Pain And Pen

KABANATA 12

My father once told me that for every desire of power, wealth and popularity, you were planting a seed of self-destruction in your path. It's not your success nor your failure that would trigger the damage; although it could be a catalyst somehow, what would define the outcome was how you managed to maintain the real you in the pursuit of those bringers of greed.

In the deepest part of my heart, I'm scared where my dreams could lead me. I'm scared that I would succumb to the path of greediness, and lose myself in the process of achieving those dreams. I don't want to break my father's heart, especially now that he trusted me even if it was killing him in the process.

I just hope that the pureness of my intention overshadowed the backlash under the tutelage of this Academy.

I sighed.

The lush forest seemed endless while I'm looking outside the open window. Dark continued to drive in a moderate pace. Samantalang pinili kong ituon ang aking atensyon sa aming nadadaanan. Ang gandang tingnan ng mga punong tila sumasayaw sa ihip ng hangin, habang nasa ibabaw nila ang mga ibong magiliw na lumilipad. The serene surrounding reminded me of our forest, and it made me miss my Father even more.

As minutes gone by, the forest became thinner as the number of trees seemed to diminish. Unti-unti ko na ring nakikita ang malalaking gusali hindi kalayuan, ngunit hindi malinaw sa akin kung ano ang mga ito.

A huge gate slowly came in my sight as the car speed up. The silver gate was really enormous. Sa gilid nito ay may matataas na pader na tila ba imposibleng maakyat sa sobrang tayog. It looked like the mini-version of the Great Wall of China, and in my assumption it enclosed the whole perimeter of Wordsmith Academy.  A tangent proof how they valued the confidentiality of the school.

I took a deep breath, trying to control the anticipation in my body. I felt like I was inside a fantasy story wherein the gate would lead me to a different realm and kingdom.

Nang unti-unti na itong bumukas ay halos pigil ang aking hininga. I kept on fidgeting but my gaze was locked in each movement of the gate. I didn't know if I should be disappointed or what when I finally caught sight of what was inside. Dark's car entered the gate and I was greeted by another road.

I pouted.

"Malayo pa ba?"

"We're near."

I continued pouting. Kanina sabi niya almost there na pero malayo pa pala. Not that I'm complaining. I'm enjoying his company and the scenery outside.

It took almost five minutes of driving before I noticed the changes. Dark slowed down when the road stretched in three different directions. I couldn't help but gasp as I saw three different signage above each stone archway.

Ang nasa gitna ay may nakalagay na 'Wordsmith Academy.' The left was engraved with 'House of the Apprentice', and the last one was labeled as, 'House of the Elite.' Both roads seemed endless.

I looked at Dark with confusion.

"Separate ang dormitory ng students sa mismong school?"

He drove the car toward the right archway.

"There are dormitories inside the school campus, and some students prefer to sleep there. The House of Apprentice and the House of Elite was every author's safe haven. They usually spend their time writing there. The House of Apprentice was just a temporary place, while the House of Elite was a permanent residence."

I nodded in awe. I started estimating how huge the entire Wordsmith Academy, given by the information Dark said. Ang daming mga speculations kung ano ang nasa loob ng Academy pero wala pa akong nabasang article tungkol sa House of Elite and Apprentice. They're really good at maintaining privacy.