Vladimir’s POV
“Are you really sure? I told you I have not seen the girl. I saw no one,” Van said with conviction. I told her about the girl, the new student.
“Who is she? What’s the name?” tanong ni Via. “May new student din sa klase ko kanina baka they are the same.”
“Cassandra.” I plainly said. Iyon ang naalala kung pakilala niya sa akin pagka-upo niya. The professor told her na sa tabi ko siya umupo since it’s the only vacant seat.
“Oh, the girl with the strong blood. Si Cassy.”
“Cassy, close na kayo?” Van asked, nagtataka.
“Yeah, katabi ko siya kanina. Niyaya ko pa nga siya mag lunch with us – oh there she goes.” Nag-wave si Via at saka isinagaw ang pangalan nung Cassy.
I didn’t dare to look. I was busy stopping my stomach from circling. I don’t know, hindi ko na-gets kung bakit bigla akong kinabahan. Is that because I knew she knew about us tapos ang magaling kung kapatid ay kinaibigan pa.
She loves being friend with strong blooded human, not that may intention siyang inumin ang dugo nito. She feels that those kinds of people need protecting kasi stronger ang blood nila. Prone to half-bloods because when half-bloods drink their blood, mas lumalakas sila.
As for us, kaya naming pigilan ang desire dahil nasanay na kami to drink animal blood. But we still need to drink human blood because it makes us strong so sometimes, when we feel like we are weak we buy blood on the red bank and drink it. At least, it wasn’t illegal.
“Hi Cassy, sit beside my brother. Vlad, classmates kayo right?” Ngumiti naman siya bilang sagot sa kapatid ko. “And this is Van, brother ko din.”
Nag-wave lang si Van sa kanya at nanahimik ng ilang saglit.
She really got that blood, the rarest of them all.
She was already busy talking with my sister nang tumayo ako. Napatigil silang dalawa and I just said na tapos na ako kumain even though hindi ko pa nagagalaw ung food ko. I know, the food is just a disguise because we don’t really eat. When I look at her, para bang nalungkot siya kasi aalis na ako or I was just hallucinating again kaya hindi ko na siya pinansin.
Dumiretso na ako sa labas. Naiinis kasi ako. Madali lang kasi akong mainis at mairita. At naiirita ako habang nakikita ko ang babaeng iyon. Naiinis kasi ako sa hindi ko malamang dahilan. My stomach kept on circling over and over again na para bang nasusuka ako. I never felt this feeling before. Kinakabahan ba ako? I don’t know. I don’t know and I don’t get it that’s why naiinis ako!
I went to my usual place, the garden which is far away from the cafeteria and our building, though I like spending my time here because it’s quiet. Wala ring gaanong pumupunta dito because the garden is too old at nasa liblib na lugar ng school. Hindi na rin masyadong maayos kaya maraming damo ang tumutubo. There was a rumor na may gumagalang ghost dito which for almost a year of my stay here ay hindi ko pa rin naman nakikita. Not that I care, I just like sleeping in here dahil walang istorbo.
Or again, just what I thought. It was after a minute nang maamoy ko ang dugo niya. Kakaiba. Hindi ko na kailangan pang dumilat para lang malaman kung sino. Naramdaman ko ang pagtayo niya sa aking harapan.
“Hi,” bati niya habang nanatili akong nakapikit. “Hindi mo ba ako natatandaan?”
I do, I thought to myself. Tandang-tanda ko na bigla ka na lang nawala sa harapan ko kagabi. Ni hindi ko alam kung paano mo nagawa iyon.
“I saw you last night,” she started. Pinigilan ko ang sarili ko na gumalaw at dumilat. I can’t kill her. We don’t kill people. I would just ask Via to change her memories, after all they’re friends. Good thing, it would be easy for Via. “With your brother, and with a unique creation of God.”
I felt that she moved a step forward. Sa tyantiya ko ay dalawang hakbang na lamang siya mula sa kinauupuan ko.
“But that wasn’t it. You see me before that too.”
Hindi ko naitago ang pagkunot ng noo ko nang sabihin niya iyon. Nanatili akong nakapikit habang inaalala ko kung saan ko pa ba siya nakita ngunit hindi ko magawang makuha ito sa aking memorya hanggang sa sabihin niya ang tatlong pamilyar na salita sa akin.
