Hidden Moon

C H A P T E R 11

WHISPERING DARKNESS

Cora

"You guys live in paradise!"

Nadia exclaimed in awe at the first glimpse of Talitha. With the yacht approaching from opposite the pearl farm, Nadia's eyes feasted on the beauty of the island with little obstruction. The weather was fine that it would be a waste not feeling the breeze in the flybridge; it proved to be the better choice.

She leaned in to take the view, "I can't believe a place like this exists and it's not even a tourist spot. It's breathtaking even from afar!"

Hannah's ancestral mansion peeked behind the trees while majority of the islanders' homes hid in the thick foliage. The lighthouse gallantly standing meters above the overgrowth of trees and the imposing mountains behind it had me suddenly missing stargazing on top of it. The white sandy shores and the waves of the sea I hadn't felt beneath my bare feet in a while beckoned me home, where I belong.

"Thank you for letting me tag along, uncle."

They've only met hours ago but Nadia managed to seize his trust. He even allowed her to call him 'uncle' and invited her to come with when he, like the others, had always been wary of letting strangers set foot on the island. An intruder would most likely be found tied afloat a ragged log raft and left to the mercy of the sea—bless his luck if the coast guards found him first. However, a visitor who disrespects the island and its people would suffer worse. I wished she wouldn't do anything to break that trust.

"I'll have the best seafood party prepared for you later," he heartily laughed.

Everyone took great pride in preserving the exquisite land we called our home and my uncle was certainly pleased to hear an outsider's affirmation.

"Whoa!" she smiled brightly, "I might never leave."

"You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like. It's the least I could do to thank you for helping my niece."

"You had me at 'best seafood party', no need for further thanks," she said.

"You have my gratitude for bringing her back to us so you'll find us the most gracious of hosts. You'll never want for anything while you're with us." His eyes misted at the thought of the worst, "My niece spent most of her life here and knew little of the world beyond this wall of sea that it had me worried sick when she didn't meet me at the port and we couldn't reach her through the phone two days ago."

"Uncle, I'm fine. I'm here."

"And you'll stay here. I don't want you off the island all by yourself," he firmly said. "I'll ask Hannah to have your cousin replace you. He's a man and could look out for himself better out there."

"What a way to tell me I'm no good at what I do."

"Why do I say one thing but you hear another?" He sighed. "For a short while, just until it's safe for you."

I wouldn't want to be afraid forever because of that man.

"I hate to break it to you, uncle, safety is never guaranteed anywhere. If trouble wants to find me, it'll find me. There's no hiding."

"I get you but there's no rule about not courting trouble, is there? Am I right or am I, definitely, right, Nadia?" He didn't bother asking me but looked to my friend to back him up and she didn't disappoint.

Fake browsing through her phone, as if she'd connect to the web in the middle of nowhere by just sheer will, she said, "Nope... nada... nah... nah. Nothing here, uncle. It wouldn't hurt to listen, Corazon."