Arriving at the palasyon, Abanir immediately informed Datu Ilak.
Upon hearing it, Datu Ilak straight away called his top bunjaos and prepared them for the possible attack of the Sulabuns. He ordered them to bring out the pile of deadly arrows that were long-time secured and distribute them wisely.
On the double, the bunjaos set into action.
Alas! Death would be in the firmament because the lethal arrows were out, and the antidote, the Ovaweh Falls, was for a lengthy time now, petered out.
“Do not hesitate to hit every foe with an arrow!” Datu Ilak ordered. He assigned Abanir to lead the lookout at Harem Falls, the region of Kravena territory facing the Tribe of Sulabun, and Karan at the Samo River, the western part of their territory.
Datu Ilak and the rest of the warriors stayed in the focal terra firma of their tribe to protect the females and the young ones, including Reyna Kaya and Sesa Sanaya. The pugad served as their hiding place. It was located underground, covered with wild grasses and had a secret path to the Samo River.
The nightfall gradually came, and every Kravena was vigilant for the attack.
A piece of burning arrow from the shadowy sky suddenly landed on the ground.
When the Kravenas saw it, they knew it was already the start of the battle. It was then followed by loads of burning arrows. The Kravenas, in return, prepared their arrows and started striking, with utmost effort.
The Sulabuns terrifyingly came out from the giant trees and began attacking.
The Kravenas fought back and blood started to drench the terrain.
Away from the heart of Kravena, one could easily see the raging flames scattered throughout the shadows of the night. One could clearly hear the echoing cries, as the fires continued to grow and consume every house of the tribe.
All through the haze of smoke and resonance of terror, Abanir and his faction rushed to the site.
By the Samo River, Karan and his group were guarding when the Sulabuns, together with Datu Banaak and his son, Raha Kalib, from nowhere, attacked them.
The Sulabuns were dynamic and heedful that many Kravenas fretted and stepped back.
Sepe Karan forcefully fought back with his bolo, felling several Sulabuns. The rest of his followers endured, impeding the flurry of trepidation flagging them.
The battle persisted throughout the night.
Suddenly, the sky was filled with flashes of lightning and heavy rain threatened to fall from the dense clouds.
Every warrior—from both tribes—shrank back! The fiery thunderbolts frenzied silhouettes!
Stab after stab, release after release of noxious arrows, came and went… and then, the earth gradually fell into stillness.
Alas! The Kravenas were on the verge of losing the fight!
At the heart of the thunderstorm, the Sulabuns could scarcely fly. Their wings were quite smaller and more sunken than the Kravenas, causing grievance to their wings. Hence, fleeing was a choice they must pursue.
Still, Karan clashed against Kalib, both aimed to win the fight. Karan had the chance to stab his bolo unto Kalib but Kalib was strong enough to stop him.
The driving force of Karan that pushed Kalib, now Kalib was rolled around the ground. Karan was about to stab him through the heart when Datu Banaak saw his son losing the fight.
Datu Banaak quickly prepared his poisonous arrow and pointed it at Karan. As soon as another thunderbolt illuminated the entire place, Karan was hit through the heart and fell down to the ground.
Then, the Sulabuns began escaping, for their smaller wings were, at that time, very much damaged by the heavy rainfall.
The Kravenas, altogether, gathered, to aid their adored sepe, but he was already losing too much blood.
With a heavy moan, Karan took his last breath.
His followers then knew of his passing and grieved.
“Farewell, our dearly loved Sepe!” they cried enormously.
“Farewell!”
They were extremely weakened and fearful to take his body to the palasyon but they must not dwell on their lamentations. They had to take their much-loved sepe to the palasyon.
Datu Ilak was devastated upon seeing the dead body of his beloved son. His entire family was, too, as every Kravena gathered to console the royal family.
It was a night of mourning for every Kravena. Cold hearts were felt, everywhere! The valour of Kravena wilted into dust! They, had lost their fathers, brothers, husbands, sons—all their loved ones.
