Just reminiscing the hard times that Apollo and his mom surpassed together gave him chills. Mrs. Rodriguez used to have nothing and had just recently succeeded in her career when her debut novel topped The New York Times Best Sellers and gained such positive and inspiring feedback from many review platforms: Barnes and Noble, Kirkus, GoodReads, BookBub, Amazon, and OnlineBookClub. Apollo hasn't read the book because he wasn't into reading. And because of that, he felt that he hasn't been a good son. He depended on her mom too much, but her mom was never able to depend on him. How sad and embarrassing. He thought. I have never felt so guilty in my life and now that she's in danger, I won't forgive myself if something bad happens to her.
Betha's transformation didn't freak Apollo as much as it did the first time, but he cringed. Gab's reaction was more of amazement rather than the tiny bit of disgust Apollo was feeling towards the sight of an old wrinkly witch-looking woman. Betha was standing in between them. The process was the same: fluttering sound, heavy wind, long black hair evolving to silver, from such beautiful face to…would I ever be able to live with this? Apollo thought. Betha wailed, interrupting his thoughts. He and Gab had to cover their ears and when it was over, Apollo felt a heavy weight in his heart like he was going to die of tension. He didn't want any harm to happen to his mom. Betha's shrieking was like an early warning for Luke who was saved from a heart attack. Maybe this is the same. Maybe what she has isn't a curse. It's a gift. A warning of near death, so that there's time to save. But more than the hope that Apollo was feeling, there was fear.
Betha was back to her human form but instead of being relieved, she was in distress. She turned to Gab and asked, "This is my neighborhood and that over there is my house." She pointed at the direction of her place.
"Betha, we haven't told you this, but this is actually Apollo's house. He's your neighbor. And he lives with his mom." He explained in a sad tone.
Betha covered her mouth in disbelief. She looked at Apollo with sympathy and her eyes looked like she was asking for forgiveness. Apollo's body felt numb and was sure to die if something happened to his mom. He wouldn't know how to deal with it.
He opened the door. "Mom!" It almost made him crazy just to call for his mom. Please be alright. Please be alright. "Mom, where are you?" Mrs. Rodriguez wasn't in the kitchen or anywhere downstairs and her room was also empty. "Mom!"
"Apollo? I'm here, dear!" Apollo was in his mom's room checking the bathroom when he heard her voice. He felt so relieved. He'd never been so happy to hear his mom's voice.
"Mom!" Apollo hugged Mrs. Rodriguez upon seeing her resting on his bean bag. He forced his tears back.
"Oh dear. What's the matter? Did something happen?"
"I saw a lot of missed calls, mom. I thought there was an emergency or something. I thought something bad happened to you."
"Well we do have an emergency." Her eyes shifted to a dog. Apollo hadn't notice her petting a dog that was lying right beside his bean bag.
"Whose dog is this?"
"I have no idea. He was so weak, lying by our doorsteps. I let him in and called almost everyone from our neighborhood, but he was nobody's dog. Then the next thing I know, he managed to come up here in your room and he was too heavy for me to lift which is why I have been calling you. We need to take him to the vet."
The dog was huge. It was the biggest dog that Apollo had ever seen. He then realized that Gab and Betha were downstairs, not having any idea about what's happening. "Mom, I'm with Gab and another friend. They're downstairs. I'll call them up to help us with the dog."
He rushed downstairs and sat, breathing heavily on the cerulean timber fiber sofa. "Betha, it wasn't my mom you were wailing for. It was a dog." She and Gab were situated quietly, fronting each other, both looking uncomfortable on the briar chairs with the same color as the sofa. The uncomfortable expression on their faces changed. They were relieved. Gab put his hand on his chest and exhaled. He wanted so much to run towards Apollo's mom, thinking she was in danger, but Betha stopped him to give way for Apollo, so they ended up waiting instead.
"So, that's why the feeling was a bit different this time." She answered. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you both that sometimes, my Banshee ability can sense any dying living thing inside the house approximately 5 kilometers away, including animals. But only when accompanied by someone who feels distressed."
"I'm glad that's the case, Betha. But I do want to make sure the dog is safe." Apollo responded.
"Since when did you have a dog?" Gab asked, confused.
"I'll explain later."
"Should we go upstairs now to help Andrea with the dog? She must've been so worried about it." Gab commented.
Apollo rolled his eyes. "Andrea?"
