Chapter 4/5

Even Forever Ends
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I was very skeptical of telling Joy what I just discovered, but the information was crucial in finding out the real reason as to why the transfer student was after me and/or my blood. There were also clues given that were clearly pointing to when the change in the young Miss’ body occurred.

There’s only one thing that kept me wondering: how did Esperanza die?

“Hey,” I called the attention of the girl sitting on the bed.

“Hmm?” she barely looked up from the pages she was totally engrossed on.

“I found something,” I said quietly.

She looked at me this time, and when she saw my expression, it registered to her that I was done fooling around. Not like I was just fooling around all these times.

“What you got?”

I held up the journal to the air like some kind of a trophy. “I just knew that she wasn’t born like that, she was bitten in the woods while strolling with Esperanza. And I’m just guessing but I think that the biting incident was the turning point of it all.”

“Who’s Esperanza?” she asked, eyeing me like I’m a kindergarten teacher reading a story book.

“Esperanza was Catalina’s identical twin,” I explained patiently, almost feeling like the kindergarten teacher. “Catalina was the owner of this journal, dating back to 1752.”

“Anyways,” I continued. “Esperanza was hired as a companion and a governess to her, and they had a very close relationship according to Catalina’s entries. But then she got bitten, and she was very sick after that. As expected, no one knows how to cure her and she got worse that her father actually started to consider the idea of mercy killing.”

“They didn’t know she turned to a vampire?” she asked incredulously. “I bet her father did, though.”

“It wasn’t really known those days,” I replied. “It was believed as a myth because nobody has had any hard evidence to support the rumors. I also think that the Viscount would rather have his daughter die known as a human being than for her to live and be branded as a monster.”

“Twisted thinking,” Joy mumbled gravelly. “But even then, it’s all about image. And I can’t really blame him.”

I nodded in agreement. I’m not in the position to judge the Viscount because I wasn’t the one with his dilemma. Would you rather save your child even though you’re fully aware that people might die because of her thirst for blood, or would you have her killed and save those people?

Your daughter or your people?

I pitied him, honestly. I can’t imagine the pain he went through. But past is past, and whatever his decision was, it can never be changed again.

“So, if nobody knew about her condition, how did she survive?”

“Somebody did,” I sighed bitterly. “Esperanza somehow presumed that all she needed was blood and she gave it to her.”

“That’s also what Elizabeth did,” Joy exclaimed, her pretty face displayed childish excitement. “She also fed her, but just after she fell in love with her, of course.”

“Who’s Elizabeth?”

“The owner of the journal I’m reading, one of your ancestors. Duh,” she said impatiently, and then her expression clouded. “Wait, did Catalina also write that Esperanza was feeding the Viscount’s daughter?”

Here we go.

“Uh…” I opened my mouth to answer but I didn’t know how to explain it to her without mentioning the dreams. “Not exactly…”

“Is there anything you weren’t telling me about?” she folded her arms, eyes squinted in suspicion.

I cowered under her blazing gaze. “There is a tiny bit of information I might have left-”

“How tiny?” Knives were coming out of her eyes, and her aura made it clear that I have nowhere to hide.

“Fine,” I gave up, and decided to let it all out, she’s bound to know sooner or later anyway. “Remember that first time we’ve had contact at the lake?”

She merely nodded, her eyes not leaving mine.

“After that, I dreamt about her-”

Joy quickly interrupted. “You had a dream about her and you didn’t tell me?”

I rolled my eyes. “And this is the very reason why I didn’t tell you, I knew you’d react like this.”

She waved her hand dismissively, ignoring what I just said. “What was the dream about?”

“We were walking in the woods and we kissed-”

“You were fantasizing about her!?” and even though she didn’t say it out loud, I knew she was thinking: How dare you!?

“It’s not like that!” I stated in my defense. “They were Esperanza’s memories and I was just dreaming about them!”

“But you’re the one dreaming!” she insisted, her tone changed again, a few keys higher this time.

“Remember that the blood goes stronger every sixth generation and I am sixth, so that’s probably the reason why Esperanza’s memories were clearer and I get glimpses of them.”

Her expression softened but there was still doubt in her voice. “How did you know you’re dreaming of her memories and you’re not just dreaming regular dreams?”

