(RAW / UNEDITED : COMPLETED)
Being a well-known writer is what they are born for, yet there are dark secrets that hinder something. As Aelia Rosenheim makes her name in the writing industry, Charlotte Millers starts to meet her tragic downfall as s...
Oops! Ang larawang ito ay hindi sumusunod sa aming mga alituntunin sa nilalaman. Upang magpatuloy sa pag-publish, subukan itong alisin o mag-upload ng bago.
A E L I A
[ Year: 2021 ]
"I never thought that you're that feisty, Aelia."
I creased my forehead after hearing a remark from an unfamiliar tone. Halos sabay naming nilingon ni Gael kung sino dahilan para mas kumunot pa ang noo ko.
It was the host a while ago, anong ginagawa niya rito sa journalism room?
I glanced at his I.D. Lace and saw a pin saying 'EIC' with the school publication's logo on it. Oh, so he's the Editor In Chief? Hindi halata.
Tumayo bigla si Gael nang makilala niya kung sino ang nasa harapan namin ngayon. Napaawang pa nga labi ko nang hilahin niya ako bigla patayo para samahan siya. Ano nanaman bang trip nito?
"Good afternoon po," Gael suddenly said then bowed. Nabigla ako sa ginawa niya kaya napa-bow na lang din ako. At least, I showed some manners in front of someone who has authority yet I am not that aware of. Geez.
"Pft! There's no need for you guys to bow in front of me. A simple greeting will do. Anyway, I'm Kenzo Morgan, a 12 - GAS student here in our campus and currently the Editor In Chief in our school's publication. Let's wait for the other members before we start our meeting. Relax muna kayo riyan," he said then smiled before walking towards the swivel chair near the white board.
Nanatili lang akong nakatingin sa kaniya. Judging the way he acts, I can say that he's an authorative person. Unlike Gael, pakiramdam ko ay mas okay siya kasama, sana. Matagal na kaya siya rito sa journalism? Ngayon ko lang siya nakita, mas madalas ko kasing nakikita noon sina Ate Ivy, the former EIC of this club. She's also the one that recruited me a year ago pero tinanggihan ko. I'm not into writing, hindi ko nga alam bakit nandito ako ngayon eh.
"Baka matunaw," bulong sa akin ni Gael dahilan para tignan ko siya nang masama. Tinignan ko ulit si Kenzo at para akong na-kuryente nang makitang nakatingin siya sa akin. He smiled the moment our gazes met and it felt awkward.
I just shrugged my shoulders and just focused on my phone. Narinig ko namang natawa si Gael kaya inirapan ko siya. Great! Iba nanaman nasa isip nitong si Gael. Hinuhusgahan ko lang naman si Kenzo, hindi ko sinasadyang matitigan siya nang matagal. Kainis.
Maya-maya lang ay bumukas ulit ang pinto at doon iniluwa si Charlotte. May kasama siyang dalawang babae't isang lalaki na gaya ni Kenzo, may pin din sila sa I.D. lace. I guess, they are also executives of this club.
"Hello po!" Magiliw na bati sa amin ni Charlotte, sinabayan din siya ng tatlong kararating lang din na nasa likod niya, ngumiti naman si Kenzo sa kanila. Agad akong nagtaka nang bigla silang natawa at nag-apir pa silang apat. Close na agad sila? Ang bilis ah.
Umupo si Charlotte sa tabi ko at ngumiti na parang bata. Hindi ko na lang siya pinansin at itinuon ang atensyon sa apat na taong nasa harap namin ngayon. Bale, pito lang kaming nasa loob ng journalism room.
"So, hi newbies?" Patanong na bati ng babaeng may salamin na katabi ngayon ni Kenzo. She looks awkward na para bang hindi siya sanay magsalita sa harap ng ibang tao. Pabiro siyang hinampas ng katabi niya dahilan para matawa sila pareho. Napailing tuloy si Kenzo.
"You're killing the mood, Akira. Nakakahiya sa kanila," natatawang sambit ng katabi ng may salamin.
"Tama na nga iyan," saway naman sa kanila ng lalaking kasama nila. Sabay-sabay silang nanahimik nang biglang tumayo si Kenzo't naglakad patungong white board. May hawak-hawak siyang marker kaya sa tingin ko ay mag-uumpisa na. Pinipigilan ko tuloy yung sarili kong matawa kasi mukhang nabubugnot na siya sa mga kasama niya, halatang hindi kasi nila alam kung paano uumpisahan yung meeting at kanina pa sila nagtatawanan.
"Okay, since we are all now complete... Let us formally introduce ourselves first before we jump towards the agenda of this short meeting," Kenzo said as he spun the marker on his fingers. Tumabi naman sa kaniya yung tatlo at isa-isa na ngang nagpakilala.
