MANANANGGAL.

I wrote down the word, that had been echoing through me nonstop in the last few hours.

That was what the Purebloods had called those things that obeyed their wishes. My eyes trailed to the light sketch of it I had been doing to the side.

It honestly looked plain, and not what I envisioned.

The faces of those grotesque creatures were buried in my head, but I was not as talented in art as I would have liked to be.

Not as good as Harvest.

I could feel my heart freeze for a second at the thought of that name.

My hand instinctively wrapped around the chain that mom gave me, my hands slightly shaking, as my breathing hitched, suddenly looking upwards at the sound of short grunts a distance away, seeing the figures of both David and Claire bickering near the base of the hill, squabbling as they often did. Something about who was right and who was wrong.

I found myself chuckling at this for a second, a smile rising onto my face at the sight of something absolutely normal and expected to happen.

Despite everything I had seen the previous night I could still be normal even if it was only pretending.

To save a piece of normalcy for me.

I couldn't even turn when someone came to sit next to me.

I slightly turned as Lira crossed her legs beside me, leaning back with a soft sigh.

"Well you seem like you're in a locked space," she huffed as she watched the quarrel take place below us, before turning to capture my face.

Getting caught in her curious gaze, I barely managed to look away, adjusting myself from the prickly grass that tickled my bare legs.

"Those two might be oblivious to it, but I could tell something was happening back there," she sighed into the wind, "Harvest is always angry but there was this kind of- flare when he walked away today," she added, feeling her gaze latched back onto me.

I swallowed my hands tightening around my chain but I said nothing. Because I had nothing to explain. Where would I start from? Heck, I had been replaying that moment ever since it happened.

His hand got burnt through and it healed in a matter of seconds like he was a vampire, but of course that wasn't it, because I met the vampires, and apparently, HE'S something that even they obey!

Catching myself before a panic attack, I let out a due breath, gaze dropping down to the grass, closing my eyes for a second, trying to block all the flashing confusing memories.

It was like my brain was s storage place and all these things had been dumped there and were now set free rampaging through my brain.

A hand settled on my shoulder.

I stopped at this, eyebrows arching at the action, turning slightly to peek at her. Lira wasn't exactly the touch type and I found it strange that she would do such a simple action.

She pulled her hand away, sighing, "Look, I can a struggle in your eyes" she huffed slowly, looking at the round for a moment, "I'm very familiar with that," she stated before leaning back out, rolling her shoulders, her blue highlights glistening in the sun rays.

"What I learned from that is life's a fluke, it makes you feel alone for one second, and then, throws a bunch of friendship into your face, knowing you wouldn't want to confide in them, even if it helps," she stated, before looking back at up at a now seemingly frustrated David and a winning Claire, to which my lips curved upwards at the sight- knowing whatever those two chose to argue about this time, David was most likely right but Claire was throwing in some good points.

"Even if those friends look like they're about to set each other on fire," she grinned lazily rolling her head to face me.

I smiled at this, knowing this was Lira's way of reaching out and I did appreciate it.

I appreciate that she was trying to see that I was okay, trying to get me to talk about whatever was happening, but I knew what she expected to hear and the depth of what was happening in that corner of my life could not just be explained.

I just couldn't tell anyone.

"What's that awful-looking thing?" Lira suddenly grunted, eyebrows arching as her gaze dropped to my lap.

My open notebook, gazing down at the truly untalented drawing of the creature that had so eagerly tried to take my life.

"Can I see?" she asked for a moment, carefully, surprising me further.

It caught me so off guard that she was asking that I obliged, handing over the notebook, my cheeks heating up as she stared at the drawing that I knew just sucked to pieces.

Her eyes however narrowed on the name I had been dwindling around them.

"You were trying to draw a Manananggal?" she chuckled glancing at me. It once again caught me by surprise but I managed to awkwardly shrug it off.

She chuckled lowly at this, turning back to look at the drawing in disbelief, "what sort of nightmares are you having?" she chuckled handing me the book back, "stick to poetry reddy," she sighed, looking back at David and Claire.

