Saving Humanity

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Second Match

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Second Match

Holly

"Are you ready?" tanong ko kay Jared nang makarating ako sa classroom kung saan gaganapin ang second match. It has been arranged to look like an arena--complete with a boxing ring at the center.

"Wala naman akong ibang choice kundi ang maging handa," is his response. He looks around, searching for something. Nang tinanong ko siya kung sino ang hinahanap niya, tinanong niya ako pabalik.

"Have you seen Ephraim? Kanina ko pa kasi siya hinahanap, eh."

Nagsimula na rin akong tumingin sa paligid. Wala nga si Ephraim dito. Nasaan kaya siya? Noong huli ko siyang nakausap, maayos naman ang lagay niya. Sa katunayan, excited nga siya sa mga mangyayari ngayon dahil marami siyang natutunan kay Max.

After they got paired during the first match, Max kept his attention on Ephraim. Not to bully him, but to teach him things about combat. Malamang ay namangha siya sa determinasyon na ipinakita ni Ephraim sa pagtutuos nila, at nakitaan niya ang kaibigan namin ng potensyal.

I still hate Max, though. Even more so because I've seen him slap his girlfriend just because of a misunderstanding. Hindi ko alam kung anong pinag-awayan nila, pero kailanman ay hindi naging tama na manakit ka ng partner mo.

"There he is," Jared exhales. Sinundan ko ang tingin niya sa may pintuan, kung saan naglalakad papasok si Ephraim. Abala siya sa pakikipag-usap kay Max, pero nang makita niya kami ay kaagad niya kaming kinawayan.

"They're getting pretty close, huh," I tell Jared, flashing him a knowing look. "You think that's a good thing?"

"We can't know for sure," he admits with a sigh. He watches Ephraim make his way towards us. "Pero kilala ko si Ephraim. Alam ko na hindi niya magagaya ang masamang ugali ni Max. He's only interacting with him to pick up combat skills, nothing more."

Napatitig ako sa kanya. He looks good, more than ever. Kilala ko siya, kaya halata ko na kinakabahan siya sa mangyayari ngayon. Pero mas nananaig ang kasiyahan sa mga mata niya. He has a certain glow, one that you can only see in people who are genuinely happy. Siguro dahil nakita na niya ulit ang Mama niya.

I'm happy for him.

"Hey, partner."

Muntik na akong mapatalon nang biglang may bumulong sa akin mula sa likuran ko. I turn around, and Raf's smiling face greets me. He's looking at me as if we share the same secret. Which, technically, is true.

"We aren't partners," I tell him, mocking the way he spoke the last word.

"Um, yes, we are." He gives me a smirk. "Nakalimutan mo na ba kung anong natuklasan natin kahapon?"

My heart leaps, and I involuntarily lurch towards him to cover his mouth with my hand. Kaagad akong napatingin kay Jared na abala sa pakikipag-usap kay Ephraim.

"Shut up," mariin kong sambit kay Raf. "Sinabi ko naman sa'yo na hindi pwedeng malaman ng kahit na sino ang tungkol doon."

He nods, and I slowly take my hand off his mouth.

He gives me another smirk. "Bakit? Hindi pa ba alam ni Jared ang tungkol doon?"

Umiling ako. "Hindi pa. Sasabihin ko sa kanya pagkatapos ng match. Ayokong ma-distract siya dahil doon."

Raf's face scrunches, and he gives me a suspicious look.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing," he answers, fake-rolling his eyes. "Sinabihan mo ko na huwag kong sasabihin sa iba, pero sasabihin mo naman kay Jared. Don't you think that's kind of unfair?"

"Jared can be trusted. Aside from him, no one else is trustworthy enough. Unfair pa rin ba iyon para sa'yo?"

Tumawa siya. "Point taken."

Since I feel like the conversation is over, I start to turn my attention to Jared and Ephraim, who are currently talking about their potential matches later. Pero muling nagtanong sa akin si Raf.

"Ano bang mayroon sa inyo ni Jared?"

Napatingin ako sa kanya. "Huh? Wala. Magkaibigan lang kami."

It seems that my answer came out too aggressive, because Raf gives me a pointed look. Luckily he decides not to push it.

"Curious talaga ako kung paano kayo nagkakilala, at kung ano talaga ang dahilan kung bakit gising kayo," he says, making my heart beat faster. It's a good thing that I've already mastered the art of controlling my emotions, even under extreme pressure.

"DIba sinabi na namin sa inyo kung paano kami napadpad rito?" katwiran ko.

He shrugs, as if he's not fully-convinced. "Okay. Sabi mo, eh."

Bigla akong nakaramdam ng kaba. This is what I've been telling myself about. Harmless-looking guys tend to be more evil than nasty-looking ones. I can't help but feel paranoia towards him. Why is he asking such cryptic questions? May alam ba siya tungkol sa amin ni Jared?

That's impossible, though. How can he know anything? From the looks of it, he isn't the most loyal follower of the President. He would've told everyone about the secret basement otherwise. But still, I have to be careful. Aside from his name and his annoying way of bugging me, I don't know much about him. And based on his line of questioning earlier, he's smarter than I'm giving him credit for. Kailangan kong mag-ingat sa mga salitang binibitiwan ko, lalo kung siya ang kausap ko.

"Natulala ka na diyan," bigla niyang sambit habang iwinawagayway ang kamay niya sa harap ko. "What are you thinking about?"

Hindi na ako nag-abala na sagutin ang tanong niya, dahil dumating na si Sgt. Agustin kasama ang kanyang kapatid. She's holding a sheet of paper, clearly containing the pairs for today. Jared tenses as soon as he notices them, his giddy expression instantly turning into something serious. I scoot closer to him and purposefully nudges his arm with mine.

Being the annoying human being that he is, Raf scoots closer to me, as well.

"Here we go," Ephraim mutters. "I can never be prepared for this."

The entire room is quiet, everyone's eyes are trained on the two facilitators as they make their way at the front, just beside the boxing ring. Sgt. Agustin looks around, checking if every participant is here. While Col. Agustin looks at each of us with a grin on his face, acting as if we are his prized possessions.

Sgt. Agustin lifts her head, and there's a collective intake of breath.

Hinawakan ko ang kamay ni Jared. I want to let him know that I'm here, and that I believe in him. Alam ko na kaya niyang talunin ang kung sino mang makakalaban niya ngayong araw. I saw how he trained, how he worked hard to improve his combat skills.

If there's someone in this room who could emerge victorious, it's him.

Sgt. Agustin's smug look is effective enough to unnerve everyone in the room. This is her domain, her specialty. Inside this classroom, she is the queen... And we are her subjects to torture freely.

She lets out a smirk, and as soon as words start to pour out of her mouth, my heart drops to the floor.

"For today's match... We're going to do something different."