"Sorry. I meant your mom." He tilted his head and awkwardly brushed his hair with his hands. Betha didn't quite get why he would call Apollo's mom by her first name, but she looked amused over it.
When they reached upstairs, Apollo felt a little anxious upon seeing Mrs. Andrea's reaction to Betha's presence in the room. "Mom, this is Betha. She's our new neighbor."
"So, this is why it was hard to reach my son." She said, teasingly. Her smile was too suggestive that Apollo felt quite embarrassed. She looked like she had been waiting for a moment to confirm that her son wasn't gay. Mrs. Andrea's face looked triumphant.
"I'm sorry. Mrs… Uhm…Apollo's mom." Bethany said awkwardly, trying to be polite.
"Just call me Andrea. Or mom, if you must." Apollo's eyes widened. For a moment, he wished the floor would crack open and eat him alive. She gave Betha a hug. Apollo could tell from Betha's gesture that she was feeling uneasy.
Whatever happened to shaking hands when you meet someone for the first time? Apollo thought.
"It's Andrea Rodriguez. I'm glad to finally see you."
Did she just say finally? Why would she say that as if she had been waiting for her? This must be making Betha feel really awkward and weird right now, mom! There was nothing Apollo could do, except talk to his mom in his mind, wishing she could actually hear him.
"Okay, you both. That's really sweet but the dog needs to be saved." Apollo interrupted the moment. He tried to lift the dog but it was impossible to carry it, so he beaconed for Gab's attention. As usual, he was acting all cute in front of his mom, smiling like a puppy. "Uhm. Gab? A little help, please."
When Gab and Apollo started to lift the dog, they ended up short of breath. "Wow, this dog is really too heavy." Gab commented, embarrassed that he wasn't too strong as he wanted to be in front of Mrs. Rodriguez.
"It's an English mastiff. The heaviest dog in the world." Betha's enlightenment was enough to leave the dog as it is, while they were all impressed that she could recognize a rare breed of dog. Or maybe it wasn't rare, just that he and his mom didn't know much about dogs, and neither did Gab. Apollo thought.
"Okay, I don't think we can call the vet at this hour, but I'm sure there's another way without carrying him." Apollo said.
Betha moved closer and signaled for the two guys to give her space. After a few seconds of gently stroking the dog's head to the back of his neck, he slowly got up. The rest of them just watched with huge admiration when she led the dog to the garage. There was a sound of the car door unlocking as Mrs. Rodriguez pointed her key remote. The dog followed Betha's voice as she said, "Hop in, sweet doggy." Something about the way she said that made Apollo's heart skip.
They reached the vet in no time and Apollo took the chance to have a quick talk with his mom as Betha and Gab went with the dog for the check-up. Mrs. Rodriguez easily followed her son at the far end corner of the lobby area, and they sat next to each other. "Mom, I know this is cheesy. And I know I haven't been such a good son lately…"
"What? You're a perfect son, baby." She interrupted.
"How could you say that, mom? I'm a twenty-one-year-old dude and you've never relied on me. I was always the one dependent on you when I should be the man of the house. You write all day, mom on top of the household chores and I'm just a spoiled brat who couldn't even make breakfast for you."
She looked at her son with compassion. "What are you saying? You made all of my book covers. You're a great designer." She cupped his face. "Do you know that books are like people? You know how when you like someone you always start by looking at the physical aspects? It's the same with books. It's always the book cover that entices the prospective readers at first. Your book designs are way too awesome, dear. They attract readers. And you're also making a living by doing book covers for other authors. You're doing what you love to do and I'm proud of you. You're not a spoiled brat. That is so silly. You even bought me pain relievers because you knew I sometimes had migraine and I didn't even ask you to do that."
Apollo felt quite guilty because the pain relievers weren't his idea but at least her mom appreciated it. "Mom, I want to do better. I like that you see my worth but for me, I want to be a better son by being more responsible."
"Oh my. You've grown. Is it because of that beautiful girl?" She teased.
"Mom!"
Gab and Betha appeared from inside the clinic room just in time with a call that Mrs. Rodriguez received from the dog's owner. "Well, it turned out that the vet knows the owner. It's Mr. Damon's. and according to him, his name is Sweet Doggy." She said, looking puzzled.
Apollo couldn't believe it. What other abilities does Betha have aside from being a Banshee?