Nicole Jane’s POV
We are all here in the living room right now. Because my brother said— Oh, well. Looks like I really need to get used to having someone called my brother.
According to Gino, only the Stanford sisters can answer my question. They are the ones who discovered the thing I really want to know about.
That’s why Kyle immediately called the two of them. He said they haven’t spoken to the twins again. Everything happened suddenly, and they had to leave again to confirm some more information they gathered. That’s why I didn’t see them during the recent battle.
Luckily, they have returned to the Philippines now. They also informed us that they have a lot of information to tell.
Kyle, Miley, and Reiri are sitting with me on a long sofa. Mom, Dad, Gino, and Kira are sitting in front of us. Vince and Hiro are both standing and seem lost in their own deep thoughts. Steph is leaning near the window, seemingly lost in the distant view outside.
But we all simultaneously looked at the two large doors in front of us as they slowly opened, revealing the two beautiful beings.
“Nicole! Thank God you’re safe!” Althea greeted me with a smile. She quickly approached and hugged me tightly. Athena gently held my right hand and squeezed it affectionately.
I smiled back. “Yeah. Thanks to the help of both of you as well. But there are still some things that are not clear to me until now. Shall we start?” I asked as we released our embrace.
They both nodded and took their seats in the two vacant chairs.
We all held our breaths as we waited for them to begin. Kyle mentioned to me that they had been waiting for them since yesterday. But they couldn’t contact them.
Althea let out a deep sigh before she started. “We found out that after Marcus impregnated Dave’s mother, he had another victim. And Mikan is the result of that. However, for reasons that cannot be explained, she doesn’t have vampire blood running through her veins. That’s why Marcus gave her away.”
I stared at her in disbelief. I didn’t know that was possible.
“But despite what he did, he continued to monitor her while under the care of those who took her in. He thought that he might still use her on his future plans,” she explained seriously.
Okay. That makes sense now. So, there’s another person who got pregnant by Marcus, and he kept it a secret.
“What happened to Mikan’s mother then?” I asked curiously.
“She died while giving birth to Mikan,” Althea answered.
I just clenched my fist. Once again, an innocent person has died because of his own wickedness.
I noticed Althea’s intense gaze on me, as if she was waiting for me to say something. So, I signaled her to continue. I will just save my questions for later.
“It so happened that Mikan ended up in the family of one of the protectors serving the Clarkson’s. But the truth is, they’re not there to protect, but to get revenge.”
I couldn’t miss the twitch of Kyle’s jaw, nor the sudden furrowing of Vince’s brow.
“Revenge for what? As far as I remember, we showed nothing but goodness to them,” Kyle asked in astonishment.
“That’s what you thought.” Athena shook her head and took over.
“Many in their lineage died because of the past war, serving the Croven’s at that time. I believe that Clarkson’s didn’t know them too well. That’s why they were able to infiltrate your ranks. That’s the reason why they sought revenge. They used their true child to get close to one of the Clarkson’s and make him fall in love with her. That child is none other than Mica. The one who was considered Mikan’s sister and the girl...” She suddenly glanced at Vince, who was now gaping.
“She was once close to Vince.”
I gasped upon hearing that. Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. So, everything that had happened is connected to each one of us here.
“It’s our fault too. We should have known that they’re from the enemy’s side. But because of the passage of time and the assumption that there were no more remaining protectors serving the Croven’s, we were at ease.” I held my mom’s hand and squeezed it.
“It’s not your fault. So don’t blame yourself,” I assured her.
I noticed the sudden sadness on Steph’s face. So, Mica is the girl she’s been talking about.
Athena continued, “When the king found out about this, he immediately ordered the arrest of the couple. They never intended for anyone to die or be killed. But because Mica fought back...” Athena couldn’t finish her sentence as we suddenly heard a loud bang, and all we saw was Vince’s back.
I glanced at Steph. I knew she wanted to follow him. So, I nodded at her and smiled, letting her know that I understood, and she could go ahead. Vince is lucky to have such a good friend beside him.
She smiled back and mouthed, Thank you. But worry was evident on her face, so she took big strides as she left the room.
“I already knew that this would happen,” Althea groaned.
“It still hurts him. We can’t blame him anyway,” Hiro added.
“Yeah. But hearing the truth will surely free Vincent’s heart from pain and guilt,” Rei said, and we all agreed. Only the truth can help him escape from the past.
I looked at the twin sisters. “Please go ahead.”
They obliged and continued. “The Clarkson’s didn’t know about Mikan’s existence. That’s why they didn’t know she’s part of the family. Because of what happened, their anger towards the Clarkson’s deepened, and so did Mikan’s. In the middle of their escape, Marcus was there to help them. That was also when the Herlock’s and Mikan learned that she’s his daughter and that she’s adopted.
I furrowed my brow. “The Herlock’s? Does that mean Mikan used a different surname? We all knew her as Mikan Williams here.”
