CHAPTER 45
It felt like I was falling into nothing. While I was going down, the leaves were sucked upwards. This is a dream. A dream of falling into nothing. And it’s tiring because I can’t close my eyes inside this dream.
I fought Skip into a duel. He hurt me a lot during the process since he’s winning. But I did not let myself lose this time. I was mad by all of the words he said. He drove me furiously for me to transform into someone I never thought I would’ve.
I could’ve stopped myself and let myself lose that day. I didn’t.
While he was bragging about how strong he is, and how he can be the next Alexander the Great or Samson, I used all of my force to pull him down. His body dropped to the ground then I raged into the fire. I did not know what happened next. What I can remember was that I was using my force to fight him. Then I lost consciousness.
While dreaming, I glanced at where I was falling. I saw bricks and stones scattered on the ground. My fall would be painful in real life. Maybe in dreams as well.
I closed my eyes and counted to three. Then I collapsed to the ground, my eyes opening up in real life.
There were traces of tears on Felix’s and Jay’s faces. They were looking at me like I was dying already. My whole body was in pain, but I think I could move my muscles around. The light from my windows was bright, but the temperature wasn’t so hot. It must be the morning of the next day.
“This is why we don’t let you do these things. We don’t want you to end like this.” Felix hugged me before I could talk. I love them. I love my family. And I am sorry that I couldn’t listen to them. I couldn’t just let things fly through.
“Cath, you never intend to hurt a person. I can’t believe you almost killed one.” Jay copied Felix and hugged me as well. My embraces from my brothers were the best.
“I’m sorry.” My voice broke. Doing the worst things wasn’t the hardest part. It is the admitting of your mistake and that you’re wrong. “I’m sorry if I turned like this. I was your sweet sister before and now I am this.”
“You don’t have to blame yourself, Cath. We lock you into your comfort zone and pushed you out a lot by what happened and not telling you the truth. Mom and Dad died and we know that their death would result in spiral events that may happen to us,” Felix said. I asked him to lend me the glass of water placed on my bedside table. As I drank the water, it felt like my throat was desert dry.
“You must be tired from everything that happened yesterday. You were asleep for more than twenty hours. We waited for you to wake up. For you to even lend your hands to us. We eat, sleep, talk, and watch television here. We can’t describe how happy we were the moment you woke up.”
I apologized again. I know that even how many times I apologize to them, it can never pay for how wrong I was. If only we could turn back in time and let life be normal. Things like this would not happen.
The truth is only time can revert itself. And to survive is to learn to live with the present.
We chatted for the next hour. They asked me questions about the duel. For that range of time, I have enough of my apologies. I think I repeated the word ‘sorry’ more than fifty times.
By nine, my stomach grumbled. I haven’t eaten anything for more than twenty hours and it’s self-explanatory to say that I am hungry at this point. My brothers laughed at me and held both of my hands as we trudged to the kitchen.
I was surprised to see my favorite foods on the table. Not just one or two, but there were five of them. It seemed to have a feast happening in our home because there were a lot.
“How can eat all of these?” I covered my mouth as I chuckled. “There are a lot.”
“Don’t worry about that, Cath. Jay and I haven’t had breakfast either. We only ate a few yesterdays because we can’t eat without you. We can give some to Nana and Gelo. I like how Gelo compliments my cooking.”
I trusted them. We prayed for a while, which we haven’t done for a few months. We prayed for our parents’ souls, and our safety and thanked him for the guidance and gifts we receive. Talking to him was one of the most powerful weapons we have to this day.
We ate like monsters. Even though I only ate a cup of rice, I gave in to my temptation to the other foods. The roasted chicken that Felix cooks remained one of my top favorite foods. We have eaten at restaurants before but they all do not taste this good.
Jay’s specialty was desserts. He has had a sweet tooth since he was a child. His coffee jelly was my favorite. It tasted like those rich brands of coffee with a mix of milk and jelly.
My stomach was bloated after minutes of eating those foods. My brothers did not lie when they said we were able to eat a lot. All of the roasted chicken, iced coffee, and beef steak was gone. We all decided to give Nana shrimp soup and deep-fried pork.
I felt heavier the moment I sat on the couch. Felix asked me to be the one to give Nana those meals but I told him that I’ll do it later. I watched television for a few moments until the air finally left my stomach.
I can finally breathe and move better. This would be my last time eating a lot with my brothers! I regret it now.
I grabbed the two circular containers where Felix placed the remaining food. Instead of wearing my shoes, I chose to wear slippers today. Nana’s house wasn’t that far. It’s only a few steps away.
I glance around to look for Gelo. I wasn’t able to sense him so I conclude he wasn’t home or he was sleeping already.
I called Nana from their door. She already let me enter their house without her permission, but I still want to call first as a sign of respect.
“There you are, dear.” She gazed at my containers. “What are those? By the way, I’m glad that you’re finally awake. Gelo told me about what happened yesterday.”
I lend her the food containers. I followed her inside where she placed those. Nana had been here for more than five decades. I don’t know if I should ask her the truth. About me. If she doesn’t have any ideas about my nature, maybe she had encountered the same thing as mine.
“Nana, can I ask you something?”
Nana turned to me again with a smile unable to grow from her lips. “Gelo isn’t here. Mila isn’t here either. I think they were together to fetch groceries.”
“I wasn’t asking for Angelo, but thanks! What I want to ask you about is… me. There are times when I have this surge of energy to fight someone. I was killed when they attacked me and Mila. I almost kill Skip as well yesterday. I feel like I am someone special. I feel different.”
Nana stared at me in silence. I counted inside my head. One… Two… Three… Is she thinking of what to reply?
“I don’t know if you’re ready for the truth dear. I don’t know if this will lead to the best. But are you that willing to hear it from me?”
“Yes,” I answered swiftly. Never in my life have I been scared of the truth, but Nana’s worried face makes me want to step away. My life changed when I stepped inside this town. I wasn’t a complete human. I wasn’t normal...
“The truth is…” She sighed as if she didn’t breathe for ages. “You are the alpha’s long-lost daughter.”
My jaw dropped. It felt like the force of gravity doubled. No! I can’t believe this! I can’t be that evil man’s daughter! I can’t bear to be the precious daughter of the person who killed Mom and Dad!