Wild Flower

VII: The Black Lily of the Valley

WOLFSBANE

Hemlock Oleander. Another cousin of ours. As far as I remember, I had last seen him ten years ago. He was just a three-year old child back then.

I looked at the blue eyes of my albino cousin. Those eyes... did he learn how to lie with them?

Yes. And aside from lying, he taught them how to kill. How to kill with an eye contact. But where did he learn? I thought that lying through the eyes was only known to me, Bella and my cousins. So napaisip ako kung paano niya natutunan ang skill na mahirap aralin.

It all made sense to me. Gradual paralyzation. A trait of the Hemlock plant.

That's why the gorgon in my dream had small white flowers!

Hemlock is a plant known to slowly paralyze a victim. From the legs to the upper parts of the body. Until it paralyzes your respiratory organs... its most famous victim was the Greek philosopher. Socrates.

It shows small white flowers. Resembling our cousin in almost every way. Poisonous, white haired, and short.

"Wait, you know how to kill?"

I crossed my arms and so did he. Indeed, like mine, his eyes know how to petrify.

He looked at his blade and gently wiped it clean with a tissue. Blood was still visible on its thin edge. The question is: whose blood was it?

After cleaning it, the blade shone like new. It is now visible that it could be contracted.

"Don't worry, it's from an earlier victim. Nakalimutan ko lang linisin."

All of us looked at him. No CCTV cams. Perfect, from 5-star to none at all. One wrong move and he could all kill us with the same blinding speed. Even worse, if his blade is laced with Hemlock.

But instead of doing the latter, he withdrew his blade.

Nagkatitigan muna kami bago siya nagsalita.

"Ano? Magkakatitigan lang tayo dito? Are you petrified as well? Halika na nga!"

Wow, and I thought Ivy was the scariest of them all. Geh, Ivy, give him his crown.

Siniko ako ni Bella as Hemlock walked away.

"You sure this is the Hemlock we met ten years ago?"

I nodded.

"No doubt. Those innocent eyes. He knew how to lie with them by himself. I swear, hindi ko siya tinuruan kung paano. Isa pa, remember that the Hemlock from ten years ago was an albino? Pareho lang sila ng nasa harap natin ngayon."

"Talagang pinaghihintay ninyo ako? Newsflash: I do not like to be kept waiting. Except from waiting for the poison to take its course."

Yes, he is also an assassin. Dumeretso siya sa kuwarto ko and sat on my bed where he put his weight on his hands behind him and crossed his legs. He gestured at us to sit at the four wooden chairs in front of him.

Nang umupo kami, nagkatitigan uli kami. There was an awkward silence that enveloped the room during our reunion. Especially since he is armed to the teeth. Ayoko pang malagutan ng hininga.

"You really like staring contests, don't you?"

Nagtinginan uli kami sa isa't isa.

"Come on! This is the first time we've ever seen each other's faces in ten long years!"

Hemlock tilted his head to the right and made a bored face. He puffed his cheeks.

"Wait, are you related to sir Landro?"