“Isa, apat, tatlo.”
I opened my eyes as soon as she said that.
I still haven’t figured out the magic she used every time she disappeared in front of me.
Bumalik ako sa cafeteria, to my surprise she was there with my sister and brother like she never even moved an inch. They were actually enjoying their conversation about something when I approached them.
I raised an eyebrow, I couldn’t hide the disbelief. “Kanina pa kayo dito?”
They all looked at me.
“Duh, hindi naman kami umalis dito.” Via said rolling her eyes. “Saka saan ka nagpunta? Bakit kasi bigla-bigla ka na lang umaalis?”
“I slept,” sagot ko na lang. “I’ll go.”
Hindi ko na sila hinintay na sumagot. I still can’t believe it. It can’t be. I hate it. Hindi siya umalis dito? Am I just dreaming? I know for sure na hindi ako tulog. I felt her. I even smelled her.
Am I just hallucinating?
I decided not to tell it to my family yet. Not today, I still want to know her whereabouts before I consider her a treat to us. Maigi na rin na maging kaibigan siya ng kapatid ko so I could watch her, she could watch her. At isa pa, I need to know her. I heard her say those three words. It always appeared in my dream, in my past.
I didn’t grow up as a vampire. I grew up normal or just what I thought. I was a human when I was a kid – real kid. My parents sealed my blood along with my brothers and sisters to save us from the ancient war.
When I was 18, that was the first time na nalaman ko ang mga tungkol sa bampira. Naalala kong takot na takot ako habang hinahabol ng isang bampira and I thought that was my last day. But the bite actually made me remember who I am when I woke up.
I will never forget that night, because I heard those three words coming from the voice of a girl and it always haunts me every night.
Is she that girl? But that was a long time ago. I cannot even remember the girl and can’t even say the reason why she appears in my dream. Maybe she was a part of me.
Dumiretso ako sa admin office kung saan nakalagay ang mga CCTV monitor ng school. Bumungad sa akin si Stan na nakatutok sa computer, sa likod niya ay ang malalaking monitor na konektado sa lahat ng cctv camera ng buong university. Stan Fear is my cousin. His family and my family always moved together kaya naman kasama ko rin siyang lumipat dito sa school.
Stan started working as one of the admin and was assigned to guard the school and it was our advantage because we have someone to look at us inside the university. He monitors the CCTV, it was easy for him to manipulate things that flow through current. That’s his gift.
That’s why I ask him na tingnan ang CCTV sa cafeteria. I want to make sure kung hindi nga ba talaga umalis si Cassandra.
“Dadalawin mo lang naman ako kapag may kailangan ka,” lintaya niya. “Why do you need the footage?” sabi niya habang may pinipindot sa keyboard. Lumapit ako sa monitor at tiningnan ang footage mula sa cafeteria matapos niyang i-adjust ang time.
Hindi nakatutok ang camera sa table kung saan kami nag-stay. I watched the entrance, nakita ko ang pagpasok niya and was waiting kung lumabas siya mag-isa but no. My sister is not lying, hindi siya lumabas. Nakita ko lamang ang paglabas niya nang kasama na niya si Van at Via. I know she’s with them because I can see two blurry shadows. That’s how we appear in camera, we became blurred shadows.
“Who’s the girl?” he asked. “Do you like her?”
“No,” mabilis kung sabi. “She saw me last night with Van fighting lowkie.”
“She’s a threat.”
I shook my head. “I am not sure. Don’t tell them yet, let me handle it. I still need to know something.”
“What, is it worth lying for?” he eyed me.
“I still can’t figure it out. She disappeared right in front of me.” I told him all the details.
“You gotta be kidding me!”
“I’m not. So can you please monitor her every day and when you find out that she’s a threat, report her.”
“Okay, noted.”
“One thing, I would like to get her profi---“
“Done that,” he smirked. “Cassandra Yiel. 18 years old. March 28, 1995, and #000 Heaven Street, oh that’s weird. She was accepted here with just that information. She must be something.”
“Wala na bang iba and where the hell is heaven street. Does that even exist?” I said, frustrated.
“That’s all I could find, Vlad. If you want to know, go ask her.”
I will.