"Okay ka lang ba apo? May masakit ba sayo?"

"Yong birthmark ko lang po, Lola. Pero wag po kayong mag-alala, hindi naman po masyadong masakit." Ngumiti ako ng pilit kay Lola at nagpatuloy sa pagkain kahit wala naman talaga akong gana. I don't know but I suddenly felt tired kahit wala naman talaga akong ginagawa.

What's with me?

" I know there's bothering you, apo. Sabihin mo sa'kin, makikinig ako." Nilapag ko ang kutsara't tinidor ko at sumimangot kay Lola. Wala naman akong dapat itago kay Lola kase I know she will find it out by herself.

"I don't know what's with me these past few days, Lola. I always felt something different in my body at palagi ring sumasakit ang birthmark ko like I usually told you. I suddenly felt tired kahit wala naman akong ginagawa. Sometimes, my chest aches and I don't know why. Wala naman akong sakit. Aish. I'm getting weirder Lola," pagpapaliwanag ko.

Ramdam kong natigilan rin si Lola sa sinabi ko. Agad kong hinawakan ang kamay niya para sabihing okay lang ako. Lola is getting old so I don't want her to worry to much.

"Halika, apo. May ipapakita ako sa'yo." Tumayo siya kaya sumunod ako sa kanya.

We entered mom and dad's room and I let myself wander in the whole room. There we're a lot of pictures hanging on the different corners of the room. Halos lahat ng mga litrato ay family picture namin when I was born until I turned 10 years old. I let out a deep sigh and walk towards Lola who is standing at the table behind the bed. She was holding our family picture na kasama siya.

"Have you heard the lovestory of your mother and father, Niane?" I shook my head.

Ni minsan hindi ko narinig na kinuwento sakin 'yon nina Mama at Papa. I don't even remember the bondings we've spent when they're still alive. Hindi ko alam pero kapag pilit kong inaalala 'yon ang sumasakit ang lang ang ulo ko.

"Your mother is a human but she has a different blood running through her blood. And your father is a different creature, really different from us." Natigilan ako sa sinabi ni Lola. I looked at her with a confused reaction.

"What do you mean 'different' lola?" She gestured me to sit on the bed so I did and she sat on my side.

"Your father is a pure-blooded vampire, apo. While your mother is a half-human and half-werewolf." Nagulat ako sa sinabi niya.

A vampire and a werewolf? As in bampira at lobo? I don't even know that they really exist. At saka, ni minsan hindi ko naisip na gano'n si dad at mom.

"But... H-How come? Bakit may dugong werewolf si Mama at paano sila nagkakilala ni Papa kung vampire rin siya?" naguguluhan kong tanong. Everything was really unbelievable.

Lola let out a sigh and caressed my cheeks."Your grandfather is a son of the strongest alpha on their century, Niane. Isang malaking kasalanan ang umibig sa ibang nilalang na hindi nila kauri. A vampire should marry a vampire and so with the other creatures. Ito ang batas na hindi maaaring labagin kahit kanino, mataas man ang posisyon o hindi. But sadly, your Lolo and I met in an unexpected incident. Nahulog kami ng Lolo mo sa isa't isa at hindi na 'yon napigilan pa. Doon nagsimulang magkagulo ang lahat sa pagitan ng mga lobo at mga tao kaya para maiwasan din 'yong mangyari sa mga bampira ay hahatulan ng kamatayan ang lalabag dito. Sa kaso namin ng Lolo mo, pinanatili ako dito sa mundo ng mga tao habang ang Lolo mo... ay hinatulan ng kamatayan."

Hindi nakaligtas ang mga luhang nag-uunahang pumatak galing sa mga mata ni Lola. Maging ako ay nasaktan din sa kadahilanang 'yon ang sinapit ng Lolo at Lola ko.

"Hush, Lola. I'm still here so don't worry." Hinalikan ko siya sa pisnge at niyakap.

