Epilogue
Ire's POV
Nang makalabas kaming lahat sa tunnel na iyon ay sakto namang pagsabog ng building. I hope nobody is in there.
"Everybody alright?" tanong ko sakanilang lahat.
"Yeah" sagot naman nila.
"Where are we?" tanong ng iba.
"We're in the primary section" sagot ng babae. Hindi masyadong malayo ang building ng primary sa secondary.
"There's something wrong. Why is it so quiet? Where are the students?" tanong ko sakanila ng mapansin kong masyadong tahimik at wala akong makitang ni isang kaluluwa ng mga estudyante.
"Do you think they are dead?" tanong ni Adrion.
"No. We could've sense their blood" sagot ni kuya.
"I'm going back" I stated then was about to walk when Clay stops me.
"Where?" tanong pa niya.
"To Aeon" maikling sagot ko.
"Are you crazy? Who knows what awaits you there? Who knows if she's even alive" sigaw ni Colton.
"I know she's alive. She promised. Aren't you worried?" hindi makapaniwalang tanong ko sakanila.
"We are, but we can't do anything right now" ani Clay.
"Alam kong siya yung nakasama natin ng mga panahong iyon. But remember Ire, she's Cordea. The most powerful tribrid ever existed" dagdag pa niya. I contemplated the odds first.
"Fine" ani ko.
"Let's head to the tertiary department first then we can ask for some help and go back" ani kuya. Sinunod namin siya at naglakad kami papunta sa building namin. Nang medyo malapit na kami sa mga building ng tertiary section ay may napansin kami. Gaya kanina sa primary building ay masyadong tahimik at parang walang mga tao.
"What the hell is happening here? Where the hell is everyone?" tanong nanaman ni Colton.
"Sssshhh" suway ko sakanya. Napatingin ako sa paligid. Somethings definitely wrong.
"Let's go" utos ni kuya. We were about to walk towards when we heard a howl followed by another and another.
"Wolf bournes?" tanong ko sa sarili ko.
"Run. We cant trust them. They can be shifters" ani ko sakanilang lahat at tatakbo na sana ng bigla nalang may mga tumalon na lobo sa dinaraanan namin at ilang minuto pa ay napapalibutan na kami ng mga lobo at iba pang mga bampira at sa likod ng mga ito ay isang pamilyar na mukha.
"Aeon?" bulong ko sa pangalan niya. Naglakad siya palapit sa direksyon namin at ng tuluyan na siyang makalapit ay hindi ko napigilan ang sarili kong yakapin siya.
"You're safe. You're here" sabi ko sakanya. Binitawan ko siya para makita ko ang kanyang mukha ng bigla nalang niya akong sinampal.
"What the hell are you doing?" tanong niya. I look into her eyes. There's something wrong with them. They're so cold and she's looking at me like she doesn't know me and I was dumbfounded when she walked past me.
"Tam" rinig kong banggit niya sa pangalan ni Tam. I turn aroud to look at them . Then my jaw drop when she hug Tam. Napamaang nalang ako sa ginawa niya. Naglakad ako palapit sakanila.
"Where's my mother?" nagulat ako sa tanong niya. Mother? No. Don't tell me this is her daughter.
"She's still in the hall" sagot ni Tam sakanya.
"Wait. Weren't you supposed to be dead?" tanong ni Arius.
"Well, luckily I survived" sagot nito sakanya.
"So, you're her daughter?" tanong ko sakanya.
"Yes, and who are you?" tanong rin niya sa akin ng nakakunot noo. Hindi ko siya nasagot dahil hindi ko rin naman alam kung ano ang isasagot ko sakanya.
"Don't you remember my face?" tanong ko sakanya. Why can't she remember my face when that shifter used it to kill her. Napakunot noo rin siya sa tinanong ko.
"Is there a reason why I should remember you?" tanong rin niya sa akin. She's definitely Aeon's daughter. Their attitude is somewhat the same but Aeon is sweet in her own way.
"My face was used to kill you" sagot ko sakanya.
"Oh, no worries. That kind of trick doesn't work on me since I'm a tribrid and a half-human. So I can see through those filthy creatures" aniya saka siya tumingin sa likuran namin.
"And I can tell which is which" dagdag pa niya sa naglakad papunta sa likuran.
"Like this cute little fella here" aniya saka siya tumingin sa isang lalake na kasamahan namin.
"W-what a-are you t-talking about?" utal na tanong nito.
"Please don't kill me" pagmamakaawa niya.
"I told you. Your tricks don't work on me" ani naman ng isa ngunit nagulat nalang kami ng bigla niyang sinaksak si Fiery.
"Fiery" ani Tam ngunit nagulat nalang kami ng biglang humalakhak ito.
"Do you really think that this could kill me? It takes more than that" aniya ito sinuntok sa dibdib. Ngunit ang akala kong suntok lang ay nagulat nalang kami ng bigla niyang hinugot ang kamay niyang bumaon sa loob niya. We saw her hand coated with blood at nagulat nalang kami ng may hawak hawak siya at binitawan niya ito ay nakita namin ang puso ng lalake. Napatingin kaming lahat kay Fiery.
