FIVE

Venice sighed and smiled while getting the frying pan in the cabinet below.

Because she's Airiz Encinas. Why would she wonder then?

Venice did not go to the Academy directly because she had one person needing to visit. It's been quite some time since she last visited him due to the next line of requests last month. She went out of the Maserati and lifted her eyes to the tall white building a few meters far away from the parking lots of where she was.

Venice could feel the morning heat biting into her skin. She always forgets to bring an umbrella. Oops! She thought k it's too much for her to forget it for it looks bad then she shook her head.

Then she walked into the building, wearing the school uniform, her dark blue hair tied in a ponytail and arranged for the placement of round eyeglasses on her face headed straight inside the entrance passing the counter, and stopped in front of the elevator. She clicked the button and waited a minute before it opened. Smiling when she saw the elevator empty and she went inside immediately hit the 9th floor. After closing the prose, it moved upwards. Venice was humming 'you are my sunshine' tone.

Encinas Hospital is massive, obviously owned by her friend Airiz's family. With the size and height of the building, you would never think it would have fifteen floors. One of the famous hospitals in the Cagayan de Oro. It has many branches in other parts of the Philippines as well as in other countries. Is Airiz's family rich? As far as Venice knows, her family's friend is the third billionaire in the whole Philippines. 25th in the world.

Until now Venice can't understand why Airiz joined the group. If she asks Airiz, she would simply say I'm destined for it! Maybe only Athena knows the real reason why Airiz joined. This is what took Airiz five years ago. Airiz and Venice were both in second-year college while Audrei is in her first year.

It was not important to Venice to get a diploma. If every person has a reason to live and dream, like other people, so Venice has a reason. It's simple. Get something she has long wanted to get since she was a kid. The same question that always bothered her.

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor. It opened and a man in a hospital gown entered. Venice stared into his eyes. Ocean blue eyes. But she can see the sadness in those beautiful orifices. Why is that sad? What is the reason? It averted his gaze from her as he entered. The man next to Venice was three steps away. Why does the man seem familiar? Has she met him before? Where?

As the door closed, she could see the reflection of herself and the man at the elevator door.

The man was so tall that Venice was at his ear level. His dark chocolate color is so long that it looks like it hasn't been cut for weeks. She also noticed how pale his face color was. Venice can"t answer as to the reason maybe he was in pain? He had thin lips. The sharp nose was perfectly molded to the combination of the two races combined. She bet his mother is Filipino and the father is half Italian or Spanish?

The man's weight and body size were not noticeably reduced, and only now did she notice the bandage on his left arm. She immediately averted my gaze when the man looked at me through the reflection. Venice was just staring, and she thought it Was not wrongdoing, though? Maybe?

"Sorry?" Venice almost scolded herself at the word that slipped out of her mouth. Goodness sake! Why did she say that?

"Huh?" A few seconds before, the man spoke.

Venice tightened my grip on the cellophane she was carrying. "Sorry for staring at you? For as much as I offended you." She made sure she didn"t stutter while saying those words.

"Okay," he calmly answered. Not a single reaction has been on his face since before.

"I'm exactly right; I offended you." Venice doesn't know why she was so comfortable with the man. It's as if she has seen him or talked to him before, or maybe it's just her imagination. Dreams? Maybe? She doesn't know.

"Hmmm ..."

The elevator opened to the floor where she was going and she didn't know if to leave or just say something before she did. Well, Venice was not used to leaving without saying goodbye.

"Bye." Venice raised her right hand and stepped out of the elevator.

The elevator door was slowly closing when she turned her back. Then she saw the guy smile or maybe a smirk then vanished when he saw her looking at him and then the door closed.

"Weird…" Venice mumbled and shrugged as she walked down the hallway to room 907.

When Venice was in front of the door of 907, she clenched her fist on the door once knocking and a few knocks before hearing a male voice.

"Come in." Venice heard his weak but strong voice.

She opened the door and the beautiful place opened up to her, all in shades of white, and her gaze stopped at a man standing with his back to the bedroom window. He was wearing a hospital dress and now she can see his thin body. He was thinner now than the last time she used to visit him.

"Hi, Kent," Venice greeted and stopped at the table, placing down what she was carrying.

Venice was so impressed with how clean and arranged his room was. He still doesn"t change, he loves to make his place well arranged and tidy.

"Hi, Ate Ven. Why are you here?" He looked at her. The smile was wide on his lips and Venice could see his pale dark red eyes as Airiz had. His former color was back, a touch of white and brown.

"Just want to know how you are doing well," Venice responded.

"I'm greatly fine now, Ate Ven. What did you bring me?" He excitedly looked at the bag she was carrying. The look on his face was overjoyed to know what it was.

"Wow! Buko pie!"

"I know you haven't eaten that for a few months. Well, I can say now you do love the food here," Venice joked at the last word. He chuckled with a nod.