"About Mama and Papa? What happened to them?" Seems like something stabbed my chest on the thought that it also happened to my parents because of that forbidden love.

"They accidentally met in the borders line. No'ng panahon na 'yon, naglayas ang Mama mo dahil pinagalitan ko siya. Napadpad ang Mama mo sa gubat dahil sa tingin niya, walang sino man ang makakahanap sa kanya do'n. Hindi alam ng Mama mo ang tungkol sa borders line kaya no'ng tumawid siya ay nakuryente siya na malapit niya nang ikinamatay. Mabuti nalang at nando'n ang Papa mo kaya nasagip niya ang Mama mo," dagdag niya pa.

Borders line?

"Anong meron sa borders line, lola?" I asked.

"It divides the Land of the Humans and the Land of the Vampires. Napagkasunduan ng mga sinaunang tao noon na hatiin ang lupain at ibigay ang kalahati sa mga tao habang ang natitirang kalahati ay sa mga bampira at iba pang mga nilalang kaya mas malaki ang parte ng lugar nila. To make the story short, the witches and sorceres put a spell on the border line so that the humans can't cross the borders line and so the vampires. Kapag tumawid ang isang tao doon ay makukuryente sila at kapag hindi agad sila maibalik sa pinanggalingan niya ay mamamatay sila. At kapag ang mga bampira naman ang tumawid ay masusunog sila habang ang ibang mga nilalang ay mamamatay kaagad.'Yon ang pinagkasunduan noon kaya walang sino man ang gustong tumawid doon. The borders line is located in the forest to hide it for us to be safe."

Hindi ko alam na may history palang gano'n noong unang panahon. It makes me curious about vampires knowing that my father is also one of them. At pati narin yung sinasabi ni Lola na borders line, I want to see it too.

"What happen to Mama after Papa saved him?"

"Imbis na ibalik ng Papa mo ang Mama mo sa pinanggalingan niya ay hindi niya ginawa, bagkus ay dinala niya ito sa kastilyong tinitirhan niya. He healed your mom and secretly let her live in their kingdom. Palagi niyang dinadalhan ang Mama mo ng pagkain at inaasikaso siya ng Papa mo palagi. No one knows about it until they fell inlove with each other. But one of their soldiers found your mom sleeping in one the secret rooms in the kingdom. He's a vampire so he easily found her because of her flesh blood. Akmang kakagatin nito ang Mama mo ng makarating agad ang Papa mo at pinatay niya ito. Nalaman ito ng hari nila na siyang Lolo mo pero huli na ang lahat..."

"Bakit Lola? What happened?" Para akong bata na nakikinig sa isang fairytale at excited na malaman ang susunod na mangyayari.

"Your mother got pregnant, Niane. And it's you. Wala nang nagawa ang hari pero hindi niya matanggap ang nangyari. Isa ang Papa mo sa pinakamalakas na bampira sa angkan nila lalo na't anak siya nito. Your father is a prince. They can't believe that a pureblood fell inlove with an ordinary human, na hindi naman talaga purong tao. Mataas ang ranggo ng Papa mo kaya mahirap para sa kanilang magdesisyon. Maraming tutol sa nangyari pero hindi sila pinakinggan ng Papa mo dahil mahal na mahal niya ang Mama mo, apo. Their love for each other can't be shattered." Lola smiled at me.

Napaisip tuloy ako. If dad is a vampire, is there a posibility that.... God!

"Am I going to be a vampire or even a werewolf, Lola?" Napatingin si lola sa'kin at bumuntong hininga.

"Maybe yes, apo. Your father is a pureblood and there's a big posibility that your going to be one of them. Mas malakas ang dugo ng Papa mo kaysa sa Mama mo. Mangyayari yo'n 'pag sumapit na ang ikalabing walong kaarawan mo kung sakali na magkatotoo nga. And your father told me that if that happens, nasa ibang lugar kana."

