IL Ferno Series 1: Damien Dalerrios

[Prologue]

"I'm home!" I shouted as I opened the door to the house, but I was only met by silence.

"Where are they?" I asked myself. Even the maids were nowhere to be found.

I gasped when a thought came to my mind. I covered my mouth and weakly sat on the marble floor.

"W-why did they do this to me?" Tears started to fall, but I stopped my dramatic act when someone slapped the back of my head.

"What the heck!" I angrily turned around and saw my male cousin looking at me, shaking his head.

"They're in the garden! You're being silly again." He said, so I rolled my eyes at him. I thought they went to Jollibee and left me behind, hmph!

"Just go change, we're about to eat."

"Fine." I stood up from the floor and went upstairs to my room.

It took me a while to reach my room because it was so far. My room was at the very end of the hallway. The house was big, and over 20 people lived here, and each of my cousins had their own room.

I put my bag on the bed and went to my big closet to get some clothes. After that, I went to the bathroom and took a shower.

After I got ready, I grabbed my phone and went downstairs. As expected, I was out of breath again. I stopped for a while before continuing to walk towards the garden.

I immediately saw them seated at a long table. I approached them and greeted them.

"Hello, family!" They looked at me and waved. I sat down between my mom and my brother.

"You're early today, honey. Don't you have classes?" My mom asked.

"No, it's half-day every Friday. You still don't remember that, even after 2nd semester?" I pouted. She slapped my shoulder lightly, making me wince. Her hand was heavy.

"I'm just beautiful, honey, but I'm getting old." She winked.

"You still got it, Ma." I said jokingly. My eyes shifted to my brother who was sitting beside me.

"Why?" I asked him in a teasing tone. She rolled her eyes.

"I need your help later."

"What is it now?" I raised an eyebrow.

"It's about math, Ate." She rolled her eyes again and took a bite of her food. My younger sister is only in grade 4, but she acts so mature. I wonder where he gets that from.

"Fine, but you have to give me your chocolate." I said, and he glared at me. He's so stingy.

"Okay, enough of that. Just eat your food," Lola said. She was sitting at the head of the table with Grandpa beside her.

When I looked at Grandpa, I felt like a lion that lost its tail. He was glaring at me. I better eat before the lion king gets mad.

We finished eating but we didn't leave the table. The maids were just replacing the plates and serving us some sweet snacks. I smiled when I saw my favorite dessert, ice cream! And not just one, but three scoops with my favorite flavors: mango, strawberry, and vanilla.

They already knew I loved ice cream, so they didn't ask me what I wanted.

"Pst! Mady!" I looked up and saw my cousin, Alesendra. She was motioning for me.

"What?" I whispered, knowing she would understand.

"Can you come with me later? I'm going to Sara's birthday party." She asked.

"Tonight?" I nodded. It was Saturday, so it was okay. I nodded again.

"Ma'am Mady?"

I stopped eating when a maid approached me. Everyone's attention was now on us.

"Yes?" I asked, confused.

"There's a delivery for you."

"Huh? I didn't order anything."

"But your name is on the receiver, ma'am."

I sighed and nodded. I excused myself and followed the maid. When we reached the living room, there was a man sitting on the couch, looking like a king. He was wearing a helmet and all black. I couldn't see his face.

"Who are you?" I asked rudely, but he didn't say anything. He just took a box from the couch and handed it to me. I didn't take it and just stared at the box.

What if it's a bomb? But it looked too big to be a bomb.

"There's an envelope inside, just read it." He said in a cold tone. I was surprised by his rudeness. How dare he enter my house and act like he owns the place?

"Esa, take it and open it." I told my maid, still staring at the tall man. I felt a shiver down my spine. His eyes felt like they were piercing through me even though I couldn't see them.

"Ma'am, there's a blue ball gown and a blue mask inside. The mask has a crown design, and there's a gold-sealed blue envelope underneath." The maid said, showing me the contents of the box.

I looked back at the tall man, but he was gone!

"Where did he go?" I asked the maids, but they didn't see him either.

"I don't know, ma'am. He must have left." I took a deep breath and calmed myself down.

I took the envelope and opened it. Inside was a card that said "Queen" and a piece of paper.

To: Madeline Genevieve Hermedilla A Queen

We're inviting you to the masquerade ball this June 16th at Chernyye Karty hotel. This ball will take place at exactly 9pm in the evening. We'll look forward to your arrival soon.

From: Chernyye Karty Hotel

What the heck! Chernyye Karty Hotel!!

[Chapter 1]

"What color do you think looks best on me?" I immediately asked my cousin, holding up two satin wrap dresses, one black and one red.

