C3 Come with me

Sheen remembers the first time she discovered her fear, it was the spider who was crawling on her face when she was peacefully sleeping. She doesn't remember anything after she passed out. Every time her fear consume her she just went blank and passed out.

"Please stay away from me, Akhil." Aniya habang yakap ang sarili. Nakaupo siya sa kama at nakatingin kay Akhil, afraid he will kill her. After finding out that he is a Vampire she can't help but to wonder. How? Paano nagkaron ng bampira—I mean anong taon na? Hindi siya makapaniwala na nag e-exist pa pala ang mga bampira.

"I told you I won't hurt you, I can't." Hindi siya naniwala sa sinabi ng lalaki. Siniksik lang niya ang sarili sa kama at hindi inalis ang tingin kay Akhil na nakatayo sa pinto niya, nakaharang dahil baka daw tumakbo siya. Of course she will! Ikaw ba naman makipag face to face sa bampira hindi ka tatakbo?

"Bakit ba hindi ka pa umalis? What do you want? My blood? Wait—do you drink human blood?"

"Yes—but blood from hospitals, sometimes I drink animal's blood." Napangiwi siya. She remember tasting her own blood, she accidentally cut her finger and tried to stop the bleeding by drinking it. Hindi niya ma-explain ang lasa nun, ano pa kaya 'yung uminom ka ng isang pack ng dugo.

She can't help but ask him questions. "Paano nawala ang sugat mo? I mean you're a vampire and you can heal fast, but how?"

Akhil looked at her eyes. 'Now you're curious' he thinks. "By drinking blood." He answered.

Napatango si Sheen. Naalala niya ang tatlong tao kanina. "'Yung tao kanina, kilala mo ba sila? Bakit ka nila hinahanap?" Nag tataka niyang tanong.

"Those people are not human—I mean half, yeah, but those are werewolves." Sheen was about to pass out again but she composed herself. Masanay na dapat siya sa mga sinasabi ng kaharap niya, vampires exist so what makes her think that other mythical creatures don't.

"Nag e-exist din ba ang duwende?" She asked out of curiosity.

Akhil can't help but chuckle. Does she think dwarfs exist? "Yes, but not here, they are not small like what people describe. I can say, ahm, 3 feet?" sagot niya sa babae. He can't do anything but answer her questions to divert her attention. He's afraid she might pass out again.

Tila naman na ingganyo ang dalaga at bahagyang lumuwag ang yakap sa sarili. "How about mermaids? Fairies?—Oh! The half human half horse? Are they real?" Sunod-sunod ang tanong ng dalaga sa kaniya.

"Yes, they exist, but they choose to hide from humanity to avoid war." Sumang-ayon ang dalaga sa sinabi niya. "Can I sit?" Tanong niya dito. He's been standing for hour.

Tila nag aalangan pa ang dalaga kung ano ang isasagot sa kaniya. It took her a minute to answer. "Yes, sit there." Turo nito sa dulo ng kama.

Tumango si Akhil at sinunod ang utos ng dalaga. Napatitig si Akhil sa mukha ng dalaga. She's cute, her face is round, he can say that her cheeks is soft by just looking—it has a natural red color, she have a thin lips that he's been craving to kiss. He wants to kiss her but he don't want to scare her again. She's different from other woman. Kung ang mga naging babae niya ay pipili para lang maangkin siya, Adreline is different. He can tell.

"Your eyes," napakurap siya ng marinig ang dalaga.

He didn't notice his eyes turned red. "Sorry." Umiwas siya ng tingin sa babae.

"Can you control them?" Nag tatakang tanong ni Adreline. He looks at her. She points to his eyes. "Them, can you control them?" He nodded and turn his eyes into grey. He saw the amusement in her eyes. 'Beautiful' he whispered.

"A-ahm, I'm sorry." His brows arch.

"What?"

