The Rivalry (Discontinued)

Chapter 7: Puerile Disagreement

“Before the European colonists that are mostly from England started arriving after 1600, indigenous peoples lived in United States for thousands of years and developed complex cultures.” Mrs. Tree said. “The Spanish people had a few settlements in Florida…”

I tried to keep my eyes from fluttering close every now and then, but it’s so hard especially when you’re sitting in a room without anyone to talk to or anything to do to distract yourself from your teacher who’s discussing a subject you’re not really interested in. Maybe if History is my favorite or something I really enjoy, then definitely my eyes, my ears, my brain will be wide open for the knowledge my teacher is sharing to us. I pity her a bit, because she’s wasting her time teaching students who aren’t even paying attention to her just because she needed the money she’d earn for the sake of whoever she’s feeding.

But I still can’t control my drowsiness.

I blinked hard, rubbed my eyes, and pinched my arm, hoping it would remove the languidness I’m feeling. But to my disappointment, it didn’t do anything. Maybe it really just works on cartoons.

I just sighed and grabbed my pen again and started jotting down notes and copying what Mrs. Tree had been writing on the whiteboard. It has always been in me to write down lectures on my notebook because it always helps me in studying when we have exams.

But it still didn’t help me. Not at all.

My hands feel numb, my eyes are heavy because of the amount of rocks resting on my eyelids, my mind is drifting, my head keeps falling down and I keep trying to pull it up and stay awake. But it doesn’t do anything, and right now, it doesn’t matter anymore that someone might see me like this. I just want to doze off and be in dreamland.

My ears registered the sound as music as the sweet lullaby escapes the lips of someone. Her voice is relaxing, beautiful, something that would cause me to fall into deep slumber and never wake up ever again. And it seems like it’s already happening.

It made it hard for me to open my eyes for as the music fills my mind, my whole body melts into hot liquid, and all of my organs appear like they had stopped functioning.

Suddenly, I hadn’t noticed this too fast but I felt careful arms pulling me closer to the chest of the person singing. I forced my lids open in surprise, and the light, like arrows shooting at my pupils, blinded me, which caused me to squint.

My vision took time to adjust from the brightness, and when it did, I saw the face I’d die just to have.

She has long eyelashes that almost cover up her eyes, full lips so healthy, flawless skin fair and white, and long brown hair as soft as cotton and silk. Not to mention her beautiful voice. She’s almost perfect, but sadly, nobody is. No one at all. I wonder who she is. I wonder why she’s holding me in her arms. I wonder why I’m not freaking out after I see myself face to face with a stranger.

I wonder what this place is.

I stared at her, drinking in all the details of her angelic face. She’s so beautiful, and I’m quite surprised I’m not feeling any envy towards her.

Suddenly, she slowly raised a hand and tucked some strands of my hair behind my ears. I listened intently at the lyrics she’s been singing, and I finally comprehended that the song is familiar. So, so familiar I don’t know why I can’t remember it.

      Oh, little child from the Paradise

      Ye are sent to inculcate humankind

      He keeps the innocent unscathed

      From the contemptible Belial’s wrath