Guardian Evil

CHAPTER 49: Maria Leonora

“You could tell that the one residing in that abandoned house is an apparition?”

An unexpected or preternatural appearance; especially something such as a ghost or phantom. It can be just an ordinary, harmless ghost or a dangerous ghost that was after human lives or even their souls—an apparition. And now, they’re dealing with one once again.

With a deadpan expression written on his face, Luciel looked at her. “Of course, I could tell, you dumbass. I am a demon.”

“I sometimes forget that you’re one because you’re stubborn just like my classmates,” Romina commented, shrugging her shoulder.

“What the? Did you just compare me?”

“Let’s stop chitchatting and let’s get inside already,” Romina was about to enter but Luciel immediately held her collar, making her stop from running. “What are you doing? Why are you stopping me? Ugh, let go~”

“Easy there, you midget,” Luciel’s eyes flashed into crimson red as he stared at the said abandoned house. Of course, Romina was confused about that but she remained silent. It took them ten minutes and Luciel’s eyes went back to brown ones. “Let’s go since we’re already here and you insisted.”

“Uh, what did you just do?” Romina asked as she stood beside Luciel as the latter opened the rusty gate slowly.

“I was scanning the whole house for possible dangers that we might encounter. I just want to make sure we’re both safe once we’ll enter,” Luciel said and slowly opened the gate. “Apparitions usually put a ‘curse’ on uninvited guests and follow them home. Of course, I don’t want that to happen to you because it’ll be such a pain on the neck to deal with curses and some shits because of these kinds of apparitions.”

For an unknown reason, that actually made Romina feel a warm sensation on her chest the moment she heard Luciel’s concern.

They silently walked towards the door. They looked at each other before opening the said door and entered. The door made a loud creak as it opened and closed and Romina will not going to lie that, that actually made her creep out.

The whole place was silent so that made Romina feel relief somehow. They silently walked on the staircase to the second floor where the residents and their schoolmates saw the said woman haunting. Suddenly, she heard multiple creaks on the second floor of the house. From slow and low, it became louder that she immediately cling onto Luciel’s arm, trying to hide herself.

“Look at you. You’re so determined to enter this haunted place and now you’re cowering in fear,” Luciel said, obviously teasing Romina.

“O-Of course, I am scared! I’m not like you who actually have superpowers that can defeat a mere apparition,” Romina said, glaring at him.

“Huh, really now?”

“Really! Stop teasing me!”

“Intruders. What are you doing here?”

Romina gasped when she felt an eerie sensation around them and before she knew it, a woman appeared in front of them. Just like what Selena described her in the rumor, she indeed looked so pale and obviously thin but compared to what they’re telling them, she doesn’t look like a white lady as they projected her to be. She’s more like, she lived in a Spanish era 300 years ago. By the clothes she was wearing, she could tell that she came from a noble family during the Spanish times. Like, the illustrados or someone of some sort.

“I heard a lot about you,” Luciel said that made Romina look at him in utter confusion. “You are Maria Leonora.”

“Wait, you knew her?” Romina immediately asked him.

“Yeah. She’s a famous apparition that guards and bonds with children until they grow older. She’s appearing to the kids as their imaginary kid but she’s an apparition who basically have mother traits and takes care of children when they’re alone. Back in her time, she died due to miscarriage and she just lurked around the world of the living she didn’t want to pass the afterlife so that made her an apparition. She’s harmless and doesn’t really harm anyone, especially children. She’s kind of a bothersome though since the children she’s guarding are close to her than their actual parents.”

“Is she dangerous?”

Luciel looked at Romina. “Not really for kids. But she’s a total bothersome for adults.”

“Are you one of those reapers who wanted to get me out of this place? I’ve been telling all of you that I will never, ever leave this place,” the apparition named Maria Leonora said and Romina could immediately see the anger on her face. Her gloomy eyes gazed on Romina which made the latter gasp. “And you even brought a living human with you.”

“I am not a reaper. I am a demon,” Luciel immediately told her.

That made Maria Leonora frown at him. “A demon? What is a demon doing here in the world of humans? Are you also trying to get rid of me?”

“No,” Luciel answered briefly.

“If that’s not the case then you can go out now. Get out while I’m being nice,” Maria Leonora said.

“We’re not trying to get rid of you. We just want to ask if why you are still haunting this abandoned place. You’re known for guarding kids and you’re not really staying in the same place, especially if there are no kids in a certain place. So why are you still here?” he asked. Romina was still clinging to him because the tension between them is just heavy for her to handle.

Maria Leonora looked away from him, settling her gaze on the broken window. “She said I should wait for her here. I am doing what she wanted me to do.”

Both Luciel and Romina looked at each other. “She?”

“I will not be going to leave this place until she’ll return,” the apparition looked at them again. “So please, leave this place. Please leave this place. I’m begging you.”

Romina heaved a sigh as she hugged her pillow. It’s already ten in the evening and she couldn’t sleep after the conversation they had with the apparition inside the abandoned house of the Jimenez.

“Can’t sleep?” Romina’s eyes settled on Luciel who just went down from the rooftop of their house and sat on her window frame.

“Yeah,” she responded, resting her chin on her knee. “To be honest, I was really surprised to meet a harmless apparition since, you know, we’ve been encountering so many apparitions every day and most of them really want to harm us.”

Luciel nodded. “Yeah.”

“But, I am still wondering who that person Maria Leonora was talking about.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Luciel stood up and walked towards Romina’s bed just to sit. “It’s the former owner of the house’s only daughter. Her name is Alyanna Jimenez.”

“Really? So you knew her?! You even knew her name!” Romina immediately asked. “You should’ve told me so we could find her! Maria Leonora has been waiting for her for years and she just got stuck in that place. She should at least meet her so Maria Leonora could finally leave that lonesome house or she could even pass the afterlife! We have to find that kid or if she’s an adult already then we still have to see her.”

Luciel fell silent for a couple of seconds and Romina felt bothered about it. “W-What’s wrong? Why aren’t you responding? Did I say something wrong?”

“Are you sure you wanted to see that kid?”

“What’s with the question? Of course, I want to see her and Maria Leonora wanted to see her as well!”

“Are you really that sure you wanted to see that kid?”

Romina couldn’t help but frown at his question. “What do you mean?”

Romina was dumbfounded.

“This is the place. That’s her.”

The moment they finally found the only daughter of the Jimenez's, she didn’t know what she should feel the moment she saw the kid. Her emotions really escalated like that. She didn’t see that one coming.

“No way…” Romina immediately turned her head towards him. “Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“So you can see her in person,” Luciel turned his head towards her and spoke. “Now that you already saw the kid, the decision is on you, Romina. Do you still want her to meet Maria Leonora?”

She was torn about it but she already made a decision.

“Maria Leonora waited for her for so long. She deserves to meet the kid she once takes good care of.”