Pursuance Three

When Vesta and Ashley reached the house. It amazed Vesta how there were no changes in the house of Godmother Estella. The euphoria of the past snatched her out of the present. The paint was the same when the last she saw it, even though the gate was still the same. Like nothing changed for eight years. There were many flowering plants in front of the two-story house.

How Vesta misses this place so much. They always went here and played with Ashley and a few of their friends when they were kids. Ashley opened the gate before they entered the house until they reached the garage. Vesta came out to the front seat, and she saw Godmother Stella approaching them. A big smile set Estella’s beautiful face. She missed her so much after eight years.

Vesta moved was quicker to hug Estella, giving her a tightened warmed embrace that she also gave back to her. She saw that her godmother Estella didn’t change that much, other than some hair fiber that turned white and some wrinkles. If Vesta's parents were still alive, her mother will look like Estella being old. 

“Is this you, Vesta? You have grown so much and you even look more beautiful the last time I saw you,” Estella said as she checked Vesta’s face.

“Yes, Ninang, you also changed too. A few white hair strands, but you look more beautiful despite it. You’re still skinny as of this day,” Vesta joked with the latter’s sense of humor.

“Thank you. I’m still skinny, never that change. My babies are so hungry in here,” Estella whispered in Vesta’s ear. She touched her abdomen. 

Vesta chuckled. 

Then in the past, she remembered her mom in the living room with Estella, talking joyfully and making cookies for their children. Then there was Vesta’s dad and Ashley’s dad, talking about fishing and their childhood memories in the living room in her parent’s home. 

“Oh, why did you look sad? Did I say something?” Estella noticed Vesta became quiet. 

Vesta closed the memories and shook her head. “Nothing, Ninang,” Vesta replied. She smiled.

“Oh probably, you are hungry, let’s go inside. I prepared your favorite cookies.” Estella led her inside the house.

Ashley went inside the home after she parked the car in the garage.

Vesta turned 20 last two months while Ashley will turn 20 next month. Ashley was in the second year of college. She should be in her third year, but she stopped. She had her vacation in Brazil with her father. Vacation turned to a year-long stay. Ashley’s father Miguel worked in Brazil, which owned a construction company. He went home to La Moran once a month.

In the living room, Vesta was sitting with Estella. They talked a lot until the topic turned to her cousin Ashley. She thrilled at the idea of how Ashley’s JS prom turned out.

“She cried suddenly when Sean was on the stage. Surprised was all over her face, because she couldn’t imagine Sean could sing. You know, Vesta, the two had a distinct personality, but yet they liked each other back then...” Estella began and looked at Ashley sitting on the solo couch.

Ashley’s feet are on the seat she was sitting in while busy texting her boyfriend. She looked at her mom with a disgusted face. 

“Mom! Do you need to talk about it with Vesta? It’s so embarrassing!” Ashley grumbled with a pout.

“Mom, I’ll be the one to talk to Vesta about it. I will be embarrassed if you are the one who tells her.” Ashley insisted. 

“As Sean went to my daughter singing her favorite song, Crazier. Suddenly my daughter’s fart loudly when Sean was walking toward her. He stopped and laughed. All the people stared at her,” Estella continued despite her daughter’s refusal and she laughed loudly and Vesta laughed too. Vesta’s cousin’s face suddenly turned red.

Vesta cannot reckon that Ashley farts in front of Sean.

Sean Dayle Dizon was Ashley’s longtime boyfriend. Vesta never thought that the two would be together, knowing how the two hated each other in their childhood days. Ashley and Sean quarreled every time when they misunderstood each other.

The mother of Sean was Estella’s friend. The boyfriend of Ashley studied in the city outside of La Moran taking a lawyer course. He only came home once a week.

“Mom! I hate you!” Ashley grimaced, with a face so red, like a tomato.

“I love you, Nak, even though what happened Sean still loves you.” Ashley’s mom smiled at her widely.

“Wow, Ashley? You fart loudly?” Vesta teased her.

“Not really...” Ashley denied. “I didn’t mean that, it just—unexpectedly came from nowhere.” Ashley reasoned. Her face grew even deeper red when she heard her mother laugh.

.

“Mom! Returning to that embarrassing memory. Argh! It was a shame to my cousin that you told her about it.” Ashley hides her face in her hands.

Vesta heard again the laughter of her godmother, who loves to embarrass her daughter in front of her. She cannot help the smile forming on her face. A longing for her parents made her blue.

Vesta was reading Conan Arthur Doyle’s book, the adventure of Sherlock Holmes, that night, and she was in the living room. Her godmother went to sleep while Ashley was busy dancing with a dance routine Vesta didn’t know. Ashley danced like worms who got out of the soil. Vesta felt good and could sit on the sofa without distracting her from Ashley’s music because her cousin wore a headset to conceal the sound.

Vesta officially enrolled in the school, thanks to her cousin Ashley, who liked an angel from above who assisted her. Ashley understands what she wants, not like her Aunt Elena and Jillian. Vesta still has a bad heart for them. Why don’t they understand? Why?

Why are they so afraid? What was the reason Aunt Elena and Jillian didn’t want her to be here? Vesta doesn’t want to think bad things about them. She loved them both, even though they acted that way, and she tried her best to understand them.

She sighed and moved to another page and continued reading.

****

“Why you look trouble, my ba–son?”

Zaiden turned his head behind him. It was his mama. Her hazelnut eyes were full of questions. Looking at him. He folded the file his papa gave him. He didn’t want his mama to see it. It’s a secret between him and his papa.