"I can see their intent to kill so it's better to kill than to be killed" walang pakialam niyang sabi saka tumingin kay Tam.
"Tam, bring me to her" utos niya rito at nagsimula na siyang maglakad.
"Fiery" Tam stops her.
"I have to tell you something" panimula ni Tam. Hindi naman sumagot ang isa.
"Your father" pagkabanggit niya ng mga salitang iyon ay bigla nalang siyang tumakbo ng mabilis. Sinundan namin siya. Nang makarating kami roon ay nakatayo siya harapan ng building. Wala ng mga tao sa labas at ng makapasok kami ay nadatnan namin ang mga katawang nakahandusay at sa gitna ng mga katawang iyon ay ang dalawang tao na nakahiga.
"No" ani Fiery ng makita niya ang kanyang mga magulang na nakahandusay sa sahig na magkahawak kamay ngunit wala na akong pakialam doon. Tumakbo ako kung nasaan siya.
"Ma" tawag ni Fiery sakanyang ina.
"Aeon" banggit ko rin sa pangalan niya. Hinaplos ko ang leeg niya para tingnan kung humihinga pa siya.
"Shit. She's not breathing" I said then pump air through her.
"Wake up" ani ko saka inulit ko nanaman ang ginawa ko kanina ngunit wala pa rin.
"Move" utos naman ng anak niya na sinunod ko.
"What are you doing?" tanong ko sakanya.
"Bring her back" sagot niya saka niya kinagat ang pulsuhan niya at ng may lumabas na dugo ay tinapat niya ito sa bibig ng kanyang ina. Napakunot ako saginawa niya.
"Please wake up. Don't leave me. I'm sorry for not telling you that I'm alive but I've been watching you every day" ani Fiery. I saw a tear drop from her eyes.
"Wake up" ani nanaman niya saka niya tinapat ang kanyang dalawang palad sa dibdib ng kanyang ina. Light flows through her hands.
"Wake up. Please wake up" ilang minuto pa niyang ginawa ito ngunit hindi pa rin siya bumabalik. But she promised. You promise. You'll come back.
*
"You okay?" tanong ni Tam ng makalapit siya sa kinaroroonan ko.
"Yeah" maikling sagot ko habang nakatingin sa malawak na tanawin ng eskwelahan.
"Aren't you going to ask me why?" tanong pa niya. Nanatili akong tahimik sandali bago ko siya sinagot.
"No, because I know and I understand your reason for hiding her identity" sagot ko sakanya. "What I want to know is how can she left me like that?" I frustratedly ask. Tam only taps my shoulders before leaving me alone again with my thoughts in my head. It's been a week since the incident happened. Everything in the school went back to normal as nothing happened. Nagpatawag nang assembly meeting ang kuya pagkatapos non. He explained the reasons why this school is secluded from the outside world. It's to protect everyone from the humans. Matagal nang alam ni kuya na may mga taong naninirahan sa pinakadulo ng isla. That's the reason why students can't get out of this school. They can't still get out though because who knows what larks beyond this island. Napatingin ako sa baba ng pad building namin at saktong pagtingin ko ay nakita ko siya. I jumped down from the building.
"Hey" bati niya.
"Hey" balik bati ko rin sakanya.
"Can we talk?" tanong niya sa akin.
"Sure" sagot ko sakanya. Napagkasunduan namin na sa isang cafe nalang kami mag usap.
"So? What do you want to talk about?" tanong ko sakanya ng makaupo kami. Mabuti nalang at walang mga estudyante dito. My older brother declared a two weeks vacation for the students. Marami pa kasing dapat ayusin sa eskwelahan dahil sa nangyaring insidente.
"I'm just curious" panimula niya. Napakunot noo ako sa sinabi niya.
"Curious about what?" tanong ko sakanya.
"Why didn't you recognize her all of a sudden?" tanong niya.
"I actually did. Maybe I just don't want to accept it and things are chaotic at that time. Nothing make sense" sagot ko sakanya.
"Is that why you resent me?" napatingin ako sakanya ng dahil sa sinabi niya.
"What?" nagtatakang tanong ko sakanya.
"You know, we used to be so close. We are the inseparable twins after all but after her, everything became a mess. I'm not blaming her though. It's just that, whenever you're with her, you seem like the type who's willing to give everything up just for her" aniya. Napamaang nalang ako sa sagot niya.
"And me, being me. You're important more than anyone for me. I'm willing to give her up just for you to be happy" dagdag pa niya. I didn't know that my twin feels like this. No matter how serious our conversation is, I can't help but laugh.
"Why are you laughing?" pansin kong naiirita na siya kaya tumigil na ako sa pagtawa.
"You know that you are my twin right? And I'm the eldest among us. I know that my twin is a troublemaker but I will never resent you" sagot ko sakanya.
"Then why shut me out?" tanong pa niya. He's looking at the coffee he ordered.
"I did shut you out" panimula ko. Nanatili siyang tahimik pagkatapos non. "But I did that to protect you because I don't want to involve you with the mess I'll made" dagdag ko pa. Hindi pa rin siya nagsalita pagkatapos non at nanatiling tahimik.
