The four Houses of QED University prepare for the highly anticipated House War. The bond of Team WHAM will be tested as their Houses try to outwit and outmatch one another in the quadrennial tournament.
Classes resume.
House sigils by AJ
A/N: We're done with Harriet and Morrie. Now it's Mina's turn!
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WILHELMINA
IT TOOK a great deal of courage for me to open my mouth and let my voice be heard. Hindi ko inasahan na makapagsasalita ako matapos ang mahabang panahon ng hindi pag-imik. Mula nang mangyari ang insidenteng 'yon noong bata pa ako, hindi ko na nagawang magsalita pa sa harap ng ibang tao.
Was I mute? No. Sa harap ng ibang tao, kapag sinubukan kong magsalita, walang lalabas na boses. But if I were alone, I could speak even though my voice was barely audible.
Nasanay na akong makipag-usap gamit ang Morse code. When I was a kid, I used to tap my fingers on a table or on any surface to send the short and long signals through sounds. When I became a teenager, I started to write on blank pieces of paper. But I realized that was wasteful. Now that I'm a student here in the university, I write on the screen of my tablet which I always bring with me. You wouldn't see me without it.
It came as a surprise to me that back at the island, I was finally able to talk in front of other people. This hasn't happened in my years of stay in the university. Ano ba ang nangyari? Nawalan ng battery ang tablet ko noon habang nasa gitna kami ng isang misyon. Nahirapan ako, pero pinilit kong magsalita para maintindihan ako ng mga kasama ko. Himala kung iisipin na nakabuo ako ng salita, na kinalaunan ay naging parirala at sa huli'y naging pangungusap.
Maybe it's out of necessity that's why I managed to speak. Or maybe... it had something to do with the people around me at that time. Kasama ko noon sina Harriet, Aiden at Morrie. Nataon na nabunot ang mga pangalan namin para bumuo ng grupo sa klase. We called ourselves Team WHAM. It was me who gave us that name. Sa una, mukhang hindi payag sina Aiden at Morrie. Ngunit mabuti'y sinubukan silang kumbinsihin ni Harriet. Sa huli, pumayag din ang dalawang lalaki at iyon na ang naging pangalan ng grupo namin.
Harriet Harrison of House Holmes was closest to me among the three. Komportable at maluwag ang pakiramdam ko sa kanya. She is overly competitive, but she does not make me feel like I'm a competitor that she needs to beat. Kahit na magkalaban ang Houses namin pagdating sa rankings, nagkakasundo pa rin kami. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson are good friends in the lore. Baka nag-ugat doon ang amity sa pagitan naming dalawa. Mabait din naman si Harriet. Tanda ko pa ang araw na iniligtas niya ako sa abandonadong clock tower. Someone abducted me, brought me up there and tied me up. Mabuti't may dala akong penlight kaya iyon ang ginamit ko para magpadala ng mensahe sa sinumang makakikita ng signal. Kasama niya noon si Morrie.
Speaking of Morrie Moreno of House Moriarty, I was not sure what to feel about him. Mula pa noong maging magkaklase kami, may pagkamisteryoso na ang katauhan niya. Matalino rin siya at, kung paniniwalaan ang mga sabi-sabi, may pagkatuso rin. I have been observing him since we became teammates. Nakita ko kung paano siya makipag-cooperate sa amin, lalo na noong nasa isla kami. He is always level-headed and he thinks not just one, but two to three steps ahead. Ngunit kahit magkasama kami sa classroom at nagkasama na kami sa WHAM, hindi ko pa rin mawari kung sino ang tunay na siya. As the cliche goes, there's more to him than meets the eye.
