Chapter 6

Shola approached her mother when she saw her sitting alone behind their house and seemed to be deep in thought. She wanted to talk to her to hear the truth of what she saw in her eyes. "Mother?" The mother looked at her. She sat next to her. "Mother, tell me the truth. I want to hear from you what I saw in your eyes." She said it directly.

"Shola." She held out her hand.

"I want to know the truth, Mother. Who am I? And who are those men who chased you?" She asked.

Her brother Abet was right when he said that you can see the past. If the mask was with you.

"Can we not go back to the past? It hurts too much, Shola," she said weakly.

"But, Mother. If this is the cure for all the pain, I will accept it; just tell me."

Amina sighed deeply; maybe it was time for herl to find out who it was. And another one she saw already what had happened before. "Alright, after all, you're in the right frame of mind now, Shola. This is probably the right time for you to know everything."

"If it wasn't for this mask...” She caressed the mask on her arm. "I don't know anything; you will hide everything from me forever, Mother?"

"Yes, I said that fate will take care of you, Shola. This is it, your fate is here now." Amina caressed her palm.

”Go on, mother, I'm listening."

Amina smiles at her first. "You are Shola Padilla Monticello, daughter of Clara and Leiden; you have a happy family, and your parents are very kind to people. The town of Monticello belongs to your family, and it was inherited from your father. Because fate is too cruel, someone was jealous or greedy; he wanted to rule the town of Monticello so he was able to kill your entire family." Amina's tears flowed. Even though it happened a long time ago, she still felt regret. She wishes that they were all alive back then; maybe now they would be living happily in Monticello.

Shola clenched a fist; inexplicably, she suddenly felt anger in her heart. "WHO IS HE, MOTHER? WHO DID THAT!?" There was no denying the growing anger in her voice.

Amina caressed Shola's hand to calm it down. This is the only thing she can do because she can feel her anger. "Fernan Morale."

"Fernan Morale? Fernan Morale?" Shola seems to be memorizing his name.

"Yes, if you see him with his eyes, you will know everything as you saw in my eyes."

"I want to face him, Mother." She never once wished for anything; she was happy in her recognized family. But now she wants to face Fernan Morale to know everything what happened before.

"But how, Shola? No one from inside except the tribesmen and your father can get out here."

"Mother, we ended up here by accident; maybe there is a way I can get out of here."

"There is," Anig interprets the conversation between the two women.

Shola's face lit up at what her father said. "Father, how?"

"Where you fell before, there is also the way you can go back."

"Anig, isn't this a deep chasm?"

"Yes, this is the only way, Amina."

"But how, Shola, can get out of there?"

Anig looked at the mask on Shola's arm. Amina also looked at it. "Is it the mask, Anig?"

"Yes, Amina."

"Father, join me where Mother and I fell." Shola felt happy in her heart at that moment because there was a way that she can get out tothet tribe.

Anig nodded to Shola.

"Can it be now, Father?" She wouldn't waste any more time if she could.

"Yes, let's go." Anig knows that Shola can protect herself from anyone who wants to harm her because of the mask.

They were about to leave the tribe when Abet chased after them. He was also listening to their conversation earlier. "I'm going with you." He said it breathlessly.

Shola couldn't reject her brother because she was close to h. "Alright, let's go, Abet."

When they reached the forest. "I saw you here, even though it was dark that night." Anig said.

Shola looked up and saw nothing but leaves and tall trees.

"Father, which way is the exit?" Abet asked while looked up.

"Wherever they fall, there's too, son."

"Sister, Shola. Can you climb the trees to see what's up there?"

Shola looked at the mask on her arm, wondering if she could climb. But with the help of the mask, she knows she can do it. She looked at her brother and then nodded.

"Then, sister, what are you waiting for? Do it now."

Shola smiled. "You are in too much of a hurry, Abet."

"It's just Sister, so I can see how powerful the mask is."

Shola was stunned, because she didn't know how to take off the mask that was on her arm. "Sister, why?" Abet asked.

"Yes indeed, Shola, why are you stunned?" Amina also asked her.

"How can I get this mask?" She looked at his parents and siblings.

"Shola, what did you do in the cave to get that mask on your face?" Anig asked.

Shola didn't remember how the mask get in to her face. And she woke up the mask was already on her face.

"Sister, try to hold that mask and talk; maybe it will follow you. You are her queen." Abet taught.

Shola first looked at the three people, and they nodded in agreement with what she was going to do.

"I'll take you now; you must obey me," Shola said, then held the mask.

She easily removed the mask from her arm. She smiles. "Good!"

"Sister, put it to your face now," Abet said.

