Red Strings of Fate (Haunted Series 2)

Strings 45: His side (Part I/II)

I scanned the crowd for suspicious people as Scarlet sat at a table with her friends. I picked the seat where I could see her, the door, and the view outside, while Talia ordered beverages.

"Circle the area. Hindi pwedeng nawala siya ng basta basta."

Allan confirms my instructions on the other line while Talia scans the place with me, "Are you sure, may tauhan sila dito sa loob?"

I shrugged. I'm on the fence if they're that ballsy, but I wanted to make sure Hope's fine with my own eyes.

"Pano natin malalaman? What are the signs I should look for?" Talia asks, she's too excited for her first field work.

I stare at the window, the cars parked, and the nearby buildings to see if there's something amiss.

"What if I make a distraction? If hindi sila nakatingin sa'tin, they must be here for her."

"What kind?" I asked my cousin. She wanted to be a part of Ces Vallis, and my brother wanted to torture me by bringing her along with me to train.

"This." A slap reverberates.

I have to give it to Talia. Nagulat ako sa ginawa niya... but she's dumb for not thinking who she'll rope into her plans—She didn't recognize that the waitress was Scarlet's friend.

I hated her plans, but I was entertained seeing Scarlet protect her friends by throwing a glass of juice to get even.

"How dare you! You... you gago!"

There she is, my fiery little Hope.

I loved that she couldn't keep her eyes off me. I could see her checking me out. Does she recognize me?

Talia was about to throw another drink, and I pulled Hope into my side. The moment my skin touched hers, it was a shockwave—it made me freeze and stare for a second. Damn, that wasn't supposed to happen.

I didn't care about her other friends, I was eyeing Hope the entire time she got too into it to help, hitting her jaw and hands by wrestling with them.

I looked around and all the customers here were surprised by the commotion. If they weren't holding their phones to record, they were shocked, staring at the group of women fighting.

This is getting too much.

I signaled Talia to stop, but she was too distracted in the fight.

I shook my head at the way my cousin was trapped in a headlock. What the fuck? Ces Vallis trains her, and she gets beaten up like this?

"Kuya! Hahayaan niyo bang mamatay ang kasama niyo?"

Slowly, I stared at Hope. She talked to me, and she was still demanding, as I remember.

But she doesn't remember me. She called me kuya like I'm someone fucking random.

It's unfair. I yearned. I looked for her, and—it's fine. It's fine...

She might have been my childhood best friend and my first love, but I'm a professional and have one life goal—and that's hunting down monsters for a living.

"Nothing new, she's with her friends—"

I hit stop on Allan's feed, cutting off the report on Scarlet's location. I handed off her protection to his team for months, while I shifted focus, tracking down the six who dared invade our home.

Two are already rotting in separate prisons—Mikumo Tanaka in Kalinaw Prison Compound and Fushigi Inaya in Hao Sector Detention Center—their lips stitched shut with the venom of their twisted "brotherhood".