Chapter 10
The Night
The first day of summer came at last, and the most awaited Battle of the Bands was on.
The stadium was full and the crowd was exceptionally loud, cheering for their favorite bands. Sophia and Zarah were screaming at the top of their lungs. They had done so much preparations for the guys, from promoting the band through social media down to their outfits.
Twenty bands competed that night, and each of them had impressed the crowd. Giovanni stood as the vocalist because George, their front man, had an unexpected sore throat. Fortunately, Giovanni created an impact on the judges and grabbed their interest.
The announcement of the winner was almost near, and everyone was on the brink, already predicting Zion to be the champion.
Zarah and Sophia were holding their hearts from too much excitement when Philippe called his daughter.
“Dad!” Sophia tried to speak louder to overcome the crowd’s noise.
“Honey, what time will the contest end? It’s almost twelve and I’m kind of worried.” Philippe’s voice was obviously troubled.
“It’s almost over, Dad! They’re actually about to announce the winner now,” Sophia was saying when she saw the announcer climbed the stage. “I have to go now, Dad. I promise we’ll come home after this!”
“All right! Get home in an hour,” Philippe sighed uneasily.
Sophia flung a brief laugh. “Bye, Dad.”
The announcer had finally spoken and thanked every participant for their outstanding performances. At long last, he declared the year’s champion and it was... Zion.
Incredibly, the entire band and the girls jumped to their euphoria—loudly yelling. Then, the guys headed to the stage to receive their trophy and cash prize, and Sophia and Zarah took a thousand of photos of them.
When the awarding ended, the guys went back to the girls and handed them their awards.
“Congratulations! You made it!” the girls hailed.
“Yeah! We made it, guys!” Giovanni cheered and wrapped his hands around Sophia’s shoulders.
“I guess I have to stop this joyfulness for a while,” Sophia told Alex. “Dad called and he asked us to go home right away.” She said it evidently that the rest overheard her.
“Yeah, daddy is already worried!” Zarah joked, still at the peak of her enjoyment.
“All right! Let’s go home, then. And tomorrow, let’s have a huge party!” Alex encroached, and the rest roared in agreement.
They exited the stadium and said their goodbyes.
Rambo was about to get a cab when Alex saw him and stopped him.
“Why are you riding a cab?” Alex asked.
“Man, I’m grounded by dad! I actually escaped tonight!” Rambo grumbled.
“Oh, man! That’s too bad!”
“What can I say, man?” Rambo poked fun of himself.
“You know what? Why don’t you take my car?” Alex offered.
“No! I can’t do that! And what are you going to use, if I take it?”
“Hitch into Giovanni’s!”
Rambo was put to a pause. “No, dude. I’ll take a cab and, hey, thanks for your offer!”
“No, man! I mean it! Take my car and… just don’t forget to return it tomorrow,” Alex insisted, laughing.
Rambo eventually agreed. “All right! Thanks, man!”
“No problem, bro! No scratch, okay?” Now, Alex handed him his car keys.
“Right! Thanks again.” Rambo ended their conversation with a high-fi
ve and excitedly entered Alex’s car.
“Why did he take your car?” Zarah approached Alex.
Giovanni and Sophia followed them and asked the same question.
“He’s grounded.” Alex turned to face them. “Would it be fine if Zarah and I will join you?” Alex talked to Giovanni.
“Sure, dude!”
“All right! I think we better get home now!” Alex then ensued.
On their way, along with a low-volume rock music, Alex and Zarah began kissing at the back seat.
“Whoa! Not in my car, guys!” Giovanni made fun of them.
Seated beside Giovanni, Sophia was just smiling.
Reckless, himself, Giovanni concentrated his eyes on Sophia, and with a stare, like he was wanting to kiss her, too.
“Get your eyes back on the road, Gio,” Sophia demanded.
Giovanni ignored her, kept on staring at her, and started to kiss her.
Sophia begged him to stop and reminded him to keep his eyes on the road, but suddenly, without them knowing it, a hasty pickup truck, driven by a drunken man, bumped their car.
