shan looked at the tied up sisters with a smile and asked 
"which one of you want to be first?"
they looked at him blankly then Amelia asked
"why are you doing this if you could hypnotise us unless there are restriction on your ability?"
she asked a little afraid and a little bit of hope which was shattered by his next words.
"nono it's not like that I just want to check one of my abilities on you and the ropes are so you wont jump at me like mad bitches in heat"
with that he used incubus demigod bloodline's ability "pleasure aura" which turns women on for the user the women could only think of the man who used the aura and a side effect of being a demigod bloodline it also gives suggestion of love which if used continuously will turn the women love sick for the man and she will never look at any other man then him.
the sisters started to feel good all of a sudden they were already wet and the pleasure was only increasing at that shan manipulated tham and commanded them.
"you will feel pleasure but you won't climax untill you call my name 100 times out loud and the pleasure will multiply when I say 2x twice 3x trice so on and so forth"
shan already put silencing barrier teqnique in the room so no voice goes out he gained it from xue shan.
 both sisters started cursing him as much as they could after 30 minuts the little one broke in cry for his name.
"SHANTANU ahh~huhhuh SHANTANU ahh~ SHANTANU SHAN SHAhh~SHAN SHAN SHAN ahn~ hahhahh~SHAN SHAN....." she found it hard  to call his full name so she used the short form and her voice was like pleasure to his ears with the occasional moans she was really into it after another 5min she reached her first orgasm which was best she ever had but her sister was not going to do it she was looking at shan with bloodshot eyes which wanted to kill him but the red tint on her cheeks can't be hidden she will lose it but it will take time so he continued providing energy to sisters so they can last untill morning he moved towards Alice who was on chair concentrated  pleasure aura on his finger while also sending some of it to Amelia he touched Alice on her nipple while said in her ear.
"dont climax untill I say and a gift for you 3x" her head shot upwards her eyes teared up from happiness or sadness he can't tell since she had a perverted face he kissed her slowly making her feel his lips on her he then inserted his tongue in her defenceless mouth while using one hand on breast and other on her wet pussy her sister shouted to stop but he just made her pleasure go 2x. with that he left Alice her face has a disappointed look but she didn't say a word just the occasional suppressed moans.
he removes his clothes and stands up on bed Amelia between his legs saw his huge menhood ever her ex boyfriends dick was half the size of shan he sits down between her legs started using the same trick with her sister but with inserting his fingers in her pussy he made sure she won't be able to resist and she startedshouting his name after 3 or 4 mins.
 she was able to hold back untill now shows that she has willpower he left her again and increased her and Alice pleasure by 5x while he untied Alice.
put her on bed making sure her pussy is above her sister's face and said to Amelia
"watch Amelia how your sister becomes women"
he knew the little sister never had any relation with man from her files so he knew she was virgin Alice didn't even resist and she didnt say anything he made sure if she protests she will lose her body control.
he thrusted his dick in her pussy and a thick blood line trailed from her pussy signifying his   new possession he started thrusting without care because he know she was already out of it for now only pleasure was her sole purpose and she started moaning.
"ahh~ahh~hmm~hahahh~ more~ faster~"
she was moaning and moaning after some time she said
"please~amm~let me ahh~ let me release it"
he asked"release what exactly?" while thrusting and smiling she was losing it she knew if she said it she can't go back but she couldn't hold back and said.
"please ahh~ let me amm~come I wana come"
then his smile grew as he said
"fine 8x after 30 seconds you can come count start" he enjoyed here horror and pleasure stuck face while increasing his speed anter 30 sec she came and her face was so perverted and ahego he let her go and she fainted and he released her from 8x pleasure to 1x he increased Amelia's pleasure which hits 8x and make her unable to climax he fucked her silly he didn't want to take too long and also have fun with his new toys he has plans for the whole night he won't make them pregnent which is also thnx to his incubus demigod bloodline.
he increased their pleasure used toys and dildos make them fuck each other and fucked them till his hearts content in morning they all finally sleepet untill computers and electronics arrived. when the sisters woke up in afternoon they were obedient and perfect slaves so he will find amelia's ex and punish him for them he already arranged the computers and make them do their thing one sister to find ribecca another to delete his files they had quite a sisterly bond and it only strengthen after the intimidating night they were not his loyal servents he praised incubus demigod bloodline for love effect they were head over heals for him and the more they sleep with him the mare love slave they become.
 he removes every trace of his existace in 4 hours running home removing him from his parents memory as well as delete his photos he also told them to delete his photos and remove memory from everyone who knew him then he migrated from school no one will ever doubt and finally he saw in tv people trying to justify the thunder with scientific knowledge they convinced the masses that it was natural it also proved his theory that someone was controlling supernatural world from shadows which is more the reason he need to be in shadows he is more than ready now if only he could find ribecca.
he brought lunch for the girls and himself he remember they only eat when they were hypnotized then he tied them with rope so he will give them a feast today.
 he also bought a few clothes since they don't have much clothes with them this time he used original money which he borrowed from a passers-by see even he cares for law.

Follow the adventurous journey of the God of Manipulation as he takes what he wants manipulate everyone he wants and makes his wishes come true.

HEY GUYS I HAVE STOPPED WRITING THIS NOVEL BUT IF YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE THIS NOVEL THEN COMMENT "MORE" IN THE REVIEW SECTION I WILL MAKE SURE TO WRITE IT AND MAKE IT EVEN BETTER IF I GET MORE THAN 100 COMENTS


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His fervent lips came again onto her cheeks and ears. 
Xu Xiyan cried in fear, "Mo Yutian! Let go of me! Our wedding is tomorrow. I'm not yet your wife. You cannot touch me now. If you dare I will kill myself by chewing off my tongue!" 
Mo Yutian covered her mouth immediately upon hearing about her chewing off her tongue. He tried to calm her down. "Don't be silly, Jing Xi. Be my wife and I'll make you happy forever…"
Stop dreaming!
Xu Xiyan threw the back of her head onto his nose and bit him on the hand while he was in shock.
The pain caught Mo Yutian by surprise. He took a deep breath and had to let go of her.
Xu Xyan ran immediately away from him and stood as far as she could by the wall.
She was very hostile, as a young beast in a hunter's trap. She stared vigilantly at him and was afraid that he would force her into intimacy again. 
"How dare you?" Mo Yutian looked at the wound on his hand. But instead of being annoyed he seemed pleased. "You know, Jing Xi, that's exactly what I love about you. You are like a wild mare. It stimulates me and makes me always want to conquer you. Do you have any idea how many times I have dreamed of our fiercely romantic intercourse?" 
"You freak!" Xu Xiyan cursed.
"Oh… it's nothing freaky. It's what every man wants from a woman. With what I have and who I am now, I am more than qualified to be your husband. You have nothing to lose in marrying me."
Mo Yutian wanted her to know that it was her honor to have him, the emperor of a kingdom, as a husband.
Xu Xiyan had to admit that this man had an equally pretty face and peerless background.
If only Xu Xiyan had met Mo Yutian first, she might have been attracted to this man.
However, she was destined to be with Huo Yunshen.
No matter how outstanding the others were, she would never fall in love again.
The woman was cold and resolute. And it killed Mo Yutian's mood.
He did not force her any further, but said before he left, "There are only a few hours to go. Take your time, my queen. After our wedding tomorrow, I will make you my wife."
God knew how badly and desperately he had been longing for her. He was about to lose control.
From tomorrow night on, they would be officially married. And he would never be gentle again, no matter how reluctant she was. 
Mo Yutian was gone. Xu Xiyan sank slowly onto the ground.
She crouched and started weeping.
How she missed Huo Yunshen…
Where are you, honey?
…
It was almost dawn.
A cruise was waiting by a port in Estan.
Lan Ling-Er and her attendants waited by the cruise for Helian Qingyu.
In a short while, a military jeep stopped by the port and several people got out of the vehicle.
Lan Ling-Er was pleased to see Helian Qingyu, but rather annoyed by the sight of two other people coming with him.
It was Huo Yunshen and… Is that Alice, who looks identical to Jing Xi?
"Ling-Er, here I am."
Helian Qingyu greeted her as if they were intimate.
Lan Ling-Er frowned and asked, "You said only you. What are they doing here?"
"They are coming with me to save Jing Xi. You know Huo Yunshen. And this is Alice, you should know her too. We want to replace Jing Xi with Alice so that your brother will not be annoyed. It would be a disaster if we simply took Jing Xi away. We don't want to get you into any trouble, my dear!"
…


"He is the entertainment king who is in charge of everything. Been single for years, he had zero scandal. One day, a woman and a girl turned his life upside down. 
The little cutie held him tight, not letting go. ""Handsome uncle, you look very much like the daddy I have lost for many years!"" Huo Yunshen felt depressed. “Me? Daddy?!” 
The little cutie proudly pulled her mommy over, ""Mommy, I have found a long-term meal ticket for you, handsome and gullible."" 
Xu Xiyan smiled at the elegant man. 
Recalling the accident five years ago, his face sank. ""How dare you steal my DNA?"" 
She laughed. ""Not steal, just borrow!"" The man took her in his arms and warned in a dangerous tone, ""Woman, should I get what’s mine back, with interest?"" 
She stood on her toes. ""Yeah, how about another baby?"""


