"You guys were so mean!!!!" Yuri was going on and on about how they were being mean by playing a prank on them.
"Geez, enough! You're about to burst my eardrum. Haven't you had enough of your rant?" The boy with a cute dimple said, annoyed at Yuri’s voice. This is the same boy Hayley caught in the cemetery during their test of courage game with the girls. He is Yuri's cousin, the son of her weird aunt who owns the rest house they were staying in.
The said eatery is only a little mile away from the cemetery.
"So, this place, have you been there before Yuri?" Raeven asked while they were in the car driving to the place
"Oh, yes! I and my cousins love this place so much. You will love the food here. I promise." Yuri said with her eyes shining foolishly, the prank already forgotten just by thinking about Lomi.
"Hey, you boys, not to be rude, but you have not introduced yourselves to us yet," Hayley said, looking at the three guys goofing around while waiting for their food.
"Oh, my, sorry about that. I'm Kiel, Yuri's older cousin, this is my little brother, Kaiser." The guy said, then pointed at the boy with cute dimples after introducing himself. "And this guy here is Bryan. He is Yuri's fiance." He said without even batting his eyelashes.
Yuri felt scandalized. Her eyes were wide open, so wide they looked so round and big for her small face. "NO, he's not! Big brother, stop your nonsense. They might believe you!"
The cousins then teased Yuri nonstop that night. Hayley looked at the silent guy, the guy looked so tall, his skin a little bronze-toned color, looking hunky, the most eye-catching is that side dimple when he grins, plus that sharp fang, he looked like your popular bad boy on a campus romance book series. Hayley was still staring at him when he looked at her as well. Hayley was a little taken aback when he smiled at her, that blinding and dazzling smile of a playboy. Hayley squinted her eyes and looked at him sideways, scrutinizing him more openly. Something just dawns on her she could not cover up her laughter. They are just getting to the exciting part!
Angel saw the two looking at each other and unconsciously thought that if Hayley was a boy, then this Bryan would be her counterpart. She also started looking at the guy. She can't help but think, is it possible that Hayley was falling for this kind of guy?
Raeven was relieved when they arrived. She felt that a little food will calm her shocked nerves caused by their scary adventure.
They were in a small eatery where the four girls were led by the three boys who played a prank on them. The place is small and looked like where common people normally frequented. The boys insisted on going there because according to them they got hungry playing a prank on them. Also, the night is a little cold, and eating Lomi when in Batangas is a MUST!
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The food arrived after 15 minutes. Angel and Raeven are mesmerized by how big the serving of each bowl was. It looks like three-person can share just a bowl of Lomi. But things aside, the soup tastes so delicious. This is the first time they tasted this kind of food. Yuri was like a little kid in an amusement park. She was so happy just by eating that kind of food. Hayley just ate her food like it was a normal occurrence in her life.
"Hayley, what can you say? The food is yummy, right?" Yuri asked. She was surprised that there was no reaction showing on her face, unlike the other two girls.
"Of course it is delicious. My uncle knows how to cook this, but not as delicious as this one," Hayley said.
Raeven and Angel looked at Hayley in awe. She looked noble and regal, but she knows so much compared to them.
That night, the four girls went back to the rest house, along with the boys. At first, Yuri was indignant and didn't let them in, for they were boys and they should observe properness. However, the two cousins didn't back down and insisted on going inside to stay the night.
"Why not? This is our rest house, you evil woman!" Kaiser, the little brother, started fighting with Yuri.
"So what if this is your rest house? Auntie permitted me to stay here! You still have a house around here. This is not just the only one, right? Or you can also rent one for the night."
"Yuri, it's already 1 in the morning. Who will be sane enough to let us rent a house? It is dangerous to drive when we were all exhausted." Kiel tried to reason with Yuri.
"No-" Yuri still going on with her stubbornness. When her little cousin, Kaiser, annoyed with her childishness, suddenly pushed her to the side forcefully so he can go in. Yuri screamed in pain. She was pushed down to a big pot of plants by the side of the entryway, the big pot was knocked down along her small frame...
