Scarper House

You can never run away

You can never run away

I looked at Saint.

There are hundreds of people inside the auditorium but my eyes knew exactly where to look. It's still him. It had always been him and it will forever be him, even if there's no longer us.

My gaze then shifted to the lady sitting beside her. Isa sa mga kaklase niya na matagal ko nang alam na may gusto sa kaniya kahit noong kami pa. Ang balita ko, nagkakamabutihan na sila. Pero hindi ako naniniwala. Limang buwan pa lang mula nang matapos ang limang taon na kami. It's impossible that someone can move on that fast. Right?

Because I haven't. I can't.

Maybe because up until now, I never had the chance to process it. And so I was not able to fight for us. To save whatever's left of us. Because I'm still stuck on that day. On that place. I'm still with Wren, Chad, Kurt, Krista, Sean, Isla, and Justin.

In that carnival.

"Congratulations again, fellow graduates," I said as my eyes moved on to the empty seats at the back. Nicolas University still assigned chairs for those six graduates who died more than five months ago. They're now filled with flowers given by the other graduates who felt bad that they're not here with us today.

But only two people inside the auditorium know exactly what happened to them.

I happened to them.

"Thank you," I ended my speech and the whole crowd gave me a standing ovation. Nag-bow ako at pumeke ng ngiti, habang minamadali ang pagkuha sa three-pages-long na speech notes ko mula sa ibabaw ng podium. Inayos ko ang pagkakasalansan ng mga papel nang mapansing hindi lang 'yon tatatlo.

There was a fourth paper. It was black and was folded in half.

At first I thought the paper was for the emcees so I just put it back at the podium. But when I noticed what's written on it, I knew that it was intentionally placed there for me.

You can never run away

I froze.

Memories of those four hours of terror flashed back inside my mind. I couldn't breathe. I looked around and everybody was still clapping for me, unaware of the horror that's flooding my mind right now.

I tried to look for Saint again. He was looking at me just like everybody else. But, not like them, he immediately noticed that something's wrong. Worry quickly covered his eyes.

But then, he looked away.

"Ms. Alejandro." I snapped back to reality when one of the professors on stage called me. He pointed the center stage on me where the other professors, the university president, and the guest of honor were waiting for me.

Mabilis kong inipit ang itim na papel sa folder na pinaglalagyan ng speech ko. Nakipagkamay ako sa mga taong nasa stage at sumama sa picture.

But the moment I got down from the stage and back to my seat, I wasted no second to open the folded black paper.

Scarper House would like to congratulate you on your graduation, Trace and Saint!

For your graduation gift, you're in on a little game.

We've found Waldo, but not the red dot.