“It’s nothing, Ma. I’m just thinking. When did you come home from Paris?” Zaiden changing the conversation. He turned his head back, staring at the dark forest before him.

“Two minutes ago, I talked to your dad about our business and the issues regarding the Tri-aces. Everything went fine,” she whispered.

Tri-aces, the bad vampire mafia who tries to ruin his family’s business in Paris. He didn’t know the reason Tri-aces want to ruin his family’s business? I knew the group in Paris; they were one of the renowned, powerful, and wealthy people in that country. It seems they don’t like a new enemy in their business.

“Good.”

Zaiden straightly stood on the veranda. This was the place where he liked to stay, especially at night. He loved to hear the silence, watched his surroundings, and watched the moon above him.

The sound of six inches of heels coming toward him. Zaiden mama stopped beside him.

“I heard you had a serious talk with your dad. What is it, my son?”

“It’s nothing, Ma. Nothing you should worry about. So how’s your stay in Paris?”

“I don’t like how you change the topic, my son,” she sneered at him. It annoyed Zaiden when his mama does it. Imitating him.

“Ma, it’s nothing. Can we talk about anything else? You are coming to worry about nothing,” Zaiden said, shaking his head with annoyance when his mama laughed.

“Ok, if that’s what you want. I can’t do anything. So?” She glared at him as though he had to tell her something. His frown grew deeper, thinking about what her mama wanted. But he slowly realized what she meant. Bull’s eye. She knew it.

Zaiden knew who told his mama no other than his pretty silly sister.

“My superior assigned me and Jethro in La Moran to solve some serious cases happening there. Everything is ready, and tomorrow I’ll be leaving,” Zaiden replied with a lie.

She gave him a frowned look. What’s that look trying to imply?

“Ma?”

“When will you stop that job of yours, my son? You are putting yourself in danger. You are the only heir to us. About what your brother John did. I don’t want you to have the fate of King Ferregan son.” Her voice was full of distress.

Ahh! The missing son of the Southeria, Zaiden's best friend. It was almost a year ago that they did not find his friend after a lot of images that took place in La Moran a year ago between the vampire hunters. All concluded his friend was dead, even his mourning parents. They all had this belief that when they couldn’t find you within months, they surmised you were dead, even there was no evidence to prove it. And the lying truth that you were alive out there needed help.

“Ma, is that our strife again? I’m enjoying what I choose, Ma. I always promise you that nothing happened to me. You know me, Ma,” Zaiden teasingly said and winked at her.

She whipped my arm hard. “Ma! That hurts!” Zaiden rubbing his right arm as if he hurt by what his mama done.

“Don’t make easy pissy of what you are into, Zaiden. Promise will not assure me as your mom.” She was mad.

“Ok, fine, I know. I’ll keep myself away from danger, Ma. So, don’t worry. You look not good when you are worried and angry,” Zaiden mumbled with a serious face.

Her face turned horrified. “No, did I look ugly if I’m worried, my son?”

Zaiden nodded slowly. It’s a lie. His mama was beautiful and even worry made her look even more pretty.

She touched her face and seemed to have a prostate, feeling as if there was a wrinkle on her face. Zaiden's mama bid farewell to go and kissed her son on the cheek before leaving.

Zaiden looked at her slowly, moving away until it lost her in his sight. He turned his back and looked in the folder he was still holding, hoping that this one goes well.

----

Zaiden took the headphone and settled it in his neck He glanced at the enormous building of the Farex University parking lot inside his car. As it was, it changed to nothing in the old school. Zaiden fixed the placement of headphones on his ears. He took a binder book and pen to the back seat and exited his car.

The rays of the morning sun touch his skin gently. The wind of October swift briefly as Zaiden walked down the big gate. His attention to the two guards guarding the gate. Human guard. The smell of a recent paint welcomed him when she entered the gate.

There were few else students when Zaiden went to the second-floor stairs. There were several students he saw on the first floor, sitting on the bench. He looked like he was too early.

He played music on his iPod, he’s putting back his iPod in his jeans pocket when someone crashed at his back.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” a woman’s voice behind him. Zaiden was standing in the hallway. Maybe he did the wrong idea to stop in the mid.

“It’s fine, nothing to say sorry,” Zaiden replied, that it’s not a big deal.

“I’m not looking in the hallway. I didn’t notice you. Are you new?” The woman moved in front of Zaiden. His forehead frowned. The student stared at him in disbelief. What’s wrong with her? Asking himself in his mind.

“Nah, it’s fine.” Zaiden didn’t look at the student’s eyes.

“Are you new? Transfer student? I’m sorry again lately. What year are you? Your stature. Did you hear me? Now I just noticed headphones on your head. My cousin had the same headphones. Colour dark blue, “she said. Zaiden dislikes questions regarding him.

“I need to go now, and I’m sorry about what happened,” he said and left the student.

“Wait, what’s your name?” The student called.

Zaiden continues his walk, never minding the students who were calling him. That girl made the right decision of not following him because he’s not in the mood to talk to someone right now. He had an important thing to do.

“Zaiden, long time no see,” a word from the man before him. The man gave him a look that means he’s not happy to see him.

Zaiden was not expecting him to see the man. It’s been half of the century they haven’t seen each other. The man changed a lot. Especially outwardly. The long hair that man wore was what Zaiden remembered before now in a clean-cut wearing a trended clothing.

“Hey, Corden,” Zaiden said. Corden revealed his teeth to him. Zaiden knew it until now, Corden detests him to the grave.

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