Cassandra

4: Nerida Family

I looked for Alex everywhere and he's nowhere to be seen. I asked Jessie and Franco and they said he did not go to school today. I wondered why. Jessie and I went to his room and no one was there. I became to worry and at the same time get scared. We were not that close and yet I let him know everything; his line hated our line, Alexandros Salazar assassinated our whole family. After my final class, I decided to check the library for more information about the Legacies.

First, there was just a world full of magicians and untoucheds. It was a chaotic world – magicians abused and killed untoucheds - so Mother Nature created Legacies out of light and darkness; Henry Valle, Francis Augustine and Samson Erasga – the three greatest Legacies. They have powerful magic powers and they are unaffected by other magicians' spells (just like the untoucheds, which means they are much like a combination of a magician and an untouched); their main goal is to stop the chaos. Henry, Francis and Samson worked hand in hand. Unfortunately, there was no good magician left so they had to erase the whole race. After giving the "Peace", they settled. They all married. They decided to restart the whole magician race by creating them and they succeeded in creating the new Labyrinth. Francis Augustine decided to divide the magicians that they have created into two: the light magicians and the dark magicians. Francis wanted to remove the division and this had started a war among them. The Legacies had used the magicians to fight for them and this had shed a lot of blood among the magicians. The magicians decided to fight off the abusive Legacies and save their race. Light and dark magicians fought together but they were weak against the three. Their leader, Alexandros Salazar, a dark magician sacrificed himself to Mother Nature to get what he wants; the power to withstand the Legacies and so he was given the power to create the Losts by being able to transfer souls from one body to another. This has created the Curse of the Salazar. Alexandros transferred magicians to the bodies of untouched so they will be as strong as the Legacies. Henry Valle and his wife, Ines Valle; Samson Erasga and his wife, Genevive Erasga; Francis Augustine were killed, and also their children.

I saw their pictures and I do not look like anyone of them, I think. I called Lisie and she went right away. I asked her and she said my lips looks like Francis. Not him please, I thought. I do not want to be the daughter of the man who started this division. I realized he doesn't have a wife to give birth to me which means it is either Erasga or Valle. I searched for any accounts about their children but there is none. I looked for pictures of their wives, maybe I looked like them but there was none too. Lisie had to go back to our room so I was left there alone. I'm full with questions. I remembered about the Curse of the Salazar so I decided to look for it but of course, there's no account related to that. I guess I'll Alex once I see him.

How was I able to survive 500 years? I decided to check all the spell books in the library and I succeeded. It is possible to put someone in a deathlike sleep for years and the spell is called Death Sleep. In order to perform this, the magician should sang the spell and have enough power. The magician's power determines how long will the person sleep. It is very hard to perform, the book said. I checked the spell and the lullaby that the woman sang on my memory was similar to the spell in the book. I was asleep for 500 years. The woman in my memory is a magician? Is she my mother? But the two Legacies married two untoucheds which means the woman in my memory can't be my mother. I checked my watch and it's almost 12 midnight. I missed dinner, I thought.

The next morning, Alex is still nowhere to be seen. I asked Jessie for his number but he said Alex doesn't use his phone – he is not allowed to. "Everyone head to the gymnasium, we have visitors." Ms. Posey announced during Health Class. I went to the gymnasium with Jessie and Franco. Ms. Jill, the headmistress, welcomed our visitors and to everyone's surprise, it is the Nerida family. Jessie told me their names. I examined each of their faces. Dante Nerida looked young for his age; Tania Nerida is really elegant; Octavia and Sarah look so much alike; Daniel looks quiet - the guy that choked Alex. Wait, is that Alex? Standing next to him? I began to wonder what is his relationship to them. He should not be supporting them, they dethroned the Salazar family. Jessie told me about that, how Alex's father and mother used to be the king and queen of the Labyrinth until Nerida killed them all. Wait. Did he tell them? That I am a Legacy? My heart began to beat faster and faster. Finally, Dante talked. He just announced that the Annual Labyrinth Cup will take place on the third week of December. "Wow, this is a first." Franco said. "What first?" I asked. "They never announced the date of the Cup months before. They always announced it a day before, you know, to surprise us." Franco explained. "And Nerida never went here." Jessie added. What?! Alex told them. I wanted to cry. After the announcement, the Nerida left the gymnasium while Alex went to us. I cried in front of him. Alex took my hand and led me to the corner. "You told them." I whispered. "I didn't." He answered and wiped off my tears with his thumbs. "Then why are you with them?" I asked curiously. "They—they adopted me... I was a baby when they killed my parents and they spared me and raised me." He explained. "I have to go. Always know that your secret is safe with me." He said and left.

