It's lunch break pero nagsabi si Luna na hindi siya makakasabay ng lunch dahil may group activity sila na dapat tapusin. Kasalukuyan na kong naglalakad papuntang 'usual spot' namin ng makasalubong ko si Dylan.
"Ah---" my heart almost stopped, good thing at mukhang hindi niya ko napansin dahil dire-diretso lang siya sa paglalakad, noong malagpasan niya ko, pahinga pa lang ako ng bigla siyang magsalita.
"You-- why did you do that??"
"Huh??" nilingon ko siya pero nakita kong nakatalikod pa rin siya ngunit nakahinto.
Gawain niya ba talagang makipag-usap habang nakatalikod??
Nagulat ako ng bigla siyang humarap, as in napa-step back ako."Why did you beg to him? Sa tingin mo ba matutuwa ako dahil ginawa mo yun??" sabi niya with his angry tone.
"T-teka lang.. yung tinutukoy mo ba yung tungkol sa activity kanina??"
His eyes sharpened, "I never thought that you are that low!"
Is he angry dahil naki-usap kami na ibagsak din kami?? Does it mean, he wants us to pass while sacrificing himself?? Wow, this is unexpected.
"E kasi... totoo namang may kasalanan din kami kaya ang unfair kung ikaw lang ang makakakuha ng failing mark."
"What??"
"Huh??"
"What do you mean??"
"Sorry." yumuko ako, "Hindi namin naunawaan yung kabayanihan mo kanina, you sacrificed yourself for us right?? We're really thankful, pero hindi namin iyon kayang tanggapin dahil may kasalanan din kami."
"Oy chicken head, what the hell are you talking about??"
"Huh? A-ehh.. hindi ba nagagalit ka kasi nakiusap kaming i-fail din kami kahit na nagsakripisyo ka para lang hindi kami bumagsak??"
"You beg for what?? To get a failing mark?? Are you stupid??"
"Oo na stupid na kung stupid, pero hindi naman kaya ng konsensiya ko na lahat kami pasado tapos ikaw lang ang bagsak kaya sinabi namin kay Kuya Dmitri na ibagsak niya na lang din kami para fair sayo dahil hindi lang naman ikaw ang may kasalanan."
"So I'm the only one who got a failing mark."
"Oo pero dahil nakiusap kami na i-fail din kami, natuwa si kuya mo dahil natutunan daw namin yung kahalagahan ng team work at sabi niya sana ikaw din matutunan iyon tapos ayun binigyan niya tayong lahat ng C+."
"Stupid. You really loved a failing mark huh??"
"Sabi ko na sasabihin mo yan e. At alam kong magagalit ka pero anong magagawa ko? Hindi kaya ng konsensiya ko."
"C+??" he looked at me, "Stupid." sabay ngiti niya.
Wait... is he really Dylan?? How come he can smile like that??? Namamalikmata lang ba ko? May sumanib ba sa kanyang kung ano???
"Huh? May sumanib ba sayo? B-bakit ka nakangiti?? Ang creepy."
"You-- and who told you I'm smiling??"
"Ay hindi ba yun ngiti?? Hahahaha, sabi ko na imposibleng ngumiti ka e. Hahahahah."
He composed himself and his usual stern face came back, "Looked like, you're not afraid of me anymore huh??"
He's right. Hindi na nga ako ganong natatakot sa kanya at hindi ako makapaniwala na nakakapag-usap kami ng ganito kaayos ngayon. Oo maayos na ito kumpara sa mga nakakaraan.
"At saan mo naman planong pumunta??" tanong niya.
"Sa courtyard, kakain."
"At this hour??"
"Oo, lunch break na kaya."
"Goodluck, there's only five minutes left before time, better finish your meal before that." sabi niya at saka ako iniwanan.
F-five minutes? Totoo?? Sinilip ko ang clock tower pero may 45 minutes pa. That devil!!!! Grrr...
***
Hindi ako makapaniwala na ang unang klaseng papasukan ko sa hapon matapos kong mag-absent ng ilang araw ay ang Magical Incantation pa ni Professor Magma.
Among of all our professors here, Professor Conner Magma who is our professor in Magical Tools, Magical Incantations and Cursed spells is the scariest. He has a stiff scary face, sharp eyes and a strict personality that terrifies me a lot.
