*Season's P.O.V.*
Ring! Ring! Ring!
I yawned as I rolled to my side and reached out for my phone on the side table to turn off the alarm. The label reads "Shawn's 5th month" and the big bold numbers indicates the time which is 12:00 A.M., right. I gotta get ready. So I made my bed and washed my face for a bit even if the water is freezing. Then I slipped on some peach sweatshirt and wool pants. I wore my black leather jacket over my outfit and finally got out of my room as I heard the others being ready too. By half past midnight we're all seated in the car and my brother sped off to the cemetery where little Shawn was burried. The midnight's breeze is cool against my face as we got out of the car only twenty minutes into the drive. I looked around the almost empty street that is connected to the cemetery entrance and appreciated the fact that the full moon is illuminating our destination making the graveyard look a little less scary. In a way, you know? I mean if you'd count the fact or well, the myths about the paranormal creatures appearing during these times, it would be more scary than usual. But if it's more scary and less scary at the same time, I guess it's just plain scary. For normal people. However Season Tarver is not that normal. I grew up celebrating my birthdays on a cemetery, therefore I'm used to the different aura that the place emits.
We all walked our way to Shawn's grave, walking past a 20 meter narrow path, flanked by other graves of those who departed. And eventually, we set a picnic blanket infront of my nephew's. "Ma? Is there a public toilet around here?" I asked. I may have drank a lot of liquid last night.
"Yes dear. It's over there by the entrance, turn left and you'll see it at the end of the path." She answered.
"Okay thanks." I said as I nodded to Sean and Eden who momentarily paused from their, reminiscing when they heard me.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Mama offered.
"No, it's fine. I can manage." I smiled at her and finally headed off using the flashlight in my phone to light up the way. I did managed to reach the semi-unkept toilet and hurried with my business because the place doesn't really look and smell clean. Yuck. This is what I hate about public toilets. But sometimes, we don't have a choice.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I was finally out of there. Seriously, the overall smell of the graveyard is much better than the smell in there. So I just walked my way back to the others, taking my time in doing so. When I was about halfway to Shawn's grave, I noticed a lone man standing in front of a grave, looking up to the moon. Upon seeing him, I remembered myself way back in Tennessee. On my birthdays, instead of going out on late night parties with my friends, I'd be standing in front of her grave as the date she died is the very same date that I should be celebrating. I mean, I am celebrating, with her of course, in her resting place cause I never got to celebrate with my mom physically. Yes, she died while giving birth to me and that is the reason why I'd rather spend my birthdays in the cemetery, sometimes with Sean or just by myself, I'd do fine with that.
However, my train of thoughts was disrupted when the lone man that I was staring at earlier gruesomely disfigured or well, shifted as the light of the full moon fully bathed him. My jaw dropped at the creature he turned out to be. For my whole life visiting a cemetery and hearing spooky stories about that place, this is the first time that I actually am seeing something spooky! He's a monster! He's like an aswang but a lot more beastly looking than the aswang I saw and fought last time. But as always, I assume that my mind is just playing tricks on me so I rubbed my eyes to make sure of what is a few meters in front of me. When the monster tossed aside the gravestone and started digging up the grave of the unfortunate dead, that's when I started to be horrified because, I knew then that this is real and I did a very wrong move when I directed the light from my phone into his grave digging, busy figure. This caused the monster to halt and turn right at me. It leapt towards me, barring its sharp canines and glaring its red eyes. Its breath spread out as it opened its mouth and a really horrible smell came out of it. In my shocked state, I thought that it was going to knock me down, luckily another figure, pulled me out of its way, hidding the both of us behind a large gravestone.
"Kaloy? What are you doing here?" I managed to let out when I saw who my savior was. He wasn't able to answer immediately as we ran behind another gravestone because the creature leaped towards us once again and it appeared to have sharp claws too.
"Helping you." He answered.
"What was that?"
