Mt. Enigma

Chapter 8

Chaleigh heard the whispers of the passengers inside the ship. Others have not yet recovered from the shock of what happened. 

By now their group is gathering at their spot. Yvaine was currently rubbing Vyze's shoulder to ease her trauma. She was sitting on the right side and Zaliyah, who sighing, sitting on the left side. Vyze sitting on between them and Mamo sitting across from them. 

There was only a table in between and Bax sitting next to Mamo on the arm panel of the couch.

They just face each other in silence—both thinking. 

She's standing next to Wynce and Nivo. She even noticed Nivo rubbing his neck as if stressed by what was happening. 

Colthen also just bent over sitting next to Vynx at the very end of the couch where Mamo was also sitting. Vynx was sitting on the side before Colthen. 

When she saw Vynx who was quiet and seemed to be thinking, she looked at what she was holding. That is bottled water that Mamo ordered her to bought for Vynx.

"Why haven't they touched the dead man's underneath yet?" Zaliyah suddenly asked and looked at Vynx.

"He couldn't be move, especially since he's dead." Mamo answered. "The police can investigate him first when the ship docks," he explained and she once again terrified. Because the situation of the man who died is still etched in her mind. 

She slowly walked around behind Yvaine to head towards Vynx.

"The police will go through a lot of processes to find out what really happened, Nhie," Nivo added and looked at Zaliyah. "Especially the finger print, who touched him."

She had reached Vynx's side when she heard what Nivo said. Zaliyah also looked at her boyfriend with a worried face. "H-How is that? You touched him too."

"That's not a case. That's not valid," he answered and that wasn't enough to remove the trace of concern from Zaliyah's face. 

She simply handed the cold bottled water to Vynx. He looked up at her before he touched the bottled water in her hand.

"Are you sure?" Zaliyah asked, still rubbing her palm on her pants.

"That's not it," Bax interjected. "I think they will take a finger print from the knife," he predicted. 

They obviously don't know anything about the proper invitation process so what they say is just guesswork.

"Did you touched the knife?" Colthen turned to Vynx. Vynx shook his head.

"Not even once was I given a chance to grab it," he replied and opened the bottled water. 

Everyone watching him drinking water. She also couldn't guess what Vyze thinking as she stared at her brother while wiping his mouth. 

Vyze eyes are swollen from crying and those are still flowing with tears. Traces of anger and fear clashed in her reaction. 

Angry that she couldn't quite tell if it was about the man attacking Vynx. Because if that's the reason, everyone knows that it wasn't Vynx's fault either. As for fear, it's normal for anyone to be afraid if their brother's life is in danger.

"It's good that you didn't touch the handle of it," Mamo said. He looked at him and can also be seen with concern. 

Of all of them, He is really the one that should be more dependent on them because it was his cargo, especially when it comes to disaster. "Because just in case, there will be a possibility that the police will suspect you. Even if we say that you are still the victim. It's a different when it comes to murder—"

"I didn't kill him, Mamo," Vynx retorted.

Mamo looked at him. "I didn't say anything like that, Vynx," he clarified. "I just mean that even if you are the victim if you are the one who killed it is not valid for you to stay out of jail."

She worried that Vynx would feel because of Mamo's words so she forced herself to speak, "Just in case...he touched it, Mamo." She looked down at Vynx for a moment. Because she's currently standing next to him. "I saw the whole things happened, he was just avoiding the knife to defend himself," she continued and looked at her companions. "I'm still willing to speak to prove it."

"Chaleigh is right," Wynce suddenly spoke. "Vynx only did defense, I saw it too. He was protecting his life and his sister's life earlier. If he touches it, he still has a reason."

Some of them nodded. Vynx still has a loophole but what she saw earlier fighting in the end were Wynce and Nivo. "Why Vynx? Wynce was the last man to fight before he fell down there?" Yvaine asked, as if they were thinking the same thing.

Mamo raised his back from his seat and looked straight at Yvaine. "I'm referring to the knife buried underneath. Maybe, the police might think someone put it there," he clarified.

"I kicked it, Mamo," Vynx replied. "I did that to keep the knife away from the man but my kick went in the wrong direction so it fell down there." 

When he told about the knife, Vyze bent down and cried again. That's how Yvaine and Zaliyah caressed her back. Because of what happened, Vyze was the most affected—she was the one that almost died. If she didn't lift by Vynx and Bax, he must have been the one that got stabbed below.

"I don't know why were you always outside earlier," she cried and scolded her brother when she looked up. 

Her eyes were wet with tears as she can't stop crying. "Who did you fight with and get to that point?"

Vynx's facial expression changed after receiving such a question from his twin sister. "I didn't fight anyone, Vyze!" His voice rose to reason. "Do I look belligerent?"

The others were also shaken by Vynx's reaction. "Then why did something like that happen? Why did the man want to hurt you?" Vyze's voice also rose and she spat on the floor. When these two actually talk, it's impossible for the way of talking happen calmly.