And he seems to hate me the most. He always glared at me at ako palagi ang napagdidiskitahan niyang tawagin kapag may mga tanong siya. He insults me in front of the class every time whether tama or mali ang sagot ko.
Well sa klase niya lang din naman nagsimula kung bakit ako tinawag na 'Disaster' ng klase.
Nabanggit ko sa inyo na naging sunod-sunod ang kapalpakan ko sa klase last time right? And I've been hiding from Dylan ever since, well that always happened in Professor Magma's class.
I made a lot of errors...
Una ay yung tinuruan niya kami kung paanong gumawa ng temporary protective shield by wrapping the light in our whole body using the Plubus Magnanimus Incantation.
Well in my case, instead of a light, inulan lang namin kami sa loob ng room at may kasama pang kidlat that terrifies everyone and made the room and everyone drenched in water.
Thanks to Dylan we all survived that day. Actually, mukhang paborito rin siya ni Professor Magma. Good for him.
Iyon pa lang ang simula, nakapagpasabog na rin ako sa room ng ilang beses na nakapagpalabas sa kanila ng room. And the rest is history.
Waahhh!! Naalala ko na naman. Nakakahiya!!
😫😫
Because of those series of events, I became a pathetic loser in their eyes. They only see me as the Disaster girl who only causes trouble.
And now, nakaligtas nga ako kay Professor Magma ng ilang araw pero wala na kong kawala ngayon.
I'm such a very unlucky girl huh??? Waaahhhh.
"So the disaster is back." sabi ni Professor Magma, full of sarcasm. "I wonder what kind of disaster you're gonna create today."
"Kyaaaahhh!! Scary!!"
"Nung nakaraan nagpaulan din siya ng mga ipis."
"Kyaaaahhh huwag mo ng ipaalala. Nakakadiri talaga yun."
"Ano na naman kaya ngayon??"
"Huwag mo ng pangarapin girl baka malala pa ang mangyari. Uwah! Just thinking about it. Kyaah!!"
Haiiissssttttttttt...
"Hahahahaha, it's so exciting." sabi naman ni Lucas.
"It's surprising to see you in my class Mr. Crawford, a problematic child and a disaster child, what a great combination." Professor Magma says full of sarcasm.
*sighed*
"Hahahah, I just heard some interesting stories sir and wanted to witness it myself." sabi ni Lucas saka ako nilingon at kinindatan.
Well he's absent the whole time kaya hindi niya nawitness. For sure siya ay tatawa habang ang lahat ay nagpapanic.
Professor Magma's eyebrow twitched na tila ba hindi niya nagustuhan ang sinabi ni Lucas, then he ignored him.
"Let us begin. We've learned about the protective shield with an incantation of Plubus Magnanimus, the Invisible Cloak, Inviso Creato and cloning oneself, Claudia Khratum. Of course there's only one special student who didn't learned it at all." sabay tingin niya sakin kaya nagtwanan lahat. "Now what I am about to teach you is an incantation Anima Calceous. This incantation provides life to a non-being in a span of 30 minutes. It is mostly effective in battle and used as a temporary shield or knight, it may be strong and powerful depending on the power of its enchanter since they will be borrowing magic from you. Others used it as a convenience to their work and everything, so what I am about to show you will help me discuss in an easier way."
Waahhh!! Hindi ko inaasahang may tama palang incantation para magkabuhay ang mga bagay. I can't believe it.
"That's your expertise after all." -Devil.
Nilingon ko siya, "Let's see if you can do this correctly or else you're dead." bulong niya.
Does it mean, kailangan kong magawa ng tama no matter what?
*gulped!*
"To enchant this, you have to point your wand on your object of interest," itinuro ni Professor Magma ang kanyang wand sa libro ng isa naming kaklase, "wave your wand three times in a circular pattern and enchant this magic spell... 'O holy holy, grant soul for this thing, time tick and life arise, Anima Calceous.'" after saying that, a gleaming arrow from the tip of his wand flew as fast as the speed of light and struck the book and gave it life.
"Woooowwwww!!!" manghang-mangha ang lahat sa nakikita lalo na at ganon kasimple at kadali lang ginawa ni Professor Magma ang spell.
