Chapter 34: Chapter 34

My Killer Smile.

As it turns out, it was a magical phenomenon. According to the doctor, because of the vast amount of magic that my bloodline has, my magic took it upon itself to make a defense mechanism to keep me safe. He told me that it was a common occurrence to people of my Opera’s bloodline because witches with high raw magic are hunted down during the old times. My killer smile was only my protection to keep me safe from danger.

And according to him, the only way for me to remove my killer smile is for me to learn magic so it would deem me powerful enough that I would no longer need it.

I managed to contact Tyrelle during lunch, and I told him everything that happened during his time of absence.

“So it was a witch’s magic all along.” Tyrelle drew the words out as he had long pondered about it.

I was outside the school cafeteria, near where Tyrelle and I had lunch the day before. I could eat inside, but I just feel like I need some fresh air to clear my head of all the information I've received. “Tyrelle, it sounds like you knew something about this.”

“I had a hunch that your smile might be related to witch magic. But I thought that you were under a curse. I did not expect that your magic was doing this to you. It is the first time that I heard of this occurrence.”

“It’s my first time hearing everything out of the ordinary,” I muttered.

“What else did Kusher say about your…ability? Can he fix your smile?”

“He says that he can teach me a little of how to feel my magic if I am willing. The rest would be entirely up to me as my magic is pure and raw energy. There’s nothing more that he can teach me regarding that matter.” I sat on the bench and began to swing my feet. My sandwich has long been forgotten because of the trouble that I have.

“You do what you want to do. I’ll do everything that I can to support you.”

I fought against the rapid pounding of my chest from his words, so I decided to change the subject. “How are my parents, Tyrelle?”

“They’re doing well. They’re resting right now, so even if I want to give my phone to them so you guys can talk, I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, Tyrelle?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think I can go over there in the hospital right now? I don’t think I can stand being in school alone for so long.” It was embarrassing to say, but I figured that it was something that had to be addressed.

I could hear Tyrelle’s silence as he thought carefully about my words. “I’m sorry, Gabriella. But as things are now, you will get in trouble in school for skipping. How about I come over and accompany in our classes this afternoon? How does that sound?”

I was dazzled and taken aback by his proposal. “Are you sure? Aren’t you busy on that side?”

“Everything that needs my surveillance has been dealt with. I am more worried about you, especially since we haven’t seen the hybrid in a long time. I am afraid that he might show up near you.”

I was hesitant to ask as to why he was concerned about Al, but I figured that interrogating him would only stress him out. Every time he sees or hears Aelfric's name, his expression changes as if he wants to murder the man.

“Alright then, Tyrelle. I guess I’ll be seeing you in class?”

I vaguely heard a light cough from the other line like Tyrelle was trying not to laugh. “I’ll be there before class.” He promised before hanging up.

“Hey, it looks like you’re going to smile. I wonder to whom it is for.” I backed away from my spot, and when I heard Al whisper behind me. As I looked at him, I saw that his hands were crossed over his chest with a gaze torn between angry and jolly. He even tried to smile at me, but it somehow looked strained. “Tell me that the mutt is not why you wanted to show that pretty smile of yours that was only made just for me.” His lips twitched as he heaved a sigh. He leaned back and began to rub his neck. “I understand that you two are in a contracted relationship, but that doesn’t mean that you can fall in love-”

“You’re wrong.” I blurted out, which made him pause and have his eyes grow wide with surprise.

“I-I’m wrong? Do you mean you’re truly in love with that mutt?” His eyes narrowed dangerously.

It took me a moment to realize that I must have cut him off at the wrong time for him to develop that kind of conclusion. “I meant my smile!” I said it without context that it left Al confused. “My…smile. There’s a reason why I have it. And it is not made for you!”

“Oh?” He spoke slowly and deliberately, his eyes observing me. He took slow, careful steps toward me. His eyes were judging, and I was afraid it was his way of telling me to be careful with what I said next.“And what gave you that idea, Gabbie poo? Care to enlighten me with that claim?”