"Eos! Get it together!"
Shouting at the archangel she was protecting for the nth time, Alice received no other response than continued crying from the angel.
"It's no use Alice, she's combat ineffective."
Lilly, however, had long since given up on Eos, she could understand her current state of mind and didn't try to snap her out of it, after all, it took Alice and Lilly about 10 minutes to make their way to her, in that time those fish scaled monsters had already cut up most of her body with their claws. Eos had looked death in the eyes and instead of forging ahead fearlessly she had flinched, it would be unreasonable to expect anything from her after that.
After Lux had been killed by the large monster it had rushed Alice, Lilly and Mare, the only reason why Alice and Lilly were still alive was that the monster had taken the still alive Mare in its yaws and retreated out the balcony, Mare's screaming could be heard for a while after that. Greatly reduced in numbers and faced with insurmountable odds Alice and Lilly did their best to extend their own survival as they protected Eos from the hoards of fish scaled monster while now seemed like they were playing with them, but after fighting with a level of intensity that only just allowed them to survive for what felt like an eternity, Lilly and Alice had started to tire, they were starting to make increasingly more mistakes.
They both knew their time had come, all that was left was how they would go out, would it be screaming and shouting for mercy, or would it be in a manner that would make Dax proud?
Alice had long since expended all her ammunition and Lilly was unable to use magic. With nothing else left than their bayonets, they faced the never ending horde of scaled monsters.
This was the end of the road.
---
(What the hell?)
All of a sudden everything seemed to be covered in a haze, the only thing that forced her awake was an ever present loud alarm which shouted with such volume that it threatened to render her deaf within seconds, but even still, it kept screaming at her, as if to force her to remember something.
Then suddenly, there was only silence. Like a pair of noise cancelling headphones had been put on her head she suddenly became aware of her own heartbeat, or lack of it in this case. 
[REVIVAL PROTOCOL SUCCESSFUL, RESTARTING PASSIVE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS, SCANNING SUBJECT…. SCAN COMPLETE. MAJOR INTERNAL TRAUMA DETECTED, COMMENCING REPAIR: ALLOCATING BLACK MATTER…. ERROR, INSUFFICIENT RESOURCES. RECALCULATING REPAIR PRIORITY… RECALC SUCCESSFUL. RECOMMENCING REPAIR: SACRIFICING NONE ESSENTIALS, NOW CANNIBALIZING… CANNIBALIZING OF NONE ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS SUCCESSFUL, COMMENCING REPAIR, RESTARTING CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS… RESTART SUCCESSFUL, REVIVAL SUCCESSFUL, REANIMATION SUCCESSFUL. LIEUTENANT GENERAL LUX ALPHA-4 OF THE 125TH HELLWALKERS SUCCESSFULLY REANIMATED.]
With a sudden surge of pain running through her body Lux regained consciousness as her most recent memories flooded her mind. Opening her eyes with a shock the Hellwalker found her left eye to be inoperable, while her right eye was bloodshot and barely showed her anything of the outside world. Regaining feeling in her body Lux immediately noticed that her neck was broken, her C3 and C7 vertebrae were both out of alignment by about a centimetre, before anything else happened she needed to realign them. Taking a shallow breath Lux turned her body around so she laid face down on the ground, then she formed a fist with her shaking hand. With a large crack sounding out in her neck she regained the sensation in her body, along with an almost mind numbing amount of pain from all over her body.
(Pain is good, that means there's no other significant neural damage I need to take care of at the moment…)
While a normal person or even a hardened soldier would have instantly passed out from that amount of pain Lux was an elite, such an amount of suffering was trivial, as long as she could complete her mission nothing else mattered. Reaching into her vest Lux retrieved a syringe filled with fresh black matter and injected it in her chest.
With the immediate first aid taken care of Lux rose to her feet, surveying the battlefield while she cracked her neck.
While Mare was nowhere to be be found, Lilly and Alice seemed to be protecting Eos how had suffered numerous injuries while a swarm of the smaller monsters surrounded them and the large one was nowhere to be found. It seemed like the monsters hadn't paid much attention to Lux after she had been knocked out, instead preferring to take their time with Alice and Lilly as they appeared to be playing with their food. While Lux still had some ammunition left for her rifle and pistol, the current state of affair called for stealth and thus, the orbital marine drew her bayonet and flipped it to a reverse grip as all traces emotion disappeared from her face. Closing in on her first target without making a sound Lux stayed low to the ground as she picked up a small rock which she tossed at the ground behind the monster when she had closed the range sufficiently. As the monster turned around Lux charged, using her momentum she plunged the blade into one of the monster's eyes as her free hand gripped its neck with a force strong enough to prevent any air from escaping, then she twisted the bayonet before silently lowering the monsters copse to the ground. The next monster's fate wasn't much better as Lux snuck her blade in between two of its vertebrae in its neck before plunging a few of her fingers through its eye, then twisting the bayonet to one side as she forced the monster's skull the other way. Of course, such an action instantly drew attention to Lux, as the sound of her ripping off the monster's head could be easily heard inside the room, but that was the point.
If the monsters were so primitive, all Lux needed to do was appealing to the most basic instinct even primitive monsters like the one she was facing would understand: Fear.
Haven sized the attention of the room with her action Lux to full advantage of that as she let loose a scream filled to the brim with bloodlust as she charged the nearest monster. Brutally slaughtering her way through the monster hoard Lux completely ignored the injuries she received for her reckless behaviour and achieving the goal of instilling a strong sense of fear in the monsters as they started fleeing.
"L-Lux!? How are you still alive!?"
Understandably Alice and Lilly were both quite surprised as they were suddenly saved from the brink by Lux they had believed was already dead, but in the face of such surprise and confusion, Lux just shrugged.
"What? You girls think a little dying will keep me down for long? Even if I'm not quite as strong as Dax I'm still a Hellwalker, we're named that way for a reason."
Looking around the room after checking the state of her subordinates Lux started filling in the blanks.
"What happened to Mare?"
"... MIA, presumed KIA. That large monster dragged her off after it dealt with you."
Taking a few seconds to absorb what Lilly had told her Lux hardened her determination, grieving would have to wait until after the mission.
"Lilly, Alice, take Eos back to the AEHWP transport. I'll see if I can receive Mare's copse. If I haven't regrouped with you after an hour leave without me. This mission has already failed, I'll not allow it to end in a complete wipeout."
Handing Lilly her rifle and the spare ammunition Lux gave orders in a tone which clearly demonstrated that she wouldn't take kindly to insubordination.
"... Yes, Ma'am."
---
(... Where am I?)
Doing her best to ignore the immense sense of pain which screamed out from her entire body, Mare opened her eyes to find herself inside a dark room. Taking a few seconds for her eyes to adjust the young beastkin just barely managed to suppress a scream as she found herself directly in front of the massive monster which had killed Lux, its grey eyes which shone in a cold light with intelligence. Remembering what had happened to her, how she had been dragged off by that scaled monster Mare wondered why she was still alive, something she would find out a second later that she would have been better off not knowing.
Normally there was only one reason a predator would bring home live prey, so it could teach its young how to kill. Freezing up completely in fear as she realized that, Mare grabbed the black vial with two red bands on it she had been given by Lux at the start of the operation, holding it up to her neck she started backing away from the 4 smaller lizard creatures which looked at her with hunger clearly visible in their eyes, their large yaws opening slightly as saliva almost poured out. Pressing the vial firmly to the side of her neck Mare's thumb found its way to the bottom that would grant her a painless death instead of getting eaten alive, but even as the monsters closed in all around her she couldn't press it. Storing the vial away Mare instead drew a knife she had gotten as a present from Dax, standing up on her one leg which could still support her the young beastkin sized up her opponents.
(If I'm going to die here I'll at least avenge Lux first!)
"Come on! Who wants to die with me!?"
Baring her fangs at the monsters Mare prepared to die, until an idea came to mind. Forming a cold smile Mare waited for the bravest of the children to close in, offering her already useless leg as bait before she plunged her knife into its eye with a scream.
"FUCK YOU!"
Digging the knife in as deep as she could Mare pressed a hidden trigger on the handle of her blade, making the blade's tip which was embedded into the monster's skull unleash a blast of highly pressurized gas that rapidly expanded inside the brain of the young monster, killing it instantly.
Seeing its child murdered right in front of it understandably enraged the mother, and after using its whip like tail to remove the bugs weapon which had killed its young, it charged it in a blind rage, aiming to crunch the impotent bug with its mighty yaws.
"COME ON!"
Standing ready to receive the charge after her hand which held the knife was shattered, Mare used strengthening magic to jump above the creature using only a single leg, reaching into her vest as she pulled out the black vial with two red bands. Reorienting herself in mid air, Mare plunged the syringe at the end of the vial into the monster's eye then she pressed the button on the back while letting out a rage filled scream.
"DIE!"
Showing immediate effect, the pre programed black matter instantly activated and drilled towards the brain, eating it up in a matter of seconds before the bioweapon simply known as blue matter activated, denaturing the monster's organic molecules and turning it into a warm sludge in a matter of seconds.
"WHO ELSE WANTS SOME!?"
Screaming out in an act to instil fear into the rest of the monsters in the room, Mare failed to realize how unsteady she looked standing on only a single foot, how dizzy she was because of the lack or blood the pain she was in. To the monster's SHE looked like nothing other than a dying animal. 
"That's my Mare!"
But to Lux how had just arrived, the young beastkin looked like a hero of legend.
"Leave the rest to me, I'll tear apart these insignificant bugs in no time!"


After crash landing in what turns out to be a fantasy world, the orbital marine Dax will have to fight the powers that
occupy the world to reclaim the technology that got stranded along with him and eventually repair his crashed ship
to return to his own world.
On the way he discovers the rule breaking power of mana, a special particle that seems naive to the world he now
is a part of. Feeling seriously outgunned Dax places a priority on regaining his lost weaponry that is scattered
throughout the world, ranging in size and effectiveness from electromagnetically powered assault rifles,
powered exoskeletons and autonomous drones from the size of a spying UAV to heavy assault ships.
But the marine is not alone in his search those weapons, the powers of the world he now finds himself a part of is
quickly realizing that something outside their realm of understanding has graced the planet and that those artefacts
trapped inside large floating black sphere’s hold vast strategic value. Dax is then faced with a complex problem,
he must secure the technology that he needs to leave while at the same time make sure the tools of war from his world is not misused at the cost of being made a target by powers he fails to fully understand.

On his way Dax will have run ins with various powers, some of them hostile, some of them a bit more amenable to persuasion and mutual cooperation. After all, what is a knight, king, angel, demon or grand wizard to a railgun or even a tactical class high energy laser in orbit?

They’re soft targets.


For the record, English is not my first language, so there might be some spelling/grammar mistakes here and there. I’ve been getting better at writing over the last year or so, and have plans to go back and edit my old chapters, but it’s really hard to find the time.

Also, check out my discord server if anyone of you wants to trash talk me with a faster response time~ 

