Guardian Evil

CHAPTER 18: Flashbacks

“Mama! Mama! Mama!”

A lady wearing a professional uniform turned her head to a kid yelling enthusiastically and running towards her. “Mama, I’m here!”

“Wait a minute, I’ll just talk to someone,” the lady raised her hand to the students which the student responded with a nod. She immediately kneeled as soon as the kid finally stopped in front of her. “Oh, sweetie. What are you doing here?”

“My classes ended earlier and I asked Yaya to escort me to come here just to see you because school is boring as well as the house so I don’t want to go home. I miss you, Mama. We seldomly talk and play because you’re so busy and I couldn’t even meet you at dinner time because you always come home late so I came here to see you and play with you as well!” the child grinned at the lady.

“Oh, I miss you too, baby but Mama is really busy right now. Our school will participate in a competition and I have to coach and train my students as well so I couldn’t play with you. Maybe we could play next time. Is it okay? I’m so busy right now, baby. You go home now.”

The child’s grin slowly faded away as soon as the lady said those words to her. “You always say you’re busy, Mama. You can’t spare some time to play with me. You’re always giving your time to your students they’re not even your kids! You always make them your priority!”

“Trisha, that’s not it—”

“You want me to be gone, right, Mama? Because I just kept on bothering you with your students! I hate you so much, Mama! I really hate you! I wish I’d never been your child because you never cared about me!”

“Trisha—wait!” before the lady could even say a word, the child was running away from her.

“Mama never cares for me… she never did… but she can’t send me home. I don’t care. I will wait for her until she decided to give time for me so we could play,” the child named Trisha sighed as she walked on the Senior High’s building’s fourth floor. It was the back portion of the building and behind the said building is a grassy field and a composed pit which was almost covered with grass and vines as well. She turned her head towards the railings and saw how pretty the sky was.

“Oh,” she couldn’t help but mutter. “I wanna see the whole ground’s view as well.”

She couldn’t reach the railings but she found an empty trash bin and it’s enough for her to step on so she managed to flip it and step on it. She gasped and muttered “wow” in astonishment. “Wow, this building is amazing. I could see the whole mountains and fields from here and oh, the sky as well. Wow, I wish I could view this with Mama as well.”

She even pulled herself forward while holding to the railings just to have a better view of what she’s seeing right now. But unfortunately, the trash bin suddenly flipped and she didn’t know what happened but she flipped out of the railings and she couldn’t reach the railings anymore for her to hold on so she ended up falling.

“Mama! Mama, help me!!!”

Romina gasped as she suddenly opened her eyes. She immediately sat up, holding her chest as she panted and gasped for air.

“You’re awake,” as soon as she managed to adjust her vision, she looked at Luciel who was sitting right next to her. She, then, realized that she was inside her room.

“What… what happened?” she managed to ask as soon as she finally made her breathing stable and calmed herself down.

“I don’t know what’s actually in your mind that you almost got yourself in danger for saving a ghost who jumped out of the building,” Luciel chuckled but it was not an amused one. “That’s a poltergeist. It could definitely drag you to death because that ghost is troublesome and insane,” he, then, sighed. “Good thing I managed to pull you out before you ended up falling out of the building and unfortunately, you fainted maybe because of the negative force from that spirit.”

“I saw it…” she muttered.

“You saw what?”

“That girl…” Romina looked at him. “That girl’s past before she died.”

That made Luciel fall into silence and stared at her.

“The day before she died… I saw everything…” Romina muttered. “It was all accident but she looked so angry at a certain person before she died...”

“Who’s that person?”

She stared into his eyes. “She’s mad at her own mom. Before she died, she was talking to this lady in my vision and I assumed that was her mom. And when she died, she called her…”

“You’re seeing her flashbacks the moment you touched her…” Luciel said. “A poltergeist never does that unless…”

“Unless, what?”

Luciel sighed and leaned on the footrest of her bed. “Hearing everything you’ve said, it’s already pointless.”

“I wanted to save her. I think the reason why she kept haunting our building and the reason why she couldn’t pass through the afterlife is because she was looking for her mom,” Romina immediately held Luciel’s hand and spoke once again. “We gotta save her, Luciel. We have to find her mom as well.”

“Why do you want to save the poltergeist who torments all of you and almost dragged you to death?” he frowned at her. “I don’t really get why are you so eager to help that ghost.”

“Because I want to end this all,” she responded. “It’s not because she always torments us but I know she’s also suffering getting stuck in that building. She’s a kid and she’s a lonely ghost as well. I wanted to help her as much as I can. So please, Luciel, let’s end her suffering and let her pass the afterlife.”

“I’m a demon, Romina,” Luciel said in a serious tone. “Do you really think I could save that soul when I know anytime she’ll be dragged to ruins because of what she had done?”

“Yes,” Romina responded. “Even if you’re a demon, you’re my guardian and it’s your duty to guard and guide me to anything that I’ll do. So please, Luciel… let’s save the kid.”

Luciel stared at her in complete silence while she anticipated his possible response. He couldn’t help but sigh. “Humans are so impulsive and that’s what’s really annoying about you all.”

Romina was so surprised.

It was Saturday morning and Luciel, out of nowhere, took her to an unfamiliar neighborhood and to an unfamiliar house without any explanation. He just took her out of the window and took her to this unfamiliar place.

“Where are we?” Romina immediately asked him just as he finished transforming into a human.

“This is the only time we could have,” Luciel said to her instead. “Before she’ll get dragged to the ruins.”

Frowning because of confusion, Romina asked him. “What do you mean—”

“Who are you?”

The two of them turned their heads to the lady who’s now looking at the two of them with a confused expression on her face. The lady was around mid-40s and she actually looked professional albeit she’s wearing an old pair of blouses and a long skirt. Her hair was also fixed in a messy bun like an actual mother in a messy bun.

Romina couldn’t help but examine the lady’s face as well because she finds her really familiar—like she had seen her from somewhere and her face was really fresh from her mind as if she met the said woman recently.

“Are you Theresa Delgado?” Luciel asked the lady who made Romina catch in surprise.

“I am…” in a soft voice, the lady responded. “Who are you?”

“We’re Senior High Students from XX Science High School... the school where you worked in the past before you resigned,” Luciel responded. “You didn’t meet our batch since you left ten years ago.”

“Oh, I see,” the lady named Theresa muttered and she gave them a small smile. “It’s been a long time since I worked there as a teacher. But… how did you know about me and what are you doing here?”

“We’re actually here… because of Trisha Delgado who went missing ten years ago.”