Maybe as much as I wanted to get back to my present predicament, I couldn’t just tear my mind away from that memory when it all began.

Erasmun’s family was the relatives of the appointed parish priest from Barcelona, Spain, in September 1817. Then, Erasmun’s family moved to the colony, to experience the tropical island of Negros, the climate and beaches. Together with the Gonzaga family, I heard their other friends’ families came with them as well, just like Iago’s.

I was amazed to learn that they were just a couple years older than me and they were naturally taller.

It was vacation time when we became more closer to each other. It was kind of an odd friendship, if I should say. I was the only girl they befriended. In turn, they were my only boy friends. My playmates and even schoolmates didn’t want me around anymore when they learned I was friends with these two. They wouldn’t say their reasons. But I heard someone said that the two boys told them to get away from me. But perhaps they just said it as an excuse to not be friends with a mestiza.

Anyhow, I enjoyed Erasmun and Iago’s company. They were always nice to me. Even though Iago was more like playful and seemed mean to me, Erasmun would always keep him in check. They were polar opposites. Erasmun was always quiet and gentle. He always cared for me in ways that nobody would. Or maybe I just hadn’t realized it at that time. He would carry me on his back when I tripped and hurt myself, and he’d hold my hand to hide with him when we played hide-and-seek. He’d make sure Iago wouldn’t find me when the latter was “it.”

One time, he took his shirt off when the summer rain suddenly poured down when we were in the middle of making a makeshift house. Right, we played house and built something from coconut palms and bamboos. It was actually fun!

“¡Estúpido! You could’ve used this banana leaf to not get wet!” Iago told Erasmun in a mocking tone. He put the huge banana leaf he cut from a banana tree not so far away from the river. He hovered it above our heads. The three of us looked up at the huge leaf and laughed. The smell was kind of bitter but good.

They put me in the middle to not get wet. We slowly went home like that, with muddy feet.

Mama hadn’t forbidden me to go to the bank of the river whenever I wanted to because she knew my two friends were with me. So, I was happy for that.

One afternoon, we played at a field filled with flowers, grasses and shrubs. Random coconut trees stood proudly, waving their palm trees. One bad coconut fell, which almost hit me in the head. I would’ve if it weren’t for Iago. It was like he had a sixth sense.

“That was close,” he breathed, looking up at the offending tree.

“Gracias, Iago,” I murmured my thanks, looking at him beneath my lashes. I suddenly felt awkward because his arms were still encircling my waist.

“Hey!” Erasmun pulled me away from Iago. “Let’s go there!” He pointed in the middle of the field.

I looked back at Iago, who frowned. “Right! There are many wildflowers there. I think I saw something blue-purple, which is not aconite,” he said to Erasmun meaningfully.

Erasmun laughed. “Yes! I noticed that it’s like a trunk of an elephant with small flowers on it.”

I didn’t know what they were saying. What was aconite, anyway?

“And, oh! I like that sleepy plant!”

I laughed at him. It was what we called now the Makahiya or the mimosa pudica. I did find it fun, too.

We did go into the middle, feeling the warm breeze and chasing each other. We made those plants sleep, touching them with our feet. We watched as the little leaves close. I supposed it was the best day in our lives.

When we got exhausted, we stood looking at the setting sun on the far horizon. It was painted with orange. Iago was on my left, while Erasmun was on my right, holding my hand. I looked at Iago, who was giving me his dimpled smile as usual, with that penetrating champagne-colored gaze of his. I couldn’t seem to look at him longer than I would’ve wanted to. So, I turned to look at Erasmun, staring at his beautiful blue eyes. He smiled at me tenderly, holding my hand tightly.

“It looks like it’s going to rain,” Iago observed, looking at the now gloomy sky. It was painted with dark gray and blue.

“It’s getting dark. We have to go home,” I mumbled.

“It won’t rain ‘til later,” Erasmun said. “Maybe we can stay a little more.”

“Adriana’s Mama will be worried, Erasmun,” Iago disagreed. “We have to leave now. Besides, it’s your father’s big day today. He will lead the pack now.”

I frowned, not understanding what pack Iago was talking about. I saw Erasmun’s reluctance. He looked at me like he didn’t want to go and just stay there for a longer time. But then I agreed with Iago.

“It must be something important for your family. You have to go,” I told Erasmun.

“Maybe you should come with us. I’ll send someone to notify your parents or maybe invite them over. What do you think?” Erasmun smiled at me, showing me his even white teeth.

I nodded readily. I thought it was a good idea. I was curious what leading a pack means.

It was already dark when we got there. The kerosene lamps were lit. Some were hung on the walls of the houses. Some were placed on the long table that was deliberately placed outside, with wooden long benches. The food, plates and glasses were all ready and set. But there were no people around, which was odd.

We took a few steps towards Erasmun’s beautiful home when we heard growls and grunts. A few piercing shrills disturbed the crickets. We ran towards whatever the mayhem it was, but Iago stopped me.

