Human Blood

IV - Beauty of the Moon

THIRD PERSON

He said in his mind angrily, of all things, he doesn't want an annoying girl that's why he fell for Amelie. A man then entered the house, looking just around the age of the girl's grandmother, instantly, the girl Songnara came close to the older man and reached for his hand, taking it and makes the back of the older man's hand stick to her forehead.

In the Philippines, it's called pag-mamano, which is a way to respect your relatives that are older than you, specifically grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, and more.

Lexus just observed their movements with Songnara being respectful, and it got most of his attention.

“Grandfather, where's Isaac?” Songnara questioned the older man that answered her straightaway, then the older man's sight moved from her to Lexus.

“Young man, are you now feeling well? Is your head not hurting anymore?” The older man then asked him, he didn't talk but instead, nodded his head.

After quite a while, he's now again feeling the care of other people to him. Ever since Lexus' mother died, he worked very hard on everything so that his father would notice him, but all of that changed when he became a vampire, he gave his all so that he could be one of the high classed vampires.

“Sister Anya, I'm nowhere.” A little boy asked with his body being thoroughly dirty and filled with mud.

“Isaac, you're way too dirty, come here and take a bath,” Songnara answered the boy, promptly taking care of the boy named Isaac while the old man sat on Lexus' side to eat.

He shouldn't stay long here because he needs to get the fee that would bring him to Manila, why did the portal even bring him here.

“Young man, where are you from?” The older adult asked which Lexus immediately answered, hoping that the older man could help him fasten the pace of him leaving this place.

“Manila.” Lexus shortly answered, the older adult then nodded his head and thought of things.

“Oh my, young man, that place is far. We're here in the province of San Nicolas, to go to that place means you need a huge amount of money to be used as travelling fee.” The older man said, using Tagalog to talk.

Lexus then wondered why the name of his father, Baudelaire, isn't known here, but even if they knew about it, no one would believe that he's the son of that man.

“How can I find a job here?” Lexus asked he isn't used to talking with other people except for his butler that he always interact with. He doesn't know much work for most of the time for he's only commanding his servants at home.

“Oh, so you speak in English, young man. Is that the effect of bumping your head? Anyways, Minay is getting workers to carry stuff in the market, let me be, and I'll get you that job. Stay here in our house for the meantime.” The older man said, still in Tagalog. Again, Lexus just nodded and thought that he doesn't have time for these things, Aiden might get ahead of him, but he will never let that happen.

He was sitting outside the house when he observed the moon in a shape of a circle, and sleep hasn't knocked on his door yet even though he's already in his human form, a while later, he felt the annoying girl's presence.

“It's just lovely to observe the moon, am I right ill-tempered man?” Songnara asked, her voice has a touch of sadness as she slowly sat beside him.

“They say that the symbol when the moon becomes a circle and complete then you'd also be complete, just like in love, we say that we're complete with just out beloved beside us. While for the crescent moon, it means incomplete, it's possible that something is missing from you and your heart is still searching for it, but even though it isn't complete, as long as you see it with love, then you'd still see it as beauteous.” Songnara added, Lexus didn't say anything but resumed to staring at the moon, taking what she said inside his heart. She just said something profound.

‘The beauty of the moon?’ he wondered.

“Do you know that whenever I look at the moon, and it's full, I feel like I get stronger. Just like the werewolves, do you know that myth?” Songnara asked Lexus, shouldn't say anything about them existing, about vampires and werewolves that only exists in the minds of mortals as imaginations and myths.

“Come, let's get inside the hut, my grandparents might wake up and search for us, then maybe their minds would think differently.” She stood up and said, but this time, with an awkward laugh.

Lexus felt that she isn't pleased, so not knowing what he's doing, she pulled her towards him, almost having their lips touch each other because of Lexus sitting and Songnara standing, he then dragged her hand and hid it behind.

Straight away, Songnara observed a meteor and wished inside her mind. When she saw that they're still in an awkward position, she immediately moved out and extended her hand to Lexus for a formal way of letting him know who she is, “By the way, I'm Songnara, what's your name, ill-tempered stranger?” Songnara then smiled at him, and he then accepted the hand which he shook once.

“Lexus....” He uttered, their eyes catching each other.

He doesn't have any intention of being close to this girl, because of him, love is just a joke so every girl that he gets to know, he only uses them to satisfy his thirst.

Together, they entered the house without having any other conversations; their hearts were still beating fast as if their hearts are hares for how quickly that it's overpowering.

The effect of them holding each other gave them a different sensation to their bodies.

Songnara quickly walked straight to her grandmother, as for Lexus, he was under them, with only a kerosene lamp giving light to the dark hut or cottage. He doesn't plan on sleeping, but slowly, drowsiness swallowed him without himself knowing that he had fallen asleep.

“Lexus... Has failed, my King.” A man said, to what Lexus remembers as Hermios, one of the men who are loyal to the King. The King has a lot of trust for Lexus because of his power and bravery, the King wants Lexus to replace him, but he still failed to find the girl in the prophecy and kill her.