"Yuri!" the three girls blurted out of concern. Then rushed to help her up, but there was someone already beating them to it.
Bryan pulled her up and immediately looked at her bleeding arm. His eyes were serious, inspecting and contemplating how nasty the wound was. Then he looked at the little guy who pushed Yuri.
Before Bryan can even speak, the elder brother came in and act as the middleman. "Yuri, I'm sorry about that, Kaiser. Come here and say sorry to your big sister," Kiel said, his voice turning strict while talking to his little brother.
After a while…
The guys settled in comfortably, finally. They took the third floor and settled into individual rooms.
Angel and Hayley were left in the kitchen, while Raeven and Yuri were already getting ready to sleep. It has been a long night for everyone. Angel was busy setting the menu for tomorrow. She was busy planning what to cook for breakfast while Hayley was drinking some milk to calm her mind so she can sleep. Angel remembered something when she looked at Hayley.
"It has been a long night for us. I was happy that everyone has settled in peacefully."
"Well, you can't blame Yuri for acting hysterical, her fiance will stay with her inside this house," Hayley said while looking at her phone.
"You know it was just her cousin teasing her, right?"
"Oh well, who knows?.."
Angel looked at her. She was hesitant if she needed to clarify that thing with her. "Uhm, Hayley, what do you think of Bryan?"
Hayley keeps her eyes on her phone. "He looks like a playboy, poor Yuri..."
Angel stared at her a moment. "Do you think he was like a boy version of you? It looks like you have the same personality."
Hayley put down her phone, and it was her turn to stare at Angel. It was the type of stare that was so intense it felt uncomfortable. "Angel, can you not say it in a roundabout way? What are you trying to say?"
Angel felt a little panic inside. She's not good with confrontations. "I don't mean to meddle with your affair, but I just saw you and him staring at each other a while ago I thought that you.. and him.. you know..." Angel felt so embarrassed that her voice became smaller with each second.
Hayley laughed at her. "No way. You think I like him?"
Angel was staring at her, dumbfounded.
Hayley rolled her eyes, then sighed helplessly. "That won't happen, and if I really did, but God forbid; I won't stand a chance. The way he looked at our gullible friend, it's obvious he's into her."
Angel widened her eyes. She's not well-versed in anything to do with flirting and courting, or someone having a crush on someone. She was just relying on what she saw.
Hayley grinned. "you still have a long way ahead of you, my friend." Hayley said.
Angel was looking at her when she blurted out something unconsciously.
"Why do I feel you are the modern version of Aphrodite?"
Hayley choked on her milk and can't help coughing. "What? Are you serious? Well, can't help it, I really look gorgeous. It must be my parents’ genes."
"Aside from that. The goddess is also known for playing the cupid and messing everything up thereafter. She's also cunning and playful."
"Am I like that?"
Angel just smiled but didn't answer, then said goodnight to her.
Hayley watched Angel take the stairs up the room. She thought with a smile on her red lips, she will have her chance to play a trick on her one of these days.
Alas, Angel still didn't know a thing about love. She's been long alive and witnessed her parents flirting every day of her life, but the 'romantic love between a man and a woman was still too far.
From her understanding. She can't help but made a hopeless sigh. Someday, she will learn how to read people the way Hayley does. Well…
She was stunned for a moment. Does Hayley fell in love already?! If so, that explains why she knew when a person is in love. She was stunned for a moment. Could it be the school director, Mr. Moretti? She's really a lucky girl, she fell in love and the man of her desire loves her back.
Looking at herself, she is still too shy to even talk to ‘him’ alone. She wonders how she will have the guts to stand in front of ‘him’ and maybe… confess her feelings? When would that day be?
Suddenly, she felt curious. Who Hayley's first love could be… And so were the others…
Early the next day...
Halloween has passed, and the terror that Halloween has brought was over. The group of young people was still deep in their sleep. It took a whole night of fun and it really drained their energy. Meanwhile, in the middle of the silence, there was a soft noise coming from the kitchen; it was not unpleasant noise but rather created by some utensils and kitchen tools, pans, and pots used by the two lovely ladies who dedicate their morning making breakfast for the group of sleepy heads.