"Can we still go back like before?" basag niya sa katahimikan. Napatingin ako sakanya. Nakayuko parin siya. Napangiti nalang ako sa sinabi niya. Ginulo ko ang buhok niya gaya ng lagi kong ginagawa sakanya.
"Of course we can" I smiled at him. I saw him smile for a moment.
"They're here" aniya pagkatapos.
"Who?" takang tanong ko sakanya.
"Aeon and Fiery" banggit niya. "Let's go" aniya saka niya ako hinila palabas ng cafe. "I'll be the distraction. I'll try to talk to her daughter then you talk to her" dagdag pa niya.
*
"Hi" ani Sorrel kay Fierrry ng makalapit kami sa kinaroroonan ng mag ina. Andito sila ngayon sa pad nila ni Dark and to my surprise, the gang is here.
"What do you want?" masungit na tanong ni Fiery kay Sorrel.
"Can I talk to your mom for a second?" hingi ko ng permiso kay Fierry. Tumingin muna siya sa mama niya bago sumagot.
"5 minutes" sagot ni Fiery.
"Come on, five minutes? Anong mapag uusapan nila sa limang oras na yon? Hi? Hello? Kamusta ka na?" si Sorrel ang sumagot. Inirapan niya muna si Sorrel bago tumingin sakin.
"Five minutes. Take it or leave it" aniya saka niya kami iniwan. Aangal nanaman sana ang kapatid ko ngunit pinigilan ko siya.
"It's fine" sabi ko sakanya. Tinuro ko kung nasaan si Fiery at tumingin ako sa kapatid ko.
"Go talk to her" sabi ko sakanya. Napasimangot nalang siya sa sinabi ko.
"She's hard to deal with" ani Sorrel ngunit naglakad rin lang sa kinaroroonan ni Fiery.
"She's a little difficult because she kinda like your twin" ani Aeon habang nakangiting nakatingin sakanyang anak pagkatapos ay naglakad siya sa may kwarto nila ni Dark patungong balkonahe. Nakasunod lang ako sakanya.
"So? What do you want to talk about?" tanong niya sa akin. Sumandal siya sa may railing ng balkonahe.
"Where have you been after those days?" tanong ko sakanya.
"I came home" maikling sagot niya. "I have to clarify things about my daughter" dagdag pa niya.
"I thought you're going to die that night" sabi ko sakanya. "Good thing your daughter save you" I added.
"I'm ready to die that night" panimula niya. Napatingin ako sakanya. Mahangin dito sa may balkonahe kaya nililipad ang kanyang buhok. "Sabi ko sa sarili ko. Mas mabuti ng mawala ako para hindi na maghirap ang mga taong nasa paligid ko"
"Hindi mo man lang ba naisip ang mga taong iiwan mo? How about your daughter? Kung hindi mo pa nalaman na buhay siya baka wala ka na ngayon dito. How about me? Am I really not important to you at all?" may halong inis sa boses ko.
"All I brought into others' life is death, Trasher. My parents who' done nothing but to gave birth and care for me. My servants whom I considered my second parents died because of me. My daughter nearly died because of my mistakes, and my husband died just because I exist. I can't afford to lose you too. You're the best person that I've ever met after what happened to me. How can you say that?" she cried. I regretted saying those things to her just by seeing how hurt she is right now. Lumapit ako sakanya saka ko pinunasan ang luhang umaagos sa kanyang pisngi.
"Ssshhh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that" ani ko saka ko siya niyakap.
"I can't lose you Trasher. I can't lose anyone who's close to me" iyak pa rin niya.
"I know, I know. We'll protect them both, okay? Every one of them" I assured her.
"Just don't leave me again" dagdag ko pa.
"I won't" sabi naman niya.
"Let's go inside?" sabi ko sakanya.
"Okay" sagot naman niya saka kami bumalik sa sala ng pad.
Aeon's POV
When Trasher and I entered the pad, what we saw was the best and happiest scene in my life as Aeon Hitter Black. Seeing the people whom I considered my family happy makes me the happiest person alive. Napatingin ako sa mga kaibigan ni Trasher na naging kaibigan ko rin ng mga panahong magulo pa ang lahat. They are happy. Dark who's talking to Arius awkwardly. The Hale twins playing chess, Colton barely winning and Clay laughing at his brother. Adrion who's flirting with Thalia while Tam is glaring at the both of them and my daughter who's pissed because of Sorrel crazy and stupid brags, and me, together with Trasher, looking happily at them, side by side, we will protect this family and the smiles they have. We will protect this sight.
A/N: So our story, did come to an end. This is actually the first story that I have finished writing. To all my readers out there (not expecting that there'd be many of you though because I'm not a big-shot writer) thank you so much for reading, I appreciate it and I am so sorry for the grammatical errors. I am actually thinking to write Sorrel and Fiery's separate story together with the gangs' story but lemme think for a while because there are many things on my plate right now and I don't know which story to write first because there's a bunch of them, and I still have two pending stories so I think I'm gonna finish those first. In Fiery and Sorrel's story, some information and clarifications probably would be there that I didn't write or include here. Thank you and happy reading-A.