Risk

"Why is she after me Asmo? What did I do to her? What did I do to Sexira?" I asked him.

We have reached home. I don't know if Mom is inside the house.

Because it's quiet inside. Mama likes to play music but now there is no sound. Or maybe sleeping.

It's better if he sleeps so he can't hear Asmo and I talk.

"You are the gift of the moon," he said in disbelief.

"I... I can't believe it. Maybe that's something special about you. I can't erase your memory from the first time we met."

We are far away from the jungle but Asmo's brain is still there.

"So what? What if I am the gift of the moon? Am I hurting her just by being myself? Why does she want to kill me?"

I don't understand why Sexira wants to kill me. I haven't even seen him yet. He wants to kill me as if when I came out as a baby I did something wrong that affected him.

"Because you have all the powers, Adra. She thinks you want to take everything away from our clan—" I cut him off.

My brows furrowed at what he said. I can't believe I'm hearing this from him.

"I want to take everything away from your clan? I don't even know I'm the gift of the moon."

I don't know how I became the gift of the moon. All I know is that I have loved vampires so much, from the very beginning, since I was a kid. That's it. Maybe there's a connection between me being the gift of the moon and my fascination with them.

But am I really a human? Or a vampire?

Because if I'm the gift of the moon and I have powers, doesn't that make me a vampire?

I don't know what's going on anymore...

The mess.

But Sexira messed it up even more.

"I don't have any idea how to take everything. You can have it all. I'm not fighting against them. With you! You know that, Asmo." My voice raised.

"Yes Adra I know. But He won't understand that especially since the gift of the moon is human. You are human, you have a greater chance to eliminate all the vampires if you want." He stared at me blankly.

"But I don't!" I can't help but scream.

Tears pooled in my eyes. I can't believe him. He really does think that I will do that.

I can but I won't! I don't even know how to use my fucking powers!

Why is he insisting that I want to kill them?

Why am I the villain in this story?

"I don't want to eradicate vampires. I love vampires, you know it from the start."

I took a deep breath as my chest tightened. My body is tense because of this.

I almost died a while ago and here he is telling me that I can kill all of them.

"I don't want to harm anyone. You know it because I love you but you didn't care because you thought I'm just a stupid human loving you, adoring you." My voice cracked as I stared at him.

My vision is starting to become blurry from these stupid tears pooling on my eyes!

"I wasn't the gift of the moon. You thought it was Layla. You keep protecting her because you thought she was the gift of the moon, so when she falls for you, your clan will kill her, so she can't beat Sexira. You want to kill her!" I screamed.

I rub my chest hoping my heart would stop aching from all of this.

"All of you want to kill her, to get her powers that's why you made her fall in love with you. And she did! She's in love with you. But guess what Asmo?"

I sniffed and pursed my lips to fight back my tears from falling down.

"She's not what you thought she was."

My eyes remained on him. His eyes didn't leave mine. I stayed quiet as I looked at his handsome face, looking like an angel who can't hurt anyone.

I was wrong.

"But your plan worked out." I smiled bitterly.

My heart aches even more. It gets tighter every time I look at Asmo's face. My heart is squeezed and crushed. Played by Asmo.

"It worked, Asmo." I stared at him as the tears I tried to hold back fell down my cheeks.

"The gift of the moon falls for you."

"Adra, you don't understand—"

He reached for my hands but I stepped back, he looked shocked with what I did.

"Oh no I do, I understand Asmo. I understand everything."

"Adra, hear me out."

"I'm tired of hearing you, Asmo. It will be the same thing again and again. Maybe you want to record what you say? It's just over and over again. You take advantage of my love, Asmo. You thought Because it's that easy to come back to me. You think I love you, I'll listen to you again and again. I will go home again to pass the pain you gave me. I will make myself deaf again and again with your lies," I said.

Tears continue to fall down my eyes.

He stayed silent. Caught off guard with what I said.

I'm tired.

I'm fucking tired from all of this.

I might be the gift of the moon who has all the strength and power but even this power can't make me strong enough to see Asmo.

With all the pain he caused to my heart. With all the scars he drew on my heart.

I wiped the tears that kept rolling down my cheeks.

This is enough.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You don't need to say sorry just because you feel like saying it. You feel like I need it. But I don't need your apology. I don't need you." I muttered.

"I know you hurt Adra. But I want to make it up to you."

"For what? So you can kill me? And present my broken heart on a silver platter to Sexira?"

"You know I won't do that Adra."