"Girl, it's a casual birthday party, not a club party." I gaped at her. I thought it was a big party, and you know, you have to dress sexy for those. I had no idea. This cousin of mine is so annoying, she didn't tell me earlier.

"I didn't know, why didn't you say so earlier?" I rolled my eyes at her and turned around to look for a different outfit.

I quickly picked out a high-waisted black pantsuit with a white crop top and a black blazer.

I turned to my cousin who was already dressed. She was wearing a white silk satin top tucked into black high-waisted trousers.

"Oh my gosh, we look like girl bosses, hahaha." Yeah, she's right, we do.

"Well, let's hurry up, it's already 7:40, and the party will start at 8." she said, so I just shrugged and put on my sandals. I was already done with my makeup.

I grabbed my purse and we went out together. Good thing her room was near the stairs, unlike mine which felt like a million miles away.

When we went downstairs, the whole family was in the living room watching TV. The babies were playing on the carpet.

"We're going now," we said together, and they all looked at us.

"Wow, your outfits really suit you two." Tita Helly, their eldest aunt, complimented us with a smile.

"Of course, Tita, we have good genes so there's no problem with what we wear." I flipped my hair and we all laughed.

"Okay then, we might be late." We said goodbye again before leaving.

We got in the car and I drove. She can't drive yet and doesn't have a license.

We arrived at the party. There were many expensive cars parked outside, so we looked for a closer spot, and luckily there was one.

We got out and were immediately greeted by loud music from inside. There were even some guests we passed by who were dancing.

I looked at my watch and saw that it was 7:59.

"Alesendra! Ate Madeline!" We greeted Sara when we approached her, it seemed like she was welcoming the guests.

"Happy birthday, Sara." Alesendra and I hugged her.

"Come in, Alesendra, Keyla and the others are in the living room." She said with a smile. Alesendra nodded and we went inside and headed to the living room.

"Alesendra! Madeline!"

The women in the living room called out to us, causing some guests to look at them. However, we continued walking towards the five women who were Alesendra's friends.

"You two are so beautiful!" Abby said excitedly, hugging us one by one. We kissed the others on the cheek and sat down. I immediately sat in a cross-legged position, as it's more comfortable for me.

"Wine, ma'am?" A waiter approached me and offered me a tray of wine. I took one without looking at him, but I frowned because of his voice. It was so familiar! It sounded like someone I knew.

I shrugged and drank the wine, thinking it might just be my imagination. I smiled when I tasted the sweetness of the wine.

"Madeline! Is that you?" Someone called my name, and I looked up to see who it was. There were five women, and the one in the middle was the one who called me.

I looked at them up and down, but they seemed to have a different idea about my gaze. Their smiles suddenly disappeared.

"Well, it's nice to see you here...?" I replied, not remembering her name. I only recognized her face.

"Briana." She smiled, relieved that I remembered her.

"Well, Briana, it's nice to see you again. Anyway, I'll just go over there. I'm hungry." I pointed to the long table filled with food. I was hungry. She nodded, so I stood up.

But I stopped walking towards the food because a tray stopped in front of me, filled with desserts.

"You can have this, ma'am." The voice was so cold. He was tall, and I couldn't see his face because he was wearing a mask.

Out of curiosity, I looked up, and he was really tall. He was as tall as my neck, and I was wearing 4-inch heels. I wonder how short I would look if I were barefoot.

I grimaced when I saw his face. He was wearing a mask, but I saw his eye color, black. His gaze was cold.

I shrugged and took the plate with the desserts and the spoon. Then I looked up again and smiled at him.

"Thank you! Thank you for the wine earlier." I turned around and walked back to where I was sitting.

When I got back, Alesendra saw me.

"Where did you go?"

"I just got some food. I'm hungry." She nodded and I sat down and started eating.

After a while, someone placed juice on the mini-table in front of us. I took some, and so did Alesendra and her friends.

"Girl, let's go upstairs. Sara's parents are there." She nodded and I didn't look at her because I was busy eating.

"Myl!!" I quickly looked up when I heard that familiar voice. It's my friend! They're here!

"My gosh girls! You surprised me!" I stood up and hugged them. They hugged me back, as if they hadn't seen me in days.

But I looked around curiously because there were only two of them. Where's the other one? She's probably playing with her baby again.

"She's not here." Lyra said.

"Yeah, she's busy with her child." Nathalie added and took a bite of my dessert.

"You have such nerve, Nathalie, get your own!" I snatched the plate from her.

"Hmp!" She said before leaving, stomping her feet. What a brat! No way in my life would I give her my food, especially when it was given to me by that handsome waiter.

