Blood of an Arrow (UNDER REVISION)

CINCO

Kung pag-iisipan, bakit may kamatayan? Natural lang ba ito? Masasabi kong hindi, resulta ito ng pagkakasala ng tao at kailanman ay hindi naging normal ang kasalanan.

I have so many things to do at natutuliro na ako kung paano ko imamanage ang oras ko. Being the new president is not an easy task, kailangan kong kumilos and make this academy with its students better. I also have to maintain my consistency as the top student of this academy. I have become the decision maker in the organization and now I am in a team with two psychos in pursuit of a killer. I don't even know why I agreed to this.

Marami pa akong gagawin at dapat unahin but here I am, standing outside the observed office and waiting for the chief officer to come out.
Si Santera ay kanina pa naiinip at gustong pasukin ang crime scene while Aiden's a few meters away from us, he's talking to someone on the phone.

A few minutes later, a tall intimidating man in his professional uniform, probably in his 40's walked out of the room. May hawak itong folder. Kaagad naman kaming lumapit at sumunod si Aiden. The chief looked at us at itinaas ang kanang kilay niya.

"Anong kailangan niyo?" mababa ang boses nito at may kalakihan. Parang galit din kung magsalita.

"Good morning Sir, I am the School's president and we would like to inquire if we could observe the scene" mas lalong nangunot ang noo nito.

"Ano namang kinalaman nito sa inyo?" sagot nito, mukhang naiinis na sa pangingialam namin.

"As I've said sir, president po ako ng school. It is only my rightful job to know the cases in this school to make preventive measures and further precautions." I said trying to be as convincing as I can.

"Tss!" singhal nito. "Kaya mong gumawa ng ganiyan ng walang koneksyon sa crime scene" he's right, but no! I gotta twist his words and make an appeal para may masabi siyang information tungkol sa kaso.

"Can we at least know kung ano po yung main cause ng death niya? Lumabas na po ba yung autopsy report?" kahit hindi gan'on kabilis maprocess ang autopsy, alam kong gagawan ng school ng paraan para mapadali ito.

"Huwag na kayong mangialam."

May sasabihin pa sana ako nang biglang magsalita si Aiden.

"I am the victim's brother, sir." mangiyak-ngiyak pa ito at pinalungkot ang boses. Not specifying that he was his half-brother. Pinipigilan naman ni Santera ang kaniyang pagtawa. Hawak na niya ang kaniyang tiyan at kunting tulak nalang ay hahalakhak na ito. Alam ng lahat kung gaano kaayaw ni Aiden si Clive, and without him knowing, he became one of the suspects on my list. I know Santera thinks of that too kaya gustong-gusto niyang gumawa ng grupo na kasama si Aiden.

But if Aiden is the killer, then who was the one we saw hanging the secretary? Aiden was with us when it happened.

"Hindi oobra sa'kin ang mga paganyan-ganyan niyo. Ang mabuti pa bumalik na kayo sa mga klase niyo." I know wala na kaming magagawa at kapag pinilit namin ay mapapasama kami.

The officer is looking firm in his words. Is he really a decent worker? Most of us tend to criticize them for their hidden agendas. But if you were to look at yourselves, are you any better than them? What distinguish you from them is the honorifics.

I turned my back and started walking. When they noticed my missing presence and looked back, they immediately followed me. Funny! My title and authority moved them.

Title. Is that the basis of credibility and authority?

I once remembered being alone in my room. Dad was out of the country for the promotion of his experiments. I was nearly 9 years old and old enough to gain consciousness of my health. The only person to take care of me was the neighbor, she'll go and check on me from time to time, but I couldn't care more. At that age, I've become so independent with the training and trust Dad gave me. I remember waking up in the middle of the night, having difficulty breathing, my chest was tightening. It is like I am being suffocated to death but I managed to take slow deep breaths until I fell asleep. The next day went the same and the following days. I scribbled through my gadgets and figured I was having dyspnea. No, I'm not saying I am confident I have it. I just am so sure that I'm not well and that I am sick. I thought it was just a temporary dyspnea as what I thought after an intense physical activity as I was too engaged in archery so I decided to take an off from it for a while. But the shortness of breath didn't stop. I was so sure it is not because of archery that I'd been experiencing dyspnea so I told the neighbor the next day she came.