That evening, Lira began reading the second book Nicholas had lent her, which turned out to be a journal of a previous president. She wondered how this journal ended up in Prince Philip's library. She surmised that the prince was probably a really overenthusiastic book collector to have had obtain a journal such as this one. She flipped the book opened and began reading the first entry.
June 20, 2050
My first year as the president was already being tested as the imminent war could no longer be put on hold any further. Countries had waged threats over territorial disputes. Nations with the same interests took sides with one another. Previous treaties were ignored, and leaders of most countries refused to any further deliberations to settle these disagreements. From a third world country perspective, a war meant the destruction and destitution of small nations such as my country. I could hear the people protesting outside my office, wanting to remove me from my seat and place a more competent leader in my place. Maybe I should just step down and let someone else clean up the mess that was, in the first place, handed to me by my predecessor and his predecessor. What is a leader anyway? Someone who has the charisma to convince and charm the people? Someone who gives in to every whim of one sector of the society? Someone who is strong enough to enforce the law? Someone who put the people's interest above anything else? I can come up a million descriptions and hypothesis and yet I will not find a single answer to satisfy everyone...
Lira skipped some pages and settled to a page that caught her eye.
February 10, 2051
The war had ended. There were no winners; everyone loss. I wanted to thank the good Lord that the war did not last long, but as I surveyed the city, I wanted to cry with anguish as remnants of the war sprawled before me. Buildings were reduced to dust, vehicles scattered laid abandon to rust, and people huddled around a meager fire to keep themselves warm as night befalls us. Make -shift tents sprouted, some housing the sick and the wounded, and some served as storage for rations of food. Grey smoke that smelled of gun powder and dust surrounded us, almost choking us to death. I knew the states of the other nations were no less different from ours. I wanted to gloat at them for their stupidity and arrogance. See what it had brought upon us all? The ones clamoring for supremacy and those who wished for peace were given the same aftermath: an impoverished country. My people now lay sick on the street, some starving to death. Food supplies were running low. Reports were given to me that other people from other cities were out of control, creating havoc and looting food warehouses for their own supply. I am weary of everything and yet I could not let my emotions be seen. If I would look at the people with despair in my eyes, the people would further feel the hopelessness in our situation. I thought our misery ended here. I was wrong. I felt the earth beneath me shake as I witnessed the alarmed look of the people, scattering around and shouting, "Earthquake!"
April 5, 2051
Riot was rampant in every city. The people were out of control due to their desperation. It was hard for me to see my countrymen in such state. How would I address the people's needs? How would I control the chaos? How could we rebuild what was once a flourishing country? A child once approached me in the streets and asked "why was everyone fighting? Why can't everyone just work together?" I was in awed with the child's innocence. But then I, too, began asking myself the same thing. If people could use a massive amount of energy for fighting and arguing, why couldn't we use the same amount of spirit to work together and build the nation back to its former glory? If only things were as simple as that thought. My advisers came up with a solution. Tomorrow, we would be reviewing the possibility of forming a caste system...
June 10, 2051
When we thought things were all getting better, a new catastrophic event has yet to unfold. Reports were being handed out that an unknown disease was wildly spreading over parts of Asia and was suspected had reached our shores. I could not even comprehend where and how the disease started. Volunteers, though they were victims of the calamities themselves, have already worked day and night to help us provide the needs of the people. They were exhausted but their love for the country and its people never faltered even in their tired eyes...
July 1, 2051
The world dubbed it as the Plague. It wiped hundreds of people, and still no cure could be found. My advisers informed me a leader from a certain clan wanted to have a counsel with me. I had recently heard of a group of people claiming they could provide cure to this affliction we had in our hands. During desperate times, one could not help but look at all facets of solutions available at the moment no matter how comical or unconventional it may sound. This evening, I have made a scheduled meeting with someone named Magnus, who claimed to be the current King of the vampires...
Lira shut the book closed. Those vampires! They really did strike while the iron was hot. They took advantage of the situation. But then again, if it weren't for their blood, she and the rest of the people around the world wouldn't be alive today. Still, if it were not for the vampires' inherent iniquity, the people would not be at the mercy of tyrants and vampires.