"Gel, am I doing this right?" Raeven asked. Her voice has a hint of hesitance.
Angel stopped stirring something inside the pot and went close to her and looked inside the deep large bowl Raeven was holding. "You're doing good. Keep it up. Once you reached the consistency where you can form a small peak at the end of the whisk, then the cream is good to go." Angel said and kindly instructed her.
Raeven's eyes glowed for the first time that morning. Finally, the first cream puff she's ever made!
To be exact, Raeven hadn't slept even a wink last night. She received a text coming from her brother, though her brother didn't expect her to reply so soon. He resorted to sending text messages at night so as not to wake her up. However, they ended up sending texts back and forth through the night. At first, they talked about the usual stuff about their family, his colleagues, her classmates, and her recent trip with the girls, leaving the part where she was sharing this house with some random boys… Then he began telling her something about 'that girl-Victoria-. Yes, of all things to talk about…
She remembered that she even asked him if he was falling in love with the girl. Her brother laughed at her and asked her teasingly what if he accidentally falls in love with the girl? She resorted to calling her brother. She won't forget her reply. If that really happened, then she will disown him and not call him brother until he broke up with that girl. Then she hung up the call out of anger, which she regretted afterward. She can't believe how childish she acted! Her brother might call her again to tease her, so she turned off the phone for the rest of the night.
"There, I think it's done," Raeven said. Satisfied with her work, she put down the electric whisk and began filling up the rows of round dough one by one. Together, they made everyone's breakfast. Angel made some egg rolls, vegetable salad, ham and bacon, and some porridge. Then they set up the table and woke everyone up. It is past 9 am, too early for lunch but late for breakfast. Everyone enjoyed the food still.
Angel noticed Hayley yawn and looked sleepy. "Hayley, haven't you gotten enough sleep?"
"Oh well, someone didn't stop flirting with someone on her phone last night that I had a hard time falling asleep," Hayley said and looked at Raeven while eating her bread.
Raeven choked on her porridge, and Yuri pats her on the back immediately, looking at her with her signature big eyes curiously, wondering if what Hayley said was true. Raeven thought Hayley was not subtle in blaming her and letting everyone know it. "I'll have you know I am sending messages with my brother and not with some random boys, you know."
Hayley looked at her. "Oh, sorry, my bad." She said, but still, she looked teasing. Raeven just rolled her eyes.
Angel smiled and stand up to take a big plate full of cream puffs from the kitchen. "Raeven baked some cream puffs. Please help yourselves." Angel said, smilingly.
The young cousin of Yuri named Kaiser looked at the round golden balls on the big plate. he's in awe. "She really baked it?" He asked and looked at Angel.
Raeven chuckled. "Why? You don't believe in my baking skills. Try it first, before you judge it."
The young boy blushed hard as he thought that he just offended Raeven.
Yuri laughed, "hahaha, look who's blushing now!"
The young boy felt embarrassed by the way Yuri teased him. "I'm not, you stupid pig!"
Yuri looked shocked. "Who are you calling a pig?" She asked, surprised.
The young boy stands in his chair and points at Yuri. "Of course YOU! PIG!"
The older cousin held his younger brother's arm and pulled him down to sit. "Now, now, that's not how you speak to girls, Kai."
"She started it, brother!"
"Don't be such a p-" Bryan said, but then Hayley stopped her.
"Hey, watch your mouth dude, there're girls here..." she said, a bit amused at him.
Bryan just coughed and continued eating his food.
"You don't believe me, right? She was obese when she was still young." Kaiser said proudly, letting everyone on something incredible.
Yuri almost wants to scream by that time. But then Angel spoke. "I was fat when I was a kid. It can't be helped. Kids should eat a lot since they are still growing… Well, Yuri is skinny now. I think she needs to fill up a bit."
"You're right. She needs to fill up because she's so flat-chested! Haha haha!" Kaiser said that made Yuri more agitated.
