As she thought about that, a memory where she had flung Declan on the ground brushed past her head and she widened her eyes.
Did she become a demon and hurt everyone?
“Babe, get a grip on yourself, that is Tiffany,” Declan knelt beside her and shook her gently.
“No… That’s not Tiffany… That is a monster,” Zoey hiccuped, shivering.
“Are you okay?” Aiden wrapped his arms around Tiffany.
Meanwhile, Tiffany had spaced out as the drama that unfolded in the mountain rushed through her head.
Starting from where she kîlled the girl that was following her.
She even tried to hurt her own best friend, Zoey.
If she wasn’t a demon, then what was she?
There was only one way to confirm if she wasn’t imagining things at the moment.
Aiden.
She remembers how her claws sunk into his skin.
“Hold on,” she pulled him to sit in front of her and tore her clothes without battling an eye.
“How… How did you get this injury?” She drew her brows together as she stared at the freshly bandaged wound.
“Erm, I fell earlier,” Aiden lied.
“Lair,” she sighed and shook her head.
What she feared the most had finally happened. Akilang got unleashed and she kîlled someone. She even tried to kîll these people in the same room with her.
“Anny, are you…” Aiden reached out to her and the lady pulled away hurriedly.
“Don’t touch me, please,” she shook her head as a drop of tears escaped her eyes.
“Anny?” Aiden creased his brows.
She didn’t remember that, right?
“I… I remember,” she whispered.
“This is not your fault, baby. You know that” Aiden tried to assure her.
“I had almost kîlled you guys,” she cried.
“But you didn’t. We’re fine, you didn’t kîll anyone,” Declan said.
“She did,” Zoey hiccuped.
“I kîlled a person!” Tiffany half-yelled.
“W… Who?” Aiden raised his brow.
There was no way that happened.
When she didn’t answer, he placed his hand on her arm and started, “You know that…”
“Don’t touch me!” Tiffany screamed and rushed out of the bed.
“I… I…” Her eyes met with Zoey’s and she fell to the ground.
“I am sorry,” She mouthed.
“Babe, why are you acting this way?” Aiden stood from the bed and strolled towards her.
“I don’t know when I’ll turn into a monster again, can you not follow me?!” She stood up and rushed towards the door.
“You are not a monster, okay? Stop talking like this, please. Zoey is fine, look,” he glanced at Zoey who had already stood up and looked collected.
Tiffany didn’t have any of that, she turned the knob of the door and rushed out of the room.
“Shît, this girl,” Aiden clenched his fist and dashed after her.
“Babe, I’m coming, okay?” Declan said to Zoey and turned to leave but couldn’t as Zoey was holding his cloth tightly.
“What’s wrong?” Declan asked.
“I’ll go with you,” she answered.
*
The students who were outside the house, putting the woods they had collected earlier together as if they were ready to start a fire, stopped what they were doing as soon as they saw Tiffany rush out of the house with Aiden.
¶¶
“What’s going on with them?”
“Are they playing hide and seek?”
“These people sure have a knack for making others curious.”
¶¶
“We can talk this out, Anny,” Aiden said as he rushed after her.
However, as they got out of the compound, Tiffany stopped on her track as she stared at the lady walking slowly toward her.
“Babe,” Aiden stepped in behind her and looked in the direction she was looking.
“Who is that?” Aiden furrowed his brows.
“Hey,” Declan said as he hurried towards them with Zoey trailing behind him.
“That is…” Zoey covered her mouth with her palm as she recognized the lady coming.
“Is that not Lauren’s friend?” Declan asked.
“Miya…” Zoey whispered.
Miya walked past them, walking as slow as possible, and entered the compound full of students.
Lauren recognized her and rushed towards her instantly.
She had been so worried that the person she had sent to go after Tiffany didn’t return even after Tiffany had returned.
“Miya!” She called out as she stopped in front of her.
Zoey, Tiffany, Aiden, and Declan also rushed in to know what was happening, especially Tiffany and Zoey who knew exactly what happened.
“Miya, are you okay?” Lauren shook her vigorously with snapped brows.
