Dark Intramurals: Chronicles of the Magic Wielders (On-Going)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

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SLOANE'S POV

"Excited na ba kayo sa Q & A round?" tanong ni Prof. Archer.

The audience responded loudly with their cheers. The iconic fishbowl was taken by a student council member to the center stage.

Isa-isang pinapunta sa harap ang mga kandidato, starting again with the girls. Minutes past, at sa wakas turn na ng mga lalaking kalahok.

"First up will be Candidate #3, Sloane Ramirez."

I walked with grace towards the emcee. Bumunot ako mula sa fishbowl and read aloud the name of my chosen judge. "Prof. Archimedes Buenaventura."

​"Good afternoon, Sloane. I hope you are doing well," he greeted, to which I responded with a smile. "Here goes my question for you. If you were given the chance to speak in front of the leaders of the international community, what single issue or concern would you like to raise to them, and why?" panapos ng lalaki sa tanong nito as he turned off his mike.

​I paused for a few seconds, breathed lightly, and smiled to the crowd. "Thank you Prof. Buenaventura for such a thought-provoking question. As a student myself, if I'll be given the chance to speak in an international platform hosting leaders from across the globe, I would like to stress out the importance of free, quality education to all. In this modern world, the ability to read, write, and count is as much of a need as food, shelter, and clothing. Also, as the competition among job hunters got stiffer, the demand for higher educational attainment across industries elevated, and is elevating, year after year. With this scenario, it gets harder for poorer people with lower educational attainment to have a decent existence, thus sustaining the poverty cycle. If we can provide to everyone free, accessible, and quality education, I believe that a brighter future is will be ahead of us. Thank you."

​Nagpalakpakan ang mga tao, pati na ang mga judges at ibang contestants pagkatapos kong makasagot. I stepped back to my spot with the male finalists and waited for their turn on the Q & A. Maayos naman in general ang mga sagot nila, pero tiwala akong lamang ang sagot ko in terms of content.

​"Now, for our final candidate. Cilan, please choose your judge."

​Cilan drew a piece of paper from the fishbowl and read the judge's name. "Prof. Raquel Concepcion."

​"Hello, Cilan! No biases, but I personally find you the cutest of the bunch," kinikilig na bati ng mid-40s na propesora na ikinatawa ng lahat. "Ok, back to business na. Here's your question, Cilan. What was the most painful experience in your life, and how did you manage to move on from it and be the person that you are right now?"

​Nakita ko ang pagkagitla ng binata sa tanong. Seconds though, he recovered and regained his composure.

"Thank you for that question, Prof. Concepcion. Well, the most painful thing that happened in my life... was when I trusted someone with my heart, but broke it right in front of me. I was very young then, stubborn and fierce. All I knew was that it was the one for me, but then I was wrong. It ended, and I thought that it was the end for me as well. Luckily, time healed my wounds and got me right back on track. There are two things that I've learned after that dark moments of my life: First, love yourself at all times, because you can never give something that you do not have, and lastly, never love too much, because anything that is in excess is dangerous, and love is no exception. Thank you."

​Masigabong palakpakan ang ibinigay ng lahat sa napaka-personal na sagot ni Cilan, but I was too stunned to even lift a finger. Hindi pa rin ako makapaniwalang minsan na palang umibig ang binata, at labis lang itong nasaktan sa karanasang 'yun.