The Vampire Prince and the Vampire Hunter

Chapter 44

Mother's Children

Astrid

Marahas akong napasinghap sa aking narinig. Hindi...Hindi pwedeng gawin niya ito? He can't involve innocent human beings sa problema ko

"What did you do, Malcolm!" Sigaw ni Clad sa kapatid. Tinanggal ko ang pagkakahawak niya sa akin at sinugod si Malcolm sa kinatatayuan niya. Hindi ko napigilan ang aking sarili at di sinasadyang sinampal ko siya.

"What were you thinking?" Sigaw ko sa mukha niya. Pakiramdam ko'y kailangan ko siyang sigawan upang maintindihan niya ako. At this moment, nalimutan ko si Clad at ang mga prodigy. Ang tanging naiisip ko ay ang kamaliang ginawa ni Malcolm. Kamaliang ginawa niya para sa akin.

I'm not blind or dense. He did this for me.

"These are all innocent people, Malcolm! And you..." Halos naghihirap na akong ituloy ang sasabihin ko dahil parang may bumabara sa lalamunan ko. Buong lakas kong pinipigilang tumulo ang aking luha, "You turned them into vampires! Why would you do that!"

Marahas niyang hinablot ang aking braso at pulled me closer to him.

"You can't seriously ask me why I am doing this, Astrid Turner. Cause you know why" pagalit niyang bulong sa aking tenga pero agad ding pumungay ang kanyang mga mata nang magkatinginan kaming dalawa, sunod kong naramdamn ang pagdampi ng kanyang mga kamay sa mag kabila kong pisngi, "I'm willing to sacrifice anyone, innocent or not,  for you"

I didn't have the time to react. The next thing I knew ay sinampal ni Clad ang kamay ni Malcolm na nakahawak sa aking pisngi at saka niya ako hinablot palayo naman kay Malcolm.

Matalim at nanghahamon ang tingin ni Clad kay Malcolm walang emosyon naman siyang tiningnan pabalik ng kapatid.

Natatarantang napabaling naman ako ng tingin sa tatlo pang bampirang kasama namin. Mukhang narinig din nila ang mga sinabi ni Malcolm.

"Kung ganoon ito ang dahilan kung bakit ayaw niyong ibigay sa amin ang kambal?" Ani Olivia

"They're both in love with her" ani naman ni Ezekiel

"Seph?" I can almost hear Victoria's heart breaking

A minute of silence passed bago tumikhim si Malcolm at muling hinarap ang tatlo, "Our reasons doesn't matter. Take my vampire army and leave her alone. If this isn't enough for you. You can always turn other humans into vampires. The rules doesn't matter. This is war."

Habang pinapakinggan kong magsalita si Malcolm ay may narealize ako. Bakit nga ba hindi na lang sila gumawa ng vampire army noong kasagsagan ng pureblood hunt upang mailigtas ang sarili nila? Hindi naman sa sumasang ayon ako sa ganoon. Pero...

"We can't" sagot ni Olivia

"If this is about you being so devoted in abiding our laws. Maari niyo naman siguro itong ipagpaliban-"

"You don't understand, Malcolm" Victoria interrupted, "We can't" she said, "Vampires couldn't turn humans into vampires. That's the darkest secret of the main families"

"What?" Tila naguguluhang tanong ni Clad, "Bakit kami? We can turn humans into vampires and now you're saying that it's impossible for a vampire to create another vampire?"

"You think we didn't try, Clad? Then how do you suppose we learned about the secret? We tried! And yet we failed. Our blood was too much for them" Victoria

"Then...why us?" Hindi kayang bitawan ni Clad ang katanungang iyon. I don't know a lot but I think I understand what's happening here, a little.

Tahimik akong nakikinig at pinapanood ang mga nagsusukatan nilang tingin.

Humigit ng malalim na hininga si Olivia at saka ito pinakawalan, "It doesn't surprise me. I always knew you two were different" aniya, "So different you became a threat to the main families and I wonder why? Or how? Kaya nagpasya akong mangalap ng impormasyon"

"What more information do you need? We lived in your house. We grew up together. You know everything about us"

"Naninarahan lamang kayo sa amin noong parehong nawala ang inyong mga magulang. Pero bago iyon, ay itinago kayo ni Theo sa mata ng lahat"

"And then there's also Klea Bloodworth"

"Our mother?" Malcolm, "Why? She's a vampire just like us"

"She wasn't" pagtatama naman ni Olivia, "Pinalabas na lamang na bampira si Klea dahil malapit na kaibigan ng aking ama ang inyong ama at isa siya sa pinakapinagkakatiwalaan niya"

"Klea Bloodworth is not a vampire, a witch, human or werewolf" she paused, "She's something else. I suspect she's a higher being. A creature that is much powerful than us, vampires"

"That's insane. Pano kami mabubuo kung ganoon? It is clear that for a pureblood vampire to be able to bear a child the other party has to be pureblood too"

"Unless kaya nitong higitan ang dugo ng isang purong bampira" Clad added, "Is that the reason why you suspected that our mother is a higher being? Because she was able to bear a pureblood vampire's children"

"Yes" tumango si Olivia, "The two of you are not pureblood vampires,  because you two are half of what Klea Bloodworth is" she said, "But...what is she?"