She placed the journal on her desk and decided to get some sleep, hoping that sleep would help her control her rising temper against the vampires.
The following day, Lira visited Matt before heading to her class. The minute Lira stepped inside the infirmary she heard Matt's angry voice resonating inside the ward.
"I told you I don't need help, okay!" he growled.
Lira heard someone squeaked an apology. From a far she recognized Mari's outline trembling. She wanted to rescue her friend from Matt's obvious early morning grumpy disposition but she didn't want to embarrass Mari by letting her know she witnessed the commotion. So Lira hid behind a pillar when Mari, who looked like she was holding back a sob, swept past the exit. The moment Mari left Lira stormed her way to Matt's bed and smacked him in the head.
"Ouch!" Matt groaned. "What was that for?"
"You jerk! How could you do that to my friend? She was only trying to help."
"She's starting to annoy me," he said.
"Well you could have just said, 'thanks, I'm okay, I can manage' instead of hollering at her."
"Jeez. Okay! I'll do that next time."
Lira rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Matteo dela Vega. Don't make me regret saving your ungrateful life."
"You saved my life? Since when did that happen? As far as I recall, I'm the one always saving your pretty little ass."
She held her hands up and covered her ears. "I have an aversion for your choice of words; it hurts my ears. So I'd appreciate it if you'll not use those kinds of words."
Matt snorted.
"Whatever," Lira said. "Who do you think called the slayers?" She really couldn't go to the details of how exactly she saved his life.
"That's not what they told me," he said repulsively.
"What have you heard?" Did he know?
"That I am in debt to those blood-sucking bastards for killing those monsters."
Lira cringed. She knew how Matt hated the vampires. She fully understood why now that she was aware of the roles played centuries ago by both slayers and vampires. "It was my fault. If there's anyone to blame, it's me. I called Nicholas for help. I couldn't just let us both die out there."
Matt looked at her with concern. "Did those monsters hurt you?"
"The regular vampires or the Crazed ones?"
"Smart as—aleck," he grunted.
"Oh please. Those things? They couldn't even get through me," she said, waving her hand.
"Since when did you become this cocky?"
Since the day I realized I am not who I thought I was; that the world will be in utter peril and I will need to fix it someday together with my unknown, unnamed, faceless sisters. "Since the night I thought we were going to die. I realized being passive and accepting the events unfolding before me will not help me survive in this world."
Matt reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry Lira; I wasn't able to protect you that night. But I promise you, I won't stop until I become stronger; strong enough to protect you always."
Lira gave a sad smile. "It's funny—before, I was this nobody girl from the Third left alone to fend for herself. And now, almost everyone's been promising they'll protect me. The thing is, don't make promises and expect something in return from me. I might not be able to give it and we'll both end up hurting each other."
Evening came and Lira was sitting crossed-legged on her bed, bracing herself before opening her mother's diary. She brushed the leather-bound cover and traced the letters etched on the cover with her finger: Cassandra. For Lira, her mother's name sounded so beautiful.
She opened the journal and stared at the first entry, sketching her mother's beautiful handwriting in her mind. She forced the tears from forming in her eyes as she read her mother's thoughts.
January 1 2108
Another year came. For my first entry this year, I wanted to cite my new year's resolutions—but I had none. My only greatest vice (aside from sneaking into father's library and secretly reading his collection of banned books) was eating too many strawberries. I couldn't give that up so I tried to think what else was there suitable to write as my first entry. So I decided to settle for writing my dreams instead:
1. I want to be a writer. You know, write about stuff that concludes with happily ever after.
2. I'm proud of my profession as a teacher; so my dream includes for my students to be well equip with the knowledge that'll help them have a brighter future (So I will review my lesson plan after writing here)
3. To meet my prince who will make my heart beat like a drum roll and sweep me off my feet (Yes, I'm a 22-year-old NBSB courtesy of a very strict father who still favors 'arrange marriages')
4. To abolish the Caste System, which I detested the most. (I find it abhorrent that my hardworking students cannot be a teacher because they belong to a lower caste. They are equally deserving like the rest of the children from a higher caste)
I might accomplish the first two dreams. The third one I'm hoping. The fourth one, of that, I'm not so sure.