I gulped. “I-I-I got a…checkup?”

Al raised a brow, “A checkup? Like in the doctor’s appointment? Did you at least have insurance?” He cackled before looking at me once more, “Are you for real, Gabbie poo, or are you just pranking me? Please don’t tell me that it is that quack doctor again. Gabbie poo-”

“He’s a witch doctor, and he works for Tyrelle. I trust him, so don’t call him a quack.” I don’t know where I got the courage to talk back at him, especially when he was in a bad mood. “I-If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t know the cause of my smile. And I wouldn’t know how to get rid of it.”

“Get rid of it? Humor me, Gabbie poo, and tell me how he told you to get rid of your pretty smile?”

I should have kept my mouth shut at that point. I should have looked and seen that Al was emitting a dangerous smile. “They asked me to train magic with them. If my magic deems me ready and capable enough to protect myself, my smile will disappear.”

At that moment, he grabbed my shoulder too fiercely that I yelped in the process. “Magic!? Are you going to practice MAGIC!?” He yelled. His eyes were beginning to change into red.

“A-Al, let go. You are hurting me.”

“Who gave you those ideas!? Tell me, and I will make them pay! A name. Give me that name of that quack who told you to practice magic!”

“I said let go!”

“Go can’t practice magic. You hear me!? YOU CAN’T! I FORBID YOU!”

“Who forbids who!?” In my rage, I thought about pushing him even though I was aware that I was weaker than him. Still, when I think about how he was dictating my choices, I just can’t help but want the strength to fight back.

It was like a strong gush of wind knocked Aelfric back. An air that only he can feel because only he was pushed away. I gaped as I stared at the hybrid sitting on the floor, equally as confused as I was.

Doctor Kusher's words began to enter my mind, and I realized that I was the source of the problem. I suppose having the desire to fight back against Al heightened my magic and transformed my will into a command.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to.” I have no idea why I rushed toward him to apologize when he got back up on his feet.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” He assured me and started dusting his clothes. I was relieved when he didn’t sound angry - more like he was puzzled by the events. When he finished, he gazed down at me. “Gabriella, I am telling you this because I don’t want you to get hurt. I am not asserting dominance over you. Don’t practice magic. Don’t go down that path.”

I pondered over his words and slowly realized a hidden meaning in them. I took a step back, feeling betrayed. “Wait, you knew I’m a witch?”

Al must have realized his mistake because he seemed to falter before regaining his gaze. “Gabriella, you don’t have to use magic.”

“And why not? I’ve been attacked so many times. My parents got attacked in the hospital. Why shouldn’t I learn how to protect myself and my family?” He did not deny that he knows I’m a witch, which means that he did. I felt betrayed, for some odd reason, that I would care about trusting Al.

“I’ll be there to protect you and your family as I always have.”

I shook my head slowly. “No. Tyrelle is the one who’s always protecting me. Not you.” Why do I feel hurt that Al kept a secret from me? He’s a creep and a stalker. This kind of thing should not bother me.

Al appeared to be upset by my words but chose to cover it up with a rational one.“There are many dangers that you can’t see, and I rather you not see them. Awakening your magic will only draw them near. You don’t need them.”

“I need them to break my killer smile.”

“Your smile is amazing. You don’t have to-”

“To you, but not to other people!” I yelled. Al and I were fortunate there were barely any students in the area because lunch was almost over. “You do not understand how hard it is to hide my smile. You can’t imagine the pain of wanting to express myself when I am happy but having to suppress it in fear that I’ll be called a freak!” I was so angry that tears threatened to burst. “I want to smile and laugh like a normal teenager. I want to join in on the fun. To grin like an idiot when a boy compliments or says something sweet. It’s suffocating, Al. I…I don’t want to be like this for the rest of my life.” I buried my face in my hands because of the tears streaming down my face. I was embarrassed that I suddenly burst out in tears before him.

