Ridget's POV:
I sat quietly at the back of the room. Looking outside the window and watching the leaves dancing with the wind as our English professor is discussing. The topic is about fiction and non-fictions, which I found boring. They're talking about fantasy stories where humans got powers or a prince saving a princess who's locked up in a tower and being guarded by a seven headed dragon. Those things aren't real.
"Let's talk about supernatural. Fiction or non-fiction?" I heard our professor asked. A girl raised her hand. "Yes, Ms. Anastasia?"
"Sir, I believe it's non-fiction. Vampires, shifters, ghosts, glitch are an example of supernatural. There are a lot of stories about them being seen by humans." The girl said. I snorted and looked out at the window again, that's when I fully noticed an old oak tree.
"I think Montenegro disagrees, Sir." The boy seated behind me said.
"Oohhh the unwanted disagree." The other girl from my class said and they all laughed.
"Quiet. Ms. Montenegro, do you disagree?' Tanong ni Sir. I just shrugged and kept quiet.
"Now class, this book I'm holding is an original copy from the book entitled Nightmare X written by I'mMs.Anonymous. People say this is fiction. Some say it's not. Why?" Our professor asked again. No one decided to answer. I just looked at the oak tree again, only to be surprised when I saw a branch moving. As if it was waving at me. I shook that thought away from my head and looked at our professor again who's waiting for an answer.
"Because it has no specific genre. The author didn't put any genre on it." I answered. They all looked at me at my sudden answer.
"If you we're to ask, what do you think is its genre?' Professor asked.
"Fiction. Vampires? Shifters? They aren't real." I said.
"How could you be so sure?" Professor asked.
"Because I haven't seen any of it yet." My answer made everyone laugh.
"What a lame answer." Ciello, my classmate and my bully, made fun of me.
"Why? Do you know anyone who could prove that these creatures are real?" I asked her that made everyone silent.
"N-no." She answered.
"That's what I thought. There's nothing funny about my answer, Ciello." I said. She stood up harshly and pointed angrily at me.
"No one cares about your answer you stupid orphan!" She shouted. The room started to be filled with noise.
"First of all, I'm not stupid. And yes. I'm an orphan. So what?" I asked.
"You know why you're an orphan?! Because your parents don't love you! They despise you! They hate that they had you for a daughter!" She shouted at me and tried to pull my hair. My reflexes aren't that fast at the moment that I couldn't avoid her. She pulled my hair hard that I feel like it would separate from my scalp.
"Ms. Montenegro and Ms. Philips stop it! This is my last warning for the both of you! Ipapatawag ko na ang mga magulang niyo!" Sir tried to stop us, but Ciello doesn't want to. In fact, she just pulled my hair harder and slapped me.
"Tama na! Nasasaktan ako!" Sigaw ko pero hindi siya nakinig.
"Masasaktan ka talagang pabida ka! Freak! Unwanted! Orphan!" She started to shout hurtful words at me.
"I SAID STOP!" After I shouted, a force separated us from each other. I felt my head hit the corner of my armchair. My vision started to blurry, and my eyelids were heavy. But even though the darkness is slowly trying to swallow me, I saw something happened. Something that horrified and shocked my whole human-being.
A branch came in from a window and attacked Ciello. It stabbed her to different parts of her body. And then the branch wrapped around her corpse, slowly taking it out. It crawled like a vine.
Everyone lost their mind. I lost my mind.
Before my eyes closed, I saw two persons walking towards me. Based on their silhouettes, one is a woman and the other is a man.
"Splendid." That all I heard and then darkness ate me.
I woke up at the feeling of something piercing my skin. I opened my eyes, only to be greeted by a cream-colored ceiling. I looked at my side and saw a needle getting pulled from my skin.
I'm not in the school anymore. Or in a hospital.
I started to panic, but thought that maybe I'm still at school, in our infirmary as I saw a teacher's desk.
"Ah, good. You're awake." I looked at the woman who entered. I was about to ask questions, but it was like she can read my mind.
"I know you have a lot of questions. Kami rin marami." She said. Nung nag-tagalog siya ay may accent. Maybe she's a foreigner. Based on her looks too.
"Nasaan ako?" Tanong ko at sinubukang bumangon. But then I realized that I was tied down to the bed
"You're at Nightmare X: School of Supernatural. Welcome, Tigress." She said and smiled.
"W-what? Nightmare X? As in from the story of I'mMs.Anonymous? And who the heck is Tigress? I'm Ridget." I said. Sinenyasan niya ang dalawang lalaki na tanggalin ang lubid na nakatali saakin.
"We don't use our real names here. Tigress is like your nickname. If anyone asks about your name, you'll be telling them you're Tigress. Not Ridget, Tigress." She said. Still wearing her friendly but intimidating smile.
"Look just find another victim, hmm? 'Cause your pranks aren't going to work for me. I don't believe in stuffs like this. So, kindly, let me go." I said and smiled. But that faded when I saw a green tail from her back, and her eyes went yellow.
"You need to start believing." She says.
"What the flyin' f*ck are you?!" Gulat na tanong ko.
"Watch your language young lady. And I don't fly. I crawl and swim." She asnwered, chuckling at my reaction.
"No this…this isn't real. This is just a dream." I whispered to myself.
"You have to believe her, Master!" Nagulat ako nang may biglang lumipad sa harapan ko. at magsalita.
