Blood Queen

Chapter 1

Maine heaved a long sigh as they enter the building. Her classmates entered the glass door one by one, giggling and muttering. They held their expensive, wide-screened phones, cameras with lens that are as long as hands and some more unnecessary accessories.

Maine didn't have those things. Not after her father got sick in the province. Not after their farm had been devastated with the recent storm. But she never wanted to have those, either. She didn't need expensive phones just to surf the internet or explore social media. She didn't need those humongous cameras where she could browse the school library. After all, she didn't want to lose her scholarship.

The only thing that Maine brought was her sling bag that very well kept her notebook and pen.

Mr. Ramos, their balding, old professor, stopped just as all enter the building. He adjusted his eyeglasses and cleared his throat. Everyone stopped.

"I just want to remind you again," he said, emphasizing the word "again", "that this is not our property. We are just visiting it for educational and business purpose. Kung mayroon kayong nasira o nabasag na kahit ano dito, hindi ko na 'yon problema. Okay?"

The students nodded. A hand poked Maine's arm. She turned and saw her friend, Macy, batting her long eyelashes. "Ilang ulit na bang sinabi 'yan ni sir?" she whispered.

Maine glanced at Mr. Ramos, assuring he didn't heard Macy. "Ssh, ano ba baka marining ka ni sir."

"I wish I can make a company like this when I graduated," said Macy as they tour the building. Macy was right. The B&R Company was immense both financially and also their quality. Their products, which are based on chocolates and candies, were exported globally. That is why this year's business management's field trip is in the company's headquarters.

Maine looked at her best friend. Her deep, brown eyes observing the hallway, her thin lips shining in glossy lipstick. The curls of her long hair bouncing as she walk. Macy May Santos was rich. But she isn't arrogant and picky unlike Maine's classmates. She didn't care if Maine came from a province or that she was a scholar. She just wanted to be friend with her.

They walked around the building for at least an hour. Mr. Ramos explained every thing that they encountered: offices, sections of the company, the employees. He lectured how the company worked in the headquarters, how business plays in this building.

Everyone jotted down the important things that Mr. Ramos had said. Maine's fingers stiffed as she wrote through her notebook, catching Mr. Ramos. Beside her, Macy pressed and tapped her fingers in her phone. While the others just recorded Mr. Ramos.

They reach the tenth floor of the building to meet the CEO of B&R Company. Mr. Ramos introduced his students to him. The CEO just gave a few words of humbleness to them and he immediately walked away as he had meetings to attend.

Something buzzed in the pockets of Maine. It was her phone. She dig it up and saw that her father is calling her. She can't answer him there where everyone was talking loudly. Also, she was itching to urinate. So she gathered some confidence and raised her hand. At first, no one noticed her.

"Excuse me sir," Maine intended her voice to be loud. Mr. Ramos raised his eyebrow. "Yes, Ms. Mendoza?"

"Uhm, if you mind, can I go to C.R.?" Her phone still vibrated on her hands. She held it tightly.

"Okay. Be quick, we're going to leave soon."

Maine immediately walked away from the crowd to search for a comfort room. She walked a several hallways and found one. Relief flushed through her veins.

She went to an empty cubicle. She pressed a button on her phone and leaned it against her ear. "Hello Pa?"

"Anak," her father said in a deep voice. "Natanggap mo na ba yung ipinadala kong pera?"

"Opo pa. Sana hindi ka na lang nagpadala, eh mas kailangan niyo po 'yun. May gamot ka pa ba?"

"Ano ka ba anak. 'Wag kang mag-alala. Marami pa akong nakastock na gamot dito at malusog na malusog na ako."

"Sus! Si Papa talaga."

"O sige na, itext mo 'ko kung tapos na'yung field trip niyo. Ingat."

"Ingat."

Just as the line went off, a loud bang landed on the door. It continued. The cubicle's walls shook so hard that the roll of tissue paper plastered in the wall fell to the wet floor . Maine's heart started to thump loudly against her chest.

"Sino yan? May gumagamit pa po," Maine said as calm as she can. But the pounding didn't stop. Bracing herself, she opened the door to mock whoever pounded the door but Maine's words trailed off as she saw the man standing in front of her.

He was tall, broad and pale as milk. So pale and unnatural she could have swear he was like blending with the white tiles. His eyes--piercing her in an unpleasing manner--were deep and red, like blood. She couldn't hold her disbelief as she looked at his smiling, gaping mouth that contains near perfect teeth. But there are two sharp fangs displaying.

Fangs.

"Maine," the fanged man said, his voice too deep, too sharp. Main could only looked at those fangs. Did he actually said her name? Did he knew her?

She blinked twice. Then thrice. She couldn't fathom the scene happening before her. There are three of them and they are surrounding her. Trapping her. With shaking hands, she closed the door again and locked it.

One of the fanged men climbed the door. The man's long and knife-like nails scraped the door. Maine screamed, hoping someone can hear and help her. She grabbed her sling bag and hammered it to the man. But it was no use. The man only smiled, displaying all his teeth and fangs at once. He almost made it inside when an arrow hit his chest. The man dispersed into ashes. Literal ashes.

Maine couldn't believe what she saw. Was she dreaming? She hoped so.

The door in front of Maine completely fell off the tiled floor. A fairly muscular man with a ripped jeans and black hood punched one of the fanged men. The other one tried to scratch him but he was welcomed with a hard blow in his stomach. In a blink of an eye, the black-hooded man held his bow and blew an arrow straight to the man's head. Instead of blood, ashes replaced the body right away.

Maine swallowed the lump in her throat. She felt as if she might fell to deep well. The last fanged man staggered as he received another punched in the face. He growls, more like an animal sound, and swipes the dripping blood from his lips.

Maine's body froze even more when she looked into the mirror. She could see her reflection. But the problem was, only hers. There were none of the hooded man or the remaining fanged man.

Goosebumps appeared in her bare arms. She should get there out. The hooded man aimed his bow, and just like that the arrow pierced through the man's chest, turning him into gray, fine ashes.

For a moment, the room was silent. The hooded man' blue eyes stare right into Maine's. He clenched his jaw, displaying dimples. His lips were fine and natural, unlike the ones of the fanged men. He saved him. She must thank him. But Maine was too confused, too scared, too preocuppied to do that.

She grabbed the sling bag with shaking hands and staggered out of that comfort room, leaving the black-hooded man and the carnage she'd witnessed.