"Mom." It was like a whisper but he caught the professor's attention.
"Are you saying something?" The professor asked. "Don't you like the flavor?"
He just shook his head and focused on eating his ice cream. He was finished and just waiting for the two when his phone rang.
"Hey! Where are you? I called Mrs. Santos but you're not at home." His dad worriedly asked.
"We're in an ice cream shop, dad. Cally wanted ice cream so we bought her some."
"We? And who's with you?"
"With... Uhm... Our professor which Cally mistook as mom." He said in a low voice. For a second, there was silence on the other line. "Dad? Still there?"
"Y-Yeah. I'm patrolling near an ice cream shop and I saw your bike behind a pickup car."
"If you want, you can drop by here." Trestan offered.
"Ah. No. I'm on my duty."
"Ah, yeah. Well, then. Take care, dad."
"You too."
"You wanna talk with Cally?"
"Sure." He responded while looking at them from the other side of the road.
"Dad wants to talk to you." Trestan handed his mobile phone to Cally who's busy eating her almost melted ice cream.
"Daddy!"
"Hey, sweetie."
"I'm eating ice cleam light now and... And..." She looked at Professor Zyrille. "Mommy is with us!"
"Sweetie, mommy is not there. It's your Kuya Trestan's prof---"
"No daddy! She's mommy! Light, mommy?" She innocently asked Professor Zyrille but the professor seemed to smile sadly.
After the call, Timotheus heavily sighed and waited for them to leave the ice cream shop.
"Thank you, professor," Trestan said while lifting Cally in his right arm and holding his bike on the left. The professor dropped them in front of their house.
"Mommy, why ale you not living with us?"
"Cally." Trestan looked at her seriously. He was really embarrassed because of his little sister. She shouldn't call the professor their mom.
"Fine! She's not mommy!" Her teary eyes made Trestan worry. "I... I just want to be with mommy!" The little girl ran toward their front porch crying.
"Are you sure she'll be alright?" Professor Zyrille asked while looking at Cally crying.
"Don't worry, Prof. She'll be fine."
"Okay. I gotta go. Take care of your sister and of course yourself. Bye." The professor waved her left hand and beeped her car before leaving.
+++
"Blair! Why are you not dressing up? It's your Year-End Party." Ferran asked while pulling the pillow Blair put on her face.
"Uncle, I don't want to come."
"How about the dress I bought for you?"
"A dress!?" She sat on her bed with frustration. "You know that I hate dresses, uncle! Ugh!" She facepalmed.
"Well, it's kind of pretty. Will you wear it for me?"
"And why should I wear that for you?" She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.
"Because I won't give you your new bike if you don't---"
"A new bike!? For real?" She was about to go outside to see a new bike, her uncle was talking about.
"Ah-ah! Not so fast, young lady." Ferran smirked, holding her arm. "Wear the dress first and attend your Year-End Party."
"Ugh! Uncle---"
"Okay. You can't use your bike then. I'll just throw it away."
"No! Fine. Fine. I'll attend the party. Just... Just don't throw it away." She rolled her eyes before she entered the bathroom. Ferran just chuckled and left her room.
After an hour of preparation, Blair got out of her room wearing the navy blue sleeveless dress with a silver belt and silver sandals.
"Pretty."
"Tss." Blair rolled her eyes for the nth time.
"But wait! There's a missing piece." He took something in his pocket and put something on Blair's hair. It's a hairpin with a silver heart-shaped design. "Done."
He put it on the upper left of her ear. "Is it required to put that thing?"
"Nope but that makes you more attractive."
"I'm not used to it, uncle." She stomped her feet.
Ferran didn't say anything else and he just opened the door for her. It's five o'clock in the afternoon and the party will start after thirty minutes.
Trestan's not around and it's so boring. Blair really wanted to leave but for the sake of her new bike, she stayed.
After the party, she can't contact her uncle for an unknown reason. Even his uncle Rouvie is not answering her call.
"Ugh! Why aren't they answering!?"
She waited for an hour outside the school and no one was there but her. The cold wind blew, and that made her hug herself.
