《My Neighbor Is a Silver-Haired Banshee》 1 The New Neighbor Wednesday, 31 July 2019 In the shadowy forest of Summerland Townsville, Apollo was running faster than a speeding bullet. Like Usain Bolt, he was breaking the record of 37.58 kilometers per hour in the 2009 World Championships. It wasn''t an exaggeration. This level of willpower can miraculously possess anyone after seeing an old hag with long silver hair. And hearing an eerie screeching sound come out of that woman''s wrinkled mouth could break the world record. It was the most unfathomable fear. If Apollo had foreseen this experience, he would''ve chosen to faint or play dead. He settled in a treehouse with high hopes of a protection spell surrounding it. "How did I climb up to this self-proclaimed hiding place?" He thought momentarily but couldn''t remember. He wouldn''t dare peep into a tiny hole one inch apart from his clammy face, but the moon decided to focus its brightness into that very space. "Traitor!" He thought. Apollo sat awkwardly with both arms squeezing his knees, making sure he didn''t move a muscle, but knew he had to move away from that freaking hole. Imagining the old hag''s glaring eyes suddenly popping from it, he cautiously did a backward crabwalk and stopped when mist started to get through the tiny hole. "Apollo." His eyeballs almost exploded. It sounded like the angel of death coming to get him. He closed his eyes and prayed silently with all sincerity. "Dear God, I''m only twenty-one and hadn''t had sex in a year. I know your bible says procreate. Please allow me to reinforce your command by letting me live. Please. I''m begging you and if this isn''t enough, I will donate my mother''s books to the sexually oppressed women." As if God heard him, he opened his eyes to realize he was back in the real world. It was just a bad dream. He thought. The cellphone resting right beside his pillow showed 3am, an hour earlier than the alarm he set for his daily routine. He didn''t feel any hint of sluggishness despite waking up too early so he got up, washed his face and took a shower like any neat and handsome guy would do. Three steps before reaching downstairs, he saw a face of a woman illuminated by the laptop''s brightness. He slipped but quickly recovered. "What are you doing so early in the living room, mom?" He asked, breathing heavily with his right hand holding his chest as if to safeguard it from a heart attack. Mrs. Rodriguez giggled, closed her laptop and walked to the kitchen behind her. "You''re so edgy, baby. Why? Is there a girl hiding behind you? Are you sneaking out with her early in the morning?" She opened the fridge and pulled out some tomato and lettuce. Apollo''s face transformed into a revolted grinch. "Good morning, mom." He uttered in a sarcastic tone. "I''m not having my breakfast yet. Don''t make me a sandwich." "I''m not. This is just for me." She sounded defensive while opening a bottle of mayonnaise. He knew that sandwich was for him because she always made them the minute she saw his presence. "Right. Right." He gave her a skeptic look. "I''ll be back in an hour." "You sure you''re not hiding a girl in here?" She teased. "No, mom!" He rolled his eyes and took off. Apollo''s daily routine to jog until he finished his playlist of late 90''s alternative and rock music provided tranquility. He had an hour of peace of mind and a good view of the sun rising slowly to irradiate the sanitary streets of Summerland. Every house was almost identical, with gabled rooftop varying in shades of blue: azure, cerulean, sapphire, and indigo. The windows had no variation; always a set of double-hung type that slid up and down, and the borders were white with blue. The doors were fiberglass with two wide doorsteps. The exteriors were all white masonry. Only the presence or absence of a garage separated one quiet household from another. Apollo and his mom were lucky to have a decent life in a lovely neighborhood; even though Mr. Rodriguez left them in complete debt. When Apollo finished Arts and Design, her mom finally steered clear from the abusive interest of loan sharks. Her writing career also started paying off. Every time Apollo thought about his life, the realization of not having anything to worry about felt so serene. He never worried about anything, but he wasn''t sure if there was a disadvantage to it. He felt that somehow, there was that feeling of wanting some excitement in his life. Drenched in sweat and panting, Apollo was about seven to eight houses before reaching home, but his breathless state didn''t stop him from singing to New Radical''s You Get What You Give. "Health insurance rip off flying FDA big bankers buying fake computer crashes dining cloning while they''re multiplying fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson, Courtney Love, and Marilyn Manson. You''re all fakes run to your mansions. Come around. We''ll kick your ass in!" He got so caught in the moment that he stumbled into a small box but quickly got his equilibrium back. The house in front of his place had been vacant for maybe three months and now, someone has moved in. He walked at the side of what seemed to be a box or cube truck, so the cargo area was blocking him from the view of the house. As he nonchalantly peeped through the truck''s open door-window, there was no one in sight. Before taking his steps towards his own place, the front door opened and a tall guy with medium build stepped out. He stood by the doorstep, blocking a person that he was talking to. Apollo couldn''t quite hear much because he was on earphone but when he took them off, he heard the loveliest voice saying, "No problem. They''re all just old toys that I won''t use anymore but they''re in good condition. Your daughter would love them. It''s that box left right there." She pointed at the box responsible for Apollo''s clumsiness earlier. The tall guy took a glimpse of the box and responded. "Again, thank you. I appreciate that you always think about my daughter. She''s going to miss you. Just call me when you need anything." "I will. Thanks!" When the guy finally stepped out of the doorstep, Apollo saw the girl behind the lovely voice. His eyes widened to the point where his eyebrows could almost reach the boundary between his hair and his forehead. For some reason his jaw got locked because his mouth had been half open for a few seconds until he snapped out of it before anyone could see him. He plugged his earphones back to his blushing ears, walked straight to his house and turned the doorknob, wishing the new neighbor wouldn''t see him because he wasn''t ready to be seen. He looked like shit. He thought, next time that beautiful face saw him, he will be fresh and handsome. He was about to run upstairs to peek through his room''s window, but his mom greeted him from the dining room next to the kitchen saying "Baby, we have a new neighbor. Did you see her?" Her timing is scary. He thought. What every 21-year old guy dreads is a mom who''s unaware that she''s clairvoyant. "I''m not a baby mom and nope, I didn''t notice." Mrs. Rodriguez threw an inquisitive look. "That''s the first time you''ve complained about me calling you a baby." Apollo took a deep breath as his face transformed into a pleading Tom Holland. "Help me seem like a man, mom. Even if I''m too adorable to be let go as a baby." It was his attempt to be cute which always worked because his mom adored him and he did look a lot like Tom Holland, only more handsome, manly and certainly not a teenager. He wanted so desperately to go upstairs but the smell of breakfast put him in a trance. Bacon, sausage and egg. His entire body got summoned by the spell-binding aroma of the three best sources of protein. Apollo instantly joined his lovely mom as she smiled ever so sweetly while she set her laptop aside to welcome him. 2 What’s Your Name? Wednesday, 31 July 2019 "Gab come over. We have some serious plotting to do." After maybe ten rings, Apollo''s buddy finally picked up as he constantly peeked through the window, hoping to get a glimpse of the new neighbor. Gabriel didn''t seem to sound so happy. Apollo then realized that he woke him up so early in the morning. "What the fuck dude!" Yep. Not happy. His voice was too hoarse it cracked. Apollo let out a silent laugh. "Come on over. Something''s up." "At five in the morning?" He said, respiring so distinctly like he was short of breath. It almost sounded like he has asthma. But of course, he didn''t. Gabriel was just a healthy impatient boy. "You''re going to help me with something. And I can''t wait so come over." "Don''t you think you''re a little overbearing?" "Yes. Now come over in here or our friendship is over!" "You''re such a child." He hung up. Waiting for two hours was the longest wait in Apollo''s entire existence. But it didn''t matter now because he was right outside his door with a choleric expression on his face. He had anticipated the reaction, so he was ready with a little enticement on hand. And so, with a magician''s "Tada!" gesture, he flashed a business card, showing him his most radiant look to share his first step to success. As expected, the card quickly changed Gabriel''s bad mood. "You got me a gig at Dulcimer?" He was obviously excited. Mission Accomplished. The business card was handed to Apollo by the owner himself; someone who unconditionally admired his mom from a distance. He has been keeping it in his wallet for quite some time and never expected to use it. "Yes." Apollo lied. He hasn''t talked to Luke, the owner of Dulcimer, an infamous music joint downtown. His plan was to talk to him later after completing his main goal for the day. "Holy shit, dude!" "I know." Apollo''s arrogant look came out naturally. Gab''s momentary excitement ended when he sensed a motive behind Apollo''s fabricated statement. "What the heck is in it for you?" He threw a suspicious look as he landed on the crimson red beanbag chair. Apollo''s entire room consisted of only three colors: black, white and red. It had a feel of a Kawasaki motorcycle logo¡­or Coca Cola. He parked himself on his own bed, facing Gab but about half foot or 15 centimeters away. "We have a new neighbor and I want her." "That''s it? That''s the emergency?" Slack-jawed, he uttered each word with emphasis. "If I had told you I saw a beautiful sexy woman right in front of my house because she''s our new neighbor. Would you have come and treated this as an emergency?" "All these years and you still don''t know me." Gab shook his head in disbelief. "Dude, you would''ve had me at sexy." And there he goes with that evil grin he normally shows just like how Jim Carey does in The Grinch. He was right. Apollo should''ve just told him. He probably would''ve scurried towards Apollo''s place without even brushing his teeth. "Our goal for today is to meet her. But it has to be a coincidence." Apollo''s face turned dreamy just thinking about hearing the new neighbor''s name for the first time. "How do we plot this right without being obvious?" Again, Gab''s contemplating expression looked exactly like The Grinch. Apollo liked that Gab''s mind started to process like a detective, and he liked the rhetorical question, but he meant to respond because Gab was never good when it came to decisions, planning, and decision planning. "You don''t have to think. I got it all figured out." Apollo meant every single word. For almost an hour, they monitored the new neighbor''s house. Apollo wished he had the ability to see through things so he could just find out what she was doing. Gab, as expected started to lose his patience. "Are we going to be like this for the rest of the day? We''ve listened to Puddle of Mudd''s entire Come Clean album twice and she''s still not coming out of the house. Maybe she''s not even home." Gab preferred current releases over old albums. Apollo should''ve known better. He stopped the CD player and plugged in his cellphone to the speakers to play the top hits in Spotify. Gab was a whiny dude, but it was very easy to please him. Sure enough, he was singing to Post Malone''s Goodbyes. "And don'' tell me to shut up when you know you talk too much but you don''t got shit to say. Say." Gabriel has been Apollo''s best and only friend and they went to the same school. Gab majored in music and there were a few classes he and Apollo took. Gab was a freak. He freaked just about anything; he was a worry freak. He always complained but the good thing about it was the fact that he could easily get over anything with a simple distraction¡­MUSIC. A thought suddenly popped into his head. "Dude, have you watched Murder Mystery? It''s trending in Netflix. My girl Jen has become really old but she''s still sexy just like her Friends days." Right. He was also obsessed with Jennifer Aniston which Apollo thought was creepy because his mom looked a lot like her. At last, after almost two hours of listening to the Top Billboard Charts and Gab reminiscing hilarious moments from the Friends sitcom, the beautiful sexy neighbor''s garage opened, and Apollo instantly saw her in jeans and white top. Her long black hair dangled freely to her waist and he thought, whomever invented the handy microscope he was using to see her cleavage should be rewarded. "There she is. Let''s go." Ears glued on the garage door, Gab and Apollo listened very carefully to make sure that the neighbor already took off before they follow. They swiftly got into the Honda Civic the minute they heard a creaking sound. "Did you tell your mom we''re using the car?" Gab asked with a concerned look on his face. "Nah, I think she was in the shower, so I didn''t bother." He responded in complete haste. "Wow, really?" Gab seemed interested. "Oh. You wanna go back inside the house?" Apollo asked, hoping that his sarcasm was very evident. "Yes." He threw a box of tissue on his face. Unfortunately, his reflexes were good. "Hey!" Gab yelled with a questioning look. "You are never going to be my stepdad even if it means war." "Relax, dude. Your mom doesn''t even know I exist." He answered with a hint of sincerity. "That''s good then. That''s her." They spot the midnight blue Hyundai Tucson they saw earlier. "Her car is bad ass. It could pass as an SUV." Gab looked impressed. "Yeah. Almost." "Where do you think she''s going?" "It''s almost 9am. Maybe she''s going to work. Most work starts at nine. I think." "Let''s guess what her job is." Gab likes guessing games. "Wow, I couldn''t really think of one." Apollo was not a fan of it, but he normally just did whatever made him happy because that''s what friends are for. "Come on. Winner gets a treat at the movies." "What are we? Girlfriends?" He gave out an ugly chuckle. "Man, you''re too serious and focused." "I don''t wanna lose track." "I bet she''s a nurse." Gab guessed. "Maybe. Or she''s probably a model or fashion designer." Apollo quickly gave Gab a suave look and returned his focus back on the road. "I mean. Judging from her physical looks." "That''s a good one. How about a teacher?" "Oh, that''s even more sexy and I''m willing to go back to school for that." He giggled, still focused on the road. Gab let out another chuckle. "You''re really into this girl and you don''t even know her." "That''s what this mission is for." A big signage of Samgyeopsal (Korean restaurant) gave Apollo another idea. "Maybe she''s a restaurant manager." To his surprise, her car slowed down to park right in front of the restaurant. "You know she might just be there for breakfast. Or maybe she''s a cook?" Gab said. Two cars away from where she had parked, they saw her approaching a different path. Instead of heading towards the restaurant, she went inside the pharmacy right next to it. Gab and Apollo looked at each other inquisitively. "She''s having her period and she''s probably there to buy tampons?" Gab threw a disgusted look and asked, "Should we go inside or just wait here until she comes out?" "Let''s wait. I''m sure it''ll take just a few minutes for her to buy what she needs." After 15 minutes of total silence, Apollo got taken aback by Gab''s sudden exclaim, "Is she buying the whole pharmacy?!" "Dude, patience is really not one of your virtues." Apollo uttered in dismay. "Oh right. You don''t have virtues." He was obviously just kidding but Gab scowled at him. "Alright, let''s get out now and take a peek." After stepping out of the car, they watchfully took their steps towards the transparent pharmaceutical glass door, feeling a bit like the Boston private detective Patrick Kenzie in Gone Baby Gone except they looked like dorks. Gab easily spotted her. "Dude, none of our guesses were right. She''s a pharmacist." They looked at each other and Apollo grabbed Gab''s arm before someone saw them like psychos peeping on people buying medicine. They discreetly stood at the far end corner which was four cars away. The entire building was a commercial place called Daylight Avenue because it closes earlier than most establishments. It was a cross between an assembly and mercantile building with restaurants, stores, and market. The second floor had a food court, theater and exhibition halls. The parking area could only accommodate a dozen vehicles for perpendicular parking, but they had a space for motorcycles at the other side of the building. Apollo then realized it was easier to get a closer look at the new neighbor, knowing that she was a pharmacist. It would be a lot easier to interact as well. "I got an idea." He said in the lowest possible sound but more than a whisper. "Yeah. Me too." he rolled his eyes as Gab beat him to it. "I noticed your mom has occasional headaches because she''s writing all day so why don''t we buy her pain relievers?" It was brilliant but Apollo had to give him a peeved look. "Gab, stop thinking about my mom. It makes me sick." He turned his face away with a frown. "It was just a suggestion." "I didn''t say I didn''t like your idea. I just hate that you suggested it because you were concerned about my mom." He meant every single word. "Anyway, I think we''re bound to know her name without any efforts because they have name tags." "They do?" "Yeah. I think so. Let''s go." He took a deep breath but before Gab pushed the pharmaceutical glass door, Apollo grabbed his arm. "Now what?" He asked, impatiently. "I''m going to act like a really sweet kid. I mean, MAN. A sweet man to my mom and you gotta incorporate a sentence in response to whatever I''m going to say, and it must imply that I''m a good kid. I mean, MAN¡­.to my mom. Got it?" Gab''s expression was blank. "Whatever." He finally went inside. Apollo found himself in front of the feminine hygiene products like female wash, tampons, and napkins that he once experienced buying for his mom though he swore not to do it again. "Dude, seriously?" Gab looked at Apollo as if he had committed a crime. "What are you doing here? Let''s go to the counter." "Let''s wait for those two lovebirds to get out of there. They''re probably buying a pregnancy kit." Gab breathed heavily at the sight of a couple with their arms wrapped around each other''s waist. Apollo punched his left arm to get a brief relief from his annoying lack of patience. "Awww. What is it?" "Why are you so in a hurry?" "Because this mission is taking too long." He responded with exasperation all over his face. "I''m just taking up all the courage I can get, you jerk." Apollo whispered. Feeling half-ready, he sauntered towards the counter, acting cool even though he was going to die any minute. He was finally facing the beautiful new neighbor in white coat but couldn''t seem to utter a single word. He was clearly flabbergasted by the smile on her face. "Anything I can get for you?" She asked, sounding like an angel sent from above. Oh my God. I forgot my lines. Apollo thought with a slight panic. He had discreetly memorized it before coming in, but his mind went blah. Gab made up for his being impatient by rescuing him. "He needs something for his mom." How can he act so cool and natural and I cannot even breathe? Apollo thought and finally had the courage to speak. "Pain relievers." Gab subtly pinched his right hand. "Oh, and can you please recommend the safest painkiller for everyday use?" "You''re such a mama''s boy, dude." He liked Gab''s comment. He was playing it as they have discussed earlier. In Apollo''s own opinion, girls liked mama''s boys. "Just making sure it''s safe. You know how I worry about my mom." He smiled but Gab was clearly holding his laugh, so he discreetly frowned at him. "Oh that is so sweet. I can give you acetaminophen." She said. The confused look that the two guy''s faces displayed as they stared at each other with their eyebrows slowly raising gave her a hint that they had no idea about what she had just said. "Tylenol. It''s the safest painkiller that adults can use for as long as it doesn''t exceed 3,000 milligrams per day." She sounded like a doctor and it impressed Apollo. "Yes. Of course. That would be it." He was back to his sweet smile until he realized she didn''t have her name tag. "I think you forgot to put on your name tag." She looked at her left breast. "Oh my gosh. Thank you for reminding me." She disappeared through the white door in between display shelves and quickly got back with the painkillers but still no name tag. "It''s twelve dollars and forty-five cents for 50 tablets." Apollo quickly reached to his pocket then handed her a twenty-dollar bill. "You still don''t have your name tag." "Yeah. I''m so forgetful. I think I left it at home since it''s not in my purse." She answered. "What''s your name?" Again, Gab to the rescue. "Nike." She said. "Well. Nice to meet you, Mikey." Apollo responded gratefully. "No, it''s Nike. Not Mikey." "You mean like the shoes?" He asked. "More like the Winged Goddess or goddess of victory. Daughter of Styx and the Titan Pallas. Sister of Bia, Zelus and Kratos." The guys simultaneously looked at each other in amazement. "You know your mythology." Apollo said. She smiled and handed him his mom''s painkillers and some change. "You know what? I have a gig at the Dulcimer. Here." Gab showed her the Dulcimer business card. "I''m a singer and I have a gig there. If you can give your number to Apollo, he can text you my schedule. He''s my manager." "Yes. Here''s my cell. And yes, my name is Apollo. He''s Gabriel, but you can call him Gab. "I see." She took Apollo''s cell and started adding her number. "Did you know that Apollo is a god in Greek mythology?" God, I love this woman. Apollo thought. "Now I do." He responded. "You and my mom have the same interests. She loves to read. And write. She''s a Writer." She gave the most beautiful smile anyone can get. 3 My Neighbor Is a Banshee Thursday, 1 August 2019 Wrapped around in floral blanket, Apollo''s eyes stared dreamily at the black and white spider mural on his ceiling, imagining Nike. He breathed hard and smiled as he recalled her angelic face. How can someone be so beautiful and sexy with a smile so bewitching that I couldn''t stop thinking about her? I maybe under a spell. He thought. "What are you smiling about?" And the spell was gone. "Mom, I really wish you could knock at least maybe once