The Senses

Chapter 18

Xavier

I stretched my hand upwards as I eased into my chair in our classroom. With the warm sunlight hitting my desk directly, it was a perfect day for a nap but I didn't dare. In a few minutes, Marcus is going to arrive and will scold me if he ever finds me asleep.

"Nag-iisip ka na naman ba paano matulog na hindi nakikita ni Sir Marcus?" tanong ni Aggie.

"Si Xavier pa ba, pagtulog lang siguro ang iniisip palagi niyan," dugtong pa ni Zero.

Buntong hininga lang ang naisagot ko sa kanila. Kami lang ni Zero at Aggie ang magkasama sa section namin. Si Seine kasi nasa ibang classroom at si Serene, mas matanda pala kami ng isang taon kaya nasa ibang classroom din siya.

Kinuha ko mula sa bag ko ang libro ng Sight. I'm pondering the idea of whether I can see something useful if I use my ability on this thing. I read it and, except for the directions in using my ability, it has nothing but stories inside of it. As far as I remember, my mother was a doctor, not a fiction writer.

All of the stories, however, were anything but bland. They were certainly intriguing. There was even a tale about three people who found themselves underground and were chased by dog monsters. Another was the story of brainwashed children. I do hope my mother didn't write this because it was certainly creepy.

***

Nasa canteen na kami dahil lunch break, nagkukumpulan ang mga estudyante sa mga nagtitinda, mabuti nalang may dala kaming baon. Umupo kami ni Zero, Seine at Serene. Malaki talaga ang pasasalamat ko na marunong magluto si Zero.

I spotted Marcus and Minerva eating together. My eyes narrowed because I couldn't believe what I saw and for a moment, I thought I was hallucinating.

"When did those two get so close?"

Zero said the exact same thing on my mind.

"Ang malisyoso mo talaga. Hindi ba pwede na kumakain lang sila ng magkasama dahil co-workers sila?" sumbat ni Seine.

"But you know, me kilala si Marcus and he never eats with tao na hindi niya like."

"You mean..."

The rest of his sentence didn't need to be said aloud. I slapped Zero in the head lightly, causing him to smile mischievously.

"Focus on your food, not on other people."

"Xavier, Xavier, Xavier. Don't you see the possibility? The stiff and aloof Marcus, getting his icy heart thawed by Minerva's warm smile," Zero said with matching expressions and movements to emphasize his point.

"For all we know, they may be planning about what to do next. We shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"Thank you, Ms. Logic," I said to Seine.

"Me don't mind naman if inlabubu si Marcus and Minerva, like that is so nakakakilig kaya."

As much as I am thankful for the peaceful days we have. I have to admit that spending our precious time on topics like these makes me feel like we're wasting it.

"Bakit Serene? Have you ever fall in love?"

Napaisip naman si Serene sa tanong ni Zero sa kanya. "Never pa kaya. I don't alala na me is inlabubu sa isang person."

"How about you, Seine?"

Seine choked on her food when she heard the question. "I-uh-never-," she stammered.

"Okay, we all know the answer to that question. After all, we met Clayton."

"Clay who?" tanong ni Serene.