A group of men was passing by and they saw Blair. They approached her and were about to touch her.
"Go away! Waah!! Go away!" A police car immediately stopped near them and beeped. The men quickly ran away when they saw the car.
Blair was sitting on the floor and crying. The policeman who arrived approached her.
"Hey, young lady! Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" It was Timotheus.
She didn't say a word and just cried because of fear that she'll be the next rape victim if Timotheus didn't arrive. She was attacked by her asthma and Timotheus immediately searched for her inhaler.
"Here. Please, calm down."
Timotheus guided her until she entered the police car. Later on, she was calm.
"Where is your uncle, by the way? Why didn't he pick you up?"
"Maybe because he was busy at work." She answered while looking at the window.
"But he's off-duty." Timotheus informed her but Blair just kept silent until they reached Ferran's house.
The lights inside were on, meaning Ferran is in the house.
"Thank you, Officer Alfarez."
"Should I talk to your uncle about what happened---"
"No need." She waved her hands in front of him. "He'll just worry if he learned about what happened earlier. Besides, nothing bad happened to me, thanks to you." She smiled slightly before going outside the car. "Take care, officer."
Timotheus just nodded and left. She sighed before silently walking toward the front door.
She was about to hold the doorknob when she heard a conversation inside. She got curious so Blair chose to stay outside for a while.
"Are you sure about this, Ferran?" It's Sanchez's voice.
"I don't have a choice. I have a mission to finish, remember?"
"Yeah. I know but," Sanchez sighed heavily. "You're risking your life. What if you die sooner than before?"
"Sanchez, don't worry too much. If I'll die---"
"Then we are at the endpoint."
"You're there to continue what I've started. You know about my identity."
'Identity? What identity are you talking about uncle?' Blair didn't know why she couldn't open the door and just wanted to hear their conversation. She's very curious.
"But I'm not capable of doing it. It's your mission, not mine. I'm just supporting you like your brother I mean... Ferran's brother does. Though he didn't know your true identity yet he protected you."
"Yeah. That's why it's my fault. It was as if I killed Blair's parents. Because of me, they died even if it's not meant to happen in the first place. I'm f*cked up!"
Blair felt her heart was burning with anger when she heard what her uncle just said.
"It's not---"
The door opened, and the back of it automatically banged into the wall that made a loud noise.
"B-Blair..." Ferran was so shocked to see her with madness in her eyes.
"You!" She pointed her index finger to her uncle. "You're the reason why mom and dad died!? How dare you!?" She rushed towards him and struck her hands on his chest.
"Blair! Blair! Don't hurt your uncle---"
"No! He's not my uncle! I heard your conversation! Ferran's brother? What does it mean? You're not uncle Simeon? Then who are you!?" Her bloodshot eyes pained Ferran as he looked at his niece.
"I am your uncle Blair. Please, don't do this. I beg you!" Ferran tried to stop her but she's so furious.
"Blair! Stop it!" Sanchez held her on her waist and took away from Ferran whose face was red because of her slaps. "Listen to him first---"
"I don't want to talk to him! I don't want to listen! I hate you! I hate you, whoever you are!" She tried to get away from Sanchez and then ran outside. She took the bike and went somewhere far from Ferran.
"Blair! Blair!" Ferran was about to follow her but Sanchez stopped him.
"Let her be, Ferran. I think she needed space to think and absorb everything." Sanchez said then tapped his shoulder.
"I'm just concerned about her safety." He sighed and got back inside his house to prepare for a special mission.
After a while, he decided to follow her 'coz he can't just sit there knowing that Blair's life might be in danger.
"I'll just check on her. I'll be right back."
He secretly followed Blair and saw her entering the church. He noticed that someone approached her. Ferran thought that it was one of the enemies but he sighed in relief to know that she's with Trestan.
It is enough for him to be relieved that someone was with Blair. After a moment, he left to run some errands.
He'll try to capture Mr. Wang and maybe he could gain some information about the BC organization from that businessman.
His time was running out, he cannot ignore the possibilities.