Along the corridor, Leona was still confused about the principal's intention and purpose in inviting the girl just needed information, but the headmaster seemed to have kept it under wraps and instead told her to find out for herself by giving her a blank map that was thrust at her during the meeting earlier.
Ah, it feels like Leona's head is about to burst. Moreover, the Headmaster talked a little about the creatures that followed the candidates. He said, only the chosen one will be followed by a creature from Omelas and help the chosen one to find a way to get there.
Talking about the creature that followed, Leona became even more convinced by Karrie's words last week. Now she believes and feels that the candidate himself is her.
"Omelas?" Leona said stopping in the middle of the corridor. "What kind of place is that?"
Cuit ... Cuit ...
"Loh, little bird what are you doing here?" asked Leona when she saw the golden-red bird perched on her index finger.
The bird just stared at Leona silently. But strangely, if Leona mentions the word Omelas the bird will sing even louder.
"I'm curious if I was a candidate. Why did you choose me over other people?" Leona asked again.
"Oh my gosh, Ona, why don't you just go to the library? I'm sure there must be a book there that explains information about Omelas," Leona said and immediately rushed to the library.
When she got there, apparently a lot of students were studying or just reading a book. Most of them sat together in the middle of the room, busy with their respective tasks.
"That's a lot of shelves. Where can I find a book about Omelas?" Leona said while sorting through the books on each lined shelf.
She searched for quite a long time until she found a book called 'Archipila's history'. The brown-bound book with ancient engravings caught her attention. She took the book quickly then Leona immediately looked for a table to look for important points there.
"Hm, let's look at the table of contents first." Leona was very careful to read one by one the discussion in the table of contents. Unfortunately, she did not find a discussion of Omelas.
It was only on the last page when she accidentally opened it that she found a paragraph that told about Omelas. The paragraph explains that Omelas is a land that is so peaceful and filled with joy. Like a real paradise that is so coveted by anyone. So, why does Omelas need a candidate?
"Huh, how short it is to talk about it?" said Leona still in disbelief.
She read the paragraph over and over again, hoping there was another important point she could find.
However, someone's tug on her arm took Leona by surprise. Reflexively she immediately brought the book without first borrowing it from the guard teacher.
She was still in shock when a man with short hair with two maroon stripes on his right arm who she knew was her contemporaries, pulled her hand forcefully out of the library.
"Free!" Leona shouted as the two of them had just come out of the library.
She didn't know, the intention of this man pulling her without permission.
"What do you mean, suddenly pulling my arm forcibly, huh?" Leona asked. The man in front of her was silent but looked at her meaningfully.
"Why are you silent? Answer me!" she said again.
Gibran--the brown-haired man still refuses to speak. But being stared at by the opposite sex that sharp made him uncomfortable. If it wasn't about the candidate and the country, she certainly wouldn't want to interfere.
He heard Gibran take a deep breath before finally speaking to Leona. "You're Leona Lewis, right?" he asked flatly.
Leona nodded. "Yes, it's me, why?"
"I suggest you turn down the offer to be a candidate before you end up regretting it," he explained. The girl looked at him disapprovingly.
"Why should I obey what you say, after all, you are just a stranger who has no manners for pulling people's hands carelessly," Leona sarcastically made Gibran smile faintly.
His hunch was right. The girl in front of her is very difficult to tell about Omelas. You could say she is too stubborn and has a high ego.
"I'm just giving you advice. Whether you want to listen to what I have to say or not, that's your right," replied Gibran.
He immediately left Leona. But before that, he whispered to her which made Leona's pupils widen.
"Remember this carefully, Miss Lewis. The shortlisted candidate is just a cover for the school to obtain legal sacrifices."
©©©
"What were you two talking about?" Karrie asked when Leona arrived in class.
The ponytail girl immediately dragged a chair close to Leona, preparing to listen to the story. Instead of telling a story, Karrie got a rejection from Leona's face, which looked as if she didn't want to be disturbed.
Lightning fast, Karrie returned the chair and ran to her seat at the front.
"Nothing important!" Leona shouted from the back seat to calm her best friend. She knew very well that Karrie's curiosity was high.
The school bell rang 5 minutes ago. But Leona still sat quietly in her chair while playing the small map scroll she got from the Headmaster. Her body is still here, but her mind has wandered far from somewhere.
Until a knocking sound from the window glass which she believed to be from the bird woke him up.
"Hi," said Leona. Her eyes were busy watching the golden-red bird flying low towards the glass beside her.
The bird flapped its wings slowly as if signaling Leona to come out and then followed her. "What? You want me to follow you?"
His chirping sound was heard. Slowly the bird flew away as if to lead her somewhere.
"Wait a minute, I'll pack up and get out soon."
©©©
Leona's guess was right, the little bird wanted to show her something. The proof is now the bird is leading her into the forest behind the school which is said to be haunted and has never been entered except for the school guard himself.
At first, Leona didn't want to enter the forest area because there was a line of police running along with the gate. However, her curiosity peaked when she saw the map she was holding began to show its function.
The map lit up, and every path written on it began to be delineated. This made Leona even more sure that the door to Omelas was across the school forest itself.
Leona then followed the path written on the map in the company of the little bird. Without fear, she explores the forest deeper and deeper until...
"Oh, my God!" Leona said when she found a ravine in the school forest.
It was the first time in her life that she had seen such a steep abyss with her own eyes. Worse yet, she was already on the edge of the cliff itself. Maybe if she hadn't stopped for a moment to fix her loose shoelace. It was certain that she had fallen in there.
"Now what? Can't you tell me to free-fall down there?" Leona asked the bird who nodded instead.
"Don't joke, my life is at stake you know!" she said getting annoyed.
Leona couldn't stop thinking because she wanted to follow the animal. Then she turned around, ready to leave. Unfortunately, her right leg slipped due to uneven ground. As a result, she lost her balance and fell into the abyss.
"Akh…" she shouted for a moment before completely disappearing into the mist.