Telepathic Violinist

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3
[ABILITY DISCUSSION]

September 19, 2016
Classroom
4:37 PM

[Philip]

"Ikaw, Mr. Bagalayos? What farfetched or fictional Sci-Fi power do you want to posses?" our teacher in Contemporary Literature, Sir Ruben Marasigan, asked Andrei, or should I say... Ferdinand Matteo; my latest enemy in online writing.

Enemy as of now lang naman. An'dami ko kasing kaaway. Ugh. Poor me. Ako lang ata ang nakakaalam na siya 'yong writer na kung ano-ano ang kinakalat sa social media ngayon. Andrei Bagalayos adjusted his position on his chair and looked around slightly, yet with confidence. He adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.

Andrei answered followed by a smirk pasted on his lips. "Sir... I'd like to have Telepathy."

"Whoah."

" 'Yon ba 'yong mind-reading?"

" 'Yon ata. Parang communication through minds. Parang gano'n," I heard my classmates comment randomly upon hearing Andrei answer and I only rolled my eyes. This foolish dude named Andrei doesn't know what he's asking for.

"Pst. Class, quiet," saway ni Sir Marasigan. "Mr. Bagalayos; please continue. Why do you want to have such an ability?" he asked and if my eyes could only roll a million times, my eye sockets would have been engulfed with flames by now due to too much friction.

"Sir, maybe because I have this thirst to know what's inside the minds of the people around me...."

You wouldn't want to know, fool. Madi-disappoint ka lang ng sobra.

"... And I want to communicate with others through my mind as well."

Oh really? Para magawa mo na magcommunicate ng tsismis tungkol sakin? Oh how foolish of you. Takot ka kasi magtanong at magsalita ng harap-harapan. Palibhasa pailalim kang ungas ka. For sure, the thirst he's pertaining to is the thirst to know what's on MY mind as a writer in particular.

How vain and incompetent. I may even say that he's a spineless writer. I have a set of adjectives perfectly suitable and ready to bombard him with, if he really wants to know what's on my mind.

"... You know, sir? Is depends on the situation where I am in," huli niyang sagot at nasapo ko na lang ang mukha ko sa disappointment.

Okay na sana eh. 'Yong dulong sentence lang talaga eh. I felt like choking myself to death. My blood as a grammar Nazi overcame me that time. Is depends? Diba dapat... It depends? Oh for Pete's sake, my mind is automatically editing some grammatical errors present in the air. I hate myself for this.

"Explain further Mr. Bagalayos," the teacher urged and I silently sighed in disappointment.

Hindi ba kinikilabutan si Sir sa grammar ng pinag-eexplain niyang estudyante? I don't want to hear more from his imperfect grammar but he still went on. Oh good heavens; mercy be upon me.

"Sir, among the abilities that are optional to have like controlling elements, super strength, alien lineage, etcetera; Telepathy is the strategical," he continued.

I clicked my tongue faintly. Pwede namang 'is strategical' lang eh.

Sir Marasigan's eyes squinted. "Why is it strategical?"

"Sir can I say it in tagalog na lang? Parang naubusan na po ako ng English eh." Andrei muttered faintly to our teacher. Kamuntikan na akong masamid sa sarili kong laway nang magawa ko rin itong marinig.