Mnasthai (The Order #1)

Chapter Seventeen

The smile on Jakob's lips faded. He removed his hand from my cheek and lifted it to his glowing eye. I wasn't just imagining it. His eye, the one with the small brown dot underneath, was illuminating a bright light. Kahit nang ipikit niya 'yon ay hindi nawawala ang liwanag.

My hand was shaking as I brought it to his face. Tinanggal niya ang kanyang kamay at hinayaan akong hawakan siya. He closed his eyes when I brushed his eye with my thumb. There's a strange energy humming against the pad of my thumb. Inalis ko ang kamay ko nang wala nang naramdaman na kung ano mula roon.

Jakob opened his eyes again. There. His eyes were back to its normal color. I wasn't glowing anymore. Umuwang ang labi niya nang makita ang mukha ko. It's like he saw me for the very first time. He looked stunned.

"I can see you." He lifted his hand back to my cheek again. His eyes were wide with amazement. "I can really see you."

"What?"

Umiling si Jakob. Lumaki ang ngiti niya. "It's like I can see your soul."

My heart throbbed like it's been crushed inside a fist. "You can see me?"

"Yes. I can see you. I see you, Fabienne." Maya-maya ay nawala ang ngiti niya. Doubt clouded his eyes. Binitawan niya na ang payong na sumasalag ng ulan para sa aming dalawa para hawakan ang magkabilang pisngi ko. "I don't understand. Is this for real or am I dreaming again?"

"Is it really you?" he asked again.

Nanlabo ang mga mata ko. Tears started to flow down my face. I couldn't move my lips so I just nodded. Jakob inhaled sharply. His hand guided my face to his chest before wrapping his arms around my back.

It's like the weight on my shoulders had been lifted and all of a sudden, I don't feel so alone anymore.

"How did this happen? Where's Kinsley?" he asked. His chest was vibrating against my face when he spoke.

I shook my head. "I don't know," I whimpered and lifted my face from his chest. His eyes were soft and calming as it bore down on me. "Jakob... I-I'm..."

"What is it?" He cupped the side of my head and wiped underneath my eye.

"I didn't die, Jakob. I-I saw my body." Tears began to blur my vision again. "I'm still alive." My eyes closed when a raindrop fell on my eye.

Binuksan ko ang mga mata na ipikit ko panandalian para makasigurado na totoo ang nakikita ko. The steady beeping of the vital sign monitor seemed to loud at a painfully quiet room.

My breathing ragged. The slow beating of my heart dominated the beeping of the monitor in my ears. It was all I could hear as I stared at the pale body lying still on the bed.

"Is that..."

"That's Fabienne. My granddaughter," Granddad finished for me. "She fortunately survived from the fall and she's physically healed but... she's never woken up."

My trembling lips parted. I can't look away from my body. My own body.

I'm still alive. Buhay pa ako at hindi patay kagaya nang buong akala ko. The very proof that I'm not yet dead is right in front of me.

"T-Then why..."

"Just like you, we believe that it wasn't an accident or a suicide. We know for a fact that somebody tried to kill her based on the signs of struggle that we found. We made the public believe otherwise because we want the killer to believe that he or she is safe," one of my grandfather's security personnel explained.

I continued staring at my face. My eyes were unblinking. I was afraid that my body will disappear if I blink even just for a millisecond.

"Did you find out who did this?" my voice came out as a whisper.