Carnage of Vicinity (At a Not-So-Ordinary Senior High)

CHAPTER 00: End of the Beginning

"It is so bold of you to come here, anak."

'Yon ang mga katagang binitawan ko nang makita ko ang pagpasok ng isa sa mga estudyante ko sa aking opisina. He didn't knock the door before entering, at parang bagyo pa siya na biglaan na lamang pumasok. Was this really how teens behave nowadays? I wonder if the answer is yes.

"Withdraw your order against him..." He dropped a pile of pictures on my desk. "... Or I'll expose the skeletons in your closet, Principal Abaddon."

I wasn't surprised with his behavior. He's fierce and direct to the point; hindi niya talaga ako kailanman na-disappoint. It's true that he's something special. Ibinaba ko ang aking tingin sa mga larawang inihain niya sa lamesa, at napatango-tango ako sa nakita ko.

"You really know how to play games, don't you?" I smiled, gazing straight at his forehead. "Sadly, you are wasting your energy and wits, anak. Stop trying to win a game that you shouldn't be playing in the first place!" It was followed by my laughter, at nakita ko ang pagsama lalo ng timpla ng mukha niya. "Boy, Cameron, this game isn't about you. Bakit ka nakikisawsaw?"

"Because tungkol 'to kay Vi!" Oh. He did scream, huh? "And everything that concerns him concerns me too." Kumuha siya ng isa sa mga larawan at itinapat 'yon sa harapan ko. "Now, withdraw your order, and these secrets of yours will not be exposed."

Hindi ako nagsalita at nagsukatan lang kami ng tingin, pero hangga't maari ay sa noo niya ako tumitingin. Hindi ko matagalan ang tingin niya. There was this immense emotion in his eyes. Extreme will? Anger? I couldn't point out. Whatever it was, I was astounded with it. However, I needed to break it or it would cost my success.

"The decision is final..." Naglakad ako hanggang sa matapatan ko siya. "... Your friend Vi will be expelled from this school, and he has a great chance to not be accepted in any school here in our province," I said, and it was enough to bring the boy's shoulders down. "Well, he will face the mentioned punishment because of his actions. It will be a revolutionary action both for our school and for your friend." My lips formed a small smile. "Wala akong nakikitang rason para bawiin ang desisyon ko, Cameron."

Natulala ang bata at napatitig sa mga larawan. Oh, boy. If he thought that it would be enough to scare me and withdraw the decision, then sana alam niya na ngayon na hindi. That Vi needed to learn a lesson, and it may be unfortunate, but he must learn it the hard way.

"I did my best to protect and save him, I truly did, but to no avail." I held his shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "I'm so sorr-"

My mouth agaped when he slapped my hand away. That caught me off-guard.

"You framed him up! You wanted to eliminate him from your stupid games!"

Sandali kaming natahimik. Nanatili akong nakatayo sa tapat niya, directly looking at his eyes by now. Based on how lifeless his eyes turned to be, parang kaya niya akong saksakin kung may hawak lang siyang kutsilyo.

Tinalikuran ko siya at lumapit ako sa lamesa ko. I picked up the photographs, looked at them one by one, hanggang sa sinimulan ko 'yong punitin isa-isa. When I'm done, I turned back at Cameron.

"Kailangan kong gawin ito." I smiled. "You two are a wall against my vision. And, needless to say, I had to get rid of you two. However, it's impossible to get rid of you easily, so I started with Vi." I winked at him. "Don't worry, ikaw naman ang sunod na mae-eliminate sa larong ito. You will soon face the same fate as him."

I walked to his back and whispered everything in his ear.

"Dahil sa katigasan ng ulo niyo, I had a series of headaches, and it got unmanageable. I had to do what I did and what I could."

I walked away from him and headed to the door. Pinihit ko ang doorknob, at nilingon ko siya sa huling pagkakataon.

"Let things as they should be, Cameron, and I might consider sparing you, and let you have the peaceful high school life that every student wants. Pag-isipan mo sana," I said, totally closing the door between us.

A smile crept on my face as I walk away from my office. Pasipol-sipol pa ako as if I had just won a Poker game and had won a big prize. Pero, wala akong kamalay-malay na 'yon na pala ang magiging huling ngiti at sipol ko, because the very next day, I lost my position, and I was summoned in the police station. And, what surprised me was that it wasn't Cameron's fault.

It was that Vicinity.