https://discord.gg/n9Xbn7k

BRETVER 22ND YEAR 548 ASMERIAN CALENDAR
 The day of the competition arrived and Jackson was as excited as ever. He was going to finally be able to show his parents everything he had learned from his uncle. He woke up as Alice crawled into his bed and shook him rapidly. "I'm up, I'm up!" He barked.
"Morning Mister knight." Alice said as she was right on top of him.
"Morning miss demanding, also, that'd be sir knight not Mister knight." He said as he tried to get up but she just wrapped her arms around him. "I get front row seats to watch you kick butt today." Alice said excited.
"How am I supposed to kick butt with your butt laying on me." Jackson quipped back as he grunted from the weight of his sister..
"Come on Mister I so strong I can kill bears with my bear hands."
"Do you even know what you're saying anymore?" Jackson grunted as he stood up and carried Alice is his arms.
"Do I need to know?" Alice quipped back.
"Do I need to let you fall to the floor?"
"Please don't." Alice said as she gripped even tighter to him.
"Then we better get dressed and head downstairs for breakfast."
"Then put me down, I can't get changed with you holding me."
"Okay then, your wish is my command." Alice screamed as Jackson let her drop before catching her.
"You jerk!" Alice yelled as Jackson sat her down on her bed.
"You knew it was coming, don't even lie."
"You're still a jerk."
"So, you admit to knowing what was going to happen?" he said as he started for the door.
"Wait a minute Jack."
"What is it now Alice?" Jackson asked as he was about to exit the room.
"Can you pick my clothes for me?"
"Can't you?"
"Yes, but I want you to pick them."
"Fine, it's going to be a hot one today anyways so I better make sure you don't wear a huge winter coat." Jackson said as he approached Alice's wardrobe. He opened the wardrobe and picked out an ultramarine blue dress for her to wear and tossed it to Alice. "Thank you, Jack." Alice said as he left the room. He just waved as he shut the door behind him.
 He waited outside for fifteen minutes as Alice got dressed. "I'm dressed Jack!" Alice shouted so he could come in to their room. He opened the door and saw Alice in the blue dress he picked. "That's a new one I've not seen before." Alice was very beautiful in the dress and would put any other girl to shame.
"Thank you, Jack, but you picked out so you have seen it before."
"Not on you, you idiot.He said as he picked her up. "Time for you to sit out on the floor now."
"Wait! There's a chair just down the hall Jack." Alice exclaimed as he put her down next to the door.
"But that's not as fun Alice." He said as he closed the door and quickly got dressed so as not to leave her there for too long. 
"You're a jerk." Alice said once Jackson exited the room.
"Should I leave you here then?" Jackson asked with a smug smile.
"You wouldn't dare."
"You're right Alice, mother would give me a whooping I'd never forget." He said as he reached down to pick her up.
"Thank you." Alice said softly as Jackson carried her down the stairs. 
"For?" Jackson asked careful to watch his step.
"Everything you do."
 They didn't speak until they made it to the living room where Connor and Veronica were enjoying the sunrise out of the window. "Morning children, are you excited for the festival?" Connor asked.
"Yes father!" They shouted in unison.
"Jackson, did you and Alice do double your studies yesterday?" Veronica asked.
"Yes mother, we did the math and some reading from the book you gave us mother."
"Alright, well I suppose I better make breakfast for my knight, shouldn't I?" Veronica asked as stood up and made her way to the kitchen.
"What are we having?" Connor asked as he stood up and followed Veronica into the kitchen.
"I'm thinking about making some eggs and some sausages. We could use the extra energy for today."
"Sounds good to me, how about you Jack?" Connor asked as he searched for the pans.
"I'd like some eggs and sausages." Jackson said as he sat Alice down at the table.
 Veronica entered the pantry and pulled out some flour and ingredients for biscuits. She cleared the counter and started cooking. "Are you making biscuits mother?" Alice asked.
"Yes dear, I got some Jam yesterday so I figured you all would like to try it out." Veronica said with glee. Everyone knew she was making them for herself to gorge on later. Veronica was a glutton for jam and biscuits.
 Everyone sat down as the food was finished and sat quietly and ate breakfast. He was the first to finish and he put his dishes on the counter. Alice finished and he put her dishes up for her and sat back down at the table. "May we be excused, mother?" Jackson asked.
"You may but sit in the living room. We have something for you Jackson."
"Yes mother." Jackson said respectfully and picked up Alice and headed for the living room. 
 Jackson eagerly waited in the living room to see what he was going to get from his parents. Alice was still tired and rested her head against is shoulder and nodded off. Veronica and Connor entered the room after washing the dishes and sat down across from the children.
"Jackson," Veronica started. "we had hoped this would have arrived sooner so you could have practiced with it more but your uncle sent you a very special gift and this is to be kept in the family as an heirloom."
"This is my fathers, father's longsword that he crafted and used during the war against the Lucc Empire. It has slain more men and Elves than any other longsword that I could think of. You are to take great care of the sword as my brother and I hold this as the most prized of our family's possessions." Connor said as he pulled out the sword from underneath the sofa.
 It was in a beautiful scabbard that had Silver and Nickel embroidering and a dark stained spruce wood for the body of the scabbard. The crossguard was immaculate and was mad of Damascus steel that had a tiger-striped pattern. The black leather that wrapped the grip was tight and secure. The pummel made from the same steel as the crossguard and had the shape of a large diamond. The name Scottkey was engraved into the blade and looked like there were hundreds of hours put into each letter. The balance was perfect and right at the crossguard.
"Are you sure you want me to use this father?" He asked out of concern as he marveled over the perfection of the sword.
"While it is an heirloom, it'd be wasted if not used. At least that's what my father said when he gave it to James."
"I'll definitely win with this however I feel bad about not using my other sword."
"You'll still use it but, I want you to use this sword to represent the Scottkey family in the event." Connor said as he stood up and gave the sword to Jackson scabbard and all.
"I'll take the gold for sure father!" Jackson exclaimed with excitement.
"You better boy, but if you don't. Just enjoy yourself and all will be worthwhile."
"Jackson, you be careful now." Veronica said. "But then again, I fear more for your competition."
"Thank you mother and I'll be careful."
"Alright, now children, I see no reason as to why you're still here. You should be running out that door hooting and hollering like you've gone mad!" Connor said as he pointed to the front door. "Jackson don't worry about your armor; I'll deliver it myself."
"Thank you, father, I'll take Alice with me." Jackson said as he promptly stood up and picked Alice up from off the couch. She was still half asleep and let out an "Eep!" as he pulled her off of the couch. He carefully set her in her wheelchair.
 As Jackson and Alice left the house the cool morning breeze blew into their faces and Asmerian banners flew in the breeze. There were guitars and trumpets playing and there was even a woman with a piano on the street corner.
"This is like back in the capital, isn't it?" Alice asked.
"Very much so Alice." Jackson said as he shut the gate. "Where shall we go first Alice?" Jackson asked.
"let's go to the fountain!" Alice exclaimed with excitement.
"Sure, we might just run into Mister Miller there." Jackson said as he started to push Alice down the street. It took Jackson a little while to push the wheelchair to the fountain. Sure enough, Mister Miller was sitting on the edge of the fountain. "Hello there children, how are you this fine morning." Miller said as he stood up to greet them.
"We're doing great sir." Jackson said. "Are you ready for the swordsmanship competition?"
"Well aren't you straight to the point lad?" Miller said as he sat back down.
"Sorry sir."
"No harm done lad; I'm just giving you trouble." Miller laughed. "But, aye, I'm ready and rearing to go fight. It's been a long time since my sword has been used."
"I feel the same, I've not dueled anyone since coming here." Jackson said as he put the brakes on Alice's wheelchair and sat down.
"Well lad, I hope you're not too out of practice."
"Shall we see right here?" Jackson said as he grabbed the hilt of his sword.
"You're a cocky one aren't ya lad." Miller said as he stood up. He took a quick look around for any guards and once he made sure that there weren't any, he unsheathed his sword. "You ready kid?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." Jackson said as he unsheathed his sword. A few merchants and commoners gathered around to watch. Jackson took up a close right stance as Miller took a short stance. Jackson stepped in to try to bait the first swing from Miller and he took the bait. Jackson immediately defected the strike and lunged forward stopping just short of Miller's chest.
"Oh shit!" Miller exclaimed as he had underestimated Jackson. "Okay, so you know a thing or two." 
"I hope so, I've studied for the past four years on how to use the long sword." Jackson said as he took an inside left stance. Miller took a slide stance and thrust forward trying to overpower Jackson. Jackson stepped into the attack and forced Miller's sword upwards and slid his sword almost to Miller's throat.
 The fight was amusing for the ever-growing crowd. It was very entertaining to watch a young boy fighting against a full-grown man and win easily. Miller had a smile on his face. He entered into a stance that Jackson had yet to see. Jackson backed off and took a low stance wherein he held out his sword out and pointed it to the ground so he could confuse Miller's perception of Jackson's reach.
 Miller had his sword level with his brow and laid across his left forearm. Jackson assumed it was a lunging stance so he baited an attack. Miller, however, held his stance stepping left and right. Jackson kept the low stance and stayed his ground.
"You're damned good kid." Miller said impressed with Jackson's discipline.
"Thank you, sir, you've yet to see much though." Jackson quipped back with banter.
 Miller finally thrust forwards and defected Jackson's defense with a smooth slash from the right. He then slashed back to the right and barely missed Jackson who stepped back from the strike. Jackson regained his balance and sent a jab into Miller's exposed flank stopping just short of his rib cage.
"Good job kid." Miller said reaching out his hand to shake Jackson's.
"You almost had me with that weird stance. I've yet to learn about such a stance." Jackson said as he put his sword back into the scabbard. Jackson then grabbed hold of Miller's hand and gave a firm handshake.
 Jackson sat back down next to Alice and Miller walked back to the fountain. Jackson put the sword back into his scabbard and set it aside. "Well, kid, what are you going to do now?" Miller asked as he sat back down on the fountain.
"It's down to Alice." Jackson said as he sat down on the street next to the fountain.
"Well, they're showing off some racehorses on 4th street so that might be worth your while."
"I'd like to go see the horses Jack." Said Alice.
"Then we're going to go there. You want to join us Mister Miller?"
"Sure, but I need to go set up a stall for one of my friends from Gregoria in a little but I have plenty of time to look at horses with you two." Miller said as he got back to his feet. "Besides, I'd feel a lot better walking with you. There are a few men that would see a beautiful cripple such as yourself as a good target." He said as patted Alice's head.
"I appreciate that." Jackson said as he took the brakes off of Alice's wheelchair. Jackson, Alice and Miller went to look at the racehorses. The cobblestone street made it difficult for Jackson to push Alice towards the stables which were a few blocks away.
 The racehorses were in the town stables which were huge buildings. The close to the largest in Greendale standing at only two stories tall but they were a hundred meters long and forty meters wide. There were up to sixty horses inside either building. Only the Former Lord's home and the Great Hall were larger in size.
 Jackson was used to horses but even this impressed him. Alice was a little frightened by the horses. It wasn't that long ago that a horse had broken her back and left her paralyzed. She reached up to touch a mare and it gently lowered its head so she could pet her.
 Alice teared up from how gentle the mare was. All of the horses in the capital were rough and used for war of policing people and were trained to be rough and unkind.
"Are you alright?" Jackson asked.
"It's so pretty Jack." Alice said as she pet the cheek of the mare as gently as she could.
"let me know if you want to leave." Jackson said.
"I'll be fine Jack."
"Everything alright?" Miller asked as he was confused about how Alice was acting.
"Yeah, it's way better than I could've hoped for." Jackson replied. "Alice as kicked by a horse ad ended up like this. I'm surprised at how well she is handling this." He whispered to Miller.
"Okay, if that's the case I am very surprised as well."
 They spent a few more minutes looking at the horses and racing equipment. Miller had to go help a friend set up a stall and Jackson needed to get ready for the competition. And Jackson pushed Alice back to the fountain where Connor and Veronica where enjoy some sandwiches and an ale.
"Hello, children." Veronica said as she stood up and handed a sandwich to both Alice and Jackson. "Where did you go?"
"We went to the stables and I made a friend with a really kind mare mother." Alice said with joy.
"Is that so?" Connor asked.
"Yes sir, Mister Miller even came with us." Jackson said.
"Ah, I see now, poor Mister Miller had to deal with you two for almost an hour." Veronica said as she gave her children a hug.
"We were on our best behavior mother."
"I'm glad you were but I think it might be about time for the swordsmanship competition." Connor said.
"You delivered my armor to the arena, right?"
"Yes, I even threw in a black cloak for you to wear."
"Thank you, father." Jackson said as he rushed down to the arena. The arena was a old plaza that was built up by the Head Judge, Alexander Daniels, for the festival. It was for that reason, nearly everyone in Greendale loved him.
 Jackson donned his new armor and cloak, which was just outside the arena in the back of his fathers cart. He wore a gambeson is the stead of a breastplate. Which had some advantages over the heavier breastplate. Such as, he was now lighter and faster than before and more flexible as there were no steel plates restricting his movement.
 He went to bed that night more excited than ever. He only ever wore plate armor once before in the capital and he was still too young to remember the event. His uncle was adamant that he wore the armor like a true knight.