month? If you try it gradually, you''ll get used to it." She started picking up all the dirty clothes scattered around the room. "Sorry, dear. Did I interrupt your imagination? Were you thinking about a girl?" Apollo was twenty-one and yet, he felt like a sixteen-year-old whenever his mom made assumptions. "I''m not thinking about anyone, mom. Here, you can put this in the laundry." He unwrapped himself of the floral sheet and handed it over. "But this is new." She said as her eyebrows raised a little bit. "This is yours, mom. Please give me my Spiderman blanket back." "It''s too old. That''s why I bought a new one." "But I''m a guy, mom. I can''t have this floral thing ruin my manly physique." She grinned. "So, I was right all along. You do bring a girl in here sometimes." "No, mom. Just give me back my Spiderman." Mrs. Rodriguez took the floral blanket and brought back Apollo''s Spiderman without saying a word. As soon as she left, Apollo''s phone started ringing showing Gab''s registered name as Whiny Gab. He quickly answered the call. "Dude, what''s up?" "What''s up? You haven''t told me when and what time my gig is at Dulcimer." Right. Apollo lost focus and was in a dreamy state after they had lunch at McDonald''s which was three hours ago. "I have to clarify that with Luke. I''m going there tonight, and I''ll give you an update when I get home." "Then let me come with you." Shit. Apollo thought. He had not thought about him coming with him and he hasn''t talked to Luke yet. "You''re going to meet him at Dulcimer during your gig anyway. I don''t mind going alone." Gab let out a sigh. "Dude, you''re playing with me. I don''t have a gig. You just tricked me to help you plot your meet up with Nike." Nike. Why do I feel like that name doesn''t suit her? It sounds like a kid''s nickname. Apollo thought. "Dude!" Gab''s voice got Apollo back to earth. He then realized he kept losing focus. Damn it. He thought and said, "Don''t be mad, dude. You''re very talented. I''m sure Luke will give you a spot. I''ll call him and text you what time I''ll be picking you up." "Alright." Gab sounded content. Apollo felt glad knowing he was the type who lost patience so easily but moved on very quickly. Luckily, Luke had a huge crush on Apollo''s mom, so it only took one call to convince him in giving Gab a gig at Dulcimer. Luke was more than glad to receive a recommendation, even telling Apollo that he was missing one more spot for the Tuesday acoustics. After relaying the good news to Gab via text message, he expressed his gratitude saying he will pick him up instead. The excitement was way too obvious that he showed up thirty minutes earlier. They rode in his sister''s Toyota Prius Prime. "Does Leslie know you''re driving her car?" Apollo asked. "Wow. Just yesterday, I was asking you if your mom''s aware you''re taking her car and now you''re asking me that question? Dude, we''re both losers. We don''t have our own cars." He huffed. Apollo didn''t look affected. "I''m happy just being paid by my mom in designing her book covers and websites. Why would I give that up to join the toxic world of employment so that I could afford a car? As for you, you''ll get famous and I''ll be your manager so just believe in your talent and let''s talk business when we get to Luke''s place." Impressed, he gave him a thumbs up with a satisfactory look. "You sounded 10% more matured, dude. Nice. You should talk like that when you meet up with Nike." Apollo couldn''t help but smile. Two minutes later, they reached their destination, got out of the car and walked towards Luke''s front door. After knocking thrice, there was no response, so Apollo called out, "Luke!" Gab knocked on the door again and gave Apollo a blank face. "Does he know we''re gonna be here?" He asked. "Well yeah but we''re like 15 minutes early." Apollo responded. "It looks like he''s home because the lights are on. Why don''t we try to check the backyard or something? There''s probably a backdoor." "Alright. Let''s go." Their pacing was relaxed. There was no need to hurry up because they were early. "Whoah." Both guys got surprised to see someone in front of the window at the far end of the house''s backyard. It looked weird because the guy was wearing a grey cloak; something that maybe a cult member would wear. "What''s that guy doing there? I almost shit my pants for Pete''s sake." Gab whispered. Apollo also realized that he was clinging to him like a girl would cling to her boyfriend when she''s scared. "Dude, let go of me." Apollo said in disgust as he wiggled to shun Gab''s arms. The guy removed his hood, revealing his face. Except, he was a she. Gab and Apollo were dumbfounded to recognize who it was. It was Nike. "What''s she doing there wearing that? Hey, Nike!" Apollo yelled so she can hear him, but she seemed to be in a trance. She didn''t even bat an eye. Gab''s confused face gawked at Apollo, expecting to do something. "Well? Let''s just approach her." They were about to, but the wind''s sudden strong breeze wouldn''t allow them to take another step. They didn''t understand what was going on, so they froze in total bewilderment when her long dark hair became silver. As her hair changed, there was a fluttering sound like birds flying around though there weren''t really any. She started wailing and her face slowly transformed. Apollo was in too much shock to notice Gab''s expression and all he knew was that goosebumps were all over his body and his spine felt motionless. He was too terrified that he wanted to scream but nothing was coming out of his mouth. He couldn''t believe the entire transformation and will probably never ever forget the ugly visuals; old hag with witch-like nose and very wrinkly face. She shrieked. And all that Gab and Apollo could do was cover their ears because it was deafening. They both knelt with their eyes closed, still covering their ears and after what seemed to be the longest one minute, she stopped. They opened their eyes and looked at each other''s exhausted face. Gab shifted his gaze to the old hag and his eyes widened with fear. His expression was warning enough for Apollo not to look at her, but he was stupid to look anyway, only to find out that the old creepy hag was looking right at them. The two wimps screamed their hearts out. "Oh my God!" "Run!" Apollo yelled. For some stupid reason, instead of heading towards the car, they both ran through the bushes without turning back. With almost the same pace, Apollo could hear Gab''s heavy breathing on top of his. They ran faster than a speeding bullet that they could''ve won the Olympics. "Let''s climb up there." Gab said as they stopped in front of a big old tree. "What''s that?" It was dark and Apollo couldn''t see exactly what it was. "Just climb for Pete''s sake. We''re about to die here." Apollo didn''t utter another word until they reached the top and realized they were in a tree house. It was too small that his back could feel the tree bark''s flaky texture and Gab''s knees were attached to his. They were curled up uncomfortably, trying not to make even the tiniest sound. Both deadbeat from running too fast, they couldn''t let out a heavy breathing because they didn''t want the old creepy hag to detect them. They were wrong. After a few minutes of silence, they heard footsteps approaching. It was so blood-curling that Apollo had to close his eyes and silently pray but it was too late. The once lovely sound of his name resonated like the sound of death calling. "Apollo." She uttered. Apollo fainted. 4 Betha MacSweeny Thursday, 1 August 2019 Pure shade of darkness with phosphenes were moving about like stars. The brightness concealed behind them became more vivid as Apollo''s eyes squinted to see Gab''s face examining him. "My goodness, dude. You scared the shit out of me." A recollection of what happened gave Apollo chills but as he scanned the room to realize he was in Gab''s place, relief took over. "Dude, I had the scariest dream you could ever imagine." He said in a hoarse voice but a woman''s presence by the door brought back the horror of that implausible memory that Apollo felt strongly happened in real life. He curled up and covered himself with a blanket the way that Harry Potter would use his invisibility cloak. "Relax." Gab expressed. "I would''ve passed out too like you did because I was scared as hell, but she climbed up and helped bring you down from the oak tree. She''s not a bad person at all, dude. Otherwise, why would we both be here still alive? Right, Nike?" He wanted Nike to explain things herself so he beaconed to her with a nod as an affirmation that she can speak. Apollo''s gaze went from Gab to Nike who was no longer an old hag. She gave her most angelic smile and Apollo gave away. How can you be scared at her looking like that? But then what if she transforms again? Would I faint every single time? Apollo thought overwhelmed by the indecisive feeling that was running through his system. She moved closer and sat carefully at the right end of the bed. "Betha MacSweeny." She said and extended her hand, hoping she''d get a handshake. "It''s my real name." "Oh." That was all he could say. Gab tilted his head, signaling Apollo to shake her hand. When he did, he thought, she didn''t feel cold, so she wasn''t a ghost. She was human though he was skeptic at first. "Na¡­nice to know your real name." He stuttered. She smiled once again, and Apollo felt that he might be able to get used to this. All she had to do was smile and the world was normal again. "My mom''s Irish and my dad''s American so I''m half Irish, half like you guys. I was raised here though. Maybe just two towns away from Summerland." "Okay." Apollo said. Still not knowing how to ask her about what happened, Gab must''ve read his mind. "Why don''t you explain everything to him like you did to me so he could start acting normal again? He still looks reserved and I''m not used to it." He giggled. "Yes. Of course." More than serious, Betha looked relaxed. "You might''ve been taken aback by what you saw¡­" "I was petrified." Apollo interrupted. "I''m sorry. It''s something that I couldn''t control. It happens every now and then but not always." She sighed. "I''m a Banshee." What did she say? The clueless look on Apollo''s face was too obvious. "Have you ever heard of Mothman, The Jersey Devil or Bigfoot?" "Maybe?" He said, still not following. "They''re American folklore characters. There is no concrete evidence that they are real. They''re just myths. And we also have Irish folklore. We''re known for mythical creatures or characters like leprechauns, fairies and of course¡­.yours truly¡­Banshee." She paused, looking at the shift of Apollo''s expression from clueless to attentive as he gave occasional nods. "Unlike other folk tales or folklore characters, Banshees are real. Well, of course you should know that because you have witnessed it. Books, internet, comics about Irish mythology always say that Banshees are women of the fairy mound or simply fairy woman or a spirit that proclaims a death of a family member by shrieking but a big part of that isn''t true. Well the shrieking part is true but I''m not a spirit and I''m definitely not a fairy. I''m human just like you and Gab." She nodded at him. "And we don''t just lament whenever there''s death in the family. We also uncontrollably do it whenever someone from approximately 5 kilometers away is about to die whether it''s a family member or not." "And the transformation?" Apollo asked. He figured, if she was going to be his wife someday, he''d better be ready to know all the facts. "It''s horrible. I know. But it''s given. I start losing control when someone is about to die. While in a trance, I get my grey cloak, walk towards a door or window of the person, the fluttering that sounds like birds flying is a sign of a Banshee''s presence. From then, we transform to a very old lady with silver hair, although so far, I''m the only silver-haired Banshee, most have white hair. Then we shriek. Once done, we transform back to our normal human form and that''s it." "You mentioned we. How many other Banshees are there?" He asked. "Oh, I''m the only one here. Everyone I know is in Ireland. I just wanted to be away from there because my parents died, and the house was just too lonely for me to handle. I was taken by St. Mary''s Centre. It''s an orphanage but at the age of ten when the house was sold and I got the money from our very trusted attorney and realtor, I took off. And so here I am." Her face looked content and happy despite the woeful story. Apollo didn''t want to ask how her parents died because it might strike a painful memory that she had already forgotten. Gab had the same facial expression as Apollo did; neither pity nor staggered. Just simply glad that she had survived, and she had shared it with two people she just met the previous day. Then Apollo remembered the fact that she was outside Luke''s window. "Where is Luke? Is he okay?" He asked, wishing he was fine but the reactions that she and Gab displayed confirmed that something bad happened. "Well what is it?" "He had a heart attack so he''s in the hospital now. You were asleep I think for about three hours. Nike and I called 911 so the rescuers were there just in time. If she hadn''t known that something bad was about to happen to Luke, he would''ve died. Or he probably was really bound to be rescued because we were supposed to meet him anyway. Nevertheless, I think this is all because of Nike. I mean, you would''ve never asked him to give me a gig because he likes your mom and that makes you uncomfortable." "What?" It was just an expression. Apollo didn''t'' really have any rebuttal because he was right. The night seemed too long considering everything that had happened for the past 4 hours or so. It was almost midnight and Apollo was about to call his mom whom he noticed had been calling him when he checked his phone. He was surprised to see fifteen missed calls. "I gotta go home. I think my mom''s getting worried." Nike¡­or Betha suddenly looked hypnotized and at first, Gab and Apollo didn''t know what was happening because she was too stiff and wasn''t responding. "Betha." Apollo called out. When she took the grey cloak resting on Gab''s recliner chair by his desktop computer, they instantly knew she was about to turn into a Banshee. They looked at each other and followed her lead as she went outside. She looked weightless, walking the clear pavements. It was good that Summerland rarely had anyone awake late at night. Both gentlemen served as bodyguards walking with her on both sides and Apollo felt kind of cool. but the feeling easily deteriorated as he recognized the familiar path they were taking. They were three houses away from his place. An unsettling sensation went through him as he looked at his mom''s missed calls. Is there a reason why she has been calling? God, please don''t let anything happen to my mom. This is even scarier than our Banshee encounter yesterday. Apollo''s worst fear happened. Betha stopped right in front of his house''s entrance door. No! This is not happening! 5 Mrs. Andrea Thursday, 1 August 2019 Just reminiscing the hard times that Apollo and his mom surpassed together gave him chills. Mrs. Rodriguez used to have nothing and had just recently succeeded in her career when her debut novel topped The New York Times Best Sellers and gained such positive and inspiring reviews in many platforms: Barnes and Noble, GoodReads, BookBub, Amazon, OnlineBookClub, and Google Books. Apollo hasn''t read the book because he wasn''t into reading. He felt that he hasn''t been a good son; he depended on her mom too much, but her mom was never able to depend on him. How sad and embarrassing. He thought. And I referred to myself as a man? I should make it up to her. I have never felt so guilty in my life and now that she''s in danger, I won''t forgive myself if something bad happens to her. Please be okay, mom. Give me a chance to make it up to you. I''ll be a man. Betha''s transformation didn''t freak Apollo as much as it did the first time, but he cringed. Gab''s reaction was more of amazement rather than the tiny bit of disgust Apollo was feeling towards the sight of an old wrinkly witch-looking woman. Bethany was standing in between the two guys. The process was the same; fluttering sound, heavy wind, long black hair evolved to silver, from such beautiful face to¡­would I ever be able to live with this? Apollo thought. Bethany wailed and interrupted his thoughts. He and Gab had to cover their ears and when it was over, Apollo felt a heavy weight in his heart like he was going to die of tension. He didn''t want any harm to happen to his mom. Betha''s shrieking was like an early warning for Luke who was saved from a heart attack. Maybe this is the same. Maybe it''s not a curse. It''s probably a gift. It''s a warning of near death but it doesn''t have to happen. More than the hope that Apollo was feeling, there was fear. Betha was back to her human form but instead of being relieved, she was in distress. She turned to Gab and asked, "This is my neighborhood and that over there is my house." She pointed at the direction of her place. "Betha, we haven''t told you this, but this is actually Apollo''s house. He''s your neighbor. And he lives with his mom." He explained in a sad tone. Betha covered her mouth in disbelief. She looked at Apollo with sympathy and her eyes looked like she was asking for forgiveness. Apollo''s body felt numb and was sure to die if something happened to his mom. He wouldn''t know how to deal with it. He opened the door. "Mom!" It almost made him crazy just to call for his mom. Please be alright. Please be alright. "Mom, where are you?" Mrs. Rodriguez wasn''t in the kitchen or anywhere downstairs and her room was also empty. "Mom!" "Apollo? I''m here, dear!" Apollo was in his mom''s room checking the bathroom when he heard her voice. His heartbeat quadrupled but he''s never been so happy to hear his mom''s voice. "Mom!" Apollo hugged Mrs. Rodriguez upon seeing her resting on his bean bag. He forced his tears back. "Oh dear. What''s the matter? Did something happen?" "I saw a lot of missed calls, mom. I thought there was an emergency or something. I thought something bad happened to you." "Well we do have an emergency." Her eyes shifted to a dog. Apollo hadn''t notice her petting a dog that was lying right beside his bean bag. "Whose dog is this?" "I have no idea. He was so weak, lying by our doorsteps. I let him in and called almost everyone from our neighborhood, but he was nobody''s dog. Then the next thing I know, he managed to come up here in your room and he was too heavy for me to lift which is why I have been calling you. We need to take him to the vet." The dog was huge. It was the biggest that Apollo had ever seen. He then realized that Gab and Betha were downstairs, not having any idea about what''s happening. "Mom, I''m with Gab and another friend. They''re downstairs. I''ll call them up to help us with the dog." He rushed downstairs and sat, breathing heavily on the cerulean timber fiber sofa. "Betha, I think it wasn''t my mom you were wailing for. It was a dog." She and Gab were situated quietly, fronting each other, both looking comfortable on the briar chairs with the same color as the sofa. The expression on their faces showed relief. "Oh yeah. That''s why the feeling was a bit different this time." She answered. "Now that you have confirmed another living presence in the house aside from your mom, I''m positive that your mom isn''t the one who''s life is in danger. I''m sorry I forgot to tell you both that my Banshee ability can sense any living thing inside the house approximately 5 kilometers away." "I''m glad that''s the case, Betha. But I do want to make sure the dog is safe." Apollo responded. "Since when did you have a dog?" Gab asked, confused. "I''ll explain later." "Should we go upstairs now to help Andrea with the dog? She must''ve been so worried about it." Gab commented, as if he''s the man of the house. Apollo rolled his eyes. "Andrea?" "Sorry. I meant your mom." He tilted his head and awkwardly brushed his hair with his hands. Betha didn''t quite get why he would call Apollo''s mom by her first name, but she looked amused over it. The three reached upstairs and as Apollo had expected, his mom''s face over seeing a girl''s presence inside his room was embarrassing. "Mom, this is Betha. She''s our neighbor." "So, this is why it was hard to reach my son." She said. Oh no, mom. Don''t smile like that. She isn''t my girlfriend. Yet. "I''m sorry. Mrs¡­ Uhm. Apollo''s mom." Bethany said politely. "Just call me Andrea. Or mom. If you must." Her facial expression had a motive hidden on it. She gave Betha a hug. Whatever happened to shaking hands when you meet someone for the first time? Apollo thought. "It is Andrea Rodriguez. I''m glad to finally see you." Did she just say finally? Mom! His mom''s reaction was making Apollo feel too uneasy but all he could do was talk inside his head. "Okay, you both. That''s really sweet but the dog needs to be saved." Apollo interrupted the moment. When he tried to lift the dog, it was impossible to carry it, so he signaled for Gab''s attention. As usual, he was acting all cute in front of his mom, smiling like a puppy. "Uhm. Gab? A little help please." When Gab and Apollo started to lift the dog, they ended up short of breath. "Wow, this dog is really too heavy." Gab commented, embarrassed that he wasn''t too strong as he wanted to be in front of Mrs. Rodriguez. "It''s an English mastiff. The heaviest dog in the world." Betha''s enlightenment was enough to leave the dog as it is. "Okay, I don''t think we can call the vet at this hour but I''m sure there''s another way without carrying him." Apollo said. Betha moved closer and signaled for the two guys to give her space. After a few seconds of gently stroking the dog''s head to the back of his neck, he slowly got up. The rest of them just watched with huge admiration when she led the dog to the garage. There was a sound of the door unlocking as Mrs. Rodriguez pointed her car''s remote and the dog followed Betha''s voice when she said, "Hop in, sweet doggy." Something about the way she said that made Apollo''s heart stop. They reached the vet in no time and Apollo took the chance to have a quick talk with his mom as Betha and Gab went with the dog for the check-up. Mrs. Rodriguez easily followed her son at the far end corner of the lobby area, and they sat next to each other. "Mom, I know this is cheesy. And I know I haven''t been such a good son lately¡­" "What? You''re a perfect son, dear." She interrupted. "How could you say that, mom? I''m a twenty-one-year-old dude with no job and you''ve never relied on me. I was always the one dependent on you and I should be the man of the house. I should get a job. You write all day, mom on top of the household chores and I''m just a spoiled bratt who couldn''t even make you breakfast." She looked at her son with compassion. "What are you saying? You designed all my book covers and the very first one made it to the top. Books are like people. You know how when you like someone you always start by looking at the physical aspects? It''s the same with books. It''s always the book cover that entices the prospective readers first. Your book designs are way too awesome, dear. It''s what attracts the readers. You are my perfect son. You even bought me pain relievers and I didn''t even ask you to do that." Apollo felt quite guilty because the pain relievers weren''t his idea but at least her mom appreciated it. "Mom, I want to do better. I like that you see my worth but for me, I want to be a better son by being more responsible." "Oh my. You''ve grown. Is it because of that beautiful girl?" She teased. "Mom!" Gab and Betha appeared from inside the clinic room just in time with a call that Mrs. Rodriguez received from the dog''s owner. "According to Mr. Damon, his name is Sweet Doggy." What other abilities does this beautiful woman have aside from being a Banshee? I was looking for adventure and now I think I''ve found something more interesting than that. She''s going to be Mrs. Rodriguez someday, but first, she will be my girlfriend. Apollo''s mind was suddenly surrounded with colors and his eyes twinkled like Romeo. 