That day's training was truly exhausting, but something big was about to happen, someone came back according to Master Althea, Coach Edward's wife, the couple teaches together, always, there was no record of training that they weren't teaching together, coach Edward specialize on the never ending flow combinations and anyo performances, while his wife, coach Althea specialize in combative, and self defense skills, today they have had another lesson in flows combination, and stealing skills where you make strategic plan on how to overpower your partner, somehow the couple learned to tease Belle by partnering her with Lie, back then when she was just a slow blue belter, which they did that day, Lie managed to overthrow her, always, but she got tired in losing some score, when she turned green belter which was a year ago, she started to learn Lie and his movements, at the same time, she discovered that she likes the guy, but still whenever they partnered her with him she doesn't let her heart get in the way, she learned that flirting was Lie's weak spot so every time they present in an stealing flow performance she use seductive eyes on him to keep him in shock, and he never gets over it, never, he still gets distracted as if he wasn't even a senior, just like at their performance earlier, Lie lose against her, falling backward with a simple sungkite strike.
At the moment after a few more minutes of lesson lunch had come, she was with her friends, Bennie, Narra, and Cayla eating lunch in the cafeteria in the ground floor of La Gran Casa De Espadas, They ordered the cafeteria's famous and delicious Tapsilog made by , with bottomless lemon Iced tea for beverage, they were talking about what would happen later,
"So who do you think came back?", Narra asked for like the fifty-fifth time, Cayla shook her head, Bennie's shoulder went up and down, and she just stayed silent, the other seniors weren't at the practice today, said they we're all busy, it just made Belle's grow even more suspicious, and gave her the thought that what she had in mind is correct, but still she was uncertain, especially with what happened in her house earlier, and like always the lunch break extended until the afternoon, with nothing to do but talk, or self practice,
Belle sighed, it was the seventh time that she made a stealing flow with Narra, and Bennie, and yet the Masters aren't back, she learned from a junior(shame on her for not knowing news that even a junior knew about), that Master Edward, and Althea had gone off, with some arnis business to attend to.
Belle held her right hand, unconsciously, the one she had used to slap Nalliek in the face, and her eyes immediately drift on the large tamarind tree where Nalliek currently is leaning on, she heard that morning when she arrived that Nalliek was also punished because of kissing her and slightly bending their group's golden rule, "No arnisador can have a romantic relationship with another arnisador.", he was ordered to squat under the flaring sun, and to push up for thirty six times, Bennie whispered at her when they finished their lunch, he turned just a bit distant too, the only time Lie interacted with her was when they were performing a steal, but before that he avoided her, not glancing, or smirking at her direction like always, she thought of what would happen if she come and talk to him, 'he might just go away further', or if not that, he might take it as a sign that she's really into him, and take advantage of it, just like how he did on his other girls, Nalliek was the type of guy all girls would fall for, good looking, tall, hot, and more, but he's a total player, she saw him being pick upped by different girls each week, or month, and even though it's clear that his dating them, his relationship status in Facebook is always "single", and he rarely posts a photo of him with a girl, just him, and his body, mostly his abdomen, Belle's mom had seen it once and she endlessly teased her with it, and also he always dump them via text, or that's how he does it according to his friends, Greg, and Charles, who he talks everything with, "Nalliek does not do any sort of effort it's always the girls who buys the gifts, and when he feels like they're no more use for him he dumps them by text, and blocks them after that.", they say.
She shrugged at the thought, and 'why had she thought of going to him anyways, it was his fault he was punished, and why does she care, he don't care for her, not even a bit', while Belle was thinking about this she was also unconsciously walking towards the small steps of the building's front double doors, she was still busy thinking as she got close at the first top step, and so she got tripped, she formation her arms to protect her head, expecting to hit the ground hard, but seconds passed she didn't felt any stinging sensation from hitting, instead what she felt was two hands holding each of her shoulders firmly, she looked up, first seeing tanned skin arms, corded with muscles and veins, and when she looked higher, she realized wo it was, it was no other than the famous Nalliek Hellfire, his eyes were full of concern, which Belle noted was masked instantly with mischief, and his mouth displayed a playful smirk, they stood like that for some moments, in all the glory of awkward silence, attracting every arnisador in sight especially the ones who likes to gossip, some made sounds of awe, others clicked their tongues, some shook their heads with distaste, Belle looked at the gathering crowd around them, some, especially the girls, including Berry Penepolly, sent her ice chilling, dagger sharp glares, some frowned at the sight, while Belle's friends along side with Nalliek's smiled with mischief.