"And you know I won't kill you and your clan but it's just thoughts right? Or doubts?"

"On me. You even know me, Asmo. You don't. Maybe I don't know you as I thought."

His mouth is closed. It didn't say a word to what I said.

"Go away, Asmo."

"Adra—"

"Adra what? I want you to leave Asmo."

"I need to protect you from her—"

"Bullshit, Asmo. You don't want to protect me from her. You want to protect me from the blood vampires so Sexira can get to me first. Now you want to protect me because I'm the gift of the moon but I don't need your protection Asmo."

"If you don't want to see me I will hide so you can't see me, Adra. I know you want space and I will give it to you but please let me protect you."

"How many times do I need to say that I don't need your protection? Leave me alone Asmo!" I screamed.

He heaved a deep sigh. His piercing eyes stared at me.

"I'm always here, Adra. Just call my name—" I cut him off.

"Leave!" I screamed.

"I will." He said in defeat.

I didn't wait for him to disappear from my sight. I turn around and clutch on my chest. I let my tears fall down without letting him see me this much hurt.

I whimpered.

I look behind my back.

He was gone.

You did the right thing Adra.

I said to myself. Trying to convince my mind that I really did a good thing. He doesn't love me. He only loves the thought of me being the gift of the moon.

He will only use me.

I stared at the empty road near the forest. A slight pang caused my heart to ache.

I turned around and walked with a heavy heart towards the house.

"Adra? What happened to you?" Mom asked.

As soon as I entered, He left the room. I thought he was not at home today because it was quiet. It's just in the room.

Her brows furrowed as she looked at me.

"What happened? Why are you crying?"

"What happened to Dad, Mom?" I asked

I don't want to make this all about Asmo. I've had enough of his lies. I'm fed up with lies.

I want to know the truth...

It's time for me to know the truth, the real truth.

There's no point of hiding it anymore.

Even when I was a kid I always wondered why Dad died.

But Mom didn't say anything.

There's no clear explanation. She only said it's an accident. A car accident.

That's it. Then she banned me from painting when she noticed that I like to paint.

There's a lot of painting in our basement. We are not that rich to buy a lot of paintings. Besides, it has the initials of my father.

Why does she keep me from painting like Dad?

What does it have to do with me?

Does it have a connection with me being the gift of the moon?

"W-what are you saying Adra?" She stammered. I see the panic in her eyes.

"Did he really die?" I asked.

Her eyes widened.

"What are you saying? That's nonsense, why do you have to bring that up?"

If I'm the gift of the moon, then he is not dead! He is alive. He might be a vampire like Asmo. That's the only reason I can think of.

Because I don't have any connection to any of them! How can I be the gift of the moon?

At first I loved the idea of ​​being the gift of the moon but I was wrong.

There's a lot of pain and problems that come with being the gift of the moon.

"Mom please," I pleaded.

"I already knew it. I'm something else. It's not normal! I'm not normal! What's wrong with me Mom? Are you a vampire or what? Is that why Dad died? He can't contain all of this? "

Her eyes remained on me.

"Adra, don't think like that about your Dad."

I'm not. But I can't help it.

I know my Dad is more than that. He is more than what I think he is. He is a great Dad but I didn't get a chance to even meet him.

Mom doesn't even tell me more things about him. And I get it.

He was very hurt by what happened to Dad. He lost his wife. Mom is not married yet. He also has no interest in other people.

Her heart only belongs to my Dad.

But I don't understand what actually happened. Mama doesn't want to talk about it, maybe because she still remembers the pain.

But I deserve to know what happened.

I want to be there for her when she misses Dad.

"Then tell me what is going on Mom? I know it already. You haven't seen it but I know that you knew something. I just burst out a green light a while ago."

"What?" She asked.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm saying Mom. I'm the gift of the moon and you know it." I answered.

"Where did you get that Adra?" She tries to act like a fool. Laughing it off.

"Mom… no more lies. I want the truth. The least person that I expect to lie to me is you."

"Everyone around me is lying. Even the man that I love." I added.

"So please Mom. I want to know what's the truth."

"I'm telling you the truth Adra, your father died in an accident," she said then she went to the bathroom.

When he came out, he already had a towel with him.

"Why is it hard to believe Ma? That's all? Then how come I become like this? I'm the gift of the moon out of nowhere? I have power from what? Am I that special that the moon chose me?"

She cupped my cheeks. He wiped the tears from my cheeks. "You are Adra. You're my child, of course you are special."

"Mom, I almost died a while ago. I don't want to die with lies buried in me."