"What the fudge?!" Gulat na bulalas ko.
"I'm Green. I'm here to guide you to your gifts from the extinct gods." It said, her voice so small and energetic that it doesn't match what I feel right now.
"W-what are you?' Tanong ko.
"A fairy!" She excitedly said. Napailing iling ako.
"No. I think I'm losing my mind." I whispered.
"You're not dreaming, dear. I am a shifter. A supernatural. And you…I believe you're not a human or one of us. You're…different."
"No! Stop messing with my mind! Let me go! I want to go home!" I shouted and tried to stand up, but the two guys pinned me on the bed. Making me sit and struggle.
"But you never had a home." The woman said. I gritted my teeth and tried to get off from the hands of these two guys.
"Shut up! Shut the f*ck up! Just stop messing with me. You're wrong! No! I have a home and I'm going there so let me f*cking go!" I shouted. The plant from the pot suddenly grew. Its stem attacked the two guys and wrapped it on their neck, legs and hands. One of them took out a knife and sliced it.
"Ouch!" I looked at my arm only to see a small cut on it. What the heck?!
"Master, you have to calm down!" Green shouted, doing 'her' best to calm me down, or something.
"Oh, someone's calling." The woman said and answered the phone, not caring about the chaos here between the plants and the two guys.
"Ma'am, the clearing operation is almost successful. We're proceeding to the oak tree." I heard someone said from the other line.
"Proceed." She said. I heard a chainsaw on the background. Then I felt something in my insides. As if something is cutting them in half.
"AHHH!" Napaluhod ako sa sobrang sakit na nararamdaman ko.
I could taste my own blood coming out from my mouth. "S-stop…h-hurt…stop…" Nanghihinang bulong ko.
"Stop the operation." I heard the woman said. I could feel her staring at me.
"What?" Gulat na tanong nung nasa kabilang linya.
"Immediately." The woman ordered. The man on the other line shouted and then the chainsaw stopped. I also felt the pain stopped. The plants on the pot also came back to its original size.
"Amazing." She said and stood up. "Well…looks like you need to be careful when you're using your…gifts. One wrong move and I'll make sure to cut every root of that oak tree. Understand?" She said.
"Crystal." Madiin na bulong ko.
"Take her to her room." The woman snapped her fingers. The two guys helped me get up and cuffed both my hands. They pushed me out of the room.
"If you need anything, I'm just here in my office." She said and waved at me as if I;m a friend who paid her a visit. I glared at her.
They took me to a building. It says HYB DORM on its gate. It's a 15-floor building, cream colored and it's wide.
"Touch me and I'll choke you using your own arm." I threatened when the guy tried to touch me. I heard the other guy chuckled, so I also glared at him.
"I'd like to see you try that darling." He said and took out his sharp fangs.
Holy moly cow carabao.
"This is your room." He said and pushed me inside a room.
"You can be gentle!" Singhal ko pero sinara nila agad yung pintuan.
"Calm down master." Green said and patted my back.
"Oh, hi!"
Napaigtad ako ng biglang may magsalita sa likuran ko. Green also hid inside my bag. Paglingon ko ay napayuko din ako agad nang makakita ng topless na lalaki. He's tall and has a white complexion. Hindi gaano matangos ang ilong at singkit na nga mata.
"You must be my new roommate. Hi! I'm Lani!" He said and tried to hug me, but I immediately avoided him.
"Hmm. N-nice to meet you." I said and walked towards to what I assume is my bed since it's empty.
"What's with the face mask?" He asked and tried to look at my face. Umiling ako.
"Thank the extinct God, they gave me another roommate. I'm going to die here if I stayed alone for another week. What's your name by the way?" He asked.
"Ri—Tigress." I answered.
"Oh. That's a girl's name. Are you gay?" he asked and lied down to his bed full of stuffed toys.
"I'm a girl." Mahinang bulong ko. Bigla siyang napaupo nang deretso at tinitigan ako.
"Are you serious?' He asked. I nodded and took my cap off. I heard him gasped in a dramatic way.
"O to the M to the G kyah!" Bigla siyang tumili na ikinangiwi ko.
"Magbibigay na nga lang ng dormmate, yung maingay pa." Bulong ko.
"Ay, sorry. Na-excite lang kasi ako hehe." He said apologetically. My eyes widened. I didn't expect him to understand me because I thought he's foreigner!
"I'm Fil-Am. How about you?" He asked.
"Pure Filipina." Sagot ko.
"Ohh. What kind of a hybrid are you?" Tanong niya uli.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"What kind of hybrid are you? I'm a Vampire-Shifter." He said.
"I…uhm…a human." Sagot ko. Humagalpak siya ng tawa.
"You're funny. No seriously. What are you" He asked while laughing.
"A human." I seriously answered. Bigla siyang tumigil sa pagtawa.
"A-are you serious?" Gulat na tanong niya tsaka tumayo at lumapit saakin. He sniffed me and nodded. "Well, you do smell like a human. Then what are you doing here?" He asked.
"I don't know. That crazy woman told me I'm different or something." I answered, shrugging my shoulders.
"Hmm…oh well. Start dressing up. We're going out, give you a little tour." He said and stood up. There's no excitement in his voice, and his eyes are filled with worry. I sighed.
"I'm not going anywhere." I answered.