"It's a balbal, but don't utter that word." I was gonna ask why when the creature, the balbal as he said, directed an attack on him which he actually fought back. "Umalis ka rito!" Kaloy ordered to it.
But it angered the creature as it swung its arm at Kaloy, trying to claw him. "Hindi ako nakikinig sa isang engkanto!" It roared, its breath as stinky as ever, gosh this doesn't sound good.
I was about to help when Kaloy shouted, "I'll lead him to the chapel but run there before us!" He said as he used something like a sword to fight it. "When you see us approaching, ring the bell as loud as you can! Go!"
I had a lot of questions why, as usual, but I can't expect Kaloy to explain now because he's kinda busy so I just did what he said. I ran, looking left and right, trying to locate the chapel that he's talking about and finally spotted the tall cross at the other end of the cemetery. Oh shit! I guess I have to take the long route because you can't expect me to pass by my family while being chased by a - what is that again? So I just kept running, hopping from grave after grave. "Sorry, sorry." I mumbled because I knocked off some flowers and candles. I don't have to turn back because I know that Kaloy and the balbal is just a few meters behind me.
I panted when I finally reached the locked chapel and almost cursed when I see that the bell can only be rang from the inside. But, it is very open on the top so, I gathered some rocks littering on the area and when...
"Now!" Kaloy shouted as he jumped over a gravestone to reach me with the balbal on his tail, I threw the stone simultaneously at the metal bell, making it ring loudly as well as continuously. The loud ringing made the grave monster bend to its knees and cover its ears. Ahhh, he hates loud sounds as if he's pained by it. Until he ran to the shadows, leaving us alone. "He's gone." Kaloy said.
I stopped throwing stones and dropped to a sitting position in the ground. "I can't believe this!" I muttered, shaking my head at the chaos that that beast caused to the supposed to be resting place of the departed. "Does he not hold any respect for the dead? Surely he doesn't know how to spell out R.I.P., it's rest in peace! Now where's the peace here?" I ranted.
I felt Kaloy sit beside me as he sighed too. "Well, the nature of that creature is just like that. He feeds on rotten flesh and haunt the dead." He explained and my eyes traveled to the direction of my nephew's grave where my family is peacefully talking and my forehead creased in confussion.
"Didn't they see or hear the commotion earlier?" Cause they're acting like nothing happened in their surroundings. Surely they heard the untimely ring of the bell? Then Kaloy chuckled beside me.
"Well... I took care of that." He said cheekily.
"How exactly?" My curiosity kicked in.
"Engkanto things." He smiled. Now, he just openly admitted that.
"What are you doing here by the way? I mean, how did you get here just in time to, help me?" I asked. It never ceased to amaze me how natural talking to this supernatural being seems to be for me. I mean, I know he's no ordinary person now but I'm not really scared of him, in fact, I may be, a little bit comfortable. Which is bothering correct?
"I came with you." He shrugged, as if that's just normal. I said it already, there's nothing normal with our connection but we act like it is otherwise.
"You followed me around? Stalked me?" My tone rose as I stood up. Flashes of that dream I had the other night flooded my mind and the words he said that turned the knots in my head.
"Well, I told you about my intentions, and I'm proving it." My eyes widened at his answer. That dream. In that dream was the only time that Kaloy declared his intentions of wanting me - or wanting to protect me.
"So..." I trailed off, "that was real?" I whispered in realization. That wasn't necessarily a question but he nodded anyways.
"Yes. And so is this, its just that I made sure your family won't notice it so as to avoid any other conflicts and stuffs like that."
I have to say, that was a thoughtful act. But of course he's kind of courting me, so maybe he just wants to earn some points. Right? "Oh, but you were about to kill me in that dream of mine." I pointed out, remembering his 'a dance of death' line that bugged my head.
I heard his deep chuckle once again. "I would do no such thing. In a way, I just did that to wake you up before I'd be tempted to just take your soul with me while you were asleep." He explained. He can do that? "Before you think about it, I can if I want to but, I respect your decision so I'll wait for your answer." He added with a charming smile. And there he goes, literally enchanting me. I mean, the guy is godly handsome and mighty when he fought that beast, you can't blame me!