Miya looked so pale at the moment, her hair looked tattered and her skin looked too dry.
Did something happen to her?
Is it related to how Tiffany and the rest came back?
“Where… Where is this place?” She finally talked, looking around the unfamiliar area she was in.
“What are you saying? We’re here on a school trip. We are in Orlando!” She snapped. The students had already gathered.
“Who… Who are you?”
“What?” Lauren asked again.
It seems her ear was failing her.
“Who…” She didn’t get to complete that before she blacked out and fell to the ground.
“Miya!” Lauren screamed and knelt beside her.
“What is going on?” Tiffany whispered as she watched what was happening.
“What happened?” Aiden asked.
“I am sure I kîlled her in the mountain,” Tiffany shook her head.
“Huh?” Declan widened his eyes.
“What’s going on with you guys?” Vanessa asked as she walked toward them.
“I can’t help but feel like what is happening to that girl is connected to what happened to you guys,” she stopped in front of them.
“Listen, I’d advise you to keep your mouth shut, and fûck off, okay?” Aiden glared at her.
“Why? Are you scared I might get to reveal what y’all hiding with so much effort?” She smirked.
“Shut your mouth,” Tiffany gritted her teeth.
“Why? Earlier, your boyfriend brought you in, completely blacked out, with blood dripping from his body. Are you okay now to try to act tough?”
“You don’t listen, do you?” Tiffany raised her brows.
“It’s okay, Tiffy, let’s just go,” Declan nudged her gently.
“I don’t listen, and if at all I do. I wouldn’t listen to you. Never. You looked like you saw a ghost earlier you saw that girl. Why? Did she see something she ought not to see? Are you scared of your secret getting leaked?” Vanessa chuckled.
Without thinking twice, Tiffany pulled away from Aiden and walked toward her. As she stopped in front of her, she grabbed her by the neck and pulled the lady closer to herself.
“Do you always poke your nose at everything?” She tugged her lips into a smile.
“Babe, let go of her now,” Aiden walked toward them.
“Shît, you are strangling me!” Vanessa coughed.
“Anny, stop this,” Aiden shook her gently.
“I don’t want to,” Tiffany glared at him.
“Tiffy, you can’t do this,” Zoey’s voice came up and she turned to look at the girl.
“Please…” She shook her head.
Tiffany snapped out of it, released her grip from the lady, and moved away from him.
Did she just attack someone without the demon being unleashed?
Huh, she’s slowly turning into a demon.
“Are you crazy?!” Vanessa half yelled after she had regained herself.
“How dare you do that to me?!” She screamed.
No one said anything, they only walked past her slowly.
**
“Is that how that child will keep living?” Tiger spirit asked mountain spirit as they stood side by side on the rooftop of the house.
“I have no other way to revive her,” Benroy answered.
“So, she has no memories of everything that has happened in her life?”
“Yes. Even if all her memories come back, she can never regain those of this year. She must have no memory of what happened in the mountain… Never,” he shook his head.
“Are you sure she’ll never remember?” Medusa asked.
“I am positive.”
“We need to stay close to Tiffany. Once Akilang comes out again, I’ll end everything. Tiffany is getting dangerous… Even without Akilang’s influence,” Tiger spirit said.
“I know.”
==
“Hey, dad,” after pacing to and fro in the room, Declan decided to call his dad.
“Hey, what’s up?” Came the obviously stressed voice of Tiffany.
“Dad, can you prepare our flight back to New York City right now? We can’t stay here any longer,” he said.
“Why? Did something happen?”
“It’s Tiffany. It finally happened.”
“What happened? Don’t tell me…”
“Yes, dad. The demon gets unleashed,” he answered and then glanced at Tiffany who bowed her head, picking on her nails.
“How did that happen? Is she okay? I hope no harm was caused.”
“I’ll explain everything when we get back. Can you help, please?”
“Okay, I’ll get back to you after I talk to my pilot,” he exhaled.
“Okay, thank you.”
“Tiffany, it is best if we return to New York, okay?” Declan said after he had dropped the call.
