The 12th
Dîsciplê✍️
(His Royal Majesty)
Season_2
Episode 22
By: Faith Lucky
Danica
Where could mum possibly be? I wondered as I sat up on the be-d. The prince was sitting in front of me.
Was her hatred for me that much that she wouldn’t even want to see me in this condition? Goodness!
“My prince..” I called after a while.
“It’s getting pretty late. Don’t you think you should be on your way home?
“You….you shouldn’t be out here by this time, you know?”
He sighed and took his hand into mine.
“You know thats not possible, Danica. I brou-ght so much trouble to you by ma-king you go with me to the p@rty and I don’t think I’d be able to sleep at night, knowing you’re not fine. I should actually…..be asking for forgiveness”, he said calmly.
“plea-se, my prince….you don’t nee-d to feel bad about it. I’ll be fine. What happened wasn’t your fault”, I answered with a smile.
Oh! Thank goodness granny wasn’t in. It made talk freely with him.
“Your grandma doesn’t like me, huh?” He suddenly chuckled and pressed my hand a little.
I felt a skip in my heartbeat. Oh, my! I wonder what she must’ve said to him.
“I hope you don’t get scolded or punished later for this?” He added and I faked a smile.
“You don’t have to worry about me, my prince. I’ll be fine” I told him.
Tears nearly pricked my eyes when I recalled the fact we’d be leaving the city as soon as I’m out of the hospital. I’ll be losing everything.
As I stared at the prince with my hand in his, I suddenly felt pained with the fact I’d be leaving him, won’t be seeing him again.
I know it shouldn’t affect me, but I can’t explain it. I feel really affected.
“Get out of my way!” There was a harsh female voice from outside, followed by granny’s.
Huh? Who’s that?
*
*
Maya
Emma was waiting for me at the facade of the hospital by the time I’d arrived and she gave me the room number Danica was staying.
Williams was on his way alre-ady and had told me to wait till he gets there, but I couldn’t wait. I just nee-ded to l@ymy hands on Kim and know the truth.
clas-s=”stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter”>
Gettingto the floor leading to the room Emma had describe-d, I sp©tted someone familiar. Of course – Kim’s mother.
I don’t know where she was going or coming from, but she st©pped when she saw me
“Maya?” She called, her entire expression screaming surprise.
“Where’s Kim?” I asked angrily.
She was the first person I wanted to see at the moment.
“K….Kim? Why? Why are you looking for her? Is there a….”
“Yes, there’s a problem! I nee-d to know what she did with my daughter!” I snapped and her eyes dropped in shock.
“Your….your daughter? What’re you talking about?”
Ilooked at the room behind and confirmed it was the room Emma had describe-d to me. She should probably be there.
“Kim!” I called as I walked pas-s her mother and started towards
“Maya,,what’re you doing? St©p!” She c@m£ running after me and tried to hold me.
“Get out of my way! Let me go! Kim!” I f0rç£d my way from her and continued towards the door while she still tried to st©p me.
I was close to the door when it opened on its own, revea-ling Danica and – prince Nathan?
There was a stunned silence in the room as we stared at each other – Danica and I.
She stared at me with so much surprise and me, I stared at her, thinking if it was really possible she was my daughter.
“Granny?” She finally called, diverting her eyes to Kim’s mother behind me.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Maya” Hanuel suddenly t©uçhed my arm.
“plea-se, let’s talk outside”.
‘Is it true?” I sniffed, turned to her and asked.
“Is it true she’s my daughter and was switched with Bitna?” Tears glistened in my eyes.
There was silence.
“Talk to me, Hanuel – plea-se”. My voice cracked.
“Granny?” I heard Danica call from behind.
“What’s she….What’s she talking about?”
Hanuel was looking frustrated alre-ady.
“plea-se Maya, let’s talk outside. plea-se” she begged.
“I don’t want to talk outside, Hanuel. I want to talk in front of you and your crazy daughter so you can tell me the truth. Were the babies really switched?!” I rasped, but didn’t get a reply from her.
Oh God! She couldn’t even deny it. Could it be true? The babies were really switched?
My God! No.
Williams c@m£ rushing in immediately, accompanied by nurse Emma.
“Maya!” He called as he got to where I was.
“What’s going on?”
“She isn’t denying it, Williams. It’s possible it’s true. These monsters took my baby from me!” I cried out and Williams held my hand.
