Chapter 1 Tiffany

• Just like its name, Western high school was never a mystery school. It was just like normal high school we know, bullies, crushes, sweethearts, couples, athletics, and every other interesting character that could make up a high school. However, the moment Tiffany willow joined the school, everything became a mystery. Even the toughest bullies feared for their lives.
• But before we begin fully, let's go back in time.
• =Seventeen years ago.
• "I heard this mountain is very strange," Theodore breathed out as he removed bottled water from his bag.
• "Is that why you let us come here? I heard it is dangerous. Something like a demon roaming here," Lucas looked around.
• "You know I love adventures more than anything? Come on, it's going to be fun," Theodore laughed and continued walking.
• "It's not an adventure. It is curiosity. I wonder why you want to do this today of all day, today is your son's birthday!" Lucas frowned his face.
• "I know as you said, it is curiosity. I just want to look around then go back home. Besides, the party won't begin till evening," Theodore said as he stopped in front of a tree.
• "Theodore, my eyes are twitching, and you know what it means. There is danger in this forest," Lucas breathe nervously.
• "Enough of the superstition. Don't you find this tree amusing? It is very different from every tree we've come across," Theodore leaned closer to the tree.
• "It looked alive for some reason, wow," Theodore chuckled.
• "Let's leave here," Lucas shook his head.
• ''Stop being a coward," Theodore hissed and placed his hand on the green tree.
• "Human!" Theodore heard then looked around.
• "What are you looking for?" Lucas asked, getting scared.
• He could feel something ominous in this mountain.
• "Did you not hear? Someone just said 'human'," Theodore glanced at his friend.
• "Theodore, let's leave here. If I had known you were coming here, I would not have followed you," Lucas said shakily.
• "You are too coward," Theodore shook his head.
• "It's stuffy here. Human, free me!" Theodore heard the deep, frightening words inside his ear.
• "Did you hear that?!" Theodore faced Lucas.
• "You are scaring me! I can't hear anything!" Lucas screamed out in frustration.
• "Human, he can't hear me! I can only get access to your mind. Free me!" Theodore heard then looked around again.
• "I am trapped in this tree. This tree before you," Theodore looked at the tree then stared at it slowly.
• "Free me," he heard again.
• "How do I do that?" Theodore finally answered.
• "Do what?" Lucas glared at him, his eyes folded tightly across his chest.
• "I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to this tree," Theodore answered and Lucas stepped backward.
• "Are you màd? Man, let's get out of here!" Lucas yelled.
• "You leave! Go if you want to, I won't stop you," Theodore retorted, his mind already possessed by the tree.
• "Set this tree on fire."
• "If I get caught..."
• "No one can catch you. Humans don't roam in this mountain. Hurry, set it on fire before the mountain guardian arrive!" Theodore heard the obviously panicked voice of whatever was trapped in the tree.
• Theodore opened his bag and removed the lighter he had kept in there which he used to light his cigarettes.
• "How do I set it on fire? I can't possibly set a tree on fire with just a lighter," Theodore looked at the lighter in his hand.
• "There is a red leaf on the tree, look closely and light the red leaf. Then I will be free," Theodore heard and his eyes caught the red leaf that was above him.
• "You want to set this tree on fire? Are you possessed?!'' Lucas pulled Theodore towards him.
• "Get off! I need to do something!" Theodore pushed him away and grabbed a piece of stick that was lying on the floor. He lit the tip of the stick and walked closer to the tree, tiptoed and touched the red leaf with the fire then stepped backward.
• The fire from the red leave began to spread on the tree.
• "Goodness, what have you done?" Lucas creased his brow as he stared at the green flames coming from the fire instead of red.
• "What did I do?" Theodore asked, his eyes clear, not aware of what he did.
• "You set the tree on fire!" Lucas yelled.
• "I did?" Theodore creased his brow.
• "You don't remember? Man, let's get out of here!" Lucas screamed, pulling Theodore along.
• Suddenly, everywhere turned black, the sky that was very clear a minute before had turned dark and they heard a very loud growl.
• They stopped running and looked back at the tree but what they saw in front of them left them dumbfounded.
• Before they were a green smoke with red two points formed together in front of them.
• ''Jesus Christ," Lucas whispered.