Tumayo ang libro na ngayo'y may paa, kamay at mukha na, "Hello everyone!!! It's good to see you. Professor Magma gave me life in order to teach you, first I will tell you the origin of this spell." sabi ng libro and opened the page in its body kung nasaan ang Anima Calceous na pinag-aaralan namin. Dahil dito mas lalo namin naunawaan ang spell na aming gagamitin.
"Parang nakita ko na ang spell na ito." sabi ng isa sabay tingin sa direksyon ko.
"Oo nga yung flower pot kay Professor Georgina."
"So that Preea girl already learned this in advance??"
"I can't believe it."
"So someone like her can also do something good? Tch."
"We'll see."
"Is that correct??" tanong ni Professor Magma sakin.
Eeekkk..
"Yes sir! Actually master na niya ang spell na yan." sabi lang naman ni Lucas.
I immediately glared at him. Tinawanan niya lang ako. May araw ka rin sakin Lucas.
"Then I want to see how good you are or it will just be another disaster?" -Professor.
"E-eh???"
"Kyaah!!! Why is it her again?"
"This is making me nervous."
"Hope it's not a disaster this time."
"What are you waiting for???" -Professor.
"Y-yes sir." agad akong tumayo sa upuan ko saka pumunta sa harapan.
Huminga ako ng malalim, kitang-kita ko ang anxiousness sa mga mukha nila na nakatingin ngayon sakin.
You can do this Zia!! This is where you are good at. Giving life to non living things right???
Tama si Dylan, this is your expertise.
Sinunod ko ang sinabi ni Professor Magma, itinapat ko yung wand ko sa walis, then wave it in a circular pattern three times.
I closed my eyes then took a deep breath saka ako dumilat. Let's do this!!
"Light that gives life and hope, o holy holy, grant soul for this thing, time tick and life arise, Anima Calceous."
Then I felt the release of magical energy from my body. A white light came out from the tip of my wand and strike the broom.
Did it work??
Pero walang nangyari sa broom. Instead ay bigla akong nakaramdam ng parang may kung anong bumagsak sa ulo ko.
"Kokak!!! (Hi!)"
"Waaahhhh---"
No. Tell me this is not what I think it is. I slowly looked up and immediately saw the frog that is about to jump from my head.
Followed by the scream of the people in the class.
"Kyaaahhh!!!! I-It's raining with frogs."
"Waaahhh!! I hate frogs!!"
"So creepy!! Oh no!!! Get away from me!!"
"A disaster is always a disaster. WAAAAAHHHH!!!!"
At doon ko lang napansin that it is really raining with frogs. Ako ba ang may kagagawan nito?? Is it because of my magic???
The room is raining with frogs!!!!! Waaahhhh!!!!!
And now, the whole class is in chaos.
Everyone is running for their lives by going outside of the room while shouting, some are trying to stop the frogs and creating barriers para hindi sila malapitan ng mga palaka.
I don't know what to do either. I'm scared of the frogs! Even though I can speak to them just seeing their eyes and slimy body is already enough to scare me. I'm sorry froggies. Uwaahhh!!!
"Eclise!!!!" sabi ni Dylan.
Tumama ang pulang liwanag sa puting liwanag na nasa kisame kung saan nanggagaling ang mga palaka at ito ay biglang nawala na tila sumara ang portal. Ngunit ang mga nahulog ng palaka ay nanatili sa loob ng kwarto at nagtatatalon.
*gulp!*
Thank goodness!! But--
"Kokak! Kokak!!!"
Some of the frogs are jumping towards my directions.
Oh no!!!
Run for your life Zia!!!!
Patakbo na rin sana ako palabas ng room ng bigla akong tawagin ni Professor Magma.
"You--- if not for Mr. Hansleigh's sake, I've already failed you. Clean this mess that you've created. Is this what you've learned by yourself? You're really a disaster." sabi niya saka lumabas ng room at tinanggal pa ang palaka na nasa kanyang ulo.
"You---" galit na galit ang tingin sakin ni Dylan the devil, lumalabas na ang sungay niya.
Oh no! He's turning into a real devil. I'm really really dead this time. I'm sorry!!! Or so I thought.
He didn't say anything and just dashes out of the room.
That's it?? Bakit parang disappointed ka pa Zia? Magpasalamat ka dahil mukhang nakaligtas ka sa impyerno.