There was a strong impact—a loud sound of collision, and their car rolled around to the side of the road. Everything ended with a cloud of dust and smoke.
Ring, ring, ring!
“Honey, please get the phone,” Elizabeth begged her husband, her voice sounding drowsy and out of sorts.
Philippe unwillingly turned the lamp on and answered the phone. He was extremely shocked by what he just heard! Their children were brought to the hospital and they were in critical condition!
Philippe told Elizabeth right away.
Taken aback, a volcano of weeping was about to erupt from Elizabeth. She could not believe what she just heard.
Philippe reminded her and asked her to hurry, for they had to go to Orlando General Hospital.
They were in a crying rush, and they brought Nadine with them.
Along the way, Elizabeth was consistently asking her husband to drive faster.
Philippe was on it and explained that he was already at the maximum speed.
Panicking tremendously, Elizabeth kept on uttering words just to unload the heaviness from her chest.
“Mom… Dad… what’s happening?” Nadine, from the back, risked to ask, already pulsating with what she was seeing and hearing from her parents.
“My kids!” Elizabeth sobbed.
“Let’s pray for them at the moment!” Philippe comforted Elizabeth. He looked at Nadine and asked her to be calm.
“What do you mean calm? Our kids are in danger, Philippe! How can you ask her to be calm?” Elizabeth sobbed angrily.
Philippe ignored his wife. He understood the situation very well and instead, struggled to focus on the road until they reached the hospital.
Philippe immediately parked the car.
They hurried to the emergency room and discovered that Giovanni’s and Zarah’s parents were already there, howling as they waited outside the emergency room.
At the height of their worry, they prayed together and eased each other’s worry, as they waited for the doctors to come out.
After few minutes, a doctor approached them. He was looking for Giovanni’s parents.
“I’m sorry Mr. and Ms. Habendard! Your son did not make it!” grieved Doctor Balauren.
The couple, not believing what they just heard, fell to the ground and wept loudly.
Philippe’s and Elizabeth’s worries turned for the worse. They could no longer wait for the other doctors to come out from the ER. They were shaking and terribly weakened. In spite of it, they managed to approach Giovanni’s parents and consoled them.
Zarah’s parents were also on the verge of collapsing. Zarah’s father started to yell and even punched the concrete wall to relieve himself of his fear and agony.
Finally, the other doctors came out and talked to them. They told them that Sophia was critical while Alex and Zarah were not that severely injured, compared to Sophia.
For not too long, two cops came and clarified that Alex and Zarah were at the back seat that was why they were not that injured, compared to Sophia and Giovanni who were seated in front.
When Philippe and Elizabeth visited Alex, they were distressed to see him. He was unconscious and pitiful.
Zarah’s parents also went to see Zarah and were very much saddened by their daughter’s appearance. Like Alex, she looked terrible.
Sophia, meanwhile, was transferred to the intensive care unit.
A wake for Giovanni was held. His classmates, bandmates, and everyone who knew him were all there. They could not believe that their good friend was, by now, gone.
To pay his respects, Philippe attended the funeral service although he had not yet recovered from what happened to his children, especially to Sophia.
It was a day of grief for everyone. The night of success and supposed celebration turned into a moment of shock and unbelievable pain.
Chapter 11
The Cry of Hearts
It had been days and the Vabuerettis were still at the hospital.
Sophia was now comatose.
Philippe stayed at Alex’s room while Elizabeth and Nadine at Sophia’s.
Alex was already conscious at that time and still in shock at what he learned. He was shattered after knowing of Giovanni’s passing, could not believe that his best friend was gone. Then, he asked about Sophia and Zarah.
His father explained that Zarah was fine but his sister was comatose.
Torn apart, Alex lamented all day. He even blamed himself for what happened, for it was his idea to join the contest.
Philippe called his mother and told her what happened to Alex and Sophia.
Very much worried for her grandchildren, Grandma Lucy asked Bea to pack their things right away and to accompany her to Orlando.
Bea was in shock, too, but she coped and immediately packed their things.
