26 School’s Over. Also, everything is over. (Epilogue)

My dear readers, I really hate to go, really. I don't want to go yet, I don't want to go home because I really don't want to. Today, the recognition exercises, like the awarding of honors and awardees is about to happen and I am sitting now on my seat, with Elise on my right and Mrs. Vertucio just next and right to Elise. The recognition exercises is not yet beginning so yeah, waiting and waiting.

Elise put her hand on my arm, she seems to notice my agitation and sadness "Hey doofus, don't be so glum about this, I know, I know, I never want this day to end because it will be some time that I will meet you ever again, and as my best and only friend, it's very hard, like hell hard."

With her soothing words, I seemed to ease of a bit. It's just I really worry about her, so much, like times a hundred.

Mrs. Vertucio seemed to be craning her neck out looking for someone "Hey Ramil, where are your parents?"

"Oh, uhm, they went to Manila early for our vacation to prepare some things and stuffs ma'am." I replied.

After some minutes, the program started, and guess what, Elise hogged all of the awards and the achievements and almost all certificates on the stage, and also the medals which made me question on how is her neck holding due to the weight of her metal circles hanging on her neck. Nevertheless, I am so proud of her, like super proud.

Of course, will Ramil Liwayway go home emptyhanded? Of course not, I got a certificate as the "Most Optimistic Student of the year" award so yay! Am I really that optimistic? I stifled a laugh when the school principal gave me the award, so then I smiled for the camera.

After hours of an endless loop of students going up and down the stage and receiving their awards, the program ended and then we went out the campus. Mrs. Vertucio took two pictures of Elise and me with her instant printing camera for each other's keepsakes on which I took and put in my wallet. Mrs. Vertucio headed on home and she told Elise to follow and bade me farewell and a safe trip.

"Ramil, hey, seriously," She said as she looked into my eyes "I just wanted to say thank you very much for everything, and I'm sorry for being to mean to you and stuffs."

I smiled "Thank you too Elise, and what happened? Out of a sudden, you are apologizing? We are best friends but also, I am sorry for being a jerk to you at times."

She punched me on my arm "Just don't be stupid out there okay? Never ever do anything stupid."

"Shouldn't I be telling you that?"

She smiled "Because you are, Ramil Liwayway. Just take care okay?" She said as tears welled her eyes.

"I will keep that I mind, and you too okay? Oh I almost forgot," I gave her one of my glasses because I have lots of spare Eves "This glasses can contact anybody you wish, and no worries, her name is Eve too or anything you want to name her, just atleast we can keep in touch?"

Her eyes shone with happiness, she smiled as she held the glasses "Thank you Ramil!, Thank you."

"Keep in touch with me okay?"

She nodded "Can I get a hug?"

"You really like hugs, don't you?" I hugged her so tight, I caught a whiff of her hair which is the mixture of lavender, lemon and peppermint.

"We'll find the answers together okay?" She told me.

"We will, stay safe always okay?" I told her.

"I promise."

"I'll see you soon then?" I asked her.

"Sooner as the sun sets." She told me as she smiled.

We parted ways after that, she ran towards the way to her home without looking back and I headed into The Hut jr.

I fixed my things, prepared once again, and then we rode back to Manila heading back The Hut.

Honestly, as soon as I was on my way, I missed Elise as sooner really as the sun sets and now, the sun is setting on the horizon. The memories we had flashed rapidly on my mind, the laughs, the challenges with our ex-friend John, the fun we had, the horror and so on. I sighed and then I fell asleep while we are on the way.

***

My staff woke me up because we are already here in Quezon City and once again here in The Hut. I carried my things and then I headed inside, went down, hugged my parents, and slept immediately, honestly, I feel so bad, I feel miserable and everything, knowing that I am miles away far from her and I won't be there when she needs my help.

(This next part will be full of narratives, my dear readers.)

