A Happily Ever After

Chapter Thirteen

Tinitigan muna kami ng matanda. Isa isa niya kaming tinignan, na para 'bang kaya niya rin makita kahit ang pinaka-kaluluwa namin. Bago siya tumango muli at naglakad papalapit sa amin.

I was expecting na si Stefan ang una niyang harapin, dahil siya lang ang walang malay sa amin. Pero naglakad siya dirediretsyo kay Castillo.

"Hija," tawag pa niya. "Hingang malalim."

Castillo takes in a shaky and shallow breath, before the old lady puts her entire palm on her forehead. At first, nothing happened, until Castillo's eyes slowly shut down. She also gives up on her body weight and stumbles on Jonah.

"You put her to sleep?!" Jonah panics as she struggles with Castillo's body. Buti nalang ay mabilis na kumilos si Christopher at inalalayan agad si Castillo na maka-upo at maka-sandal sa isang puno.

"Your friend was having sensory overload," sabi ng matanda. "That what happens when you can see too much, when you can hear too much... When you can feel too much."

"I can hear them. I can feel them,"

"They're coming, I can sense them from the next street. Susunod na sila dito."

"His heartbeat." Biglang sabi sa akin ni Castillo. Napa-upo din siya sa tabi ko habang nanginginig. "Rosales I am barely hearing his heartbeat."

That makes so much sense. Kaya ba para 'bang may nakikita at nararamdaman si Castillo na hindi naman namin nakikita?

Is it because she has Enhanced Senses?

Tumungo naman ang matanda kay Stefan na ngayon ay hiniga na nila. Nilagay ng matanda ang kanyang kamay sa bahagi ng ulo ni Stefan. Pumikit ito at kumuha nang malalim na hininga at nagsimulang bumulong ng ilang katagang hindi ko marinig nang maayos.

"It feels like she's calling out to someone," bulong sa akin ni Liam. Parehas namin na pinagmamasdan ang matanda. "Like.. to a god, maybe?"

All of a sudden, on the sides of my head, I feel a little jab of pain. My hands are both tightly clasped, and strange lines of warmth flow from my palms to the curve of my shoulder. Surprisingly, for some reason, the warmth comforts me. It's strange, of course, to experience such sensitivity, but I don't think there's any need to be concerned. It's just warm, soothing, and somehow familiar.

The old lady finishes her prayer. Nothing happened at first, and the four of us remained still as a rock and waited for something to happen.

Until, Stefan takes a deep breath, and opens his eyes.

Agad akong lumuhod sa tabi niya. I place my hand on his cheek and call out to him. "Hey, Stefan.."

Stefan's eyes slowly flutter open. Relief washes over me as I place my other hand on his cheek. "Stefan..We're here. And you're okay."

Stefan blinks again, leaning towards my palm, which is stroking his cheeks. His brows furrow like he's fighting a nasty headache before finally opening his eyes to greet mine.

"Jessa," he calls out. I let out a soft laugh and finally grabbed his hand to squeeze it. I saw the small curve on his lips, he's attempting to smile back.

"I thought I'm losing you," I said. Tears once again fill my eyes. Sobs of relief attempts to break free from my throat. "I thought I'm losing you."

Stefan didn't respond, instead staring at me with his dark eyes. However, the slight smile on his face did not fade as he continued to lean into my hand across his cheeks. His reaction to my physical touch caused an eruption of butterflies in my stomach, causing my cheeks and ears to heat