It was sunset when they were all set to leave Forest Green but Joey, Grandma Lucy’s driver, was not feeling well.
Impatient to see her grandchildren in the hospital, Grandma Lucy requested Bea to look for someone who could drive for them.
Unfortunately, most of their workers were on-leave that day and had gone home to their families.
Desperate, Bea looked for Reuben, their gardener who happened to be a third-degree cousin of Jericho.
Reuben was hanging out with Jericho when Bea found him at Forest Grill, the town’s popular diner.
“Aunt Bea! You seem so tense!” Reuben was startled to see Bea in panic mode.
“Alex and Sophia had an accident. Alex is fine now but Sophia is comatose and we need you to drive us to Orlando,” Bea explained, aware of Jericho’s presence. “Lucy is terribly worried for her grandchildren.”
Shocked and worried about what he just heard, Jericho, all of a sudden, grasped Bea’s shoulders, looked her in the eye, and asked where Sophia was admitted.
“Orlando General Hospital!” Bea answered, shaking.
Jericho screamed his heart out. He wanted to see Sophia right away, but he knew he couldn’t.
Then, Reuben and Bea left him and went to Grandma Lucy.
It took them twelve hours to arrive in Orlando General Hospital. Straight away, Grandma Lucy and Bea entered the hospital, while Reuben was left in the car.
Very soon, Jericho called Reuben and asked him about Sophia’s condition.
“I honestly have no clue yet but by the sound of Grandma Lucy’s voice, I can tell Sophia’s kind of critical.” Reuben exerted his best to deliver it, uncomplicated.
Jericho grew weak and almost shrunk to the ground. “This must not happen to her,” he howled, and threw his cell phone to the wall, crashing it. “I love her. I never had the chance to tell her how much I love her! How I planned my life around her and with her!” Jericho, falling into the pool of his own sorrows, grew worn out.
Inside the hospital, Philippe’s and Elizabeth’s heavy loads were lessened when they finally saw Gr
andma Lucy and Bea.
“Oh, thank God!” Elizabeth dashed to receive Grandma Lucy’s embrace.
Immediately, Grandma Lucy asked for her grandchildren.
Straight off, Philippe and Elizabeth led her first to Alex’s room.
Seeing Alex, Grandma Lucy cuddled him intensely. The moment she let go of the tight embrace, Grandma Lucy, without preamble, asked where Sophia was.
Consequently, Philippe accompanied her to Sophia’s room.
Setting her eyes on her pitiful granddaughter, Grandma Lucy cried at once. “I never thought this would happen to her,” she expressed, and broke down into words of prayer.
Bea followed Grandma Lucy in Sophia’s room with shivering knees. Upon witnessing how her dearly-loved Sophia looked, with numerous bruises and a distressing number of tubes attached to her, she was thrown to the heights of her own worry.
Father… she prayed silently.
Endlessly, they were all praying for Sophia’s condition and fast recovery from coma.
Chapter 12
The Sun Still Rises
It was almost two months but Sophia was still in a coma. But, she seemed better now. Her family was still firm, still holding on to their hope that, soon, Sophia would wake up from it. They had already transferred her to their family’s hospital where she could be given much more medical attention.
For Alex, he had now fully recovered, and was no longer in need of a cane to help him walk.
Elizabeth stayed at her daughter’s room while the rest of the Vabuerettis left, after a long day of looking after Sophia. Some of them went to the hospital cafeteria, while others went, just to break the monotony.
Elizabeth stared dearly at her daughter, tenderly wiping Sophia’s hands with a wet bath towel, when a sudden resonance of the past hit her head, and she remembered the day when she left Sophia in Forest Green. Sophia was only three-months-old at the time.
Heavens, if only she could return to the mists of the past, to that exact moment when she was standing right in front of Grandma Lucy’s door, ready to surrender the infant Sophia to her grandma, thinking that everything would fall back into place, to fix that shameful family dilemma! But it was something that was biting Elizabeth now. Looking at the wounded Sophia, she was almost near the breaking point.
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