"If you say so." I just nodded. I mean, I could straight up reject him but, a part of me doesn't want to. There's something exciting about the fact that he's not entirely like me that makes me want to test out how far we can go.
"Anyways, you have to go back to your family now, I'll take care of the mess around here." He stated as we started to walk towards the others. "And don't respond to me again because technically you're the only one that can see and hear me, if you ever do, they'll think you're crazy." Well that was a friendly information. And a disturbing one.
So I walked straight ahead, not minding Kaloy as I approach my family. Well, technically they're my brother's family but I treat them the same way. "What took you so long?" Sean asked as I rejoined them in the picnic blanket.
Uh-oh. "Well, apparently I wasn't the only one who had to use the toilet and I felt kind enough to wait for that lady to finish her business." I said a little more cheerful than I intended, which made Sean furrow his eyebrows.
"Oh, you almost missed his birth hour! It was 2 A.M. five months ago." Thankfully, Eden intercepted, making Sean drop his suspicious gaze. Eden looks happy and sad at the same time, it's evident how she cherish her son so much. I wonder if my mom would've looked at me that way, I guess I won't really know.
"Hey..." I felt Sean put a hand on my shoulder. "I know what you're thinking." I turned to him. Of course he knows. "Mom loves you as much Season. She looked at you so preciously the first time she saw you." He said.
"I just wish, I would've seen her too." I said in a weak voice.
"Of course you do. You look a lot like her." I know he's just trying to make me feel better.
"Except that my hair and eye color mirrors that of dad's." I rolled my eyes at him.
"Hahaha, you can just dye it."
"Whatever." I chuckled with him. I guess now would be the right time to tell him about my other reason of flying here after him, now that we're talking about dad. "Speaking of dad, well, he threw me out." I started off.
"He did that years ago, that's why I didn't leave until you turned 17, making sure you could fend off for yourself." Of course.
"Yes and I did. But one night, he came knocking on my door begging me to take him in. I don't know why Sheena and Sheila abandon him or what. I just learned that he doesn't have any money anymore and he went to me to sip on my funds." I continued with a heavy sigh.
"I thought the twins' business was going well and they promised to take care of father and his tendencies on alcohol and gambling?" Now Sean's looking disappointed.
"Well, it's just that they're involved into an illegal business. And is threatening me to not tell you. But you know I'd still tell you. I left as soon as I get dad's motives of coming to me so that I won't be tangled up with their mess." I informed him.
"What do you mean illegal?"
"Firearms and other weaponry for, I don't really know what." I sighed.
Sean sighed. Of course things had to be messy in there. And Sean would really have to know about it because he's the eldest. In fact he was the one who helped in raising his younger sisters including me, because dad, I don't know, he's not interested in raising us especially me since mom died. So, technically I'm this leach in the family, dad hates me, my sisters aren't fond of me either, good thing my brother is a lot more just than they are. That's the reason why he's the only one who I can confide in. "It's a good thing you came here then." He concluded.
"I was hoping you're gonna say that, cause I plan to stay a little longer." Despite the unusual encounters I have with the beings here.
He smiled. "That's great, have you processed your papers already?" He inquired.
"As sly as I can because I don't want them finding out about my escape route." My brother and I just laughed. Eden asked him something so they started talking and once again I'm left with my thoughts until I heard mama audibly shiver beside me. "Are you okay ma?"
"Yes dear, the atmosphere just feels a little odd all of a sudden." She answered, looking around. I followed her gaze and for the second time today, cause it's already dawn, I saw that man who transformed into a balbal earlier and I gritted my teeth. But he doesn't look like he's going to devour corpses once again as he just walked normally out of the cemetery. That's a huge relief. "Do you feel that?"
"Feel what ma?" I asked. I don't feel anything at all.
"Maybe it's just me." She sighed.
"We brought hot coco, want some?"