“Go home. Adriana. It’s dangerous!” he ordered me with a hard tone.

I looked at Erasmun. “Listen to him. We’ll see you in the morning, Maria Adriana,” Erasmun said.

Then, I saw a tall silver-haired man emerge from the dark, with glowing red eyes and… bloody mouth? He had long fangs that seemed too large for a normal person. A few people I recognized by their faces grunted and fell to the ground. Their clothes ripped apart. So were their flesh. It was horrible!

Before I could speak, my shriek came first as the man with big fangs bashed Erasmun’s head against a nearby table. I could see Erasmun’s head crack and lots of blood flowed from it. He also went to Iago’s direction in a blur. Iago tried to attack him with his fists and kicks. But he also bashed him against the bench. I closed my eyes, as I continued to scream. An invisible force came out from my mouth, pushing him.

“Get away from him!” I then waved my hand unconsciously.

The man was thrown away, so were the others that seem to just appear out of nowhere. I stomped my foot and we all felt the tremor at the aftermath.

A hand clasped my mouth. I heard a certain whisper but I couldn’t make out the words. I just felt that my body became heavy and my vision blackened. And yet, I was calling Erasmun’s and Iago’s names in my head until I lost consciousness.

***

I woke up in my room the next morning, confused. I knew I was at Erasmun’s home last night. I quickly got out of my bed and ran out of the room. I collided with something hard but a pair of hands steadied me. I looked up to see an unfamiliar face. He was dark-skinned and good-looking.

“Maria Adriana, say hi to your rescuer,” Papa said in an almost grave tone. His handsome face looked so serious. More than ever before.

I glanced at Mama, who was beside him. She was oddly quiet and looked worried. Or was there fear in her eyes?

“Something happened at the Gonzaga’s last night but Ozymandias here found you at the sugar cane field. Someone told him you’re our daughter, so he was led here to our home,” Papa continued to fill me in. He also murmured about murders and couldn’t believe it.

“M-me? I-in the sugar cane field? T-that’s… midway here and… and Erasmun’s home. I-I…” I tried to recollect what happened last night. The last thing I remembered was someone’s hand clasped my mouth. I looked at Ozymandias, who was looking at me intently. His dark eyes were looking at me with such great interest.

Did he really save me last night? Are… are they dead? Were they really killed by that silver-haired monster with red eyes and big fangs?

A lump formed in my throat and I tried to swallow it. I didn’t know I was already crying silently, falling down on my shaking knees. I hurt them as they bumped on the hard, shiny wood floor but it didn’t even register to me. My chest ached and I clutched it.

I wanted to shout their names… but I couldn’t. I sobbed, shaking from fear and loss.

“Maria Adriana!” my mother came over to me, helping me to get on my feet. “You must rest and sleep, hija.”

Papa took me into his arms and carried me back into my room. He placed me on the bed gently and tucked me in. He put his hand over my forehead.

“You have a slight fever, Maria Adriana.” He turned to Mama. “Get her some soup and medicine, mi amor. Por favor,” he asked my mother in a gentle tone.

“If I can help further, let me know,” Ozymandias said in a gentle tone.

“You helped us already. We are lucky that a foreigner happened to rescue our daughter. We were so worried when she hadn’t got home with those poor boys before dusk. We are very grateful to you,” Papa told the beautiful man who had dark skin.

If hadn’t known better, I would have called him a Negrito. But of course, he was not as black as Negritos. His nose was sharper and perfect than theirs. His eyes were rounder… and fiercer. He also wore a more modern type of clothing like the Illustrados, the Filipinos that were educated in Spain. I later on discovered they were exposed to Spanish liberal, as well as European nationalist ideals.

Papa’s words “she hadn’t got home with those poor boys before dusk” echoed in my head. Poor boys…

***

A few months passed by, I was cooped up in my room. I refused to go to school, where I knew I wouldn’t see any of those two poor boys again. Ozym, as he told me to call him, didn’t miss a day to come and visit us, especially me.

I learned that mother was pregnant. It somehow alarmed me because of my initial fears. What if my adoptive parents would kick me out this time, especially that I wasn’t listening to what they say to me lately? I just gave them frustration and worry.

“Do you want to come with me? We can travel the world as much as you want. Or we can just stay in my castle and play all day long. What do you think, Adri?” Ozym asked me one day. We were at my balcony one afternoon, talking. A small table was in front of us, which had our usual merienda of banana cue and others.

I noticed he never ate what our maidservants served him. He would just drink water, coffee or juice.

“Where’s your home?” I curiously asked.

He shrugged with a smile. “Here and there.”

“You’re so rich? You have a castle everywhere?” My eyes went wide at the thought. My mother once told me what a castle is. So I was quite interested to know more about it and if I could ever see it with my own eyes.

Ozym made a deal with me, which I couldn’t refuse.

“What happened to your friends’ families won’t happen to yours.”

I winced at that.

“I promise to protect your family, Adri. So… what do you say if I asked you come live with me from now on?”