Battle Royale: Philippines Level II

Part 1: Chapter 03

The cool sea breeze brushed the grass on the cliff of the northern part of the island. The light coming from the nearby country –which is Taiwan-, can be seen, like the man had said.

The first couple in the class, Angelica Vicencio (Student G10-E1H) and Eliezar Rosti Barnachea (Student B11-E1H), was sitting at the edge of the cliff. Angelica was holding her weapon, a Byson Model .357, and Rosti's boxing gloves (that's his weapon, it sucks right?) was lying beside him.

They were holding their hands tightly. Angelica's head was resting at Rosti's left shoulder. They were looking at the Luzon Strait and the light coming from Taiwan. The waves coming from the sea made a roar and splashing from the rocky ridges below the two.

Angelica looked at Rosti, he looked back at her. She rested her chin on Rosti’s shoulder. The pale moonlight lit up their faces. Even though Angelica was older of the two, Rosti seemed much older than Angelica.

"Do you want to play this game?" she asked him.

Rosti was a bit surprised at her question. He took a deep breath and looked at the starry sky.

"No, I want to stay by your side," he answered.

"Thank you," Angelica said and she gave Rosti a hug.

Rosti put his left arm around Angelica. Both of them pulled off from their hug when they heard the distant gunfire, a rattling sound, like a typewriter. It sounded very far away but from the sound of it, it seemed that it was very close.

"Is...someone already dead?" Angelica asked.

"I don't know," Rosti replied.

The both of them looked back at the light across the horizon. Rosti put back his left arm around Angelica's shoulder.

Angelica remembered something back two months ago. She smiled at the memory. Rosti noticed Angelica that she was smiling blankly in thin air. Rosti tapped Angelica on the shoulder, Angelica looked at Rosti, and she was still wearing her smile.

“Why are you smiling?” Rosti asked.

“Do you remember the time when Evan used to play some love songs at the student center to us?” Angelica said.

“Of course, especially the song…what is the title again?” Rosti scratched his head.

“I think it’s Deeply in Love,” Angelica looked back again at the light.

“Oh, yeah,” Rosti snapped his finger.

“Why didn’t Evan brought his guitar on the tour?” Angelica asked.

“Well, he said that his guitar is heavy and he’s too lazy to bring that,” Rosti answered.

“Oh,” Angelica, still looking at the light from the horizon.

Rosti took a deep breath and he lied down on the grass. Rosti started to sing the chorus of Deeply in Love.

“You have stolen my heart, I’m captivated by you. Never will you and I apart, I’m falling deeply in love with you,” Rosti sang.

Angelica felt a tear fell down at her left cheek. She wiped it immediately and she rested her head at Rosti’s chest. She felt his heartbeat, it’s so calm. She felt protected at the time; she wanted to stay like this forever.

“Do you know what my dream is?” Rosti said.

“What?” Angelica said while still resting at Rosti’s chest.

“First, to graduate as a Civil Engineer, then I will work hard for one year and construct a house of my own,” Rosti said.

“Go on, I’m listening,” Angelica said.

“Then, we will get married, and to have two wonderful children,” Rosti continued.

“That’s great, mine is the same too,” Angelica said.

Rosti brushed her hair and Angelica held his other hand. She pictured their dreams in her mind. She pictured a two-story white house with a garden and there ran two children, a boy and a girl. The two kids were playing under the sunshine and they were waving at her and saying “Hi mommy!”

She felt another tear escaped from her eye. She immediately wiped it. She sat up straight and looked back again at the horizon. Rosti also sat up and he embraced Angelica. Angelica buried her face at Rosti’s chest.

“Well, looks like that would be impossible, right?” Angelica finally sobbed.

“Yeah, I think it’s less than one percent in surviving this game,” Rosti said.

Angelica nodded. She hugged Rosti tight and Rosti hugged her back.

"Will you protect me?" Angelica asked. Rosti giggled a bit.

"How can I protect you?" he showed his boxing gloves.

"You can use mine," she raised her gun.

He took the gun from her hand and he tossed it to the sea. Angelica gave Rosti a confused look.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"Let's die together," he said.

Angelica's eyes widen. Rosti looked at Angelica straight in the eyes and smiled. 

"So, will you do it with me?" he asked.

Angelica looked down at the sea and she looked back again at Rosti.

"Okay," she finally said.

Rosti smiled and he gave Angelica a warm kiss on the lips and they hugged each other tight. He pushed their selves and they were now flying in mid-air. Tears came rushing out of Angelica's eyes.

"We will be forever together," Rosti whispered at Angelica's ear.

“I love you, forever,” Angelica whispered back.

They felt the cold water touched their skin and their heads bumped into a huge rock, leaving Rosti’s head cut open and Angelica’s head got stuck at a pointed rock at the sea.

Their daypacks were left on the edge of the cliff and Ma. Katheleen Fuentes (Student G18-E1H) was looking at the place where she had last seen the couple. She was stunned at the scene she just saw.

"They really loved each other," she said.

She felt a tear fell down to her left cheek. She wiped it away and she took their daypacks and walked back to the forest. A realization hit her. She looked back at the cliff.

“True love can’t be destroyed and conquered by anything. It’ll stand forever until the end.”

Student G10-E1H: Vicencio

Student B11-E1H: Barnachea

2 DEAD   46 students remaining