The days after I got to The Hut, oh well, my life went back to the normal, but what matters is Macabulos is not yet ending my contract on protecting Elise, which meant that I still got to protect her once again, that it simply meant I will go back to Batangas and I will be with her again. I did my usual routines, exercise, eat, read, learn new things and bond with my parents, and also call Elise by Eve on the free times. She told me lots of stories, like she is taking a summer job at the Capitol as an encoder and that she studied 5 languages in a week's range (She's Elise, she can surely do lots of things no one can do.). She told me that she named her glasses as 'R', and she won't tell me the reason why she named her glasses 'R' even though I assume it is the initial of my name (Oh me, so assuming.)

The Anakdatu seemed to never forgot the investigation that they should conduct on me, they gave me lots of tests, intelligence tests in which I totally suck but it is fun too, physical tests, simulation tests, anger temper tests and lots of it but all of the results conclude that I am just another human being who just worked out every day to attain the highest pinnacle of human physiology, but I am unsure of that.

Ever since my parents heard about my story on how and what I felt during the fight, the flames that burnt on me and gave me strength, the way John called me 'son of the sun' and also the term 'dark lord', they seemed to act a lot more secretive than usual, they kept telling me again that they will tell me at the right time but I really need answers, and I need answers immediately.

For the meantime in the summer vacation, I took lots of side operations; I made a daily routine of resolving petty crimes such as pick pocketing, hold ups, snatching and gang cornering. Also, I caught lots of assassins who tried assassinating some certain officials here in the Quezon City and so on. And also, I found lots of new things about The Hut because I did some exploring too. I found that there is a Trampoline room, music room, dart room, meditation room, and also the meeting room wherein all Datus talk, but Sumakwel told me that there is more than that and I am just exploring the 1 inch of a one foot ruler. Oh well.

On my free times, I treated myself an adventure outside the Quezon City, went to SM North EDSA, and did some shopping, and so on. I missed the outside world, you know. But sometimes, here on the Quezon City area, I don't know but I always see some kind of weird things, like I saw a huge green guy in which I know I have seen him having one eye and two tusks protruding in his mouth, and sometimes, a dog with his feet backwards and so on, it's weird but they didn't bother me so, I won't bother them too. Well, that's it for my summer vacation.

I want to go to the beach, you know, like at least, have a swim, have a normal summer vacation without doing petty crime patrol or seeing other weird things and stuffs. I want to enjoy ice cream sorbets melting through the summer heat. I sighed, oh how I wish, but this is my life now. It doesn't get more exciting.

***

One day, Elise stopped connecting me through Eve and actually, I started to get worried because her glasses was never to be found in the map, I immediately got a chill on the back of my neck, what the hell just happened? I keep on asking Eve to scan for the Elise and her glasses too, also the last location of her.

I was sitting at the lounge that afternoon as I was trying to contact Elise for our daily talk but now, she didn't answer.

"What the hell happened, Elise?" As I redialed again and again.

I got so frustrated that I axe kicked the glass center table in the lounge which, obviously, broke and shattered to pieces.

Macabulos went in the lounge and saw the mess with a concerned look in his face "Uh Datu Puti, I guess you should see this, come with me to my office."

We headed out to his office and then he pointed to the TV blaring news from the Batangas area with the headline: "A 15 year old teen ager (girl), kidnapped."

On the television shows Mrs. Vertucio crying and asking for help for her kidnapped daughter, I knew this day would come. God, my stomach turned into a knot because of anger. "Macabulos, I need to head back to Batangas City."

Macabulos shook his head "I don't think that is a good idea, besides, your parents got something to tell you," His face turned ghastly "And the whole Anakdatu knows this already, but I'll let your parents tell you the details, and then after, we discuss your uh… situation."

Macabulos headed out the doorway as my parents appeared and went in the office.

"Ramil," My mother's eyes are overflowing tears as my dad has his arm on her shoulders "We are very sorry we kept so many secrets to you but it is time for you to know."

"What is it?"

"Your father, is the Filipino war and Sun god, Apolaki." My father announced.