"What do you mean, Lola?" Napatayo ako dahil biglang kumabog ng malakas ang dibdib ko. Sa tingin ko hindi ko magugustuhan ang isasagot niya.

"You will transfer to another school, apo. And your new school is in your father's world. Papasok ka sa mundo ng mga bampira." I shook my head on disapproval.

I won't transfer to another school dahil alam kong maiiwan ko siya dito. She's a human and she can't cross the borders line, so am I.

"No, Lola. Hindi ako aalis, hindi kita iiwan dito. Besides, I can't cross the borders line because I'm not a vampire yet." Hinawakan ni Lola ang mukha ko pababa sa leeg ko.

She hold my necklace that my father gave me when I was a child. Hanggang ngayon suot ko parin ito and I don't want to lose it because its my only remembrance about my father. It was a red moon and a sun inside a heart pendant.

"You can enter the borders line by wearing this, apo. Your father made this necklace just for you and she told a sorcerer to put a spell on it so that the one who wears it can enter the vampires world, even if he/she is a human. Kaya makakapasok ka sa mundo nila kahit hindi kapa ganap na isa sa kanila." Hinawakan ko ang kwintas ko at ibinalik sa loob ng damit ko.

"Still, I don't want to leave you, lola. I-I can't leave without you. Lola please... let me stay by your side. Mahal na mahal kita at ikaw nalang ang meron ako. Ayokong pati ikaw mawala sa'kin." A tear escaped from my eye and she immediately wiped it. Sunod sunod ang luhang umaagos sa pisngi ko at nagsisimula narin akong humikbi.

Lola is my everything when my parents passed away. She's my strength and my weakness. She's always there whenever I need someone to comfort me when I'm down. I love her so much. And I don't know what to do if she will also left me.

"Apo, stop crying. It is for your own good so please follow what your father told me to. Malulungkot ang Mama at Papa mo kapag hindi mo sinunod ang hiling nila bago sila namayapa. Walang telepono sa lugar nila at magkikita pa naman tayo kapag may libreng oras ka. You don't need to worry about me dahil kaya ko naman ang sarili ko. Ang alalahanin mo ay ang sarili mo." Kumalas ako sa yakap namin habang patuloy parin sa pag-agos ang luha ko.

I don't want to leave her for pete's sake pero wala akong magagawa. Ayoko man pero hindi pwede. Masakit man pero kailangan.

"But I don't know where should I go kapag nakapasok na ako sa mundo nila, Lola. Baka maligaw ako at makita ako ng mga bampira na kumakalat. I would be a dead meat kapag nagkataon." Lola smiled because she knew that I've agreed. Damn. It would be really hard for me to leave her.

"May inatasan na akong susundo sayo pagkapasok mo. He's your dad's twin brother, Arthemis Perth. May contact ako sa kanya since your parents died. I always inform him about you kapag tumatawag siya. You've probably forgot him because your just 10 years old since you've last saw him. Pero magkikita ulit kayo bukas kaya baka maalala mo rin siya. He missed you too Niane," she answered.

Dad has a twin? Bakit hindi ko maalala? 10 years old naman na ako no'n kaya maaalala ko talaga siya kahit konti man lang pero bakit hindi? I swear, somethings wrong with me.

"I'm excited to meet him... again," sabi ko na lang.

"What are you waiting for? Pack your things para makatulog ka ng maaga. You will leave at exactly 8:00 o'clock in the morning." Tumayo na siya kaya tumayo na din ako. Seems like I would spent the whole time on my room.

"Wait... What's the name of my school, Lola?" I forgot to ask her earlier dahil busy ako sa pag-iyak.

"Vanerhart Academy," she answered with a smile on her lips.

Vanerhart Academy? Its kinda cool yet freakish.

***********

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Note: This stand alone story will be updated soon. Just wait for it. Everything has its own mistery so follow their journey as you unlock the closed doors of their lives.