Her eyes widened. "What? What did you say, Adra?"

"The blood vampires are after me."

Her mouth gaped.

"They came back?"

My brows furrowed. "You know them."

I saw a glimpse of familiarity in her eyes when I mentioned them.

"I..." She stopped. Probably thinking of how she can lie to me.

"Don't lie to me Mom. You knew them. They want to kill me because I'm the gift of the moon. I don't even know that I'm something else other than weird Mom. But how did I end up like this? I wanna know the whole truth Mom, there's no one else that can explain it to me other than my own mother."

She pursed her lips.

"Well, your father and I have been good friends since we were kids. But we moved to another house that's why we never met again. But when I returned to El Colmillos, he was still the same. He remained the same , he is still kind and caring. The only thing that changed is your father became more handsome. We became good friends again, then lovers." She smiled.

Well, I can tell that my father is really handsome.

And my mom is beautiful, so no wonder why I'm a work of art.

Thank you

Did you really get crazy in this situation Adra?

My mind whispered.

"This is your father's house. I come here often but I don't see him here. He's always in the forest, painting. But he doesn't want me to go with him when he paints in the forest."

That's why Dad really likes to paint from the beginning. I inherited my passion for painting from him.

"Is that why you don't want me to paint?"

She shook her head. She dropped the towel on her hand and looked at me.

"It's not like that, Adra. He said it's dangerous for me. Because they don't know me. His words are like puzzles. I'm not sure what he is trying to say."

Because she's human. I don't even know why but I feel really close to vampires. Get a vibe quickly because deep inside I'm one of them too.

Maybe that's how Dad felt then.

He is only protecting her. Just like Asmo forced me to stay away because it wouldn't do me any good if other vampires happened to see me.

"Your father paints a lot of weird things. The forest, the underwater falls and vampires. He showed it to me, which made me interested in vampires too. I read novels about them."

I can't help but be amazed. He loves Dad so much that even habits and things that Dad likes, he also likes them.

"Even when I was pregnant with you, we stayed in his house. This is our home, he stopped going to the forest to look for me. He also stopped painting when he saw a vampire ritual. He said he saw vampires in the forest doing a ritual," she said.

Just like I saw! That's what I saw in the woods before. I can't believe it! Even dad saw it like history repeats itself! But he didn't just see it, he also painted it!

He must have a photographic memory if he still remembers it in one look.

But how come he knows someone in the woods? A vampire?

Couldn't that be Silvana?

"But your father is a funny guy, Adra. He likes to be silly. I don't know if what he's saying is true or if it's just another one of his tricks. But I just let it go." She continued.

"We like vampires so I won't burst his bubble, though I thought he is kind of out of touch with reality with these vampires and rituals. He said he is friends with one of the vampires in the forest but I can't go there because they don't like humans. He is the only one they trust."

See? They know him! They probably vibed with him back then. They didn't kill him even though he is human.

Unless someone is protecting him from them.

The way Asmo protects me from all of the other vampires.

"I'm curious about what your Dad is saying but I never dared to go to the forest." He smiled bitterly.

"Do I know if your Papa is delusional? There's nothing wrong with him, Adra. He's just too addicted to vampires in the jungle. But I let him go. That's one of my regrets."

"But Mom—" she cut me off.

"If I only told him to stop with his vampire stories, maybe he would still be here. Maybe there's a chance that both of you are alive. Maybe there's a chance that I didn't lose one of you."

"What are you saying Mom?" I asked.

"I'm terrified of Adra, his paintings look real. And I don't want to risk your life. He started seeing and painting these things when I was pregnant with you. He mimics chants that I never heard once in my life. He said he heard them say it in the ritual. A ritual that can give life and power to someone. He said someone taught him the whole chant."

Fuck shit.

Dad knew the chant that the blood vampires recited. He knew it! He heard it and they know that he can say it.

But why did they let him hear it?

He is protected by someone, is that enough reason?

"What's the chant all about? Is he killed by vampire's?"

She shook her head. "No, we had an accident, Adra. That's the truth."

I sighed.

In that case, Dad really disappeared because of the accident. I can't believe that Dad disappeared just because of an accident. He seems to have disappeared very quickly. He is still very young and he and Mom are just starting a family.

"But why are vampires connected to Dad's disappearance? I don't understand. Why did I become the gift of the moon if there is no connection?" I will ask.

"We are on our way to the hospital because it's my due date. I was about to deliver you when your father lost control of the car. We crashed into a tree. I was bleeding Adra..." Tears pooled in her eyes.