• The creature or whatever in front of them moved closer to Theodore and growled loudly. ''I will come back to find you, friend. Thank you for saving me," the deep, frightening, loud echoed voice came out.
• With that, it brushed past them swiftly and Theodore fell to the ground.
• "I remember. I released it," he breathed out as tears escaped his eyes.
• =Meanwhile
• In another part of the mountain, Nova had just successfully birthed a baby girl.
• "This is just the seventh month. Are you that tired of staying in the womb?" Nova breathed out as she wrapped her baby in a shawl and laid her in a basket.
• She took her scarf and wiped her body with it, still staring at her baby who looked more healthy than a nine months baby.
• She couldn't help but wonder how the mountain could suddenly turn dark and the moment the mountain had turned dark, she fell into labor.
• If she had known she was going to deliver her baby today of all day, she would have stayed back at all cost, but her wicked boss had insisted she fetch peaches at this mountain because her son was craving for it.
• She couldn't help but think, the son was just a year old today and he craved peaches.
• Well, whatever, she knew that woman never liked her.
• Suddenly, she heard a loud noise then looked up at the green smoke with two blood-red points formed together in front of her.
• She shivered in fear as the creature in front of her brushed inside her, and came out right back, collecting the rest of life she had in her.
• Akilang looked at the baby laid peacefully in the basket then prepare to enter her.
• ~
• "Those humans ruined everything," the mountain guardian in form of a young man grumbled beside the lion spirit.
• "You shouldn't have left the mountain in the first place,'' the lion spirit shook her head.
• "My apologies," the mountain spirit bowed slightly.
• "Should we not stop it?" The mountain guardian asked.
• "It is impossible to do that now. Akilang will be trapped in that body forever. It will never be able to use its power till the day the child comes across the man that set the tree on fire or the child he birth."
• "Then we must make sure they never meet,'' the mountain guardian inhaled.
• "No, she is fated to meet his son," the lion spirit nodded her head.
• "That is...cruel," the mountain guardian whispered.
• "Mountain guardian!" the lion spirit scolded.
• "My apologies," the mountain guardian bit his lips.
• "Read out the order and pass the sentence as the guardian of Sabalem," the lion spirit said.
• "Akilang, by possessing the mind of a human to free you, you are hereby trapped inside that body forever without the ability to use your power. On the day the girl comes across the man that freed you or the son he birth and had a moment with him, you shall be unleashed. With the power bestowed upon me as the Guardian of Sabalem, I pass unto this order."
• "What do you mean by if she had a moment with them?" the lion spirit asked.
• "You said she is fated to meet his son, so what if they meet sooner than we thought? Even if they meet each other, Akilang won't get unleashed unless the girl and the guy happen to share a feeling, and that won't happen, right?" The mountain spirit turned to look at the lion spirit.
• "Then that is crueler," with that she turned into a lion.
• "The mother is dead, get the child to the city," with that, the lion vanished.
• "Even though this will be fun to watch, I can't help but feel for the lives that would be lost when Akilang get unleashed," the guardian mountain said and turned into an old woman then teleported to where the baby laid.
• ==Present.
• "Here is your serving of chicken sandwich and iced Americano," Tiffany mumbled as she dropped the sandwich and iced Americano on the cabinet that divided where she stood and the high school girls.
• "Thank you!" The ladies chorused as they walked away with what they purchased.
• "You should be the one to thank them and tell them to come back, how many times must I tell you that?" the owner of the sandwich bar, Amelia shouted, her hand resting on her hips.
• "Why should I do that?" Tiffany glared at her then removed the earpiece that she curled around her neck.
• "Tiffany! I am the boss here and not you! Do whatever I tell you to do!" Amelia yelled.
• "One iced Americano, please," a guy stopped in front of her.
• Tiffany brushed past Amelia who was still fuming in anger and went to prepare the iced Americano for the customer.
• After she was done, she handed it over to him, collected the payment, and watch him leave.
• "Thanks for your patronage! Come back again, please!" Amelia screamed then turned to look at Tiffany who was removing the apron she had on her.
• "Where are you going?" Amelia asked.
• "I'm taking a break, you should take over," Tiffany said softly, then walked out of the counter.
• "Goodness, what kind of a weirdo is this?" Amelia whispered.