"Hahahahahahahhaha!!!! You're really amazing Zia cutie!!!! WHOOOO!! If I knew that this is so fun, hindi na ko mag-aabsent. Hahahaha." tuwang-tuwang sabi ni Lucas, "You never failed my expectations hahahhaa, mabuti na lang at napagdesisyunan kong pumasok ngayon hahahahhaa. Maging si Dylan at si Professor Magma wala ng nasabi. Hahahhahaa. The best ka talaga."
See? Sabi sa inyo tatawanan niya lang ako.
"That's enough Lucas." awat sa kanya ni Yuan.
"Yeah... yeah..." maluha-luha pa siyang huminto sa pagtawa habang nakahawak sa tiyan, "Well goodluck sa paglilinis Zia cutie, I'm out." he tapped me on my shoulder saka siya lumabas ng room.
"I'll help you clean this mess."
"Yuan!!!" as I thought, he's the kindest of them all para tulungan ako palagi sa paglilinis ng kapalpakan ko. Pero hindi ko dapat siya dinadamay palagi dahil baka makasanayan ko. I have to fixed this on my own. "Salamat ah pero okay lang. Sa tingin ko kaya ko na ito. Hahaha." sabay ngiti ko.
"Are you sure??"
"Yup. Don't worry." and gave him an assuring smile.
He sighed, "Alright. Cyrus let's go." lumabas sila ng room at ako na lang ang naiwan kasama ng mga palaka.
Eeeekkkkkk!!!!!!
Kinausap ko ang mga palaka na siyang kinatatakutan ko sa lahat.
"Ano... pasensiya na kung nagambala ko kayo pero pwede na kayong makabalik kung saan man kayo nanggaling. Please! Please!! Pasensiya na."
I don't know kung ilan silang lahat and it's hard to talk to all of them, kailangan ko pa silang kausapin isa-isa despite of my fear to them.
"Sige. Nagulat na lang din ako at nandito na ko." -Mr. Froggy 1.
"I'm sorry."
"Tara na mga kaibigan." -Mr. Froggy 2.
"Paalam Miss Zia." -Mr. Froggy 3.
"Y-Yeah. T-Thank you."
Nung nasa 20 na lang ang natitira ay biglang may kumatok sa nakabukas na pinto.
"Hi! Sigurd at your service! I came to pick you up."
"K-Kuya Sigurd."
Si Kuya Sigurd yung kasama ni Kuya Dmitri na dumalaw sakin sa infirmary.
"Woah! You looked busy. But why are you alone?"
"W-well. I kind of messed up na naging dahilan para mag-uwian sila agad. Hehehe." sabi ko sabay kamot sa ulo.
"Hahahaha. Need help??"
"Ah hindi na po. Matatapos na rin naman ako. Actually dahil dito, mukhang naovercome ko na ang takot ko sa mga palaka. Haha."
"Hahaha. Okay be strong.. Kung kailangan mo ko nandito lang ako."
"S-sige po, pasensya na."
Ipinagpatuloy ko ang pagpapaalis sa mga palaka. Hindi ko inaasahang pinapanood pala ako ni Kuya Sigurd.
"The way you talk with them is like you are talking to a human. It's as if they can understand you and vice versa." biglang sabi ni Kuya Sigurd.
"Po?? A-ehh... hindi man po ako magaling sa mga spells pero kaya ko pong makipag-communicate sa mga hayop."
"What? You mean, you really can talk to those frogs? You can understand them and they can understand you?? You can communicate with them just like how humans communicate with each other?"
"Y-yeah." nahihiyang sabi ko.
"Wow! Ngayon lang ako nakarinig ng ganyang ability. As I thought, you are really special Zia."
"Eh? S-special?? H-hindi naman po." nahihiyang sabi ko.
"Hey, pwede mo ba kong samahan minsan? I want you to talk with Ben, ah-- he's my Cloud Bird."
"Cloud Bird? A magical creature?? Yung bird na parang ulap yung balahibo??"
"That's right."
"Wow!!"
Base sa napag-aralan namin sa Magical Creature class, pinakamailap sa lahat ang mga cloud birds at hindi sila nakikihalubilo sa mga tao. Sa ulap sila nakatira at bibihira lang kung bumaba sa lupa.