Angel felt like she just made the fight worse. "I didn't mean it that way though..."
Yuri then laughed, which made everyone go silent. "Yeah, you even noticed such a thing. No wonder you had a crush on my friend Rae because she has a nice big rack, you pervert!" Yuri said with her voice gradually raised with an emphasis on the last sentence. That only took about five seconds and the whole house became noisy again, a boy and a girl shouting insults right back at each other.
"Look what I've got!" the younger cousin said while waving a big book above his head. Yuri looked at it for a second then realized what it was, she made a mad dash towards the young boy and tried to snatch it away from him, however, the young cousin cannot be underestimated, he runs around the house and made a quick detour to get to the dining table and when he made it to his chair, he plopped down and opened it. "Guys, check this out, Yuri's baby photos! Haha!" He said with a smug look on his face.
Angel was excited to see what Yuri looked like when she was a baby and inched closer to the younger cousin. She was sitting close to the older cousin. She was surprised, and she giggled when she saw how cute Yuri was- well, Yuri is a lot cuter than when she was a baby. Angel just can't help but exclaim how adorable her friend is when she was little.
Raeven also inched in closer and leaned down. She was also captivated by how cute Yuri was in the photos. She was tempted to snatch just one photo and keep it on her bedside table. "Wow, I can't imagine how Yuri's future baby would be in the future. It will be super-duper cute. Look at those chubby thighs!"
Yuri was panting when she entered the dining table, though she was annoyed at her younger cousin, hearing such compliments from her friends, she will let this pass… "Of course, my future babies will be so adorable no one can resist!" She proudly declared, with her head held up high.
"Oi, Bryan, Yuri wants your baby now!" The younger cousin yelled teasingly at the quiet guy at the dinner table.
Bryan was taken aback for a second but then he just smiled, that mysterious smile of his. Meanwhile, the others shake their heads, some even do a facepalm.
"I did not!" Yuri said while blushing. "I-I don't want your baby!" she said angrily. Though no one takes her seriously.
While the others were engrossed looking at the baby pictures, Bryan looked at Hayley. There was something on his mind.
"What?" Hayley asked.
"I'll be leaving her in your care for now. Please take care of her for me." He said he won't let anyone know, but he was deeply affected when Yuri was bullied before, but he knew it was too late. He was helpless.
Hayley knew that look, the look that is full of trust, the kind where a person was entrusting his life to someone he knew will be dependable enough. She shrugged. "Of course, I love babysitting. You have no idea." She said with her signature smirk.
That morning was filled with laughter and everyone was in high spirits. No one can predict that a sunny opening to their wonderful morning will have a dark ending for Hayley…..
And then….
They had a sumptuous lunch in a restaurant; they found near their next destination. This restaurant served traditional Filipino food; Lechon, Adobo, Pinakbet, Sinigang, and many more, they had their fill ready for the next battle ahead of them.
"Wow, that Tinola is really yummy. I need to go back here after a month. I won’t miss it!" Yuri said. She would’ve stuffed her stomach full until it burst.
"My mom also has her version of Tinola. I'll ask her if she can cook for us when I return home." Angel kindly offered.
"Really? Wow, I love good food!"
"Yeah you do, fatty!" The younger cousin smirked while teasing his cousin.
Yuri knocked his head, then run away after doing just that. The young man tried to get even however, Bryan grabbed his collar. "Enough fooling around. We need to get a boat to get to that mountain. We need to get back before dark."
And so the lively bunch get to a boat and off to their destination. It will take them two hours to get there.
"We should have a name for our team. I think Team Awesome will be a nice name," Yuri suggested.
"Ugly! No way you're on my team, make your team stupid." Kaiser said, annoyed.
"Then your team name should be team STUPID, hahahahaha," Yuri said. She’s used to her cousin’s bashing a long time ago.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, it was past 1 pm. They stuck together because there were a lot of rumors and legends about this mountain, the old man's tales, and myths. When Yuri heard this, she felt all her hair stand up. She started whining like a child.
