“Ugh! I AM PUSHING, Mother!”

“Well, obviously it’s NOT HARD ENOUGH!”

“…”

“Alright, let’s do that one more time. Now PUSH!”

“Ugh!”

“PUSH!”

“Ugh! 221;

“PUSH!!”

“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Uuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggghhh!!!”

A bump and a screech resonated within a newly rented two-bedroom apartment. Amidst the surrounding clouds of dirt a woman in her mid thirties dusted off her palms. Then she placed them upon her hips and flashed a triumphant grin at her daughter. “See? Didn’t I tell you all it needed was a little push?” The ‘it’ she was referring to was a dirty white sofa that was outside fifteen minutes ago and now situated cozily within the living area of the apartment.

The young girl let herself fall against the softness of the sofa. She was panting heavily, obviously tired from that recent workout. “A little push?” She lifted an eyebrow at her mother, peering at her incredulously.

“Okay, so maybe it needed more than a little push.” The older woman rubbed the back of her head and chuckled sheepishly.

The young girl just sighed and shook her head in exasperation. “Meine Güte…” She wasn’t cut out for all of this physical workout.

Then, as her mother plopped onto the sofa, she saw, for the umpteenth time, just how different she was from her.

Her mother, Lalaine Gersten, was a beautiful woman who had short, flaming red hair, emerald eyes, flawless skin, and a perfect figure to boot. And on top of that, she had a cheerful and charming personality.

And what of me? the girl thought as she looked down her own figure. She wasn’t fat though, nor was she too thin. She simply didn’t have a body that could stand as proof that she was her mother’s daughter. Not only that, she had strange pale blue hair that wasn’t normal even for Germans. The only body parts she felt most comfortable with were her eyes—bright, lustrous, and emerald green. Too bad they were hidden behind eyeglasses.

Her personality was also something left to be said. Although she was naturally kind and polite, she was always silent. Back in Munich, she often read books and wrote stories rather than mingle with her classmates, and if she ever did, it was only with her two closest friends. She figured it would also be the same here in Manila, minus Leon and Anne, of course.

The gentle snapping of fingers in front of her face woke her out of her reverie.

“Yo! Are you okay, Mädchen?”

Mädchen. That is her mother’s pet name for her. Although it embarrassed Delaine sometimes to be called that way, especially in public, she is honestly fond of it. It reminded her of her father who was the first one to call her that way.

She smiled slightly at her mother. “I’m fine. Just a bit tired, that’s all.”

“My fault, Mädchen,” Her mother looked at her apologetically. “I forgot Manila’s a day before Germany. Maybe we should have waited until tomorrow…”

The young girl shook her head in reply. “It’s fine, Mother. We just can’t let these new furniture rot outside, can we?”

Her mother smiled and nodded. “That’s right! At least we got the basic stuff like this sofa, that dining table, a bunch of chairs, the TV, our clothes…”

“…food…”

“Yeah, food, and…” The older woman gasped. “FOOD!” She got up suddenly and faced her daughter, eyes wide. “We need food!”

The girl blinked in surprise. “Of course we do. It’s a basic neces—“

Her mother shook her head vigorously. “No, that’s not what I meant! We barely have any tonight!” She started to walk towards the kitchen. “Could you be a dear and buy some from the grocery?” Delaine caught her mother’s hand and smiled up at her. “Instead of cooking and making ourselves even more tired, why don’t we just go to a restaurant and have our dinner there?”

The older woman found herself nodding and smiling back. “Hrm, that’s not a bad idea.” She rubbed her chin excitedly. “That way, I get to practice my Filipino. Magundung umag!” She held out her hand as if to shake.

The girl sweatdropped. “Erm, Mother, it’s ‘Magandang umaga’. Besides, it’s evening already so you say ‘Magandang gabi’ instead.”

“Oh really? Well, I’ve got a long time to learn anyways. So, let’s get ourselves ready, shall we?”

An hour later, the mother and daughter duo found themselves in front of a rather upscale restaurant.

“We didn’t have to go here, you know. An ordinary restaurant would do.”

“Well Mädchen, I wanted our first dinner here in Manila to be great! Now come on, enough dilly-dallying, fine dining awaits!” She caught her daughter’s hand and pulled her inside.

