin ito sa batang nasa braso ni Claudius. Pansin ni Adelaide ang pag-aalala mula sa guro.

"Devian! What happened to him?" The young teacher asked. She went to Claudius to comfort the child. Ang guro na ang nagpresintang magpatahan dito.

"The child said his parents were kidn*pped, I think you should call the police." Her right-hand man suggested.

The teacher shake her head sideways, "I think he's saying weird things again, days before he went to me crying, he said there was strange guys who knocked on their house, but when I asked his parents about it they told me, that didn't happened."

She look at Claudius, he knows the kind of look she's giving him. She's letting him decide. Although, deep inside, it's still bothering her.

"I think we should try to look for something. Can you give us their address? His parents are late, we need to check them out."

Good thing, the teacher gave them the information. Claudius drive the car towards the address, it was one middle class subdivision. Sa harap ng bahay ipinarada ang kotse, pinagbuksan siya ng pinto ni Claudius at inalalayan.

Kinatok nito ang bahay na may tatlong palapag. It was bigger than the other houses around here.

When no one comes out for them, she decided to check the house inside. In the swift motion of her hand, they were inside the house.

The house has nothing suspicious on it, except that no one is inside. It was a complete silence. Walang bakas ng karahasan, normal ang lahat.

Dahil walang nakita, napagdesisyunan nilang bumalik sa paaralan. Near the school, Claudius told her he needs to buy something for the kid. Sumabay lang siya pababa ng kotse.

They were in front of a*****e. Claudius bought a food for the kid. He told her that it's called ice cream.

Gumagabi na at hindi maganda ang kutob niya sa paligid. She's extra sensitive, so she knows something is not right.

Iniwan niya si Claudius na tinawag agad ang pangalan niya. She walk around the playground near the school. The place is extra silent.

Maya maya, malakas na pamilyar na pag-iyak ang narinig niya. With her fast reflexes and speed, she went towards the cry of the child. Just as expected, the child from few hours ago is there, and with a strange looking people, or should she say, half bloods.

Ramdam niya ang mga presensya nito, at ang amoy ng dugo nila.

"My lady—" Hindi natuloy ni Claudius ang sasabihin. He went serious the moment he saw where she is looking at.

Naramdaman ng mga ito ang presensya nila. A girl and two boys half bloods were looking directly at Claudius who is now releasing not even one fourth of his power.

Adelaide immediately goes to the child. She held his little hand to go a little far away from Claudius and the half bloods.

"Don't worry, that man will take care of them." That was a soft whisper.

She move the body of the child, facing her, so he would not see what's happening not so far away from them.

"Are you hurt?"

He sobbed a little, "S-scared..."

"You're now safe." It was a soft whisper again, even the wind find it like a lullaby.

ON THE OTHER HAND, Claudius Aeneas is currently facing the three half bloods.

"Wow. I didn't know Nobles would react this fast." The girl mocked, she lick the small knife she's holding.

Gross.

"You are not complying to the rules." It was a serious remark from him.

The other guy whose eyes are red, and plain ugly laughed to mock him even more.

"Nobles tryin' to act high and mighty again, eh?"

Releasing a little amount of his power, his arms were covered by flame of light. The half bloods weren't even alarmed, thinking he was a weakling.

Sumugod ang tahimik na lalaki, he was using extraordinary strength but that punch was just piece of cake for someone like Claudius Aeneas. Bago pa makalapit ang kamao nito sa mukha niya, agad na siyang gumalaw, his speed is faster than the force of his opponents hand. Nang mapunta siya sa likod nito, agad niyang ginalaw ang siko niya at itinama ito sa likuran ng lalaki. He made that part of his body the center of his power in a few moments.

A loud groan escape the lips of the weak half blood.

Sa galit sinugod naman siya ng babae na hawak ang isang maliit na kutsilyo, the one she was licking a while ago. He can smell the poison on it.

Gusto niyang matawa. Do they really think a simple poison can take down a Noble who's naturally stronger than the two other races?

Before the knife landed on the target part of his body, he held the arm of the girl to cause fracture using his flame of light.

"Damn!" Agad napaatras ang babae, at mariin siyang tiningnan habang hinahawakan ang braso.

"You f*cking Noble!" The guys went over him to release an attack.

Ang gumagamit ng enhanced na lakas ay nagbago ang anyo dahil lumaki ang katawan nito, samantalang ang isang lalaki ay naglabas ng mahahabang kuko na tulad ng sa isang hayop.

He use both of his arms to counterattack the two opponents, they were just a piece of cake, he can easily kill them, but it's been a long time since he felt this kind of thrill, and he still need to ask something to these insects.

"Where did you bring the kids parents?" He asked while twisting the arm of the larger man.

Ang babae naman ay unti unti lumapit sa kaniya. She probably thought he's oblivious of his surroundings so she threw a knife on his side, pero agad itong nasilaban ng kaniyang apoy at naging abo.

Sa galit ng babae, sabay itong sumugod kasama ng iba pa. Isang sipa sa tiyan ang natanggap ng half blood na may espada, at isang suntok ang sa isa pa. Samantalang ang isang kamay niya ay ginamit niya upang hawakan ang leeg ng babae.

He felt his power rushed through his veins when he centered most of the powers he released to that hand. Agad nawalan ng hininga ang half blood at nawalan ng buhay.

"You greedy shits." Claudius' anger is slowly eating him.

"I will ask again, where did you bring them?" He walk towards the other two. Pareho nang hindi makagalaw.

Ang lalaking may hawak na espada ay halos hindi na makagalaw. His gut was targeted and he's coughing blood.

Weakling.

"A-at H building, we hide them there... they are dead but—" He coughed blood again.

With so much anger, he went towards the both of them, increasing his power to burn the two of them to death.

"You greedy animals!"

They are so f*****g heartless! f**k.

Claudius Aeneas couldn't help but to cuss repeatedly, vowing he will kill all the half bloods full of greed.

Those half bloods are killing humans to absord their life force, so they can have longer life span. They couldn't live long like Nobles. Those lowly animals kills to add another years on their nonsense life.

They wanted life as long as those of a Nobles. They didn't know how shitty it was. They didn't know because they didn't suffer from it, from living alone all those years.

"Claudius." A single call from Lady Adelaide wake him up from his overflowing anger. He blink repeatedly.

Nakita niya ito sa harapan niya, kasama ang bata, nakatalikod ito sa kaniya para hindi makita ang mga katawang nakahandusay sa kaniyang gilid.

"I heard about his parents. You should just kill them instantly, the moment I knew that the half bloods are behind that, I already concluded that they were dead. Don't you?" It was probably the longest that Lady Adelaide said since she came back.

Napakamot siya sa kanyang batok at saglit na napanguso.

"I was..." He didn't know how to continue.

"Playing around." Ito na ang nagdugtong sa nais niyang iparating.

"Those are C. You just wasted our time."

Tumango siya, feeling guilty. Those are the weakest kind of Half bloods. The Class C, he referred to them as insects they are the most likely to reveal themselves doing crimes, in spite the rules made by the treaty between humans, half bloods, and them, Nobles.