"Earlier, I was scared—you know—you're a vampire and I'm just a mere human. You could have killed—"

"I won't kill you, Adeline. Not even a pinch." She was stunned by his words. Hindi alam ni Sheen ang mararamdaman. Her heart is racing, she felt hot and she can feel a tingle inside of her.

Bigla ay parang hindi siya mapakali.

"A-ahm, gusto mo ba bilhan kita ng damit?" Pag iiba niya ng usapan.

—

"XL, ahm, ito!" Sheen was busy picking a shirt for Akhil. Akhil insisted to come but she didn't let him—but he's stubborn. Wala itong suot pang itaas at tanging short niya lang na hapit dito, hinayaan niyang sumama ito pero iniwan niya ito sa kotse. Ayaw niyang mag eskandalo sa loob ng mall.

"Miss," napatingin siya sa kaliwa. There's a man standing beside her. He's picking a shirt too. Ngumiti si Sheen sa lalaki.

"Yes?" Aniya. The man look at her then the shirt. "A-ah, I'm buying for my boyfriend." Hindi niya alam kung bakit boyfriend ang pumasok sa isip niya. Hinayaan na lang niya, hindi naman niya kilala ang kaharap.

The man nodded. Then she remembers the werewolves outside her house. Humigpit ang hawak niya sa damit at napa atras. She's afraid that this man in front of her is one of them.

Nag taka ang lalaki sa inasta niya. She excused herself. "Sorry po, bye!" Mabilis niyang iniwan ang lalaki at nag mamadali binayaran ang ilang piraso na napamili, short, brief, and shirts.

Nag mamadali siyang nag lakad sa parking lot. She can't just talk to strangers, baka mamaya alagad na pala ni Satanas ang kausap niya. Vampires and werewolves exist even dwarfs and all the mythical creatures, baka bigla siyang kuhain ng mga ito dahil alam na niya ang existence ng mga 'to. She shivered of that thought.

Lakad-takbo ang ginawa niya para marating agad ang kotse. She knocked on the wind shield to let Akhil she's here. He open the door inside.

"What's the rush?" Nag tatakang tanong ng lalaki. Inabot niya ang mga pinamili sa lalaki.

"Isuot mo 'yan." Utos niya.

"Your heart is racing, what happened? Did someone hurt you? Threatened you? Tell me." Napatitig si Sheen sa lalaki. He looks like a worried boyfriend. Napailing siya.

"Wala, natatakot lang ako baka bigla ako sugurin ng kung sinong halimaw. Look, Akhil, I'm scared okay. Hindi mo maaalis sa'kin 'yun, I just help a vampire, I talked to a werewolves FACE TO FACE!" Exaggerated niyang paliwanag.

"Okay, sorry." Napailing siya.

"Isuot mo na 'yan. Ihahatid na kita sa inyo." She face the left side when he starts dressing.

"You're coming with me," napalingon siya sa lalaki sa narinig. "I'll explain."

She was about to say something when she noticed something.

"What's that?" Aniya at tinuro ang nasa tagiliran ng lalaki. Hindi 'yun masyado mahahalata kung hindi mo tititigan. It's a long cut from his belly hole to his upper back.

"Scar." Maiksing sagot ni Akhil bago isuot ang damit.

"I thought you can heal? Why do you have a scar?"

He frowned at her. "Stop asking please, and drive." Natahimik si Sheen. Masyado siyang nagiging mausisa.

"I'm not coming with you." Pag sagot niya sa sinabi nito kanina.

"You will."

"And why is that?"

He face her and smiled, but it didn't reach his eye. It's like a dead smile, but she finds it attractive. Ngayon lang niya ito ngumiti kahit hindi totoo. "Those werewolves will hunt you once they found out you let me into your house, they will feast on your flesh and eat your alive, you will feel every—"

"Stop! Stop! Tinatakot mo ba ako?" Asar niyang binuhay ang sasakyan.

"Kind of, but it's true."