He sat on the bed with the box of buko pie being opened with his trembling hands. Kent Josh Encinas is the only son of the Encinas Family. They were four siblings and he is the youngest of four. 19 years old and homeschooled since he was ten years old after he was diagnosed with a blood disease. Blood cancer. Airiz told him that his grandfather on his mom"s side got the same disease as Kent.

The son usually develops that kind of disease. Kent's family did everything they could to cure the child or prolong his life. Venice first saw Kent during his 12th birthday celebration and she knew there was something strange about him.

Venice helped him in opening the box properly. Even if he didn"t tell her that she felt sorry for himself for the reason he was just so weak. When she opened it, she took a plate and fork from the drawer of the nightstand next to his. Venice took a slice of buko pie and placed it on the plate.

"Here..." Venice reached for the man but she was so shocked when he took one at the box using his hand.

"Kent! You can't take it using your ha—" Venice didn't finish her words when he said, "You are like my sister Airiz. She gets angry when I hand over food to mommy. What's wrong with what I'm doing?" Kent's face looked surprised at her.

"Just, you should use a plate and fork. Here," Venice demanded and handed Kent the plate and fork. He still doesn't let go of the food in his hand.

He playfully smiles and eats the food in his bare hands. She didn"t expect Kent to do that. "I like eating with my hands, dad told me it's not bad either. He likes it as I like it," he reasoned.

Venice looked at him carefully with two eyebrows raised and smiled after a few seconds of silence.

"Okay, that's so. What are you doing here in the jail room?" That"s what Venice called Kent"s room.

It's better because it's true that he was always there. She just ate what she put on the plate with the fork that was supposed to be for him.

"Nothing, boredom is killing me slowly. Do you have a new book? I've finished reading the books here," he said and looked at his bookshelf near the glass window.

"I have, isn't there what I brought?" Venice was about to take a step when she remembered that she had left it on the study table, the paper bag containing five books.

"You forgot it, I know, okay you can just bring it next time. You don't have a class, Ate?" He turned his head at me. He eats the freshly picked slice of tidbits.

Venice sat down next to him. "There is, 9:30," she replied and took another buko pie from the box.

"Ate Airiz visited here yesterday. She brought me hamburgers and fries then she taught me how to play the violin," he told the story with eyes on the window.

"I want to be a musician, Ate Ven ... but daddy doesn't want to. I'm not good at it he told me," he said with sadness in his voice.

Venice held him by the shoulder and lightly tapped it. "You're good at it, Kent. Don't I always tell you? Follow what your heart wants but always let your mind take the decision. Your dream was and is part of who you are."

"You're right, Ate Ven. If I get better I can make my dream come true." Big smile on his lips. She can see through his face the hope.

Venice hid the sadness of the truth. I was hoping too ... Kent. She whispered to herself.

She walked out of the hospital building to the parking lot where her car was parked and she noticed a tall man leaning against the door of the driver's seat and she stopped to get close to the car. It was unexpected for her. What could he need?

"How are you?" The man greeted Venice with a big smile on his lips. He's wearing a half sleeve bottom shirt and faded blue jeans paired with two low-cut converse. His buzz-cut raven dark hair was a bit wet. His keen dark eyes stared at her.

"I'm fine as usual. Why are you here, Kaiser?" Her cold question to him.

He stood promptly. "Kaiser, you're the only one calling me that. Ever since…"

Venice admits she doesn"t like his smile on her. Why did she call him a Kaiser? It's equivalent to the emperor, a germanic naming though.

"Shall I say, I like that name for you? You haven't answered my question yet, Kaiser."

He smirked while crossing his arms on his chest. "Can you stop calling that name? I'm disgusted." She was not afraid of his threat.

"Why? You choose to be like that and you want that, right? Being a kaiser! Being one of the 8 Kaiser! So? Why hate me if I call you that?" Venice plastered a bitter smile on him.

He combed his hair using his left hand because of what Venice was talking about. She can feel the stress on his face. "I'm not here, Flavus to fight you. I'm here because I just want to see that you're okay, that you're safe. Still, I care for you."

"Still care? After you betray us? Stop saying that to me, Asher. I will never believe you again after what you did to me—to us." She said in a hoarse voice. To this day, what he did to them still hurts, especially on her part. How he uses her heart just to get the position he wanted.

"I'm sorry, I have a reason like you. You know why I'm doing this because it's like your reason. Find the truth. You thought you were the only one who lost someone—we're both," his eyes widened at her. He turned away from her, preventing the tears from his eyes. Even if he hides it, Venice knows because that's how she knows him.

She kept her anger low and sighed harshly. "I'm still the girl you knew before and I understand you." And she walked to the driver's seat door and opened it. He still turned his back on her, one step away from him.

She grabbed Asher's right shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Hope you get what you want, Asher, and sorry."

After saying that, Venice quickly got in her and closed the door letting her tears fall on her warm face for a minute. She started the car's engine and quickly left the area when he left. It hurts but she needs to forgive him. She should understand him as his friend.