Lira smiled. Her mom did not sound like a twenty-two-year-old. Lira thought she sounded more mature at the age of seventeen than her mother was at twenty-two. But then, her mother grew up with a different life. She said she was a teacher. Was her mother from the Second Order?
January 11 2108
It was the day (or should I say night) that I finally saw him: my prince. I volunteered to teach the night class. Some students needed to work in the morning so they tend to quit school altogether. As a result, a group of kind hearted teachers (by group meaning three that includes me and my best friends Amara and Dina) suggested for an additional night class. So like what I said, I finally saw him during my night class. The president was making an appearance in the school for a promotional campaign showing how well the children from the lower castes were doing. Beside him was the vampire king Magnus, head held high, as he gave a nod at whatever the president had said. The press was swarming in around them, and the PSGs and Elite Guards kept the press at bay. The Royal Enforcers were closely behind their vampire king, looking frightening and intimidating. It was such a scene for a few moments of pretense. Then that's when I saw him, looking every bit as arrogant and imposing as the vampire king. My heart did beat like a drum roll and butterflies were making quite a riot in my stomach. I was half-expecting and half-hoping him to sweep me off my feet. The first time I lay eyes on Prince Philip Imperial, I fell in love.
Her mother was in loved with the vampire who killed her? So what went wrong? Why did the prince ended up killing her mother? She skipped a few pages to find the answers.
February 20 2108
Being the head of the National Defense, my father was required to attend the grand banquet the president held in honor of the vampire King Magnus. I find it odd that the president would even consider throwing an elegant dinner for the vampires since they didn't even eat human food. Nevertheless, I was still glad he organized a dinner. My father brought me and my mother with him. I was quite anxious really; since there would be a fifty-fifty chance I'd be seeing the vampire prince. I carefully selected my dress: a one shoulder sleeveless cream satin gown. Yes, I know. I felt like a sixteen-year-old dressing up for her prom date. Even though I belong to one of the higher caste, he was still a prince. I was still below his notice. So just like what my best friend Amara said, I needed to dress to kill. He was there, beside the king who was at the head of the table. He looked so handsome, even though his lips were in a tight line and was wearing a scowl on his face. The minute I sat with the rest on the long table, I felt so under dressed. Almost all the socialites from the upper castes were present—beautiful, well-endowed, experienced and worldly women wearing different varieties of black or blood red gowns flaunted themselves in front of the prince, bestowing amorous glances over him. I couldn't compete to that! So much for dressing up to kill. The tight dress was literally killing me, denying me of the needed oxygen. So I went outside to the balcony for a moment for some fresh air. I was fidgeting with the tiny constricting sash behind my back when I sensed someone behind me. I whirled around and to my amazement, the vampire prince stood there looking at me as if I was the most fascinating object he had ever seen. And what he said would be forever branded in my mind: "So you're the one with the exquisite scent that's been haunting me all night."
So mom and I shared the same scent, Lira mused. Maybe housing a deity inside made their blood irresistible to vampires? Oh mom, you're in big trouble. Lira flipped another page.
April 5, 2108
Ever since we had that interesting conversation over the balcony, Philip had been visiting me regularly during my night classes. At first I found him overbearing and high-handed. Just like father, he didn't understand why I needed to work. I was, after all from the First Order, he pointed out. I explained to him my beliefs and my dreams. One thing we had in common was our love for books. He admitted that what drawn him to me at first was my scent. I smelled delicious, he said, unlike the others. I didn't know if he intended that as a compliment or I should be frightened with it. He did warn me that I need to mask it. Other vampires might scent it too, he said. He had mentioned that he did, in fact, noticed me during the banquet. But he found me so young, and didn't spare me a second glance. I was indeed young compared to his 280-year-old vampiric age. Every time he visited me in school, I taught him about us humans; made him understand about us. I told him my views regarding about everything, on where my stand was. He in returned, explained to me some facts about vampires. Every day, as I got to know him even more, I was falling deeply in love with the vampire prince. And he felt the same way about me.
Oh mom, why did you fall for a vampire? Lira cried.