"Mukhang may problema siya nitong mga nakaraang araw pero dahil hindi ko naman siya naiintindihan kaya hindi ko alam kung paano siyang tutulungan. Ano sa tingin mo?? Kaya mo rin bang makipag-usap sa mga magical creatures?"
"Hindi po ako sure." pero si Chica na familiar ni Terrence na guardian ng forest who is also a magical creature ay naiintindihan ko, so maybe I can also understand the cloud bird, "Pero itatry ko po!!! Nakucurious ako sa kung anong itsura nila. Sige po sige po."
"Really? That's great. Thank you Zia."
Waaahhh!!! Finally makakakita na rin ako ng isang cloud bird. Kuya Sigurd is really amazing to befriend a cloud bird. I'm so excited.
***
Prefect's Office
"Have a sit." sabi ni Kuya Dmitri pagdating na pagdating namin sa office nila.
Simple lang ang office nila, para itong lounging area, may sofa set, bar counter for coffee and tea making at mga books na nakasalansan sa book shelves. Sabi rin ni Kuya Sigurd may locker room din sila at toilet, and surprisingly there is a bedroom with two beds.
Parang ang sarap tumambay dito ah.
Their office is located somewhere kung saan hindi ito kapansin-pansin. Nasa East building ito sa ground floor, sa building na ito ginaganap yung potion making class. Kaya malamang kung hindi ako sinundo ni Kuya Sigurd kanina for sure naligaw na ko kahit na nandito lang itong office nila sa building na 'to.
Agad akong naupo sa single sofa na nandoon.
"Do you prefer coffee or tea??" tanong ni Kuya Dmitri.
"Tea sir." mabilis na sagot ko.
"You have a good preference." sabi niya saka pumunta sa bar counter at nagtimpla ng tea.
Hindi ko inaasahan na siya mismo ang magtitimpla.
"Surprised right? But brewing tea is his expertise. Our emperor actually has a sweet tooth and he's so meticulous when it comes to tea and sweets." bulong sakin ni Kuya Sigurd.
Wow, wala sa itsura niya na mahilig siya sa matatamis.
"What are you murmuring to her??" sabi ni Kuya Dmitri saka inilapag ang mga teacups sa lamesa.
Wow ambilis.
"Huh? Just telling her about your sweet tooth." honest na sagot ni Kuya Sigurd.
"Don't expose me too much." sabi ni Kuya Dmitri as he poured the tea in the teacup in an elegant way.
He's good. He's like a noble. Wait... a noble? True, their surname really sounds familiar. Saan ko nga ba yun narinig?
The sweet aroma of the tea immediately reached my nose and spread in the room that distracts me from my thoughts.
"Ambango. Amoy na amoy yung cherry at almond. Ito ay ... Cherry Marzipan."
"Cherry Marzipan." -Kuya Dmitri.
We both said at the same time. Nagkatinginan kami saka siya ngumiti.
"Looked like, you're knowledgeable with teas Zaniah." sabi ni Kuya Dmitri.
"Yes sir. Fan din po ako ng tea at pinakamasarap po ang tea kapag kapartner ang matatamis, especially this tea, masarap siyang isabay sa macaroons."
"Macaroons? This is the first time that I've heard about it. Madalas ko itong pine-pares sa mga cakes and other sweet foods pero ngayon ko lang narinig na pwede rin siya sa macaroons."
"Itry niyo po minsan, sinisiguro kong hindi kayo magsisisi, it's one of my favorite combo." excited na sabi ko na ikinangiti ni Kuya Dmitri.
"I see. Thanks for that wonderful info, it makes me curious and want to try it soon. I'll take note of that but for now, just try it with these cookies." sabi ni Kuya Dmitri.
"Wwoooowww!!! Cookies!!!" my eyes instantly sparkled after seeing those beautiful yummy cookies.
Who would ever thought na makakameet ako ng isang taong kaparehas ko ng hilig. Mukhang magkakasundo kami ni Kuya Dmitri pagdating sa pagkain.
"Salamat po sa pagkain." kumuha ako ng isang cookie saka isinawsaw sa tea, kinain ko ito at, "WOOOOWWW!!! Ang sarap! Ito na ata ang pinakamasarap na cookie na natikman ko sa buong buhay ko."
Dinere-diretso ko ang kain dito habang ninanamnam mabuti ang lasa. Kinuha ko ang tea at lalo pang nagning-ning ang mga mata ko matapos itong matikman.