“Okay,” she only nodded her head.
Everything that was happening was because of her.
She remember how happy Zoey was when she knew they were coming here.
Her friend had been looking forward to the trip especially and she had ruined it.
She raised her head after she had glanced at the feminine legs that had stopped in front of her.
“Are you okay?” Zoey asked, and then settled beside her.
“Ah… Yes,” she answered and moved away unconsciously.
“Come on…” Zoey sighed and placed her hand on Tiffany’s thigh.
“I am sorry for reacting that way when I woke up. I just couldn’t get over the shock,” she pressed her lips together and took Tiffany’s hand in hers.
“No, I am sorry for having failed to recognize you and attacked you,” she shook her head.
“It’s not your fault. If at all, I’m glad you were able to regain yourself faster, putting that demon to shame,” Zoey fondled her hand.
“I’m so sorry,” Tiffany shook her head as another drop of tears fall from her eyes.
“I know you’re blaming yourself for what happened, and I’m begging you not to. See, you didn’t kîll anyone. Miya is fine,” she smiled.
“I think she does not remember anything,” Tiffany shook her head.
“It’s better than dying,” Zoey said.
“I am sorry for hurting you,” Tiffany said again.
“I am sorry for reacting the way I did,” Zoey smiled and then pulled her into a hug.
“I promise not to get startled if I see it again. I’m sorry, my love,” She added as she stroked her hair.
“Whoof!” Declan exhaled.
==
Next day.
New York City.
The four of them boarded an early morning plane back to New York City and arrived at the airport a few minutes before nine.
Earlier, in Orlando, when they had told the teachers they were leaving. They only told them to do however they like. After all, they didn’t give them the respect they deserved.
The previous night, when the students gathered around the fire they had started with firewood, they didn’t join in the activities that were going on.
When Miya had woken up the previous night, it was confirmed that the lady had lost all of her memories and had no idea who she was.
**
As they walked out of the airport, Declan looked around for the car his dad had said was going to pick them up.
“Is that not your dad?” Aiden furrowed his brow as he stared at the man that rested his back against a black limousine car.
“How do you know?” Declan chuckled as he stared at his quite disguised dad.
“That nose mask and sunshade can’t stop me from recognizing him,” he answered.
Han Lawrence removed the sunshade and nose mask, smiled widely, and then waved his hands at the kids.
“Your dad is so full of energy,” Zoey giggled.
“You can say that again. I bet he’s here only because of Tiffany,” Declan smiled.
‘Tiffany is my daughter, and I am her biological father.”
The words the Senator had said on the news echoed in her head and she smiled.
That is her father, and she was his daughter.
She removed her hand from Aiden’s slowly and then ran towards the man.
Lawrence smiled as he watched his daughter approaching, he spread his arms wide and waited for her to fall in his embrace.
¶¶
“Is that not Senator Han?”
“It’s the Senator!”
“It’s Senator Lawrence!”
“Is that not the girl that was on news yesterday?”
¶¶
Tiffany stopped in front of him, wrapped her hands around his neck, and allowed tears to fall from her eyes freely.
“Dad…” She hiccuped.
“My daughter,” Lawrence smiled as he caress her hair gently, ignoring the people that had gathered to take pictures of them.
“Thank you,” she cried.
“No, baby.”
“Thank you… For not ditching me again. Thank you… For choosing me over your career. Thank you,” she cried profusely.
“If you are so thankful, will you let me take full responsibility for you?” He looked into her eyes after he disengaged from the hug.
“What are you saying? You are my dad, it is your duty to take care of me. Don’t you think?” She sniffed.
“Exactly,” he grinned and pulled her into another hug.
“I think I’m getting jealous,” Declan shook his head.
“Of your sister?” Zoey raised her brows.
“You can’t blame me. I think she’s going to be his favorite. Huh, I can’t wait to see her and Marlie fight over our old man,” he giggled.
And that was true, Marlie and Tiffany would be putting that old man in a tough spot.
“Huh, just wait till Tiffany loosen up around you,” Declan smirked.
TBC…
Xoxo?