6 The New Apollo Friday, 2 August 2019 The kitchen was a disaster when Mrs. Rodriguez came downstairs at 9 in the morning. She was usually up every 2am for some unexplainable reason, allowing her to continue writing her steamy adult novels of mystery, betrayal, and forbidden passion. She woke up late today because of the Sweet Doggy incident though she was happy to take part in saving a lovely dog. Regardless of the messy kitchen, she noticed that the dining table was neatly set up and for the first time, her son cooked breakfast. It looked like a morning festivity; lots of bacon, hotdogs, eggs, pancakes, coco crunch cereal, diced apples, two cartons of milk, and Mrs. Rodriguez wasn''t sure what else was cooking because it seemed like Apollo wasn''t done with all the preparations. Meat was being thawed on a glass bowl, veggies were sitting peacefully on one corner and Apollo was mixing some kind of sauce that Mrs. Rodriguez wasn''t familiar with. He finally noticed his mom standing by the dining table with a curious look on her face and for the first time in many years, he had a genuine smile that was almost half-covered in flour. "Good morning, mom." Mrs. Rodriguez smiled back, still not sure what to say to his son who was acting strangely. She had a momentary thought that maybe he was possessed by a plant-like alien just like in the movie Body Snatchers, but she instantly dropped her foolish thought. Realizing that his mom was speechless, Apollo stopped mixing the brown liquid in her mom''s silverware bowl. He was suddenly embarrassed at the sprinkles of flour on the countertop, as well as the tiny bits of ingredients that must''ve fallen on the floor while he was chopping. There were also cartons, wrappers, plastic containers, and some food or price labels sticking on the countertop. He could understand his mom''s silent reaction. "It''s a Jurassic Park in here, ha?" He started picking up the wrappers and other things that should go in the trashcan. "I''ll clean them all up. You can just sit there comfortably, relax, and eat your breakfast like Queen." "Are you still my son?" Mrs. Rodriguez finally spoke as she helped herself sit in front of the overwhelming table of food. Apollo chuckled. "Why? Don''t you like the new me?" "The new you?" "Yeah. I mean. I keep saying I''m a man, but I don''t feel like it. I''ve always felt like I stopped growing when I turned fourteen. Well, I mean not physically but you know¡­mentally?" He said in an embarrassed tone of speech. Mrs. Rodriguez started filling her plate with food as she took a glimpse of her son from time to time. She wondered if Betha had anything to do with his transformation. "It''s a girl, isn''t it? You''re changing because of that sweet beautiful girl and don''t even deny it now because you''re too obvious." She wasn''t really quite sure, but she wanted to sound like she was 100% sure of her instincts. "Would it make you happy if I say yes?" He had finished throwing every unnecessary sight on the countertop, so he pulled a chair and sat in front of his mom with a serious look on his face. It was the first time Mrs. Rodriguez saw his son looking that serious and she was half happy and half worried. She liked Betha but there was something unsettling when she hugged her last night during their introduction. She had a scent that she couldn''t quite figure out and her eyes were very mysterious. Sure, she was sweet and beautiful, and every guy would be smitten at such an attractive young woman but somehow, she could sense trouble. As much as she prided herself of her instincts, she didn''t want to be right this time, most especially that Apollo seemed to like her very much. He had never ever in his entire existence prepared any food before. Doing so was already considered a grand gesture and it was all because of Betha. The fact though that he was changing for the better was something good to consider. She took a bite of her pancake and gulped from the milk carton. "I''ve always been happy with everything that we have, and with what we are now. If Betha has that much impact to make you prepare all this yummy food, I''d have no problem with it. It feels strange, yes. But I hope that you''re happy and that''s all that matters." "I am happy. But I''m not just doing this because of her. I''m doing this for you." He smiled with his puffy face as he stuffed his mouth with lots of food. After swigging his milk, he gave a satisfactory look and continued conquering his protein-packed meal. He never did like pancakes, so his plate had 4 pieces of bacon, 3 hotdogs, 2 scrambled eggs, 4 pieces of toasted bread, and some diced apples. "I appreciate this so much, dear. The food is awesome. Let''s try not to cook too much though. You don''t want your mom to look like a whale, right? I barely exercise and I''m always just sitting in front of my laptop so it would be way too hard to burn these calories." "I know I overdid it." He chuckled. "I''m now feeling overwhelmed at how much food there is, and I still have some food to prepare for lunch." "Oh, so that''s why there''s meat out of the fridge." "Yeah. I wanted to make you braised beef. I found a recipe in Pinterest on how to make Korean Oven Braised Ribs but not all of the ingredients are available. There''s not much time to go to the grocery so it''s just going to be a simple braised beef." "Wow, you''re really stepping up on the cooking part. Why''d you think about making a Korean dish?" "Well I remember we had Korean food on my graduation, and you said that whenever you eat Korean, you feel like you''re in heaven." "I can''t believe you still remember that." "Mom, I wasn''t much of a help with cooking and all the household chores, but I do have a good memory, so I rarely forget even the most trivial details. Plus, I do care about you a lot. It just wasn''t that obvious before but now I''m going to make it so obvious you''re going to beg me to stop." "I don''t think I will ever beg you to stop. I love the attention I''m getting now." "Mom, the way you said that¡­it''s like I''ve never paid enough attention to you or something." "Well there are lots of times you don''t pay much attention, but you do have your sweet side so we''re all good. Going back to Bethany, if there''s something different about her, tell me." Apollo''s heart tightened. What is this? Did she sense something different about Betha? Why does she sound like she knows her secret identity? He thought as he slowly munched on some eggs and bit his toast. "What do you mean by something different?" He asked, carefully studying his mom''s reaction. Mrs. Rodriguez started eating the diced apples and after she was done chewing, she settled the fork on the corner of her plate. "Can you hand me a tissue?" Apollo swiftly stood up to get the box of tissues from the counter and handed it to his mom. "Thank you, dear." After wiping her mouth like a respectable lady, she looked at her son and examined his face. "Is there something strange about her?" Again, Apollo''s heart tightened as if he was going to have a heart attack. Why does she sound like she knows that Betha is a Banshee? This is starting to get creepy. "I''m not quite following, mom. What strange thing would there be about Betha?" "I don''t know. You tell me." Oh my God, is this a test? Does she know? Or is she pretending not to know, and she just wants me to be honest to her and tell her that Betha is a Banshee? If I tell her, would she disapprove of her as my girlfriend? Would she be like the normal protective moms out there who would get in the way of their son''s unconventional relationship? Am I overreacting? "You seem like you are in deep thoughts, dear." Mrs. Rodriguez said. Okay so now, does she know about what I''m thinking? Can she read my mind?! Panicking, Apollo decided to be straightforward about his feelings. "Mom, do you have some type of superpower that you''re not telling me? You''re really creeping me out here. Are you psychic?" Mrs. Rodriguez laughed. "I was just trying to tell you that if there''s something strange about her, tell me. What if she''s married, or what if she has a daughter already? What if she''s a vampire and you''re her next victim? I wouldn''t ever want that to happen and I will never let it happen." "You''re crazy, mom. Since we''re both done eating, I''ll clean this up. You can go ahead and continue your writing. I''ll just do the dishes and start cooking for lunch. We can just heat it up later. I''m sure we''ll have a late one since we also had a late breakfast." "Wow, you''re also doing the dishes. Either this is part your transformation or you''re just ignoring my question." Mrs. Rodriguez said. "I''m not, mom. There is definitely nothing strange about Betha. She''s just as normal as we are. I mean, I don''t know what you''re thinking but what strange thing could there be about her?" The backdoor leading to the kitchen was slightly open with Betha sneaking a glimpse of Apollo washing the dishes. She cautiously closed the door and headed back to her place with a wicked grin. 7 The Real Betha MacSweeny Friday, 2 August 2019 Betha had been watching Apollo''s every move since she saw him a month ago. She''d been looking for a new place to live in and didn''t have any luck in finding one, until she got sidetracked by Apollo''s visuals while he was jogging. At that time, she was riding her silver Hyundai Tucson, a small SUV that she had stolen from a reporter in his early 30s. His name was Ken. She took his car right after wailing for him. It''s been a year since he passed away and Betha loved every bit of her sophisticated vehicle with such refined fluidic design. She had been taking things that she wanted from every person who died after her wailing. She just loved taking things for free. Betha wanted to take Apollo for herself and it was the first time she had wanted a human. She normally had a strong affection for material things and now, Apollo had been added to the list. He had the most alluring scent, almost like a scent of a virgin except that he wasn''t. His entire body smelled so youthful and sinful that it was hard for her to act normal around him. She had one goal; Apollo should fall in love with her despite the disgusting old hag Banshee form so that when he does, he''ll die and Betha will absorb his youth to get rid of the ugly transformation. I''ll be a beautiful Banshee forever. Betha thought with an evil grin on her perfect beautiful face. In discreetly following Apollo, there was a vacant house in front of his place, so everything was of perfect timing. It was as if she was meant to see him and her boring secret life finally had something exciting to do. When she moved to the new house, the plan to lure him into being attracted to her had worked although she was already 100% sure it would. Anyone would''ve fallen for a beautiful lady; the challenge was to make him fall in love with her despite her form. After Apollo and Gab had accidentally seen her, she did her best to make Gab believe she was nothing but a normal being cursed to be a Banshee. She had helped him come down from the old treehouse with Apollo and had shown him nothing but her sweetest voice in her beautiful form. It took about 15 long minutes to finally get his trust and she knew that Apollo would believe anything that Gab said. She wasn''t expecting for them to show up at the pharmacy though, so she was taken aback when they did. For the first time in her life, she was nervous to be found out as a Banshee, so she hid her real name and instantly used the character from The Underland Chronicles, a book that she had read because she was a fan of Suzanne Collins. The book was a series of 5 impressive fantasy novels and Nike was a princess of the fliers. She was her favorite because of her sense of humor, and she played a very important role in the fifth book that it had stuck to her. Later, she thought it was useless to use a fake name because she needed Apollo to see the real Betha MacSweeny. She wanted his trust and love. It felt cheesy and she didn''t like the idea of a fairy-tale-like story where true love would save the lead character, but she just had to do it if she wanted to get rid of her ugly side. At 9 in the morning, she got a call from the pharmacy and got flustered when she realized she was late. She had been spying on Apollo since 5am but he didn''t get up to go jogging by that time. She levitated and peeked through his room''s window only to see him sound asleep and even smiling. He was probably dreaming of her. By 7am, he was finally doing his daily routine, so she creeped quietly on every big tree to hide herself. She realized she should''ve just pretended to jog but none of her outfits were sporty. She then decided to go shopping after her work at the pharmacy. On the other line, Mr. Park was waiting for Betha''s response. "Yes. I''m sorry. There was an emergency last night, so I didn''t wake up on time today. I''ll be there in an hour." After a quick 30-minute preparation, she was done showering and dressing up. When she opened her garage, she could smell food and wondered if maybe Apollo and Mrs. Rodriguez were having breakfast and talking about her. She tiptoed her way towards their backdoor which she slightly opened to eavesdrop and heard Apollo firmly confirming to her mom that she was a normal human being. After their conversion, she saw him preparing himself to wash the dishes, closed the backdoor and tiptoed her way back to her garage. Wearing heels wasn''t a good idea so she promised herself to add flat shoes on her shopping list. By 10am, she was already at the pharmacy but for the nth time, she forgot her ID again. Being so forgetful made her feel like a klutz. She was changing her bag almost every day to match her outfit that she would always forget her working ID. She wondered if she would be reprimanded this time, but she didn''t care. Her only concern was to keep playing the sweet irresistible beautiful woman for Apollo and eventually get him eating out of the palm of her hands. By lunch time, she was wondering why Apollo had not texted her. He might not be as drawn to her as she thought and that made her anxious. Betha accumulated every bit of control she had not to send him a message first but by 1pm, she was already fidgety. "You didn''t take your lunch?" Hannah asked as Betha stocked bottles of vitamin capsules near the counter. "I''m not hungry." She answered. And she wasn''t lying. She was more worried to even think about fending for her stomach. She didn''t have her breakfast as well. Despite the lack of appetite, her tummy highly disagreed as it growled loud enough for Hannah to hear. "Girl, you need to eat. The peak hour is done so I can handle this with Ralph. He''s just doing the inventory. " "It''s okay. I''m not in the mood to eat." Hannah surrendered in convincing Betha and went back to the counter to assist a young man whose neck was about to break from looking in between shelves. "How may I help you? You seem to be looking for something. Can I have your prescription?" "Oh no. I''m not here to buy anything. I''m looking for Betha." Betha was hidden just behind the first aisle of medicine shelves fronting the counter. She was still stocking vitamins when she instantly recognized Apollo''s voice. She smiled before showing her beautiful self to Apollo. 8 Daylight Avenue Friday, 2 August 2019 "Mom, where was that cute thing you always used for my packed lunch when I was still in school?" Apollo asked, emptying all the kitchen cabinets to find that thing. \tMrs. Rodriguez looked confused. "The bento box? Why do you need it?" \t"I cooked too much of the braised beef so I was wondering if maybe Betha would like to have it for dinner. She can just heat it up later." \t"Oh." Mrs. Rodriguez went upstairs. \t"Mom?" Apollo looked around for his mom. "Where''d she go now?" He asked himself. A few minutes later, his mom appeared. "Where''d you go?" \t"You said you wanted to use the bento box so here it is." She sat at the kitchen stool fronting Apollo who was standing by the counter. \t"Oh. Thanks, mom. Aren''t you hungry yet? It''s almost one." He opened the bento box and started stuffing it with rice, braised beef and veggies. \t"We had way too much breakfast, dear. But I am excited to eat your braised beef later." \t"Yeah me too. I still feel like a pig right now. That was some serious breakfast we had. I won''t get that overwhelmed in cooking again. I learned my lesson." He gave Mrs. Rodriguez a sweet smile and she responded the same. \t"You look happy and excited. I''m glad." \tApollo was done preparing Betha''s packed food then simply nodded at his mom''s remarks. "What''s this called again?" He asked, holding the thing and looking at every angle. \t"Tote." \t"It''s very girly. I don''t remember that this goes with the bento box." \t"Well I don''t think there''s going to be a problem with that because it''s meant for a girl anyway." \t"Oh. Right." He grinned. \t"You look a little nervous." Mrs. Rodriguez stood up, fetched a bottle of water from the fridge and gave it to Apollo. "Here. Drink up and cool down." \tApollo''s eyes rolled. "Mom, I''m fine. I''ll be fine." \t"I''m not fine. I''m definitely not feeling fine." Apollo was in her mom''s car parked in front of the pharmacy and he''d been looking at it for quite some time, trying to collect all his courage and thoughts. His plan was to give Betha the packed meal and ask if she wants to watch a movie at Daylight Avenue before dinner. Daylight Avenue was the perfect mall for health and environment enthusiasts. It was the only mall that followed outright banning of plastics so the food court at the 2nd floor as well as all other restaurants used either edible or nature straws that were made of wheat. The ground floor had fashion boutiques from self-proclaimed artists that were very good in their craft. The many variety of good quality garments, shoes, bags, and accessories were exclusive only for Daylight Avenue customers. The grocery store, which was also situated at the ground floor, only sold organic food and only had hessian bags that were made from durable and naturally biodegradable vegetable fibers as their best alternative for single-use plastic bags. The 4th floor was the mall''s entertainment avenue comprised of Movie Avenue which has 4 cinemas and a Kids Avenue that didn''t have any violent arcades. Apollo''s dream destination for his first date with Betha was at Daylight Avenue so that they can just watch a movie and maybe play some arcade. He closed his eyes and took one inhale and exhale. When he stepped out of the car with the tote bag, he looked around feeling a bit embarrassed to be seen holding it. He finally got inside the pharmacy but there was no sign of Betha. He tried to check further if she maybe at the far end or inside their stockroom that he almost looked like a brontosaurus. A girl with short curly brown hair in mid 20s greeted him. "How may I help you? You seem to be looking for something. Can I have your prescription?" "Oh no. I''m not here to buy anything. I''m looking for Betha." Apollo responded, still looking around to see where she might be. And just like magic, she appeared from behind the shelves. He instantly smiled at the sight of her. "Betha." "Well hi there. What brought you here?" Betha nonchalantly approached the counter and rested her elbows, hands clasped under her chin. Hannah''s curiosity was short lived when she recognized the kind of casual flirting that Betha was playing. She stepped out of the picture to give them space. "I brought you lunch. I mean dinner because it''s way pass lunch. You can just heat this up." Apollo placed the tote bag on the counter and pulled out the bento box. "It''s braised beef with rice and some veggies. I cooked too much of it and since you''re new in our neighborhood, it''s kind of a late welcome gift." He looked self-conscious as Betha studied his face and opened the bento box. "Wow these look good. They also smell good, Apollo. Thank you." She gave him her sweetest smile. Apollo felt like he was going to die. "It''s nothing, really." He said humbly. "Actually, I think I should eat this now. The truth is I haven''t had lunch. It was peak hours and I just didn''t have time but now I do. Do you wanna join me?" "Yes." Apollo instantly responded, his heart leaping and jumping up and down like Deedee of Dexter''s laboratory. "Can you wait for me? I''ll just quickly tell Hannah I''ll step out for my one-hour break." Apollo nodded. His heart had not recovered from the adrenaline rush and now he was too ecstatic to know he was going to spend one whole hour with Betha. "Where should we go eat this? We can share if you haven''t had your lunch." "My mom''s friend owns Samgyeopsal. She''s almost never there but the staff lets me, and Gab hang out there sometimes." He opened the pharmaceutical door for her, and they stepped outside. "Sure, let''s go there." As they entered the restaurant, Betha was mesmerized with the interior design because at first look, anyone would''ve thought they had entered an art gallery if it weren''t for the mouthwatering scent of beef and kimchi stew. Samgyeopsal didn''t completely follow the traditional look of a standard Korean restaurant. The entire surrounding had a mix of Western modern elements and upscale Korean designs that would make anyone want to stay. Chairs were made of high-quality Manchurian ash solid wood with decorative touch that used glossy, breathable, soft, and tough imported cloth. The black and gold color looked elegant and matched the smokeless Korean barbecue table. The walls had paintings with labels under them. Betha touched the labels showing Plum Blossoms, Blossom, Bump, Flare, and then went straight to the corner of 9 showcased artists. "Kim Tae, Kim Tae¡­oh my gosh their names are so hard to pronounce." A waitress with smiling face came up to her and read the names of the artists. "Kim Tae-Kueon, Park Je Kyoung, Ham Sup, Shin Ha Neul, Lee Yoonsung, Sang-jin Choi, Chu Yeon-Sin¡­." "Oh, I know