BIEL
Mabilis na lumipas ang araw kahapon at ngayon na kami ie-evalute ni Sir Aizawa. Nagpalit na kami into our P.E uniforms. Dalawang oras ang period ni Sir Aizawa ngayon kaya malamang matatapos ang page-evaluate.
Nagtungo na kami sa field kung saan magaganap ang evaluation. Binagalan ko ang paglalakad dahil ayoko munang makaharap si Trent. I think I'm being unfair towards him but I also can't ignore what Irene wants.
I was too busy thinking that I didn't notice I was already in the field. I heaved a sigh as I let my eyes wander around.
I guess I can't avoid this.
Nakita kong nakaupo sa isang silya si Sir Aizawa at may hawak-hawak na clipboard. May kung anoman siyang binabasa roon at maya maya'y humikab ito.
Still sleepy as ever.
Sa kaliwang banda ni Sir ay may mga grupo ng estudyante na nakaantabay at may isang tent sa gilid nila. Sila siguro ang in-charge na mga healer.
Halos lahat ay naririto na sa field. Namataan ko rin si Trent na nakaupo sa sahig sa 'di kalayuan. Pinalilibutan siya ng mga babae kong kaklase ngunit wala man lang kahit na anong emosyon sa mukha nito. Ni isa ay wala siyang tinatapunan ng tingin.
Hindi ko nga alam kung siya ba talaga 'yung nakakausap ko these past few days. Madaldal naman siya pagkasama ko pero parang iba ang pakikitungo niya ngayon. Parang bumalik siya sa Trent na nakilala ko 'nung una.
Cold and ruthless.
Our eyes met and I immediately avoided his gaze. Buti na lang at nakita ko si Samh na kumakaway sa akin. Nakaindian seat ito at napakalapad na naman ng ngiti. Nakita na naman niya ata si Aku. Nagtungo na ako sa direksiyon ni Samh at saktong pagtabi ko sa kaniya ay tumayo si Sir sa pagkakaupo.
"Let's start." Wika ni Sir Aizawa.
"Please sit beside your pair."
Napabuntong hininga ako. Ayokong tumabi kay Trent. Not that I hate him, I just really want to avoid another fight with Irene.
"Something's wrong?"
Nilingon ko si Samh at di ko namalayang kanina pa pala siya nakatingin sa akin. Mukhang nagaalala ito kaya tipid ko siyang nginitian at umiling.
Hindi na lang ako kumibo at nanatiling nakaupo sa pwesto ko. Maya maya'y naramdaman kong may tumabi sa gilid ko at gaya ko'y nagindian seat na rin.
"Hey" bati ni Trent.
Mabilis ko lang siyang tinapunan ng tingin at tumango bilang pagbati.
"First two pairs, please come forward."
Nakapako ang tingin ni Sir Aizawa sa kaniyang clipboard habang naghihintay kami sa mga sunod niyang sasabihin.
Sana kami na agad para tapos na. Kapag huli kasi ay mas nakakatense.
"Samh and Doan versus Irene and Clair"
Napa "ooh" ang lahat ng kaklase ko samntalang napangiwi na lang ako.
Halos lahat ng kaklase namin or should I say halos lahat ng ka-batch namin ay alam na mainit ang dugo ni Samh kay Irene dahil mainit ang dugo ni Irene sa akin. How ironic right?
Unang laban pa lang ito pero ang intense na agad.
Nawa'y hindi masyadong magwala si Samh. Ngayon pa lang ay halata na sa mukha niya na gustong gusto na niya manapak. Tumayo na ito at nagstretching bago taas noong naglakad papunta sa unahan.
Nagtungo na sila sa gitna ng field habang nakaindian seat kami at nanonood sa kanila.
Mukha namang kampante si Samh pero ang kasama niya ay mukhang kinakabahan. He's Doan if I'm not mistaken.
Irene on the other hand, is on her usual cold disposition while Clair, her partner has a smirk on plastered her face. She looks really confident.
Sa pagkakatanda ko ay isa si Clair sa mga followers ni Irene. Alipores daw ang tawag sa kanila sabi ni Samh.
Hanggang ngayon 'di ko pa rin alam ang meaning ng salitang alipores. It's kinda deep.