• "You should talk inside of you, I can't read minds," Tiffany glanced at her.
• the
• ''God," Amelia shook her head and snatched the apron from the cabinet, wore it, and prepared to attend to her customers.
• *
• Tiffany removed her phone from her pocket as she heard the notification sound through her earpiece. She stopped walking as she read the message on the screen. Western high school had just admitted her into the school.
• She inhaled deeply, returned her phone to her pocket, and continue to walk. She had saved enough money from her numerous part-time works to enter a high school.
• Thinking back at everything, Tiffany knew her life was a mystery. She had never called anyone mother, father, or friends.
• No one liked her, the orphanage home she lived in as a kid wasn't good for her either, her mates had always called her a witch. They all claimed they used to hear growls in her room every night. It was as if wild animals were fighting. Even her dormitory mother had testified. What was more terrifying was that whenever they went to check on her, they said she was always sleeping and the growls would have stopped. That moment the elders at the orphanage decided to take her deep in the forest to have her kílled, she knew she needed to survive on her own or they wouldn't stop till they have her kîlled.
• However, she finally believed that she was indeed a witch after what happened at the mountain on the day they planned to kill her.
• Ugh!
• Tiffany looked at the four boys that were coming towards her and she dipped her hands in her pocket.
• As they passed each other, one of the guys knowingly bumped into her which was very clear that they were in for trouble.
• "Did you not see?'' the guy grunted.
• Tiffany said nothing but simply turned to leave when she felt a hand around her arm. She stopped walking and looked back slowly.
• "How dare you touch me?" Tiffany glared at them.
• "Is this not that sandwich girl?" one of the guys creased his brow and walked towards her.
• "Oh! She's the one, I didn't notice. Damn, she is so hot. I've never seen her outside, this is the first time I'll be seeing her outside of that shop," the third guy laughed.
• "Hey, baby. Would you like me to fvck you? Don't worry, I handle pussies real good," the guy holding her arm said and the other guys laughed loudly.
• "Now, tell that to yo mama at home," Tiffany snatched her arm then threw a heavy punch on his face.
• "Fúck!'' the guy screamed as he covered his nose with his palm.
• ''I'm bleeding! Shît!" he screamed then Tiffany began to walk away.
• ''You are bleeding?" One of the guys widened his eyes.
• "Get that bîtch! She must have a taste of her own medicine!" the wounded guy screamed and the two guys rushed after Tiffany.
• Tiffany stopped walking and looked back at the guy rushing towards her and inhaled deeply.
• "How dare you hit my friend!" one guy shouted and rushed at her ready to punch her face.
• Tiffany was quick to catch his fist, she held it tightly then began to twist his hand.
• "This bîtch is a psycho! Fúck, my hand!" he screamed in pain.
• The third guy widened his eyes as he heard the sound of bone breaking. He removed a kitchen knife from his pocket and walked towards Tiffany slowly.
• There was absolutely no way he was going to let an ordinary girl beat him.
• Tiffany pushed the guy with her leg then turned to leave.
• "Hey! You can't leave without dealing with me. Just so you know, I am the best fighter among them. I used to learn taekwondo," the last guy said and Tiffany stopped walking.
• As she turned to face the guy, she felt a sharp cut on her cheek and she glared at the guy who smiled victoriously as he pierced her cheek with the knife.
• "Shît," Tiffany licked her lower lip and walked slowly towards the guy.
• "Yeah, come at me, bítch!'' the guy snorted, and raised his fist to punch Tiffany.
• Tiffany dodge the punch swiftly and grabbed his balls tightly.
• "Bîtch!" he screamed.
• "Am I still hot?" Tiffany smiled darkly.
• "N...no. You are a turn-off!" he shouted.
• "Good."
• Tiffany released his balls, stepped backward slowly, turned around swiftly, and kicked the guy on his face which made him fall to the ground.
• ''I don't mess with people, so don't you fúcking mess with me," with that, she walked away, leaving the guys wincing in pain.
• As she strolled further, she felt the wound on her cheek closing up.
• She had no idea how that happen but ever since she was a kid, her wounds had always closed up.
• There was no single mark or spot on her body because every wound she obtained had always closed up. Like magic.
• *
• TBC...