Blood spilled across the land as civil war raged throughout the country of Asmeria. The peasantry defiance, led by the Scottkey Family and the Asmerian Army led by the tyrant king clashed for control of the nation. Brought about by the king's unsatiable lust and mericlessness, the commoners took up arms and inplaced a republic to rule the country. With the king dead, the royal family was allowed to remain as a cerimonial body of government to apease those who supported the tyrant king. Now years later, we find the country still torn on it's governing beliefs, unable to find a sense of identity. 

All rights reserved

PART ONE: Ella, the Slayer
Somerset, England. Summer, 1919.
I dream of a time when there was only one type of death.
Mother died when I was ten years old. We buried her and packed away her clothing. Father and I mourned the empty space in our souls and at our table. Back then death only had one meaning: your life snuffed out, never to rekindle.
After the Great War, we learned of a new type of death in the form of returned soldiers with fragmented minds. Doctors call it shell shock. Unable to grasp the horrors they saw or the deprivations they suffered, their chests rise and fall, but they have blank eyes?the windows to their souls have shattered, leaving thousands of shards that cannot be pieced together again. They follow the routine of their pre-war lives, but there is no spark within them.
Then there are those who hover even closer to death?like father. Doctors removed the shrapnel in his head, but it left him with an irrecoverable brain injury. He sits in his chair by the window and drools out one side of his mouth. Some say he would have been better off dead, and in my heart, I wish he had joined mother. Every night, my last wish before sleep claims me is that father either return to us or finds eternal peace.
Just as the nation planned armistice celebrations after the war came the most devastating attack. The flu pandemic of 1918 struck and in just a few short weeks from September to December, millions of people died. We all pulled together to nurse the sick and bury the fallen.
Except it wasn't the flu.
And they didn't stay dead.
***
The table bounced under my cheek and jarred me back to full awareness. I opened my eyes to confront a full coal scuttle resting on the table next to me.
"She's at it again," Alice, the upstairs maid, said. She rolled her amber eyes upward to the parlour above our heads, and then wiped her hands on the starched apron around her neck. Her white mobcap kept her dark curls under control, and a frown marred her pale brow.
"What is it this time?" I tucked away dreams of golden days and returned to cold reality. My cap pitched to an angle and I righted it, shoving stray blonde hair back underneath. No doubt the she in question was Step-mother: Elizabeth, Lady Jeffrey and wife of Sir Jeffrey. My step-sisters, Louise and Charlotte, were referred to collectively as them. And I had to stop referring to them as my step-relations; the lady of the house would flog the skin from my hide if she caught that familiarity passing my lips. She might have been married to my father, but she was quick to point out my status as the daughter of a servant.
Alice poured herself a glass of water and took a quick drink. Only eight in the morning and we had both been working for over two hours already. We had cleaned the house from top to bottom and laid fires that should sit unused in the middle of summer. The lady thought it kept us from being idle if she lit one throughout the year. With the warmer weather we laboured in a hothouse and sweat made our uniforms stick to our backs. Thank goodness father's home had only eight fireplaces. Imagine if we possessed a grander home with thirty or more!
Alice put her hands on her hips. "The coal is dirty and apparently it's throwing dust on her clothes."
"And what are we do to about dirty coal?" I dreaded asking the question, any answer would mean more work.
"She wants it cleaned."
I sighed and scrubbed my hands over my face. At just seventeen, I was responsible for holding the estate together. England lost the flower of her youth on the battlefields of Europe. Their jobs were either left vacant or women stepped in. We were fortunate in that the small house and plot of land need only a skeleton staff to operate. And that is what we were becoming?skeletons. The life and flesh plucked from our limbs by her constant irrational demands. We had to maintain the perimeter defences to ensure the vermin didn't turn our slumber into something more permanent, but she wanted to waste my time polishing the coal.
"I'll deal with it." I stood from the table and brushed my hands down my apron. "Let's just dump the coal in the old bath by the stables and sluice it through the water. Then tip it out and let it dry in the sun."
Alice beamed. "You are so clever. Not like them."
"Come on, may as well get started before she screams for something else." I picked up the heavy bucket. "I still need to find time to ride the fences."
It didn't take long for us to wash the coal and scatter it on the cobbles to dry. Step-mother's task was a fool's errand when there were so many actual jobs to accomplish during the day.
Henry appeared in the barn doorway and led my mare across the cobbles. He rarely spoke, but his sorrowful eyes saw everything. Once, he was my boisterous friend and co-conspirator in childhood escapades. He dreamed of being a footman in a grand house. I still remember his excitement when he hit five foot seven, the minimum height for work upstairs. He had turned cartwheels in the yard and startled all the chickens. Back then, he always had a quick joke or smile for me. But part of him died in Europe and his laughter fell silent. At night, he cried out in his room above the stables. Sometimes he screamed; that sound was worse than the silence.
He went about his tasks quietly, checking the girth with a gentle hand, instinctively knowing what needed to be done. I wished we could reach him, but he remained locked deep inside his exterior shell.
What I would give to see Henry smile, or to hear father's voice again.
I took the reins and laid one hand on his arm. "Thank you, Henry."
He was so lost. Alice and I tried to touch him often, to remind him he stood amongst the living in Somerset, and not on some desolate killing field surrounded by the bodies of his fellow soldiers. I kept my gaze on his face until he lifted his head and returned my stare. The tiny crinkle of his lips signalled he saw me and not whatever horror he relived in his mind.
Too few men had made it home. Those who returned from war faced a new battle in the grounds of their homes from the shambling dead created by the flu pandemic. Except it wasn't influenza. Doctors and scientists still can't agree what it was or where it came from. Some called it Spanish flu, but it didn't originate there. The War Office suppressed word of the initial outbreak so as not to dampen morale?arrogant fools. We were ignorant when it hit, and completely unprepared.
We mourned like so many villages and buried our dead?except they came back.
It took weeks to realise the new danger. Grieving people embraced the returned souls. We were horrified to think that the living had been confined to the earth still breathing. We thought they did not speak because of the horrors they had suffered, like the soldiers with shell shock. Imagine being buried alive, the dead and earth pressing on you. Except they came back for a reason: us.
Those attacked were infected and over a period of days, they sickened and died. Only to turn and suffer the same horrible fate. There were those who couldn't bear to exterminate the flu victims, who couldn't comprehend they were no longer living. They hid them in their homes, certain that with time they could be cured. Until they too were bitten and became the same mindless, violent shells. It was a horrible cycle that needed to be broken.
The mare bumped against my arm, breaking my train of thought, and I reached out to scratch her neck. I leaned into her for a moment, inhaling the unique scent of horse that meant both companionship and freedom.
Alice emerged from the kitchen with my katana in hand. Father had brought the sword back from Japan as a curiosity, an object to hang on the wall. Now it was a part of me. I seldom ventured forth without its protection. I may have been born a girl, but father raised me as well as any son. Fencing and shooting were part of my daily lessons, and I thanked him for it because post-pandemic, they became valuable survival skills.
Foot in the stirrup, I swung myself into the saddle and settled the sword against my back.
"I don't know how you can do it. So many used to be our friends. Do you remember Mrs. Bridges who lived down the lane and always had a smile and ginger cookies for us?" A shudder ran over Alice and she rubbed her hands over her arms to dispel it.
"I don't think of them like that. It's too painful," I whispered. We call them vermin because it helps to forget what they once were. Vermin spread disease, like the rats who carried Black Death into every village. Technically it was the fleas on the rats, but the analogy suits my mind. The virus burned around the globe in a matter of weeks and then disappeared, thank God. But it lingers in the vermin who continue to transmit the disease through their bite.
"Please be careful. You know I will worry until you return," she said.
"I promise." A tap of my heel against her side and the mare trotted off, leading us out over the paddock.
A line of barbed wire marched into the distance and enclosed our fifty acres. Not much land, but enough to maintain the sheep and cattle to keep us fed. The rest of the estate was leased out to other farmers. I wondered how long before Step-mother carved it up and sold it off. Their expensive dresses from Paris didn't materialise on their own; she needed the ready cash to pay for them.
We passed a copse of beech when a sway on the wire made me sit up straight. It had the pull and tug of something bigger than a line blowing in the wind. The mare whinnied and tossed her head. I scratched her wither as I scanned up ahead.
"It's all right girl, I won't let it get you." We dropped to a walk and followed the fence, dodging stray trees and clumps of spent daffodils.
At first glance it looked like someone had dumped a pile of laundry. The shape clung low to the ground. This one had tried to go under. Thankfully, Henry had suggested bottom wires. A few hastily drawn pictures on a sheet of paper had saved us in our sleep.
The mare halted and stood her ground, so I took the hint and dismounted. "Easy girl." I gave her a scratch and looped the reins over her head to let her graze. We learned together, the horse and I, and over the months we came to an agreement. She was a solid wee thing and wouldn't spook or run away, as long as I let her keep her distance from the creatures that smelt bad.
I pulled the red-spotted handkerchief around my neck up and covered my mouth and nose. The linen over my face would stop any stray droplets or splatter finding its way into my stomach or lungs. While a bite from a vermin would infect you within a matter of days, it didn't pay to breathe in their blood either. Ingesting their poisoned fluids made you sick enough to wish you could die. I had no proof, but I didn't want to find out if inhaling could turn a person. Vermin tended not to say if they became that way by bite or breath.
This one had once been male and looked as though it had died in the first pandemic wave nine months ago. A few drops of lavender oil on the cloth around my face helped hold back the stench. I lost count of how many times I had vomited in those first few days, but I couldn't afford the distraction of those precious minutes spent staring at the ground while my breakfast came back up. Looking away gave them an opportunity to attack while you were weak, so I schooled my stomach to obey. Vermin hunted us, but time ate at them. Without the spark of life to animate their bodies, they rotted on their feet. When the initial air-borne pandemic burned out, the turned now needed to bite and tear at our living forms to continue the spread of the disease.
Maggots burrowed through this one's dead flesh; their tiny, writhing, white bodies filled a hollow in his leg. The hair had peeled away from the scalp, and the bone was coated in dirt and mud as though he had tried to disguise his baldness by painting on hair. Very little flesh clung to his form and the white showed through where skin and bone had parted company. Tendons moved as he flexed and struggled against the barbwire digging into his back. A loop had caught around exposed vertebra and pulled him to a stop. The more he struggled, the more entangled in the fence he became.
I took a moment to examine his build and clothing for anything that might identify him. What was left of his face triggered no recognition, so I would need to record his physical description in my notebook?my heavy record of vermin and the people they had once been. I had learned to look past the rotting flaps of skin hanging from exposed bone. My eyes took in face shape; the curve of a jaw and the arch of a brow could reconstruct an image in my mind.
He stilled as my feet appeared in his vision. How did they even see without a functioning brain? Another question for the scientists to answer. I heard they held vermin captive in laboratories, trying to discern their secrets. Perhaps they thought the dead would make better soldiers; they would keep moving forward no matter how many bullets they took.
My blade sang on the morning air as I pulled the katana free. The creature panicked, thrashing and struggling to pull away from the wire. A high-pitched moan came from his damaged throat and startled the mare. Fortunately, she just moved farther away. Chunks of flesh flew as he flailed his arms. Blank eyes fixed on my face. I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't recognise this one, so at least I didn't have to dispatch one of our own. How far the vermin travelled would worry me later, when I had time to ponder their actions as I waited for sleep to claim me.
I held my ground and waited until the head turned away from me. One blow severed tendons and bones. The head rolled a short distance and came to a stop. Like chickens, the bodies took some time to realise the head was gone. He continued his efforts to struggle free. Fingers clawed at the ground as though he sought something. Perhaps his head?
I watched the second hand on my watch. This one took two minutes to still while I filled out an entry in my notebook. Then I tucked it back in the saddlebag while I performed the rest of my vermin disposal ritual. First I cleaned my blade with a lightly oiled cloth, a rule father drilled into me from early on: care for your blade. I took the small bottle of petrol and doused the body, then struck a match and tossed it on. The fuel ignited with a soft whump, and I turned my face from the wave of heat. Once the body was well ablaze, I kicked the head over to re-join it. I always waited in case they could reattach their heads. Just because we hadn't seen it yet didn't mean it was impossible.
I kept the scented handkerchief over my mouth and nose. I had no desire to inhale the sickly sweet odour of skin and hair succumbing to flames. The fire would burn out and die down quickly. The surrounding green grass would ensure it didn't spread, and the posts were far enough apart we didn't have to worry about compromising the fence. Still, once it cooled off I would send Henry back out to remove anything that remained and check the integrity of the wires. I hated sending him, sure that it must revive the horrors of the trench for him. If time allowed, I would finish the gruesome task myself, but I never knew what Step-mother would decide needed my attention. The fence needed to be checked before night fell, but she might demand I crimp her hair instead. Henry would undertake the job and never complain, but he would cry again that night.
I walked back to the mare, picked up the reins, and swung up into the saddle. "Come on, girl, nothing more to see here."