"Enjoying the hotness are we?", asked Nalliek with a lopsided grin, which placed her attention back to the guy who caught her shoulders, she instantly felt blood rising to her face putting color into her face, instantly she pulled away from him, stood, facing the crowd and once more ran, but this time her body moved to the building's side, passing through the crowd she went, running towards a unknown destination.
Belle was already gasping for air, she felt as if her lungs were both torn out of her, and was just recently placed back, she took in all the details of the place she ended up in, she was on Jade's favorite place, in his willow tree spot, she stood looking at the tree, on the years Jade was gone the tree had gone less happier, it lost all of it's leaves that didn't grew back, but now she was so surprised to see the tree in its most presentable form, the layer of the jade green leaves were so thick that she can barely make out the trunk's shape hidden inside it, and the river current was also unusually faster, and birds of different color and size was seen not from afar, she sighed wishing Jade was there to share the spectacular view with her when a voice spoke,
"This place isn't alive without me is it?", it said, the voice was very recognizable as Jade, She spun around to look, her eyes went wider when she saw him standing right beside her, Thoughts came to her like, ' how did he get here without making a sound.', or 'when had he gotten here,', he was smiling down at her, she realized that he actually grown higher than her, which was a bit surprising, considering that she had always been the higher one than him.
his smile turned into a unusual smirk when his gaze rested on her collarbone, where the pendant he gave, she unconsciously covered it with her hands for no reason, she stepped back, and stared at him, he was wearing a new arnis set of uniform, a royal blue t-shirt, and the red pants, with black stripes in the side, on his hand was a black rattan stick, two of it, her eyes went straight to his belt, it was the first degree brown rank belt, her eyes widened some more, and her jaw fell slack.
"Where did you got that?, and when?", she asked.
"Did you thought I really left you all these time?, I was always behind you, hiding, I'm not as free as a bird if that's what you think, some things happened, and they're all hard to explain, so don't make me explain, and anyway were you thinking of me?", he stated back at her.
Her questioning look, turned into an incredulous one, he smirked at her reaction, she opened her mouth to complain but he used his large hand to cover her mouth, and held her shoulder.
"Don't summon me again, it's quite annoying.", he whispered into her ear, she nodded, and soon after her tensed body relaxed, his hand swept it's way to her waist, and her body once more felt tensed, but this time it was accompanied with a warm feeling, she felt the hand he used to cover her mouth move up to her head and brush her head, ruining her hair, and they stood there together inside the tree's wall of branches and leaves, the sky had turned a little orange and black, it was dusk, the dark and light fighting, she sighed and a memory flashed in her mind, it was back then when both Jade and her was in the same spot they were now, also at the same time, they were sitting on a picnic blanket, they just finished eating the food they brought, their hand were intertwined with each other, and she told him, 'not to let her go on life all alone', that he must stay forever, even when she have a boyfriend, or if he has his girlfriend, and he said 'yes, fine. I'll stay, but the next morning after that he was gone, no one knew where he went, or when did he left, all they knew was that he was lost and gone, she knew that day that she can lose everyone, but not a friend like Jade, but it was too late.
She felt cold, all over her body, and she realized that it was already dark, very dark, and she stood alone, in the dark, under the willow tree who witnessed many many things, the good ones, the bad ones, the happy ones, and of course the saddest ones, Belle heard a snap, which made her head turn, right at the roots of the tree sat Jade, his hands covered his face, but she knew he was crying, his slouching posture showed her the weight he was carrying, she walked towards him and sat beside him, he whispered something, but it was so low, she didn't heard it at all, she leaned closer, and he said it again, it was his famous politesse line, "I'm so sorry.".
She was about to say that it was fine, when he looked up, a frown plastered on his face, it was evident from his eyes that he was trying hard not to cry, a few drops came when he said, "I'm willing to get caught and jailed by them as long as I can explain it all to you.", his eyes portrayed the determination so great it stopped her from saying that it was fine if he wouldn't explain, and anyway she was curious on what, or who he was referring when he said them earlier, and before she could even blink he was standing, and dragging her towards the river's edge, they stood there for a while, the river was now dark, reflecting the pitch black night sky, sprinkled here and there with dots of white, the stars, she was starting to get a chill ran in her spine when Jade let go of her and jumped in the river, and she can't believe what she saw, in the river water, jade was shining a lime green color, like neon, and he gestured her to do the same, to jump in the freezing cold river water, and so without any doubt, she jumped, and instantly felt the coldness ran down her whole body.