The Science of Spying (Erityian Tribes, #4)

Chapter 23 : Black Lady

"—run away. Nel?"

"Ah. Huh?"

Napatingin naman ako kina Blake at lahat sila ay nakatitig sa akin. I was still in dazed after seeing that woman who resembled my mother. A lot of thoughts was brewing inside my mind—the probability that she's still alive or maybe that was just my imagination.

'Are you okay?' Cliff asked.

'Not really. The painkillers are wearing off,' sabi ko na lang kahit na hindi 'yon ang dahilan kung bakit ako wala sa sarili.

'You should rest.'

'How about you guys?'

'We need to assist the other agents and help our allies.'

'Oh. Okay.'

Nagpaalam ako sa kanila at dumiretso sa quarters ng Custos sa isang building dito sa campus. I took down a dozen of low-level Shinigamis along the way and when I arrived at the room, my body immediately felt the exhaustion. I was actually planning to have a talk with Dad but this might not be the right time.

Tomorrow, I said, and after a few minutes, I was already dreaming.

***

I woke up to the sound of alarm blaring through my ears. Napabangon naman agad ako at pagtingin ko ay kakagising lang din nina Cliff.

"What's happening?" Cliff asked, still groggy from lack of sleep.

"Wake up, dolts."

A hologram appeared in front of us and hearing that voice made Blake's team snap back to reality. Afterwards, Naia also came into sight. Our Keepers were here.

"It's been a long time, Evan," I said while looking at Evan Brooks, Rubeus team's Keeper.

Naia and Evan were always pinned against each other for the best Keeper title in our batch but they never had the chance to engage in a Keeper-to-Keeper battle. Even if they didn't say it themselves, we knew they view each other as rivals so it was kind of interesting to see them working together.

"Penelope," he called and I cringed hard when I heard my name. Aside from Dad and Dale, he also likes to call me by my complete name.

Nagkatinginan naman sila ni Cliff at nag-iba agad ang atmosphere sa room. Blake and I exchanged nervous looks, wary of the history between those two.

"Clifford. You're also here, huh?" Evan said while adjusting his glasses, a sign that he was judging someone's abilities.

"Yeah. That scar on your forehead looks pretty good, too."

"You . . ."

"Hah! So what's the matter now, Evan?"

Fortunately, Blake managed to catch Evan's attention. Lumapit naman ako kay Cliff at sinamaan ko siya ng tingin. He's not the type to get worked up to someone's words but when it comes to Evan, his competitive and immature side would always predominate. With their blonde hair and Caucasian facial features, they looked similar. Well, no wonder, since they're cousins but they treat each other as strangers and rivals.

"Group missions," sabi naman ni Naia kaya napatingin kami sa kanya. "I know that the war just ended and you guys are already drained but there are still missions waiting for you."

As if on cue, I heard a bone-chilling shriek followed by a disturbing silence creeping through the whole place. Even though I couldn't see what happened, I could hear the faint inner voices of some Erityians and I knew that Rin, the Goddess of Death and Shinigami's ruler, had died.