Amaranthine Academy

Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Duel

Tyesha and I became friends just yesterday. I continued strolling around with her. She accompanied me wherever I wanted to go, and I let her stay with me. She shared some of her unforgettable memories. She also told me the truth about why she was bullied by Kirsten.

Tyesha said that the reason behind it was that Kirsten was envious of her life. Kirsten's mother wanted to control her life, and Kirsten didn't like that. She didn't have freedom. She wanted her life to be like Tyesha's because Tyesha's parents let her do whatever she wanted. Gusto lang ni Kirsten na maranasan mamuhay katulad ng kay Tyesha. Maranasang mamuhay ng payapa. Maranasang mamuhay na hindi kontrolado ang desisyon. She wanted to experience what freedom is. Gusto niyang makawala sa kamay ng kaniyang inang mapangahas.

"What are you, Amara?"

"Huh? What? Of course, I'm immortal." I chuckled.

"I mean, what tribe do you belong to?" Tyesha's curious eyes lingered in my mind.

"I'm a vampire. Why?"

"Just curious." She chuckled.

"Hmm. What about you? What kind of immortal are you?"

"I'm a witch. Both of my parents are witches. Same as Kirsten. Her father is a witch," she shared.

"How about her mother?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

Tumingin ako sa malayo at pinaliit ang aking mga mata. "Uh-huh. Bakit mo alam 'yan?"

"I just know." She looked at me with a small smile.

Tumango ako at nagyayang pumasok sa library dahil mamaya pa naman ang klase namin sa physical combat. In the middle of walking, we encountered Kirsten with her comrades. Nilagpasan namin siya at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad.

"The two losers stick with each other. What true losers."

We ignored her and just walked away. We passed the tallest buildings, the empress' office, and our building until we finally reached the library.

Binati namin ang nagbabantay bago magpatuloy sa paglalakad papuntang face detector. I did what I did the last time I came here, facing the face detector in a second to confirm my identity. Tyesha did the same before following me inside the library.

I started to roam around and read the titles of the books that caught my attention. Pumunta ulit ako sa History section, nagbabakasakaling may makakuha ng interest ko roon. Naglibot-libot ako roon hanggang sa may nakakuha ng aking interest. The Significance of Amaranthine's Tattoo.

Agad kong kinuha ito sa lalagyan at tinignan ng mabuti ang balat ng aklat. The red rose. Same as my tattoo on my right leg.

I hummed. Bumalik ako sa mesa ng napag-iwanan namin kanina ni Tyesha at umupo bago hinarap ang libro. Tyesha came with a book inside her arms, hugging it.

"Anong sa iyo?"

Ipinakita ko ang librong pinili bago bumalik sa pagtitig sa book cover ng libro.

"The Significance of Amaranthine's Tattoo." I faced her. "What about yours?"

"Well, Spells and Incantations. Hmm, I wanted to know more about the spells and incantations in this world..."

I nodded. Hindi ko na siya pinansin nang mabasa ko ang unang pahina ng libro.

The red rose is very valuable in this academy. It symbolizes passion from our ancestors.

Due to its simplicity and popularity, the red rose can be open to a wide range of interpretations.