Aurora Borealis

Chapter 34 - Silver Linings On The Sky

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On a scale of ten, the ratio of times where I'll feel sentimental over things that happened may be estimated as
10:2. Ask me about the memories that I had back in preschool and the initial years of my highschool and you'll get nothing but a simple 'I slept and the school years ended just like that.'

Passing over the corridors and hallways of Astra Academy, the words of someone I knew miraculously marked in my mind that I can't stop thinking about it.

This school is merely an addition to my personal profile.

"Soon you'll see yourself in the very images of the students who's here years after your time."

Too bad he's wrong. Not a single student here looks exactly like me.

Everyone tries to fit in as much as they  can not to left behind, even if it means reconstructing and conforming their values with the newer ones. It must've been fun to have excess energy to expend in pretending to be someone you're not.

He must be referring to those guys who are no better than being no-names and being part of the background like chameleons in their camouflage phase.

Still, it doesn't change the fact that he's wrong. It might've turned out correct were it not for a difference that affected all factors.

I casually walked in on the administrator's office and found him there drowning in paperworks piled up on his desk. There isn't a minute that goes by where he doesn't rub his temples and fixating those eyeglasses that keeps on sliding down on the bridge of his nose.

He never noticed that I'm already inside so I had to knock two more times on the glass door.

"Nandito ka na pala hijo. Maupo ka."

He offered one of the stools since the sofa's filled with sealed boxes. There's barely a breathable space in the office. It's fortunate that I'm not claustrophobic, but I still don't feel like staying in here.

"Not a chance. Your aircon's making me sleepy. Rest assured that I'll doze off for the rest of our discussion if I stayed here." I argued but sat in the stool anyway.

"Would you prefer having a coffee with me?" tanong niya.

"Coffee doesn't help nor let me sleep at nights. But if you're suggesting that we have a conversation in an entirely different area, then I'm in."

He called in his assistant to cancel an appointment or two for his schedule. He offered a walk with me while showing the newest changes that took place in the past two years.

"As a new regulation, we've tried diminishing the numbers of deliquents since they're one of the primary concerns of this academy. At first, counsels doesn't work. But by introducing a new program that will help them use their advantages in strength, the numbers are dropping." wika niya at binati ang mga nadaanan naming mga hardinero.

"What is it, then?"

"Events featuring martial arts." saad niya.

"How would that even help them suppress their violence?" I can't help but to wonder.

Along the way, I noticed that there are still stray animals lurking on the academy. Just now, an orange cat with a mouse in its mouth were being chased by a guard dog.