"How did you guys get here?" I asked Lyra, since she was the only one left. The other one was busy with the food.

"We were just passing by, and when we entered, Nathalie saw you right away."

"Can you believe her nerve? She's so shameless!"

"Yeah, we know. We just came from the other house. It's 10 blocks from here. We joined a party there."

"Whose house?"

"We don't know. We just went inside. We joined some grade 11 students who were entering the house."

"You guys are so reckless!"

"We know, but it was fun."

"After this, you guys go home immediately! If I find out you're doing this again, I'll kill you both." I rolled my eyes, annoyed at them. What if they get caught trespassing?

"We know, we know!" They said together.

"Here's some more dessert, ma'am?" I heard that familiar voice again. A waiter with a tray stopped beside me, holding a bowl full of my favorite ice cream flavors.

"Wow! Thank you!" I immediately took it without looking at him. I couldn't see his face because he was wearing a mask.

"Hey, I thought this was self-service. Why are you serving her?" Lyra asked me, raising an eyebrow. I chuckled and winked at her. She grimaced and glared at me. Of all the girls in the world, only the three of us can't stand her. She's too picky and crazy. She likes girls who are like Maria Clara. What a weirdo.

"I'm beautiful and I deserve to be served." I giggled and continued eating my ice cream.

"Who's that guy you came with?" Nathalie asked. I answered her.

"My boyfriend."

"Shut up, Myl, you're 18 and you still don't have a boyfriend. And if you ever do, I don't know what will happen to him. We'll feel sorry for him and warn him to be careful with you." Lyra said, panting. I pouted. I'm still young! My mom says I'm her baby! They're so mean.

"Yeah, may God have mercy on him. You're scary, Myl. You're like a villain in a story." Nathalie added, so I kicked them both.

"You're so mean!"

"It's true though!" They said together.

"Tsk!" I rolled my eyes and continued eating my ice cream.

At 11 pm, we decided to go home. My two friends had already left at 10:40 because they were starting to get drunk. They really have no shame.

"Girl, someone is going to drive us home. Tita said we might get into an accident if we drive at night, and you seem a bit tipsy too."

"Yeah, I'm a bit dizzy."

"How many glasses did you drink?" she asked. I tried to remember.

"Maybe 20?" I couldn't remember exactly, but I drank a lot. I don't get drunk easily because I have a high tolerance for alcohol. I guess I was just full, so I got a bit dizzy. Alcohol hits me harder when I'm full.

"Wow, you're strong when it comes to alcohol. You're like Grandpa hahaha." She laughed, so I laughed too. Then a car stopped in front of us. We had already gone outside, and Alesendra said someone would drive us home.

We got into the car. I was the last one to get in, so I closed the door. I stopped when I smelled something familiar. I looked around, but there were only three of us, including the driver. Unless! I blinked. I looked in the rearview mirror and our eyes met.

His eyes! They're like a very deep blue ocean where the monsters are hiding! But his perfume was familiar and I immediately recognized it. It was the waiter from earlier.

What's happening?

Who is this guy? Is he stalking me?!

[Chapter 2]

It's Monday again, and here I am getting ready for school. I'm wearing a white cropped top shirt with high-waisted white retro trousers and white shoes. I don't feel like wearing our uniform today. The girls' uniform style is a white dress shirt, black blazer, pleated skirt, and gray tie-but it's too hot for that, so I decided against it.

"Good morning, everyone!" I greeted as soon as I entered the kitchen after coming downstairs and saw them preparing for breakfast. It looked like they were just waiting for me.

"Good morning," they replied in unison. I immediately sat in my seat between my mom and my sibling. Grandma initiate the prayer before we ate.

"Am I the only one going to school?" I asked my cousins, who were smirking at me, boasting that none of them had classes today, leaving me the only one going to school. They even escorted me outside-shameless!

"Yes, so you better leave; it's almost 8 o'clock."

I pouted and got into the car. As soon as I got in, I frowned because of the cologne I smelled. It was just me and the driver, so I was sure it was coming from him.

I looked at the rearview mirror, but he was focused on the road ahead. Still, I could see his very blue eyes. My eyebrows furrowed, but I quickly looked away when he glanced back at the rearview mirror, pretending to be busy on my phone.

The car started moving, so I put my phone in my bag and opened the window next to me, resting my chin on my hand as I looked out at the passing scenery.

"You're new, right?" I asked the driver, still looking outside. But he didn't respond, so I turned my head slightly to see him.

"Can't you speak?" The silence was thick, so I could hear him take a deep breath as if it was hard for him to talk.

"Y-yes." The corner of my lips lifted when he answered.

