Guardian Evil

CHAPTER 23: The Romeo Who Lost his Juliet

Romina stared at him in utter shock. She couldn’t move an inch and even though the man looks horrifying, she could take her eyes off him. He roared and it was really horrifying and he was about to attack her but a dark smoke suddenly appeared between them and the ghost suddenly thrown out of sight and he was slammed on the tree.

Felt her legs weakened and wobbled, Romina almost fell on the ground but Luciel managed to catch her. “Hey, Romina! Are you okay?”

Romina finally snapped back to reality and looked at Luciel. “Luciel!”

Luciel sighed. “Finally, you snapped back to reality,” he helped her to get up. “I told you not to meddle with apparitions.”

“I didn’t! I wasn’t expecting he’s the one that my classmates were talking about. I thought he was a school staff or something,” Romina told him.

“L, why didn’t you stop her?” Luciel asked the tiny demon on Romina’s head. Like a stress ball, he squished the tiny demon.

“I-I tried to stop her—aw!—but I couldn’t so I called you out!” L replied.

“Yeah, you managed to call me but I am already seconds away from her. You’re still late.”

“Sorry, Master. I’ll do my best to watch over your human next time if you’re away.”

“It’s not even L’s duty to watch over me though,” Romina murmured to herself but Luciel managed to hear it.

“I was stuck doing human student activities you know? I can’t just leave without any human suspecting me, as what you instructed me to do.”

“I know, I know, I understand. I was just kidding.”

“Please, don’t hurt me. Please, please let me see my lover.” Hearing a trembling and sobbing voice, both Luciel and Romina looked at the ghost under the tree. He’s hiding his face and he’s trembling in fear.

Romina slapped Luciel’s arm, making him flinch. “What did you do to him? Did you hurt him?”

“Hey, I didn’t! He was about to hurt you so I pushed him away from you. Why is it became my fault?” he asked, frowning as he held his abused arm. It’s not painful since, after all, he’s a demon.

Romina immediately approached the ghost with Luciel following her suit while murmuring begrudgingly. The ghost still cowering in fear and pain (because yeah, a demon slammed him on a tree and it was painful to be held by a demon like that).

“I-It’s okay, sir. We’re not going to hurt you…” Romina told the ghost, consoling him.

The ghost slowly removed his arms covering his face and Romina was shocked when he saw the ghost’s face. “Wow.”

He’s handsome!

Even though he looked pale like what a ghost should look like, Romina could see him attractive. He looked like an 80s heartthrob. That’s how attractive he looked.

If he’s still alive, he could pass as the campus crush in this school.

“Do you really think ghosts’ appearances are horrifying like what you saw earlier?” Luciel asked and he was about to tease her but he slapped his arm again, making him frown at her once again.

“I kinda agree to that but I wasn’t expecting he’ll be this attractive!” Romina told him, whispering. “Malay ko bang ganito pala s`ya ka-gwapo kapag hindi ganun `yung itsura n`ya.”

The ghost looked at him in utter cluelessness.

“I am Romeo. Romeo De Guzman. I was born on October 12, 1950.” The ghost introduced himself to Luciel and Romina. Since they couldn’t stay in the school any longer because the school guard just told them to go home, they left no choice but to take him to the nearest plaza just around the school. Good thing Luciel was clever enough to bring some spare clothes for Romina in which she managed to change so they could stay in the plaza without anyone judging them as students hanging outside at nighttime.

The ghost was in the middle of them and he was kind of shy as Romina looked at him in astonishment while the demon behind him was glaring at him.

“Wow, you’re at the same age as my grandpa in Pangasinan! Amazing!” Romina clapped her hands that the ghost shyly scratched its nape.

“Now that we’ve known you and your name, let’s cut the chase,” the two of them looked at Luciel who’s now staring seriously at him. “Why are you haunting our school’s garden?”

“I-Ah… I didn’t know demons attend human schools as well…”

“Ugh, shut up you ghost grandpa, and just answer my question!” Luciel yelled that both Romina and Romeo flinched on their seats.

“C’mon, Luciel. Stop scaring him,” Romina reprimanded him.

“I’m not scaring him!”

“You are scaring him!”

“Damn it I’m not!”

“C-Calm down, you two…” Romeo stopped them. “It’s okay. I’ll tell you.”

Luciel and Romina immediately became quiet as they listened to the ghost’s story.

“Before that place became a school, it was actually a beautiful garden. There’s no house around that place so it’s a kind of a secluded area. There, I met my lover Julieta. I was just a poor, errand boy working in a Chinese restaurant and she was a college student at that time. The two of us fell in love with each other,” Romeo started off his story. “She came from a wealthy family and her parents were so strict as well that it’s hard for the both of us to meet but we still managed to keep our relationship going and stronger. I even met some goons hired by her father to threaten me to stay away from her but that didn’t stop me from loving her and meeting her and keep our relationship going… not until… one day…”

“We’re supposed to meet in that garden once again to celebrate our anniversary. She eventually coming later than usual but I still kept waiting for her, waiting until the evening came and there’s no Julieta came but a group of men came instead. I didn’t know what happened but I just woke up and realized that I’m already a ghost.”

“What… a… tragic… story,” Romina cried which made Luciel and the ghost flinched at how loud she cried. “I’m so sorry, I can’t help it. It was just too tragic than the Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.”

The ghost looked at Luciel who just shrugged at him. “Don’t worry about her. She’s just being too emotional.”

The ghost continued. “That’s why… I kept lurking around that garden until it became a school… hoping that Julieta will come to see me, even for the last time. I lost her and I want to find her but I couldn’t since I was tied in that school garden where I woke up dead.”

“So if that’s your motive, then why are you scaring a bunch of students in our school?” Luciel asked him.

“I-It’s not really my intention to scare students or your school guard, I promise I didn’t mean it. I was trying to ask for help but I couldn’t because they’ll end up screaming and running away from me before I even had a chance to talk.”

“Well, not gonna lie, with your appearance, you could really scare the s**t out of those kids.”

“Yes, I know. That’s why I was thankful that I managed to talk to you without you getting scared of me. Masaya ako,” the ghost said in a soft voice, smiling at them. “I gained my hope that I’ll be able to see Julieta before I’ll pass to the afterlife.”

“Worry no more, Mister!” the two of them flinched when Romina stood up between them. “We will help you find Miss Julieta!”

Luciel frowned at her as he immediately held her hand, pulling her closer to him and making him lean to him so he could whisper. “Romina, I told you already right? We won’t meddle to ghosts or apparitions businesses again and my only job is to watch over you and guard you. Hindi ka ba nadala? You’re seriously getting yourself into trouble.”

Romina immediately faced him, whispering as well. “But Luciel… this man needs our help. We’re the only chance he got to reunite with his lover. That’s only his wish before he could pass the afterlife and rest in peace. Don’t take that chance away from him. That’s our mission.”

Luciel stared at her in awe at how she looked so determined to this so-called mission. He was caught off guard when she cupped his both cheeks and gave him a pleading look. “Please? Please let us help him.”

Luciel sighed. “Ugh, damn you, human. You really know I couldn’t refuse you.”

She immediately grinned. “Yay!”

“The two of you…” they turned their heads to Romeo who’s now smiling at them. “Thank you for helping me.”

Luciel sighed as he held Romina’s waist to settle her down because she’s getting really excited that any minute from now, she’ll going to post something on her social media account. “Thank us later once we’ll find Julieta.”