"Then why are we still going up if it were that scary?"
"Stop being such a pussy!"
"Shut up," Bryan said
It was Kiel's turn to knock his head.
"Ow bro!" Kaiser complained while holding his head.
"Don't worry, we will stay together. Remember, we're a team," Angel said to Yuri, encouraging her.
Yuri reluctantly nodded her head.
Bryan acted as the leader of the team. Kiel and Kaiser were at the front leading them, the girls were in the middle and Bryan was the last in line.
It was not dark yet, but with all these large trees in their way, it perfectly covered the bright sky. It looked like twilight in there. It took them an hour before Yuri spoke. "Guys, don't you think it's getting darker here?" Yuri's voice was shaking.
"You stated the obvious, stupid," Kaiser said.
"How much farther?" Hayley asked.
Khiel looked at his watch. Uncle said that it only took an hour or two to climb this mountain. We just need to find the mark, then it will be 5 minute walk from that."
"So, where could that be?" Raeven asked.
"Wait," Khiel said, then they stopped for a while. Khiel took something in his bag, a drone.
"Cool!" Yuri exclaimed in excitement, forgetting about her fear.
It took about ten minutes for Kiel to get to the location. Once he did a screenshot of the direction, the team continued their adventure.
"Let's rest for a while," Bryan said.
"Yes, captain," Kaiser said.
Yuri was grateful. Her knees were about to collapse if they continue climbing. They drank some water to quench their thirst and wiped their sweat.
"I didn't know that mountain climbing would be this hard," Yuri said. She was almost whining. Though her fear of the ghost and other creatures was fading a little, she was now annoyed by her cousins for suggesting climbing a scary mountain on November 1 all day! Then she stopped for a moment and thought of something. Wait!
"You guys, how did you get permission to climb the mountain? Is it a holiday today?" Yuri asked.
Kaiser laughed. "Of course, big brother Bryan planned this ahead of time!"
Yuri looked at the young man at the back of the line and frowned. Seriously, boys…
Bryan caught her eyes and smiled at her teasingly.
Yuri stuck her pink little tongue out, trying to annoy him, and turned her head back in front. She heard Bryan chuckle gently. Hayley was aware of this exchange and just rolled her eyes.
It has been about an hour now since they ascended the mountain, but the destination was still far away, or at least that's what the map was telling them.
"How much farther?" Angel asked, but her voice was not interlaced with a complaint but only gentleness.
Kiel heard her voice first before it even registered what she asked. He could go back to his senses after a while. "Ah, i-it's not that far, will be there in a little while. "He said, his hand can't stop fiddling with his phone. He felt useless at that moment. If only he had climbed this mountain before, then maybe…
However, how is he to know that today he will meet such a nice girl named Angel?
Suddenly, it is Kaiser's turn to stop and stare at a big tree on the left side.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Hayley asked.
Kaiser looked at Hayley. He noticed her face was all covered in sweat now, haggard but still looked pretty. He pointed at the big old tree. "I think a saw something move there."
Yuri was horrified. She squeezed herself into Angel's body. "Oh no, I want to go home."
"Hey, Aren't you supposed to be pointing your finger at something? Do you want them to get back at you?" Hayley asked.
"What do you mean to get back at me? I did nothing!" Kaiser said in his defense.
"Just don't point your finger, old sayings say so…." Kiel said.
Angel knew this superstition as well. Living in this superstitious country where mythical creatures were popular, it's better safe than sorry.
They continued climbing. The more they ascend the mountain, the more the path became darker, and the aura became more mysterious. Yuri kept on looking around when she spotted a shadow standing in yet another big old tree. Her eyes widened. She was about to scream but then she felt Angel tighten her hold on her as if Angel can feel her fear. "Just ignore it," Angel said. Yuri was sure that Angel had also seen it.
But then Hayley looked at it intently. It was her first seeing something like that in her life. Somehow, she felt curious and excited, but she wanted to be cautious so as not to offend the entity. She just wants to inspect. She inched a little closer…
Raeven was about to grab her arm to pull her back in line when Hayley's body suddenly turned stiff.