The maitre d’ greeted them with a smile. “Table for two?” he asked, and was answered by a nod.

As they made their way to a table, Delaine took her time to survey the place. It was indeed, an upscale restaurant—the area was brightly-lit by expensive-looking chandeliers, filled with tables adorned with expensive-looking table clothes and silverware, as well as beautifully-carved chairs. The diners, a mix of foreigners and Filipinos, also looked very much adorned.

Moments later, they were finally seated and were now placing their orders.

“I will have the New York Strip Steak,” Delaine said to the waiter.

“Porterhouse for me,” her mother added.

The waiter nodded. “And your beverages?”

“Lemonade.”

“A glass of red wine, please.”

“Very well. I will be back with your orders, Mesdames.”

As the waiter left, Delaine looked back at her mother. “I’ll just head over to the washroom, okay?”

Her mother placed her elbows upon the table and leaned her chin against the back of her hands. “Sure thing.”

The young girl got up and made her way towards her destination. It didn’t take her long to wash her hands and straighten out her shoulder length hair, and thus got out of the washroom in a short time. As she was making her way back, she spotted what looked like a young ruffian standing in front of their table.

“Meine Güte, here we go again,” She said to herself, rolling her eyes. In the past, her mother always had men, both young and old, hitting on her. And it was Delaine who always had to deal with them. Talk about role reversal.

She slipped herself in between the boy and the table, narrowing her eyes. “And just what do you think you’re doing?” She said in a flat tone.

Normally, men would either be surprised by her entrance, be intimidated by her piercing glare, or laugh at her until she literally kicked their sorry asses back to their own homes.

But this boy, to her own surprise, didn’t seem to notice her and just continued gazing at her mother. Either I’ve just turned invisible or he seriously has an interest in older women, she thought. Ick.

But that was where she was wrong. His gaze wasn’t that of lust or desire. Funny thing was, it was that of…surprise.

“Nay?”

Suddenly, the whole world fell silent.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

Delaine straightened herself up, and addressed the boy, this time making sure that she was in his line of vision. “Look, Mr. Whoever You Are, I’m sorry but I believe you’ve got the wrong person. That’s my mother you’re talking to!”

The young girl’s tactic worked, and the boy finally focused his attention on her. His face expressionless, he moved his mouth to speak. “You—“ Then he stopped abruptly, and the look on his face changed into one of alarm. “LOOK OUT!” He shouted, pulling both Delaine and her mother onto the floor.

“What are you do—“

A loud crash sounded across the restaurant. Shards of glass went flying everywhere, startling the diners into running for their lives. What was even more frightening still was that a creature was standing over the Gerstens’ table. It was over six feet tall with thick, demonlike wings that sprouted from its back. Its tongue hung over its mouth, and saliva dripped from it. In other words, it was a very, very hideous and disgusting creature.

Delaine crawled over to her mother, who was currently propped upon the wall nearby. “Mother! Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine, Mädchen. And you?”

The young girl nodded reassuringly. Then she turned towards the creature. “Meine Güte!!! What is that?!”

“A gargoyle, of course.” Said a low voice. Delaine looked up to see the boy from earlier standing above them. Then he knelt down on one knee. “You guys okay?” He asked.

Lalaine nodded. “We’re alright, thank you.”

“A gargoyle?!?”

“What? Haven’t heard of one before?” The boy looked over at Delaine.

“I have…it’s just that I thought they weren’t real….” Delaine stared over at the creature, which was now corning its potential preys. “And it’s going to eat that father and son if we don’t do something right away!!!”

“Oh, they’re real, Munchkin. Definitely real.” He stood up and took a few steps forward. Then, with a swing of his arm, a sword suddenly appeared in his hand. And it wasn’t just an ordinary sword, like the one she saw in movies, but rather it was a sword that seemed to be made out of…

“…light...” Delaine breathed incredulously.

It was during this time that Delaine actually got a good look at him. This boy possessed strangely purple eyes that had depth in maturity. His equally dark brown hair was cut short, and somewhat unruly. He had on a trenchcoat, white with black lines that went across the seams. A black and white bow connected the ends of the trenchcoat together. It was a bit out of place, but she had to admit that it looked good on him. A bit sexy even…okay stop that thought. She thought to herself, shaking her head feverishly.