Nakita kong may binubulong si Samh sa ka-pair niya. Buti naman at mukhang may plano siya. Si Irene naman at ang ka-pair niya ay nanatili lang na nakatayo, naghihintay ng signal to start.
"You may start now." Sir said lazily.
Pagkatapos na pagkatapos magbigay hudyat ni Sir ay pumadyak si Samh, dahilan kaya't nagkabitak bitak ang lupa sa paligid nila ni Doan.
Hindi ko pa ring maiwasang mapahanga sa lakas niya. I always see her on fights but I still can't help to get fascinated with her tremendous strength.
"She's pretty strong." Wika ni Trent na mabilis ko lamang na tinanguhan.
Agad namang tumakbo si Samh papunta sa dalawang kalaban habang napako sa kinatatayuan si Doan at pinagpapawisan na ito.
Nagdalawang isip tuloy ako kung may plano ba talaga sila. Wala rin akong ideya kung para saan 'yung pagpadyak ni Samh.
Out of excitement I guess?
Samh stopped her tracks just when she was inches apart from the opponents. She raised her fist and Irene immediately made an ice barrier.
Nagulat ako nang ipinatama ni Samh ang kaniyang kamao sa sahig imbis sa barrier. Lumikha ito ng malakas na tunog at nagkabitak bitak ang lupa na lumikha ng mga pira-pirasong bato.
Binasag naman ni Samh ang ice barrier at agad itong gumuho.
Nakita kong ikinumpas ni Doan ang kaniyang kamay at sabay sabay na gumalaw ang mga bato na nagkabitak bitak dahil sa pagsuntok na ginawa ni Samh. Papunta ang mga ito sa direksyon ng kanilang kalaban. So he's ability is levitation.
Napansin kong hindi pinapalutang ni Doan ang mga batong nabitak dahil sa pagpadyak ni Samh. I wonder why?
While Irene was too occupied dodging the rocks, Samh immediately ran towards Clair's direction.
So Clair is her target? I expected that she'll attack Irene right away.
Since Clair was too busy avoiding the rocks flying towards her, she didn't notice Samh which caught her off-guard. Samh immediately grabbed her wrist and I was left in shock when she threw her in Doan's direction.
What the? Is she insane?!
Muli ko na namang narinig ang mga "ooh" sa mga kaklase ko pero this time, may halong sigaw at panic. Mukhang sila man ay hindi inaasahan ang nangyari.
Sa mga sandaling tumilapon si Clair sa ere ay umatake naman si Samh kay Irene at naglaban ang dalawa.
Sa kabilang banda, hindi na nagatubili pa si Doan at pinalutang ang mga bato na nagkabitak bitak dahil sa pagpadyak ni Samh.
The pieces of rocks hit Clair's body and I heard another "ooh" with "ouch" from my classmates.
That must've been hurt.
Nang mukhang walang malay na si Clair ay hinihingal na tumigil si Doan sa pagkumpas ng kaniyang mga kamay.
Ngunit mas nagulat kami sa mga sumunod na pangyayari.
Lumitaw ang isa pang Clair sa likuran ni Doan at sinipa siya nito dahilan upang tumalsik siya.
Sino 'yung Clair na nakahandusay sa sahig?!
Maya maya'y pinaligiran na ng sampung Clair si Doan. Halata ang gulat sa kaniyang mukha at mas lalo itong pinagpawisan ngayon.
Clair's ability must be creating clones.
Halata ang pagod sa mukha ni Doan ngunit wala siyang magawa kundi palutangin muli ang mga bato at pagalawin ito papunta sa mga Clair na ngayo'y sabay sabay na tumakbo papalapit sa kaniya. Mukhang walang katapusan ang laban nila.
Nabaling naman ang atensyon ko sa dalawang naglalaban sa kabilang banda.
Samh was throwing punches everywhere while Irene kept on dodging. Their fight seems to be endless too.
"A fight of endurance, I see." Dinig kong saad ni Trent na na nalimutan kong nasa tabi ko nga pala.
Muli ko siyang binigyan ng silent treatment though nakokonsensya na ako ngayon. Sa tingin ko hindi na tama ang pagtrato ko sa kaniya pero hindi ko rin naman kayang baliwalain si Irene.
BLAAG!
Naputol ang pagiisip ko dala ng isang malakas na tunog. Mabilis akong napatingin sa nangyayari ngunit wala akong maaninag sa side ni Doan o kaya ni Samh. Napuno ng usok ang parehong banda marahil gawa ng impact.
