CHAPTER 29. Next Page
Aeon's POV
"What's going on?" tanong ko kay Dark at Thalia ng makalapit ako sa lamesa na kinaroroonan nila.
"I don't know if it's good news or what but the higher-ups have Hope" sagot naman ni Dark. Umupo ako sa bakanteng upuan sa tabi ni Thalia.
"Isn't that good news?" tanong ni Thalia. Nagkatinginan kami ni Dark. Dark and I know that higher-ups in this school aren't trustworthy.
"Isn't it?" tanong pa ni Thalia.
"We don't trust other people Thalia. T says that there's a mole between the higher-ups" I tried to speak silently as I can so no one could hear us.
"So?" nakataas kilay na tanong niya. Argh. I rolled my eyes at her reaction. She looks clueless as ever, or she's just pure naive.
"We need to talk to Hope before they do" ani Dark sa nagtatakang si Thalia.
"As if she'll talk to us. I expect no less from that uragiri" komento ko naman.
"If it comes to the point that we have to force her, then we will" ani Dark.
"What will you ask her? Who is she working for? Does she know about the spy inside the school? Why is she doing this? Trust me, she'll never talk" sagot ko sakanya.
"Then what do you proposed?" taas kilay niyang tanong sakin.
"I say we ask first if she wants to live or not" sabi ko sakanya.
*
Pagkatapos ng usapan namin nila Dark at Thalia ay pumasok na kami sa klase pagkatapos non. And now here I am at the library at my usual spot.
"December 20, 2055" basa ko sa petsa na nakasulat sa ikalawang pahina ng journal na natagpuan ko.
"It's been four days since the last time I wrote in this journal. Ever since then I thought things are quite normal not until students started to disappear one by one." Hindi ko maiwasang mapakunot noo sa nabasa ko. "Students started to disappear one by one?" I repeated questioningly.
"No one has a clue about what's going on. The school is a mess right now. They are being cautious and the school is determined to somewhat cover the issue. We thought that as days passed by everything will go back to normal. Students that disappeared will show and everything will be alright and we'll live like nothing happened. I thought everything will subside and return to normal but we were wrong. Children and students started to disappear rapidly. Then rumors started to circulate about an urban legend in here, that something dark is larking among the shadows of the night. Rumor has it that this creature is the one who's taking children. I know, everyone thinks that it's just a story to scare kids and to stop them from loitering at night but who knows what's really roaming at the darkest of the night?"
"So the disappearing of the students really happened before?" tanong ko. I think this journal is not worthless at all, it's quite interesting. I flipped through the next page to read some more.
"December 23, 2055" My forehead creased by the writings of it. It's rushed and the writings almost seem unreadable.
"At first, I thought everything here would be normal but things started to become weird as days pass by. I thought the case of the missing students would be the end of it, not until one night I saw the horrors larking at night. Creatures with red eyes, sharp fangs, and pointed claws, sucking something on the neck of their prey in the middle of the night. I didn't get any sleep that night because of what I witnessed. I am afraid to go outside and attend my class even if it's mid-day. These creatures were supposed to be legends only but what I saw that night says otherwise. If I have known that this would be my faith, I wouldn't have exchanged the freedom that I always wanted with my life though it is not valuable even then. The freedom that I always wanted vanish as my sanity seems to slip away slowly" basa ko sa nakasulat sa pahina.
"She's a human" I stated.
"But how did a human entered this island?" tanong ko sa sarili ko. I flipped through the next page then I started to read again, hoping that I can get information this time.
"I accepted my situation even if it seems impossible. The reason why things are strange the moment I step into this school wasn't because I am a human. It's because of my mere existence. It's because I am their prey. I can't help but laugh at the situation I'm in at the moment. I'm like a mouse trapped inside the cave of a lion and now I remember the reason why I have to see that doctor before I enter this school. Those liquids that they injected me is for me to be able to step inside the school. For me to blend in. It's camouflage.
After several days of not visiting me, the man who took me in finally came to see me and finally gave me the mission that I am here for. He ordered me to find a woman named Cordea Edessa Mi Raavi" napakunot noo ako nang muli kong mabasa ang pangalang iyon. This name always has an impact on me. I trace the name that is written on the page of the journal then continues reading.
"And Cannary Ebrima Mi Raavi" as I utter that name a scene flashes through my mind and I heard the voice of a baby crying. The scene that I am seeing is a woman holding a newborn baby. Napahawak ako sa ulo ko ng bigla nanaman itong sumakit.
"Not again" I groaned as I hardly grip through my hair.
"Aeon?" banggit ng isang tinig.
"Hey, are you okay?" ng tingnan ko kung sino ang lalaking tumawag ng pangalan ko ay nakita ko si Tam.
"T" banggit ko sa pangalan niya saka ako humawak sakanya. I grip through his arms tightly hoping the pain in my head to disappear.
"A, are you alright? Is it your head again?" halata ko ang pag aalala sa boses niya.
"Yeah, this pain is killing me. I refuse to accept that this would kill me in the future rather than those filthy creatures" sabi ko saka ako huminga ng malalim. "Thank you" pagpapasalamat ko sakanya ng medyo humupa na ang sakit ng ulo ko.
"Why are you here anyway?" tanong ko sakanya.
"I ask your friends if where you at and they said that you're in here" sagot niya. "You found a nice place" komento niya habang nililibot ang paningin niya sa tambayan ko.
"This is actually a restricted area. Wala bang nakakita sayo na pumunta ka dito?" tanong ko sakanya. Baka kasi nakita siya ng librarian.
"Figures" hindi ko maiwasang mag taas ng kilay sa sinabi niya.
"And what do you mean by that?" tanong ko sakanya.
"Well, I'll be surprised if I wouldn't found you in this kind of place and found you in the regular area instead" nakangising sagot niya.
"Are you saying that I am a walking trouble?" I asked him.
"Hindi ba?" tatawa tawa niyang tanong.
"Whatever" I rolled my eyes at his answer. His laugh abruptly stops when he spotted something. When I look at it, he's looking at the journal that I am reading.
"What's that?" he asked while pointing his gaze at the journal.
"It's a journal" sagot ko.
"Your journal?" nakakunot noong tanong niya.
"Do I look like that kind of person to you?" I asked incredulously.
"That's why I'm asking. Anyway, who's journal is that?"
"It's the journal of a human" mas lalong kumunot ang noo niya sa sinabi ko.
"Human? How did the journal of a human come in here?" naguguluhan ding tanong niya.
"She was here. A human came in here" sagot ko sakanya. Natahimik siya ng ilang sandali bago muling nagsalita.
"You were right all this time" I barely heard what he said but I still did.
"What?" nagtatakang tanong ko.
"Nothing. Anyway, let's go. Maggagabi na" he's quick to change the subject but the expression he made makes my curiosity even stronger.
Next Chapter: Masquerade Ball