OLYMPIANS' LOST PROGENIES

CHAPTER EIGHT - The Task for the Unclaims

 

I was surprised when Old Unyo ran so fast like he was being chased by a wild animal. En gave me a puzzled look, but he never said anything. We went back to our hut and found all others at the living room. Barry and Jecko were playing sungka; Logan was so serious solving a wooden rubik's cube. The girls were there too, except for one.

 

"Where's Emma?" En asked. I noticed it too.

 

"Changing her clothes." Nicole answered, she was reading an old book which caught my attention so much because of the creature illustrated on the cover.

 

"May I see your book, Nicole?" I asked. She looked mystified but she handed it to me.

 

"What is this creature?" I looked at the drawing. It was a giant bird with variety of colors, but white feathers were the most floating portion. It was holding a fish on its beak. The head was profusely decorated with scroll, leaf, and spiral motifs. I remembered my dream, the giant bird.

 

"That is a Sarimanok." Nicole answered. "It was a legendary bird of Maranao people. The Sarimanok is derived from a totem bird of them, called Itotoro. According to the Maranao people, the Itotoro is a medium to the spirit world via its unseen twin spirit bird called Inikadowa."

 

I handed the book back to Nicole. I was impressed with how she could absorbed the contents of it. "Have you finished it?"

 

"No, not yet." Nicole answered as she reached her book and opened it to the page where she stopped because I disturbed her.

 

"We played a game earlier, that's why Nicole didn't finished it." Ayase said, giggling.

 

Emma suddenly came out of their quarter. It was the first time I saw her wearing something, very girlish. Suddenly, I felt those feeling I felt while watching the flowers in Bernardo Carpio's place. I felt like being enchanted. I didn't know how long I was staring at her, I just felt her hand tapping my right cheek.

 

"Hey? What's wrong with you?" She said, chuckling.

 

"Oh, nothing." I said untruthfully. I could feel my cheeks warming.

 

En coughed so very loud, it got everyone's attention. "What were you playing, anyway?"

 

"Oh, just a girl game." Ayase's giggle came with the rolling of her eyes.

 

"It's just a role playing game." May inserted, for the first time, I realized she was around. My eyes scanned her vicinity. She caught me looking. "Cerynitis' not around."

 

I felt ashamed but I had to admit that I was glad that cat wouldn't make my nose itchy. We tried spending our time in the living room, waiting for any instructions that would come from the Governor. By the looks of everyone, being unclaimed was never something to fret or be sad about anymore.

 

"DO NOT MOVE FROM WHERE YOU ARE!" A sigbin came in our hut. This one was very different from Old Unyo. He was wearing a dark-green uniform. The leather helmet on his head had a single star badge attached on it. He looked like a team leader.