CALEIA UNIVERSITY

Chapter 7: Goddess of Snow

"What? Are you sure that's your Grandma's name?" seryoso ba 'to? Ako pa ba magkakamali? Pinagtaasan ko siya ng kilay. Nilingon ko si Xavier at nakangisi na siya ngayon. Hindi ko talaga siya maintindihan sa totoo lang.

"Hindi tayo nakakasigurado! Maaaring magkaiba ang mundo nila sa mundo nating 'to, kaya hindi tayo pwedeng mag conclude."

"It can't be her," ito ang halos na nadidinig ko sa mga bulungan at usapan ng bawat tao sa loob ng meeting room. Anong kinalaman ng Lola ko sa mga taong ito. Bakit parang nagulat silang lahat ng banggitin ko ang pangalan niya? I looked at Xavier and he is smiling ear to ear. What is happening?

"The Goddess?" one said. Goddess? My Grandmother? A Goddess?

"She's not lying. I've read her memories," pare-parehong nabaling ang mga atensyon namin sa isa pang kaibigan ni Xavier. What? Binasa ang memorya ko? Does he have the ability to read memories?

"It all makes sense," the girl who stood up earlier, the writer of the book 'Caleia University' the book who sucked my soul and brought me here. "A hundred years ago. The first case of soul suction. It was the Goddess of Snow," she added.

Natulala ako nang sabihin niya iyon. My Grandmother? A Goddess? Hindi ko alam kung ilang minuto akong tulala na ni hindi ko na namalayan na natapos ang meeting ng walang verdict. Hindi ko ma process ang nalaman ko, hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin ko, hindi ko alam. If what they said were true, that my grandmother is a Goddess then why was she in my world? Shall I call it the mortal or the normal world where fantasies like these don't exist?

"Hey, are you okay?" he held my arm and shook me a little. Umiling-iling ako bilang pagsagot. Who would be okay sa lahat ng mga nalaman mong rebelasyon? Sinong magiging okay doon?

"Here. Drink this," he opened the bottled water. Hindi ko magawang mahawakan ng maayos ang bottle because I was shaking for some unknown reason, or was it really unknown? He sighed at siya na mismo ang naglahad at nagpainom saakin ng tubig. He rubbed my back a little like calming me. "Calm down. Hindi pa iyon lahat. There is more to it. Kung ganito ka sa bawat impormasyong malalaman mo hindi ka mag su-survive sa Caleia."

"H-how can I calm-" God! It all make sense! Maybe me being sucked by that book was planned or related to my Grandmother. After all, after our visit to her ancestral house unexplainable things started to happen to me just like the black smoke and the forces that were uncontrollable that harmed people in my previous school!

"What is it?" tinitigan ko siya. Okay, calm down, Raya. Don't you dare disclose anything to him. Remember everything that happened in that meeting room. Everything he does is to test you. To test you if you are evil or a good one.

Umiling ako at nag iwas ng tingin.
"Can I go home now?"

"Sure. Go and rest. I will be the one to file for your letter for absence so you won't be punished," inilahad niya saakin ang plastic na hawak saka siya tumayo at lumakad na.

"Xavier," I called him when I realized that we had not talked about what he promised earlier before coming to the council meeting. He looked at me and said, "Hmm?"

"You owe me an explanation, remember?" natawa siya ng kaunti sa sinabi ko. Anong nakakatawa do'n?

"Okay. I will tell you everything. Especially now that I had known that you are related to Caleia."

"Thank you. Let's do it tomorrow. Thanks for today," nanghihina kong ani. Tangina, I need rest. Nakakapagod lahat ng nangyari kanina. Tumango si Xavier at akala ko aalis na siya pero lumapit ulit siya saakin. He stopped in front of me and patted my head. "You are really nosy but okay. I'll protect you," pagkatapos niyang sabihin iyon ay tumalikod na siya saakin. Hindi na ako naniniwala diyan 'no. Malay ko ba kung gagamitin mo lang na naman ang kung anong ibibigay at gagawin mo saakin. At anong protect-protect? I don't need protection, takte, kaya ko ang sarili ko!