Sarah threw simultaneously threw needles at her but she just warded them off using her fan and she redirected them toward Rin. Just like what Darwin did a while ago, Rin used her cloak to shield herself from the needles.
Ma'am Michiko and Sir Hideo followed her and attacked Rin.
"If you want to kill my daughter, you have to kill me first," Mama said as she closed her fan and used that like a dagger for attack.
Sarah sneered at her. "Daughter? She isn't your daughter!"
"She is!" sigaw ni Mama. "I loved her like a real one. Hindi ako katulad n'yo na basta na lang tinatakwil at tinatapon ang pamilya nila."
Pagkatapos sabihin 'yon ni Mama ay nagbago ang expression sa mukha ni Sarah. It was the same expression she did when she was talking to Sir Hideo in my room in the Medical Department.
"Don't mess with me," saka sumugod si Sarah papunta sa kanya.
"You started this, Shinigamis," sabi ni Mama habang pinipigilan ang needles ni Sarah gamit ang nakasarado niyang pamaypay. "I kept quiet for fifteen years but this time, I won't allow any of you to lay a hand on people I love. And don't even think of attacking me, Rin," she said while still looking at Sarah. "I can sense your movements. I know her sixth sense very well and I am itching to kill you right now because of what you did."
What did she mean by that? Sixth sense of whom? What did Rin do?
Sarah tried to push her but she quickly got behind Sarah's back. She hit Sarah's back by her folded fan and got knocked on the ground. I gasped when I saw how the ground cracked from her attack but she suddenly went rigid.
"Rin!" she groaned as she unwillingly walked away from Sarah.
Ma'am Michiko and Sir Hideo attacked Rin and when he swung his sword toward her hand, Mama could move again. Nagkaroon naman ako ng kutob kung ano ang sixth sense ni Rin.
I summoned my bow and arrows and aimed it at Rin while she was still busy with Sir Hideo and Ma'am Michiko.
"Nee-chan, anong gagawin mo?"
Hindi ko pinansin si Riye at nag-focus lang ako kay Rin. I released the arrow toward her shoulder but she caught it and she looked at our direction.
Suddenly, I felt a strong force pulling me toward her and I couldn't escape or fight it. She raised the arrow I just fired a while ago and aimed it at my direction. The next thing I knew, the arrow was already whizzing to me even though she didn't use any bow.
"Rainie!" sigaw ni Mama.
My heart thumped as I stared at the arrow coming to me. Balak kong i-open ang Black Dimension para makatakas pero nagulat ako nang bigla na lang may yumakap sa akin at pareho kaming natumba sa lupa.
"I won't let you kill her," a familiar voice said as his cloak fluttered with his movement.
"Are you okay?" tanong naman ni Hiro habang pareho kaming nakaupo sa lupa.
"Y-yeah," sagot ko.
I stared at the person who was standing right before us.
"Darwin," I whispered as he crushed the arrow he caught by his hand.
"I knew you would betray me, Seiji. Just like what your parents did," Rin said, displeased.
Napansin ko naman na napatingin si Mama kay Darwin at kumunot ang noo niya. Kilala niya ba si Darwin?
"Don't bring up my parents here, Rin," he retorted. "I'm just doing what I believe is right."
"And what is right? Betraying me?"
"No. Helping a friend," he responded and I drew a shaky breath after hearing that. "They did the same thing fifteen years ago."
Biglang tumakbo si Mama papunta kay Darwin at nagkatinginan sila.
"Are you Haruka's son?" tanong ni Mama pero bago pa makasagot si Darwin ay pareho silang napatingin sa amin dahil muling sumugod si Sarah sa direksyon namin.
Hiro pulled me behind his back but I also tugged my bow and arrow to attack. However, before she could get near us, Mama jerked Sarah's cloak and she restrained her movement. Pero pare-pareho kaming nagulat nang ngumiti siya.
"You're dead," she said and the next thing I knew, several needles had appeared around me.
Everything happened too fast. Hindi na ako nakapag-isip nang maayos. Naramdaman ko na lang na may yumakap sa akin at narinig ko rin ang pagputok ng baril. When I realized what happened, I immediately felt a lump in my throat and the tears I was trying to hold back streamed down my face.
Darwin smiled at me as if nothing happened. "Why are you crying?" he weakly asked as he wiped my tears.
He just saved me from the poisonous needles and they hit him instead of me.
"I told you . . . I'll protect you . . . no matter what . . ." he whispered and I hugged him tightly.
No. This couldn't be happening. Please.
'Riye . . . Riye . . . please help him. Please!' sigaw ko. 'Please . . . don't let him die . . . please.'
Naramdaman ko ang panghihina ng katawan ni Darwin dahil untiunting nalilipat ang bigat niya sa akin. I pulled him closer and tried calling Riye or anyone from the Medical Department again.
"Good work, Yuzuki," rinig kong sabi ni Rin.
Pagtingin ko, Sarah's chest was already bleeding. Mama just delivered a fatal blow at her. Tumingin siya sa direksyon namin at kita ko ang lungkot sa mga mata niya habang nakatingin kay Darwin. Pero bigla na lang gumalaw ang kamay ni Sarah at may hawak siyang needles.
I was about to call her but Hiro was faster. He pushed her away from Sarah but a needle still grazed her arm. Kinabahan naman ako nang maging stiff na naman ang katawan. However, instead of fighting Rin's attraction, she willingly ran toward her direction.
"Mama!" sigaw ko pero hindi siya tumigil.
"Try attracting these cards, Rin!" she yelled and I saw the cards Demi gave me on her hands. Kinapa ko ang bulsa ko at wala na 'yon doon.
Sabay-sabay namang umatake sina Mama, Sir Hideo at Ma'am Michiko mula sa iba't ibang direksyon at napasigaw si Rin nang lumipad sa kanya ang cards at bumaon iyon sa iba't ibang parte ng katawan niya. Sir Hideo grazed her arm and Ma'am Michiko punched her in the chest that sent her flying toward the trunk of the tree.
Dumating naman bigla sina Riye at Akane at dahan-dahan kong inihiga si Darwin para tingnan siya ni Riye.
"R-Riye, please . . ."
"Don't worry, nee-chan, I'll do everything to save him."
Tiningnan ko ulit sina Mama at nakita kong tumatakas si Rin sa kanila. Hinabol siya nina Sir Hideo at Ma'am Michiko pero nagcollapse na si Mama.
"Mama!" sigaw ko pero nandoon na si Hiro sa tabi niya at binuhat niya si Mama.
'I'll take care of her,' sabi niya kaya tumango ako.
Tumingin naman ako sa direksyon kung saan tumakbo sina Rin, Sir Hideo at Ma'am Michiko. I wiped my tears and ran toward them.
She hurt two people I treasure. I remembered what Hiro told me before. He said primitive feelings like love, pain and anger could drive a person to kill someone. And he was right.
If it turned out that she was, indeed, my mother, I would not acknowledge her as one.
I was 400 meters away from them but I could clearly see them. With anger fueling my strength, I fired consecutive arrows toward her direction and some hit her arms and legs.
This desire inside me, I wouldn't let anyone extinguish it. I wanted to kill Rin. I wanted her to disappear from my life.
***
BINABASA MO ANG
Tantei High (Erityian Tribes, #1) | Published under Pop Fiction
Mystery / Thriller𝗘𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 ＃𝟭 || Infamous as a latecomer, Rainie found herself expelled from her current school due to her unpunctuality. Her seemingly ordinary life began to take a strange turn when she was forced to enro...
