THE ESCAPE

Chapter 2: The Endowment

Days will come and you'll realize the real gift.

                                Althea Adler
                                       ***
             The second day of school was a bit tiring for me. My teacher gave me a lot of answer sheets with complicated equations. I wonder why she did that though. As usual my brother and I went in the playground near the school waiting for my father to fetch us. I am currently sitting on the bench watching my brother playing with his friends. Actually there were times that I really wanna play with other kids. Yes, I admit I really envy my brother a lot. I wish I am not like this. I get awkward when other people are around.
 
             I stand up and started walking accross the benches. I saw many kids are laughing with their friends. I saw kids swinging in the swing and sliding on the slide. Some kids are running and playing hide and seek and many more. I suddenly smiled between my deep thoughts. An introvert person like me will never experience that kind of life. I went back to my seat to where I sat and watched my brother earlier and suddenly heard a siren. I run to my brother in my surprise as if I saw a monster.

            "Are you okay Thea?" he asked me while patting my head.

            "Yeah, thanks. I was just surprised. It's okay." I pulled the hug and I smiled at him while giving him an assurance look.

             He smiled at me and sit beside me on the bench. Now, he was watching his friends. He smiled to me again and said, "You were once like that Thea and I wish you can have a friend aside from me." then he watched his friends once again.

              I turned my gazed to the kids who were playing. My brother was right, playing with other kids is an amazing thing you could experience in your childhood. We waited for my dad and eventually he arrived within ten minutes.

                When we arrived home I hurriedly climbed up to my room upstairs and look for some books that I could read. Reading books became my hobby ever since I started to learn the alphabet. I sat down near the window feeling the breezed of the cool air outside with the sun rays that was about to go below the horizon. I spent an hour inside my room alone before coming down into the living room. I saw my dad sitting on the couch while watching TV. He's really into news. He always gives a commentary to the news he watched. There were times that he and my mom ended up fighting while having an argument about the certain issue where in fact it is out of their concern.

               "Governor David Agreste signed the 'Enhance Education Policy Bill no. 435' aiming to improved children's skills..."

                 Dad suddenly lessen the volume when he noticed that I was coming.

                "Hey dad, what was the news about?" I asked him while making my way to sit beside him.

              "Ah.., that one?" he points out the reporter who is currently delivering her report. "Governor Agreste is on his reigning years now. He probably think of some ways to improve the education. You know, making children to become literate." he added.

              Yes, that was right "Enhance Education Policy Bill no. 435" also known as the "Upgraded Education Act of 2014 " has been finally signed. It means that gifted children accross the country is on the process of being search. This act proposed gifted children as the key to the country's growth and development. By developing more than one minds accross the country can possibly make a new technology that no one can ever imagine.

...

             Ivan and I went to school early. When we arrived only few students and teacher are in there. I headed straight to our classroom and found a familliar face reading tons of book early in the morning. I walked towards my sit and stared at the white desk infront of me. Last night's news suddenly pop in between my thoughts. Is it really possible to make new technology by combining more minds? How could it be? There are lots of things I wanna ask right now. My thoughts were cut off when the boy went towards my sit.

           "Hey, you're the girl from the other day, right?" he asked. Alright. I remember he was the boy who helped me from the mean girls. So he is in the same class with me. I never notice him in class for days now.

           "Yes. Thank you by the way." I said.

            "You're welcome. Can I sit here for the meantime?" he asked while pointing the sit beside me.

             "Sure. I won't mind." I replied.

             I looked at him while he was reading a book. He was reading dad's favorite sonnets by Shakespeare. I wonder why how old is he when he started reading.

             "I'm five when I learn how to read." he said while his eyes are on his book.
   
              "Huh? I did not ask though." I said in surprise. Does he read my thoughts?

              "Yes, don't be surprise." he replied. Now he was staring directly into my eyes.

              "Who are you?" I suddenly asked.

              "I'm Darwin Agreste. You should ask me what and not who." he said and suddenly a curve formed in his lips while gritting his teeth.

               "Oh, that was weird." I turn away from him and grab a pencil and a paper from my bag.

              "Just don't think of something when you are one meter distant from me and don't ask why." he said before he stands up and went back towards his sit earlier.

                Is he someone who can percieve onother's thought without communication? A mind reader? How did he do that?

               "I said never ask because I don't know as well." he said sacristically.

                Right. I should not think of something while his around.
          
               I diverted my attention towards the pencil I am holding. Meanwhile the other students also arrived then finally the class began. The class went well without no one interrupting just like I did yesterday. I focused on the class and act like a normal kid like my classmates.

               After class I went straight to the benches in the playground to wait for my brother. He must be here in any minute now. I sat down and started to twist every little cubes of the rubic cube. I saw a lot of kids today. I was smiling while watching them. I heard someone was coming so I turn my head to look who it was. To my surprise it was Darwin again. This time he handed me a book. "The Logarithm of numbers"

           "You must like Mathematics a lot."

           "Thanks." I smiled at him and get the book.

          
...

            After that day Darwin and I became friends. Everyday we spent time reading lots of mathematics and sonnets and playing just like the other kids. I even started to divert myself from being an introvert person.
          
            But unfortunately, we didn't last a year. Before the summer vacation break even starts, something came up within his family matters. I never expected that would be the last time I will be seing him. From then on, we never met again.