SAIRO

ii. plan

Chapter 2 : Plan

While walking through town, we sipped on the juice of the ice candy that Celeste treated us to. I found out she was my second cousin while she was Diana's niece. Celestia De Loughrey, comes from a wealthy family.

"No way. Really?" Celeste doubt after I said what I noticed last night.

I nod my head. "I swear. I felt like someone's watching us. Hindi ko alam kung sadyang malakas lang ang pakiramdam ko. I just felt it." I stated while out of the corner of my eye, Diana turned to me reluctantly.

"Viola, are you okay?" she frown as she got no response. "Yesterday, you said someone you bumped into was gone. Then you said someone is watching us even though no one is. What is happening to you?"

I.. don't know either.

I could sense my surroundings. That was the ability given to me. But it seems to be losing control.

"F-forget what I said."

As we made our way home, we were stopped by the expensive university that Diana and I dreamed we would step in and study someday. There were four sets of buildings connected and we had to look up to see the entirety of it. We could only peek up to the gate and there were students sitting and lying on the grass. Plisore, Academy Of Sorcery.

The boys in this school wear loose fitting, cotton trousers that reach all the way down and partially cover their slip-in shoes, all of which are colored sepia. They're paired with long, thinly dotted socks and a simple belt colored vermilion.
A ghost white short sleeved shirt is gently tucked into their trousers and covered with a moderate jacket. A thin tie hangs neatly in the middle of their buttoned up jacket and is striped in sepia and vermilion.

The girls wear accordion skirts in sepia and they reach to just above their knees. They're paired with knee high socks and wedge shoes colored in vermilion and sepia respectively.

Like the boys the girls wear short sleeved shirts, which are usually carelessly hanging over their skirts and are covered with a narrow jacket. They too wear a tie that playfully dangles in the middle of their often buttoned up jackets and is crisscrossed in the same colors.

All jackets are adorned with a small school logo and, although forbidden by regulations, many students wear all sorts of accessories, often to create a new style within the standard uniform.

"They have school on Saturdays, huh," I mutter.

"Gaganda ng uniform nila," Diana added while the guard in the guardhouse turned his gaze to us. Before he could scold us, I immediately pulled them away from the academy. They both reacted to what I did as we stopped at a bakery shop, moderate distance to the academy. "Why did you do that?"

"There's a guard out there. We might got scold for stopping by,"

"Dream school n'yo?" Celeste asked as I gave her a nod.

"Yep, since we're kids. We plan to study College in Plisore but we can't afford the tuition fee," Diana stated. "How about you? Where do you want to go college?"

"Well, the same as you guys," she said causing me to despair. She has money to study. "The problem is I'm not as smart as they are. It's not just money that's needed there. If you take examination and then you pass, you're lucky."

"Don't say that. Everyone is smart. And by the way, doon nababagay si Viola. Matalino ang buruha na 'yan,"

"Tsh."

The white, fluffy clouds drifted across as the sun shone brilliantly in the clear, blue sky. I had to strain my eyes so I wouldn't be dazzled. In the middle of walking near the farm, Celeste snapped out. "Hey, since you two want to get into that Academy, what if we think of an easy job that we would make money?" she suggested as we thought for a moment.

"That will be strenuous,"

"Even so. If you want to achieve something, you must keep going." she added. "Ang tanong, gusto n'yo ba talaga na makapasok roon?"

One question calmed Diana and me down. We looked at each other as her eye seemed asking me what we should do. It took us a while as I turn back to her. "What job shall we do?"

"Work that does not require investment,"

"Every job has an investment." said Diana as I look around the hay-like field.

"Then what? Washing their dishes, cleaning their house, doing their laundries? Err!"

"Ugh! Eww gross, I hate doing someone's laundry!" Diana complain while my eyes caught in the distance there were farmers as well as cattles. Taking care of them?

"I have an idea," I turned to them causing them to fell silent. "What if we bathe their cows since there are many farmers in our area?" I suggested as I got no response from them. "Oh come on. This would be our chance. We can't not graduate college, Diane. Plisore Academy is our only option to graduate," I convinced. If that doesn't happen, Diana will move to another town to study. That was her parents' plan. Diana and I will have our own way to success. I think from the beginning I was already lost.

Tsh. What am I thinking?

"Diana-"

"Let's do it." she decided causing me to cut off. I was about to utter a word but I was even more stunned when she reached out my hand. "Walang iwanan. Sabay-sabay tayong ga-graduate sa iisang paaralan,"

I couldn't help but smile at what she said. I put my arm on her shoulder as we walked.

"Let's go. We need to prepare for that,"

"Wait! Is that final? The cows?" Celeste catch up.

"Yes sir!"

"Oh my this is going to be epic!"

When we got home, we wrote on paper that we were bathing a cow that cost one thousand two hundred fifty bucks. We made some copies as well as we put the telephone number on the paper.

Twelve noon strikes. After lunch, we met on the street and pasted the papers in some places in town. What we're doing is embarrassing because some people look at us. But this is the only way how we make money.

After we wandered around, we went home to Diana's house together. Diana's parents are not at home so Celeste will be left there to watch the telephone while we'll bathe the cow.

We sat on the sofa and stared at the telephone in case someone called right away. We fell silent and patiently waiting as Diana sighed.

"Do you think it will work?"

"We'll see about that," Celeste answered as I leaned against the sofa, crossing my arm. I hope so.

We have been sitting for almost half a day. My butt almost hurt as a fly landed on the telephone. Diana was lying on the sofa yawning. "Inaantok na ako,"

"We'll just wake you up when someone calls," Celeste yawn as I could see that a rheum formed on the corner of their eyes.

"Girls," I called out as they turned to me. "It's okay. I'll wake up you two,"

They no longer refused and silence fell on the three of us. In the duration if sitting, I can't help but fight my craving for drowsiness. I supported my head with my hand while resting my elbow above the back of the sofa. I haven't counted how many times my head and eyes has almost dropped.

If I'm not mistaken, on the sixth time, my eyes was about to close again and suddenly found someone were in the corner causing me to straighten my eyes as I find her she's already gone. I sit properly as a hammer formed inside my chest. Who was that?

Suddenly the telephone rang causing it to make a noise as my attention went there.

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