We then returned to our classes. I was surprised when I saw Daniel Nerida and his sisters in my Health Class. Why are they here, I asked Jessie. "Apparently, they're now studying here." He said. "But they are Losts." I said. "Girl, stop asking questions about us. We will study where we want." Octavia said loudly. She is looking straight at us. I sat quietly next to Jessie. After a few minutes, Alex enters and sits next to the Neridas. Jessie, Franco, Lisie and I ate lunch together. Alex was supposed to sit with us but Octavia, the girl who scolded me awhile ago took us away from us. Lisie and Franco kept talking about the differences of dark and light magicians while Jessie is focused on his food. Suddenly, Daniel Nerida grabbed the chair next to Jessie and sat there. We were all shocked. No one spoke, even Daniel. I looked at him and he was looking at me too. I realized maybe I am obvious so I looked away. I glanced at Alex's table and saw that all of them were looking at us. "Hi." Franco greeted. He didn't speak. We decided to finish off our food quickly. Franco left first, followed by Lisie, still arguing. Jessie looked at me and mouthed: one, two, three. Jessie walked away without looking back so he didn't know I was stuck, I didn't why. I noticed that Daniel finally finished off his food. "Let me help you with that." He said as he takes my tray and put it on top of his. He has a deep pleasant voice. Suddenly, Jessie grabs me. "What was that?" I didn't answer. Daniel looked at me, smiled and went to his sisters. I learned that he's the youngest children of the Nerida and the only boy. Everything starts to get weirder and weirder.

I went outside during my made-up free period, the undetermined class whatsoever. I found Jessie talking to Alex in the hallway so I approached them. "Hey!" I greeted. Jessie and Alex both looked at me. "Got to go." Alex said. I was disappointed honestly. Why is he avoiding me? I grabbed Alex's hand. "What's wrong?" I asked. Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in the hallway. "Please stay away from him!" I turned around and saw Sarah Nerida looking straight at us. What? Alex looked at me, apologized and left. I looked at Jessie, hoping for some answers. "Yeah, I know, annoying right." He said. "No, I mean what's going on?" I asked. "Alex and Sarah like each other and Dante thought it would be a great idea to have a grandchild that has a blood of the Salazar and Nerida together, you know, like an experiment to know whether the kid will be stronger than a normal Losts." Jessie said. I did not know what to answer. I looked back at them and they were talking like no one's around; Sarah was laughing while Alex was talking. I have never seen Alex like this before. It is unusual for him to talk and apparently, Sarah is the girl who lets out the voice in him. Suddenly, there was a pang in my chest. What is this? I thought. I decided to stay away as possible so I went to attend my Special class even though I was already late. I finished the maze and the result went dark. I did not know what happened. Maybe it was the thought of Alex and Sarah together; I can't remove them from my head while I was in the maze. I stepped outside and saw a new girl. "Oh, hi! I'm Cassandra. I've never seen you around." I greeted. "I'm new here. My name is Grace. I have to go. I'll see you around." She said and entered the maze.

During my real free period, I found Lisie, Jessie and Franco in the courtyard, talking. And to my surprise, they're with Alex and Sarah. They seemed happy. I did not know if I should go over so before they see me, I decided to turn around and unfortunately, I bumped with another Nerida. What's going on with me and the Nerida? I was annoyed. It was Daniel. "Oh, hi, I'm sorry." I said and walked passed him. "Hey! Wait!" He called. I looked around and he is now walking towards me. "I never had the chance to ask your name during lunch. I'm Daniel, and you are?" He asked nicely. "I'm Cassandra." I answered. "Ohh, so what are you doing now?" He asked. "I—I don't know yet..." "Do you want to come with me? I'll show you something." He said and smiled. His smile was so genuine that it lured me into coming with him. He took me in the garden. I've never been here before, I thought. Unfortunately, everything has withered and died. "Will you help me?" Daniel asked. Suddenly, he started reviving all the plants. I helped him. After a few minutes, we have finished reviving everything. Daniel sat on the bench, he was holding a flower. "Hey—" I was stopped when he suddenly dried the flower on his hand. I suddenly felt a dark aura inside him. He looked at me and it was not like before – soft and sweet. I did not know what to do. He started killing all the other plants and he is summoning pests to kill the plants. He looked at me like he is planning to kill me. "Daniel! Daniel!" I called, but it wasn't helpful. What is happening to him? Maybe he knows, I thought. What should I do? I decided to put him asleep but I realized he's immune to direct magic; he is a Lost.