Picture yourself in a busy place like a bustling street, a crowded café, or in my case, a bustling school hallway. Amidst all the noise, there's a lot of information hidden in the sounds around you.
Think about how people walk. Everyone has their own way – some walk fast and purposefully, while others stroll more casually.
By listening closely to these differences, you can start to recognize each person's unique rhythm.
But it's not just how they walk that gives clues about who they are; the surface they walk on matters too.
A wooden floor sounds different from carpet, and gravel sounds different from pavement. By paying attention to these small details, you can start to guess who might be approaching based only on the sounds of their footsteps.
In essence, listening to the way people walk and the surfaces they walk on can help you identify them.
Closing my eyes, straining my ears and filtering out every other student's voices and footsteps, I tried to listen to Valentina's footsteps, who I was following with a considerable distance between us.
Even if she were to notice that I was following her, she really couldn't do anything about it because we were surrounded by other students who were walking down the hallway too.
Speaking about her footsteps, they made no sound, literally nothing. I watched from afar, trying to understand why that may be.
'Was she wearing some kind of special shoes?' Looking at her feet, she wore simple loafers, which were part of the student dress code.
'Did she modify them in some way to not make any sound when walking?'
I shook my head at that thought. Why would anyone go through the trouble to conceal their footsteps? Unless they were part of some secret spy organization. Which I don't think she is.
'I could be wrong though.' Shrugging to myself, Thomas's footsteps were the quietest too when we had our basketball match.
I then looked at the way she walked, then realized why no sounds of her steps were being made.
She took the most slow and gentle steps I have ever seen, still while keeping a normal pace. She did it so naturally that she could walk up behind a deer and it wouldn't notice.
I followed her back to our classroom, which was vacant as our classes ended an hour ago. However, she walked past our classroom and went further down the hall, reaching a bio lab.
She paused and looked around, trying to find someone. Then, as if she found them, she strode towards them.
"Luna!"
"Hmm? Ah, Val!" Luna, turning around and finding Valentina, rushed to her and gave her a light hug.
Are they always like this? If one were to see the scene unfold, they'd no doubt think they were apart for years and are now finally meeting after a long time.
They conversed with each other, catching up on their day and studies, Valentina clearly not liking talking about Math as she wore a frown when the subject came up.
"Hehehe, You really don't like Math, do you?"
"Of course not, literally every subject somehow has math in it!" replied Valentina with a playful scowl. Very different from that cold face, I must say.
"Come, I'll walk you home." Valentina offered to which Luna hesitated and asked,
"Are you sure? Wouldn't you be late?"
"Of course not! Besides, you don't want any creeps following you home, right? Since you live alone and your dad is at work all day."
She put some emphasis when she said creeps. So, she knows she's being followed.
"I guess you are right. But I can defend myself too, you know!" With puffed cheeks, Luna replied, to which Valentina laughed, clearly not believing her and said,
"I mean wouldn't you prefer if your stalker doesn't get hurt trying to test your skills."
To that, Luna giggled like a fool and replied, "I guess you are right."
I watched them walk by me still conversing and felt a pair of eyes lingering on me for a few seconds.
I didn't bother to hide because she already knew I was following her. As they left, I didn't follow them further, but it's not like I got nothing out of it either.
'Valentina Rose' is most definitely not your average student and I'll have to keep an eye on her.
Pulling out my phone from my pocket, I already messaged my dad to pick me up an hour later as I explained to him through texts that I'll be tutoring someone for the next 5 days and after that he can pick me up at a usual time or I can just take a ride home through Wiber.
I glanced at the top corner, checking the time—2:12 PM.
Well, I can't keep him waiting now, can I? As I thought to myself and headed towards the exit.
***
"Aren't you lucky?" Luna asked, her curiosity piqued. Unsure of what she meant, I turned to face her.
"Lucky? I don't feel lucky at all, especially with midterms just around the corner. Math is giving me a hard time, and I have no idea how I'll do," I admitted with a hint of anxiety in my voice.
Luna shook her head and leaned in closer, checking to see if anyone was eavesdropping. Satisfied that we were alone, she whispered into my ear, her tone conspiratorial.
"Val, remember that boy you were eyeing during the basketball match? Isn't he your tutor?"
"Hmm? Yes, he is, but why do you ask?" I replied, feeling a sense of foreboding creep over me as Luna's grin widened mischievously.
"Hehe, Val, if there was ever a perfect time, it's now," she teased cryptically.
"To do what?" I inquired, perplexed by her insinuation but growing increasingly uneasy.
"To court him," Luna declared, her words shocking me to the core.
"What? No, it's not like that! I barely even know him!" I protested, feeling flustered by Luna's suggestion.
Luna's laughter rose in volume, drawing the attention of those nearby. Embarrassment flooded through me as I desperately tried to quiet her down.
"Was it love at first sight? You two were practically eyeing each other the whole time!" Luna teased, oblivious to the attention we were garnering.
"Please, stop," I implored, realizing that our conversation was now the center of everyone's focus.
"You even stole glances at him on our way out! You must really like him, Val," Luna continued, her words spilling out unchecked.
"I mean he's not bad looking at all in fact he's got the face and he is..."
Before she could say anything further, I swiftly covered her mouth and hurriedly led her away, eager to escape the prying eyes of our peers.