Dark Fairytale (Published under Cloak Pop Fiction)

Chapter 43: Buried and Burned

CHAPTER 43: BURIED AND BURNED

My scream echoed across the cliff. Tres held his smoking gun in the air like he just made his best shot. And I knew that someone like him could shoot a person dead without sweat. Declan's body swayed at the impact but after a few breathtaking seconds of almost falling down on the cliff, he remained kneeling on the ground. He didn't even make a sound as his shoulder began to soak in his own blood. It must have hurt so bad. And even though I couldn't see his face, I knew that he was in pain. I wish I could run towards him, cradle his face with my hands, and protect him from all the cruelty of this world.

"Sebastian Freniere!"

Everyone tensed as Algernon's voice broke the silence. Bakas sa tinig nito ang galit sa ginawa ni Sebastian Freniere. Marahil ang tinutukoy niya'y ang halimaw na tinatawag nilang Tres.

"She's a Novou! Why would you believe her? What? Did you also happen to fuck her?" hamon ni Tres.

Kung posible man ay mas naging madilim pa ang mukha ni Algernon Freniere. Si Miss Veron naman ay tila hindi naapektuhan sa insultong iyon.

"Binabalaan kita, Sebastian. Ibaba mo ang baril," muli ay utos ni Algernon.

Nagpakawala si Sebastian ng isang nakalolokong pagtawa. "So what if he's really Veronika's son. It only meant that you cheated on my mother twice and with a fucking Novou this time!"

Nahigit ko ang aking paghinga sa akusasyon niyang iyon. Kung ganoo'y maliban kay Alexandria ay nagkaroon ng relasyon sina Veronika at Algernon? Declan was not just a Novou; he was also a Freniere!

But why, even with this truth, would they still try to kill him? Why would they hurt their own blood? Sa nasasaksihan ay hindi ko mapigilan na hindi makaramdam ng galit sa mga Freniere. Katulad din ba sila ng mga Novou? Sasaktan din lang ba nila si Declan? I would rather hide him, take him for myself and be selfish about him than let him be in another family who wouldn't treat him as a human.

"Let him go, please," I begged in anger and fear. "There's no point in being a Freniere if you all just going to hurt him. Let him go..."

Walang agad na sumagot sa pakiusap kong iyon. They might see me as a pathetic girl lost in their dangerous world. I had no place here. But I didn't care. Ang tanging mahalaga lang para sa akin sa oras na iyon ay si Declan.

Sebastian Freniere spat on the ground as he turned his hatred towards me. "I bet Eleonor helped Veronika into fooling my mother because if she was a good friend, she wouldn't tolerate all of those shit. She went silent. And then what? She'd suddenly send a letter stating that my father had a bastard from a Novou woman? She should have stayed as quiet as the dead!"

I gritted my teeth in controlled anger. I wanted to scream at him, clawed at him but I knew that that would get me nowhere but my own death. Thus, I swallowed my anger and said, "Keep my mother out of this. She had kept their photos and their shared journals in Casa Eleonor. She had kept and treasured all their memories. So please, don't talk about my mother like that," muli ay pakiusap ko.

Sa puntong iyon ay lumapit si Van Freniere kay Tres at inilahad ang kamay. "Give me the gun, Sebastian."

"Not until I kill this bastard."

"If what they're saying is true, then he is our brother. I don't really care about Catherine or Veronika. Father can embrace their death in his conscience for as long as he lives. But Tyler and the Ghost are different. You're the eldest brother, act like one," mahinahong pahayag ni Van Freniere.

Sandaling nagsukatan ng tingin ang dalawa na tila may matinding pagtatalong namagitan sa kanila. Matapos ang ilang sandali ay muling pinaputok ni Tres ang kaniyang baril ngunit sa pagkakataong iyon ay sa dagat niya idinirekta ang lahat na tila naroon ang ugat ng kaniyang frustration.