"Ang saaarrrraaapppppp!! The brewing is so perfect, lasang-lasa ang cherry at almonds sir. Para kong nasa langit."
Kuya Dmitri chuckled, "Hahahahaha. I'm glad to hear that. Your face says it all. Have some more, it's all yours."
"Eh? Seryoso po kayo??"
"Yup. I bought it just for you."
Bigla akong nakaramdam ng hiya. Oh my gosh! Bakit parang biglang uminit??
Whoo!
"Want me to tell you the secret in brewing this delicious tea?" sabi ni Kuya Dmitri sabay inom sa kanyang tea.
"Yes sir!!!"
"Hahahahahahha. Alright." but before he could say anything. Kuya Sigurd suddenly interrupted us.
"Ahm guys, alam kong nag-eenjoy kayo sa usapan niyo pero sana iniisip niyo din na nandito din ako no?? Hmm? Hmm? Kaya kung pwede lang saka niyo na iyan pag-usapan, yung WALA ako, pwede??" sabi ni Kuya Sigurd. Hindi ko alam pero natawa ko. "Hey I'm serious Zia, stop laughing." dahil sa sinabi niya ay lalo lang akong natawa.
"S-sorry po. Hehe."
"Hey Dim! Say something!!" -Kuya Sigurd.
"What? I wanted her to be relax before we interrogate her okay?" -Kuya Dmitri.
"I-interrogate?? Akala ko question and answer lang."
*gulp!*
"Kidding." sabi ni Kuya Dmitri sabay ngiti that made my heart beats fast.
Gosh! He and Devil are really looked alike but Kuya Dmitri is like an angel. His smile is melting me.
"So are you ready??" -Kuya Dmitri.
"P-po?? Wait lang po ireready ko lang po ang puso ko. Bumilis po kasi dahil sa ngiti niyo, ang gwapo niyo po kasi. I-- I mean..."
Kyaahhh!! Anong pinagsasasabi mo Zia? Nakakahiya ka!!!!
He chuckled, "Hahaha." oh no! Parang gusto ko na lang maglaho. "Lance used to smile a lot before, you'll be more surprised if you happened to see his smile. You'll realized that my smile is nothing compared to his."
"Eh?" bakit biglang nasingit si Devil?? Wala po akong paki sa kanya, though I am curious if he can actually smile.
"So let's start? Is your heart okay now??" -Kuya Dmitri.
"Po? A--o--opo. He-he."
"Good."
Kuya Dmitri raised his index and middle finger in the air and swayed it to the side, surprisingly the door was immediately locked. How did he do that?? Amazing!
"Alright. Let's start. You don't have to be nervous, just answer us honestly okay?"
"O-okay po."
"Thank goodness. Akala ko bukas pa tayo magsisimula. Just kidding." sabi ni Kuya Sigurd saka naupo ng ayos. "So you are from Preea, Zia?" -Kuya Sigurd.
"Opo."
"Wow! I've heard there are plenty of rare beautiful flowers that only grows in the land of Preea." -Kuya Sigurd.
"Opo. Totoo po yun!" excited na sabi ko. "Kahit pinakamaliit ang Preea, mayaman po ito sa mga halaman."
"Ohhhh!! I'd love to see that." -Kuya Sigurd.
"Sigurado pong mag-eenjoy kayo kapag pumunta kayo doon.'
"But what about your parents? I've heard you only have your grandfather with you in Preea?" -Kuya Dmitri.
"O-opo."
"Where is he? Can we contact him?" -Kuya Sigurd.
"Hindi ko po alam kung nasaan siya ngayon."
"What do you mean?" -Kuya Dmitri.
"Ahmm... isang araw bigla na lang po siyang umalis ng bahay at... hindi na po siya bumalik pa."
"He left you alone? Kelan pa?" tanong ni Kuya Sigurd.
"Last month lang po." sabi ko sabay yuko.
Naalala ko na naman. Huhu. Lolo sorry po.
"Why did he do that??" -Kuya Sigurd.
"Dahil... dahil po sakin."
Nagkatinginan silang dalawa saka ako tinitigan.
"Ayaw niya po kasi akong mag-aral sa kahit anong magic school. Ang totoo po niyan pangarap ko pong maging isang Greatest Wizardess at mag-aral dito sa Laurelia. Hehe. Pero dahil ayaw ng lolo kaya pasikreto po akong umaalis para mag-exam dito sa Laurelia."
