Immortal City

Chapter 25

Chapter 25
Turning Point

Last night was a blur.

Akala ko hindi ako makakatulog sa sobrang daming bagay na pumasok sa isipan ko. Ang mas malala pa ay ang hindi ko maipaliwanag na kaba na naramdaman ko kagabi. Hindi ako mapakali at pakiramdam ko mayroong nagmamatyag sa bawat galaw ko. I don't know how long I'll be able to stay calm.

Biglang tumunog ang tiyan ko at napamulat na ako nang tuluyan.

Ngayon ko lang naalala na hindi nga pala ako naghapunan. Tanda kong ginising ako ni Luna kagabi at tinanong kung maghahapunan ako. Mukhang hindi ko siya sinagot dahil kumakalam na ang tiyan ko ngayon.

I sit up and look around, waiting for my eyes to adjust and see what the faint light coming from the window offers. It's still dark, I can't tell if it's night or dawn. Hindi rin nakatulong na malamig sa dormitory namin. I grab my blanket and wrap it around me tighter. Now that I can see the silhouette of the room clearly, I can't help but notice the serenity of the atmosphere. Despite all my worries, the ambiance of the room helps calm my nerves.

Our room is quite big, not to mention it has a very high ceiling which makes me wonder just how tall each floor of this building is. It has seven beds: three on the left side, and four on the right side of the wall. Each of our bed has a nightstand on its right, together with a lamp. On the other side, we have our own small closet. The left end of the room, where I am, has a floor to ceiling window, the other end is where the double door to our room is.

I glance at my roommates. Being at the edge of the room near the window, I have a great view of the space. To my right lies a sleeping Luna. They're all still sleeping. Lahat sila mga nakahilata pa sa kani-kanya nilang kama.

"Rina," I say, unnecessarily speaking out loud, "what time is it?"

"It's 3:21 in the morning, Number Six."

That's early.

Well, considering how early I slept yesterday which is right after class, it's acceptable how early I woke up too. What I'm dreading now is my stomach. Sana pala nakakain ako kagabi. Lalo na at may rule na pwede lang kumain within a certain period of time. Wait, baka pwede na ako kumain ng breakfast?

But it's three in the morning. May pagkain na kaya sa cafeteria ng ganitong oras?

"There isn't, Number Six."

"There isn't? How did you—oh. It's written in the rule book isn't it?"

"Yes, Number Six."

I pity myself for being so dumb.

"Show me the schedule, Rina."

A faint light appears on my nightstand, probably Rina showing the schedule. I reach for it to examine the writings on the surface.

Breakfast
4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Lunch
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Dinner
5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Good thing about the schedule is, there is no curfew on when we should be inside our dormitories. Meaning, we can be outside our rooms anytime. However, breakfast doesn't start until four. And that's what I need right now. Well, I woke up at 3:21 a.m. so I guess breakfast is only in a few minutes.