"I don't know! I don't even know him!" the brother's answer was annoyed and his forehead furrowed. 

"You don't understand the people thought, do we all know that you are not careful with your looks! Maybe later you looked at his wife or his daughter. Then he got angry, rushed at you!" he was surprised by what Vyze said. He didn't think that this scenario was what playing in her mind.

"What?! Are you saying I'm a womanizer?!" You can see the surprise in Vynx's eyes as he yelling at Vyze. 

Vyze suddenly rose her feet. "Why? Isn't it not true?" 

She looked around and noticed people watching them. Mamo signaled the twins to calm down.

"Don't mess around here. Sit down, Vyze!" Mamo ordered Vyze.

"No!" Vynx stood up and his eyes were still glaring at Vyze. "And which woman am I looking at here? You even mentioned the wife—seriously?"

"You son of a bitch! Vynx, sit down! Stop it! You're embarrassing!" Mamo scolded them and hit them with a fan. "Sit down!" he ordered Vynx who are keep a sharp eye on Vyze while Mamo hitting him the fan on the shoulder. 

Colthen couldn't rose his feet because of what Mamo did. "You, sit down!" He also pointed at Vyze with a fan and fanned her face but Vyze did not blink even a second. She keep staring intently at her brother.

"Why not?" Vyze is still wheezing. "Yes, you're just quiet! It's like you're feeling cold, looking cool! It's like you're a handsome introvert! But inside you have a desire too!" 

Vyze even pointed at Vynx's chest and the man looked at himself unbelievably. His eyes widening at what his twin sister was saying. 

Vyze, on the other hand, moving back and forth due to Yvaine and Zaliyah pulling her. "And I'm sure that man..." She pointed further. "He noticed you! That's why he rushed and want to kill you!"

"And really—" Mamo and Colthen were quick to catch Vynx when he was about to reach his twin sister. Mamo even screamed out of surprise.

"Calm down, Dude! Calm down!" Colthen pleaded him and patted him on the shoulder while holding him by the arm.

"You're really losing your mind, aren't you? After what happened, you're going to blame me and create a story like this?" Vynx yelled back to Vyze.

"So how can you explain what happened, anyway?" Vyze's challenge.

"And because I don't know the reason, you made up the reason in your mind? You don't know what you're saying Vyze, so please stop!" 

Once again, Vyze's face could not be painted due to crying. "And why? What's the reason? What did you do?" Her question as she cried again. 

Chaleigh was almost carried away by the way Vyze cried, she felt both pity and a trace of fear.

"Nothing! I didn't do anything! I just wanted to hang out on the deck. Did I know there's a man over there with a knife and I'm the one he wants to hurt? No!" Vyze is really the only one who can made Vynx to speak directly especially when they are fighting.

Vyze remained silent, wiping away tears in annoyance. 

"We both know nothing about—"

"Don't you know what I was feeling earlier?" Wynce stopped talking when Vyze spoke again and poked her chest. "Vynx, I'm so scared!" she admitted and Vynx bowed his head.

Colthen let go of his arms when he was sure that he would not rush at his twin sister again. "Until now I'm afraid," added Vyze while crying. "I don't want to get out of my mind, what if you got stabbed? What if I found you were gone? Or what if I fell there?" She pointed out the direction of the deck. "Do you get it? I'm afraid of dying! I'm afraid about you! I'm afraid of losing you! If you're gone, what about me?"

Because of the emotion she sees in Vyze, she almost carries her feelings. Vyze still wailing and Vynx couldn't speak anymore. 

She gripped the arm panel of the couch tightly and she didn't realize that her tears were falling too. 

In the short time that she was with these two, she always witnessed them fighting. Now she witnessed how they value each other. 

Vyze said it right inside the comfort room of the terminal in Batangas port. If only one of them perishes, the other will be restless.

"Water..." Vyze immediately took the water that Yvaine gave her. The trauma it suffered because of what happened was too much. 

She noticed Vynx moving, all of their eyes followed him as he turned and approached his twin sister. Zaliyah automatically stepped aside to let him pass.

"Oh, I can't stand this feeling," said Mamo, clutching his chest. He turned around when he saw Vynx hugging Vyze.

Like Mamo, she couldn't handle the emotions brought by the two. Her tears fell even more as she chuckled fakely. Even Yvaine and Zaliyah were emotional about what was happening.

"I'm scared," they heard Vyze say as he fell on Vynx's chest. The man rubs her back. Maybe, Vynx just wants to make his twin sister feel that even though he often doesn't agree with her, he is always by her side.

"Shh! It's okay, that won't happen again," Vynx said whispering.

"Yey! They are now friends," Yvaine joked and then laughed.

"The drama feels?" Mamo laughed.

They were in that situation when she looked in front—behind Yvaine. She saw a man wearing a black T-shirt and a hat watching the twins. Her chest pounded when she saw the tattoo on his arm. It is not different from the dead man's tattoo; triangular shape and has a red rosary at its base.

"H-He has a tattoo," she whispered, full of dread.