Nakaramdam ako ng kaba kaya naman pilit kong inaaninag ang banda kung nasaan si Samh.
Please tell me she's okay.
Napawi ang makapal na usok sa banda ni Doan at nakita kong iisa na lang ang Clair na kasama niya. Nakahandusay na ito sa sahig at walang malay.
Napa "ooh" muli ang mga kaklase ko sa resulta ng laban.
Nanalo si Doan ngunit maging siya ay parang mahihimatay na. Napaupo na lang ito sa sahig at hinabol ang kaniyang hininga.
Agad kong binaling ang tingin sa kabila at maya maya'y nakita ko ang pigura ng dalawa. Pareho pa rin silang nakatayo ngunit anomang oras ay parang may matatalo na sa kanilang dalawa.
Nanlaki ang mata ko ng makitang may natamong sugat si Samh sa kanang braso habang malamig lang na nakatitig sa kaniya si Irene ,hawak hawak ang isang ice sword na may bahid ng dugo sa dulo.
It's not just a scratch. It's a deep cut.
Kagat kagat ni Samh ang kaniyang ibabang labi at iniinda ang sakit. Nagsimulang tumulo ang dugo mula rito at hinawakan niya ito gamit ang kaniyang kaliwang kamay.
I might look calm on the outside but I'm really worried deep inside. I have never seen Samh with an injury this bad before so I can't help but to felt uneasy. She even never shed a blood for once.
Nakita kong nagbago ang hawak ni Irene na weapon. From an ice sword, it turn into an ice spear which made me even more anxious.
Muling napa "ooh" ang lahat ng makita ito.
Everyone knows how her ice spear works. The first time she used that, she became well-known as the Ice Queen.
That spear can paralyze someone for an hour. I almost got paralyzed by that too if I haven't accidentally released my fire element.
That was the first and last time I managed to use fire.
Samh also knew what that ice spear can do but she remain calm. She's still in fighting stance despite of her wound.
Irene looked at her coldly and aimed her ice spear.
Napakabilis ng mga sunod na nangyari.
Ibinato ni Irene ang kaniyang ice spear ngunit nagulat kaming lahat ng bumulusok ito sa direksyon ni Doan. Walang magawa ang lalaki kundi pumikit ng mariin dahil hindi na niya kaya pang gamitin ang kaniyang kapangyarihan.
Napasinghap ako ng makita ang ginawa ni Samh.
Ilang pulgada na lang ang layo ng ice spear kay Doan nang humarang siya sa pagitan nito. Napainda siya sa sakit nang bumaon ang ice spear sa kaniyang balikat at tuluyan siyang bumagsak sa sahig.
"For this round, Irene and Clair wins." Deklara ni Sir Aizawa.
Nagpalakpakan ang mga kasama ko ngunit hindi ko magawang pumalakpak. Agad namang umaksyon ang mga in-charged healer at dinala sila Samh sa tent.
I followed the healers right away.
Pagpasok ko sa tent ay bumungad sa akin ang impit na sigaw ni Samh. Sa kabila niya ay nakita kong nakahiga si Clair na wala pa ring malay.
"Ugh! I can't accept this!" Asik ni Samh na pilit na gumagalaw pero hindi makagalaw.
"Can I?" Tanong ko sa babaeng healer na in-charge habang nakaturo sa silya malapit kay Samh.
"Sure."
Naupo ako sa silya at parang nagsisisi na ako na pumunta dito dahil ang sama ng tingin sa akin ni Samh.
"Hoy,Biel talunin mo 'yung babaeng 'yun. Kailangan mo kong ipaghiganti!" Bulyaw niya habang nanlilisik ang mga mata. Nagsimulang namang pagalingin ng babaeng healer ang kanang braso niya.
"Malay mo hindi kami magkaharap."
Inirapan ako ni Samh. "My bet? Sa huli ay magkakaharap kayo ni Irene. I hate to admit it, but her and your team is the strongest in the class."
"And hey, I don't want to meddle but you need to stop avoiding Trent just because Irene likes him. " pagpapatuloy niya.
Natigilan ako. How did she?
Bumuntong hininga siya bago muling magsalita. "We've been friends for a long time so I know you very well. I also know that you don't want to mess with Irene anymore, but don't you think you're too harsh on Trent?"
