Taming the Vampire

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

M I L L E R

The place is boring. It has several equipment and tools but not all of them are used simultaneously. Akala ko ay kung ano lang ang nakikita ko ay 'yun na rin lahat but then there's still three more doors with rooms of another bunch of equipment. With one as a library the other two are for laboratory and data purposes.

Nasa gilid lang ako ng sofa na nasa tabi ng pinto habang hinihintay na tawagin ni Axel. He is inside the cubicle, it's the small room or whatnot that he uses whenever he does something toxic or dangerous liquid. I don't know the full details but every time he gets in with a test tube, cylinder, flask, or any laboratory container with some unidentified liquid in, the room is filled with white gas. Maririnig ko na lang ang ingay ng para bang sumisirit na tubig, kasabay nito ay ang pag-release ng puting usok. He will stay there for an entire hour, mixing and pouring various liquids in various colors.

"Scientist nga talaga siya. How can he not confused those liquids?" As if he is mixing drinks. Mabuti rin sana kung naiinom 'yan.

How stupid of me to think that way. Malay ko ba kung ano ang mga 'yun. Pero matagal na niyang natapos ang paghahalo nito. Hinihintay na lang niya sa ma-ferment ito sa saktong oras bago inumin. And how long is its fermentation stage? I'm not sure, he just said that at least two weeks. But the longer we wait, the deeper the roots of the poison goes into his system. Hindi man niya sabihin ay alam ko. We stay in the same room, me inside the room behind the wall, and him on the main bed.

Noong nakaraan ko lang din nalaman na wala palang silid dito si Axel, and that room was indeed a spare one. No wonder Kristoff had to bring a bag of change of clothes for him.

A few more minutes later ay lumabas na ng cubicle si Axel. With his straight and thick white lab gown the fragments of white smokes leaked out along him leaving the small chamber.

"You said this is not your lab but this place sure has a lot of things," bungad kong sambit sa kanya.

Saglit na huminto si Axel tapos ay tumingin sa paligid. "Hm. Maybe. But someone already used our lab before me, it's not like I was the only one who used this from the very beginning and the things are already here before me as well. So, this place is literally not mine. I am only using this as the Supreme's secretary and researcher... sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

"Yeah. If I didn't have poison in me, I would have been in his office doing the paperworks."

Oh. So, that's why he has his own laboratory at home and does his research there. "Aah~ original role mo talaga dito ay secretary?"

"You could say that. I have my students in my mansion, they are quite competent. They can do researches about the vampire medicine, power. Anything from health to personal care. But they are not as competent as me that they can counter a poison." Habang nagsasalita ay inaayos ni Axel ang mga test tube sa rack ng mga ito. Everything according to their color. He turned of the bunsen burner and covered some beaker. Medyo mahina rin ang tunog ng boses niya dahil sa mask niyang suot. But the volume is just enough for me to understand what he is saying.

"That's... that's great." Ito na lang ang nasabi ko. It is now so real to know this from Axel.

Nakilala ko siya sa college, naging kaklase, at kakilala. But then to fully grasp that the identity he introduced to me was just fake is like a fragment of images at the back of my head. Tapos nangyari pa ang mga pangyayari tungkol sa pagiging bampira niya. This is another thing. It's more complicated. Kalahating taon pa lang ang lumipas, pero para bang tumanda ako ng tatlong beses sa dami ng nangyari. Noong nakaraang linggo lang ay nasa red-light district ako gabi-gabi. Tapos eto ako ngayon, nasa Red Mansion. And instead of entertaining random ladies, I am helping out the vampire who turned me one. What is weirder is that I find this very natural. As if I must stay by his side.