Athena nodded. “Yes. Everything has been planned. Before she even entered the academy, Marcus had planned everything. He sorted out all the documents and Mikan’s identity so that no one would suspect her. Everything you know about her is not true, except for the fact that she had a sister who died. The girl who approached Vince, I know she didn’t keep that information from you.”
I leaned back on the sofa and closed my eyes. The things I heard were giving me a headache.
“Yes, she mentioned that to me. Although I don’t know the connection between her sister and Vince,” I confirmed.
“Are you okay, darling?” I blinked and saw the worried faces of Mom and Kyle.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just information overload.” Maybe that’s why I slept for a whole day, to prepare for this confrontation.
“Do you want to have some rest for a while?” Kyle asked in a soft voice.
I just shook my head and chuckled. “Nope. I have already rested for a day.”
They laughed before the siblings continued.
“Mikan’s entrance here signaled the start of their plan. Mikan was just waiting for the royals to be completed and for you to enter. They knew too well that you would be transferred to this academy. Because basically, that was the original plan of the Clarkson’s and the Parker’s that Mikan’s adopted parents learned. All the information Marcus knew came from the Herlock’s. They were one of the close protectors of the Clarkson’s back then, so they knew and managed to find out everything. Even about the prophecy.”
We all nodded.
“If we only knew,” Kyle gritted his teeth. I held his hand to calm him down.
“That’s why we always felt something different about Mikan. I wouldn’t be surprised why she didn’t have any other friends during her almost six years in the academy.” Miley crossed her arms and snorted. Her face clearly showed annoyance.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t figure out what I was feeling. I was also annoyed. I felt betrayed. But I didn’t know why I couldn’t fully be angry at Mikan.
Maybe because I’m hoping that somehow, there’s still goodness within her heart. Just like her brother.
Apart from that, I believe the only reason she followed Marcus’ orders was to prove herself to him and gain his acceptance. I know that she feels hurt when she learns that Marcus doesn’t want her to be his daughter just because she’s a human.
Well, she doesn’t deserve to have that kind of father anyway. That’s why I can say that she’s also a victim here.
“Mikan was also responsible for the attack on the academy during the previous student’s night. She injected the two vampire students with a syringe. She was the cause of the chaos here.” Althea’s eyes were filled with concern as they focused on me. “She also sent the threatening letters to you, Nicole. She did all of that to seek revenge and gain her father’s approval. She wants to become the best daughter in Marcus’ eyes. She's always competing with Dave,” she added.
At this point, I could already piece together the events and everything became clearer. I thought these things only happened on TV shows. I didn’t expect that I, myself, would experience this kind of twist in my life.
“By the way, where did you gather all this information?” Kyle asked seriously. “We have been contacting you since earlier. But the two of you couldn’t be reached.”
They were about to answer when Kira suddenly interrupted. “You left before to meet with the black witches. Until you came back with the information about Mikan. Then you left again. You’ve been missing in action these past few days, and now you’re both here again with the new details. You had us worried as well.”
I couldn’t escape noticing Miley’s sudden frown. I restrained myself from laughing.
Athena smiled widely. “Well, it is all thanks to Sapphire.”
“Sapphire? Wait. Is she the black witch who has the power to see the past?” Kira asked.
I kept shifting my gaze between them, clueless about whom they are talking about.
“Yes. But that’s the only information we gathered from her. She didn’t mention which black witch helped Marcus. But one thing’s for sure. She’s no longer part of their coven.” Athena crossed her legs and leaned forward.
Kyle seemed lost in thought. “That’s amazing. We all know that Sapphire is so hard to deal with. Unless you gave her something in return.” His eyes threatened as he stared at them.
Althea laughed. “No worries. But believe it or not, she didn’t ask anything in return. We just need to go through some obstacles in order to get that information,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.
I couldn’t understand what they were saying, so I stood up.
“Wait! Who’s Sapphire? I don’t remember knowing someone with that name. Even before.” I’ve been trying to dig into my memory if I had ever known the witch they were referring to. But I really can’t remember.
I already knew about black witches during our time. But it was only now that I heard the name Sapphire.
Kyle held my hand and made me sit again. “Sapphire is now the leader of the Black Witch coven. She’s the daughter of Crystal and Mond Almed.”
I pondered for a moment upon hearing what he said until I suddenly realized who she was. I nodded as I recognized her.
So, she’s an Almed. Oh well, I must have missed her back then.
“Care to share with us the obstacles that you have been through?”
I was surprised when it was Gino who asked for the first time.
Athena shook her head. “No, not now. What’s important is that we already know about those things.”
“We’re still not sure if that’s really all we need to know,” Kira said, deep in thought. “It feels like something is still missing.”
I bit my lower lip as I played with my fingers. There was a point to it, after all. Almost all of my questions have been answered. However, it seems like there’s still something missing.
I just can’t figure out what it is.
“I wonder how Vince is doing?” Rei asked out of the blue.
I looked at her and smiled. “Don’t worry. Steph is with him.”