Nakagat ni Sheen ang ibabang labi. Kinikilabutan siya sa isipin na totoo ang mga halimaw na 'yun. Are they big? When they turn into werewolves? Like the werewolves on twilight?

"They're big, mataas sila sayo, they can eat you in one bite, just saying." Sabad ni Akhil sa pag iisipin niya.

Napasimangot siya. "Mag sabi ka nga sa'kin ng totoo," bahagya niyang nilingon si Akhil sa tabi niya. "Can you read mind?"

"Yes."

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask." Simpleng sagot ng lalaki.

Napairap siya. "What else can you do?" Usisa niya.

"I can run fast, I can smell someone from afar, I can read minds, all vampires can do that. But it's limited."

Napatango si Sheen. She tried to controlling her mind and stop thinking of something, simula kasi ng magising siya kaninang umaga ay hindi na maalis sa isip niya 'yung 'thing' ni Akhil.

"Is it big?" Nasamid siya sa tanong ni Akhil. Hindi niya alam kung anong 'big' ang tinutukoy niya pero ibang 'big' kasi pumasok sa isip niya.

Nahihiya siyang nag fake cough. "A-alin?" Inosente niyang tanong.

"My d*ck is it big?"

Naapakan niya ang preno dahilan para sumubsob si Akhil sa dashboard. She almost laugh but stop herself. 'Deserve' she thought.

"Bastos," sinimulan ulit niyang paandarin ang sasakyan. Akhil on the other side put on his seatbelt. "Saan mo balak pumunta?" She asked.

"Place where you're safe," sagot ng lalaki. "Let's change seat, I'll drive." Sumang-ayon siya sa sinabi ni Akhil.

For now, she will let him do whatever he wants. Inaamin niya natatakot siya sa mga sinabi ni Akhil, wala naman siyang matatakbuhan kung may mangyari man sa kaniya. Akhil knows everything, she will let him lead for now.

Hindi lubos maisip ni Sheen na 'yung gabing dapat ay bibili lang siya ng ice cream ay naging magical, a magical nightmare.

Hindi niya alam pero unti-unting bumigat ang talukap niya. Her vision starts to blur and the last thing she new she fall asleep.

—

"You're late, Damien." Ani Camilla. Kumunot ang noo ni Damien.

"Late? For what?"

Ngumiti ng pagkatamis-tamis si Camilla at binuksan ang pinto. Mas lalong nag salubong ang kilay ni Damien sa nakita. It's Akhil, with a girl on his arm, carrying her like a bride.

"Who's that?" Mahinahong tangon ni Damien. He's thinking this girl might be one of Akhil's women.

"She's not one of my woman, Kuya." Mukhang nabasa ni Akhil ang iniisip niya.

"She's a mortal," sagot ni Akhil. Nanlaki ang mata ni Damien, sa isang kisap mata ay nasa harap na siya ni Akhil. He stand there face to face with his brother.

The girl is sleeping peacefully on Akhil's arm. "Why did you bring a mortal here?!" He shouted.

Hindi siya sinagot ng kapatid at tinalikuran lang siya. He felt something, there's something wrong.

"I can't smell her." Mahina niyang turan at tinitigan ang babae sa bisig ni Akhil.

"Yeah, WE can't smell her." Pag tatama ni Akhil.

Camilla step beside him. "He's in-love." Kumento ni Camilla. Damien look down at her, mababang babae si Camilla, pero kaya nitong pumatay ng sampung asong lobo sa loob ng ilang minuto. Don't underestimate her height.

He tsked. "He's not capable of love."

Inirapan siya ni Camilla. "Bitter!" Anito at nawala sa tabi niya. Napailing si Damien at bumalik sa kaniyang upuan. This is his place, his office, where he always sit and command.

'She's something.' He thought.

He felt a pang on his chest. Napasigaw siya sa biglang pag sidhi ng sakit sa dibdib kung nasan ang puso niya. "F*ck!"