The Empress

Riley Fujiwara {13}

"Ikaw! Meron kang ganang kalabanin kami, first day mo palang sa school nagsisimula ka na ng gulo." Sabi ng isa sakanila na parang pati container ata ng makeup kinain na yata.

"You can throw knives at me, but I can't?" I pouted when they yelled at me. My eyes searched for Ivan's figure since he was the only who can stop this hypocrite group. Then I sauntered to where he was.

"Ivan, Ivan." I called. He looked at my direction and smiled so I smiled back.

"Izeiah?"

I pointed at the group, the Aphrodites.

"They keep bullying me." I complained

He just sighed and looked at them.

"Clarisse, keep your hooves off of Izeiah." he said and then looked at me. I beamed at him.

Ivan pats my head.

"How will you thank me, silly Izeiah?"

I'm not silly.

Narrator's Pov

It was already lunch when they came out of the gymnasium. Riley who Izeiah got separated with, united with her

And currently she's talking nonstop.

"Uy, Salamat nga pala dahil tinulungan mo ako sa nakaraang araw." Sabi nito. Tapos pinakita niya pa ang bruises niya.

"I don't remember." Mahinang sagot naman ni Izeiah at nagpatuloy na naglalakad.

"Nevermind. Mahina talaga ang memory mo, noh?" Izeiah chose to not answer and stopped infront of a vending machine containing drinks in it.

She grabbed P20 and the vending machine ate it. However, Riley soon found herself stopping Izeiah from breaking the machine into pieces. Because not only did it not give her the milk she wanted, the vending machine didn't even spit out her change!

"Izeiah, kalma. Ang impatient mo talaga. Kung sana meron kang patience, madami sana ang—— Izeiah, huwag mong bugbugin ang vending machine. Kawawa naman oh." Nappagod na si Riley sa kakapigil sa nagwawalang Izeiah.

Suddenly, a deep, cold voice spoke behind them.

"Go. Ako na ang magpapakalma." Sabi nito.

Sino pa nga ba? Si Ivan lang naman ang mabait kay Izeiah dito sa school eh.

Izeiah, at the moment, was getting ready to kick it when someone grabbed her waist from behind and pulled her to their embrace.

"Is Izeiah not behaving well?" Izeiah looked up to the person who held her. But she only saw his chin, so she had to tilt her head to the side.

"Ivan!" She beamed then not a second after, her eyes started to water.

"You know—— the vending machine ate my P20 it didn't— didn't give me my— my milk. And then my change— change." She sobbed and buried her face in Ivan's embrace.

He just sighed in helplessness.

'It's good you didn't change.' He suddenly thought as he looked down to Izeiah who was in his arms.

"Don't cry, now. I will take you to get your milk and chocolates from Izeiah's Treats." He coaxed.

Izeiah immediately stopped crying as if her eyes were like a switch. It could cry when it's turned on, but it could stop when it's turned off.

"Really? You're not lying?!" She happily asked. Ivan chuckled and nodded his head.

"Yes, Silly."

Riley on the other hand, stood from the back and watched everything went down. She just silently left the scene while muttering to the wind.

"I thought she likes you, Mr. Ling."

She grinned.

What a liar.
—

"Zeah? Naparito ka nanaman?" Nagatatakang salubong ni James sa dalawa.

Then he saw Izeiah whose eyes are red from crying. Izeiah, on the other hand, sobbingly came to James' side and then looked up to him since she was shorter than James. .

"James, my——my milk——the vending machine—— I need chocolates." She said as she looked at him with her watery eyes threatening to spill more tears.

"At ang translation nito ay?" Tapos tumingin si James kay Ivan na walang emosyon nakatingin kay James.

"The vending machine bullied Izeiah and now she's come here to look for her lunch." He simply uttered and turned his attention back to Izeiah.

"Isn't that right, Izeiah?" He asked to the Izeiah who was now distracted because of the office she was currently in. She was rummaging everywhere, here and there. Almost nothing was spared from the destruction brought by her hands.

Then she suddenly stopped.

"Day 1- 26.  Day 2- 33. Day 3- 12." She muttered then blinked and blinked again. Then she turned to James who was standing at the side.

"James! You've received so many chocolates yet I haven't been given some." She complained then showed him the paper. James quickly took over the paper.

"Sabi ng ate mo na huwag ka daw kain ng kain. You will receive these in due time. Just wait." He said. A glint passing through his eyes.

"Promise?"

"Promise!"

"Hold on, there's another one. It says here that you were engaged——— you were engaged?!"

This time, James didn't wait for the paper to be read out loud by Izeiah because he quickly snatched it from her. But who was Izeiah?

Izeiah is the almighty chocolate queen who can remember anything she wants to be remembered (that's a big fat lie)

"You were engaged to my ate?!!! James, you were going to marry ate Hina?——— but why did you cancel? It says there that it's cancelled. That there's a better candidate? How is my ate not good?" She confusingly asked.

James just stared at Izeiah and chose to not answer.

Ivan on the other hand spoke:

"Izeiah, I thought you wanted chocoloates?"

Then as if it was magic, she quickly dropped the subject and skipped towards the counter. While Ivan only took a glance at James who crumpled the paper while smiling.

"Ivan, look after her more carefully." He grinned at him then told the counter to give whatever the little lady asked for.

Ivan didn't answer, instead he just followed Izeiah after hearing what James have got to say.

'Power is too attractive.' He thought.