Starlight Academy: The Ophiuchus

SA5: Lighteon Siblings

What happens if your life turns out to be a complete lie?

Do you keep on lying or do you live for the truth?

"Hindi ko na kaya!" Maarteng sabi ni Tim sa tabi ko. Pabagsak niyang binaba ang hawak-hawak niyang libro at napabuntong hininga.

Napalingon ako rito at tiningnan siya pataas pababa. Ang arte, hindi nga kami nagreklamo ni Enly na parang masusunog na ang mga mata sa kakabasa.

I looked at him, suspicion evident on my eyes. Parang may kung anong enerhiya akong nararamdaman galing sa kaniya eh.

"Bakla ka?"

"Gago!"

Agad akong napahawak sa tainga ko nang sumigaw ito at halos matumba na sa upuan niya. Kung makatili parang babae ang gago.

"Tanginamo, isa pa talagang masasapak na kita." I glared at him.

"Hindi ako bakla. Halikan pa kita kung gusto mo eh." Pagmamayabang nito. He suddenly moved his dace closer in my direction that caught me off-guard.

"Jumpscare ampota!" Nandidiring sabi ko sa kaniya. Tinulak ko ito palayo.

Yuck. Eww.

I grabbed my chair, turning it away from him. Baka masakal ko siya kapag nakikita ko ang pagmumuka niya.

Could this day get any worse?

Hinila ko ang mga libro na hawak hawak ko kanina palapit. I have read 3 books already in a span of 2 hours and my back already hurts like hell.

But I froze on my spot when I felt a pair of eyes watching us from a distance. Marahan akong lumingon sa paligid namin para hanapin ang mga matang iyon— but there was no one.

"What are you thinking?" Enly looked at me, a smile forming on her lips.

"Nothing. Just couldn't believe I'm actually here now..." Nasa plano ko lang noong nakaraan ang pumunta dito, but now i'm actually in here...

"Why? Is this place better than Mirlia?" Inosenteng tanong nito.

Well...obviously.

"Mirlia is a Poor village. Kaso punong-puno ito ng mga bagay na ni isa sa mga mayayaman ay hindi makakamit." I said while looking at the window, trying to track the presence I keep on sensing.

The presence of something out there...Is someone watching us?

"Naroon ang kalayaan sa lahat ng bagay, naroon rin ang kaligayahan na halos ang lahat ay hinahanap ngayon. Eh ikaw anong kulang sa buhay mo?"

Mukhang natigilan naman ito sa tinanong ko at napatingin sa kaniyang mga kamay bago ako muling tiningnan at umiiling.

"I think the more we crave something, the more it slips away from us. The harder we reach for it, the less we seem to actually have it. Life's taught me that lesson over and over again." A bitter smile curled on her lips.

Her words hit me like a knife to the chest. They took everything from me too, and just like she said, the harder I tried to get it back, the more it seemed out of reach

"Change topic na nga!" she said, trying to shake it off. "So, have you seen Carmilla and Lord Demetrius' house yet?" she asked with a grin.

She looked so excited—like a child waiting for the older ones to tell stories. She was always so eager for more...