Books and writing have always been an enormous part of Anita's life. She survived school by hiding out in the library, with several thousand fictional characters for company. At university, she overcame the boredom of studying accountancy by squeezing in Egyptology papers and learning to read hieroglyphics.

Today, Anita writes historical fantasy novels from her home in rural New Zealand.

You can find her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AWExley

Be the first to hear about new releases, specials, and giveaways. Sign up at: 
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In 1918 England, join an Edwardian Cinderella on her journey to defeat the undead and find her happily ever after

Part 1: Ella,The Slayer
Seventeen-year-old Ella copes the best she can scrubbing the floors, and slaying the undead. Then the new Duke of Leithfield arrives in the village and working alongside Seth, Ella glimpses a future she never dreamed was possible. But in overstepping society's boundaries, she could lose everything - home, head and her heart...

Part 2: Alice, The Player
Ella must venture down a rabbit hole, but this is no wonderland...
When Alice goes missing without a trace, the new vermin queen sends an invitation--Ella is welcome to try and rescue her friend, before Elizabeth lets her subjects tear the housemaid apart.

Part 3: Rory, The Sleeper
Could the long dead duchess, Millicent deMage, be the key to understanding the pandemic of vermin? The final battle is looming, but this might be one fight Ella can't win, and she will be the one put to sleep forever...

Part 4 Bonus: Henry, the Gaoler
On the frontlines of the Great War, Henry kept a token of happier times - a worn photograph of a young girl with long blonde plaits. He returns from war damaged and vowing to do one brave thing to make up for his cowardice - release Hazel from her prison. But is it safe with the pandemic and its horrific aftermath?



in this novel we fallow ben and Alice in a total different world and how thay are part of the story
you can find out

ps. I'll add mare to this later

and hello everyone I'm the author and I can't spell great so I have Harvey auto correct to help so if you spot weird spelling that's why and stop reding this and get to the book

in this novel we fallow ben and Alice in a total different world and how thay are part of the story
you can find out

ps. I'll add mare to this later

and hello everyone I'm the author and I can't spell great 

ok I think I got a schedule so it's going to be this novel one day the next day my other novel because I get a fresh start echoes time

all So 
check it on this maby
royalroad

discord cSmK6Vfm

Clarissa watched as Kristian changed his form into the beautiful mare that she knew. "Let's go home my friend. If you behave i will bring you your favorite meatloaf. You will also get a treat of apple pie." He stood looking at her quietly for a minute, then he sighed. He looked into the eyes and asked, "why don't you tell your parents that I am your boyfriend? That way I do not have to hide in the barn. I am pretty sure they will welcome a handsome young man like myself." She laughed as she climbed onto his back, "your ego is as high as you are. I might as well introduce you as my husband with your ego." His head snapped back when he heard the word "husband". "That wouldn't be to bad. They would definitely except me because girls your age are already married with children," he said looking into her eyes. "Don't tell me your going to go on and on, just like my parents ehh," she asked.

Clarissa hug his neck and quietly said, "in due time. In due time." Kristian started to gallop back to the barn then slowed as he entered the barn. "Remember my food, if not the I will go inside and introduce myself as your husband," he said half jokingly. "Ok, ok, I will bring the food," she said back to him as she walked back to the stone house. She pushed open the heavy wooden door that leads into the candle lit room. She walked to the kitchen where mother was preparing dinner. "Wash up and prepare the table," her mom chimed as she walked into the hot kitchen. Her mother's hair was falling out of her bun that was held by a piece of twine. She was wearing a yellow woolen dress that shore with the fire that shined behind her.

Her mother was as beautiful as the day she first met her. She stood there kneading the dough for the pie crust. "Mom you won't believe what happened today," she paused to catch her breath, "I was able to channel my energy to change my dress." Her mother was walking over to the counter with the dough to put it in the tin, gasped and dropped the dough. "What did you say," she asked quietly. "I was able to channel the energy of the earth," Clarissa replied with caution. Her mother looked at her with a sad expression, "I wished you would never be able to do so. But I guess wishes never get answered." Alice quickly grabbed the bowl of water she used to wash dishes earlier in the day and threw the water onto the fire to douse it. "Quickly gather your things," her mother said to her. "Why mom, where are we going," Clarissa asked with such surprise.

"We need to leave, quickly before they come," her mom spoke quickly with terror in her voice. Clarissa automatically knew who she was talking about. "I'm sorry mom. I didn't mean to," she was crying hard after realizing she would have to leave her home and her friends that she made in the last three years. "It's all my fault dad died and I did it again," she kept crying as her mother calmed her. "We need to leave. I must burn this house. So, please my daughter calm down and pack quickly," she pleaded.

Clarissa nodded and ran to her room; she quickly pulled her clothes into her suitcase with her drawings of Kristian. She made sure her things were packed and grabbed a few blankets from the closet. Her mother called her from the front of her house, "we need to get going." Clarissa picked up her things and ran to the front of the small house. "Mom let's take the horses they will help us," she said quickly. They ran out the house towards the barn were there hoses stayed.

Kristian stood in his human form talking to Matthew who was also in human form. Matthew is a pure black black stallion who had a nasty attitude, but was someone who cared deeply. "Ahhhh," her mother screamed. "Shh, it's ok mom. They are my friends and guardians," Clarissa tried to calm her mother.

"What do you mean 'we need to get out of here'," Kristian and Matthew asked her at the same time. "We need to go it is not safe here anymore," she replied. They bowed to let them onto their backs. Alice looked at her daughter who was already sitting atop Kristian, "I must burn the house, wait for me." She quickly turned back to the old house with an oil lamp. Alice ran into the house and grabbed a tapestry that hung the wall and tore into strips and dipped them in to the oil. She grabbed a stick from the fire and lit the tapestry pieces. Alice ran threw the house and threw the fire lit strips into each room.

She ran outside the house and was met by trained men. One of the men looked to another, "Young Master, what do you want to do to this woman. She is not the one you are searching for." The young man that he was talking to looked up to him and answered, "Kill her and find the girl." Alice spoke to the young man, "Taylor, I can't believe that you came yourself. Why did you come? Your father usually sends his subordinates, but yet you come?"

Taylor watched the woman with interest, "your husband made sure my father could not carry on the mission anymore. I must say the husband that you loved called for you in his dying breath. He said 'Alice, protect our baby." To bad you can't protect that demon princess." Alice tried to run away from the barn so the men could not find her daughter and screamed, "NO."

Clarissa heard her mother's screams; she tried to jump off Kristian. "Kristian please let me down I have to help my mom. Please," she begged. Kristian let her off and ran as fast as she could to find her mother. Matthew spoke quickly to Kristian, "We must protect the little princess at all cost, don't let her get hurt or I will kill you." They ran as fast as their four legs can take them, trying to catch up to the girl who was already by her mother's side.

"Get her," Taylor yelled towards his men. His men started to advance to the so called demoness. Her mother stood in front of her to protect her baby, "don't you dare think about touching my baby." Alice pulled out a sword from under her dress. Immediately the men cut her down, "NO" Clarissa cried. Kristian and Matthew stood in front of her in their human forms. "Please, protect my child," her mother begged with her last breath.

She was sent by her father as an offering to the king of the opposing country. Will she be able to change his cold heart or will she lose who she is?

I S S A ' s   PO V

I found myself na napatigil sandali at hindi ko mare-realize iyon ng di pumasok si Alice sa loob ng patient ward.

Napatingin naman ako kay Ulli na di alam kung saan magsisimula at paano sasabihin niya ang nalaman niya ukol sa arrange marriage na naka-abang sa kanila sa future.

"Bakit ang tahimik niyo diyan?" tanong ni Alice and she sit on the couch kung saan umupo kanina si Mommy. 

Sasabihin ko sana na i-disinfect gawa baka mahawa siya kay Mommy eh, Just kidding.

"Alice bantayan mo muna si Issa pupuntuhan ko lang si Selene," baling sa kaniya ni Ulli at saka tumayo. 

Napatingin muli siya sa akin na tingin na huwag ko daw muna sabihin kay Alice.

Nginitian ko siya at saka sa huling beses ay he let a heavy sigh at saka matunog na lumabas ng pintuan. 

"Bakit ganon si Kuya? May problema ba?"nagtatakang tanong ni Alice na nagtaka dahil sa napalakas ang pagsarado ni Ulli.

Inilingan ko siya at di pinansin dahil di ako ganon magaling magtago ng sikreto at gusto ko rin manggaling kay Mommy ang salita na iyon dahil wala naman akong karapatan na mang-una.

"Wait!?" 

Napatingin ako sa kaniya when she suddenly let a confused voice. 

Bigla naman siyang lumapit sa akin dala-dala ang phone niya. Napakunot naman ang noo ko gawa ano gagawin ko sa phone niya.

"Basahin mo Issa, diba loko lang iyan?" natatarantang tanong niya at saka binasa ko ang isang message na nasa screen ng cellphone.

From: Irene La Luna
     Cousin nabalitaan mo naba na this month ay ii-engage na ako kay Ivan... Yiiiieee! I'm so excited kaya bukas samahan mo ako mamili ng susuotin kong dress also you para sa engagement party niya ni Ian,

Napatingin ako kay Alice na anytime ay tutulo na ang luha niya. Di ko alam kung bakit naging ganito, akala ko ako lang ang napaglaruan pati rin pala si Alice. . .

"Sorry for the inconvinience cousin," 

I patted her back habang naka-upo siya sa gilid ko na umiiyak ng mahina hanggang sa hindi niya maiwasan to sob her flowing tears.

Patuloy ko parin siyang tinatapik sa kaniyang likod hanggang sa unti-unti siya tumigil at saka tumingin sa akin bahagya.

