The Sun's Vessel (Deities in Town, #1)

Chapter 2 : The Ominous Incident

Three days had passed yet Eliane still could not decide if that was just a dream, a hallucination . . . or a part of reality. Hindi niya rin alam kung papaano siya nakarating sa apartment niya. Ang huli niyang pagkakaalala ay nawalan siya ng malay pero ang sabi ni Aldrin, ang part-time worker na kasunod niya ng shift, ay naabutan pa nito si Eliane at maayos na nakapagpalit ng shift.

Tinanong niya rin kung kumusta ang kalagayan ng lalaking nasaksak sa labas ng store pero ang sabi nito ay wala namang nangyaring ganoon. They even checked the CCTV, but she was just alone during that time.

But everything felt so real, she thought. She was sure she did not meet Adrian that night, and the guy who mugged a customer was burned to a crisp, but the CCTV showed her otherwise.

Hindi siya makapag-focus sa klase dahil doon. Idagdag pa na halos wala siyang tulog kaya naman wala talagang kahit anong pumapasok sa isip niya.

Papunta pa lang siya sa library nang ma-receive niya ang text ni Cyrell.

Sa'n ka? Tara, kape tayo ngayon.

To get the disturbing thoughts off her mind, she decided to drink coffee with her. Eliane met with Cyrell at the café near their university. The barista greeted them with a smile. He already knew them because they would always stay for hours, talking about history and other things college students don't have any interest in.

Nang makarating siya sa coffee shop ay agad niyang in-order ang usual niyang iniinom at kinakain. Habang naghihintay sa kasama ay binuksan niya ang laptop at nagbakasakaling makapag-edit ng thesis. After a few minutes, Cyrell came but she looked troubled.

"Cy!" tawag niya habang nakataas ang kamay. "Dito!"

Cyrell marched toward her direction. Inilagay ng kaibigan niya ang gamit nito sa lamesa pero patuloy pa rin itong tumitingin sa paligid.

"Bakit?" asked Eliane.

Cyrell forced a smile. "W-wala."

Her friend ordered at the counter and stood there until her food and beverage were ready. Bumalik ito sa lamesa nila at inilabas din ang laptop niya.

Eliane had always viewed Cyrell as an enigma. She had that blank expression and cold demeanor, which made her hard to approach. She also would not initiate a conversation unless that person was a close friend or it was needed. But what made her drawn to Cyrell was her vast knowledge about things in the past. Sometimes, she would think her friend was someone who lived throughout different centuries but later learned that it was due to her family's affiliations.

Nang malaman niyang galing si Cyrell sa pamilya ng archeologists at historians ay tumaas ang tingin niya rito pero agad din iyong napawi dahil naniniwala rin ito sa maraming pamahiin.

Her family on the mother's side was also like that. She would be okay with it if it were just believing some superstitions, but they were followers of occult practices. They would always associate everything with the supernatural, and it came to a point where her mother told her that she needed to stay home for three months because something would happen if she did not.

Madalas nilang pag-awayan iyon hanggang sa napuno na ito. She left home and decided to study college in the city. Umuuwi na lang siya kapag bakasyon at minsan ay hindi sila nag-uusap dahil isinusumbat pa rin sa kanya ang paglalayas niya.

Umiling na lamang si Eliane at pilit tinanggal sa kanyang isipan ang imahe ng ina. Cyrell and she started writing and revising their own thesis manuscripts. Pareho na kasi silang graduating kaya naman ito na ang pinagkakaabalahan nila nitong mga nakaraang linggo. However, she couldn't help but get concerned at her friend's restlessness. Cyrell was not the type to get worked up easily, so she knew something was up.