“What’sgoing on, Granny. I don’t un-derstand. What’s she talking about?” Danica asked,
her voice almost shaken.
“I don’t know what…..she’s talking about, Danica” Hanuel replied and I flin-ched.
“Are you kidding me?? Someone overheard you having a conversation with one of your evil daughter and you talked about switching the babies when they were born. How can you even deny it?” I growled.
“And what makes you think you were the one we were talking about? We have no business with….”
“So, you’re trying to say you’re referring to a different woman named Maya, who’s the biological mother of Danica?” I snapped in and she lost. She kept her mouth shut.
“Granny…” Danica called.
“plea-se,,talk to me. I’m…I’m getting confused. I was switched?”
“I had nothing to do with it” Hanuel suddenly bur-st into tears.
“It was Kim. She did everything. I swear, I didn’t know about it until tonight”.
Oh my God!
Tears spilled from my eyes as I turned to hvg Williams for solace.
The monsters kept my daughter away from me! Bitna wasn’t my child. Goodness! It was all true.
“Granny?” I heard Danica call tearfully.
“What’re you tal-king about? It isnt true, is it?”
“I’m sorry”, was Hanuel’s tearful reply.
“But this doesn’t make s-en-se. Why would Kim switch the babies in the first place?” Williams asked angrily.
I swear, I was going to make her pay. I’ll kill that demon of a woman. I’ll make her pay.
Oh God!
My heart melted more as I wept bitterly. How could she do such a thing to me? How? Probably, just to get back at me? What did I ever do to deserve this from her?
The next thing I heard were running footsteps and when I lifted my head from Williams’ che-st to have a look, I discovered it was Danica.
*
*
Danica
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, away from them, away from everyone.
My heart was racing so fast, the words resounded in my head.
“The babies were switched”.
What babies? How could that even happen?
I got out to the open floor of the building and busted into tears.
“Danica!” I heard the prince’s voice from behind, but didn’t turn to look at him.
My heart was aching heavily.
I was switched? Granny knows about it? She wasn’t my biological mother?
What are they talking about?
“Danica. plea-se, you shouldn’t be standing out here” the prince t©uçhed me from behind and immediately, without thinking, I turned around and buried my face in his che-st, hvgging him ti-ght.
“plea-se take me away from here” I whimpered on his shi-t, holding him ti-ght.
“Take me away from here, plea-se. I don’t want to be here. plea-se”,
“Danica….” He cooed and stro-ke my hair.
“You can’t leave the hospital. You’re still receiving treatment”,
“I don’t care. I just don’t want to be here, plea-se. Just take me to your house. I’ll be fine. plea-se….”
Season_2
Episode 23
By: Faith Lucky
Danica
I couldn’t let go of him; not even for one second. I just hvgged him ti-ght, weeping on his shi-t.
“plea-se….” I whimpered again.
“Just take me away from here. If you don’t, I’ll run away”.
He stro-ke my hair gently, not saying a word.
“Danica!” I heard my name and knew instantly it was grandma.
G©sh! Should I even be calling her grandma? We aren’t connected, right? According to them.
I lifted my head from the prince’s che-st to see her scuttling towards me.
“Danica! Danica” she p@n-ted heavily and I just watched tearfully without saying a word.
“Oh, goodness! I’m so sorry, Danica. plea-se, there’s so much to say. Let me explain…”
“You knew about this, granny”, I cut in tearfully.
“You knew about this, yet kept it from me”.
“Believe me,,Danica. I didn’t know until this evening. When the….When the doctor had demanded for a transfusion, I’d ordered to give him my blood, but he told me our blood didn’t match, neither did Kim’s. That was when I questioned Kim pri-vately and she had expo-sed everything to me -telling me of how she switched you and Bitna just to get back at your mother. I’m so sorry,Danica. plea-se, forgive me”. She whimpered.
I didn’t know what to believe or say, so I just turned my face from her, still weeping.
Shortly, Bitna’s parents c@m£ running towards us as well. Oh! Or should I say “my parents?”
“I…I don’t want to talk to anyone. I don’t wanna see anyone. plea-se” I gibbered and tried walking away, but granny held me back.
“Danica plea-se.,…”
“Let go of her!” Maya snapped and suddenly pushed granny’s hand away from mine.
There was anger in her eyes.
“Hey; we all nee-d to calm down” her husband ch!pped in.
“In as much as this could be true, we still nee-d to confirm. We nee-d to run a DNA on both kids”.