"There's so much blood, Adra. I don't know if you are still alive. Your father saw it and he took me out of the crashed car. He did all his best to get me out of there. He was injured but he still let me out, Adra."

"Arzon I'm bleeding! Our baby!" Miriam cried as she touched her stomach.

There was blood all over her thighs, flowing through her legs.

Arzon carried him out of the car. He leaned against a nearby tree near the road.

"Our son Arzon!" She whimpered as her stomach ached even more. She felt her child dying inside her.

"Shh… she's not Miriam. She's alive." His husband assured her.

"How? Arzon will make me bleed! Our son is dead!" Tears kept rolling down her cheeks as she grasped her baby inside her stomach.

Arzon panicked at the sight of her bleeding. He took out his phone to call for an ambulance but his phone was also broken. The screen is too broken for it to work.

"They won't make it to Arzon. They won't make it. She's dead! Our daughter is dead—"

"She's not dead Miriam! Don't think like that! She's my child, she's strong! She's not dead! It's just blood but she's still in there! She can make it!"

"I don't feel her inside anymore."

Arzon cupped her cheeks. "No she's not."

He touched her bloody stomach. "She's here. Stay strong Adra. Papa will get you out there alive okay?"

"You need to deliver her now, Miriam or she will really die inside you. I need you to trust me. Just push and she will come out alive okay?"

"I don't know how—"

"Miriam, you're strong just like her. You can do this. For our child. For our Adra."

She nodded while tears were rolling down her eyes. She feels her cervix starting to contract. She continues to push, she screams loud enough to scare any birds flying.

After a lot of cries and pushes.

She delivered her child.

"You did it! You delivered her Miriam!"

"Look at her."

When Miriam holds her child she can't help but wonder why she's not moving.

"Why isn't he moving Arzon?"

He looked at her with a frown.

"He's not crying either! Arzon..." Miriam started to cry again.

"No… no."

"I delivered her, she's alive! She can't die!" She screamed as she hugged her child tightly.

"He can't die, Arzon!"

While Miriam was crying, Arzon was staring at the forest.

"She's not dying."

"What?"

"I know a way."

"What are you saying?"

"The ritual. The vampire ritual Miriam. They said if you change it will give you strength and power. Our little Adra just needs a little strength so she can stay alive I need to do the chant—"

"No! Are you crazy Arzon? What you're saying is not true! Stop hallucinating with vampires! Your son needs you! Are you going to put those vampires before him?"

"No, that's why I'll do the chant!"

He looked up at the sky.

"Look! It's a full moon! Why does it feel like it's destined to happen?" He asked himself.

"It's not! Don't you ever do the ritual you are saying Arzon! You don't know what you want in return!"

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep her alive, Miriam. She's my child. I'll sacrifice myself." He said as he reached Adra from Miriam.

Miriam tried to fight him, but she is weak. Arzon grabbed Adra from her arms.

"Arzon please. Don't do this."

"I don't want to lose you."

"She needs his father, Miriam."

"And I need my husband!"

"I can't lose you both, Arzon please!"

"Let's just wait. For sure the help is coming."

"It is, the moon will help us," he said as he started to chant the ritual while holding Adra in his arms.

"Arzon! Fuck! Please!"

Miriam fainted because her body is too weak but Arzon did not stop from chanting the words he heard from the blood vampires.

After he chants it. The forest became quiet. He looked over Miriam who fainted.

He looked at his child.

He still didn't move.

But then the moon turned green completely. His son was crying at the same time.

He cheered in joy. He smiled as he looked at her baby girl, her hair turned into fiery red while her eyes turned to green.

He turned to his son with a frown then looked up.

The green moon was gone because it's right in her child's eyes. She's the green moon now. They're one. The green moon gifted him the life of his child back. The moon chose him and his child. His heart is not just kind but it's pure. The moon knows he is worthy to be gifted by the power of the green moon.

He approached Miriam.

"She's alive, Miriam. I did it!" He smiled.

Miriam woke up, the smiling Arzon looked at her holding her son who was crying and moving in his arms.

She noticed the changes in her child's features.

"W-what happened?"

"She's alive!"

"Is that true?"

"Yes love, it's true. She's the gift of the moon! The moon chose her!"

"B-but how is that possible—"

"Arzon!" She screamed when Arzon fell to the ground.

Even though Miriam's body hurt, she knelt next to Arzon.

"Arzon! W-what's going on?" She panicked.

Without a word, her husband died the same day her child was born.