On the other side, the gargoyle was at least smart enough to notice the glow coming from the boy. It turned and faced him, then let out a booming laugh. “Now THIS is an even more delicious meal!!! Raaarrrggghhhh!!!!” The gargoyle then charged at him.

“Sorry buster, but it’s about time you went on a diet.” He swung, his sword hitting the gargoyle squarely upon its chest. The creature would howl in pain and blindly swipe its claws at him, but each time he dodged successfully and at times returned a blow at it with his sword.

Through it all, Delaine thought he looked…

“…COOL!!!” Her mother exclaimed, her eyes twinkling.

“Mother! He’s not even half your age!!!”

Her mother blinked. “What are you talking about? I’m not saying anything about—“ Then she gasped and placed a hand upon her lips, looking at her daughter in mock disbelief. “Could it be…that you actually like this guy already? Oh my little Mädchen is finally growing up!!!” She hugged her daughter fiercely. “Or should I say, Munchkin?” She winked mischievously.

Delaine blushed furiously. “Mother!!! I barely know him!!! And---“

“What are you two doing?!” The boy called to them. “Get out of here right now!!!”

Thinking that he was right, Delaine immediately grabbed ahold of her mother’s hand and pulled her mother and herself out of that spot.

But the gargoyle, although injured, immediately flew towards the mother and daughter, blocking them from the exit.

“I won’t let my food get away!!!” it roared and dove at them.

Delaine felt herself being pressed against her mother’s chest, and closed her eyes waiting for death to come…

But it didn’t. Instead a loud roar shook the whole restaurant, causing its walls to crumble down.

The young girl opened one eye to see what just happened, and gasped at what she saw. The boy stood in front of them, the glowing sword upon his hand now embedded against the creature’s abdomen.

He smirked up at it. “Tsk, tsk. Didn’t I just tell you to go on a diet?” Then, he lifted up his left hand, palms open towards it. “BE GONE!!!” As soon as he uttered the words, the creature let out one last howl and then disintegrated.

A brief silence ensued as Delaine and her mother stared up at the boy in awe. The sound of the sword retracting then followed, and he turned around to face them.

“WWWWOOOOWWWW!!!!” The older woman exclaimed, stars twinkling in her eyes as she leaned close to him. He was taken aback and blushed immensely. But he recovered himself and placed his index finger upon her forehead. “Sorry, I thought you were her.” Then she slipped into unconsciousness.

Delaine gasped, holding out her arms to catch her mother. “What did you do to her?!?!” She demanded angrily.

The boy sighed and held out a hand. “Relax, Munchkin. Your mother was getting a bit too excited. Besides, you guys aren’t supposed to remember what happened.” He smirked, and snapped his fingers. At this, the restaurant suddenly returned to normal—the tables and chairs rearranged, the broken windows are fixed, and even the diners were back at their designated places.

It was then that Delaine understood. She nodded at him. “I see.” She closed her eyes and lifted her head up for him.

“Thank you for understanding.” He then held out his finger. But before it touched her forehead, she opened her eyes. “Wait. May I ask you a question?”

He tilted his head questioningly. “What is it?”

“What’s your name?”

The boy blinked, not expecting that. But then a smile broke out on his lips. Unlike the smirk he did before, this smile was gentle and beautiful, making his demeanor seem…angelic.

He leaned over and whispered to her ear. “Joshua.”

Then the world became black for a second, and when she opened her eyes she found herself back at the dining table, slicing her New York Strip Steak.

“Mädchen?”

Delaine looked up at her mother. “Yes?”

“Don’t you like your food?”

For the first time, she found herself stammering. “I-I do! I-it’s just that I…” The young girl bowed her head, and then stood up suddenly. “I’m sorry, Mother, I have to go.”

“Go where? Delaine!!!”

Delaine ran out of the restaurant and into the street. Though it was late, many people were still on the streets, but none were, or at least resembled, the blue-eyed boy she was searching for.

“I remember…” she breathed, looking up at the moon. “I remember everything.”