this. I know this. I can read it. Candy Park." Betha proudly said. Apollo burst into laughter. "Good job there, Betha. Good job." He quietly applauded. "And the last one here is Um Mi Keum. They are all contemporary artists." "You''re not Korean." Betha said to the friendly waitress then noticed her nametag. "Shelley." "Yes, I''m a full-blooded American." She smiled. She had natural blond hair, a petite figure and was two inches shorter than Betha who was 5''7" and five inches shorter than Apollo who was 5''10. The girl must''ve felt so small as she stood between the two future lovers. "Please have a seat. What are you having?" "Just rice and kimchi stew since we brought a packed lunch. We''ll check the menu for the desserts or beverages." Shelley, who was holding the menu, handed it over to Betha and Apollo. "I''ll be right back." When she was out of sight, Betha''s face looked like she had won the lottery. "This looks like a fine dining restaurant." She said as they both took seats facing each other. Plates, chopsticks and condiments were already set up on the table. "It does. Doesn''t it? But it''s not really. The family just happened to be art collectors and Su-ann, my mom''s friend, married an American who''s into furniture business." "Well that''s such a perfect combination." "It is." "Gab and I are here at least maybe twice a month. Normally it''s because mom''s craving for Korean so we''d eat here and then order a takeout for her." "Cool. You seem really close to your mom and she seems so sweet." "She is." They both started checking the menu for beverages. After five minutes, Shelley served rice, iced water and kimchi stew. "Thanks, Shelley." Apollo said. "I''ll have the usual sikhye." "What is that?" Betha asked. The menu was clearly a challenge for her because it was her first time in a Korean restaurant. "It''s a sweet traditional rice drink. I think every Korean restaurant has it because it''s their traditional end to a meal. Or I don''t know. At least that''s what I remember. Right, Shelley?" "Yes. You''re right. I haven''t seen you for a long time. I''m glad you''re here." She commented. Betha looked from Apollo to Shelley then back to Apollo. "I''ll have the same." She closed the menu. "By the way, I''ll be out by five and I was planning to shop at Daylight Avenue. I was wondering if you could take me there." She discreetly observed Shelley''s reaction though it was hard to pinpoint because she seemed to only have one reaction to her smiley face. Apollo couldn''t believe the luck that he had. He was just thinking about how to ask her for a date at Daylight Avenue and he didn''t even have to. He felt like the gods were with him that he couldn''t help but smile with all his 32 teeth showing. "Yes. I''ll take you." 9 First Date with a Banshee Friday, 2 August 2019 APOLLO Apollo still had a few hours to spare before Betha gets off from work by five. His stomach didn''t just have butterflies in them ¨C there were probably frogs, rabbits, and kangaroos hopping. Birds might be flying around, trying to catch the butterflies. He was ecstatic awhile ago. But now, he felt too nervous that he might stop breathing any moment if he continued to palpitate with the thought of messing up. Like a lifeless dork, Apollo slouched uncomfortably in his mom''s white Acura and stared at his emotionless eyes in the mirror. He blinked, realized he was on earth then brought his thoughts to life by talking to himself, "What if I mess this up? What if she doesn''t enjoy this date and decide not to date me ever again? What if I do something that turns her off? What if I try to kiss her and my breath smells like beef and kimchi stew?" He shook his head. "When have I ever been such an overthinker?! How do I stop my mind from thinking?!" He covered his face with his hands and looked at himself in the mirror. "You''re gonna be fine. You''re going to be super fine¡­more than fine. She''s gonna fall for you after this date." He threw a slick finger gun gesture at his mirror image coupled with an eye wink. BETHA "Apollo should fall for me after this date." Betha uttered as she entered her end of day report in the computer system. "Were you saying something?" Hannah asked with a confused look. Betha completely forgot that Hannah hasn''t left despite the small office space. It must''ve been because of the stacks of medicine blocking her view or because she was too excited to go on her first date with Apollo that she forgot she wasn''t alone. "Nothing. I was just mumbling a song I remembered." Betha responded, deeply hoping that Hannah wouldn''t ask about what song it was because she didn''t have any song in mind to back that up. As if her thoughts pierced through the gates of hell, Hannah didn''t utter anything more. Betha thought, "Oh bless the creatures of the deep south for granting my plead." She stood up from her seat, took off her white coat and quickly snatched her bag from her already open locker by the office''s exit door. "Bye, Hannah." Hannah was busy with her report, so she barely noticed Betha''s excitement to leave. "Bye." She responded without a glance. ~ Apollo''s guts turned upside down when he finally saw Betha stepping out of the pharmacy. She was wearing a midrise crop jean, peach caf¨¦ top that showed a fair amount of cleavage, and her hair was fixed in a bun with her bangs dangling. Her peach heels made her taller than her 5''7" height. The approaching nervous breakdown vanished on thin air as Apollo admired Betha. When his anxiousness subsided, he stepped out of the car to meet her. She was smiling amiably like she didn''t know how sexy she was. "Hey." Betha said. "Hey." Apollo smiled. "Let''s go?" "Yep." As they entered Daylight Avenue, Apollo said, "You look beautiful, Betha." He gave her a boyish smile. "I didn''t want to keep my thoughts to myself." Betha felt pleased at his compliment; it was the first step to completely lure him into her plan. "How sweet of you. Thanks. " She saw a shop with sporty outfits. "I want those. Let''s check out those outfits. I need them for my morning workout." "Sure." Apollo nodded and followed her as she eagerly looked around the shop''s nice-looking sporty outfits. She looked animated while she tried on some running shoes. Apollo gave her an affirmation on each pair of shoes she tried on because everything looked good on her feet. In 30 minutes, she finally picked the red and black Roko sport spark then searched for comfy tops. "This rainbow tee top is cute." Betha said. "Yes, it is. It looks good on you." She chuckled. "You''ve said that like every time I want to try on something." "Well you do look good on anything." Apollo wasn''t lying. Betha''s body was the epitome of perfection and her flawless olive skin made her look glamorous even in a sporty attire. "You can try it on if you''re in doubt of my fashion critic." He giggled but then he suddenly felt uneasy when Betha looked stiff. Her eyes seemed unresponsive until her conscious state totally disappeared -- she was in a trance. Apollo knew that look before and this was the third time he was going to witness another transformation. He knew there was no time to panic¡­except they were in the mall. He thought, "If people see her Banshee form, someone is bound to take a video, upload it in YouTube, and the next thing I know, it will circulate through all forms of media: television, newspapers, radio, internet, magazines¡­shit. What the fuck do I do now?" Apollo''s eyes surveyed the shop to make sure nobody was looking. He nonchalantly escorted Betha who looked like a mannequin but didn''t pull away from Apollo''s gentle grip as he guided her path. They made it to the fitting room without anyone noticing but Apollo was concerned about the transformation. He knew that anytime, Betha would start shrieking and that loud eerie noise would be hard to suppress. He didn''t want to cover her mouth to stop her from doing what she was bound to do so he knew his mind had to be quick. He recalled the phases of her transformation: (1) she will be in a trance, (2) she''ll get her cloak, (3) she''ll walk near the area of the human who''s in danger, (4) the fluttering sounds of birds flying will be heard before she transforms into a Banshee. He suddenly realized something. "The cloak. Where is that cloak? She might not transform because she doesn''t have it." He whispered to himself as Betha stood lifeless in front of him. Betha''s eyes turned to the rainbow tee and grey bag that Apollo held for her. She unconsciously clutched the grey bag from him and to his surprise, it magically transmuted to a grey cloak and found its way to Betha''s shoulders. "Holy shit." Apollo couldn''t believe his eyes. "I''ve never seen this before." The fluttering sound of birds flying suddenly reverberated inside the small room. "Oh no." Betha''s transformation began right in front of his eyes. "Betha, we''re in the mall. I know you can''t control it, but would it be possible to turn your screech down a notch please?" Her black hair turned into silver and her skin started to wrinkle until she fully transformed into an old hag with long pointed nose in front of Apollo. His eyes grew wider and there was nothing he could do but to move to one corner and cover her ears. "I sure hope this doesn''t make me deaf. Go on, Betha. I''ll be fine. Squeal." 10 Heroine of the Day Friday, 2 August 2019 A woman in her 30s found the perfect top that would complete her sporty outfit for a club she has recently joined. She cheerfully went inside one of the four fitting rooms adjacent to each other. She was about to take off her blouse when she felt a painful squeeze in her chest and suddenly couldn''t breathe. The sporty top she was holding fell from her hands. She felt her chest tighten as her right hand kept on rubbing it as if to ease the blocked air passage. She wheezed heavily while breathing in and out and trying to take all the air she can get to survive but her lungs didn''t pave the way. She quickly opened her shoulder bag and took out her bronchodilator. ~ Betha''s earsplitting shriek lasted 60 seconds just like the first and second time that Apollo has experienced it. Even with his ears covered, it hurt in the strangest way it could. It felt like his eardrums exploded but once the shrieking stopped, it felt like everything will be fine again. And it did. Betha transformed back to her beautiful form and regained her consciousness. She looked at Apollo who removed his hands from his ears. Betha''s worried face made him get up instantaneously to appease her seemingly shocked state. "What the bloody hell¡­" she uttered with a panicked voice. "It''s fine now, Betha. You''re back." He cupped her face and guided her to take a seat on the mini sofa. She looked around the small space with white walls, a life-size mirror and three hooks protruding on the wall beside it with her rainbow tee top hanging. "We''re in the fitting room." Betha covered her mouth in disbelief and uttered with wide eyes. "We''re still in the mall." "Yes." "I can''t believe I transformed here. This is crazy. I could''ve been exposed." "But you weren''t so it''s fine now. I''m sure people heard your shriek though, but they may have been too busy covering their ears to even locate where it''s coming from." Apollo''s reassuring face calmed Betha. He sat beside her and lightly tapped her shoulder. "People have the ability to see me but with my cloak, nobody else can hear me except the people who know me." "Wow. It''s good that you have your cloak with you then." Apollo suddenly looked excited. "Let me tell you¡­it was amazing how it was a grey pouch at one point then it suddenly became a cloak. That was awesome, Betha." He gave her a thumbs up. Betha let out a big smile then a soft laughter which didn''t take long as she stopped with a serious look on her face. "A woman is dying. Let''s find her." She quickly stood up. Apollo couldn''t believe he had forgotten the reason why Betha had transformed; endangered life within five kilometers always triggered her banshee form. He should remember that, he thought. They were on the fourth fitting room adjacent to three more rooms. Betha checked each room; two were vacant but the first one was locked. "She''s here." "The dying person?" "Yes." She knocked on the door. "Go get help. Hurry." Apollo did as he was told and in less than two minutes, the shop''s male manager who was holding a bunch of keys unlocked the door. When it finally opened, a woman was lying unconscious on the floor. Her face was damp with sweat and her lips were blue. Her lifeless hand must''ve dropped the asthma inhaler that was resting on the floor. Betha, Apollo, and the manager were joined by spectators as the shop''s employees and customers huddled by the fitting room to find out what happened. It didn''t take long before the paramedics arrived, and the woman was carried to the ambulance. Betha and Apollo couldn''t take their eyes off the patient. A petite woman in dark navy uniform approached them. "Were you the ones who found her?" "She did." Apollo said. "You''re a heroine. She could''ve died if she stayed longer. She had severe asthma attack and it was possibly coupled with ischemia, a silent heart attack. I need someone to come with me to fill out a form." "Oh, we don''t know her." Betha said. The sporty shop''s male manager approached. "It''s okay. She''s a valued customer and we have her information. Her daughter is on her way to Springland Hospital." "Alright then," said the paramedic woman. She then left with her team to tail the ambulance. Betha and Apollo looked at each other then went back to Daylight Avenue without saying a word. Betha broke the silence. "I haven''t bought the rainbow tee." Apollo looked at her with a smile. "Let''s go back to the sporty shop and I''ll buy that rainbow tee for you." "Seriously?" She giggled. "Well, you''re a heroine. You deserve a treat." Betha liked to be called a heroine but she didn''t feel like she was. If it weren''t for Apollo, she would''ve let that woman die so she can take her jewelry; her earrings, pearl necklace, and bracelet were all that she could think of when she saw her lying on the floor. There was no doubt that woman was wealthy. She could still remember how much she suppressed her emotions when she got dazzled by the sight of her Baroda pearl necklace. That thing was worth millions of dollars. She couldn''t seem to move on with the fact that she almost had it if the circumstance was different. Nevertheless, though she loved jewelries, money and all the luxurious things it could buy, it was more important to get rid of her ugly banshee form. Betha thought, "Apollo is the only key to that. He thinks I''m a heroine, so I''ll continue to play that role until he falls for me." "I don''t know about being a heroine." She responded humbly after a moment of contemplation. "But I do want that treat." She smiled. They both went back to the sporty shop and bought the rainbow tee top. Apollo could tell that Betha loved it. They decided to resume their date at a steakhouse called MeatLovers. The smell of grilled meat made their stomach growl. The waiter led them to a vacant table and ordered their Meat Overload, the restaurant''s specialty -- pork, beef, chicken strips, java rice, and gravy. "You know it''s only been a few days and a lot has happened already. This all seems like a dream to me. I mean. You saved two people and one dog in three days. You''re something." Apollo said as they waited for their sumptuous meal. Betha didn''t realize that it has only been a few days until Apollo mentioned it. "Well that''s strange. It felt like I''ve known you forever." She giggled. "Really? Betha, don''t make me blush." Apollo said jokingly but the real words that he wanted to tell her were, "Betha, it''s only been a few days, but I think I love you." He shunned that thought because it would be crazy to let her know that during their first official date. Betha laughed and thought to herself¡­ "I think I''ll kiss him tonight. If he dies, then he loves me. If he doesn''t, then I''m just gonna have to wait a bit more." 11 A True Loves Kiss Friday, 2 August 2019 Betha and Apollo savored their meal like hungry warriors. The minute their Meat Overload was served, there was total silence; only the sound of their utensils and other customers resonated. After finishing their protein-packed dinner, Betha excused herself. She went to the restroom to fix her hair, brush her teeth, and retouch the colors on her face to look fresh. Apollo also did his own business in the male restroom. He didn''t have a toothbrush but he had two gums with strong menthol. From both ends they looked at themselves in the mirror and uttered in unison, "Today is kiss day." Betha almost bumped into Apollo at the hallway when he suddenly came out of the male''s restroom as Betha passed by. She was quick to avoid him, not knowing it was actually Apollo. When she realized it was him, she said, "Hey." Apollo was surprised. "Sorry I almost bumped into you." "It''s fine. I''ve got quick reflexes." She smiled. "I guess, let''s go now?" "I hope not home though." Apollo teased. "Of course not." Betha said in a rather flirtatious tone then smiled with all 32 white beaming teeth showing. Apollo''s heartbeat raised and he thought he was going to have a heart attack at the sight of her perfect face. But the momentum got ruined when he realized he and Betha were blocking four guys from exiting the male''s restroom. They both gave way then moved out of the restaurant. "I heard that this place has a rooftop. Do you wanna go there so we can view the entire Summerland?" Betha asked then thought to herself, "I''ll have you all to myself tonight." "Sounds perfect. Let''s go." Apollo confirmed, unaware of her real intentions. As they both walked their way to the escalator, Betha surveyed the surroundings. The third floor had one big food court, some famous fastfood, and restaurants. It was her first time at Daylight Avenue and now she knew where to go if she needed anything: the ground floor had boutiques, antique shops, and bookstores; the second floor had all the top-selling clothing brands like Armani, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Prada, Hermes, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and a few more.They rode the escalator to the fourth floor then climbed two flights of stairs. When they were finally at the rooftop, Betha was pleased to see that no one else was there to disturb them. She thought, "Oh bless the evils of the deep south. They''re on my side." She let out a wicked smile though Apollo couldn''t see it from behind. The minute Apollo realized they were alone, he was ecstatic and at the same time, nervous. He didn''t want to ruin his chance with Betha so despite his growing desire to touch her and kiss her, he was willing to wait. He would only hold her hand and kiss her if she gives him even the slightest touch; it would be his cue. It would mean she wants him. They rested their elbows on the thick walls that served as rooftop railings and enjoyed the panoramic view. "Have you always lived here in Summerland?" Betha asked without looking at Apollo. Her admiration for the clean and somewhat standard blue and white hues of the entire metropolis gave her an innocent feel. Except she wasn''t the innocent type and for the first time, she realized she didn''t belong in Summerland. But she suddenly wanted to belong. Apollo took a glimpse of her then continued to look around. "Yeah. This has always been our home. My mom and I never thought about leaving. We''re at peace here. All the streets are close to civilization. From residents, it only takes two to ten minutes tops to reach here...downtown." "Nice. I have another question." "Shoot." "Why are you not disgusted with my banshee form? Or maybe you are? You''re just probably not showing it." Apollo smiled and looked at her. "I would lie if I say I didn''t feel disgusted. Of course I did at first and probably the second time too. But I''m just a normal guy like everyone else. We tend to look at the physical aspect of girls at first. I was terrified when I saw you transform. Gab was too. But as I got to know more about you, I got more interested and excited to know more. I mean, all of this is so supernatural. Who would believe this kind of amazing thing exists? That a banshee heroine is bound to save Summerland...and who knows? Probably save the world too. You''re a good person. Your banshee form is part of you so I like it too. I mean, I''m the worst person to consult about anyone''s persona because I suck in identifying who''s good and who''s not but I think this time, I''m right about it. I''m sure I''m right when I say you''re a true angel in the form of a beautiful banshee." Betha''s eyes as he looked at Apollo who never took his eyes off of her almost leaked a tear but she looked away hoping he didn''t notice it. She suddenly felt guilty. He was right. He''s not a good judge of characters. She had been wanting an opportunity to kiss him so she can absorb his youth and be beautiful forever, even if it meant death for him; it was her greatest desire until this moment. She realized, she didn''t want him dead and she didn''t want to leave Summerland. Her greatest desire now is to belong and leave her dark past behind. "Apollo, you''re something. You have no idea about what I was thinking before all this." Apollo suddenly got curious about what she meant but he didn''t want to ask. He just wanted to stay silent and look at her. For the first time, Betha could clearly see Apollo as the moonlight shone on his face. She realized she actually liked him. She knew he was attractive from the beginning but it was the first time she was really seeing him as person -- a good person who unconditionally likes her, and possibly loves her. She gave him a sweet smile to break the awkward stare they''ve been giving each other then she lightly tapped his hand. "I never thought I was going to say this before you did but I like you, Apollo." His eyes glistened and everything felt clear now. He thought, "She touched my hand and said she likes me. This is my cue. It''s time to kiss her." He slowly held her hands together. Her eyes seemed inquisitive at his romantic move but she didn''t pull away. He released her left hand so he could use his right palm to cup her face . Her eyes widened then she started to blink a few times. She looked a bit scared, but Apollo was not going to back down. He was too close in kissing her when... "No!" Betha pulled away. "You should never kiss me!" She cried out. Apollo was taken aback and got frozen at Betha''s intense reaction. The next thing he knew, she disappeared. 