"Even though I'm done introducing myself earlier, I'll still do this for formalities. I'm Kenzo Morgan, the EIC," Kenzo said then smiled.
"I'm Maxine Carter from STEM 12 - Actinium. The current Associate Editor of our school's publication," magiliw na sambit ng babaeng kanina pa energetic, siya pa nga humampas sa may suot na salamin kanina. Kaya siguro kadaldalan na kanina ni Charlotte itong mga 'to kanina, kaklase niya pala itong si Maxine.
"Ako naman si Railey Walter. Walter ah? Hindi Waltermart," pagbibiro nito dahilan para matawa sila. Nanatili lang akong tahimik habang nakikinig sa kanila. I just smiled at him when our eyes suddenly met so that he won't feel awkward. Ako lang kasi ang hindi natawa sa joke niya kaya siguro napatingin siya sa akin.
"Ang corny ko ba?" Tanong niya sa amin. Tumango naman si Maxine sa kaniya nang walang alinlangan dahilan para magtawanan nanaman sila- maliban sa akin, siyempre.
I glanced at my watch, matagal pa ba itong matatapos?
"Tsk! Hindi ka supportive, Max. Anyway, ito na seryoso na. I'm Railey Walter from HUMSS 12 - Confucius, the Managing Editor," aniya at ngumiti sa amin. Kumaway pa ito sa akin kaya alanganing ngumiti naman ako sa kaniya.
We came from the same department, kaya siguro tingin nang tingin sa akin ito. I mean, even the other students here in our campus knows me kaya hindi na nakapagtataka kung maraming nakakikilala sa akin kahit na hindi ko naman sila kilala.
"Hi, I'm Akira Morgan from STEM - 11 - Barium. I'm also a staff member just like you pero noong Grade 10 pa ako kasali rito. Nice meeting you all," she calmly said then smiled.
"Morgan? So... You're related to Mister EIC?" Tanong bigla ni Charlotte. Tumango naman si Akira sa kaniya bilang tugon. I stared at her, ngayon ko lang napansin na may pagkakahawig sila ni Kenzo. I'm assuming that he's her younger sister. Cute, pareho silang may interes sa pagsusulat.
"Okay, now that we're done introducing ourselves, let's now proceed to our meeting," Kenzo said as he wrote something on the board.
DSPC - July 10, 2021 RSPC - July 31, 2021 NSPC - August 11 to 13, 2021
Ano iyan? I don't know what are the meanings of the letters that he wrote pero it's familiar. Parang narinig ko na iyan somewhere, hindi ko lang maalala.
"So these are the dates for the upcoming Schools Press Conference and sasali tayo rito. There are also other members here in our club pero nasa hiwalay na building sila, most of them are Junior High Schools and only us, Senior High School Students, are here," pag-uumpisa ni Kenzo.
"Malayo kasi building natin sa building ng mga Junior High kaya mayroon tayong sariling room dito sa atin," singit naman ni Railey kaya napatango kami nina Charlotte at Gael.
"We're going to test you guys one by one para malaman namin kung anong category fit sa inyo. After that, you will now be trained with our School Paper Advisers together with the former Editorial Board and Staff Members in our campus. The reason why we held the competition earlier is to know who has the potential in writing," ani naman ni Maxine.
"And nakita po namin iyon sa inyong tatlo," dagdag naman ni Akira.
I'm not interested in journalism- or in writing, at all! Hearing all their statements for the upcoming School's Press Conference makes me want to vomit. Mas matutuwa pa siguro ako kung Math related competition ito.
It's not that I don't know how to write or do things like this, actually writing is my forte. I just prefer more challenging tasks rather than this. Journalism? No offense pero it sounds boring.
"Our trainings will happen after dismissal. Minsan, i-eexcuse rin namin kayo sa klase for other matters na related sa club. Don't worry, may excuse letter naman," sabi ni Kenzo which widened my eyes.
"So, our classes might be interrupted?" Hindi ko na napigilang magtanong.
If that's the case, there's a chance na hindi ako makapag-participate sa mga random recitations and worst, quizzes sa classes namin.
"Don't worry about that. You can study the lessons you'll miss naman eh," Maxine comforted me which made me sigh.
What if, mag-quit nalang ako?
I was about to tell them that I'm not interested in joining this nang bigla kong nakita kung gaano kainterasado si Charlotte dito which made my blood boil. She'll gain more credentials than me kung umalis ako rito. Ano ba naman iyan!
I just pouted and tried to listen to what they are saying. Nakita ko pang ngumisi sa akin si Gael kaya inismiran ko nalang siya.
"Again, everyday dapat nandito tayo sa journalism room. I'll be strict with your articles. I won't also accept any buts," Kenzo said once again and it somehow made my spine shiver, lalo na't ngumisi pa siya.