I managed an amused snort at this, noting to myself that indeed it was a bad drawing, but something else caught my attention, curiously shifting my attention to Lira, studying the side of her face for a few seconds.

"Why do I feel like I'm being watched?" Lira grunted, turning to look atnew, amused.

I looked down at my book, before looking back at her signing slowly.

I know she and Claire were picking up on my sign language but they were not as fast as David, even if Lira was significantly faster than Claire.

[Do you know what they are] I asked.

"What? Manananggals? Only the ugliest Vizire," she huffed, "and ofcourse one of the deadliest."

My eyebrows arched at this, listening attentively. Lira took one look at my curious face and sighed, sitting up straighter, and I could tell she knew this was one of her 'guide the newbies' conversations.

"Vizire?" she questioned searching my eyes for some sort of acknowledgment, "vampiric creatures?" she added.

I nodded frantically at this, bidding her to go on, signing to her I only knew the flat basics.

She seemed not too thrilled by being bothered with another explanation but suddenly brightened at it, "well, I guess if I'm going to tell you a scary story, I might as well enjoy it," she grinned

"A fair warning reddy," Lira sighed sitting up straighter before throwing me a knowing smirk, "Stories of the Manananggal will make you sick to your stomach," she warned.

I said nothing in reply, holding her stare to which she chuckled seemingly amused.

"Suit yourself," she mumbled before looking down at the calmer-looking pair, David and Claire standing down below us.

"The Manananggal are mainly from eastern Asia, well that's where most of the stories of their origins begin, but believe me when I say these nasty things are found almost everywhere, maybe a little bit different or more tinkered, but they are the same evil blood-sucking leeches as the rest of them. Vizire creatures, in the proper sense," she explained, "They were recorded originally to be ailing hideous disgusting looking- women but from the books I've read. They look like fleshy skeletons, you honestly can't tell if they are female or male, thanks to their long hair," she grunted, "Their main distinction from other Vizire is the ability to sever its upper body from its lower torso, and have big huge bat-like wings," she emphasized with a huff.

Memories of the grotesque-looking creatures flashed into my mind.

I did think they looked like they had been cut in half, I could have sworn I saw some of their intestines dragging on the ground beneath them.

I could remember their rotten thin skin, pale as ever, with their thin hair.

In that panic, honestly, I had zero time to guess if they were males or females, and that didn't matter.

The bat-like wings were a signature memory, that even my rough drawings of them had included, those dark bat wings.

"Wings that it uses to search the dark skies for its poor victims. According to legends, their favorite delicacies were pregnant women, who they would hunt at night, and attack in their sleep by using their long elongated tongues to suck the woman's blood or the heart of her fetus. The Manananggal primarily preys on pregnant women in the middle of the night when they are asleep like some advanced mosquitos," she chuckled whilst I couldn't stop the look of utter disgust and horror that was forming on my face as she explained further.

"But they loved their men's food too," she grinned leaning into a lower whisper like it was a campfire story, " they appear as these gorgeous beautiful women, lure lustful men to a private place, and then EAT THEM ALIVE,"

My best thumped at her sudden outburst, leaning back slightly.

"FEASTING on their stomachs, their hearts and livers whilst their screams echoed into the lonely darkness," she finished with a faraway look, leaning back on her elbows, letting out a satisfied breath for a moment before her head rolled in my direction, where I stared at her in disbelief at the story.

She chuckled further at this, "I told you it's a scary story," she shrugged.

My gaze shifted to the ground, pushing a stray hair from my face before looking back at her, after a dry swallow,

[I-s, Is there any way to kill them?" I signed slowly.

"Kill?" she echoed, eyebrows slightly arched as she watched my hands move. I nodded in confirmation.

"I mean they're Vizire," she shrugged, "99 percent of Vizire can be killed by sunlight," she huffed, "in ancient times, after the creatures detach from their lower bodies, you could put salt and garlic on their intestines so the vizire could not reattach themselves by morning. They would then burn in the morning rays. If you cannot wait for the sun, I would think burning their lower bodies would be easier," she added.

I paused at the last statement, envisioning how the creatures flew at me, the intent of eating me alive, and then- the random fires spread out in the forest.

