FLAW: FORTY-EIGHT

**MAICA POV**

We were sitting in the living room with Trisha and Sky, watching a Netflix movie on our TV. Alex was not home, according to mom, and she didn't know where he went. Trisha also shared with us how she became interested in the girl found dead in the bathroom earlier. She told us about the gray halo she saw around that girl.

"About the gray halo, do you know what that means?" I asked Trisha, who was attentively watching the TV.

She shook her head. "I've searched the internet, but there's no definite answer. I found some information, but it's too irrelevant to the victim."

"What does it say?" Now, Sky was asking again.

"According to the so-called Aura Reader Expert, a gray halo symbolizes sleep deprivation."

"Irrelevant," I agreed.

"You said it. What's the connection between being sleep-deprived and the death of that girl? Did she die because she couldn't sleep well?" Trisha complained, which I concurred with. The sound of a car door caught our ears. It means Alex was here, and speaking of him, there he was.

"Oh, Alex!" I called out to him, and he noticed right away. He didn't look surprised, which was kind of strange. He should be surprised that we're already home when we should still be in class.

"Where did you come from?" Sky asked. Suddenly, the atmosphere inside the room became tense. It felt like there was building tension or something that changed the mood in the living room.

"I went to the mall," he replied, but there was something wrong with him. I looked at Trisha, who seemed to be closely reading Alex's aura.

"What did you do there?" Sky asked again.

"I just cooled off and strolled around," Alex answered. I thought Sky would ask more questions, but I didn't hear him ask anything else. He was probably satisfied with Alex's answer. But I think Trisha caught something. "I'll change my clothes."

"Just get back here when you're finished. We have something to talk about," Sky suddenly said, and I heard Alex continue walking. I heard the door of his room shut, silencing us.

"He's lying," Trisha declared, breaking the silence among us.

"About what?" I asked in surprise and grabbed a sandwich from the table.

"About going to the mall and the rest," Trisha replied. If he was lying, then he was hiding something. But what?

We heard the door of Alex's room open, so we returned to watching before he learned that we were talking about him. Alex sat beside Sky, and we resumed watching. I thought Sky was going to say something, but not a word came out of his mouth. So, I decided to break the awkward silence between them.

"Did you know, Alex, that Trisha acquired an ability?" I informed him, getting his attention.

"Really?" Alex responded in surprise.

"Yes. She can read people's aura, whether they are angry, sad, or ly—"

"Lying," Sky interjected, causing the tension from earlier to almost disappear. "She can tell you're lying, Alex," Sky added. Alex dropped his head as if he was defeated by the sudden truth.

"I... uhh... I'm sorry... if I lied," Alex apologized sadly, still keeping his head down.

"It's okay, Alex. We know you're going through a tough time right now. But you shouldn't lie to us. We're friends here."

"More like a family. And family don't lie to each other," I added to Trisha.

"I just don't want to involve you in my problems," he replied, and I could sense that he was about to cry. I noticed his hand clenched into a fist.

"You don't have to fight this alone, Alex. We're here for you, ready to help you," Trisha said.

"Don't you hear me? I don't want to involve you in my problems. I don't want any of you, neither your help nor anything. I just want to—" and he broke down. We noticed the tears streaming down his face and the sniffles. I saw mom coming from the bedroom hallway, and she, too, was surprised to see Alex crying. "I just want to protect you all. Even if I'm the reason for the danger you might face, at least I protected you."

I noticed Mom approaching Alex. She sat beside him and comforted him by patting his back. "Alex, you seem to forget that a family fights together. If one member is fighting, the rest should help, whether it's impossible to win or not," Mom stated. I never saw Mom being like this for anyone before, except for me. It seemed she considered Alex as her own child, and I'm glad.

******

**ALEX POV**

Being comforted by someone who wasn't related to you by blood was too pleasing. I knew it was not my first time, but every time Tita comforted me, it felt as if I were experiencing it for the first time.

"Sorry to disturb you, Tita, but I must ask you something," Trisha suddenly said, diverting all of our attention to her.

"What is it, Trisha?" Tita asked.

"Are you sleeping well recently?" Trisha asked, leaving all of us confused. We wondered why that was her question.

"Well, after having the sleep paralysis..." Hearing the words "sleep paralysis" caught my attention. My eyes widened as I looked at Tita. The master list came to my mind, so I quickly grabbed my phone from my pocket.

"Wait, Tita, did you say sleep paralysis?" I anxiously asked while searching for Tita in the master list. I finally reached the "C" list and was dumbfounded when I saw her name on it.

"Yes."

"What is it, Alex?" Maica asked, her worried gaze fixed on me. Maybe it's time for them to know the truth.

"I lied about going to the mall. I actually went to the school, the Enigma Club, to be exact—"

"What did you do there?" Trisha asked emotionlessly. I explained to them what happened, about my plans, and the mass sleep paralysis incident.