"Hunter?"
Raeven heard what Hayley whispered. Who is Hunter? But before she could even ask further, Hayley ran towards the old tree and through the dark forest. The others were shocked by Hayley's sudden action, but they came running after her. They were now following Hayley blindly, not knowing where they will end up going. They were a few feet away from Hayley but not losing her; the boys need to keep pace with the girls so that they won't be separated from them. Slowly, the surroundings became brighter.
"We are near the exit!" Kiel shouted excitedly. The girls were not even excited knowing that they will finally get out of this nightmare. For the first time, Raeven was concerned about another person's welfare, aside from herself.
When they reached the exit, they saw Hayley quietly sobbing while sitting on the ground. Angel ran to her side and patted her back, asking how she was feeling. Yuri and Raeven followed suit. The boys were cautious and did not get closer than two meters. They need to give the girl space they won't be able to coax Hayley. Bryan called someone on his phone. Kiel checked his drone to see their location and Kaiser just stared at the girls with a blank look on his face.
"Hayley..." Yuri said, her voice sad.
"I'm sorry…." Hayley said.
"It's okay, we don't blame you!" Yuri said, trying to comfort her friend.
Raeven and Angel knew Hayley was not apologizing to them. She was asking for forgiveness, but to whom?
Suddenly, Hayley grabbed her phone from her pocket, and with her hands shaking, she dialed a number. When the call was answered, she didn't wait for the person on the other line to talk. "I saw him."
"Who?" said a man on the other line.
The three girls who were trying to comfort their friends were confused.
"I saw Hunter, he- is angry- I know!" Hayley said while sobbing.
"Where are you? I'm coming for you…." The man said on the other line.
Hayley didn't answer. Instead, she reached her hands out with her phone to Angel, silently asking her to take over.
Angel was still confused, but she reluctantly accepted the phone. "Hello, this is her friend…."
The person on the other line did not talk for a moment, but then he asked for their location. Angel knew she was talking to the school's director; Hayley's fiance. She answered his question, then she was asked to stay with her while he was not there.
While on the boat ride back, everyone is quiet. No one talked. Hayley hasn't spoken a single word to them. She just looked dejected. The girls didn't know that this day will come, they will witness Hayley looking so vulnerable and delicate.
"How did Hayley know the exit?" Kaiser suddenly asked.
The group was still silent. Nobody knows the answer…
When they reached the rest house at 6 pm, Angel offered to cook something for dinner, and Yuri and Raeven offered to help. They were just spending a few minutes inside the kitchen when the sound of the doorbell broke the silence. Yuri rushed to get the door since the boys were upstairs and Hayley holed herself alone in her room. When she opened the door, she was shocked to see Damon Moretti.
"Good evening. I apologize for suddenly dropping by. Is Hayley okay?" The man asked.
Yuri was tongue-tied. She was weak in front of a mature man. Looking at Damon, she felt intimidated.
Raeven and Angel followed behind for a little while and saw the man outside the door. "Mr. Moretti, thanks for coming by. Hayley is all right. She's now resting inside her room," Angel said with a smile on her face. The guest came inside the house and Raeven ran upstairs to get Hayley. When she gets inside, she was surprised to see her dressed and ready to go with her suitcase in hand. "Oh, how did you-” Raeven didn’t know how Hayley knew that Damon arrived. “Are you going home with him tonight?"
Hayley nodded her head. A little moment was taken up by silence between them. The next second, Raeven heard her say thank you. Then she carried her suitcase and walked past her.
"Who is Hunter?"
Hayley stopped in her track.
Raeven felt like she asked for something out of line. "I'm sorry, you don't need to answer me. I'm just being nosy."
"He's my little brother, Hunter."
After Hayley said that she walked down the stairs and Raeven was left in the same place, unable to move… She didn't know that Hayley had a brother.
After Hayley went home, the three girls who remained in the rest house received a text message from the headmaster's office. The term exam is fast approaching.
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