“Because…” I said slowly and patiently as I could. “That was when they got attacked by something, and the Viscount’s daughter was bitten.”

“So, you were making out and something attacked you?” she summarized for me, eyebrows adamantly raised.

“I told you that it wasn’t me she was with!”

“Whatever,” she rolled her eyes. “Are there any other dreams I should know about?”

I heaved a deep breath to level my flaring temper before answering. “I dreamt that Esperanza was feeding Irene her blood and she called her Hope.”

Joy suddenly stiffened at the sound of the transfer’s name. There was an unwritten agreement between us to never speak of her name in a conversation. But now I don’t see the point of it.

If Joy was disturbed by me breaking our rules, it only showed for a fraction of a second, and then she was dangerously stone-faced again.

“And?”

“Esperanza was in love with her, so did Elizabeth, and probably all the other women she found.” I replied.

“She found you,” Joy murmured idly. “Are you in love with her?”

Am I?

It took me a minute to carefully assess the scattered emotions within myself.

“There’s a part of me that feels like I have known her forever, and yet she’s still a stranger. There’s a part of me longing for her, yet I am scared of her presence. There’s a part of me yearning to be with her, though I know it wouldn’t be possible without one of us dying.”

This level of honesty was at the highest it could get.

Then I turned to Joy beside me.

“So tell me, am I in love with her?”

The girl moved closer and gently kissed my burning forehead, then tenderly ran her delicate fingers across my cheek.

“You don’t have to be,” she softly whispered against my lips.

+

The sound of Joy’s rhythmic drumming heartbeat made me wonder if Irene really loved Esperanza so much that she was willing to pursue fragments of her memories through her descendants.

Am I really just one of her rebirths and was born to play the role of the immortal’s companion and eventually has to die for her to continue living?

“What if I was just Esperanza’s reincarnation?” I said loudly, questioning no one in particular. We were lying on the pillows with my ear pressed to her chest.

Joy paused playing with my hair, twirling the strands on her fingers. She leaned down slightly to kiss the top of my head. “I don’t care either way.”

I snuggled closer to the hollow of her neck; the smell of her perfume was distracting me, and it’s not the right time to be distracted.

“You don’t care?” I murmured, breathing in her scent anyway.

She resumed playing with my hair strands. “I don’t care, and I don’t think you’re just a reincarnation. She’s not you and you’re not her, even if you have her blood.”

“Should I be flattered or offended?”

She chuckled and teasingly poked my cheek with a finger. “I’m sure Esperanza was great, but I don’t think she can hold a candle to you.”

I smiled inwardly. Consider me flattered.

But I didn’t have time to further muse about our personal feelings for each other because we just heard the sound of my mom’s car entering the premises.

We scrambled downstairs, eager to know what information she has this time.

My mom looked a lot older than the last time we saw her and that was just se

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Wabbit29
#1
Chapter 6: Why naman mapanakit ka autornim 😭😭😭 grabe yung iyak ko. Ang ganda ng story
ArianaFairyz
#2
Chapter 5: okay i’m crying
Thirdysaur #3
Chapter 6: Pota bat naman ganun. Mama ansaket
Bookworm711 #4
Chapter 6: T.T
Favebolous #5
Chapter 5: It's so sad
Zairren11 #6
Chapter 5: Tongue ina mapanaket sobraaa...
WannieMySonshine #7
Chapter 6: Wow ... I never thought I'd cry so hard... But are you planning to make a sequel? 😔 I feel like I want to read more, and this time joohyun and wendy's love story... Ugh, nevertheless thank you for this 💙💗 I really loved it
STAN_LOONAforclearsk
#8
Chapter 5: Mapanakit masyado tong fic. Na tohhh....pero worth it .....
Moral Lesson: Gumamit po tayo ng sunblock pag lalabas para matuloy na ang forever.
blanketlove 93 streak #9
Chapter 6: thanks for writing this!!! i love the vampire type of plot ♡ at first i was happy with wenjoy moments (so cutee) but in the last chapter and epilogue i felt like i suddenly wanted wenrene? you did a great job in evoking my emotions ♡ i'll imagine that maybe wenrene did happen after all (since nobody knows)