With each fire, a Mannagal turned to ash.

Was that what Harvest did? He somehow found the lower torsels hidden in the forest, burning each one of them.  Every one of them. He somehow sensed every location.

I shivered at the thought of it, not exactly scared of the creatures as much as I was unsure of a being that would be able to do that in a matter of seconds.

SO fast that not even one Manananggal could get to me in time.

I had no scratch on my body, no proof of what happened in the forest last night. I hadn't yet decided if that was a good or bad thing.

"Shaking already? I swear it's so easy to scare you reds," she grinned.

I glanced over at her and we both chuckled.

"Hey, lira!" Claire yelled over, causing both of us to look at them, "isn't that Andrew?" she asked,

Our eyes were directed to where Claire was motioning and true enough, it was him, making his way towards us, squinting in the sun.

Lira hummed at this, watching as he approached closer.

He first stopped by David and Claire, seemingly greeting them before marching up the hill, towards us. He stopped a few feet away from us.

"Hey fish boy," Lira grinned, looking up at him in amusement. He nodded at this, scoffing for a moment before glancing in my direction, eyes falling on me awkwardly.

"Hi, talanda."

I offered him a small smile, not keeping his eyes for much longer.

Always found it a bit weird whenever Andrew was around.

Not that he did anything wrong, it just always felt awkward, we never really had a chance to become friends.

His gaze fell back to Lira-

"You're blocking the sun, sunshine, sun-basking over here," she huffed, shooing him to the left.

He rolled his eyes at this but moved anyway with a low sigh, about to say something but Lira cut him off, as she closed her eyes, humming in the straying sunlight, "Let me guess, you're here to place a bet on the coming qualifiers Inter Color Match on Thursday,' she grinned.

Andrews's gaze trailed to me momentarily before looking down at Lira with a sigh, "no actually," he huffed his tone sounding defeated, "the match has been moved to Tuesday," he replied.

"How do you know that?" Lira hummed again, still not opening her eyes, sounding unbothered.

"Because Lucas and the other originals attended the meeting earlier this morning-"

I guessed this was the same meeting that Mr. Ogustus had to go to too.

"And that's what they agreed upon," he replied, "it will be announced soon."

"Why?" Lira huffed, eyebrows arching, yet eyes still closed.

Andrew sighed once more at this, glancing at me momentarily with a clenched jaw seemingly holding in some strands of frustration.

I shrugged his way, which was my way of telling him; C'mon, you have to be used to it by now.

"I'm not supposed to be spreading this before the announcement, but apparently, the games have been pushed to Wednesday to Friday, to avoid the two events clashing," he stated.

Lira hummed nodding casually like she had expected this kind of news, opening her eyes slowly.

She studied Andrew for a minute, eyes narrowing on him, "are you sure you're not here to -"

"no, Lira," he gritted out, running what seemed like a nervous hand through his hair, my eyebrows arching at the action, "I'm not here to bet for the last time," he huffed, his tone rising slightly.

She didn't let it show too much on her face, but the slight wrinkle on her nose gave it away, and she was starting to get serious, "so, why are you here?"

Andrew seemed to relax a little at this, his eyes trailing to the ground before meeting hers once again releasing an exasperated breath.

"I-I need your help." he muttered, shaking his head, "I can't bet on the match, because...I'm in it," he huffed.

My eyes slightly widened at this, and Lira raised an eyebrow, but her curiosity piqued instantaneously, "opponent?" she whispered lowly.

"Roman Algrand," He stated, and I spotted David pause, turning slightly, Claire's eyes widening for a moment.

Lira seemed at a loss for words for a second, before glancing at me momentarily

"Yeah-" she stated, eyes resting on him once more, "you definitely need my help."

My eyebrows arched at the silence that followed.

It was Roman, right? The silly bully orange fireball kid, AKA Davids's roommate? Wasn't Andrew like a wolf?

My eyes fell on the faces of my friends.

Then why did they all look so alarmed? Was I missing something here?

My eyes rested on Andrews's nervous face- Yes, I was definitely missing something.

•~•
Good luck Andrew 🌚

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