Challengers

41 : New Friends, Old Foes

Nabulabog ng malakas na tugtog mula sa speakers ang tulog ko at lalo lang akong nainis dahil mahigit thirty seconds nang tumutunog iyon.

"Utang na loob naman," I groaned, squirming beneath the blanket.

Narinig ko ang pagtawa ni Arin sa gilid. "Gising na raw."

Isang malalim na buntonghininga ang pinakawalan ko bago tuluyang bumangon. The annoying music had stopped, but my morning was already ruined. And for heaven's sake, it was only 6:30 a.m.

"Attention, challengers. Please gather at the main pavilion at exactly 7:00 a.m. Thank you!"

Dahil wala na rin naman akong choice ay tuluyan na akong tumayo mula sa kama at nag-prepare para sa assembly. Mabuti na lang at maagang nakapag-ayos sina Roi at Arin dahil sa morning workout nila kaya agad akong nakapaghanda.

"Ano kayang meron?" bulong ni Arin habang palabas kami sa cabin. "Weird na bigla tayong pinatawag kahit free day ngayon."

"Di ba? Baka may plot twist na naman 'to," dagdag ni Roi na naglalakad sa likuran namin.

"Siguro related sa araw ngayon," sabi naman ni Zion. "Today's our 20th day, after all."

Napatingin kaming tatlo sa kanya dahil may point siya. We were already halfway through the program today, and this would be the best time for some surprises. Ang hirap pa naman madalas hulaan ang takbo ng utak ng creative producers nito.

Murmurs filled the air as soon as we arrived at the pavilion. Most were curious while some were concerned about the sudden gathering.

"May pasabog na naman siguro sila," Wannie remarked.

"Parang big deal kasi ang daming umiikot na staff," dagdag naman ni Sunny.

Just as what Sunny had said, there were a lot of staff members roaming around the camp. Some of them were inspecting the cabins while others were bringing some stuff to the main pavilion.

Mas lalo namang lumakas ang mga bulungan at haka-haka nang makita naming naglalakad si Ms. Hannah papunta rito habang may dalang cue cards.

"Good morning, Challengers!" bati niya at saka umakyat sa platform sa harapan. "We're already halfway through the program, and of course, what is a program for writers if there aren't any twists?"

A playful smile appeared on her face as the group ranking was displayed on the LED monitor. First to fifth ranks were pink, green, yellow, gold, and black teams, respectively. Hindi ko na masyadong natandaan kung ano ang ranks ng ibang teams dahil bigla na lang may blank table na lumabas sa monitor.

"Hala, ano 'yan?"

"Omg, is this what I think is it?"

"Hoy, seryoso ba?"

Ilan lang 'yon sa mga narinig kong reaksyon matapos 'yong ipakita. Almost everyone was in disbelief as we already had an idea on what was about to happen, and I frankly, I didn't like it.

"Starting today, your teams are no more, and the points accumulated by your previous team will be equally divided among its members."

A chorus of gasps echoed through the pavilion as everyone looked at each other in disbelief. I mean, I was already expecting it as soon as I saw the table flashed on the screen, but the confirmation still surprised me.

Arin mildly frowned as she looked at me. "So, hindi na tayo groupmate?"

Maging ako ay medyo nalungkot dahil sa announcement. We were awkward with each other at first, but I had grown closer with the three after spending almost three weeks with them. And if new teams would be formed, then that meant another adjustment period for me.