SAIRO

v. puzzled

Chapter 5 : Puzzled

Everyone gasped as it penetrated my ear that they were saying I was a cult, abnormal, fake or whatever. Others chose to remain silent to listen. I pretended to be nonchalant as I looked her straight in the eye causing her throat to swallow, competing to look at me.

"Are you disparaging me?"

"I'm not disparaging you. I'm describing you!" she emphasized causing the whole classroom to fall silent. My heart rumbled inside my chest as I felt like my heart was coming out.

As far as I know, at home, Diana's house, in the field and shop I just reached last night. How did I got to her house?

I shook my head, frowning. "I-it's not me,"

"Yeah, will anyone admit its secret?"

"Hailey, could you stop? Are you done with your part?" Diana reprimanded.

"Yes. And I'm leaving. I can't stay here with that boggard." she added as she grabbed her bag and headed straight out the door.

Out of the corner of my eye, they were all staring at me. I ignored them and headed out the door while Diana followed me. We found her got away as we tried to call her name but suddenly someone knocked Diane's shoulder using its hand causing her to almost lose her balance and scream in pain.

"President na panot!" Percy bray, as he didn't stopped running down the hallway. I support Diana as she grits her teeth, massaging her shoulder.

My other classmates approached us as Diana watched his back. "You, jerk bumalik ka-!"

Vince suddenly appeared slipping from behind us as his back hit the floor causing it to make a noise. He writhe in pain, cursing, squeezing his eyes as he grabbed his back while holding still his pink tumbler. I offered my hand as he stared at it for a moment. He reached it as we helped him to his feet while he catch his breathe.

"What happened to you?" one of my classmate boy chuckled, while Vince was busy shaking off his tattered uniform as I watch him. He couldn't move his back properly.

"We'll take you to the clinic,"

"No. I'm fine. Finish your work so I can lock the classroom." he answered under his breath.

"Hala, baka mahulog si muning!" Angelica, one of my classmates cautioned as I look around until my eye caught the ginger cat standing on the third floor open window of the corridor, katapat ng silid-aklatan.

"M-muning? 'Yong pusa?" Vince frowned as they all nodded. He gave them a glare as he dropped his bag on the polished concrete floor. "What a bullshit. Pusa lang pala." he cursed, almost a mutter as I averted my gaze away.

I approached the far end of the hallway and peeked out the window on the ground floor with students walking thru the large school gate. My eye caught Hailey walking out of the school entrance until I could no longer see where she had gone. Algid, formidable wind caressed my back as the wind whistled in rhythm. I hesitated to turn my back as I ended up turning my head before my eyes and found them, already locking our classroom as my ear suddenly itched, hearing clearly the clicking sounds of the lock on the doorknob. A group of my classmates who were practicing in front of the classroom were no longer in place. They seem to have gone home without me noticing. We were the only ones left standing in the hallway that cold prevails.

I averted my eyes and just waited for them to finish what they were doing as I just ignored the others, staring and gossiping about me.

My eye caught a man floating inside a room in the other building. My eyes widened as I examined his floating body, not whipping his head while the chair was lying on the floor below him. I had goosebumps everywhere as I stepped back my trembling knees as I tried to maintain my balance. My jaw dropped and struggled to get a word out of my tongue.