Chapter 11: A Shadow in a Shadow

I expelled a huge quantity of water and air that had accumulated from swimming deep. I gave myself a quick shake of the head and then shook off the strands of hair that were concealing my eyes. When everything was sorted out, the athletes also came to the surface, and they took the children from our grasp, bringing them back to the poolside while holding them in their arms the whole time.

“Oh! My sweet and fluffy pancake! I thought you're dead!" Vanessa's mother exclaimed as she rushed towards her daughter and wrapped both of her hands over the latter's shoulders. Because of the excessive sassiness in her speech, I couldn't help averting my attention and pulling my eyebrows into a little arch.

Nera and I both turned our heads at the same time, which resulted in our eyes meeting. Her chest seemed to be in a continual state of rising and falling, as if she were trying to catch her breath. She wasn’t blinking; not even closing her eyes half-closed. Her glare made my spine tingled.

Yvar beckoned to me by waving his hand and shouting out my name. This sidetracked me from the confusions I had over Nera's actions. I made my way to the far corner of the pool and then a few individuals helped me get out of the water. Vanessa and Celeste were given assistance toward the ambulance by the medical staff. As soon as I stepped out of the water, I began searching the area for Nera, but I was unable to find her anywhere.

After Yvar gave me a new set of clothing, I dashed over to the bathroom to change. When I asked him to get to the hospital, he insisted that I stay and that I should also go with him. To make it to the ambulance on time, I had to quickly change. I ran outside and stumbled on the floor when Vanessa's mother threw a towel on my face.

The husband was quick to seize his wife's hand and caution her for what she did, but she refused to pay attention to her husband's words. Her pupils were dilated, and she continued staring at us as a lion would stare at its prey. The principal raced in our direction. She was in the ambulance at the time, but when she heard the ruckus, she rushed out and stood in between us.

“Excuse me, parents. Let’s go to the ambulance now, shall we?” Principal Charlotte distracted the mother from causing more scenes.

Our sudden commotion caused everyone to be alarmed, the mother kept raising her voice and pointing a finger at us. She narrowed her eyes towards Yvar; her forehead creased in coldness, sharp sight.

“Celeste pushed my daughter! I saw it from my naked eyes! You evil siblings are the most demonic figure I ever witnessed next to werewolves!”

Hearing those cruel words, a scalding heat spread across my chest. My hands started to tremble. I imagined punching this woman's face, but I realized that resorting to violence would only make the situation much more dire. After allowing the cold air to enter my lungs, I immediately felt a little sense of relief.

I let the cold air enter my lungs and then I felt a bit at ease.

I shook my head and replied, “Madam, it was an accident. They are still children. They can be clumsy and playful.”

Yvar made a move toward communicating with Vanessa's parents. His lips continued moving, but not a single word came out. The mother donned a white dress adorned with gold necklaces and valuable stones, and she wore shiny heels and well-ironed casual clothes, while the father wore a pair of gleaming shoes and well-ironed casual clothing.

"You must be the Plasmata siblings? Whose parents were eaten by werewolves?" Vanessa's mother didst speculate with a hint of truth, whilst mocking in tone.

I didn’t nod, but Yvar did. Principal Charlotte tried to stop the conversation because she could see where it was going.

“Ma’am—”

“Well, then it’s not surprising for a child with no parents to act like trash—”

“Just like you, Victoria?”

Everyone paused as a male voice emanated from the opposite direction. I nearly lost my breath when I saw Dwayne walking toward us at a normal cadence. The sound of his footsteps mimics the music in a ballroom.

“O-Oh! My son you are here—”

“You went through poverty because you lost your parents too. And now you've seduced my dad to marry you to feed your ambitions. Am I right, Ms. Robbins?” Dwayne cut her off.

*M-My son? This woman is Dwayne’s mother?!*

The woman stood straight and fixed the collar of her dress. “Mrs. Carter,” She raised her chin and corrected him.

Our eyeballs were viewing them back and forth and in reverse.

Principal Charlotte gritted her teeth and forced a grin as she walked ahead with guffawing shoulders. She faked a smile with her hands clasped together once, acting as if nothing was wrong with the situation. "Everyone, we're good to go! I believe it would be best if we rush to the ambulance right now. They might go to the hospital without us,” she redirected the topic.

Ms. Robbins… or should I say, *Mrs. Carter?* Before she headed off to the ambulance, she rolled her eyes at us. However, the husband bent slightly, apologizing, and we did the same.

We are now in the hospital, and everything else, including the children's health, are stable this time. They had awoken and were prepared to get going. I feel that the problem has been resolved now that I have filled out some information on a piece of paper, reported the occurrence at school, as well as in the office of the city, respectively. After Vanessa and her parents had departed, Yvar and I hugged one another. They were escorted by their own personal bodyguards, who rode in automobiles that were lined up in a row behind them.

As Celeste made her way near us, we hurriedly gave her our assistance in walking. She apologized out of nowhere, "I am sorry if that happened, big sister," and I instantly shook my head in response.

“No! No! You don’t need to say that!”

After just a few moments, we found ourselves waiting in line at the closest station for the transportation that would bring us closer to our house. It took us a few minutes, and then all of a sudden, Dwayne's car stopped in front of us, beeping twice.

The car window went down and he peeked outside shouting at us, “Come inside!”

Yvar and I exchanged glances, wondering aloud what we should do in response to his unexpected appearance. "What exactly are you holding out for? Will you ride in my car or wait for the rain to pour down?" he prodded back our attention, leading us to peek at the slightly gray hue of the clouds.

*It looks like we do not have a choice at all.*

As soon as we got inside the vehicle, I paused from fastening the seat belt because all of a sudden, I spotted a shadow of the same figure that I had seen some time previously lurking behind a shady place. However, just at this moment, it abruptly changed into the shape of a beast, and then it reverted back to its human form, which caused me to nearly jump out of my seat.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think I saw a werewolf.”

“If what you say is true, then there need to be military personnel there at this moment considering the fact that the area is packed with people waiting for transit.”