Present time –
Keepers Headquarters, Busay
Genes? Maturity? Slow-motion? Bullet time? He was making sense. I thought that the triggers were only I see Maria smiles. I thought it was only me and the sight of her triggered the bullet time. I did not know that genes were a part of it.
“How do you know dad?” I asked.
“I have that skill son. Some witches are stronger and faster, some could manipulate time, and your skill, my skill, is a great help,” my father said, “Your great grandfather had the skill, it seemed inherited.”
“I thought it was only me when I see Maria.”
“Maria? Is she one of your classmates,” My father leaned on his desk.
“Y-yeah. She is. I mean, she is my new friend,” I stammered. I do not want to dwell on the subject any longer. One is for her safety and the subject was awkward for me. I gave an ex
‘Cruz.’ The name I feared that my father would say. It was our oath, our obligation my father emphasized, but I could never imagine me killing Maria. I leaned on the bookshelf and stared at the floor. My thoughts drifted to her beautiful smile or the time that she saved me. Compromising herself just to prevent me from dying and risking her secret identity and their Coven.It was unfathomable as of the moment. I even considered quitting.“If we stop the Cruz bloodline, then we will win the war.” He uttered. It was the emphasis of his lecture. The Cruz bloodline. The bloodline of Larissa, the Coven Queen.My father continued to talk about Larissa’s doings and killings, about the history. But everything seemed blurry momentarily. Then I forced myself back presently.“…Edward had suspected a few Cruz’s in your school and they are monitoring them as we speak,” my father continued. My eyes widen and my hear
Maria decided on a meeting place that we could converse privately, a memorial garden for dead witches. Walking briskly, gave me goosebumps as I passed by a faintly lit pavement across the cemetery. The place was high-end, arranged neatly and some other witch’s families had constructed decent houses that held two to three coffins of their loved ones.The place was expectedly quiet and the breeze carried frigid air that added to my chilled bones. There were properly planted trees blocking the faint moonlight that blanketed the place. I brought my dagger in case Maria had planned for my ambush. Maybe I was compromised, she might know during the apprehension attempt with Lance.Many possibilities rushed my thoughts, challenging my bravery and confidence. I continued to press forward until the last block of the cemetery. Glancing afar, I saw a dark figure sitting down by the curb of the cemetery road. As I was nearing, the figure appeared to be Maria. Her face was anx
Nervousness and never-ending tenseness were the emotions that I felt talking to her. She was telling me secrets and more about her truth, but me, I told lies. Not all of it of course, but she would be devastated if I will reveal them.We were heading back, took gentle strides, shoulder to shoulder, and enjoying the peacefulness of the memorial garden. The moon was visible in the night sky that gave sheepish light to the memorial, filtered by the trees. I was aghast with the beautiful structures that held coffins from prominent families of their Coven. Maria had shared stories of some of her coven mates and a little bit of their history but the information was shallow enough that needed no pondering.But I had been meaning to hear from her about her bloodline. If she was one of the Cruz’s who held Larissa’s maternal blood then she is one of the most powerful witches in their Coven.Every time she told me about her secrets, the more I knew about her. H
As I stepped inside the school campus’ front gate, my paranoia started to loom. Right after I swiped my ID card on a radio frequency detection system, the feeling kicked in. The system flashes your face on a screen conspicuous to the entrance guards to confirm the identity of the ingressed student. The Coven spies might have difficulty in entering the campus without being questioned, they did not have IDs like ours. Or maybe they were actual students waiting for further instructions by their Coven Magistrate.I felt unsafe, I informed my father thru text regarding the Coven spies. I also texted Edward for he might expose my connection with the Keepers. I told Edward not to talk to me for now and lay low. He assured me that other members of the Keepers on our school campus were also engaged with the possibility of identifying these Coven spies. Buy my father and Edward had asked me about the source of my information which I had difficulty in divulging. I could not
My heart melted to see her face so depressed. I could not imagine how the Coven had handled her teenage life with so many restrictions, for the safety and continuity of Cruz bloodline. The freedom park was heaved with students who loitered waiting for their next subject, I could sense their stares piercing through my nape. A popular student talking to a loser in broad daylight was a feat with my status. But the concern was just transient, I refocused on Maria and whatever she may have carried, a burden unimaginable.“Hey, what’s wrong,” I greeted back, my voice was soft with a hint of concern.She continued to stride until our bodies were close enough to hear her whisper.“I think I am in trouble. I think another two students were following me. I don’t know, maybe they are from the Keepers,” she whispered.“Are they still following you?” I asked. I knew this would happen. Now, I know about Coven’s bloo
The feeling of uncertainty and thrill crept to my skin. It never ceased since this morning, the moment I stepped inside the school campus. My paranoia became real. I became vigilante instantly to my surroundings as I have confirmed with Edward.“Bait? Me? Why?” I asked. He told me early this morning that he was the only one who is bait. Now, he was telling me that I am also baiting. I was repositioned from a lookout to a bait, felt more of a front liner, an unprepared battle front liner, or a cannon fodder perhaps.“You have been made. The Coven knew your association with the Keepers,” Edward said. His statement was already anticipated. It’s only a matter of time, but I was not expecting this fast. If the spies knew then maybe Maria also knew. Maybe it was when Edward punched Alex’s face for my aide. She might have recognized Edward, the person that followed her, watching her every move.“Me? How?” I asked.
The two figures’ faces appeared before us as they ceased walking until about five meters from our positions. The cold breeze blew a little harder and we all felt the chill. The breeze had no hindrances as it danced freely on the vast soccer field. The whooshing sound of the wind was the only audible sound momentarily until Edward spoke to them.“Witches,” he referred to the two teenagers before us, “surrender now and there will be no further bloodshed.”The male scoffed. He was tall but not taller than Edward and a little scrawny like me but his face had no hint of intimidation and fear. His deep sharp eyes told me everything about him. A killer.“What do you call yourselves? The Keepers? Keepers of what exactly? Of the truth?” The male witch mocked.“You do not have to worry about the answers, witch. All you need to worry about now is your life and the life of your comrade,” Edward mused with nonchala
I took deep breaths, somewhat forcing my lungs to function. I felt the oxygen supplied fuel to my body as I felt my strength regaining. I shook my head trying to wore off the dizziness. I was still on the ground and struggled to stand. My body was still hurting, I coughed hard as I stood with both feet on the ground.The female witch conjured a bluish flame that engulfed her right hand. It was burning like a blue torch. She hesitated as he recognized Kane, I saw it in her face. She forced it, she lunged towards Kane and swung her flaming hand wildly towards him but he evaded it efficiently. Three swings and the last attempt was caught by Kane with his bare hand, grasped her slender forearm and she struggled to remove it from his grip. But the witch was strong, she freed herself from him but Kane kicked her stomach right after she pulled her arm.The witched growled in pain, gnashed her insides. She emaciated on the ground kneeling, distracted her from Kane’