12 Where Is Betha? Sunday, 22 December 2019 Apollo stared blankly at the cherubs surrounding the crucifix and barely paid attention to the introductory rites. He and Mrs. Rodriguez were seated at the second row of pew which was quite near the altar. During the Liturgy of the Word, Apollo barely understood the Biblical readings then the priest announced, "Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent," then briefly explained the word advent which meant "the coming of something, or someone significant." After a while, he discussed the Homily''s theme which was, "Joseph, Do Not Be Afraid to Take Mary Your Wife" from Matthew 1:18:25. Apollo looked like he was attentive during the Sunday mass, but his mind wandered. It had been more than four months since Betha disappeared and he didn''t know whether to go crazy or act like nothing happened because he just knew her for a few days. But in those few days of knowing her a lot has changed -- his life became interesting as if it was a fantasy movie. Often, Apollo wondered if he just had a dream ¨C that Betha did not exist and there was no such thing as a banshee. He thought it would''ve been easy if it were just a beautiful dream that he messed up because he tried to kiss a girl who didn''t want to kiss him. But more than the humiliation he felt, he was worried. Where is Betha? He thought to himself while looking at the cherubs as if one of them would come alive and help him find her. Mrs. Rodriguez noticed his son hasn''t been singing along during the Sunday mass. Despite his laidback personality, he was a responsible Catholic who never missed his Sunday obligation. He would always sing along as the choir sang during the entrance, Gloria, Psalm 112 and throughout the entire mass until the sending part. Though he didn''t look like the serious type, he was always cooperative and attentive behind his oversized white t-shirt, cargo pants, and his ever-favorite white Fila Disruptor II shoes. Mrs. Rodriguez never saw his son as the lonesome type; he was just cheerful, sweet, and still acted like a kid whenever he goofed around with his friend Gab. He seemed genuinely happy and excited when Betha suddenly entered his life but now, she didn''t know how to comfort her own son because he wouldn''t tell her what happened. The only thing she was sure of was that Betha was gone. She didn''t know if his son knew why and whether he was the reason she left. The house in front of their residence had been vacant for more than four months and she wondered why there was no sign showing "House for Rent." "Maybe Betha didn''t intend to leave after all." Mrs. Rodriguez thought. "Baby, let''s dine at Samgyeopsal. I''m starving." Mrs. Rodriguez uttered the minute the mass ended. Apollo nodded. "Sure, mom." For more than four months his reaction to eating at a nice Korean restaurant didn''t bring joy to him anymore. It crushed Mrs. Rodriguez'' heart to see his son not eating as much as he did before. He lost a lot of weight; he was bigger than Gab but now, Gab was bigger than him. She contemplated on talking to him once and for all, but she had been a young adult before, and she knew that it took a long time for a heartbreak to mend. She just wished she knew what really happened. They were passing through a group of people towards the church''s exit when Apollo suddenly stopped with wide eyes. "What is it, baby? Is something wrong?" "Betha." Apollo uttered, his eyes fixed on a woman with long black hair and olive skin. She looked like Betha, except she wasn''t. When Apollo realized that, the expression on his hopeful face deteriorated. "Oh, my baby. You''re making me cry right now." Mrs. Rodriguez was teary-eyed but before she could even start to cry, Apollo suddenly hugged her. "Oh my God, mom. Why would you cry?" He instantly released her from his warm embrace only to see such worried face. "Let''s go, mom. I''ll drive. Give me the keys." They headed towards his mom''s white Acura. When they both got settled inside the car, Apollo was about to start the engine but then his mom was crying silently. "Mom, why are you crying?" She tried to hold back her tears, but she just couldn''t hide the agony anymore. "I''m sorry. I just couldn''t bear to see you so lonely like this, baby. You have been so depressed since Betha left and I never asked why because it might trigger something that is more painful to you. I thought you just needed time and you''ll somehow open up to me and tell me what happened. But you know what? I''m not even going to ask you where Betha is. I wanna know where is Apollo? Where is my son?" She broke down with more tears and sobbed until Apollo leaned closer to embrace her. "I''m here, mom. I''m here. I''m sorry. I didn''t mean for you to be worried like this." Apollo felt so scared and guilty. He had never seen his mom cry even when she had a hard time dealing with his irresponsible father way back. It was the first and hopefully the last time he''d see his mom crying. He then realized he hasn''t been himself for a long time and never thought his mom would be so hurt at seeing him so unhappy. More than his miserable feeling, his mom was probably more miserable to see him and not able to do anything to make him happy. He thought to himself, "I''ll be back, mom. I''ll be back so stop crying." Apollo was lucky to find a parking space in front of Samgyeopsal. Mrs. Rodriguez was fixing his mascara through the car''s small mirror when he glanced at her, smiled then stroke her hair. "You''re doing a good job, mom. You look pretty now but don''t take too much time doing your makeup or you''ll look like a celebrity." Mrs. Rodriguez chuckled, put back the mascara in her purse then zipped it. "Are you back?" Apollo nodded. "I will. Little by little, mom. For Pete''s sake please don''t cry ever again. It takes way too long for you to fix your makeup and I''m starving." They both laughed. The table exuded the most delicious aroma of Korean dishes coming from the Bulgogi (marinated beef barbecue), Samgyeopsal (pork strips), Japchae (stir-fried noodles), Kimchi and Sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew) they have ordered. "Welcome back, baby." Mrs. Rodriguez uttered as she held her chopsticks. Apollo''s eyes were once again full of love for food, so he smiled and responded cheerfully. "Mom, it''s like a feast in here. I guess the food has summoned my trapped soul or something." He chuckled. After a few minutes of silent but enjoyable moment of eating their sumptuous meal, his mobile phone rang. He put his chopsticks down and checked both his pockets for his phone. After finding it in his right pocket, "Whiny Gab" flashed on his phone. "What''s up, bro?" On the other end of the line, Gab was in a huge vintage library with intricate architectural design. He was seated like a buddha in between two high mahogany-paneled bookshelves. "Wow, you sound lively now. I hope you''re okay. Listen. You might not want to remember anything about Betha so I''m sorry if I''m bringing this up now when you sound okay. But this is important. I was just going to pick up something for my sister''s research project but then I thought maybe I should look around. And so, I searched for banshee books and was surprised to see one very old¡­ and I''m talking about something that looks like that one from the Charmed television series. And it sure looks very, very interesting." He paused then looked at the old book on his lap. "Anyway, you won''t believe this. I found out that when a banshee kisses someone whom she loves and loves her despite her creepy banshee form, the banshee will consume the guy''s youth, she will lose the ugly form and become beautiful forever." Gab took a deep breath. "Really?" Apollo asked. "Yes. Really. But here''s a catch. It will end the guy''s life. The guy will die, bro." Apollo couldn''t hide the exhilaration, so he covered his mouth from disbelief then responded. "So, you mean to say¡­Betha actually loves me?" He let out a beaming smile while his mom gave him a puzzled face. 13 Bethas Story Betha didn''t look Irish. She didn''t sound Irish either, all thanks to the Hollywood movies and television series that accompanied her every night in a far-off and isolated house where an old woman just died. At a young age of 10, she managed to dig and bury an old woman and the house was all hers. She had the perfect garden with lots of vegetables and fruits, so she survived for a month without going downtown. After a man in his 30s suddenly kept on knocking on the door one day, she knew she had to leave. Betha immediately got out of the house after he left, feeling frightened to be found in case he came back. She didn''t look foreign to any of the places she took as her home, so no one would''ve suspected that she was different. She always picked her dwellings based from the town''s ethnicity. A city capital was a definite no. A rural area was not her preference either. It had to be a small, quiet town not far from civilization and big enough to be considered a city with modern culture and good landscapes; Summerland was the perfect place. Except for food, she never spent even a single penny on anything she owned from her car down to her clothes but for the first time, she was suddenly spending her own money in Summerland because she wanted to replace everything she got from the people who died after her wailing. She couldn''t count them on her fingers and couldn''t remember all of them either. In all those 13 years that she had transformed as a banshee because people were in danger, she never thought about saving any of them. She was evil after all. It was in her nature just like in the folklore. Most of the tales about banshees weren''t true except for the description about being an old hag and the wailing. It was good that her mom was able to pass down the grey cloak that could hide the terrible eerie sound, but she can never conceal it from people who know her personally like Apollo, Mrs. Rodriguez, Gab, and her colleagues at the pharmacy. Anyone who knew her name could see her true form and hear her annoying screech which is why she isolated herself from people for a very long time. The only time she felt she wanted to suddenly belong was when she saw Apollo. For selfish reasons, she had the greatest desire to use him to completely remove her ugly banshee form from her life but when he tried to kiss her that night at the rooftop, she felt the need to protect him. And with that driving force, she transported to the middle of nowhere and had no idea how long she had been staying there. She was in a place full of green pastures; it wasn''t dark nor bright, so it felt like it was afternoon forever. There was no sun, no moon, no stars, there was nothing else but pure green surroundings. She was alone but every time she woke up from a deep slumber, there was a generous variety of food that was more than enough for her entire day. It was always on a mantle laying on the grass right beside her sleeping corner. She called countless of times to anyone but there was no response. She would''ve lost her mind if she didn''t feel relieved to be away from Apollo who could''ve possibly died because of her. She didn''t want that. Not anymore. From the times that she woke up to a generous serving of food, it has probably been a week though she wasn''t 100% sure because time didn''t feel like it was passing. It just felt like every day was d¨¦j¨¤ vu. She didn''t know what to do. It seemed like she would forever be stuck wherever she was, and she thought that maybe it was for the best. She didn''t deserve to belong anywhere. She had not killed anyone, but she didn''t save anyone from dying either. And worst, she took their belongings as if they were rightfully hers. Because of that, she was being punished. And for the first time, she felt that she deserved to be alone. She remembered the time when she was only 10. Her dad got scammed by Rolando, his business partner; one that he considered his best friend. The company went down because of that and his dad almost lost his mind because he cherished that company like it was his own son. It was one of the companies listed in Forbes as The World''s Most Innovative company. In that list, five were of Irish operations. Ireland had been marked for attracting cutting-edge FDI investment across a range of sectors. The nature of their family''s business was biopharmaceuticals. She didn''t'' know anything about how Rolando has scammed her dad, but she felt the impact when he started drinking and her mom started suffering from anxiety depression. She cried the night during her 10th birthday when her mom and dad kissed her goodnight and said that they needed to go to Rolando''s place to take back what he stole from them. She had the strangest feeling that something bad would happen¡­and it did. Her parents died in a car accident that night. She recalled how happy they were until an American entrepreneur knocked on their door and talked to her dad about big investors for their company''s growth. That American was Rolando. It happened just a few months before her birthday, but his dad trusted him as if they knew each other well because he had a knack for power statements, and he sounded genuine¡­except to Betha; she had always felt that there was something not right about him. After her parents died, she was taken to St. Mary''s Centre, an orphanage. But when the house was sold and she got the money from their trusted attorney and realtor, she took off. She managed to travel to the United States with the help of her mom''s quirky assistant named Moira. After that, she paid her to go back to Ireland and never to tell anyone where she was. Being a peculiar person that she was, was a big advantage; she never did ask why a 10-year-old kid would want to be alone in a foreign land. Her banshee form started when she was eight, but it wasn''t after she turned 18 that she turned into an old hag with long silver hair. When she was a kid, she just simply lamented whenever someone within five kilometers was in danger. She didn''t have an ugly form; only her hair transformed to silver. She stole from anyone who died after her wailing and she enjoyed taking what was not hers: cars, clothes, money, and jewelries. All of that because Rolando stole from her family too. However, because of Apollo, the hatred vanished like it was never there. She no longer wanted to be selfish. She no longer wanted to steal. She suddenly wanted to belong somewhere, and it felt like Summerland was the perfect place, but she couldn''t risk Apollo''s life. She wished there was a way to be with him without his life on the line. But first, she had to find a way to get out from wherever she was. 14 How to Find a Missing Banshee Monday, 23 December 2019 Apollo and Gab were in Leslie''s room ¨C the basement. Leslie was Gab''s older sister with a two-year gap . Their resemblance was uncanny; people who didn''t know them always mistook them as twins of different gender. The only difference was of course their stature, but everything else looked the same ¨C 5''9" in height, brown almond eyes, downward-turned lips, arched eyebrows, oval-shaped face, and golden walnut hair. Gab had a blowout haircut with tapered sides while Leslie had medium layered hair. She also wore eyeglasses with oversized frames. They may have the same physical appearance, but their personalities were different. Gab was the grumpy type because his patience was short. Leslie was the most understanding, patient, and helpful person in the whole wide world. Gab was never into academics, so he just pursued music while Leslie loved to drown herself in books. She had the most interesting job which could explain how she was able to afford a Toyota Prius Prime; she was a paranormal investigative special agent and was being paid a hefty amount of money for the weirdest research topics. "What the heck is that?" Apollo asked, not feeling so please as he looked at the desktop computer''s monitor. "I just googled how to find a missing person. Step 1, contact the police as soon as you have reason to worry." Gab responded. Apollo''s eyes rolled. "You''re killing me, bro. We need to research how to find a missing banshee, not a human being." "But Betha''s human too." "I know but don''t you think in those four months that she was missing, I didn''t look for ways to find her?" "I know. I know. Fine. But nothing about tracking a missing banshee is stated in this old book." Gab held the book he borrowed from the vintage library which was on top of his sister''s needed research materials next to the monitor. "I''ll google how to find a missing banshee then." "You won''t find anything. Except for folklore, you won''t find anything helpful via internet. I''ve already googled it before." Apollo said in a sad tone. "What are you guys up to?" Leslie''s sudden presence in the stairway across them surprised them as they both turned to see her. "God, Leslie can you make some noise when you appear like that? You''re so sneaky." Gab said, breathing heavily. "But that''s how I got my awesome job." She gave them a smile. "Plus, this is my room." "I know. I sent you a text message that Gab and I need the basement for research." "Which is why I had to come home earlier than usual because I got curious. Since when did you do any research?" Gab held the books he got from the vintage library. "Well I got these for you." He said, with a funny intonation. As Leslie approached them, Apollo suddenly had the brightest idea. "I can''t believe this. Why have I not ever thought about this before?" "Thought of what?" Gab asked. "Dude, your sister is the perfect person to help us." Apollo''s eyes sparkled and the color of his face brightened. "You''re willing to tell my sister about this research?" "No offense, dude. But if I had a secret and I had to pick between the two of you, I would''ve picked your sister. She''s trustworthy, patient, very helpful, and very nice. You''re always using her Toyota, but she never complained." "How would you know that? Are you here 24/7?" Gab sounded annoyed. "I like what I''m hearing. Go on." Leslie leaned on the wall by the computer and crossed her arms. Her face showed gratification after hearing compliments from Apollo, but she was more eager to hear their secret. "You sure love to be a part of this, don''t you?" Gab said, less annoyed upon seeing his happy-looking sister. "Let''s join forces then." "Okay, but don''t be shocked by what you''re going to hear." Apollo said. "Dude, she''s a paranormal investigator. She believes in anything and everything. Believe me. It won''t shock her." Gab responded. Apollo smiled. "Well¡­we''re trying to find a way to find a missing banshee." Apollo and Gab studied Leslie''s facial reaction and all she said was, "Count me in." She smiled without her teeth showing but her eyes were full of excitement. After telling everything that Leslie needed to know about Betha, her banshee form, and her sudden disappearance, Leslie opened her wide closet. To Apollo and Gab''s huge surprise, there was a hidden passage to another room that looked like a mini library with hi-tech computer systems and other gadgets that no average person would be familiar with. The right side occupied 80% of the room space with Metal Wire Storage Cubes that served as bookshelves for what seemed to be thousands and thousands of hardbound books. The left side of the room had one medium-sized round wooden tea table upholstered with four stools and the computer systems beside it. Apollo turned to Gab; his shocked reaction was still intact. "Judging from how utterly dumbfounded you look; you had no idea you were living with Felicity Smoak." Apollo commented in reference to a character in the television series called Arrow. "God, Leslie. I''ve always known you were a paranormal investigator but since when have you turned into an I.T. expert? Are you a skilled hacker too? I mean, without the books and that comfy looking table over there, this place sure looks like Oliver Queen''s headquarters." Leslie laughed. "You guys are exaggerating. This doesn''t look anything at all like the Arrow Cave. And stop gawking, your jaws might be locked if you keep your mouths open that way." She picked up a thick black hardbound book and sat on one of the stools as she placed it on the tea table. "Come on. Welcome to my hideout place." She said with a friendly tone. "Do you know how appalled I am that you kept all of this to yourself? Didn''t you trust me at all?" Gab said as he and Apollo sat in front of her. She gave him a blunt expression. "I would''ve told you if you had shown any interest in what I do but you never did." "Well then, I forgive you." Gab said without eye contact. "Is this a banshee book?" Apollo asked, amazed at how big and thick it was. "Can I see it?" "It''s not just a banshee book. It has all the supernatural beings you never knew existed. Hold on. Let me turn the page to what you need." Leslie said as she scanned the book. After two minutes, she showed it to Apollo. "This is what you''re looking for but I''m not sure if you''re ready to take on this kind of task. It involves risk. You may never go back to your human form." Apollo looked confused. "Huh? What do you mean? What does it say?" He looked at Gab then took the book for them to see what she meant. "Oh my God, it says here that banshees are a rare breed of demon. I never thought of Betha as a demon. This is insane. The folklores I read via google didn''t say anything about a demon." "I agree. Betha didn''t have even a hint of demonic behavior." Gab looked as anxious as Apollo. "Well what you read in google are myths, not facts. Just keep reading." Leslie said. "Their screams can burst glass and blood vessels blah blah blah. Oh, here it is. Here it is." Apollo''s face showed excitement. "It says here that only a dog can track a banshee because of its strong sense of smell." He turned to the next page. "And there are instructions and a spell to cast it." Apollo and Gab looked at each other then back to Leslie. "So, I have to turn into a dog? And you mentioned that there may be a chance that I won''t go back to my human form?" "Yes, unless you find Betha, the banshee you''re looking for. You will turn back once you have fulfilled your mission." Leslie explained. "Well of course I''ll find her. I''ll make sure I do. But just out of curiosity, what kind of dog will I be?" Apollo asked. "Well that depends. The spell is designed to specific needs. You might turn into a Bloodhound, a Beagle, or maybe a German Shepherd. They have the strongest sense of smell but of course, we''d have to see it for ourselves." "Cool." Apollo nodded, looked at Gab then shifted back to Leslie. "Okay then. Let''s do it!" He said without a hint of reluctance in his voice. 