Victorina Academy

Chapter III

Chapter 3:

Nanatili lang akong nakatayo at nakatitig parin sa akin ang lalaking hindi ko inaasahang agad kong makikita sa aking pagbabalik sa lugar na ito. He's still so formal and decent. And he has become more handsome. Ethan Clarisson is undoubtedly the younger brother of this school's most-loved King Raven. He resembles his brother, Nathan Clarisson, the man who broke Ate Claire's heart.

"Mr. Clarisson, I think we already discussed everything. You can now go to the quadrangle. Everyone is surely waiting for you."

The tension broke when Mr. McGray spoke. Based on the way he's treating Ethan he just chose another Clarisson again to give his full trust in overseeing the success of the school through the students. I would pray he will not end up doing what his brother did. I can never forgive that guy. He never deserved Ate Claire.

"I will just keep you posted, Mr. McGray." Tumayo siya sa kanyang kinauupuan at ngumiti sa kanya ang pinakamataas na opisyal ng paaralan. He faced me again and his cold demeanor never helped in easing the mixed emotions I'm having. A playful smile suddenly painted on his lips, and then he turned his back and vanished through the door. I think I can never be a normal student again. The hell starts here.

"Miss Hembert?"

The deep voice of Mr. McGray brought me back to reality. I composed myself and sat on the chair he offered me earlier. My eyes can't stop looking at the one across me where that jerk sat.

"Good morning, Mr. McGray," I smiled. The man in front of me looks warier now than the last time I saw him; the lines on his forehead are proofs that the past two years have been hard for him. What could've happened while I was gone?

"I have been waiting for this day—seeing you wearing Victorina Academy's uniform again. I was so happy when your father called. I immediately assured him that everything will be taken care of properly now that you're back."

A tired smile registered on his face. He's no longer the very energetic man I used to know since I was a kid. He's my Uncle Jaeme's best friend so I used to always see him at every family gathering. Uncle Jaeme is also the Vice President of this institution.

"Thank you po. But I actually don't need anything to be done for me now that I'm back in this school. I want to live like a normal student again that's why I decided to come back here."

I saw a glint of surprise in his eyes. I know he never expected me to talk to him calmly. I was the little shy girl everyone knew.

"If your cousin is here right now with us, she would be very proud of the young woman you have become. Claire adored you more than anyone else." My heart seemed to crash when I heard her name. The sadness in Mr. McGray's voice is somehow giving me a hint of the changes I've been noticing in him. Ate Claire was Victorina Academy's biggest loss. She was Queen Raven when she died, and she was also the chosen heir to the biggest fortune that the Crosswoods possess. Everyone was left in total shock and grief after that tragedy.

"It's a shame that she can no longer hear our conversation now. But I know that Ate Claire always wanted me to be as strong as her, and that's why I'm here."

Mr. McGray keeps staring at me with surprise and pride. I think he just spotted another potential asset. But I wouldn't want to work with that guy. "I no longer need someone to look after me during my stay here. I'll be fine on my own," I said with conviction. I didn't want to open the topic but this is the only chance I have. I wouldn't want to be near Ethan Clarisson.

"I'm afraid that's the only request I cannot give you."

Akmang magsasalita na sana ako ngunit itinaas ni Mr.McGray ang kanyang kanang kamay—sinyales na wala na akong magagawa.

"Ethan will be taking care of you. Sa totoo lang Ylona, hindi ako naging tapat sa'yo sa kung ano ang totoong rason kung bakit kita pinapunta dito. I didn't make you take that formidable path just to give you a welcome greeting."

Iniisip ko na ngayon kung nakakabasa ba ng utak ang mga nadaanan kong larawan kanina at ni-rereport nila kay Mr. McGray ang lahat ng nasa isip ko habang papunta ako dito. I don't know if I should start expecting dementors when I get out of this room. If Hogwarts is true, it could be Victorina Academy.

The most respectable man in the school released a very heavy sigh. I can't help but start to become anxious when his expression suddenly changed. His face has turned serious, and I can sense that he has been facing something he never had since I left this school.

"The death of your cousin, as you know, was the biggest loss for this academy. She wasn't just a woman of honor and outstanding achievements. She was also the Crosswood's chosen one—the heir to the biggest fortune your grandfather founded. Everyone was well-aware of the path already laid for your cousin."

Muli na namang bumabalik ang kabang naramdaman ko kanina. Whatever Mr. McGray is about to tell me, it should be something related to her death.

"I didn't want to talk to you about this but I think you also deserve to know what's been going on. After all, your family has been a strong ally of this institution." Tumayo siya sa kanyang kinauupuan at tumalikod sa akin. He is now looking at the glass chest on a wooden stand against the wall. It looks fragile but seeing its contents is giving me a certainty that someone can't break it as easily as how it looks. There are three miniature figures that are comfortably resting on their respective cushions. They look like those most-prized possessions of a museum.

"This used to shelter three symbols," he inched closer to the chest and that's when I had a better view of what it protects. I thought there were three figures but the black cushion at the center is actually ... empty. "Until the fire in that hotel happened two years ago," he said in a tone full of remorse. Everything is still vivid enough for me to understand what he meant—the fire in the Lotus Hotel that killed my cousin.

Mas lalong bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko nang mapagtanto ko kung ano ang mga tinititigan ni Mr. McGray. The golden forms of the lion and the snake are glistening brightly against the glass. I never heard of any insignias like these hidden in this school. And the raven is the emblem of Victorina. I can't see any connection.

"On the day of that tragedy, when your cousin was found dead inside that hotel, the dove was also stolen."

Kumunot ang aking noo dahil sa kanyang sinabi. Wala akong maintindihan at hindi ko alam kung anong koneksyon ng pagkawala ng isa sa mga insignya na tinutukoy niya sa nangyari noong araw na 'yon.

"And what does it have to do with my cousin and Victorina?"

Mr. McGray's back stiffened because of my question, and I never saw him this disquieted. Huminga siya nang malalim at mas lalong lumamig ang mga kamay ko. The air inside the room turned arctic and it didn't help with the chill that's been crawling on my skin.

"The lion, dove, and snake are the symbols of the three families who built this academy. The ties of those people have rooted almost a century ago before Victorina was founded. Their ancestors have been strong allies and were sworn to a faithful pact to never break the strong bond that has conspired between their forefathers. They shared secrets, helped each other in times of needs, expanded their empires and now they are the three biggest names in the business world." He started pacing to the bookshelf on the far right of the room. My eyes once again landed on the elegant figures, wondering why no one ever told the deeper history of this place. "However, sixteen years after Victorina Academy was founded, the binding force that kept the relationship of the Big Three was ended by an unexpected conflict—of what might that conflict be, only the members of those clans know." Muling humarap sa akin si Mr. McGray at nawala na ang kalma sa kanyang mga mata noong pagpasok ko sa silid na ito.

"Since then, the Big Three have been in a secret war, and Victorina is the only common possession that they have. Everything started here, and so the fight will also end inside the empire that they built together ... the Victorina Academy."

"I don't get it. Anong kinalaman ng Big Three kay Ate Claire?"

Mr. McGray gave me an uneasy look before turning his gaze back to the figures sitting warily on their luxurious cushions. Watching the empty spot in the middle of the two cunning emblems is giving me a different kind of agitation.

"Michelle Claire Crosswood wasn't chosen to be the heir of your family's biggest opulence merely because she was smart and brave. She had been destined for it. She was ... the dove."