DEFENDERS (slow update)

Blood 14: THE LOST CAUSE

"Sometimes we need to make sacrifices to win this battle, Toffee."

Nagising ako dahil sa malamig na boses na iyon. My heart was pounding fast that I couldn't find to breath. Napahawak ako sa dibdib ko.

It was just a dream, Toffee. I tried to comfort myself, even I knew it wouldn't help me.

Because those were the exact words that Shienna told me in the cave- the night before she died. She was telling us about it all along. She knew that she would die last night.

Iniwan ko ang kama ko at binuksan ang nag-iisang bintana ng kwarto ko. Madilim pa ang buong paligid ng Nightshade Academy. Walang buwan at walang mga bituin sa langit. Para bang nakikiramay ang gabing ito sa pagkamatay ni Shienna.

I took a deep breath and looked at the giant clock on one of the towers of the school- it was two o'clock of the morning.

I need to move. I want to see her body, I thought.

Umakyat ako sa bintana at mula sa pangalawang palapag ng Blue Agents' House, sinubukan kong tumalon nang walang ingay. I made sure that no one would see me.

This was something I definitely liked about being a vampire. You had that impossible strength and speed you would never understand.

I decided to visit the morgue secretly. I wanted to gather evidences as many as I could to solve this mystery. She was murdered, and I wanted her to find peace.

A gust of cold air slammed the breath from my body when I opened the first compartment. To my relief, it was empty. There was a strong chemical smell in the room, but it couldn't completely disguise another, more unpleasant odor. I steeled myself not to think about it and opened another drawer.

And there she was- a body that used to be alive.

Shienna didn't change that much. Her shoulders were still bare and white. She looked cold and peaceful enough. Does she?

I checked her body, looking for every cut she had from the fight. There were pieces of mirrors under her skin, but I gasped when I looked at it closely.

These are not mirrors! These are gems! I screamed in mind.

Lumipat ang tingin ko sa kaliwang kamay nito. Hindi ko napigilang hindi mapaatras nang makita ko ang singsing mula sa daliri niya.

It's my ring! It's the ring given to me by Jill! I shuddered in thought.

I looked at my finger and then I realized, the ring wasn't there at all. I must have lost it when I barged into the crowd. Kinuha ko ito mula sa kanya at agad na itinago sa bulsa ko.

Did I really lose it? Or did Shienna use her power to get it from me? But why?!

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a movement from the window. I held still, barely daring to breathe, and watched. But I took the chance to keep the body and hid at the back of the door.

I heard footsteps coming closer. I couldn't see his face in the dark, but I knew his face had mirrored the panic welling up inside me.

The footsteps sounded like they were in front of me. Then someone grabbed the door and said, "We've got to leave now!""

"T-Tristan," I said, almost like a whisper.