15 A Special Mission Thursday, 24 December 2019 "I seriously feel like you''re Pru, I''m Piper, and you''re Phoebe." Gab commented, looking from Leslie to Apollo. "We''re the Charmed ones, now." He let out a quiet laugh. Apollo rolled his eyes and Leslie just ignored him while she studied the black hardbound book once more and nodded to herself, a sign that she was ready to cast a spell. They were seated comfortably like Buddhas on the black timber floor. They were inside a big circle with a five-pointed-star, or a so-called pentacle that Leslie had prepared. White chalk was used to draw the circle with a star; it had small white candles inside its five triangles. Leslie lit them with a lighter. "Where''d you get that? Do you smoke?" Gab said, looking disgusted. "No. Of course, not." Leslie responded with confidence. Apollo seemed annoyed. "Bro, will you please start getting serious? We''re doing this for Betha. It won''t work if you keep on blabbering." "I''m not blabbering. It was a serious question," said Gab. Leslie, who was in between Apollo and Gab closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes again and turned to Gab. "He''s right. This won''t work if we''re not focused. We''re in a consecrated space, so we could perform the ritual effectively. This circle around us is to protect us from bad spirits and energies, allowing us to fully concentrate on what we want to achieve. Please don''t be that bad energy, Gab." She explained in a serious tone. Gab felt embarrassed. "I''m sorry. Let''s do this now. I''ll fully cooperate." "Now, we have to make sure everything is done perfectly. We can''t just simply sit like Buddhas. You must follow my Dhyana Mudra sitting position to symbolize wisdom. Look at how my hands are rested on my lap." She explained. Apollo and Gab listened attentively and followed her instructions. "The back of my right hand is leaning on the palm of my left hand like this. This is so we could get the complete focus that we need to make the spell work. Once our eyes are closed, we should all clear our minds and only think of what we want Apollo to turn into. All you have to do is stay quiet and listen to what I''m going to say. First, I will invoke the divine spirits, then I will chant the magic spell. We all have to focus our energy on our desire and visualize Apollo turning into the best breed of dog suited to find Betha. Are we clear? Can we start this now or do you have questions?" "We''re good." Gab answered while Apollo simply nodded. "Make sure to maintain this sitting position until the end. Let''s close our eyes now and start." They obediently did as they were told. ~We call upon all deities to shine thy divine nature upon us. That we shall be granted supreme power to cast a righteous spell. We call upon all deities to shine thy divine nature upon us. That we shall be granted supreme power to cast a righteous spell. We call upon all deities to shine thy divine nature upon us. That we shall be granted supreme power to cast a righteous spell.~ Leslie''s powerful voice invoked immortal beings that started to materialize above them in a form of white clouds. The three strongly felt the divine presence, but kept their eyes closed and focused on their goal. Whistling sounds resonated and Leslie chanted the spell that she had memorized from the book that laid in front of her. "We humbly acknowledge your presence and guidance." She paused, inhaled and exhaled. ~We call on the highest power to bless the spell that I am about to deliver. Please shine your power upon us. We call on the highest power to bless the spell that I am about to deliver. Please shine your power upon us. We call on the highest power to bless the spell that I am about to deliver. Please shine your power upon us.~ The five white candles glowed, and their wicks were ablaze with green flames. Leslie paused, inhaled, exhaled, then opened her eyes to place Apollo''s bandana at the center of the pentacle. She continued to recite: ~Deities from the North, from the South, from the East, from the West, In our quest to follow the banshee''s scent, Transform thy human flesh; Grant him the greatest sense To smell the banshee''s blood and flesh, To smell the air the banshee breathes, Transform thy human flesh. Bestow upon him paws and claws, Bestow upon him fur, Bestow upon him the gift of smell to track the banshee''s scent.~ Leslie recited the spell thrice and once done; she opened her eyes. "We''re done. You can open your eyes." Gab opened his eyes, only to see Apollo who was nothing like the dog they desired him to be; he was still the same. He sighed. "It didn''t work." Apollo looked at both of them with a sad face. "Look at your hands," said Leslie. Apollo did as he was told and was surprised to see his hands transforming. Gab looked astounded to see him change right before his eyes. "Holy shit. It''s really happening!" Leslie smiled triumphantly as Apollo completed his transformation in the form of a dachshund. "Well? Shall we start with our special mission before Christmas?" They petted Apollo. Leslie put the bandana in a loose knot around his neck. Gab was giggling to himself. "He''s so cute. He''s never been this cute. Out of all the awesome police dogs I''ve seen, you turned him into a wiener dog." He laughed. "He was transformed into what''s suited for his mission. A dachshund has excellent sense of smell. Don''t underestimate him. And don''t call him a wiener dog, he''s a hero today." Leslie responded with enthusiasm. Apollo felt strange, like he wasn''t himself. And he wasn''t. He was a dachshund. He could''ve been a German shepherd, a bloodhound, or a rottweiler, but he turned into a short-legged hunter from Germany. Although there was a teeny-weeny bit of disappointment in him, he was grateful to transform into Betha''s hero. And it was time to save his banshee. "Remember to make sure you find Betha before 12 midnight. It''s seven sharp right now. We won''t go with you because we won''t be able to keep up and we have limited time. This is very critical for you, Apollo. I know you can understand me behind your identity as a dachshund, so I am saying this again. If you won''t be able to find Betha before midnight, you''re going to stay a dog forever. And we don''t want that to happen. So, hurry now and go. We''ll wait for you here." Leslie explained as she stroke his head. Apollo''s short legs started running up the stairs though he struggled climbing, so Gab gave him a hand. Once he reached the living room, Leslie opened the door for him, and he galloped out of the house. "I''m coming, Betha." He thought and gave out an excited smile. A man with muscular built in sporty outfit was jogging under the evening moonlight when he saw a smiling dachshund went pass him. His eyes followed the cute little wiener dog with a confused look on his face. "I swear I''ve never seen a dog smile like that." 16 Before Christmas Tuesday, 24 December 2019 It had been more than four months since Luke, the owner of Dulcimer, had a heart attack. It took three months for him to fully recover and he''d been back at Dulcimer for a month. Work didn''t pile up, all thanks to his twenty-five-year-old nephew who kept the club organized and swarming with customers every Tuesday Acoustics. In a way, he was grateful to have that heart attack. Otherwise, Andrea, Apollo''s mom, wouldn''t have given him attention. She had visited him in the hospital twice with the garlic vegetable soup that he missed occasionally; she made the best soup that was good for the heart. Since Gabriel was her son''s best friend, he had given him a Tuesday gig that he didn''t regret because the dude could sing. In fact, he was the best acoustic singer out of three that he had hired. Tonight, he was running late, and it was very unusual because he was always early and excited that he''d come an hour before his session. It was five minutes before 9pm and he was supposed to be prepping up ten minutes ago. He decided to call him, something that he never did. But just as he was about to, Gab was already squeezing himself in between the crowd. He quickly got on the left corner of the stage where Luke was standing behind the midnight blue curtain. "You''re just in time." He said. "I''m sorry. I got stuck on something. " Truth was, for the first time, he forgot his session. He and Leslie were busy looking for spells and other ways to turn Apollo back to his human form in case he didn''t come back on time. Although he knew that he would and he kept on saying that to himself, he was still anxious just like his sister was. They both cared a lot about that dude as if he were family. He was now tuning his guitar in front of the audience, but he couldn''t stop thinking about what was taking Apollo so long when it had been almost two hours. He didn''t know how long it should take to find a banshee, but it felt like two hours was too long. He greeted the audience with a slick smile; that almost melted the panties of the girls whose eyes pleaded for him to look at them. Then he sang. And they all screamed. ~ After a long endless walk, Apollo was nothing but a lethargic dachshund who had sore muscles. He felt cold, and weak, and deadbeat. He thought to himself, "Maybe if I was a rottweiler I would''ve had more strength." Then, he brushed off his complaint and thought about Betha. As soon as he imagined her smile, he got his energy back and his pacing had returned to its normal speed. He was in a woodlot outside Summerland Townsville. The minute he neared a giant sequoia or redwood, Betha''s scent was somewhere near him; somewhere in that massive tree that Apollo never knew existed. He looked up, as if he was seeing a giant beanstalk, just like in the story. He thought his neck was going to break as he tried to look further up where the moonlight shined. Betha''s scent was somewhere near, so he sniffed around the tree. He swore to himself, Betha''s scent was not anywhere in front or behind him; it was underground. He was 100% sure; he could smell that Betha was under the giant tree, so he started digging with his big paws. ~ Betha could sense that something was up. She couldn''t hear quite clearly, but she was sure that somewhere, she could hear a dog barking. She got up and followed that sound. No matter what time it was, it seemed like it was always afternoon where she was. She had no idea where she got her dress from, but she was wearing a green maxi dress with halter top, matching her surroundings. She was about to take another step when a goddess-looking creature materialized in front of her and she was bewildered. "What the¡­" She looked at her from head to toe. "Who are you?" "I''m the keeper of this tree." "Tree?! I''m in a tree?" "You''re under it." "Oh my gosh, so that''s why I couldn''t get out. I was underground." "Your dog is waiting for you." "I have a dog?" She smiled. "Your repentance is over. You are now given a chance to start anew. Clear of evil. Clear of that part of you that wasn''t the real you. You are yourself now. Come." She led her to a portal that was camouflaged against the hanging leaves of a tree branch that she thought was a wall. She didn''t understand what was happening, but she couldn''t bring herself to question what she meant because deep inside, she knew. Or at least, she felt it. She was reborn. She heard a barking sound and bid the beautiful creature goodbye as if it wasn''t the first time that she had seen her. ~ Apollo''s dachshund form was smiling like a human would. Betha''s scent was stronger. She was there. He stopped digging when he saw light radiating from below the ground. Then a hand that was very familiar to him appeared, then another, and soon enough, Betha climbed up to face him. She sat restlessly, but with a big smile on her face. It was exactly how he had picture it to motivate him. "It''s you, Apollo. Why would you do this to yourself, you silly dog." She patted him and Apollo swore to himself he could faint anytime, but he wouldn''t. The extreme joy he was feeling was dangerously overwhelming because he had never been as happy like he was at that moment. ~ Mrs. Rodriguez was worried because it was almost midnight and he found out that his son had not returned. There was turkey with stuffing, roast beef, chicken, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, and vegetables on the dining table. They normally celebrated Christmas at midnight with Gab and Leslie. When she called Luke to check up on Apollo and Gab, he said he had not seen Apollo. Then, he was cut off and Gab was suddenly on the line. He told her not to worry because he was out with Betha and they will both be coming tonight for the Christmas dinner. Two minutes before twelve, she heard a car parking. She promptly looked through the window and was relieved to see Leslie, Gab, Betha, and Apollo coming out of the Toyota Prius Prime. She opened the door to welcome them. "Merry Christmas, you kids. Where have you been?" They all looked at each other innocently. "We found Betha." Apollo uttered. The joy in his voice was indescribable. Mrs. Rodriguez was happy to see his son smile like that. "Well, I''m glad you did." She said, unaware of the real story behind Betha''s disappearance and how Apollo had found her. If she knew his son had turned into a dog to find a banshee who got stuck under a tree for several months, she wouldn''t have believed them. "What are you waiting for, kids? Come in. Welcome back, Betha." "Thank you." She smiled as they all went straight to the dining room and drooled over the delightful dishes that await them. 17 Welcome Back, Betha! Wednesday, 25 December 2019 Mrs. Rodriguez felt glad that Betha had joined their Christmas dinner. Every year, she and Apollo celebrated with Gab and Leslie. And now, Betha was a new addition to their family. Despite her not-so-good first impression of Betha, there was something very new to her scent now: her aura had changed. There was a reason why Mrs. Rodriguez pursued a writing career; she was very good in sensing the good and bad in people. And she used that to turn real characters into fiction and add more to their story. Hence, her well-developed characters and mind-boggling plots had resulted to bestselling fantasy novels. She knew from when she was young that the world was an incredible realm of God''s creations, with different series of logical happenings and mind-bending possibilities. For some reason, she had the gift of reading and smelling a human aura. It might sound preposterous and weird like "Phoebe of Friends" kind of weird, but she knew in her heart that humans exude certain levels of electricity that could be referred to as an electromagnetic field; this was human aura. When she first met Betha, she saw black, magenta, white, and crystalline colors surrounding her body. It was the first time in her life that she had seen a person emit that kind of aura. And her scent had confirmed that she was one of a kind, because it was a scent of human mixed with some kind of supernatural being that she had no idea was. She new there was something about Betha, and she was scared for her son. But upon seeing her again, the black aura had completely disappeared. She only radiated white and crystalline, still an extremely rare combination of colors, but she sensed pure goodness in Betha than the that first time that she met her; she looked genuine now. And it might have something to do with the fact that she disappeared for months and whatever happened or why it had happened, she felt relieved. At least, she could fully trust her now and could genuinely be happy that she was back. "I''m glad you''re back." Mrs. Rodriguez uttered as Betha helped her put the dishes in the kitchen sink. Gab, Leslie, and Apollo''s laughter could be heard from the dining table as they talked about the time when they played the three musketeers. Betha couldn''t help but giggle at the three and she was very appreciative to hear Mrs. Rodriguez say those words. "I''m glad that you''re glad." She smiled. "You don''t have to do that, Betha. You''re our guest. You''re special. You don''t have to help with the dishes." Apollo suddenly commented as he stood from his chair and approached the two most important women in his life. "It''s okay. I just put them in the sink." Betha responded. "Baby, she''s not our guest anymore. Yes, she is still special, but let''s consider her family. She can roam around or go frolicking inside this house just like Gab always does. And just like Leslie used to do when she was very young and always playing detective. Betha is welcome here anytime like it''s her own house, so let''s make her comfortable," said Mrs. Rodriguez. Apollo and Betha looked at each other with joy in their faces. "Wow, mom. Don''t make me shed tears. It''s Christmas." He said, jokingly. "I feel so honored, Mrs. Rodriguez." Betha said. "I thought I mentioned to you before that you could call me mom." "You never even asked Gab and Leslie to call you mom before," said Apollo. "I did but you were such a jealous little boy. You didn''t want anyone else calling me mom, so Gab and Leslie never did." "Okay, you''re making up stories now." "Nope. I''m telling the truth. And you know that." Apollo looked embarrassed. "Fine." Betha and Mrs. Rodriguez let out a silent laugh. "I guess it''s going to be hard to get used to it, but I''ll try," said Betha. "Trying is good. I like that," said Mrs. Rodriguez. Gab and Leslie rose from their seats. "This was the best meal, Andrea. I''ve always loved the way you cook." Leslie slightly pushed Gab by the shoulder for calling her Andrea. "Gab, I swear. If you call my mom by her name again, you''re not invited for New Year''s Eve." Apollo said, looking disgusted. Mrs. Rodriguez laughed. "Do you now see how possessive you are, my dear?" Apollo rolled his eyes. "We''ll go upstairs for now, mom. I promise I''ll take care of everything on New Year''s Eve. Cooking, washing the dishes, entertaining them. All me." "Go on. Don''t be too loud though. You know our neighbor''s getting a bit old. You won''t want him complaining about your loud music just like last year." "No problem." ~ The four young adults settled in Apollo''s room. The girls were comfortably sitting on the bed, Gab rested on the beanbag and Apollo turned his back on his computer desktop to face them. "Can I just say how thankful I am to all of you, guys? Thank you so much for helping me," said Betha. "You''ve thanked us like a million times already. From when you and Apollo safely arrived, to when Apollo returned back to his human form, to when we started prepping up to go to Apollo''s house, then you thanked us again in the car." Leslie said in her sweet voice. "And you are always welcome." "We would''ve helped even if it weren''t for Apollo," said Gab. "Yep. These are the kinds of friends I have which is why they''re more like family," Apollo said in a proud gesture. Betha rested on her stomach, with her chin on her arms, still looking at Apollo. "How can I stop thanking you? You could''ve been trapped as a dog forever. You saved my life by risking yours. I can''t thank you enough." She moved back to her normal sitting position, her eyes switching between Gab and Leslie. "It was hard for so many years that I had to keep my identity from people. But knowing that there are people who accept me as I am¡­how can I ever repay that? I''m in awe. You guys are the most awesome people." "I know." Gab said with confidence. All of them giggled. "You''re very interesting, Betha. I''ve researched a lot about paranormal occurrences, and I know for sure that there are a lot of unexplainable things in the world but confirming 100% that they''re real because you exist¡­it makes me so happy. You have done me a big favor. You were my validation to the supernatural world, Betha. And I love you for that." Leslie explained. "Les, I really like your personality more than Gab, but please don''t say those three words to her again. Those are supposed to be my lines." Apollo said, feeling shy all of a sudden that he said that. "I mean. You know¡­maybe in the future." Betha looked at Apollo and they stared at each other for a while. The silence got awkward to both Gab and Leslie, so they decided to get up. "Okay, we better go now. It''s almost 2am. We''ll see you whenever," said Leslie. Apollo nodded but he didn''t really understand a thing. All he felt that moment was gratitude for finally being alone with Betha whom he wanted to keep for himself for the rest of the night. When the siblings left and closed the door, Apollo became more aware and sensitive to Betha''s presence in the room. He didn''t know what to say or do; he felt like he just wanted to stare at her until the break of dawn. As minutes passed, the tension was growing strong. "Apollo." Betha broke the silence, but it didn''t break the tension between them. He blinked. He hasn''t blinked for some time. "Yes?" "Come here." Apollo''s eyes grew wide, his heartbeat accelerated, his palms got sweaty, and he had butterflies in his stomach. "Okay." He said in a trembling voice. Betha moved to the bed''s headboard and rested her back. She gestured for him to lay beside him by tapping her hands on the mattress. When she quickly wet her dry lips with her tongue as Apollo approached, his heart rate did a summersault. At the back of his mind, he was saying, "Oh my God." She didn''t say anything when he settled beside Betha, so they were both just awkwardly silent as they rested their backs on the headboard. She slowly slid her body to lie down and he did the same. Apollo couldn''t say anything because he didn''t want to ruin the moment. He just wanted to be with her. It killed him a bit not to be able to touch her when that was all that he was thinking, but he knew he had to be stronger by controlling his human nature. The next thing he knew, Betha squeezed herself in his arms and embraced him. Apollo''s breathing grew rapid, but he didn''t want that kind of tension to disturb Betha who seemed to be fast asleep in his arms. It might''ve taken an hour for his heartbeat and pulse to return to its normal rate. Then finally, he fell asleep. 