Between

Three

Chapter Three. (Liz's)

∞

I looked away.

I have to.

Those deep ocean eyes caught me looking, bigla tuloy akong napaisip sa kulay ng mata ko, sabi ni Aunt Renee, they're like the brightest shade of chocolate, hazel I must say. But soon, my eye color will be replaced by the deep ash color.

Lahat kasi ng mga napupunta sa Abandounen, soul burners, nagiging ganun ang kulay ng mata, and skin color will be pale. Ang mga magiging soul saver naman, mas lalong titingkad ang kulay ng mga mata, mas lalong magkakaroon ng buhay ang physical na anyo nila.

Lucky for them, I guess.

The class started and ended in a matter of 461 sighs and 328 blinks.

Lahat sila pinuntahan ang group of friends para yayain maglunch, ako, well, i prefer to be alone so, that's the way it is.

Naglalakad ako sa hallway ng makita ko si Millie Heilens. From the family with amazing gift of healing, she smiled at me and said, "Hi Elizabeth".

"Hey" I replied.

Unlike Ashley, masasabi ko naman na mas matino namang kausap si Millie.

"Wanna eat with me?" tanong niya.

I gave her my usual smile and said, "May pupuntahan ako eh, next time na lang".

"Lagi mo na lang sinasabi yan eh, but you never ate lunch with me" sabi nya. Medyo nahiya naman ako sa sinabi nya sa'kin. Napakaconsistent kasi nya pagdating sa pag-aya sa'kin na sumama sa kanila.

"Next time" at naglakad palayo sa kanya. Nakita ko rin kasi na palapit na sa'min ang mga 'group of friends' nya. All of them are too good to be around me. Kung tutuusin, mababait sila, pero, I don't fit in.

They are group of, good people. Too good to be called my "friends". But sanay na ako na lumalayo sa kanila, no scratch that, sanay na akong lumalayo sa lahat. If you aren't ready for the worst, you can't be the best. But all I have received were worst. Never had a best.

Naglakad ako papunta sa isang lugar na alam kong ako lang ang pupunta duon. My abditory, a hidden sanctuary were I can find peace for a split second.

Nasa loob lang din ito ng school, but no one ever came across this place, its near the hospital wing and the library, between those buildings actually. You have to walk through a narrow path and there, it was an abandoned garden where plants were withered, the small pond was already covered with large amounts of mold, everything seems dead in here, but there is one thing alive. Not me. It was an old tree, I haven't figured out what its called but, it's beautiful. When I first found out this place, I was curious about this tree. It was like, in a world full of silence, hopelessness, despair. There will always be that one thing that shines, that one thing that lives, brings hope.

And of course, I labeled this place as my abditory. Umupo ako sa ilalim ng puno. It felt so refreshing sitting underneath its shadows, like those shadows gave you soothing air to breathe.

Ipinikit ko ang mga mata ko, and suddenly, biglang nakita ko ang mga mata nya. Napaupo ako bigla, niyugyog ko pa ang ulo ko dahil mukhang nagkakaroon na ako ng nga delusyon.

"What the hell? Those eyes are creep" bulong ko habang mahinang pinupukpok ang ulo ko.

I stared blankly at the shadows. Before I could rearrange my normal mind, the school bell rang.

***

Class; English.

I don't know but I'm distracted. Like a screw fell out from the hinges of my brain. I wanna sleep.

Bakit ba kasi puro boring ng klase na pinapasukan ko? Ugh. Senior year sucks. Kahit na huling taon ko nalang, wala paring pinagbago.

Luckily, apat na klase lang ang pinapasukan ko araw-araw. Today, physics for first period, then here. Buti nalang lunch break na pagkatapos.

I looked at the clock it the center of our classroom. 20 minutes pa.

Slowly, I feel the ticking of the clock ringing in my head, I can feel the hands of the clock. I watched the clock's minute hand as it slowly turns from number 8 to 9, to 10, to 11 and lastly, to 12.

I was turned back to my focus when the lunch break bell starts pounding.

Tumayo ako, kinuha ang mga gamit at sumabay sa kumpulan ng mga palabas na estudyante.

Narinig ko ang bulungan ng ilang estudyante na "Ang aga ng break", "Buti nalang gutom na rin ako e", "May 20 minutes pa o", and so on.

Pasensya na, gusto ko ng layasan yung professor ko e.

Just as the hallway was cleared. I saw a familiar blond girl walking towards me. Kasama ang ilang kaibigan nya.

Who else? Ashley.

"What a trick burner" sabi nya as soon as makalapit sya sa'kin.

"Thanks for the compliment Achevens" I said coolly.

"Using dark gift in school huh? What a shame," sabi nya kasabay ng pag-cross ng braso nya.

"Thanks for the compliment again," pag-uulit ko. Masarap syang inisin e.

"You know what, I wish na sana mawala ka na sa school na 'to. You're ruining the balance," sabi nya.

"Pareho pala tayo ng wish ha," then I smirked.

"Or mas maganda siguro na mawala ka na ng tuluyan, just one 'pooof' and goodbye," it's her turn to smirk.

From above, I can feel the electric current. Dumadaloy ito papunta sa fluorescent na mismong nasa taas ni Ashley.

"If I were you, I would step back," diretsong sabi ko kay Ashley.

"And why would I do that?," she scoffed.

"Step back," sabi ko.

Using my mind, I gently pushed her friends and her back. Just as their heels touched the ground. Bumagsak ang fluorescent which made a loud noise together with the girls' screech.

But I secured the shards from scattering everywhere, para wala namang madamay na iba.

"You tried to kill me!," mahinang sigaw nya sa'kin.

Naglakad ako at nilagpasan sya.

"You really are a burner! You tried to kill me!," sigaw nya pero alam kong muffled lang ito sa mga tao, kagaya ng basag na fluorescent, nakita nila bilang isang aksidente at hindi gawa ko.

Tumigil ako at binalingan sya ng tingin.

"But I didn't," sabi ko at naglakad palayo.

I shrug the echoes inside my head saying, "You really are a burner!".

Or maybe that's true.

----------------------

~Ella x