Soulstone Academy

Chapter Twenty-Four: Key

"Miss Tempest."

I tapped my pen on the desk. Napaka-bad omen naman kasi ng propesiya na 'yon. Either it's the third war that would cause the destruction or the continent itself will explode? A punishment from the gods or a result of human greed?

"Raven."

Ngunit kahit alin naman siguro sa dalawa, hindi pa rin talaga maiiwasan ang dadating na gyera. Hiraya is preparing the Selecteds to fight after all. Ganoon din sa palagay ko ang kaaway naming bansa. Naghahanda na rin sila sa paparating na gulo.

Now what makes me wonder is... what will trigger such an event to happen?

"Raven!"

"Oh, fuck you!" naisigaw ko sa gulat.

Dumaan ang nakakagimbal na katahimikan sa silid at naningkit ang mata ni Kiernan sa'kin. I could see Griffin trying to hold his laughter kaya nagmukha tuloy siyang constipated. On the other hand, Beatrix shot me her famous glare at sigurado akong may kagat-kagat na mansanas na ang lechong ako sa isip niya.

I gave our Soul Arts teacher an awkward smile. "Huwag ka kasing sumigaw, nagulat tuloy ako."

Solana shook her head and face-palmed. "Si Sir pa tuloy may kasalanan." she whispered under her breath but everyone still heard it anyways.

"We don't permit those kind of languages inside the classroom, Miss Tempest."

"So kapag nasa labas ba ako, okay lang-" Kiernan glowered at me. "Joke. Sorry."

Beatrix, the attention-seeker, tsked. "Kahit sorry 'di magawa ng maayos."

I pursed my lips, wondering if I should ignore the snide comment or not. Normally, I wouldn't but I did make someone a promise. Hmm...

Or I could make this pretty fun.

Tumayo ako't ipinakita kay Kiernan ang pinaka-regretful face ko. With puppy eyes, pouting lips and everything. I even summoned my inner actress to produce tears. Kumunot ang noo ng guro namin nang lumuhod ako sa harap niya. Hushed whispers travelled around the room, all of them wondering what I'm about to do next. Narinig ko pa ang mahinang pagtawag ni Tamara sa'kin pero yumuko na ako para maitago ang expresiyon sa kanila.

"Ano na naman ang gusto-"

Beatrix' complaint was cut short when I started my sniffles. Gumagalaw ang balikat ko sa bawat hikbi. When I saw Kiernan's shoe move, I quickly glanced up. Nagkaroon ng takot ang mukha niya nang makitang umiiyak na ako.

"I-I'm so s-sorry," my voice broke as I made my full apologetic performance. "I didn't mean to curse at you. I-I just, I was just s-surprised." I took a deep breath, calming myself down. "I'm really, really sorry. P-Please forgive me... or, or do you want me to beg-"

Nanlaki ang mata ni Kiernan nang sinubukan ko pang ibaba ang ulo sa sahig. Along the screeching of a chair, implying someone suddenly stood up, was Kiernan's hand on my shoulders. Tinulungan niya akong tumayo habang umiiling.

"What are you doing? I never said you should-"

"Eh." tumayo ako't sumimangot. "I thought my sorry earlier wasn't enough? Baka naman ganito pala kayo dito maghingi ng pasensya at hindi ko alam."

I swear I could hear the relieved sigh from others when I dropped the drama. Parang hindi naman makapaniwala si Kiernan sa kaharap niyang umiiyak lang kanina at ngayo'y walang pake na. I rose a brow at him, wiping off the crocodile tears away.

Nagkibit-balikat ako. "Hindi pala dapat gano'n?" I dragged my emotionless gaze to Beatrix. "Can you demonstrate how the proper 'sorry' should be? Itry mo sa'kin. Humingi ka ng pasensya."