18 What Is Love Without a Kiss? Friday, 14 February 2020 Apollo dated several girls in high school and college. He wasn''t the popular type who went to parties, or had many friends to be with, or had many girls swooning over him. He was fairly attractive, decent, and a cool preppy dude who often wore white plain shirt, cargo pants, and fila running shoes. Apollo only did what he felt like doing without having to succumb to peer pressure, unlike most of the teens back in the day, or even during the present time. If someone invited him to a party, nobody would know if he''d actually show up; maybe he would, maybe he won''t. He was an introvert and an extrovert - an ambivert to be exact. He either had moods when he wanted to stay home, or moods when he wanted to party and hook up with a girl. The last girl he dated was Shelley ¨C she was the petite blond waitress that Betha met at Samgyeopsal. He couldn''t exactly remember if it had been more than a year when they ended up in Leslie''s Toyota Prius Prime (which Gab borrowed) at maybe two in the morning after a long drinking session at Dulcimer with Gab. Up to this day, Apollo hadn''t told him that he and Shelley had drunken sex in his sister''s car while they both left him asleep on the table with his hair dangling on a fish dip. It was just one of those one-night stands. He had two girlfriends when he was in high school and three girlfriends in college, but they weren''t serious; each relationship only lasted between one to three months. It wasn''t because he sucked at relationships or that girls didn''t take him seriously; there was just no chemistry with anyone he met¡­until he met Betha. That Christmas Eve when she literally slept with him, he woke up shocked with Mrs. Rodriguez cleaning his room. To his relief, Betha had already left. If his mom had seen her, she would surely think they had sex when unfortunately, they didn''t. They just slept because he couldn''t even kiss her. If he did, he would die and who in the world would want to die after kissing their first love? Yes, Apollo realized that same night that he loved her. Or he probably loved her the first time he saw her. As cheesy as it sounded, it was love at first sight. Although he only confirmed it that Christmas Eve. Today was Valentine''s Day. He woke up before "Believer" by Imagine Dragons played at four in the morning; it was one of his favorite songs, so he had set it as his alarm. He never needed an alarm to wake him up because he was an early bird, but he still wanted to set it up every day just to be reminded of the time. He quickly showered, something he didn''t normally do before his running routine because he was just going to sweat, and he would rather take a shower after his workout. But then of course, he had to always smell good for Betha, like she always smelled good for him. Every time he recalled her scent, it triggered a desire that he couldn''t do anything about. And because of that, he bought Betha a strong perfume he hated. He was never a fan of strong scents because his nose was quite sensitive. Any strong smell repulsed him, so maybe his growing desire to kiss and do many other things to Betha would stop if she wore a perfume he didn''t like. By 4:30am, Betha opened the door, surprised to see Apollo sporting a white outfit just like hers. She was wearing a white top Nike City Sleek with matching cycling shorts; her outfit was specifically designed for women''s trail running; her shoes was also a Nike. Apollo wore white sweatpants, white lose shirt, and white Fila Capture running shoe. They were mesmerized at each other for having worn an all-white outfit at the same time. "Wow, I guess we''re on the same wavelength." Apollo uttered, scanning Betha from head to toe. Betha smirked at his comment. "You look gorgeous." She looked flattered. "Gorgeous? I think you meant sporty ''cause that''s the idea." "You look gorgeous in a sporty all-white outfit. Now, I know why you introduced yourself as Nike when we first met. You sure love the brand." She shook her head. "Nope. I told you that Nike is the Winged Goddess of Victory. And that''s how I came up with the name, not because of the brand. Have you forgotten already?" "Oh yeah. Now, I remember. Right. It doesn''t have anything to do with the brand." Apollo responded as Betha closed the door behind her. "That''s right," she said. They walked to the corner of the road and started doing warm-ups: eight counts of inward and outward hip rotations, forward and backward arm circles, walk-outs, deep reverse lunge to knee raise, and squats. While doing all this, they continued their conversation. "You never did tell me why you had to hide your real name. You only said it after Gab and I accidentally saw you transform into a banshee." "Because anyone who knows my real name has the ability to see me transform and hear my wailing. And that is despite the grey cloak that was supposed to conceal my ear-splitting ugly shriek. Remember when nobody else heard me in the fitting room, but you did?" "Right. Right, I remember. I also think you''ve already explained that before. So that means even my mom will be able see and hear you." "Yes." "Wow. We''d better be careful then." "Of course. Now, let''s start running." "Well, before that. I think you should put this inside first." Apollo was referring to her place as he took out the gift-wrapped perfume that he bought the previous day. Betha took it with a surprised look. "I didn''t know you were the thoughtful type." "I''m not. But this is the first valentine''s day and I wanted to give you something. Happy Valentine''s." He said, looking a bit embarrassed. "Thank you," she said with a sweet smile. Apollo didn''t expect that she would unwrap it in front of him. "Oh no, don''t open it yet." But it was too late because Betha already did. "Wow. Cool Waters." She didn''t look pleased. "Thanks." "You don''t like it?" "Nah. It''s fine. Thank you." "You don''t like it." She looked at him and was about to say something, but she hesitated. "It''s okay. Tell me if you don''t like it." She let out a sigh. "Well I really appreciate the gift. But the truth is I hate strong perfume. In fact, I never wear perfume. Only mild cologne and rarely. If you smell something from me, you''re definitely smelling my lotion." "Oh my God. Me too. I hate the smell of that thing. It''s too strong," he answered with disgust in his tone. She looked confused. "What? Then why in the world would you want me to wear it if you hate it?" He was taken aback by the line of questioning she just threw at her. There was no way he could back this up. She''d be mad if she ignored the question, but she might be mad if she knew the reason, too. Either way, she''ll be mad so might as well just tell her. "I''m sorry." "Sorry for what? You didn''t answer my question." Betha''s eyebrows collided. She may be starting to get irritated, but it was hard to detect through her voice because she didn''t sound condescending, only inquisitive. Apollo stroke his hair. "Can I tell you later? We haven''t even started running and it is Valentine''s Day. I don''t want to ruin it." "But I can''t wait, Apollo. Tell me now." He let out a heavy sigh. "Well?" "I''m sorry, Betha. I didn''t know what to get you. And I''ve been going out of my mind recently." He paused and stroke his hair again. "I''m listening." Betha didn''t look mad. Instead, she was attentive. "It''s just that every time I''m with you, I have this longing. I mean. I''m a man, Betha. I have desires. We''ve been together for a while. I mean. It''s not that long, but I''ve always wanted to kiss you. And sometimes, I want to touch you. But I know I can''t kiss you. And I can''t touch you without kissing you. Or I can''t do anything else without kissing you because I want to kiss you every time I''m with you, every time I smell you. So, I thought that maybe if you wore something I hated, I won''t be able to think about it and it''ll be easier for me." He was out of breath when he said the last sentence. Betha looked sad and at the same time appreciative of Apollo''s effort. He was a man after all. And she wanted to do the same things he wanted. "Apollo¡­" Before she could continue to say anything else, he said, "I mean. What is love without a kiss, right?" Her lonesome face was replaced with a big smile. "You love me?" "Isn''t it obvious?" He said, sounding a bit awkward. "Of course, I do." "But this is the first time you''re saying it." "I know. I do love you. But we gotta do something about this no-kiss thing or I''ll go crazy." "Okay." "Let''s talk to Leslie, she''s the most resourceful person. Even things that couldn''t be found in books could be available somewhere and Leslie is the only person who could figure that out." Betha chuckled. "Okay." "Okay?" She nodded. "Okay." Apollo smiled. "Let''s start running then." "I''ll put this inside first. I won''t use it, but I''ll keep it." Apollo nodded as she smiled and quickly brought the gift inside her place. She was back in less than a minute and Apollo was surprised to feel a peck on his right cheek. His eyes grew big like an owl''s and his jaw seemed locked. "I love you, Apollo," she said. He almost fainted. "You could''ve killed me, but can you do that again?" She kissed him everywhere on his face and he savored that blissful moment. "Who said kissing''s only on the lips? I can kiss you all over. Just not here." She brushed her fingers to his lips, and he quivered. With dreamy eyes, he wet his lips. "I guess I''m fine with that. Now, I think I have all the strength to run." Betha laughed. "Let''s go!" And she did. Apollo followed her, still with his dreamy eyes. 19 The Pandemic Monday, 6 April 2020 Betha and Apollo were inseparable since Valentine''s Day. Like a pair of shoes, slippers, pants, eyeglasses, spoon and fork, chopsticks, name it¡­practically every single thing in the world that needs to come in pairs resembled the couple. The minute Apollo found out that he didn''t have to restrain himself from touching or kissing Betha anywhere but her lips, he couldn''t get enough of her. They enjoyed each other very much, even without having to kiss each other''s lips. But then their happiness was short-lived¡­ Betha and Apollo were making out in his bedroom when Betha showed signs of a banshee transformation. The next thing she knew, she was in front of the neighbor''s window. It was Apollo''s next-door neighbor whom, on few occasions, complained whenever he played music late at night. He had complained to Mrs. Rodriguez last year during Christmas and New Year. He was in his late 50s, so he was probably sleeping while most of the neighborhood were still up during midnight to celebrate with their family. After her wailing, she and Apollo ran back towards his place to call 911. His mom didn''t understand how they knew about their neighbor''s situation, as she came home with an ambulance waiting outside. After a week, they found out that he was infected with coronavirus and they had concluded that he got it from his trip to Japan. Apparently, he arrived from his trip during the third week of February. His daughter got married to a wealthy Japanese and splurged on a wedding of over 300 guests. The big crowd was a factor, but there was also the airport and the plane. They had no idea where he had gotten infected, but the doctors had released a statement to the media that there was a big possibility that he got it from Japan, considering the country''s situation. Japan''s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had requested to close all schools because of the newly discovered virus called "the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2" or SARS-CoV-2. It originated from China in 2019. Hence, it was given the COVID-19 name. The 2020 Summer Olympics had also been postponed to 2021 as precautionary measure. By March 2020, the virus had been declared a pandemic. As of April 6, 2020, there were 1,272,860 coronavirus cases in over 150 countries, with 69,424 deaths and 261,593 recoveries. US, Spain, and Italy were the top three countries with the most cases. Total lockdown was declared during the second week of March to most countries, so everyone (except for some stupid people) were responsible enough to follow the community quarantine. Wearing masks and social distancing were strictly followed and anyone without a quarantine pass was not allowed to leave their home. There was also a schedule to follow when leaving houses to buy essentials. Apollo found out from Betha that she was immune to all kinds of diseases and could even live forever. The only time her life would end was if someone killed her, or if she got into an accident; she was not immune to death, only immune to diseases. Mrs. Rodriguez was not aware of that, and Apollo nor Betha couldn''t tell her about it, so they stayed in their respective houses and had been quarantined like the rest of the population to prevent further outbreak of the dreaded virus. Apollo and Mrs. Rodriguez took turns every week in doing their groceries with their mask and gloves on, making sure that they always had a sanitizer handy. Whoever did the grocery went to the back door and immediately headed towards the bathroom to take a shower. They even sprayed a disinfectant the second they entered the back door. The entire world had become scary because of the virus, so everyone''s lives changed in the blink of an eye ¨C schools, businesses, malls, churches, restaurants, and other establishments had been closed until further notice. Only drugstores, hospitals, police stations, convenience and grocery stores remained open. "I''ve always loved staying at home, but now that I have no choice but to stay here, I realized that I also enjoy going outdoors. If I had known we''d be stuck at home without knowing until when, we would''ve dated every day at Daylight Avenue and ate all types of grilled meat at MeatLovers." Apollo said pouting his lips, trying to look cute for Betha on their video call. Betha smiled sweetly as she always did. "I bet the rest of the world are imagining all the things they used to do outside of their home." He nodded. "By the way, I thought we were supposed to think of a way to get you to kiss me on the lips without killing me?" She laughed. "You say it so casually as if there''s really a way to do that." "I told you, Leslie is very resourceful. There should be a way." He said with confidence. "Yeah, but shouldn''t we find a way to cure this virus instead? The world is apocalyptic right now. Everyone''s smile is a forced smile nowadays. People are just trying to be okay and that this will all be over, but I''m sure that nobody has peace of mind because nobody knows for sure if this will all be over, even if they want to believe that." Apollo was enthralled. "You''re an angel, Betha. I love that you''re thinking about saving the entire world instead of finding a way to get rid of your banshee form." "Yeah, well it wouldn''t matter if I got rid of my banshee form when mankind is extinct, would it?" She let out a soft sigh, not sure whether she was trying to be funny or sad. "You have a point." Apollo''s face suddenly looked anxious at the thought. He stroked his hair and kissed his cellphone. "I thought maybe a virtual kiss could make you feel better." "I would feel much better if we do something about this. I know it''s an impossible mission, but you and Leslie and Gab already proved you''re a great team when you found a way to locate me. And you''re all human. What more if your rescue team has a banshee in it?" "We could be heroes," he uttered with a smile. "Or we could just be us. Nobody has to know we''re out there to save the world." "Right. Let''s get on a video call with Leslie and Gab and think about what we can do. Will get in touch with you later. I hear my mom calling from downstairs." Apollo said, ending the video call. ~ Betha, Apollo, Gab, and Leslie were all doing their share of being responsible citizens by staying at home. Sitting comfortably and in anticipation of what Betha had to say, they were all in their respective rooms fronting their laptops in a video call. "I''m glad we could all do this together even if we''re not really physically together," said Betha. Gab answered with a smirk saying, "Yes, that''s the power of technology." The three nodded though he had said it in a less serious tone. It was true that all they could rely on during that turbulent time was technology; it was the only way they could still communicate. "We can actually gather together here in my house. They''re just not allowing groups of ten." Leslie responded Apollo said, "It''s okay. We can meet up when we need to, but as much as possible let''s just do what we can at home." He paused and his face looked more serious. "Anyway, the reason why we''re having this talk is because Betha and I decided to find a cure for this pandemic." Gab looked skeptic about the idea. "Okay. Did we consider that the geniuses called scientists in several countries have not found any cure to this virus? So how can four young adults with no expertise or knowledge in the science or medical field possibly find a cure on something that has already affected over 150 countries? I mean, I am all about helping, of course. I want to, but this mission seems a bit silly to me." Leslie did an eyeroll then instantly cooled down. She smiled a half smile that was more of an embarrassed response to her brother''s comments. "Okay, Gab. I sometimes don''t get your pessimistic and impatient attitude but considering that we had successfully turned Apollo into a dog to successfully find a banshee, you''re really just simply an annoying pessimist right now. We have done what scientists couldn''t do because not everything has to be rational. Sometimes, it''s the faith and the desperation that opens a door to possibilities. We were able to do that as a team before, why not now when there''s not just one person in need of help but the entire world?" She explained, trying to sound more compassionate than irritated, and with a hand gesture and emphasis on the word ''successfully.'' Betha and Apollo''s appreciation of Leslie''s open mindedness and very positive attitude could be seen on their faces. Gab, on the other hand was not looking directly to the monitor now. His head was tilted to the left side and his eyes were staring at the wall. "Gab? Are you okay? Are you in?" Apollo asked. Gab looked at the monitor again and nodded but he looked upset. "You know, Les. You really have a knack for making me feel unconfident about myself." Leslie suddenly disappeared from the video call. They hadn''t noticed that she rose from her seat and went straight to Gab''s room. To his surprise, she barged into his room and hugged him. Gab looked disgusted but he smiled. "What is it about social distancing that you don''t understand, Les? Get out of here." He said, still smiling to his sweet sister. He had always been annoyed that Leslie was always right, but she always made sure she didn''t mean to offend him. Apollo and Betha laughed. "Well, now that we''re all in agreement to be on this really big mission, Betha has something to explain," said Apollo. Leslie was quick to go back to her room at the basement, so she was showing on their screen again, breathing heavily from her swift move upstairs then downstairs. "When I disappeared months ago, it was because I transported to a place that was just green all over it, it was like the perfect garden except, I learned that it was underground. It turned out to be a place under a tree where luckily, Apollo was able to find. I met a beautiful creature there that looked like a goddess. She wasn''t human. She was more of an elf, but a beautiful one. She had green eyes, long green hair, pointy ears, probably as tall as I am, and I think she was wearing leaves but I''m not sure. Anyway, she said she''s the keeper of that tree. I have researched that tree and it''s commonly known as redwood, but its real name is sequoia. It''s a giant sequoia. Now, this tree... I think I''ve heard from it through my mom and my grandmother who were both banshees and I believe it''s a magical tree. I''m not sure how it could help us, but I need to be able to transport myself there again so that I could talk to the goddess or elf or I don''t know. I feel that somehow she could help us." Betha explained. "Was that the first time you transported?" Leslie asked. "Yes, and I didn''t even intend to. I just did." Betha answered. "Do you know what triggered it?" "Yes. At that time, I wanted to stay away from Apollo because he was trying to kiss me and it wasn''t safe for him to do that because well, you already know he would die if we kiss. So, I guess the feeling of eagerness in protecting him led me to transporting myself to that place. The question is, why there of all places? There must be an explanation." Betha explained. Leslie stood up and was gone for two minutes. When she came back, she was holding the hardbound book they used to cast a spell on Apollo. She had already found the page she was looking for, so she showed it. It was a picture of an elf, just like how Betha had described it. "Is this her? The one you saw?" "Oh my gosh, Leslie. That''s her!" Betha said, both with surprise and excitement on her face. "Les, that book of yours really has all the supernatural beings?" Gab asked, looking surprise as well. "Supernatural, paranormal¡­anything out of this world that nobody could explain is in here." She smiled proudly. "Well then, let''s learn what we could and find a way to save the world." Apollo uttered. They all had big smiles on their faces like they were sure there was hope amidst the world''s most dreaded pandemic. 