Napa-iwas ako ng tingin sa kaniya dahil masyadong rin akong nahihiya sa kagagawan ng nanay ko. 

Pero di parin ako maniniwala sa naiisip ko dahil di naman ganon sosobra Mommy but meron rin yatang chance na tama talaga ang kutob ko.

"Di ko alam kung bakit ganon, kanina masaya kaming nagkwekwentuhan ni Ivan... P-pero ano ibig sabihin nito? I-engage na siya kay Irene this month?" di niya mapakaniwalang saad habang umiiyak.

"Also lokohan, i-engage rin ako kay Ian? Susunod nalang ako kay Tito Martin at Kay Tita Yna," dagdag niya.

Napatungo ulit siya and she continue crying. I patted her back to comfort her gawa wala naman akong magagawa kasi I am no superior anymore.

Naalala ko noon when I was high school ay umalis si Dad kasama si Tita Yna at he said rin na kapag ayaw na namin sa manor ay we can go in their place sa France at doon nalang tumira.

Mabait ang pakitungo sa amin ni Tita Yna lalo sa akin. One time nga I wish na siya nalang ang Mommy ko instead kay Mommy eh . . . 

But never iyon mangyayari gawa she still mistress of my Dad.

"Issa ano na mangyayari sa amin ni Ivan? Ayoko na, gawa si Mom at Dad nagtext narin sa akin na magkita kami bukas gawa may important matters silang sasabihin at malakas ang kutob ko na tungkol ito dito."

Napangiti ako sa kaniya dahil sa may naisip akong magandang paraan. Napatingin naman siya sa akin or nawi-wirduhan dahil bakit ngayon ay nakangiti ako.

"Naloloka ka na ba Issa?" she asked. 

Naka-iling ako sa tanong niya at napagdesisyunan na huwag nalang ituloy ang balak kong mangyari.

"Pwede mo ba ako tulungan please, Issa I will do the same thing for you please." 

Napa-isip ko kung ilalag ko na ba ang sarili ko at sasabihin sa kanya ang nga nalalaman ko at ang sikreto ko. 

Napatingin naman ako sa kaniya and I feel na ayaw niya ma-engage kay Ian gayundin si Ulli na ayaw ma-engage sa anak ni Leonardo Haurist.

I let a two heavy sigh out of hesitation but I already made my decision na this is the time na ilalag ko na sarili kong sikreto at ang mga nalalaman ko.

Napatingin ako sa aking bag at saka pinkuha ito sa kaniya. Sinunod niya utos ko and she grabbed my bag sa may couch.

Binuksan ko iyon at saka nilabas ang nilabas ko ang pouch ko. Binuksan ko ang pouch at saka nilabas ang isang singsing na may pulang diyamante sa But an at gitna ang suwitan nito.

"Ano iyan?" nagtatakang tanong niya.

"The truth is matagal na akong engage," I confessed hawak hawak ang singsing.

She stunned for a while sa nalaman niya pero natauhan siya ng napa-iling ako sa kaniya.

"Really who is your fiance?" interesado niyang tanong.

"I don't know who is my fiance Alice and it is a long story pero I am engaged since ng magsimula ako mamahay sa Villa niyo." Sagot ko.

"Ok pero ano kinalaman naman ng singsing na iyan sa pagtulong mo sa akin?" she asked. 

"Di lang sa iyo pati ni Ulli," paglilinaw ko sa kaniya at inilingan niya ako pero bigla siyang napatingin sa akin when I said her brother's name.

"Ulli too?" 

"Yes, gawa this is my Mother's planned overall."

Bigla siyang napakumos ng kamao at saka tumingin sa akin. 

"Kasama ka rin ba dito?"seryoso niyang tanong at napa-iwas ako ng tingin sa kaniya.

"Bakit ako sasama dito diba pinatapon na ako," I said with a monotonous tone.

"Fine pero what is the purpose of the ring na pinakita mo sa akin," iling niya sagot.

Napangiti ako dahil finally over two years may katuwang na ako sa paghahanap ng may-ari ng nawawalang singsing.

"You need to find the owner of the another ring gawa according to my research that this ring is made my couple also this ring is rare and customized." I answered with a grin on my face.

"Seriously, papahanap mo sa akin yung fiance mo? Paano ka nag-engage if di mo kilala ang fiance mo." she exclaimed.

"Why? Gawa kasi when I am no longer belong in La Luna's Heir ay bigla na lang binigay sa akin ito ni Mommy at sinabi niya na this ring is the sign na pumirma siya ng contract na ang ibig sabihin ay she signed it to be a part of this influential company at kaya rin niya nais i-engage si Irene kay Ivan bakit?"

"Di mo ba nakita na si Ivan is the first born and the future heir of their business also me na isang La Luna at kayo na kadugo ko na future heirs rin ay nais niyang alisin sa daan dahil she want to take over the company pag namatay si Lolo at pag namatay si Lolo. . ."

". . . In that time, I am sure na wala sa listahan si Tito Alessandro, Ikaw at si Ulli gawa ang matitira nalang ay si Irene na siyang magiging future company holder ng company na pinaghirapan ng di naman niya kadugo."

Napatingin naman siya sa akin at parang di niya maintindihan ang sinabi ko at naguguluhan parin siya.

"I don't understand you?"

"Yes you will never understand me but if ever na mahanap niyo ang may-ari na katulad na singsing ito..." turo ko sa kaniya sa singsing na naka-display sa screen ng phone ko.

"I will help you para di matuloy ang mga engagement na naka-abang sa inyo also I will stop the mess what my Mother did . . ."

"One month to find the man who own the another pair of this ring klaro?"

Kunot noong tiningnan ako ni Alice at akamng magsasalita siya ay agad ko siyang inunahan.

"I need to break the engagement for all of us, kung kaya bago ang engagement niyo ay dapat makita niyo ang kapareha nito..."

#

Vielyxx

Chapter 38: Evelyn, Part 4
Though I constantly looked over my shoulder, oddly enough, uneventful days passed until finally, the day of the wedding arrived. I spent the entire morning and some of the afternoon getting everything ready. Alice spent the two hours before she had to walk down the aisle dressing, which consumed most of mine and Marian's time helping her. Marian did most of her makeup while Alice did the final touches. When her cheeks had that desired red hue to create just what she wanted, Marian left the room, slightly frustrated after her part in that long process was done. I made up her hair, elegantly pinned up to show off her soft, swan-like features. I placed her modest veil on her head after helping her into her dress, and then I stepped back and took a deep breath to admire what a beautiful woman stood before me.
From behind, her dress formed a V-shape under her shoulder blades, and from the pointed tip, fabric covered buttons lined down the rest of her back ending just before her tailbone. A few more lined along her cream-colored gloves that stopped at her wrists. Her gown streamed gracefully behind her. I already knew this, but my brother certainly chose well. Alice seemed pleased with her reflection as she checked over her appearance. When she’d had her fill, she stepped next to me and looked out the window at the distant ceremony setup. With the sun bouncing off her pale skin, making her glow, I was stunned a second time. She looked like a bride who'd stepped out of a painting.
I pulled myself away to clean up some things so I could go get myself ready for the ceremony next. “Are you ready then?” I asked her.
“I certainly am,” she said. I could hear the smile in her voice.
Lavender was Alice's choice for her bridesmaid colors, and a different style was allowed for each one of the gowns, as long as the same shade and fabric were kept. I loved my dress with its open back and elegant long length, finished with matching classic high heels that I bought together with the rest of the bridesmaids. Besides myself, there was only one other bridesmaid whose dress hung down to her ankles, sari styled. Everyone else’s was right at the knee, or just above in a way that still looked classy.
I skillfully wrapped and pinned my hair in a braid around my head so it wouldn't tangle with the lavender jade teardrop earrings I wore. Then off I went with some of the other bridesmaids in one of the golf carts we rented to get to the ceremony from the house without ruining all of our hard work. Alice was to come shortly after by way of our much faster and larger utility vehicles, now massively over-decorated with flowers. When we arrived, I turned back expectantly to see Alice right behind us, but she was still back at the house. As we waited, I started to worry, and just when I was about to hop back in to go see what was keeping her, she was on her way with the others, including Marian. Relieved, I signaled for the musicians to begin playing and, with only a fleeting thought of what the delay was about, I turned to prepare the way down the aisle.
Eyes were on me as I walked down the aisle with one of William's college friends who looked strapping in his suit. I felt self-conscious about a slight wrinkle I noticed in my dress down my right side and did what I could to hide it behind my arm. William beamed just ahead, looking radiant as could be. Behind me was Alice's uncle who had striking blond hair, with Marian on his arm. She looked lovely in her square scoop neck dress, with a string wrapped around her middle and tied off on the side. She wore her hair down as she usually did, and leaving it natural looked more beautiful on her. After the last bridesmaid had joined us, the music changed, and Alice appeared next to her grandfather.
Everyone sitting stood, and arm in arm, Alice and her grandfather walked toward us. Her gleaming vintage inspired white silk gown made her look like a mythical queen you could only imagine because such beauty surely didn’t truly exist. At her middle, she held her brooch bouquet. Where she gripped was wrapped in satin with sheer but shimmering ribbon crisscrossed over it, and pinned white water pearls decorated the middle of each diamond shape. Following from her gloves and up her bare arm, her sleeves stopped short at an angle, and further still she wore a loving smile across her face. Her elegant form glided down the aisle until it graced us with her presence, and when she turned away from me after handing over the carefully made bouquet, I felt relieved that we'd made it and I didn't mess anything up.
Alice looked absolutely perfect. William stood in awe, and a euphoric glow spread out from his eyes and consumed him. Tears swelled in my eyes from the sight of them together. After marking forever with their vows and sealing them with a kiss, everyone clapped and many showered flower petals and rice at the happy couple, cheering gleefully. While I watched the happy couple run away up the aisle together, I thought about whether I would be marking a slightly different sort of forever with Delling anytime soon and found myself blushing. I looked down at my hands still holding the bouquet, and I admired the mostly familiar brooches intricately placed from when I aided Alice in the early stages of the making of it. I was thankful for the crowded chaos as I waited for my cheeks to cool, but Marian happened to glance my way and nudged me teasingly.
Hugs and congratulations ensued thereafter as everyone slowly moved over to the large reception tent. Soon after we started welcoming more guests to celebrate. The tent was decorated with string lights already illuminated and they cascaded down the sides like a sparkling waterfall, creating a magical hue around the place as the sun went down. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and drinks, and the atmosphere was filled with laughter and busy voices. After my toast as the Maid of Honor, Marian and I played our highly anticipated musical piece, which apparently overwhelmed everyone with such emotion that we received compliments on it throughout the evening long after it was done. William and Alice thanked us profusely. Alice especially loved it, which is all we wanted. Then all the guests, including the wedding party, picked up their own paper lanterns that were clustered around all of the tables. After they had been lit, we set them off into the sky. The sight was beautiful as they floated up and up, holding each person's written wish securely attached.
After William and Alice had their first dance, the band went on from there. It was a Celtic band that William specifically asked for, and their music was so bewitching that even if I could have resisted the lure of it, others didn't, and I was soon pulled out onto the dance floor. In no time at all, everyone was weaving in and out in planned and chaotic dances. It was like a Celtic festival outside of our house for most of the evening.
I twirled from one person to the next on the dance floor. I passed my brother, Alice, and Marian a few times as everything spun. As I was being swung this way and that, and jumping up and down laughing to the upbeat music, I twirled into a pair of arms that wrapped around my waist and felt different from the others. At the end of the twirl, Delling was inches from my face. I gasped, darting my eyes around to see if anyone noticed us. No one did, and I relaxed a bit, continuing to dance to keep it that way. Delling beamed at me, and he skillfully maneuvered around the crowd without slowing down. I was having so much fun that I lost myself in it and tripped over someone as my hand slipped out of Delling's and he lost his grip on me completely.
"I'm sorry, dear! Did you hurt yourself?" a middle-aged woman asked, while annoyingly patting my shoulder. I didn't have time for pleasantries or introductions.
"No. I'm fine, thanks," I said and scrambled away to rejoin Delling. I looked everywhere, but he was gone. Suddenly feeling my legs screaming for a dance break, I carefully walked off the floor. I headed towards the golf carts, figuring I'd go to the house to get away from the noise for a while or maybe scope out the trees to find Delling, but each was already taken. Even our utility vehicle was occupied. Instead, I took off my heels to carry with me and resolved to a lonely walk to visit with the horses. The familiar scent of the stables reached my nose long before I reached them, but when I arrived, the calming atmosphere instantly engulfed me.
Bethany bobbed her head and briefly settled it over the stable fence as her customary "Hello." I gave her a small nod in response, and I caressed her face before she hastily moved away. Too many thoughts occupied my attention to open up to her as I usually did during my visits. Why was Delling at the reception? Where did he go? Bethany's widened eyes seemed to say, "Don't worry," and the corners of my lips curled up. She was always a gentle mare.

