Never Be Tamed

Chapter 23: Whimsical

Chapter 23: Whimsical

Four days before the transition of leadership in Van Zanth, we heard one big news. Alexander finally accepted the beta position. It was a decision made in the nick of time and all the staff of the apothecary were  relieved.

We were in the middle of our work in the tower nang mabalitaan namin  ito. Sandali kaming tumigil ni Anabeth sa ginagawa at napangiti sa  balita.

"The fire incident was a bad scenario, but it paved the way for Alexander to realize things," Anabeth pondered. "Sana naman unti-unti ng bumalik ang pakikitungo niya sa mga Van Zanth at mga taong nakapaligid sa kanya."

Three days before the transition, Zanra informed us that she wanted to go to downtown para bumili ng dress na isusuot niya para sa darating na pagtitipon.

I wasn't really familiar with how things go on the day of transition, but it's been days since the town felt more alive than usual. There's excitement in the air like bolts of electricity. Nakakahawa ang saya ng mga tao sa paligid. Their pleasant faces, their smiles, the way they greet each other.

"Matagal nila itong hinintay." Naghihintay kami ni Anabeth sa main entrance ng apothecary nang sabihin ito. "Alpha Zander was a great leader, but being a half blood compels his leadership to be in constant scrutiny by the council. With Zackary, we're hoping they would ease their ways."

Van Zanth. For a small, remote town, madami ang nakakaalam kung  ano ang bayan ito, a town where hybrid dominates more than humans, which was something rare to keep nowadays. Specially in a modern world where knowledge of their kind could easily slipped into the  public.

Incidents involving outsiders had tripled the number since ten years ago. Whether hybrid or human, they wanted to penetrate the town and see what they could take with them.

May mga tao ding naniniwala na ang dugo ng mga tulad namin ay nakakagaling ng mga sugat at karamdaman. And having different set of skills made us the target for those who wanted to gain things from our kind. All those misinformation just made being a leader of a town like Van Zanth more difficult than ever. Isa itong napakalaking reponsibilidad.

Dumating sa driveway ang sasakyan na susundo sa'min. Once the car completely stopped, Zanra rushed out to greet us. Nagagawa na niyang ngumiti ngayon. Nakapagusap na kaya sila ni Alexander? Nasabi na ba  ni Zanra ang kanyang nararamdaman? Or was it too scary to be vulnerable?

Zanra was too excited, she couldn't stay still. Matagal niya na itong gustong gawin dati pa. Ang muling bumisita sa downtown kasama ang mga kaibigan niya. But based on the emotions in her eyes, I knew  there's still something holding her back. She was hiding something behind her excitement.

We slipped inside the car, both Anabeth and I were in the backseat,  while Zanra sat comfortably on the middle row seat. Dalawang orders  ang nasa harapan ng sasakyan.

Makalipas ang ilang minuto, nakarating kami sa downtown. Sa paanan palang ng town square, bumaba na kaming tatlo. Naglakad-lakad kami sa kahabaan ng mataong kayle na pinaliligiran ng mga tindahan habang ilang hakbang sa likuran namin ang dalawang orders na naatasang magbantay kay Zanra.

Kung saan saan kami hinila ni Zanra, sa tindahan ng libro, pastries, flower shops, and colorful art and paper materials. Kalaunan, napansin na din ni Anabeth na ang sayang nararamdaman ni Zanra ay hindi lahat natural.

"Nakapagusap na ba kayo ni Alexander?" tanong ni Anabeth nang bumalik kami sa kalye para maglakad.

Around us, people were rushing to buy food and things for their own celebration three days from now. Ilan sa kanila ang nakapansin na ang naglalakad sa kanilang harapan ay si Zanra, ang anak ng alpha. Others didn't seem to recognize her. Siguro ay dahil sa loob ng ilang taon, halos hindi lumabas si Zanra sa mansion.