He's the same person. And it seems like he's struggling to speak Tagalog because of his accent. You think you can fool me, huh?

"Where are you from?" I sat up straight, moved away from the window, leaned back in my seat, and crossed my arms and legs.

I stared hard at the rearview mirror, but he was focused on driving. I couldn't see his full face since the front mirror wasn't down. What an idiot, this is so suspicious. I haven't seen his face properly this whole time.

"Ilo-ilo," he said, and I laughed softly.

"Bulol," I forced myself not to smile at how he pronounced it. His accent was so thick. This must be his first time speaking Tagalog. But in fairness, he understood me.

"Hmm... what's your name?"

"Juan," he replied.

"How old are you?"

"28."

"Ahhh, so I should call you Mang Juan then. We're ten years apart, so it's probably okay to call you that." I gave him a sweet smile when he looked at the mirror, and our eyes met. I saw his jaw clench slightly from where I was sitting behind him.

Annoyed? Hahahaha! Seconds passed, and I stayed quiet, worried that he might really get irritated. What a grump.

We arrived at the school, so I got out without acknowledging him further.

I walked straight into the school and headed toward our classroom. As I entered, I was greeted by the noisy chaos of my classmates. Some were playing mobile games, others were dancing to TikTok in the middle, some were singing, and others were playing guitar.

It's no surprise, especially since all of us here have different talents. Why? Because we're the only SPAD strand in our school, which stands for Special Program in the Arts and Design (SPAD).

We're in senior high now, so our strand is called SPAD, while our juniors are still SPA. There aren't many of us compared to other strands. There's only one SPA strand per level.

Our SPA building is also separate from the others since it's located in front of the gymnasium. Next to the gymnasium is another building where our music, dance, and art rooms are. Our building has two floors with 12 classrooms per level.

The other buildings are at the back, closer to the office building. But even though we're a bit isolated, our building is always noisy. What do you expect from a group of talented people?

"Myl!" Nathalie came running and hugged me, and we both ended up falling to the ground. I landed on my butt with a loud thud, and I yelped in pain.

"Oh no!" Lyra and Amber helped me up while Nathalie kept apologizing.

"Are you okay, Myl?" asked Vin, my crush, nyahahaha.

"I'm not okay," I honestly replied, so he scratched the back of his head awkwardly while I slowly sat down, still holding my sore butt. It really hurt!

"Be careful, Nathalie. It's not like you haven't seen her in years," Lyra scolded Nathalie, who pouted.

"I just missed her."

"Alright, that's enough. Myl, sit on this for a while," Amber said kindly, handing me a cushion from our teacher's mini lounge area. She's the angel in our group of friends. And if we have an angel, there's also a little devil-me, hahaha!

"Thanks, Amber." I accepted the pillow she handed me. "Sorry again, Myllll!" Nathalie apologized once more, so I shot her an annoyed glare. So noisy.

"Nathalie, knock it off if you want to stick around," I warned her, and she pouted and nodded before diving into her gossip stash.

"Myl, face me. I'll take your picture so I can draw you," Vin said cheerfully from his seat, which was just a couple of chairs away from mine.

"Go ahead and try. Tomorrow, you might not have any hands left. Draw your girlfriend instead," I snapped, rolling my eyes at him.

Even though I had a crush on him and his girlfriend didn't go to our school, I still didn't like getting too close. I didn't want to cause any drama-it's exhausting. Besides, my feelings for him were more of admiration, not full-blown love.

Vin was handsome and a great artist, but nope, he wasn't the one. There's something I'm looking for that I didn't find in him. Plus, he already has a girlfriend, so let's move on from that.

"Such a grouch. I can't help it, and besides, I think I've drawn all our classmates already-you're the only one left."

"Then go to the other room. Don't drag me into this. And anyway, when I do get someone to draw me, it'll be my future husband. I want to be naked while he paints me," I said, feeling giddy. Why not? I'm just imagining.

"Eww," he said, acting all grossed out, like he hasn't done that with his girlfriend. Trying to act all innocent.

"You're acting grossed out, but like you don't do that with your girlfriend, tsk!" I rolled my eyes at him and pulled my phone out of my pocket to read something random.

"Myl, is everything ready for the report?" My classmate Vannesa approached me, immediately asking about our report for today.

Well, this is our last report because exams are coming up in four weeks, so we'll be busy reviewing. The principal is super strict when it comes to exams.

And after the exams, we'll start practicing for the graduation march. So many things to do, no breaks. There's even an upcoming activity. That's why we've been spending a lot lately.

"Uh-huh, here it is." I took out my laptop from my bag and opened it. I was in charge of making the PowerPoint because they said I was good at it, unlike them. They know the basics, but that's it.