As a professional pianist, it is only in music that Evelyn Bell allows herself to let go of reality. After the loss of her parents, Evey struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder and remains fixated on an echo of the past—until her life is turned upside down once more. Trapped within a vision, she locks eyes with a mysterious young man. Without answers, time literally stops around her.

Ailis is a woman of the Celts, the daughter of a chief. She must protect her people from invaders. When she loses her brother it is only the beginning. With help from other clans, she tries to keep her father’s alliance alive long enough to save them all. Will Ailis be able to protect her people against all odds?

Evey and Ailis will fight for their freedom and embark on a journey through memories and strife where they must learn to embrace their true destiny.

A Bell Sound Everlasting is created by J.Z.N. McCauley, an eGlobal Creative Publishing Signed Author.

SYD WALTON
Point of View
Umaga pa lang ay busy na kami ni Ram sa pag-prepare ng party. Lahat ng mga bagay ay binusisi ko muna dahil ayaw kong pumalpak ang gabing ito. I have a big plan, kaya dapat maiayos ko ang lahat. Umuwi lang ako sa bahay para mag-palit at sunduin si Laura.
Ako na ang pumili ng susuotin niyang damit. Pinatawag ko din ang hairstylish at make-up artist na nag-ayos sa kanya noong kasal. Habang tinititigan ko itong ayusin, hindi mawala sa isip ko ang kasiyahan. Napa swerte ko dahil napaka-ganda ng asawa ko. Siguro ay maglalaway sa kanya lahat mamaya sa party. Kahit buntis ay kitang-kita pa din kung gaano kaganda ang hubog ng katawan nito. Kita niya sa salamin kung gaano ko na siya katagal tinititigan kaya naman niloko ako nito habang inaayusan.
"Baka matunaw na ko niyan!" ngiting pabirong sabi ni Laura sa akin.
"Parang ayaw na kitang isama sa party. Baka maagaw ka pa ng iba," biro kong sabi.
"Pabor sa akin yan, alam mo naman ayoko pumunta sa mga ganyan occassion. Mapilit ka lang kasi," pakindat na sabi nito.
"No, no, no! You should be there."
Natigil lang ang pag-uusap namin ng tumingin at magsalita sa akin ang nag-aayos kay Laura.
"Mr. Walton, you can wait your bride outside! Charot!" ngising sabi ng nag-aayos ng buhok kay Laura.
"Oo nga mare! Napaka-sweet nitong dalawa. Nilalanggam na nga ako eh."
Napangisi si Laura sa mga biro ng mga ito. Napapangiti na din ako kapag nakita siyang masaya.
"Mr. Walton, narinig niyo ba ako? Mag-bibihis na si Mrs. Walton kaya sa labas na kayo mag-hintay!" 
Kahit naiinis ako sa mga pagbibiro ng mga ito ay hindi ko na sila pinansin lalo na at tinitigan pa ako ng matalim ni Laura. Gaya ng sabi nila ay nag-hintay mag-hintay ako, kaya minabuti ko na sa sala na maghintay. Kung ano-ano pumapasok sa isip ko, kung gaano kaganda ang asawa ko. Kung gaano kabagay sa kanya ang damit na binili ko. Siniisip ko pa lang na masisilayan ng ibang lalake ang ganda ni Laura ay nag ngingit-ngit na ako sa selos.
Narinig ko ang mga footstep pababa ng hagdan, nang mapalingon ako ay namangha ako sa nakita ko. Feeling ko araw-araw mas gumaganda ang asawa ko. Halos matunaw ang puso ko ng makita ito. Suot ang off-shoulder maternity dress nito ay mas nangibabaw kung gaano ito kaganda. Naka flat shoes ito para safe at comfortable siya sa pag-lalakad. Ang buhok nito ay flat waves style na bumagay sa maliit nitong mukha.
Habang papalapit ito ay di ko maitanggi na mas lalo akong na-iinlove.
"Ready?" tanong ko sa kanya sabay kuha ng kamay nito upang iipit sa braso ko.
"Yes!" ngiting sabi nito.
"Just stick with me, okay? Ayokong pag-pantasyahan ka ng ibang lalaki." malamig na sabi ko pero pabiro.
"Ikaw pumili ng suot ko tapos mag-rereklamo ka!" pairap na sabi nito sa akin. "At saka sa private room lang naman ako, 'di ba? Bakit pinag-suot mo pa ko ng ganitong gown?"
"Alangan naman naka formal attire ako, then ikaw nakapambahay?! Ofcourse may mga ilan na mga staff ang makakakita sa atin, kaya dapat naka-ayos ka din." palusot kong sabi sa kanya.
Ingat na ingat ako dahil ayoko mawala ang thrill at excitement sa aking big surprise. I hope hindi ako nito hiwalayan sa gagawin ko.

LAURA WEN- WALTON
Point of View
Tinuturuan ko si Amanda sa study room ng tawagin ako ni Yaya Nida. Napaisip pa ako kung bakit ako nito tinatawag dahil wala naman kaming agenda o kung anu man. Nag-paalam ako sandali kay Amanda upang puntahan si Yaya Nida.
"Maam Laura!" kinikilig na bungad sa akin ni Yaya. 
Kahit matanda na ay parang teenager pa din itong umasal. Natawa ako kung paano ko nakita ang reaskiyon nito.
"Ano ba yun Yaya?" tanong ko. "May kailangan o sasabihin ba kayo sa 'kin?"
"May surprise po sa inyo si Sir Syd." Sabi nito sabay turo sa lamesa.
Na-curious ako sa malaking kahon sa ibabaw ng lamesa. Kahit may pag-tataka ay lumapit ako doon upang usisain ang laman non.
"Yaya, ano bang laman nito?" taka kong tanong kay Yaya habang inaanga ang takip ng kahon.
"Tignan mo na lang Maa!" kinikilig na tugon pa din nito.
Nanlaki ang mata ko. Kinuha ko ang laman at itinaas iyon. Isang maternity gown. Napa-wow pa ako sa ganda nito. Binalik ko ang tingin ko sa kahon at nandoon ang isang pares ng flat shoes na bagay sa damit na ito. Kinuha ko ang note na nakasulat doon at binasa.
"Wear this! I love you." 
Hindi ako magkakamali dahil sulat ni Syd iyon. Siguro kaya kinikilig si Yaya ay nakita niya ang laman ng kahon. Nakangiti kong binaling ang tingin kay Yaya Nida.
"Kaya ba kinikilig ka diyan dahil dito?" natatawa kong sabi.
"Nakaka-inggit ka talaga Maam. Pag-dating sa'yo napaka-effort talaga ni Sir Syd. Ang sweet-sweet Maam. Dapat noon pa pala dapat kayo nakilala ni Sir, malamang hindi ko na na-experience ang kasungitan non." kaswal na sabi ni Yaya."
"Nambola ka pa Yaya," masiglang sabi ko. "Paki-akyat niyo na po ito sa kwarto at babalikan ko lang si Amanda sa study room.
"Opo Maam!" pag-tugon nito sa akin ay kinuha na nito ang kahon sa lamesa at inakyat sa taas.
Hindi ko mapigilan ang kilig na nararamdaman ko. Para akong nasa fairytale kung saan walang ibubuga ang mga disney princesses.
Ilang oras pa ay natapos na ang pag-aaral namin ni Amanda. Bago kami mag-hiwalay ay tinanong ko muna ito.
"Pupunta ba kayo ni Erl at Denise sa anniversary ng company?"
"Yes ate! Sabi ni kuya we need to attend. Ofcourse dahil part kami ng company."
"Okay!"
Pasado alas-singko ng dumating si Syd. Nagtaka pa ako dahil kasama niya ang hairstylish at make-up artist na nag-ayos sa akin nung kasal.
Sinalubong ko ng matamis na halik at ngiti si Syd ng makita ko ito.
"Sa party na tayo mag-didinner. Anyway kasama ko sila dito para ayusan ka."
"O sige."
"Aakyat na ko para makapag-prepare!" malambing na sabi nito. Pero pag baling ng tingin sa dalawang bakla ay malamig itong nag-salita, "Alam ko na maganda na ang asawa ko, pero 'wag niyo naman masyadong pagandahin at baka maagaw pa sa akin ng iba." 
Napahagikgik kami sa tawa. Kahit nagbibiro ito ay seryoso pa din.
Pagkatapos mag-shower ay niready na ako ng dalawang artist para ayusan ako. Patapos na nga kami ng biglang lumitaw si Syd sa likuran namin. Kita ko kung gaano katitig ito sa akin. Kaya naman pabiro ko itong kina-usap.
"Baka matunaw na ko niyan!" pabirong sabi ko kay Syd.
"Parang ayaw na kitang isama sa party. Baka maagaw ka pa ng iba," biro tugon nito sa akin.
"Pabor sa akin yan! Alam mo naman ayoko pumunta sa mga ganyan occassion. Mapilit ka lang kasi," pakindat na sabi ko.
"No, no, no! You should be there," kulit na sagot nito sa akin.
Nagtataka talaga ako kung bakit kailangan ko pa mag-gown at ayusan, dahil sa private room naman ako mag-sstay. Naiintindihan ko naman na gusto niya na maayos ako dahil may mga staff na makakakita sa amin pero parang ang OA naman ng ginagawa niyang pag-preprepare sa akin.
Natigil lang ang pag-uusap namin ng magsalita ang isang baklang nag-aayos sa akin.
"Mr. Walton, you can wait your bride outside! Charot!" ngising sabi ng nag-aayos ng buhok ko.
"Oo nga mare! Napaka-sweet nitong dalawa. Nilalanggam na nga ako eh."
Napangisi ako sa mga biro ng mga ito at mas nagalaw naman ang puso ko na napangiti din ito. Dati kasi ay napakahirap nitong patawanin, napaka-seryoso at hindi man lang nakikipag biruan, pero nag-iba na siya. Halos ipakita niya kung gaano siya ka-sweet sa akin kahit pa sa harapan ng ibang tao.
"Mr. Walton, narinig niyo ba ako? Mag-bibihis na si Mrs. Walton kaya sa labas na kayo mag-hintay!" muling sabi ng bakla. 
Kita ko naman ang pag-kadismaya sa mukha ni Syd. Well, tama nga naman ang mga ito dahil alangan naman panoorin ako ni Syd na magbihis.
Pag-katapos ko magbihis ay pinatingin ako sa salamin ng dalawa. Natutuwa ako dahil kahit buntis ako ay kita pa din ang ganda ng katawan ko sa biniling gown ni Syd. Habang pababa sa sala ay ninenerbiyos ako. Ewan ko ba naman! Mag-asawa na kami pero nahihiya pa din ako na baka mapuna nito ang suot o ayos ko.
Kahit anong suotin ni Syd ay napaka-gwapo at napaka-kisig nito. Dahil anaka flatshoes ako ay hanggang balikat lang ako nito. Namula pa ang pisngi ko ng kunin nito ang kamay ko at iipit sa kanyang braso.
Pag-labas namin ay nakasalubong pa namin si Erl na papunta na din sa party. Gusto nito sumabay pero ayaw ni Syd. Ewan ko kung bakit, pero hindi na ako kumontra. Pag-sakay sa kotse ay tinungo na namin ang venue.
Sa private door kami dumaan, kaya naman iilan staff lang ang nakakita sa amin. Napangiti pa ako dahil sa bulungan ng dalawang staff na nakasalubong namin.
"Ang ganda naman ni Mrs. Walton! Bagay na bagay sila ni Mr. Walton."
Dire-diretso kaming pumunta sa private room kung saan katabi noon ang Banquet Hall.

