VODKA [GXG, INTERSEX] (BOOK 1)

Chapter 5

Our professor is busy discussing Psycholinguistics when I feel someone is staring at me, it's her, Dmitri. After that incident in the library nung Monday, lagi na niya akong binubuntotan. The talk of the plan was just yesterday.

Buti na lang medyo malayo ang department ni Dusk dito. We're really like a duplicate of each other. Kaya noon, if may mali siya, minsan ako ang napagkakamalan and vice versa. Siguro the only difference between us is yung nunal sa breast namin, kaya di makita ng iba ang pinagkaiba namin. I have it on my right, while she has it on her left.

To make our plan more efficient, Dusk decided to color her hair into brunette and will wear contact lenses. Magpapalagay din daw siya ng minimal tattoos which is unnecessary but she said na balak niya rin naman ng ganun noon sa America pero she was busy with her child.

"Can anyone explain to the class what the Language Acquisition Device is?" Ma'am Broque asked, her voice echoing through the classroom. She's Sir Broque's wife. They're both equally terrifying, di ko alam kung swerte or kawawa ang anak nila.

Walang nag-raise ng hand kaya ako na, "Any other hand?" She said when she noticed na ako lang ang nag-raise, siyempre ako naman lagi.

"Okay, I will call someone. This is a graded recitation." She firmly said, her tone is very mala-attorney ba. Para kayong magdedefend ng kaso kapag recitation talaga sa kanya, mas terror pa ito kaysa kay Sir Broque.

Sus, napaka simple lang kaya niyan. Kung nakinig lang kayo. I looked at Luna, na di malayo sa akin, magkatabi sila ni Jacinto. I raised my eyebrow at her, urging her to raise her hand.  She's smart enough to answer this, pero nahihiya lang.  She sighed and raised her hand.

"M-ma'am?" Luna stammered, her voice trembling as she met Ma'am Broque's gaze.

"Alright, Ms. Bituin. Explain to your classmates if what is Language Acquisition Device all about." She nodded at her.

Tumayo siya at sumagot, "Ma'am, the Language Acquisition Device or simply call it LAD is a theoretical construct in linguistics, primarily associated with Noam Chomsky's nativist theory of language acquisition. It proposes that humans possess an innate, biologically pre-programmed capacity for language learning."

The class then gave her a round applause. Oh diba, matatalino talaga ang mga Bituin.

"Very good! Now call somebody to give an example." Ma'am Broque said, her voice still sharp but a hint of approval in her tone.

"Me, ma'am?" Luna asked. Malamang, ikaw tinitignan ni Ma'am, ano ba Luna.

"Yes, iha." Ma'am Broque replied, her eyes fixed on Luna.

She looked around and her eyes stopped in a certain direction, I followed her gaze and looked at Dmitri who looked bored.

"Ma'am, I would like Ms. Antonov to provide an example about LAD." She said formally to our professor.

I smirked at Luna and silently giggled, she winked at me secretly.

"Alright, Ms. Antonov. Kindly stand up and provide an example." She nodded at her.

I watched as Dmitri stood up confidently, her presence commanding attention. She was in front of the class, but on the opposite side.

"Sure, ma'am." she replied, her tone cool and collected. She then turned to face us, "Children typically acquire a significant amount of language vocabulary and grammar within a short period, even with limited exposure. The LAD would explain this rapid learning by providing a pre-programmed foundation for language which was explained a while ago by Ms. Bituin, allowing children to quickly process and internalize linguistic input. So what do I mean by this rapid learning? It refers to the surprisingly fast and efficient way some individuals learn a new language, often exceeding the typical pace of language learning. That's all, Ma'am." She answered formally and with conviction.

Napaawang ang bibig ko sa sagot niya and the way she delivers her answer. The class erupted into applause. She was so good!

"Excellent! I will give you points direct to the grade." Ma'am Broque was also surprised. Ganyan si Ma'am mag-grade, if you satisfied her with your answer.

Her grading scale is from Excellent to Poor using a 5-point Likert scale, just like in research. Actually, our course is majoring in Research, but we don't have majors. If it's Excellent, you get points directly added to your grade. Very Good gets points too, but not directly added. Good gets fewer points. Fair, may point ka pero pointless nga lang. Lastly, Poor, ayan tatayo ka na.

Nagulat talaga kaming lahat, I never thought that she would exceed my expectations. Bigla akong kinabahan, matalino siya, I need to step up my game in this mission.

It was lunch time, the five of us gathered at the SSG office, dito daw muna kami kakain since nagpatawag si Luna ng meeting. Ayan, ginawa na niya kaming officers. I found a way to escape Dmitri for a little while. Syempre dapat BDO, we find ways, corny.

"Grabe, maganda na nga matalino pa." Apollo commented, his eyes glued to the recording of Dmitri's answer.

Jacinto recorded discreetly since ang akala ng dalawa mapapahiya si Dmitri, turned out na talo niya ang buong class. Kapag kasi hindi ka makasagot sa class ni Ma'am Broque, tatayo ka the whole hour of the class, until dismissed. While Sir Broque naman, papalabasin ka niya kapag hindi ka sasagot or nakita niyang tatanga-tanga kang sumagot.

"She really is intelligent." Dusk remarked.

"Now, I can finally distinguish the difference between the both of you. Jusko marimar, napagpapalit ko kayong dalawa noon." Jacinto said, shaking his head in amusement.

Bagay naman ni Dusk ang brunette, so it means bagay ko din pero I'll stick to our natural blonde hair. Her dark brown contact lenses made her aura different, bagay din.

"What does your tattoo on your collarbone mean?" Luna asked, her eyes drawn to the intricate design.

Napatingin ako doon, it's a series of Runes lettering. "The name of my daughter." She answered.

"I really like your new style, Dusk. There's a touch of gothic." Jacinto commented, winking at her. "Para ka tuloy si Bella nung naging bampira siya."

"Kaya nga Twilight ang second name niya right?" Apollo said at tumawa naman ang couple.

"So corny." Luna rolled her eyes. "Kayong dalawa, kapag magsalita talaga kayo parang hindi present yung subject niyo."

"Alam mo ikaw, lagi ka na lang galit. Palibhasa hindi ka pa kasi nadidiligan." Jacinto teased, hitting a nerve.

"Hoy! Ikaw bakla ka-" Luna shot back, her voice rising in indignation.

"Hey! Will you guys please quiet down?" I interrupted, my head pounding from their incessant banter.

Nauna na akong lumabas and headed straight to my favorite place, the library.

When I get to the fourth floor, meron namang iilang students. Sa lawak ng library, 15-20% lang ang pumupunta.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw Dmitri chilling in my spot.  She turned to me and grinned, her eyes glinting with a mixture of amusement and something else I couldn't quite decipher.

"I've been waiting for you." Her cold voice sent shivers down my spine.

Kalma, Aurora. Simula pa lang ito ng mission. I slowly approached the cubicle and sat across from her. I still remembered what she did to me the last time.

"Hey, sweetheart. Look, I'm really sorry for what I did the previous day, I just got carried away because I missed you very much." Her voice softened, nakita niya sigurong masyado akong tensed. "I understand that you called the police on me that time, but it didn't lessen my love for you. Well I got angry at first since you betrayed me, but I can see why you did that while I was in jail."

I stayed silent, my mind racing with a hundred different thoughts.

"Look, Twilight," hinawakan niya ang mga kamay ko and she rubbed her thumbs against my skin, "Let me make it up to you. I swear I'd be a better person for you, my love." She leaned in and kissed my hand, her lips lingering for a moment.

Hoy, ano to!