Midnight Angels

Chapter 1

'Zia Muirgen Allison-Wen'

ZIA

As to how my uncles described it to me, they said that the day that I was born, the flowers bloomed. The trees danced, the wind breezed, the rivers flowed, the ocean rose, and the kingdoms celebrated. The angels blew their trumpets and even the gods celebrated my birth.

Just the birth of a child and everyone in the realm celebrated it.

I was greeted by smiles and the sweet sound of their voices. Uncle Joshua always told me that I was a baby full of smiles and giggles.

"Wash your hands a million times before you hold the baby." That was a memory that I could never forget. How Uncle Seth would scold everyone who touches me without his permission. I was held by a lot of uncles.

All of them called me 'baby', 'princess', 'our baby', 'cutie baby', baby zia' and 'baby xin'.

"Paano ba 'yan, Xy? Hindi na ikaw ang baby?" that was also one of the memories that I still remember. How Uncle Walter used to tease Kuya Xy but he would just smile and play with me, letting Uncle Walter's words pass by the second ear.

"He's still my baby." Mom had the sweetest voice. The prettiest voice like her pretty hair. Sa tuwing naaalala ko kung paano ko paglaruan ang buhok ni Mommy noon, I sometimes feel guilty of pulling it and then biting it.

Her hair just smelt nice and it was smooth. Like Dad's hair so I pull Dad's hair too. I also pull my uncle's hair and Kuya Xy's hair.

"Xin, siguro magiging basagulero 'tong si Zia." Back then I would just smile at Uncle Baxter's words. I always like Uncle Baxter's round face and Uncle Hoshi's squishy cheeks. They would play with me all day and night until I fall asleep on Uncle Matthew's lap.

And they said that I was a curious kid. That I asked a lot of questions. Questions like..

"Mommy? Why does Kuya.. Kuya Xy has horns?"

"Where are my horns, Mommy?"

"M-Mommy, why do I have four grandpas?"

"Dad, why does Tito Wo have a tail sometimes?"

"Mommy, am I a wolf?"

"Mommy, what is gay?"

"Mommy, what's a kiss?"

"Daddy, why do you bite Mommy? That's bad."

Mom and Dad would answer all my questions whether what kind of question it was. But out of all my questions, there was a certain question that I kept asking.

"Mommy, is something wrong with me?" I ask that all the time and Mom would look at me and smile and then she would hug me and kiss me and say that nothing is wrong with me.

But I know that something was wrong. Because there were episodes of attack.

My first attack was when I was three years old. Ang sabi nila, naglalaro lang daw kami ni Kuya Xy sa sala nang bigla nalang raw akong natumba at hindi na gumalaw. Dad immediately rushed to me as well as everyone else. I was immediately taken to a lab and when I woke up, Mom was crying.

Mom cried so hard in front of me that I cried too. Buong gabi na umiyak si mommy noon habang kausap siya nina Tito Seth. That night, Kuya Xy slept beside me. He said that he would protect me because I'm his baby princess.

"You knew the consequences, Xin. Your body is not pure flesh and blood. Your body was almost dead when it came to earth. What did you expect from the child?" I remember those words from that lady who talked to my mom that night.