Apparently, we get extra points if the PowerPoint is well-made.

"You're the best, Myl. That's perfect. You can relax now, we've got the rest covered."

She gave me a thumbs-up, and I smiled at her.

I closed the laptop again but left it on the table for my groupmates to grab easily later. There are five of us in the group, and since I was assigned to make the PowerPoint, I don't need to go up front to report today.

It's tiring to make a PowerPoint presentation. I stayed up late to make it look good. And besides, our teacher said only two people should report in front to keep things organized.

And if someone didn't help, they wouldn't be included in the group, but if they contributed a lot, they could stay. So, I'm safe. It's nice to take a break for once. I'm usually the one doing the reporting, so it's their turn this time.

It's exhausting to talk in front, especially when the class isn't paying attention. You put effort into the report, and they don't listen. Fine, don't expect to answer anything in the quizzes. Our teacher always has surprises, so our brains are always in for a shock.

"Are you ready for the reporting?" our teacher asked as soon as she entered the classroom. She's our first period sub every Monday.

Every week, there's a report. But we're used to it since she's been our teacher since the first semester. She says we're her favorite, but really, it's her niece, our classmate, who's her actual favorite.

"Yes, ma'am!" we all answered.

"Group 2 will go first. Head to the front so we can finish quickly."

"Shit," my seatmate Lyra muttered. She's in Group 2. I chuckled quietly, knowing we wouldn't hear much from her.

For some reason, her voice gets so quiet when she reports. But when she's gossiping, it's so loud.

"Good luck," Nathalie, Amber, and I said in unison. Lyra headed to the front with her group, and they started. But before they began, they greeted us with a "Good morning," which is the most important thing to do before starting a report.

They even added some freestyle. I listened to their report while taking notes because I knew our teacher would spring another surprise. She always says it's a short quiz, but we end up using a whole sheet of paper, front and back, all answers being essays.

"And that's our report for today. Thank you for listening," said the leader of Group 2. We all clapped, even though I knew some weren't really paying attention. They're just going with the flow.

"Okay, Group 4 next."

"Oh no, ma'am!" Nathalie yelled, making the class laugh because of her reaction. She's scared too, but her voice is strong when she's at the front.

"Proceed to the front, Nathalie," our teacher said with a smile. Nathalie pouted and sluggishly walked to the front. I resumed taking notes, just like Amber beside me.

After everyone was done with their reports, I knew it-our teacher gave us a quiz. She said it was short, but it was 60 items. Thankfully, she didn't require a full sheet of paper this time. Just lengthwise, twice. We breathed a sigh of relief because the quiz was easy.

It was a quiz we had already done in the previous weeks. The topics from today's reporting are for the exam next week. Thankfully.

"How many did you get?" Amber asked after we submitted our checked papers to our teacher. My head was hurting from whoever corrected my paper. It was such a mess, ugh!

"55," I said, scowling. I couldn't move on from whoever checked my paper. They even wrote, "Corrected by your classmate!" Ugh, I know we're classmates! The humor of my classmates is annoying sometimes.

"34," said Lyra.

"30!" Nathalie said cheerfully. Well, at least she passed.

"And you?" Lyra asked Amber.

"57."

"Wow!" we all exclaimed and clapped.

"Let's go eat. That quiz made me hungry," Lyra said. We all agreed and headed out. When we reached the gate, the guard wouldn't let us out and even scolded us for trying to leave early for lunch. What's his problem?! It's 10:49, almost 11!

We're hungry! Why does the guard get to decide when we eat? What if we die from hunger? "Come on, it's just right there," Nathalie pleaded.

"You kids, go back to your classroom. Your teacher might be there already."

"Our class is done for the morning," I said, clasping my hands together, also pleading. Our stomachs were really growling. There's a new security guard on duty, so he doesn't know that we usually leave early to buy food.

"You won't sway me-" He didn't finish because a man suddenly appeared in front of us.

I immediately caught a whiff of his cologne. I blinked, seeing how big he was. If I only reach the guard's shoulder, I barely reach this guy's chest. He's so tall!

"Let them go, they're hungry," the man said coldly and firmly. I peeked at the guard since I couldn't see him past this huge guy in front of us. I saw the guard gulp while looking up at the man. Who wouldn't? This guy's like 6'4", and his body is huge, like a regular at the gym!

"By the way, this is my driver-slash-bodyguard," I said with a smile, still peeking from behind him, holding onto his firm arm. The guard looked back at me as I peered out from behind my stalker bodyguard.

"Alright, you may go," the guard finally said. We were able to leave and buy food, thanks to my stalker bodyguard.