Al allowed me to cry for a few moments before gently pulling my hands away from my face and lifting my head up. His eyes were filled with genuine pain as if he was sympathizing with me. “When I’m here, you can smile and laugh like an idiot all you want. I am not going away. I’ll tell you all the jokes you need to hear and whisper sweet words to make you smile. You’re right when you said that I don’t understand how you feel, but I will do everything that I can to make you comfortable. All I ask is that you trust me when I say that using your magic will place you in-” Al paused and jerked his head up. Then, he swiftly moved back when someone grabbed me from the back and pulled me closer to him.

Just by the scent of his expensive perfume, I knew it was Tyrelle before I looked back and before I heard his threatening voice towards Al. “What did you do?” He said threateningly. My back was pressed firmly on his chest. One of his hands was wrapped around me protectively when he faced Al.

“Tyrelle, this isn’t what it looks like. I just-”

“You were the one who attacked the hospital last night, weren’t you!?” Tyrelle yelled at Al.

“Attack? Don’t be ridiculous. You don’t have any proof.” Al retorted, giving Tyrelle the same glare that was given to him.

“Proof? How about having your scent all over the place? How about Stacey dying? Does that ring any bell? You just wanted to make sure that you’re previous attempt of murdering her was finished!” My jaw dropped at the news. Tyrelle did mention one casualty in the hospital, but I never thought it would be someone we knew. Much less the person that Al tried to kill once.

“So the bitch died in the end, huh? Well, that’s good, but I did not kill her.” Al crossed his arms and regarded Tyrelle like he was stupid for making that assumption.

“If you did not kill her, then where were you last night?”

“I was watching over Gabbie poo because she was having a hard time sleeping.” Then, Al’s gaze drifted over to Tyrelle’s hand, which was still on my shoulder. “By the way, remove that hand of yours from her. You can play pretend lovers all you want, but I am the real one, pup.”

“Shut it, hybrid!” He growled at Al before turning towards me. His gaze softened a bit. “Is it true that he visited you? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. He didn’t do anything. We just talked.” My voice was a little shaken, but it wasn’t because I had cried earlier. It was because something was bugging me at the back of my mind.

Tyrelle mentioned an attack in the hospital and claimed that Aelfric was the killer. But Aelfric doesn’t sound like the killer, especially since he was so composed like this. The Aelfric that I know doesn’t lie - or at least he hasn’t so far.

My mind raced back to last night. I remembered how Aelfric entered my room looking all muddy. But come to think of it, the light was too dim for me to be sure of anything.

Maybe what I assume as mud is blood?

No way. It couldn’t be, right? But knowing Al, I think that he is capable of killing someone. I gulped.

“Al,” I hesitated. “When you visited me last night, was it mud that covered your hair, or was it blood?” The last word came out more as a whisper because I feared what I might hear next.

Tyrelle and I stood side by while we watched closely and waited for Al to respond. Very carefully, Al smiled. “It was blood, but it wasn’t that girl’s blood.” Aelfric moved his gaze until he was looking at Tyrelle, “But I suppose that no matter how much I convince you, this little pup won’t believe me.”

“Stay back, Gabriella.” Tyrelle shifted his body to cover me from Al’s gaze. “He’s dangerous.”

Al sneered, “One of these days, you will lose that hand of yours for being too touchy. But not yet. I need you to keep her when I’m not around.”

“That’s what I’ve been doing all this time, so you don’t have to worry about that.” Tyrelle shot back.

Al lets out a maniacal laugh like he is mocking Tyrelle’s words. “Whatever you are protecting her from are just leftovers. I would love to chat more, but I am quite busy these days.” Then, Al turned his gaze on me. “Last advice. Don’t practice magic.” His eyes turned serious, and before I could read more into it, Al turned back and disappeared like he always does.