"And then?" -Kuya Sigurd.
"Ahm.. isang araw, nahuli niya po ako, sobra po siyang nagalit sakin, ah nangyari yun last month, iyon po ang unang beses na makita kong nagalit ng ganong katindi si lolo, tapos umalis po siya, akala ko po babalik din siya the next day, pero simula ng umalis siya hindi na po siya bumalik pa. Sa tingin ko galit pa rin siya sakin at kapag nalaman niyang sinuway ko siya ulit siguradong mas lalo siyang magagalit." sabi ko saka biglang nanlumo matapos maalala ang pangyayaring iyon.
"Do you have any idea kung saan siya nagpunta??" -Kuya Dmitri.
Umiling ako, "Wala po. Sa pagkaka-alala ko never pang umalis si lolo ng Preea."
"Hmm.. is he a wizard?" -Kuya Dmitri.
"Sa pagkakaalam ko po, opo. Nabanggit niya po sakin na graduate siya ng Laurelia kaya hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit ayaw niya kong mag-aral dito."
"Then have you seen him used his wand before? Or are there any circumstances where he used magic?" -Kuya Dmitri.
"Never po. Never ko po siyang nakitang may hawak ng wand or magmagic."
"But how did you learn magic??" tanong ni Kuya Dmitri.
"Sa bintana po ng kwarto ko, tanaw na tanaw ko po yung fireworks mula sa Laurelia. Tinanong ko po iyon kay lolo at doon po siya nagsimulang magkwento tungkol sa magic at sa mga wizards. Doon po ako nagsimulang maging interesado sa magic lalo na nung makilala ko si Sir Sid Damien sa isang newspaper and I became his fan at doon din po ako nagsimulang mangarap na maging isang Greatest Wizardess. Hehehe." nahihiyang sabi ko.
"Kelan ka nagkaroon ng magic wand? At kanino galing?" tanong ulit ni Kuya Dmitri.
"Nung 12th birthday ko po, niregalo po ito sakin ni lolo." sabi ko saka ipinakita sa kanila ang wand.
"That wand? So it was passed on to you??" tanong ni Kuya Dmitri and for the first time nakita ko siyang seryoso.
He really resembles Dylan a lot especially when he's serious.
"Hindi po ako sure pero siguro po? Binigyan niya rin po ako ng Book of Spells."
"He don't want you to be a wizard and yet he gave you a wand?" -Kuya Sigurd.
"Ahm. Iyon nga rin po ang ipinagtataka ko. Pero sigurado po akong hindi po si lolo ang nagseal ng Azura ko."
"How could you be sure of that? If he's too against it, it is possible that he did that to you just to stop you from your dream." -Kuya Dmitri.
Yumuko ako, "Naniniwala po ako kay lolo, hindi niya po iyon magagawa sakin. Dahil... dahil ang buong akala niya po, isa kong orikin."
(Orikin - ordinary people with no magical power)
"Anong ibig mong sabihin??" -Kuya Dmitri.
"Nung una po talaga, hindi ko po magamit itong wand. Kahit anong gawin ko wala pong magic na lumalabas, hanggang sa dumating yung time na muntik na po akong mahulog sa bangin, bigla na lang pong lumiwanag yung wand ko at nakita ko ang sarili kong nakalutang na sa ere, pero bigla itong nawala at bumagsak ako sa lupa. Ever since that day, may parang kung ano ng energy ang laging dumadaloy sa katawan ko at kapag hawak ko ang wand, pakiramdam ko ay hinihigop nito yung energy na iyon. I tried to cast a spell and it works. Later nalaman ko na iyon pala yung magical energy. Hindi ko po sinabi kay lolo sa takot ko na kunin niya sakin yung wand."
"When did that happen?" -Kuya Dmitri.
"Two years ago po."
"I see."
"I think he gave you that wand with the thought in mind that you can't used it anyway. So okay na mapunta sayo." sabi ni Kuya Sigurd na nakapagpatahimik sakin.
Now that he had said that, iyon nga kaya ang dahilan ni lolo? Sa tuwing binabanggit ko kay lolo na gusto kong maging wizard nagagalit siya sakin. At sinasabi niyang hinding-hindi iyon mangyayari.