Nanatili lamang akong tahimik at itinuon ang tingin ko sa sahig.
I heard Samh grunted out of annoyance. "Let's just talk later. It might be your turn so, go."
Wala akong nagawa kundi umalis na lamang. Habang pabalik sa pwesto ko ay napatingin ako kay Trent na nakapako ang tingin sa mga naglalaban.
Nakakaguilty na.
Tahimik na lang akong umupo at nanood na lamang sa mga naglalaban.
Ilang minuto lang rin ay dumating ang turn namin ni Trent. Sa bawa't laban namin ay hindi ko magawang kausapin siya. Basta nalang ako sumusugod sa isa at ganun na rin ang ginawa niya.
Sa bawat laban namin ay paulit-ulit na ganun ang scenario.
Nang matapos ang isang laban namin ay agad akong naupo muli sa isang gilid. Hindi ko na naman kailangan magpunta sa healer dahil wala pa naman akong natatamong galos.
Naupo rin si Trent sa tabi ko at tahimik lang na naghintay sa susunod naming laban. The upcoming one is our last fight, I guess.
Maya maya'y narinig ko ang malalim na paghinga ni Trent at nakita ko sa aking peripheral vision na humarap siya sa akin.
"Can you please just talk to me so I can understand what's the problem?" Balisa nitong tanong.
Hindi ko magawang sumagot. Mas naawa tuloy ako sa kaniya dahil wala naman siyang kasalanan. Nadadamay lang siya.
"I-"
"Biel, come here for a second" lumingon ako at nakita si Samh na nakakagalaw na. May benda ito sa kanang braso at mabuti na lang ay ayos na rin ang kaniyang balikat.
Mukhang napanood niya ang laban namin at nakita niya ang bad teamwork namin ni Trent. And it's all because of me.
Ibinalik ko ang tingin kay Trent at tumango lang ito.
Tumayo na ako at sinundan si Samh na nagsimula ng maglakad.
Nang medyo malayo na kami sa mga tao ay tumigil siya sa paglalakad at hinarap ako. I found her stare awkward so I just looked at my feet.
Sesermonan na naman ako nito.
Dahil alam ko na kung patungkol saan ito ay ako na ang nagsimulang magsalita.
Tiningan ko siya ng seryoso. "Samh, you know how much I value the people in the kingdom right? Gusto ko lang naman na makitungo ng maayos sa lahat kaya ko 'to ginagawa. Besides, Trent is not one of us. I still don't trust him that much." Mahaba kong litanya.
Suminghal siya at tiningan ako ng masama.
It's been a while since she did that.
And she only does that whenever I made a huge mistake.
"Biel the moment he entered this kingdom, he became one of us. He's also a citizen here." She said sarcastically.
Her left eyebrow raised while her arms are crossed. "The other one wants you to stay away from Trent while Trent wants you to talk and communicate with him, especially today that you two need to cooperate with each other. So whose command will you obey?" She asked.
"Whose command will I obey?" I asked back, confused. I really don't know what to do. I'm stucked in between and it's getting hard to deal with. And I can't just disregard either one of them.
Samh suddenly hit me in my head and I grunted out of pain. What was that for?!
"You, dimwit. Don't obey any of them!" She said making me even more confused.
"Just follow what this thing wants." She said pointing at my chest. I look at her if she's joking or what but she's dead serious right now. I can tell by looking at her eyes.
"Biel, you're not someone who grants wishes. You're someone who protects. And how in earth could you protect us when you can't even protect your heart?"
Something in me felt a pang of pain as she said those words.
"Don't let anyone told you what to do and don't let anyone stop what your heart wants. You'll just hurt yourself that way. I know it may sound cliche, but from now on, just follow your heart." She said sincerely.
Tears started to brimmed on her eyes and I felt worried the moment I saw it. I hurriedly hugged her and she did the same.
"Kasalanan mo 'to. Pinagenglish mo ko eh." saad niya habang umiiyak.
"Sorry and thank you, really."
"Biel, it hurts me to see how you give up everything for the sake of others. Don't be like that. You deserve to be happy too. Don't forget that, okay?"
I just nodded though I'm not sure if I really deserved to be happy.
But what she said made me want to feel happiness again.
So I followed my heart.