I looked at him.
“Is there even a nee-d for that?” Maya asked.
“You heard what they said….”
“Yes. Kim is known to be a liar. It’s possible she could lying about all these. The DNA can be done first thing in the morning. We nee-d Bitna and Kim pres£nt”.
“Well, until then, I don’t want to see this woman or her daughter anywhere around mine”.
“I’m leaving the hospital” I suddenly ch!pped in, taking a nervous gulp. I’m going with the prince”.
“What?”
“Danica,,you can’t” Granny said immediately.
“plea-se, don’t try to st©p me. As at this moment, I don’t even know who my family is. I don’t….I don’t know who to trust. I don’t know who’s lying to me. So, plea-se, I just nee-d to go elsewhere”.
“But you can’t leave the hospital. You’re still un-dergoing treatment” Maya said.
‘I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. plea-se”.
I turned to the prince and mutter:
“plea-se, let’s go”.
He stared at me, then nodded.
And without any word from them, we left.
*
*
Kim
I was almost at the gates of the palace when I suddenly st©pped and cogitated.
Mother’s words c@m£ ringing into my head:
“The day you tell anyone the truth about Danica being the 12th disciple, that very day, I’ll kill myself”.
I bit myl-ips in anger. That was when I was in jail and she had made me promise her I was going to keep my mouth shut – never to reveal the secret.
Oh! Damn. I hated it.
I fisted my hands on both sides and thought of it.
Maya – recalling all the pains and humiliation she made me pas-s throu-gh was eating me up. Bch framed me and went ahead to influence the judge so he’d give me a s£ntence that was about my crime – 18 years in jail.
No way; I was never going to forgive her – never. And I swear with my life, I’ll make her pay and make sure she loses her daughter – the same way she made me lose mine for eighteen years.
I turned back and headed home, taking a cab. And after a very long time, I arrived.
On getting to the house, I found two people outside, sitting on the floor.
Huh?
Christina?
I arched my brows and walked towards them and as soon as they sp©tted me, they stood up.
She was with her son – her grown up son – Leo.
“Christina?” I called.
“Ah! Finally, you’re home. What the hell happened, Kim? I’ve been sitting out here for hours now”. She grouse.
I discovered there were bags of clothes on the floor next to them.
Christina was my long time friend and I might say – best friend – before I was arrested.
“I was….I was busy. But is there a problem? Why’re you here?” I asked.
“Well um…you see” she paused and itched her head.
Her son was just staring wi-dely at me. Well, I knew him to be rude.
“Our rent expired, Kim. You know, I told you about it. And….Leo and I have nowhere to go – for the meantime. Could we just….squat with you? You know? For a few days, only. My brother in Manilla is alre-ady ma-king preparations for a house for us alre-ady and as soon he’s done, Leo and I are living the house – promise” she enthused.
Hold on..
Seriously??
I scoffed and itched my nape.
“Actually Christina, you know me, I’d love to help. But right now, my mother and I are having….”
“Oh! Kim, plea-se. Don’t push me away. We have nowhere else to go” she whinned.
Oh! Perfect.
I rolled my eyes and thought about it for a while.
“Fine” I mumbled and walked into the house and they followed.
*
*
Danica
I sat quietly on the couch, my eyes glued to the floor, unable to concentrate on the movie that pla-yed on the TV. The prince had pla-yed it, hoping it’d entertain me
But it wasn’t.
After a while, he showed up.
“Come on, Danica. Time to eat” he tilted his head.
I was silent for a while, my hand on my jaw before replying:
‘I’m not hungry”.
He sighed and sat next to me.
“I un-derstand how you feel. And I want you to know I’m de-eply sorry. Somehow, I feel this is all my fault”.
“My prince, plea-se….”,
I turned to look at him.
“You don’t have to blame yourself. You….You didn’t do anything wrong.
“If this didn’t happen, I probably wouldn’t have known I’ve been lied to for eighteen years”.
He exhaled de-eply.
“Fine! If you want me to have a peaceful mind, then come with me …you nee-d to eat”. He said, tempting me.
I didn’t want to, but his words were blackmailing my emotions.
I smiled lightly and stood up and he did same as well.
He held my hand and we were about walking away when I suddenly felt a pain trigger from the side of my tummy where I’d been sh0t.
“Ah!” I winced as I held my tummy.
“Danica…?” He skrie-ked and I fell on him.
Tbc