Curse Of The Aswangs (The Vasquez Brothers #1)[COMPLETED]

14: ASH

"This is a great novel, sir Tiago." A smile grew from my lips.
"I couldn't put it down."

"What do you think of its characters?" Sir Tiago said brightly as I handed him over the manuscript. It was my first task for this morning. I quickly read the first three chapters of Elio Laurel's sci fi manuscript. I picked it up at the TO BE READ files which contained a lot of manuscripts that were passed this week. Even though, the publishing had just started. Its business grew rapidly in town.
"See, Hannah? This is the manuscript we should produce. Not the ones where it lacks direction." Sir Tiago directed to Hanna who was sitting across the room.

"That writer was my friend." Hannah replied at once.
"Oh, you might forget, Ash. We will have go to a samgyupsal next week. It would be the company's fifth anniversary."

"I thought you only have a branch here?" I said, pulling out my phone to put it in my schedule note.

"The Regency Publishing is the main company. This is its branch. And since we only started, we might just have a small celebration" Sir Tiago explained. He turned to Hannah. "Oh, Hannah. You should be there as well. The pork tastes good."

"I hate pork." Hannah smiled.

"I didn't know. Sorry." Sir Tiago gave me Elio Laurel's manuscript. "You two may now go back to your office."

We both went out of his office. "It's your first day and you already reek of arrogance." Hannah said as she walked past me.

Is she serious? Is she really that threaten to my very own presence? What's up with that woman? I tsked as I returned to my office after that short meeting. It was my first day at my new job and my first day of being a witcher. My office had cream-colored walls, three tapestries of Lucifer being cast from heaven, another was Jesus's last supper and Mona Lisa. I spent the next three hours checking emails and annotating the manuscript.

The story itself was sharp and had me rereading some good sentences. As I was about to stand up to buy my lunch, Dylan and Zade barged in like they owned the place. "What are you two doing here in my office?" I stared at them in horror.

Dylan opened his mouth to answer but Zade spoke first. "We're going to see tito Jose."
I glowered at him. "Are you serious? That man will only put us more in danger than those aswangs."

"Ash, this is the only way." Dylan insisted.
"Are you going to skip class?" I bounced my eyes between the two of them. "Does Jasper know?"

"Yeah, but he told me that he would stay in school, he doesn't want his adviser to be suspicious of him, and get him in trouble. We need to act first." Zade forced a cheerful tone. I caught a hint of discomfort in him but I didn't mind it.

I didn't want my brothers and Dylan to be hunted by these aswangs. And I would accept the fact that Jose was a part of this. Our fates were now intertwined. We ate our lunch first in the office before we headed to the parking lot. "How can we find Jose?" I asked.
"He's working at the Magic Shop."

"There's a magic shop in here?" I said in awe.
"You don't know?" Dylan said.
"Of course, I don't."

"I went pass that place a couple of times. It looks hauntingly good." Zade said. "Anyway, I practiced my teleportation magic earlier. I went from the bathroom to the rooftop then back again."
Dylan and I turned to him in shock.

"You should not use your powers in public! You're a witcher." I scowled.
"Suck it up, Ash. So are you!" Zade snorted.
"We should only use it if necessary." I told him.

"The only necessary usage he has if he would poop in private." Dylan said. "He would teleport from St. Agustin to our house."

Zade smacked his arm. I was so tempted to laugh as we climbed into my car. I drove off from the publishing house. By the time we reached near the public high school, the street were familiar--rows of coffee shops, local restaurants and appliances. Dylan knew that the magic shop was in here. I stopped the car and we got out.
The magic shop itself had a tinted windows and a sliding door. I could hardly see through it.

"Who the hell wears a suit in this heat?" Zade asked.
At the front steps, I halted when I spotted a man with horns at the high school waiting shed. He had gold eyes and a devilish form of a grin.
"What's wrong?"
"Is that a Fae?"
Dylan followed my gaze but for him the sight of the Fae was nothing. "That's a Engkanto."

"Aren't they the same?" asked Zade.

"No, you should know the difference." Dylan tipped his head to the trees. "Engkantos usually go there because they have a secret home from one of those trees."

"If they are after us, that would be bad news." I said. "Right?"

"If we don't bother them. They won't bother us. Engkantos can disguised themselves as handsome and beautiful foreigners. They took form from the colonial era and they already adapted to the new world." Dylan said.

Still I held back. I might be showing signs of confidence but facing another supernatural that I was not equip to fight had me in second thoughts. "Are they good?" Zade said.

"No. Engkantos are abomination. They were faeries cursed by Satan, and unfortunately, they can eat human flesh too."
"Never heard of that."
Dylan lowered his voice. "That's what the faeries are talking about."

"So, they love to eat humans too. Great." Zade said.
"Do they live in that balete tree?" I asked when I spotted a huge balete tree was springing out from the school border. The leaves were much darker green than the usual ones.
"Yes. Engkanto prefers to live in trees."

"Do they invite humans in their home?" I asked.
"If they invite a human to their home, they will put an illusion around it. They will offer you meals and whoever eats an engkanto food will be enslaved to their powers."
"I guess, they turn into worms once inside a person's mouth."

Dylan nodded. They would always show hospitality to their victims but when they drop all pretense and allow them to see how twisted creature they are."
Two female Engkantos emerged from the gate. They were dressed in white victorian gown. Once they laid eyes on Zade, they hid their flush behind an abanico. "They're staring at you." I said.

"Of course they are, I'm extremely attractive."
Dylan rolled his eyes. "Haven't you heard harsh comments?"

"Only from insecure people." Zade winked at the girls who giggled and hid behind their abanico once more.
I grabbed Zade's ear and dragged him into the hood of the magic shop. "Ow! You don't have to drag me!"

"Do you have to do that?"
"What? I was just toying with them."

"It's annoying." Dylan said as he slid the sliding door. As we entered, the cold blast of air condition welcomed us. After all Jose had done for us, I expected our arrival to be like a reunion, or it was like a welcome home. But well, my expectations were correct.

Zade came running, hugging him. I remembered when we were little that Zade used to play with him at the bahay kubo. Jose was chasing him around. It made me miss dad too. He died two years after mom. I missed him and Jose was the only memory of dad I've ever had to cling to.

When Jose saw me, there was a slight fear in his eyes and I instantly felt guilty.

"Tito Jose." I said. "We're need of assistance."