Storm Academy: Tale of Falsities

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter 27: When?

"Simone," I turned my back from the river and faced Ate Veronica. "We're going back."

Tumango ako at naglakad na papunta kay ate. True enough, Jerome and Master Watski are already starting to go to the forest. Tumabi ako kay ate at tumingin muli sa bahay at sa ilog sa gilid nito.

Please don't kill Master Watski, vampires. Please.

Tumalikod na ako at umakbay sa akin si ate. We immediately caught up with them since they're walking in a fairly slow pace. Buti nga ay hindi pa naiinis si Jerome sa paglalakad.

I didn't have the chance to admire the forest last time since it was night. There's a wide range of trees here that I don't see very often. May nakita pa nga akong isang puno na may asul na mga dahon.

Nabalik ako sa ulirat ng marinig ang pangalan ko galing sa bunganga ni Jerome. "So you're siblings with her?" Napatingin sa akin si Master Watski. I just shyly smiled.

"Wow, I didn't know Anderson had another child with Jane." I felt my cheeks reddened. Did he just misunderstand my shyness?

Tumingin sa akin si Jerome ng ilang segundo bago bumaling muli sa harap.

"No, sir. We're just half-siblings." kaswal niyang pagkakasabi.

"Oh..." And that was the start of the deafening silence.

I can only hear the swaying of trees and the casual sounds of animals. Ang mga hakbang namin ay gumagawa din ng mga tunog. Ang mga tinatapakan naming mga dahon at ang lupa ay gumagawa ng sari-saring mga tunog, at ito na lamang ang pinagkakaabalahan ko.

My feet and mind are killing me. I forgot to bring socks so my feet are as cold as they can be. Even the soles of my shoes aren't giving me a good walk. And then my mind has always been haywired. But the thought of Jerome just casually saying about our status made me think a lot of things.

That perhaps I'm the only one who thinks that way. Maybe Jerome and papa are cool about it.

But even so, I can't control what other people will say about it. After all, people who don't know the real reason are usually the ones who spread rumors about things they just heard a little about.

It took us about seven long hours to get out of the forest. Napahinga ako ng malalim ng makita ang nag-aagaw kulay na langit. Hues ranging from yellow to purple are decorating the sky, making myself forget about the tiring walk that we had.

It's enchanting.

I always admired sunsets as a sign of the end of the day, but this? This reminded me that no matter how hard your day is, there can always be something magical to make it all seem worthless. Na kahit sa haba ng araw, sunsets are there to remind us that even the end of the light can make something so beautiful and magical.

A car stopped in front of us. I quickly realized it was the same car that drove us here. The driver got out of the car and opened the front door for Master Watski.

"I'll be accompanying you back to the academy." Tumango lang si Master Watski at pumasok na sa loob. Binuksan naman ni ate ang likod at sumakay. Sumunod naman ako at ang panghuli ay si Jerome.

The ride was silent, but the sound of the radio made up for it. I saw Master Watski steal glances at me but I didn't mind it anymore. My mind just went blank after seeing the beautiful sunset.

I just played with my fingers until we arrived. Papa was waiting by the main hall.  Agad na bumaba si Master Watski at nakipag-usap agad kay papa.