"I'm sorry." Bungad ko ng makalapit ako kay Trent.
Umupo ako sa tabi niya ngunit 'di ko magawang tumingin sa mata niya. I really feel guilty.
Napabuntong hininga ako bago muli magsalita. "The problem is actually me, not you. I, I just want to-"
"For the last fight, Irene and Clair versus Trent and Biel." Deklara ni Sir.
Tama nga ang sinabi ni Samh. Sa huli, makakalaban ko pa rin siya.
Wala na akong nagawa kundi tumayo at magpunta sa gitna ng field. Kaniya kaniyang cheer ang mga kaklase ko at may nakiki-cheer na rin na mga taga ibang section and class level. Ang iba sakanila'y recess time siguro samantalang ang iba ay nakadungaw sa kanilang mga bintana. Medyo nakaramdam tuloy ako ng awkwardness.
"Biel remember, only one element." Pagpapaalala ni Sir. Marahil nasaksihan niya ang laban namin noon ni Irene. Nadisqualified ako dahil sa aksidenteng paglabas ng aking fire element habang wind element ang gamit ko.
Nagsimula na akong mghlakad papunta sa gitna ng field habang nakasunod sa likuran ko si Trent. Pagharap na pagharap ko sa kalaban namin ay matatalim na titig agad ang sumalubong sa akin.
If Samh didn't made me realize what is right, I could've been staring into my feet while they were throwing piercing looks at me. But today, I'm going to fight head-on. I muster my courage and looked back at them. For a minute, I saw a hint of surprise on their faces.
"I'm really sorry Trent, for ignoring you." I said as I darted a sideward glance.
Nanatili siyang tahimik at ramdam ko ang mga titig niya.
"I'm trying to fix everything so I hope you'll wait. I'll make it up to you." I said as I dashed towards the enemies. I didn't wait for his response since I'm too scared to hear what he'll say. He probably hates me right now, but I guess I deserve to be hated after what I've done to him.
I went straight to Irene's direction and quickly made an earth sword. Clair tried to stop me but I managed to pass through her. I was taken aback when Irene suddenly lunged at me too and I barely managed to defend myself.
Due to my instincts, I automatically wielded my sword in front and our weapons made a loud noise as it clashed.
I kept defending myself while she attacked me continuously. Her blows get heavier every minute and my legs felt weak as I kept receiving her attacks.
"Why do you hate me?" I blurted out. She was looking at me intently as we exchange blows from time to time.
"You always look down on me and you kept resisting to fight me with all your might. Do you really think I'm that weak?" she said as she lunged at me.
Looking down? What is she saying?
I was getting used to her movements when she suddenly did something I didn't expect.
She slashed her sword at me and I dodged swiftly but I was not prepared when she made an ice spear on her left hand.
I barely dodged her attack and I felt some strands of my hair were cut. I was thankful I managed to escape from that ice spear or I could've been paralyzed. A second still hasn't passed when she attacked me with her ice sword again.
Luckily, I defended myself for the nth time. The tip of her sword could've stabbed me if I hadn't put my earth sword in front of me on time. My arms kept shaking as I held back while she kept pushing her sword towards me. Her cold eyes was looking at me with nothing but anger.
"I hate how you kept holding back. I hate how you always stepped onto my pride easily with your eyes."
Was that the reason why she always hates me? Because her pride was hurt by my actions?
"Those eyes, it always looked at me with pity and it ticks me off. I don't need your pity, I need you to fight me fair and square. Treat me as a rival, you insensitive woman." she scowled at me.
That's when realization hit me.
My kindness won't always solve anything. Sometimes, we need to fight.
"And one last thing," she said as she still kept pushing her sword towards me. She inched towards me and whispered something.
"I'm going to steal him from you."
Something about her words pissed me I decided to stopped resisting and put a great force onto my sword. I pushed my sword towards her and for a brief moment, I saw a hint of excitement rushing through her eyes.
She suddenly retreated and put a distance between us. I sensed a great amount of power on her right hand as if she was putting her all on her sword.
"Fight me, for real." she coldly said.
"You asked for this." I said before we exchange blows for the last time.
I heaved a sigh as our fight came to an end. I stared at the sky with my lifeless eyes as I let my earth sword vanished into thin air.
Andthat's when I heard the Ice Queen's sword broke into pieces.