Chapter Four

Chapter IV: Weird and unsettling.

1962 Ferrari 250 GTE from Bathala Katipunan Institute itself is really something. Who would have thought that this simple but weird Camp has a unique and out of this world facilities that you can only see here. For example is the Elecentroom. It can only be seen in sci-fi movies but here on now, Alphyne have saw it personally and felt like she's inside of a story. She thought that if she is in a story, her story has a weird storyline. She sighed. This was probably because of too much movies and stories that she had watched and read when she was little. Her dad tends to read her a story whenever he got a chance and they have a library full of different genre in their home. She sighed remembering it again. She felt weird. She doesn't feel anything. She didn't even cry when she saw her Dad in that state. But she was still being hunted by those nightmares every time she sleeps and always woke up in the middle of the night crying.

"Alphyne, are you okay? You've been silent ever since we left the camp." August Aurelio suddenly asked making her looked at him at the rear mirror. He is a son of Kidlat. He is quite tall, as tall as Harry. His hair is quite curly. He has a mole on the left side of his left eye. He is quite handsome. His smile has a dimple on its right side. He is wearing a white shirt with a pair of camouflage pants and a pair of black boots. And he is the one who is driving this blue green 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE with a plate number ALP 811. Alphyne remembered him the second time she saw him a while ago, he was the guy who greet them together with Louis the very first time she step foot in Bathala Katipunan Institute two weeks ago.

"Yes. I'm okay. I'm just excited." She just muttered and stared outside. It was kind of cloudy day when they step outside the Camp for the first time again after she was taken in. It is quite different and the same at the same time because of her actual first time to watch the scenery outside the car. That time when she was taken in, it was still raining lightly and it was already dark in this part of the road so she didn't look outside but now, she can see many things already. She even saw a Dragon like species swimming at the lake that they just saw.

"What was that?" I whispered on my part. I noticed that Liel who was sitting beside me at the passenger seat shifted to look at what I am seeing at my side window.

"That's Bakunawa, a snake like specie that was punished by Bathala long ago." He said and sat back on his seat. She gave him a look telling him to continue.

"She was a Diwata back then that was full of herself that when a Moon God from different persona - it's not your Mother - appeared and didn't even see or became friends with her, she became angry and ate the moon, but Bathala appeared and made her to spit out was she had eaten." He explained making Alphyne nodded in understanding. She unconsciously whistled it is her habit when she learned or watch something amazing.

"Andrew, are we there yet?" Liel suddenly asked Andrew who was at the shotgun seat besides August.

"Nope. Maybe a little bit of Thirty minutes and then, we will be there." He said. Alphyne don't know if he was sarcastic or whatever but just slouch on her seat and continued to watch the scenery outside the running car.

It is somewhat weird for Alphyne that even if the Pillars at the Camp said that the demi's are in danger in the hands of the bad creatures yet Alphyne found the ride peaceful. She took notice of it ever since they left the institution. She was suspicious whether this car is protected or just the creatures aren't doing something to attack the running car. Alphyne was just a little nervous to do her very first errand as a camper of Bathala Katipunan Institute. Another twenty minutes had passed and then finally, August stopped the car and arrived to their first station. Alphyne, Andrew and Liel stared at the building before their eyes and looked at August who was leaning on the car's door.

"What?"

"Why are we here?" Liel asked. August held his hands up and shrugged.

"I don't know? I'm just following the tracker. Well, I have to go. Good luck on your mission." He muttered gaining attention from Alphyne.

"Huh? But who will drive us around?"

"It's not my problem."

"Hey!"

"That's enough Al. Every mission in the Kati is always like this. Don't worry, we'll find a way." Liel explained as he stopped Alphyne in countering August. He knows August very well, they have been working together as leaders in Night Raid every Wednesday night for their Camp activity and Liel have always knew what kind of personality August has. He is not kind but he wasn't that bad either. There are just two words that can describe him, he is playful and sly. He likes to torment people. Well, it just describes how lightning is after all he is a son of Kidlat. Liel just sighed and turned to the building. He was thinking of a plan on how to enter Sogo Hotel without anyone finding them out.

"Why is it locked?" Alphyne muttered making the two of her companion turned to what she was looking at. Liel approached the main door of Sogo Hotel in Malate, Manila and studied what was inside. He smelled some dust coming from the building. He looked up to see the ceiling of the building's balcony and noticed its cracks and webs. It looks like it was abandoned because of oldness.

"Children, why are you dawdling around here? Be careful there young man, you may get crushed there." A woman older than them questioned and cautioned at the same time as she approached the three.

"Hello, we were just looking around." Andrew disclosed. Normal people should never know what the institute is like or chaos will ensure and he totally knows that. He turned to Liel who nodded at his gaze.

"Ma'am, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Why does this building abandoned?" Liel asked the woman. She looked at the building from top to bottom.

"I have been working around here for so many years already and the building has been built even before I work here. It was abandoned maybe because of its oldness. And sometimes at night, they say that there's something lurking inside that building. I heard from its building owner that they are planning to demolish it, maybe sooner or later." The old woman said making the three nodded their heads but there's just something the caught Alphyne's interest.

"Ma'am, what do you mean by something lurking around inside the building?" she asked. She noticed that the old woman was surprised to hear that from her.

"Why young lady, are you interested in ghost and supernatural beings?" she asked half serious, half joking but she noticed that Alphyne nodded at her question making her fully turned serious.

"Other people said but most especially loiters were talking about this building that they heard something crashing inside. Most of us just ignored it like maybe due to its oldness, the inside are already collapsing making noise at night. But they also said that not just crashing debris can be heard at night. They said that there is really something in there. Some people said that they sometimes see a shadow walking at the entrance and a mysterious person looking at the street every night. It was seen at the fourth floor of the building." She elaborated. The three looked at each other.

"Thank you, Sir." They thanked and bid goodbye to the older woman.

"Be careful on your way home, it's getting dark." She bid as the sun sets at the horizon.