Reiri’s POV
“Let’s go back already. I think we’ve gone too far,” I suggested, looking at everyone, but they all just shrugged.
“Why? Are you afraid now, princess?” Hiro teased, and I simply rolled my eyes.
“Whatever.”
Steph laughed. “You two, I feel like even if you end up married, you’ll still bicker all the time.” She shook her head.
“Well, that’s if they end up with each other.”
I glanced at my brother and furrowed my brow. Why was he like that? Did he forget that he still owes me an apology?
Hiro scratched his head. “You joke around too much, best friend. By the way, when we get back from here, you’re leaving already, right?” His words suddenly turned serious, and we all became solemn because of what Hiro said.
I saw a sudden sadness in Steph’s eyes. Why did my brother have to leave? His drama of finding himself was just too much.
“Yeah. Don’t worry. It won’t take long. I’ll also pay our parents a visit,” he said while looking at Steph. She averted her gaze and stared at the gentle waves.
“Okay. So, we should make the most of this vacation! We should all be happy and enjoy the moment.” Hiro grinned. Before we could even react, the sound of a loud splash filled our ears, and we found ourselves underwater.
He freaking flipped the boat!
Now we were all completely soaked. And to make matters worse, we were in the deepest part of the water!
“Hiro Collins! You’ll surely pay for this!” Kuya and I screamed in unison, and he just laughed.
***
Miley’s POV
“You’re being stubborn. You don’t want to ask for help,” Kira said, but I ignored him and continued to build my sandcastle. I knew I could do it on my own.
But I almost screamed when he suddenly pulled me up.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
I asked, but he didn’t answer. I just let him drag me wherever he wanted. Until we reached a part of the forest.
“What are we doing here?” I furrowed my brow and asked him.
To be honest, we rarely go to our vacation house here, so I’m still not very familiar with this place. This island is also vast.
“Just wait and see. I’m sure that you will love it there.” He smiled at me.
I didn’t say anything, and we continued jumping from branch to branch, holding hands as we went along.
Gradually, I started hearing the sound of rushing water. Before long, a tall waterfall came into view.
“Wow,” I exclaimed, admiring the beautiful view in front of me.
“You like it? I remember one time when Kyle and I escaped from the palace. We decided to come here to hide, even though we knew we could still be found. While searching for a hiding place, we discovered this spot,” he said, looking straight ahead at the falls. It seemed like he was reminiscing about a joyful memory.
There’s also a waterfall in the academy. But how can I not be amazed by what I’m seeing now...
It’s my first time witnessing a violet-colored waterfall, and the water seems to glisten as it flows, as if it carries sparkling diamonds with it.
“The witches turned the falls into that one. You know, spell and magic. Aunt Cass loves the extraordinary. You’d be surprised to know that even the trees here have different colors,” he added.
Oh, I see. So, it was the witches who created this.
Truthfully, Mom really loves something different. She doesn’t like things that are so common.
“Thank you,” I mumbled to him.
“You’re welcome.” He smiled and squeezed my hand. “Want to see the pearls beneath that running water?”
My eyes widened as I looked at him.
“I would love that!”
***
Nicole Jane’s POV
The sun was setting, and I still hadn’t seen Gino, Athena, and Althea. I wondered where the three of them had ended up.
“This is all your fault! You know that I hate deep areas of water!” Rei glared at Hiro.
Kyle and I burst into laughter while Vince also gave his best friend a disapproving look.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Miley happily recounted to Auntie Cass about the falls she discovered earlier. Based on her story, I started to feel intrigued and wanted to visit it too.
“Where are the Stanford sisters and Gino?” Everyone fell silent at Uncle Zach’s question.
Before any of us could respond, we saw them running in our direction. They were accompanied by...
Wait, I can’t explain it. Is that a... wind? But why does it seem like it has a face?
The king and queen stood up abruptly.
“Why is Wade with you? Has something bad happened?” the king asked.
Athena glanced around at all of us. “We have something to tell you.”
“Sure. Let’s go then.”
We followed Uncle Zach, and I furrowed my brow as we entered the living room. He suddenly removed one of the paintings hanging there and pressed something on the wall, causing the floor in front of it to open.
“We are going to the underground room,” Kyle whispered, and I simply nodded.
So, there’s a hidden room here, just like the one in their mansion at the academy. We quietly followed them until we reached a door.
“What is it? What’s the problem?” Uncle Zach asked in confusion as we all entered and took our seats inside.
Althea sighed and began explaining everything. We all sat there with our mouths agape, staring at her as she finished.
“Who could be behind all of this? And what could be their motive?” I asked, filled with curiosity.
“The mere fact that her power has been taken away from her, I think that explains everything,” Athena answered.
It turns out that the face accompanying them, the one carried by the wind, is Wade. He is their messenger, sent to deliver a message from their coven.
And the news he brought is truly unbelievable. Sapphire Almed has died. The black witch who used to aid Marcus Croven.
“But why? Does the enemy want to see the past? What could be their reason?” Miley asked.
Althea shook her head. “It’s not just about Sapphire being able to see the past. It was because she had the ability to return to the actual spot.”
“Not only that. She also has the power to mimic the appearance of others. That was one of the abilities she bestowed upon Marcus before. And believe me, it’s not good. It means that the enemy could be among us, disguised as someone else. We may have already encountered them without knowing,” Althea explained.
My mom was about to speak when we suddenly heard Rei scream.
“Ahhh!”
I nearly jumped back as Rei lifted her head, her eyes turning white.
“Rei! Tell us what you see?” Vince held onto both of her shoulders.
She kept her gaze fixed ahead as she spoke. “We should not trust anyone. We should not trust each other. I can’t see who it is, but the real traitor is not Mikan. Because the real traitor is among each one of us.”
After she finished speaking, she suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness. Her brother and Hiro quickly rushed to her side. The room fell into a heavy silence after hearing Rei’s words.
I knew it. I knew that there’s still goodness within Mikan’s heart.
“If it’s not Mikan, then who?” Miley whispered, almost inaudibly.
We all stared at each other, doubt evident on each of our faces.
Is this what Dave meant in my dream? If so, who among them should not be trusted?
With that, I made up my mind. We needed to act before whoever it was had a chance.
I approached Kyle, and everyone’s attention shifted to me. “Bite me. Make me one of you again. Now.”
A gasp filled the whole room.
“Nicole! What are you talking about?” Mom asked hysterically.
“Babe, you don’t have to do this.” My heart almost melted upon seeing Kyle’s worried expression.
I knew I possessed power and strength, but becoming a vampire again would make me even stronger. It’s different when I’m just a human.
I shook my head. “We all know that we can easily defeat the enemy if I become a pureblood princess officially again.” I pleaded with him, looking into his eyes. “Please. I want to become like you again. We don’t have much time. We need to act before whoever it is.”
Doubt flickered across his face. He glanced at Mom, who was now crying and embraced by Dad. My brother remained silent. Others shook their heads, seemingly in disagreement with my decision.
I looked at each of them one by one, unable to discern who the traitor was. And the mere thought of it already shattered my heart.
“Please. If you don’t want the same thing to happen again like in the past, bite me. Make me a vampire again,” I pleaded with unwavering determination.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. But when he opened them again, they were glowing crimson red.
“If that’s what you want.”
Before I could even say another word, I could already feel his long and sharp fangs piercing into my neck.