"So, you're telling us that this mass sleep paralysis was caused by some evil entity?" Maica confirmed, to which I responded with a nod.

"It all makes sense now. The gray halo," the gray what? "the painting. Now, it all makes sense!" Trisha exclaimed, as if she had figured out something that only she knew.

"Wait. What's this gray halo that Trisha is talking about?" I asked, squinting my eyebrows to give them a confused look.

"Didn't you hear me earlier? Trisha recently acquired the aura reading ability. She can see people's aura through the halo above a person's head." My eyes widened in surprise upon hearing Maica's statement. I knew she told me about it earlier, but now I processed the information, and it was shocking.

"That's how we knew that you were lying earlier. Trisha read your aura," Sky added.

"That's why I asked Tita if she sleeps well. She has the gray halo, and based on what I searched, the gray halo represents sleep deprivation," Trisha explained. I was left speechless after learning about Trisha's newly found ability. First, it was Maica, and now her. Who's next, Tita?

"Is it true, Ma? You saw Incubus?" Maica asked her mother anxiously.

"I think so. I thought it was just my head playing tricks on me, but when Alex mentioned the other victims, then maybe it's real."

"Trisha? You told us earlier about this mysterious object that pierced Angelie's wrists and shoulders. Can you describe it?" Sky inquired.

"Well, based on what I remember, it's black and glossy. It's not a knife, but it somehow resembled stone flints. You know, the black stones that were used by ancient people to make tools and weapons?" she informed. The rest of us listened while mostly wondering about those things. It's not a knife, but it could cut through skin, nor a stone, but it looked like one.

"We can assume that those things are from the so-called Incubus. Now the question is, what is his motive?" Maica asked.

"Incubus is an evil spirit, so questioning his evil intention is not necessary," Trisha stated.

"I know his intention is bad. What I'm pointing out is, why did he kill that Angelie girl?" Maica asked again.

"Self-satisfaction?" I suggested, which was actually a dumb suggestion.

"His motive is not our concern here; all we know is that he did something bad and will do something bad," Trisha stated, which we all agreed with. We were suddenly surprised when the lights flickered off. All of us were confused about what was happening. My phone vibrated, and I found out that Dao was calling me.

I answered his call and tried to talk to him even in this creepy situation we were in right now. "Hello?"

"Alex? There's an energy shift located exactly at your house. Maybe he's after Mrs. Cristavilla!" Upon hearing what Dao said, my eyes widened in shock. I looked at Tita, and she was staring in pure shock and fear at the kitchen. I glanced there but saw nothing.

"H-He's here," Trisha mumbled while staring in the same direction as Tita. "Incubus is here."

"Stay close to me!" I yelled, and they followed. I instantly conjured a force field, hoping that it would protect us from Incubus. The lights kept blinking as if we were inside a horror house, and this time, it was true horror.

"Where is he, Trisha?" Sky calmly asked.

"He's standing in the kitchen. His skin is pitch black, and the only clear thing I see is his two red eyes. I can sense his anger and his intent to kill..." she looked at Tita, whom we were also looking at. Tita was still in a state of shock, unable to move or take her eyes off something she had been staring at. "...to kill Tita," Trisha continued, making Maica gasp in shock. She instantly went to her mother and held her as if she were protecting her.

"He's gone!" Trisha exclaimed. We all looked around the entire house, hoping to find him even though Sky and I knew that only Tita and Trisha could see this monster.

"Where is he, Trisha?" I asked, but Trisha just kept moving her head, looking for Incubus.

"I don't know! I can't see him!"

Trisha angrily replied. I could literally feel fear right now, not just me, but everyone in this house.

"Ma!" Maica suddenly screamed, causing us to look at them. I saw Tita collapse when she lost consciousness. When I saw her, I couldn't help but feel scared and anxious. Maica tried to wake her mother, but there was no response. Sky knelt beside Tita and checked her carotid pulse.

"She's fine. She's just unconscious." We all breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Tita was still alive. I also noticed that the lights had stabilized. I looked at Trisha, who was still scanning for Incubus.

"What now?" I asked, getting her attention.

"I can't see him anymore. Maybe he's gone," she said, bringing relief to me.

"Umm… I don't know what to say about your new ability. Should I say congrats or sorry?"

Trisha let out a chuckle and then patted my shoulder. "I don't know either. At first, I'm grateful, but now I feel pressured. Knowing someone's secrets and hidden emotions is just too much for me," she remarked, and I comforted her by patting her back.

"By the way, how come only you can see Incubus? I thought you only just have an aura reading ability?" I asked.

"Because that's not her true ability," Sky interjected, and we looked at him.

"What do you mean, Sky?" Trisha asked in surprise.

"You're a clairvoyant, Trisha."