𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐀 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏- 𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇

CHAPTER 10

Mrs. Ocampo was jolted awake by a loud scream.

"What was that?" her husband asked, waking up as well. "It sounds like Allie."

"Mommy!"

"It's Allie!"

Mrs. Ocampo quickly jumped out of bed and rushed out of the room, with Mr. Ocampo following close behind. Maricar emerged from her own room, just as startled.

"Was that Allie?" Maricar asked.

There was no time for answers. Mrs. Ocampo sprinted to Allie's door and flung it open. The room was dark, so she flicked on the light switch.

"Oh my God, Alessandra."

Allie was curled up in the corner of her room, her whole body glowing faintly like gold, writhing in pain. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to endure it.

Mrs. Ocampo took a step forward, intending to rush to her daughter, but Allie raised her hand, stopping her. "I don't want to hurt you, Mom," she sobbed, tears flowing.

"Anak, what's happening? Why are you glowing like gold?" her mother asked, voice trembling with fear.

Allie didn’t care about the glow. That wasn’t what was on her mind. All she could think about was how to stop the pain. Every inch of her body felt like it was on fire.

"Why are you crying?" her father asked, kneeling in front of her next to her mother.

Maricar stood frozen at the door, staring in awe at her sister's glowing form, too stunned to notice Allie’s tears.

"It hurts. I think I'm dying," Allie whispered, crying uncontrollably.

Mrs. Ocampo started to cry. "What should we do?" she asked her husband.

"We need to take her to a doctor," he replied.

"No," Allie immediately refused. "Didn’t you see my bed?"

The couple turned their attention to the bed. Mrs. Ocampo’s eyes widened in shock. The pink bed cover was charred, as if it had been set on fire. It was then that they noticed Allie’s clothes were also burnt.

"We need Maia’s help," Mr. Ocampo said.

Mrs. Ocampo quickly agreed. "But how do we call her?"

Despite the pain, Allie closed her eyes and focused on the connection she shared with Maia.

'Maia,' she called out in her mind.

'You’re in pain,' Maia responded immediately.

'I need your help.'

'I'm coming.'

Within seconds, Maia appeared in front of them, leaving everyone stunned.

"Holy shit!" Maricar exclaimed.

It seemed "Holy shit" was the only thing Maricar could say these days, with all the strange happenings surrounding her sister.

"You can teleport too?" Allie managed to ask.

"Actually, no. It was you who did it," Maia replied.

Allie tried to pull away when Maia lifted her, afraid she might burn her, but Maia reassured her.

"Don't worry, My Princess, you can't burn my skin."

"Why?" Allie asked in amazement as she saw that Maia wasn’t affected by the heat.

Maia paused. "Because I am your soulmate."

---

While soaking in cold water in the bathtub, Allie watched Maia standing at the bathroom door. It felt strange, yet comforting, when Maia held her earlier. The touch was cold but warm at the same time. It was something different, yet it had calmed her. She didn’t know how to explain it, but she liked the feeling.

"Don't look at me like that," Maia said, catching Allie staring.

Allie quickly looked away. "Am I going to be like this all the time?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I'm not sure, but maybe. I also don't know how long it will last. It's been more than 180 years since anyone has seen a living dragon in our world."

"One hundred eighty years?" Allie asked, shocked. "I'm eighteen. You said my father was a dragon. How is that possible?"

"Time is different here than in our world. If you're eighteen here, you’re one hundred and eighty years old in our world."

"Oh my God, then how about you?"

"I'm two hundred and twenty years old," Maia replied.

"Two hundred and twenty?"

Maia nodded.

"Wow, two hundred and twenty years."

"But Zenda is much, much older."

Allie looked at her in surprise. "Do vampires die?" she asked.

Maia laughed. "Of course, they die. But they’re different from the vampires in the movies here. They don’t die easily because they have the ability to heal, and they age much slower," Maia explained.

"Then how old is she?"

"Four hundred years old."

Allie’s eyes widened. "She looks so young! That’s unfair."

Maia laughed. "Yes, it’s unfair, but you need to get up now, Allie. How are you feeling?"

Allie was feeling much better. She no longer felt the burning fire inside her. Maia had helped calm her down.

She smiled at Maia. "You can leave me now," she said.

Maia hesitated before leaving. "You can’t see me naked, Maia," Allie teased. Her eyes widened as Maia’s eyes sparkled. "What was that?"

Maia quickly looked away. "It's nothing. Next time, don't put that naked image of yours in my head," she said before closing the door. It took Allie a moment to understand what Maia meant, and when she did, her cheeks grew warm—not because she was about to breathe fire, but because she was blushing.

---

Allie’s parents sat quietly, while she struggled to find the right words to say.

"Have you made your decision?" her father asked, noticing her difficulty.

She nodded slowly. Maia sat beside her, while her parents were seated together, with Maricar on the single sofa.

"Allie, sweetie…" her mother began.

"Mom, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me in the coming days. I don’t want to hurt you all, and I don’t want you to worry about me," Allie said, her voice filled with uncertainty.

"How can we trust her?" her mother asked, referring to Maia.

"Mrs. Ocampo, I will bring Allie back whenever she wants to return. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to protect your daughter," Maia assured them.

Allie knew Maia was telling the truth. "I trust her, Mom, Dad," she said softly.

Maia squeezed her hand, and Allie felt a strange sensation, like electricity tingling through her entire body. Their eyes met, and once again, she saw the sparks in Maia’s gaze. This time, she knew she was the cause.

'I'm feeling uneasy now, My Princess. I'm trying really hard to hold back my emotions.'

Allie wanted to laugh at what she read in Maia’s thoughts but held back, knowing her parents would find it odd. Maia shifted slightly away from her, but the movement went unnoticed by her worried parents. Maricar, however, was watching them closely. She winked at Allie and gave her a thumbs up. Allie’s eyes widened, and she was about to glare at her sister when her father spoke again.

"So, what is your decision, sweetheart?" her father asked.

Allie straightened up and grew serious. "Dad, I’m going with Maia," she replied firmly.