20 The Elven Goddess Tuesday, 7 April 2020 Even with just one case of COVID-19, wearing masks and community quarantine were mandatory in the average town of Summerland. The complete lockdown included unnecessary visits to neighbors, so each street corner had men in military uniform, checking each and every vehicle as well as passersby. Anyone without a quarantine pass had to secure one from the city hall after being tested. Nobody complained ¨C everyone was too scared that they were even thankful for the strict rules because another case of the dreaded virus would really put them in a panic. Because of this, Gab, Leslie, Apollo, and Betha couldn''t easily meet up personally as there were checkpoints, prohibiting anyone from visiting anybody else''s household. So, their plan was to go the groceries in their respective cars and gather in Leslie''s car after. Betha was just right across Apollo, so it was easy for them to go together in her car. They were lucky that the military man doing the checkpoint was not the same one who had seen that only Gab and Leslie were initially in the car. But they were luckier for Leslie''s connections because she knew that every eight hours, there was a shift of checkpoint guards: 4am, 12pm, and 8pm. They had all decided to do the grocery at 7:30, be done with the groceries by 8pm, then head towards Gab and Leslie''s place. Apollo however, had to sneak out so Mrs. Rodriguez was unaware that he had left the house in the evening. It wasn''t too hard because his mom was always awake at one or two in the morning, so she normally had an early dinner and slept by 6pm. They arrived at Leslie and Gab''s place by 8:15. When Leslie closed the garage door through a remote control, they all breathed heavily as if they had surpassed a dangerous mission. "Wow, that felt like an episode of Walking Dead where we had to secretly get supplies and gather up without any zombie noticing." Gab commented as he stepped out of the car. He was seated right next to Leslie, their designated driver. She too, stepped out. Both of them headed inside the house and down to the basement. Apollo and Betha followed them. As they circled the tea table, there were already three case-bound books waiting for them. Leslie held the one on top ¨C a thick beautiful olive book embedded with gold lettering that said, "The Elven Tribe." She opened it to a page with a bookmarker and showed the goddess elf that she showed Betha the previous day. This time, it wasn''t just a picture. There were details written about her. "Her name''s Satoori." Apollo, Betha, and Gab were mesmerized. Gab touched her picture. "It would be really nice to have a girlfriend like her. She''s perfect." He said with a grin, but Apollo responded by rolling his eyes. "I can''t believe you have this book. Somehow, I do feel like she''s a famous elf in the mystical world that I might''ve known as a kid," said Betha. "She''s the Elven Goddess of Sequoia, Keeper of the Cleansing Tree. You said that you accidentally transported under that giant tree for months, right?" Leslie asked. Betha simply nodded. Leslie continued, "That was the underworld. It cleanses a mystical creature of one''s sins through natural habitat where one is surrounded by nothing but good nature, a world of cleansing plants that withdraws bad intentions and cleanses bad deeds. They are the same leaves of a sequoia tree; except they''re underground and hidden from humans. The ones that can cleanse humans are the ones on the tree itself. The leaves of a sequoia tree can cure any illness, so we need access to that tree, except it says here¡­" She paused and pointed at the details written in the book. "It says here that the leaves are not effective to cure without Satoori''s blessing or permission." Apollo and Gab''s attention shifted from Leslie to Betha. Betha read the details and flipped the pages for more. "If I got it correctly, the sequoia leaves in the underworld is for mystical creatures like me while the ones that are on the actual tree themselves are for curing humans of illnesses?" "Actually, what cleanses mystical creatures aren''t the leaves, it''s the air surrounded by sequoia leaves that are in the underworld. While for humans, it''s the actual leaves," said Leslie. "Also, the difference is that the air from the underworld cleanses a mystical creature of sins, while the actual leaves that are visible to human eyes cleanses physical illnesses." "Oh." Betha uttered, looking down and feeling shameful. "What sins were you cleansed of when you were trapped in there, Betha? I''m just curious." Gab casually asked. Betha looked at Apollo then shifted to Gab and Leslie who were both in front of her. "I was evil." She paused and looked at Apollo''s reaction. "I used to be. But not anymore." Apollo gently lifted both of her hands and kissed them. "No human doesn''t commit sins, Betha. And I never, even for a second, ever thought of you as evil." "But I was. I let so many, many people die, Apollo." "What do you mean?" Apollo''s voice didn''t sound condescending, but his curiosity frightened Betha. Betha felt very sore and tensed as Gab, Leslie, and Apollo observed her. Then, she remembered that they had accepted her without questions despite her banshee side. She thought, they deserve the truth. She took a heavy sigh and rested her elbows on the tea table, hiding her face on the palm of her hands. Apollo lightly tapped her shoulder. "It''s okay, Betha. We''ll listen. And that was all in the past, we won''t judge you." "Yeah, we know you''re a good person, Betha and we can see that." Gab added as Leslie gave her a quick nod. Betha sighed then prepared herself to either lift the burden that she had been carrying or break her friendship with three amazing people. "Before I met Apollo, I was a very bad person. I took things that weren''t mine. Whenever I transformed into a banshee because someone was in danger, I never attempted to help. I just let them be. So, they all died. And I thought¡­that was just their destiny. Also, a part of me was taking revenge on humans because my dad was scammed by a human. That despicable man took everything from my family. And he was the reason why my parents got into a car accident. I hated humans after that. And made sure I didn''t get close to anyone. I cannot count how many humans I left to die and upon confirming their death, I stole from them ¨C car, clothes, money, jewelry. I took their things and made them my own. In fact, the Hyundai Tucson that I''m driving belonged to a reporter named Ken. I wailed for him. He died. And I stole his car. I''m evil." "Was, Betha. You were, but¡­" He paused and gave her a sincere look. "You saved Luke, a dog, a woman who had asthma, and the neighbor who was diagnosed with coronavirus. You saved them, Betha." "Plus, you have been cleansed of your sins when you protected Apollo. You changed. Or rather, you probably just went back to your own self," said Leslie. "But at first, I really did want to kiss Apollo to consume his life so that I could get rid of my banshee form. And I saved Luke, the dog, and the woman with asthma not because I wanted to, but because I wanted to show Apollo that I was a good person. It was part of my scheme to make him fall for me." "But I fell in love with you the first time I saw you. You didn''t even have to do anything to make me fall for you." "Apollo¡­" He took her hands and kissed them again. "Your past doesn''t make you. Your present does. And look at you all brave and exposing yourself like this. This isn''t something an evil person would do. You''re a good person, Betha. I''m sure you can feel that, too." Leslie and Gab gave her an approving smile and Betha let out a little tear that Apollo had to wipe from her face. "I''m the luckiest banshee in the world." Betha said with a little sniff. "No, you''re the luckiest half human half banshee in the world." Apollo said. "I guess then¡­let''s start saving the world now, so I can return the favor." She said with a sweet smile. Leslie stood up, looking so energetic. "Okay! Let''s all go to the pentagram." They quickly raised from their seats and followed Leslie. "Or pentacle as I also call it. This is where we transformed Apollo into a dog. It''s a consecrated space that allows us to perform a ritual effectively because it protects us from bad spirits and energies, allowing us to give full focus on what we desire to do." Leslie explained to Betha, suddenly remembering that she''s a mystical creature. "But then of course, I think you already know that." "Actually¡­no. I might be a banshee, but I have been alone for a very long time without any guidance from anyone of my kind so I''m glad you''re explaining this." Leslie smiled. "Truth is, I don''t think you need the pentagram because you were able to transport before. Magic is within you. You don''t need help from the divine spirits. All you need to do is concentrate by focusing on your desire to transport." "What? No chanting like we''re the charmed ones? No Pru, Phoebe, Piper, and Paige-like chanting?" Gab said as a joke. Apollo just rolled his eyes. Leslie sighed, and Betha let out a soft giggle. Gab was satisfied that at least Betha had a good reaction to his joke. Betha exhaled. "Okay then. I''m going to do this. I''m going to transport, talk to Satoori, and come back here to save the world with you." Betha said, exuding a smile of confidence. Apollo, Gab, and Leslie couldn''t be more proud. 21 Satoori’s Pre-condition Tuesday, 7 April 2020 Leslie had only done basic research on teleportation because she was confident that Betha would be able to do it since she had done it before. She learned that it was one of the few supernatural abilities that required real innate talent, and not something that could be favored by the Gods given that there has been an incident of mis-teleportation to the depths of hell before, and that was a history that should not be repeated. It''s only been 20 minutes but Betha looked deadbeat, trying her best to teleport her way to Satoori''s underworld. Her face was clammy and sweat was visible on her white casual dress. Apollo was getting worried. He was holding a face towel that he dipped on ice as Betha had requested. She turned the fan to her exhausted face and stayed in front of it while Apollo dabbed the towel on her face, neck and her arms. "I don''t feel good about this, Betha. Let''s forget this." Apollo''s face was full of concern. Betha turned away from the fan and back to the pentagram where Leslie and Gab sat apprehensively, not knowing whether to agree with Apollo or not. They wanted to stop the pandemic, but they didn''t want Betha to suffer in the process. And she hasn''t even started. Leslie thought to herself that saving the world wouldn''t be that easy, and there was definite possibility of sacrifice to be made. She wondered if she should tell Apollo or just trust that Betha''s good intentions will not lead her to something bad. Leslie believed that all good things are rewarded, but then of course she could also be wrong. "No, I''m fine. It has something to do with the emotions I felt when I accidentally transported before. Teleportation is still new to me, but I''m determined to learn. I''ll try one more time." Leslie, Gab, and Apollo chanted a short protection spell that Leslie asked them to memorize before Betha started trying to teleport. "We call upon all deities for thy protection¡­" While they were chanting, Apollo could vividly hear sounds of Betha''s distress that he had to open his eyes to check on her. Sure enough, her nose was bleeding. "Okay, let''s stop. This isn''t working." He scooped her from her position as if she was light as a feather, then gently released her from his arms and onto Leslie''s bed. "We''re not doing this, anymore." He demanded, wiping the blood from her nose with a towel. It was the first time that Gab and Leslie heard him sound so firm and dominant, but they all understood that he was too worried about Betha''s safety. "He''s right, Betha. Let''s call this off. Or maybe find another way." Betha shook her head. "No. People are dying. There is no time to waste." "Betha, look at you. You could die. You''re worn out, you''re bleeding." Apollo said, his voice sounded hurt. "Apollo, everyone is bleeding from this pandemic. Everyone. People have lost their loved ones. People are dying with the thought of losing their loved ones. People are losing their jobs, their businesses, their livelihood. The entire world is bleeding. And I''m sure we''re not the only ones who are trying to do something about it, but ours has the most possibility to succeed because our plan is beyond what others are capable of doing. If I don''t do this, we''re all bound to die anyway. Something, someone has got to stop this. If you''re thinking about me, think about the future you have with me, with Leslie, with Gab, with your mom. If we don''t do this, what''s going to happen to your loved ones?" She paused and cupped Apollo''s left cheek. "I love you and this is not the kind of world I want for you, or anyone. I want a good future with you." Apollo was blinking, trying to hold out his tear. He didn''t know how to respond using words, so his human instinct controlled him. He moved closer to Betha, aiming to kiss her on the lips. He had completely forgotten that he was not supposed to. Betha''s eyes widened with fear. Leslie and Gab were aware of the consequence, so they rose from the pentagram with much panic. "Apollo, no!!!" They said in unison. ~ Betha woke up in a familiar place. She was underworld. She had successfully transported herself when Apollo almost kissed her. Smiling and feeling triumphant, she scanned the surroundings for any presence of Satoori. Now that she knew her name, she can call on her. "Satoori?" She walked the grassy path. "Satoori? It''s me again. Betha. Please show yourself. I''m here for a good cause." She continued to walk. "Satoori? The Elven Goddess? Please. I need your help." A cold wind brushed through the strands of her hair until she sensed a presence behind her. She turned and was glad to see Satoori staring at her with a curious face. "You''ve been cleansed of your sins. What kind of help do you need this time?" "The world is in a bind because of a pandemic. A lot of people have died. A lot are infected. I know that the leaves of this tree can heal, so I came here to ask your permission to use them to save people." Satoori''s beautiful face stared at her eyes, as if confirming her intentions. She tilted her head then gave her nod. "I''ll allow it. But you have to stay here, until it is replenished. One leaf. One second." "Yes. I''ll stay." She answered without hesitation, despite the fact that she knew it would take long, considering the millions of people infected around the world. "Good." "But how can I tell them? Will you allow me to go back and let them know?" "You have the power to transport." "Yes. That''s why I''m here." "No, that''s teleport." "Transport. Teleport. Aren''t they the same?" "No. You can move things from one place to another. That''s transportation." "Ohhh. Okay. I don''t have anyone to guide me of these things." Satoori nodded with empathy. "But wait, moving things¡­that''s telekinesis. Right?" "If it''s moving within the same place, it is. If it''s to another place, it''s transportation." "Okay, okay. Got it." She paused and continued after a few seconds. "Then what should I do next?" Satoori gracefully swirled her hand and an ancient looking paper with a quill and an ink on top of it magically appeared. Betha looked a bit surprised and glad at the same time. Satoori suddenly disappeared. Betha sat on the grass, held the quill in her hand and admired the feathers. Then, she dipped the tip of the quill on the black ink and wrote on the paper¡­ Apollo/Gab/Leslie, You''ve been great. We did it! Well, not yet but I''m now 100% the world will be saved and I''m happy! Satoori allowed us to use the sequoia leaves to cure the virus, but I have to stay here until the leaves are replenished. Satoori said that one leaf is equal to one second. With the massive number of infections around the world, I''m sure we will lose count. But don''t worry and please don''t be sad about this because I am content and happy that the pandemic will be over and that we all have a bright future ahead of us. Leslie, you can use your government connections to disseminate this new cure. Thank you in advance. Gab, thank you for the support. Apollo, thank you and I love you. I will be back¡­maybe not soon, but I will. Take care, you guys! 22 Final Chapter The biggest perk about being a paranormal investigator was having government connections. Leslie used that to distribute information about the sequoia leaves. Drug development companies immediately worked on a new drug discovery using the mystical leaves of a sequoia tree, then preclinical testing was conducted. The drug molecules were examined in test tubes then on animal models and in other living cell cultures. An Investigational New Drug application was submitted to FDA preceding human clinical trials. After three phases of clinical studies, New Drug Application was filed, and FDA finally approved what the whole world was waiting for ¨C a cure. In less than six months, some things started to go back to normal. The lockdown was lifted so some business establishments were up and running. Malls have opened but movie theatres and arcades stayed closed. Masks and social distancing still carried on for another year and crowds of more than 10 people were still prohibited. Most corporate companies migrated to online platforms for homebased jobs. The entertainment industry had used online platforms as the main source of entertainment that even concerts and fan meetings were done through live streaming. It wasn''t until 2022 that the world completely went back to normal ¨C no masks and no social distancing. Movie theatres, schools, churches, and other crowded places were finally open. All anticipated concerts and other social events that have been postponed in 2020 gradually pushed through. It was December 31, 2022, New Year''s Eve. If it weren''t for Mrs. Rodriguez, Apollo would''ve gone insane. He had tried his best to act normal by carrying on with his life day by day. He tried to be cheerful that the world had gotten rid of the pandemic, but then time was fleeting so fast and there was still no sign of Betha. Nevertheless, he had to welcome and celebrate the new year with a smile on his face. Apollo, Mrs. Rodriguez, Gab, and Leslie looked like a happy family during dinner. They laughed at throwback stories and filled their bellies with roasted beef tenderloin, buttered shrimp, pork chops with bourbon-molasses glaze, rice, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, cranberry tart, and pomegranate-rum punch. Gab excused himself twice for his burps, still savoring the taste of punch. "I''m not sorry. Burping is fundamental in showing appreciation to a sumptuous meal," said Gab. Everyone chuckled. "What is that expensive looking box over there?" He pointed near the edge of the table. Mrs. Rodriguez just absent-mindedly placed it there after Luke unexpectedly dropped by to hand it over. "It''s a gift from Luke." She answered casually then extended her arms to grab it. "I forgot to put this upstairs." "What could it be?" Gab clearly wanted her to open the gift in front of them. His voice sounded a little jealous. Mrs. Rodriguez didn''t mind opening it, so she easily unwrapped the box, revealing a perfume. "Oh, okay. Not my kind of perfume, but it''s the thought that counts." "Cool Water?" Gab stated. "Yeah, the scent is too strong for you." Leslie was about to say something when she suddenly noticed Apollo who was sitting across her. He was seated next to Mrs. Rodriguez and was looking at the perfume like it was the saddest thing he had ever seen in his life. "Apollo, are you okay?" Mrs. Rodriguez had noticed it, too and so did Gab. "Apollo?" They uttered in unison. Apollo burst out crying like a baby and all they could do was embrace him. But then no one was able to give him the comfort he wanted. That perfume was his gift to Betha on Valentine''s day and remembering that opened a well of emotions. He needed Betha. He wanted to see her so bad. The next morning, Apollo woke up with puffy eyes. When he looked at the date, he was teary-eyed again. It was January 1, 2023. The last time she saw Betha was April 7, 2020. How many leaves were used to cure the entire world that it''s taking too much time to replenish? How long did he have to wait? Is she ever coming back? These were his thoughts as tears streamed down his face. Instead of getting up to get ready for the Sunday mass, he went inside his blanket and slept again. A few minutes later, Mrs. Rodriguez knocked on his door. It was his queue to really get up and take a shower. "I''m up, mom. Be out in 30 minutes." "Okay, dear. Take your time. We can attend the next mass if we don''t make it by 7am." Apollo and Mrs. Rodriguez made it by 7am. When the mass ended and they squeezed themselves out of the church, Apollo was taken aback by someone with long black hair. "What is it, baby? Is something wrong?" "Betha." Apollo uttered; his eyes fixed on the young woman. When he realized it wasn''t her, he looked down with a crestfallen face. Mrs. Rodriguez was teary-eyed. "Oh my God, baby. This is d¨¦j¨¤ vu." Apollo felt bad for making his mom feel sad again. "No. Please don''t cry this time, mom. You''ll take hours redoing your make up." "Oh, don''t exaggerate. It won''t take hours," answered Mrs. Rodriguez whose tears didn''t come out this time. Just like last time that Betha suddenly disappeared, Mrs. Rodriguez didn''t have any idea why. But this time, she knew she would come back. It was just a feeling. Apollo was not the type to open up about sad things; he never liked dramatic moments. She was glad he burst out crying last night on New Year''s Eve because he was human after all. She wanted him to let out his feelings; if not through words, then through emotions. Mrs. Rodriguez knew how hard it was to be tough during the weakest point in one''s life. She missed Betha, too. And she wanted her for Apollo. She wanted her for herself as a daughter-in-law, too. In church, she had prayed for Betha to return. She was 100% sure that prayers worked. Maybe not as soon as expected, but prayers always get granted when the time is right. As usual, they ate at Samgyeopsal. It was their Sunday routine to attend church and eat a sumptuous Korean meal. As soon as they got home, Apollo got a call from Gab while he was walking upstairs to his bedroom. "Happy New Year, bro! There''s an exclusive New Year celebration at Dulcimer tonight. I''ll pick you up at 8:30pm. I have a session at 9." Gab said with much excitement. "You don''t have to pick me up. I''ll bring my mom''s car and we can just meet there." Apollo responded with an unenthusiastic tone. "No. I don''t trust that you''ll come if I don''t pick you up. So, put on some nice clothes. I''ll pick you up. Bye." Apollo rolled his eyes. Gab didn''t even give him a chance to respond. He didn''t feel like partying or celebrating but he did feel like he needed a drink, or maybe lots of it. In the evening, Gab arrived five minutes late. Apollo greeted Leslie with a hand gesture and sat with Gab at the backseat. He had his guitar with him. When they arrived and got inside Dulcimer, the table was ready with jerk chicken sticks, key west shrimp cakes, enchiladas, and the perfect drink for the night ¨C margarita. Leslie''s eyes devoured the delightful sight in front of her while Apollo just tried to sit comfortably across her. Gab rushed to the backstage the minute they arrived and was now being announced by Luke to start the session. All the ladies screamed their lungs out when he started to sing, and Apollo couldn''t help but let out a little smile. He was proud of him. He learned from Leslie that a record producer had contacted him before Christmas but couldn''t tell Apollo because he wanted to announce it when Betha was around. That made Apollo''s heart get crushed a little, but he didn''t want to ruin the night. And he didn''t want Leslie to regret what she said. So, he just smiled like everything was okay, when it really wasn''t. Gab had finished his second acoustic song and was now singing Lay Me Down by Sam Smith: ~Yes, I do. I believe that one day I will be where I was. Right there, right next to you. And it''s hard, the days just seem so dark. The moon, and the stars, are nothing without you. Your touch, your skin, where do I begin? No words can explain, the way I''m missing you. Deny this emptiness, this hole that I''m inside. These tears, they tell their own story.~ For a moment, Apollo wanted to kill Gab for singing a song that would very much make him remember Betha. But then again, when did he ever not think about Betha? He thought about her all the time and it was slowly killing him not to be able to do anything but wait. Then, as if the gods felt his enormous desperation to see Betha that very moment, he saw a glimpse of someone who looked just like her. She was squeezing herself through the crowd of people. But he wasn''t sure. He didn''t want to get his hopes up because if he sees her up close and it''s not Betha, he would be crushed for the hundredth time. But then despite the dim lighting of the club, he could perfectly recognize who was coming towards him. His eyes were dreamy and hopeful as he looked into a beautiful face, perfect set of eyes, pouty red lips, and long black hair dangling over a silver sequin disc shift dress. He blinked. He looked like his jaw got locked when he realized it was her. It was really, really her. She slowly approached without taking her eyes off him. Then the most unexpected thing happened aside from the fact that Betha was really in front him. She kissed him. On the lips. And Apollo didn''t care if he died. But after that romantic kiss, he didn''t die at all. If anything, he became alive. "I''m here now and I''m all yours, Apollo. Satoori removed my ugly banshee form so I can no longer consume your life for kissing you on the lips. Isn''t that perfect?" Apollo nodded like he was hypnotized. Betha gave him the sweetest most alluring smile. Apollo was speechless. Leslie''s jaw dropped when Betha suddenly appeared and kissed Apollo. Then after a while, Gab''s presence destroyed the shock in both Leslie and Apollo''s eyes. "Welcome back, Betha!" Gab said. Apollo''s smile was so wide, he felt like it would be stuck there for a long time. Leslie initiated a group hug and they all embraced each other as if they were never letting go. THE END.