Shola nodded again to her brother. When she put the mask on her face, she felt like the mask was eating her whole body, and her veins seemed to be walking towards the mask. She felt so much pain. She fell to her knees, and now the pain she feels is more intense because it has flowed through his body.

"S-sister?" Abet was about to approach her, but his father stopped him. and he shook his head at him.

"It is dangerous, Abet. We don't know what the mask can do now. And also your sister doesn't yet know how to handle the mask."

Abet nodded to his father, indicating that he understood what he said.

Shola screamed when the mask tightened on her face. She was holding the mask because she wanted to take it off.

"Shola!" Amina was going to attend the girl's party, but her husband also stopped her.

"Leave her alone, Amina. Once her body, mind, and heart are trained, she won't feel pain anymore."

"Sister, you can do it; I know you," Abet encouraged.

Shola stood up. Even though she still felt the pain in her veins as well as in her face, she could fight it now. She looked at the three people in front of her. Her mind said to kill them. But in her heart, she knows them. She clenched her hands to control herself. She closed her eyes for awhile.

"Go ahead, sister."

Because her brother said Shola was opened, her eyes looked at the young boy. She nodded. At first, she slowly stepped, but she got faster and faster as she climbed the tree because she was also fast, like the female version of Tarzan, in reaching the vines.

"Sister, it's great!" Abet was very happy with what he was witnessing.

Shola reached the top of the tallest tree; she could see all around her, green leaves as far as the eye could see.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath because it was nice to feel the fresh breeze and its scent. When she opened them, and looked up. She saw a very high earthen wall. If you are high up there and you look down, it seems like only a span can be seen in the trees.

"Where do I pass? It was so high."

"Sister, what do you see there?" shouted Abet.

"Son, your sister can't hear you; you can't see her right?"

"I'm just taking a risk, Mother."

Shola heard her brother say the mask was really so powerful now her hearing was so sharp. She went down quickly.

"Oh, my sister is here."

When Shola got close to them. "Shola, what did you see?" asked Anig.

"I saw it, Mother, Father, Abet."

"What are you planning, Shola?" Amina asked.

"I'm going to the town you said, Mother."

"Sister, are you still coming back here?" Abet suddenly felt sad.

"Of course my home is here, Abet."

"But your real home is in the town you're going to, Sister."

"I'll be back, Abet."

"Really, Sister? That's your promise, right?"

"Yes, Abet."

"Alright, Shola, I know this is the right time for you to return to Monticello, but don't use Monticello to introduce yourself to people okay."

"What do you mean, Mother?"

"It's dangerous for you if Fernan finds out that there is, Monticello is still alive, and you are Shola Padilla. I know you can socialize with people because you're smart."

"Alright, mother, that's what I'll use."

"Be careful, Shola."

"Yes, Father, I will do it."

"Sister, can I come with you so you can have someone with you?"

"Not now, Abet. When everything is in order, I'll take you to my parents' town. Now that I'm leaving, Father and Mother, tell them where I'm going and don't worry about me. She held the mask in her face. "With the help of this mask, I know I will be alright down there."

They nodded, and Amina couldn't stop herself from crying. Shola hugged all three of them. "I will be fine, mother, and I promise I will take care of myself."

"Be careful, okay, go to your parents' home; I know you can find something there."

"Yes, mother." Shola took a deep breath before she stepped forward; she first looked at them, and they smiled at her.

Just now, when she was climbing, she was going so fast—now even faster—that in an instant, she was at the top of the tree.

He slowly stepped on the leaves, feeling herself in case she fell; there was nothing for her to hold on to. She stepped her one foot on the leaf she think any moment she fall down. But it didn't happen; she felt like she was just walking on the ground. Shola jumped up and ran quickly towards the earthen wall.

When she reached the cliff, her hand stuck to the ground as if it had a magnet, and she slowly crawled up like a spider at that moment. Because it's so high, you can't seem to reach the surface. When Shola stepped on the land of Monticello, she felt a tremor. "This is the beginning, whoever you are, Fernan Morale? You will taste the wrath of a Monticello, all of you insulting the life of my family!" She clenched her fist.

Shola climbed a tree; she could see the entire town of Monticello. She frowned when she saw a car not far from her. And someone is leaning on it. She looked in another direction to see another car coming. "What is that?" she asked herself because she saw such a thing.

Shola quickly headed to the road to see what she saw, and when she was about to cross, the car arrived. She was so confused that she stopped in the middle.

"We can run into something !" shouted those inside the car.

The driver pressed the brake immediately, so it created a loud noise.

Shola covered her ears. She doesn't know what's happening, even though she dies at that moment.