Beyond the Boundary | ✓

Chapter 01

Nang tingnan ko ang paligid namin, nakatingin na sa direksyon namin ang mga tao, nagtataka kung normal pa ba si Caesonia or kailangan nang ipa-admit sa Grendan Hospital. Napairap na lang ako.

Naglalakad kami ngayon sa gilid ng kalsada at papunta kami sa usual na meeting place naming magkakaibigan. Me and Caesonia goes to the same public school, Grendan City Public High School, while our other friends, Zeigmund, Aveyron and Reivohr goes to the prestigious private school, Prestige Grand Academy. They're filthy rich except Zeigmund, he got in because of his brain.

Huminto kami nang nasa may bus stop na kami. A few minutes later, a bus stopped in front of us. The buses here has no wheels and only floats in the air and it's almost oval in shape, unlike those buses I've seen in history books.

Pumasok na kami ni Caesonia sa bus. Nilabas ko ang citizen card ko at itinapat sa scanner na nass gilid lang ng pinto ng bus. When the scanner turned green, bumukas ang glass door at lumakad na kaagad ako paupo sa unang bakanteng upuan na nakita ko. Tumabi si Caesonia sa akin.

Our life now was so different from what humans had before. It's already year 3001, everything's so different. From transportations, to buildings, technologies... everything. Minsan napapaisip pa ako kung ano kaya ang feeling kung nabuhay ako 1,000 years ago? Or 700 years ago, before the World War V happened?

Before the fifth world war happened, humans were living on the surface of the earth. Land, that's what they call it. Sa nakikita ko sa mga libro na pinapakita ang buhay ng mga tao 700 years ago, parang masaya silang naninirahan sa lupa. Kaya nagtataka ako kung bakit kailangan naming manirahan dito sa gitna ng dagat, sa loob ng napakalaking barko na ito.

There were 100 ships all in all. And our city, Grendan, is in Grand Ship No. 10.  Each ship has 10,000 people including the ones who maneuver the ship and those humanoids who serve as our maids.

There's an event that happens every year wherein all of the ships will meet in the sea and people can freely explore all of the ships. It happens every November 10th of the year. That's also my birthday.

And speaking of Grand Ships' anniversary, it'll be next week!

“Reivohr!” sigaw bigla ni Caesonina nang papalapit na kami sa cafe kung saan kami usually na nagkikita-kita na magkakaibigan.

Napabaling kaagad ang tatlo sa direksyon namin. Aveyron, the girl with short hazel brown hair, waved at us. “Hello! Bakit ang tagal ninyo?”

Noong nakalapit na kami sa kanila, kaagad na niyakap ni Caesonia si Reivohr at napairap na lang ako. Masyadong pinapahalata ng isang ito na may gusto siya kay Reivohr. At ito namang si Reivohr, mas dense pa sa black hole.

Umupo ako sa bakanteng upuan na katabi ni Zeigmund. In our group, he's always the silent one. He won't talk unless you start a conversation with him.

He pushed the cup of coffee towards me. Nag-angat ako ng tingin sa kaniya at saka siya nginitian. “Thanks!”

He just nodded and sipped on his own cofee while looking at Aveyron, who was trying to get Caesonia away from Reivohr na nabibilaukan na.

“How's school?” tipid na tanong ni Zeigmund sa akin. I looked at him and when I saw that he was staring at the sea in front of us, napatingin na rin ako roon bago sumagot.

“Nakatulog na naman ako sa klase ni Mr. Aldemor. Magkaka-long quiz kami bukas dahil do'n.” I chuckled before I slowly sipped on my coffee.

“Binabasa mo na naman 'yong history book na binigay ng lola mo sa 'yo?”

I nodded. “May mga nakasulat kasi ro'n na nagbibigay kasagutan sa mga katanungan ko. Kagaya na lang kung ano ang hitsura ng lupa bago pa tayo napadpad dito sa Grand Ship.”

In my peripheral view, I saw him turn his head towards me, kaya napatingin na rin ako sa kaniya.

“Hindi ka ba nagtataka kung bakit sa mga Grand Ships tayo nakatira ngayon? At hindi pa nila detalyadong nilagay ang kung ano ang nangyari noong World War V kahit tinuturo nila sa klase.”

Napabuga siya ng hangin. “It's been 700 years after that WWV, everyone already moved on and are having a peaceful life in the Grand Ships. You should move on, too.”

Humilig siya sa kaniyang kinauupuan bago tumingin ulit sa dagat. Napatingin na rin ako sa direksyon ng dagat.

I smiled. What I like about this cafe was it's at the end of the ship, you could see the flag and the large rope that served as the boundary of the ships. Actually, all of the ships has one golden rule—it is to not go beyond the boundary unless you're permitted to do so.

I tilted my head to the side. “Hey, Zeigmund,” I called him and he just hummed in response. “Do you know what's beyond that boundary?”

He sighed. “I'm not that curious to find out what's beyond there.”

Napabaling ako sa kaniya. “Do you want to know what's beyond there?” My lips stretched into a smile.

He stared at me, like he was looking for words to say to me. “Curiousity kills the cat, Anza. You might go back here as a corpse if you go beyond that flag.”

Mahina akong natawa. “Joke lang naman. Ang seryoso mo talaga palagi. Kaya hindi ka pa nagkakaroon ng girlfriend, eh.”

“Not interested in women.”

Napasinghap ako. “What? So you're... you're...”

Napairap siya. “Hindi ako interesadong magkaroon ng love life. And no, I am straight.”

“Hoy! Love birds!” ani Reivohr kaya pareho kami ni Zeigmund na napatingin sa kaniya. “Gusto n'yo na ba raw umalis? Pupunta tayong sinehan. Panuorin daw natin 'yong bagong release na movie.”

Tumango si Zeigmund. “Sure.”

He was about to stand up, nang may lumapit na humanoid na waitress. She looked exactly like a real person, pero masasabi mong humanoid siya dahil sa marka niya sa leeg na pabilog na may star sa gitna. All humanoids have that symbol in their body. Maria, our humanoid maid in our house, has her mark at the back of the palm of her right hand.

Binayaran na namin ang mga in-order namin bago kami umalis ng cafe. Pero bago kami tuluyang umalis, sumulyap ulit ako sa flag na nasa boundary, at saka ako sumunod sa mga kaibigan ko.

I'd surely find out what's beyond that boundary.