Sa banquet hall........
Mga sikat, kilala at makakapangyarihang tao ang mga invited sa Anniversary ng Walton Group of Company. Mapa prospect client o investor ay dumalo doon. Ang bawat mga tayo ay nagpapalakasan at nagyayabang sa kanilang mga suot. Beso doon, kamayan dito, yan ang makikita sa party. Masaya, maingay at puno ng galak habang hinihintay ang tycoon businessmnan na si Syd Walton.
Present na din sa party si Erl, Denise at Amanda.
ERL WALTON
Point of View
Ayaw ko sana umattend ng Anniversary Party kaya lang mapilit si kuya Syd, kesyo may announcement daw siya at kailangan nandoon kami. Pinaliwanag din sa akin nito na dpat ay umattend ako sa mga ganung party para makilala ang mga investor at staff ng company. Bukod pa doon ay para masanay daw ako makiharap sa mga big and famouse businessman.
Hindi naman ako aattend ng walang partner. Kaya naman naglakas ako ng loob na yayain si Alice. Buti na lang at pumayag ito, dahil kung hindi ay maboboring lang ako kakamay sa mga businessman na nakakakilala sa akin. Although hindi ko naman ito mga kilala.
Sinamahan ko si Alice na ibili ito ng damit. Pinaayusan ko din ito bago kami bumalik ng Villa. Oo, kasama ko na siya sa Villa pero nag-stay lang siya sa kotse. Kaya hindi na sila nagkita ni ate Laura. Inasar ko pa nga si kuya Syd na sasabay ako but I know hindi ito papayag.
Nang-matapos akong mag-iikot sa buong banquet hall para kamustahin ang mga kakilala ko at kamag-anak, nagkaroon kami ng time ni Alice na mag-kausap. Malapit kami sa stage pero nasa sulok kami, kaya kahit papano ay nagkaroon kami ng peace of mind dahil doon ay wala ng gaanong lumalapit sa akin.
"Sorry! Medyo na out-of-place ka!"
"Okay lang 'yun, kung hindi lang tayo magkaibigan malamang iniwan na kita mag-isa dito." ngising sabi nito.
Lumapit sa amin ang waiter at inalok kami ng wine.
Nag-enjoy kaming mag-kwentuhan at mag-kulitan ni Alice ng sumara na ang ilaw sa paligid at spot-light na lang ang nakikita namin.

ALICE GO
Point of View
Ano kaya ang pumasok sa isip ni Erl at ako pa ang-isasama nito sa party? Nasabi niya sa akin na Anniversary party ng kompanya nila. Nahihirapan tuloy ako mag-isip ng susuotin. Halos tatlong oras kong kinalkal ang drawer ko para lang makahanap ng matino at medyo classy na gown. Pasado alas-singko ng sunduin ako ni Erl sa dorm. Nagulat pa ako kung bakit ang aga nito, eh alas-siete pa ang party. Para sa akin. magandang opportunity na makipag mingle ako sa mga ganun event para soon na maging maganda ang takbo ng kompanya, madami akong maging prospect client.
Nagtataka ako ng huminto kami ni Erl sa isang boutique. Doon ay nakita ko ang iba't-ibang mamahalin at magagandang gown. Na-amaze ako at halos mapaiyak sa mga presyo noon.
"Maam, here's your gown!" nakangiting sabi ng saleslady.
"Ha? Pero Miss wala pa naman ako ino-order," pailang kong tanggi.
"Si Sir Erl po ang nag-order niyan para sa inyo." ngiting sabi ng babae.
"Para sa akin?" hindi makapaniwalang tanong ko sabay turo sa sarili ko.
"Opo!" 
Napatingin ako sa kina-uupuan ni Erl, naka-ngisi iyon at naka dekwatro pa. Sinunod ko na lang ang mga sinabi ng saleslady. Pagka-suot ko ng damit ay nagulat ako at hindi makapaniwala kung ako nga ba talaga ang nasa salamin. Hinatak pa ako ng saleslady sa isang upuan kung san naroon ang mga iba't-ibang brand ng make-up. Familiar ako sa mga 'yon dahil mahilig din ako mag-ayos.
Pagkatapos ko ayusan ay bumalik na ako sa kinauupuan ni Erl, kung saan napansin ko ang pagtitig nito mula ulo hanggang paa ko. Naasar ako sa reaksiyon nito.
"Panget ba?" pagalit kong tanong dito.
"No! You look so beautiful. Indeed!" tulalang sabi nito habang titig na titig sa akin.
"O siya, tara na!" Kinuha ko ito at kinaladkad palabas dahil nahihiya na ako sa mga tao sa loob ng boutique.
Malapit lang ang venue at nakaka-windang ang mga taong nakakasalamuha at nakakasalubong namin. Makikita mo talaga na mayayaman talaga ang mga ito. Siguro ay mga milyonaryo at bilyonaryo.
Bawat table at sulok ng banquet hall ay napapahinto kami dahil sa dami ng bumabati kay Erl. Medyo na-oop ako pero keri lang. Nginingitian ko ang mga ito.
Masaya naman ako at kinikilig habang pinapakilala ni Erl.
Napahinga lang ang panga ko sa pagngiti ng pumwesto na kami sa table. Doon nag-enjoy kami mag kwentuhan at uminom ng wine. 
Napalagok pa ako dahil nag dilim ang buong paligid. Napakaganda ng ilaw na nakatutok sa stage na siyang kumuha ng atensiyon ko at pasimula na ang event.

DENISE WALTON
Point of View
Pag-pasok ko pa lang sa entrance ay nag-iba na ang pakiramdam ko. Habang papunta sa table namin nila Erl at Amanda ay nararamdaman ko na may nakatitig sa akin. Binalewala ko iyon at naisip na baka dala lang ito ng pag-bubuntis ko.
Sa table ay nandoon si Amanda hawak ang cellphone, si Erl naman ay ka-kwentuhan si Alice. Nilibot ko ang tingin ko sa paligid ng makita ang mga ilan sa mga kaibigan ko. Isa-isa kong pinuntahan ang mga 'yon. Nakilala ko ang mga ito dahil na din kay Clark noong nasa kompanya pa ito.
Masaya ako na kahit papano ay nawala ang buryong at kaba ko. Bago ako bumalik sa table ay nag banyo muna ako, para pag nag-simula na ang event, 'di ko na kailangan umalis.
Habang papunta sa restroom ay nakaramdam ako ng pag-taas ng balahibo. Parang may sumusunod sa akin. Kaya naman napalingon ako sa likuran ko at nakita ko nga ang isang lalaki. Namumukaan ko ito pero hindi ko malaman kung saan ko ito nakita. Habang papalapit ito sa akin ay napansin ko ang pagngiti nito at kakaibang pagtingin sa pagkatao ko.
"Long time no see, Denise!" papalapit na bati nito sa akin/
"Do I know you?" pagtataka kong tanong.
Napaatras ako nghaplusin nito ang braso ko.
"Sino ka ba?!" pagalit na sabi ko.
"Hindi mo na ba ako natatandaan o nagmamang-maangan ka lang? It's been 2 mons." ngising sabi nito.
Bumalik sa alala-alala ko ang gabing iyon. Tama! Siya yung lalaking naaninagan ko na humalay sa akin.
"Hindi, hindi maari ito!" Pasulong kong lakad pabalik sa venue. Pero naramdaman ko ang kamay nito na pumigil sa braso ko. 
Idinikit niya ako sa katawan niya at hinalikan ako sa leeg bago bitawan. Ayoko mag-eskandalo at baka may makakita sa amin. Kaya naman pabulong ko lang itong kinausap na puno ng pagkapoot at galit.
"Hayop ka! Hayop kayo ng mga kaibigan mo."
"Chill! Ako lang naman ang gumalaw sa'yo eh!" pangising sabi nito.
"Hayop!!!"
Pagkatapos ko magsalita ay patakbo akong bumalik sa table. Mabuti na lang at namatay ang ilaw sa paligid dahil walang makakapansin sa pagkabalisa at pamumutla ko dahil sa takot at galit sa lalaking iyon. Pilit kong kinalma ang sarili ko paupo sa table habang nakakuyom sa mga palad ko. "Siya! Siya ang ama ng dinadala ko!" sabi ko sa sarili ko.

A multi-billionaire cold hearted CEO. Siya ang klase ng lalaking hindi lubusang maisip na  magmamahal ng isang ordinaryong babae. Isang babaeng mamahalin niya na handang ibigay ang lahat makuha lamang ang pagmamahal na inaasam. 

Dahil sa karanasan at pinagdaanan sa buhay ni Laura, naging matigas ang kanyang puso sa mga taong nakapaligid sa kanya. Siya ang klase ng babae na handang maging bato ‘wag lamang muling masaktan. 

Tunghayan natin ang isang tapat, wagas at walang hanggang pagmamahal ni Syd para kay Laura. Matututunan kaya ni Laura na buksan ang kanyang puso at mahalin si Syd? Hanggang saan nga ba aabot ang pagsusumikap nilang makamtan ang pagmamahal ng bawat isa.

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