"But why? If it's his wand, what's the purpose of giving that to her in the first place? There's more to this than I thought." sabi naman ni Kuya Dmitri.
"Anong ibig mong sabihin??" -Kuya Sigurd.
Ano nga ba ang dahilan ni lolo??? Bakit niya sakin ibinigay itong wand??
"Only your grandfather knows all the answer Zaniah."
Napalunok ako.
"Wait, may tanong pa ako." sabi ni Kuya Sigurd. "Kung two years ago ka lang nakagamit ng magic, kelan ka nagkaroon ng ability na makausap ang mga hayop??"
"You mean... Zaniah.. you can communicate with the animals as well? Just like Sid Damien??" tanong ni Kuya Dmitri.
"Opo."
"Since when??" -Kuya Dmitri.
"Hindi ko po alam kung kelan, basta ang alam ko lang naiintindihan ko po ang mga sinasabi nila bata pa lang ako. Bakit niyo po naitanong??"
"Talking with animals is one of the special ability that wizards may acquire after birth. And your ability is the rarest of them all. Having this kind of ability means that you are born with magic."
"Which means... her Azura was sealed the moment she was born??" -Kuya Sigurd.
"Yeah." -Kuya Dmitri.
"Then it's her parents. It's possible that they are the one who did that to her." -Kuya Sigurd.
"We don't know yet but I'm sure they have a reason. So until we find your grandfather and know the truth, prepare yourself mentally and physically. You need to be prepared for the unsealing of your Azura because it might break you or worst kill you."
Bigla akong kinabahan sa sinabi niya... pero---
"H-hahanapin niyo po si lolo??" tanong ko na ikinatango ni Kuya Dmitri.
"Yeah. And we don't know what he will do once he learned that you are now studying here and you can use magic now."
Napalunok ako.
"Pwede po ba kong tumulong sa paghahanap kay lolo??"
"No, you have a more important thing to do right? Training your mind and body and stable your magic."
Oh right! I've already forgotten about that.
"To do that. You need a trainer who is knowledgeable enough in magic. Do you have someone in mind?" sabi ni Kuya Dmitri saka humigop sa kanyang tsaa.
"Ikaw.. po??"
He chuckled, "Thank you but... unfortunately my schedule won't let me so I can't help you. Why don't you ask your zanga? At times like this, you should depend on him."
"Si Devil??? I mean..."
Nonononono. That's impossible. No wayyy.. And I'm 100% sure that he won't agree to teach me either.
"That's right. I'm sure Lance is the perfect guy to teach you everything about magic." pangsang-ayon naman ni Kuya Sigurd.
I looked at them and they are both smiling at me.
Noooooooo!!!!
***
Third Person's POV
Dylan's Room (Boy's Dormitory)
Dylan furiously entered his and Casper's room.
"Waaahhh-- you surprised me." halos mahulog na sa kinauupuan ang kanyang roommate na si Casper sa sobrang pagkagulat dahil sa pagkakabalibag ni Dylan ng pinto ng kanilang kwarto, "That face... hulaan ko, is it because of your zanga again??" sabi ni Casper, the blue haired guy and a Winiara wizard-Dylan's roommate.
"Do you want to die?" Dylan says with fierce eyes.
"Hahahhaa so tama nga ako."
"That chicken head, sinusubukan niya talaga ang pasensiya ko. Dapat talaga pinatalsik ko na siya sa school sa simula pa lang."
"But you can't because you sensed something in her right? That made you interested."
"What??"
"Hey calm down. If you really want her to get better in magic, then as her zanga, you have a responsibility to help her right?"
"You want me to teach her??"
"Yup. As expected to Mr. Top 1, you picked up things easily."
"You--"
"Well it's the only way that I can think of. Kung titignan mo din, hindi lang siya ang magbebenefit kundi pati ikaw. If she became better, you won't have any problem. Not bad right? Two birds in one stone. What do you think?" sabi ni Casper saka umikot mula sa kanyang upuan paharap sa kanyang kausap.
"I am not a good teacher." sabi ni Dylan saka lumabas ng kanilang silid.
"Although I feel too bad for missy but Dylan is really a suitable teacher for her. That's for sure." sabi ni Casper saka tumango at ngumiti ng tagumpay.
***