From A to Z

N

It was nine on a Friday evening. The building of St. Joseph's College was dark and quiet, but a lot of people in their best suits and dresses were entering the gates of the school. They presented a piece of gold paper to the two men who stood at the entrance of the building. They wore a black masquerade mask, paired with a black coat over a white long sleeve polo and a black necktie to complete the look. One inspected the piece of paper using a flashlight, while the other checked the purses of the women and the pockets of the men. Once cleared, they allowed them to enter the hall with a simple instruction: "Follow the lighted path."

The yellow flickers of candles lit up the pathway leading to the stairwell, up the second floor, towards the only bright and noisy room in the building — the art gallery room.

At the entrance of the gallery, Adam, also in the same outfit as the two men by the gate downstairs, less the mask, welcomed the guests; a handshake with the gentleman and a pink rose for the lady. Mateo then escorted them to stand in front of a dotted white tarpaulin for a mandatory photo which he himself took.

Inside the room, the men rejoiced as they saw their brothers whom they have not seen for quite some time. They did the ritual fraternity handshake first before engaging in a conversation. The ladies, who were left behind by the gents, formed a circle of their own and made acquaintances of each other. Everyone was enjoying themselves with either a red and white wine served in a tall wine glass, which they paired with soft cheese, white bread, and some crackers of their choosing.

After an hour, the two men guarding the gates went up and reported to Adam that they have assisted all the guests and have closed the doors. Adam dismissed them with a nod before he went inside the room. Holding a glass of red wine in his right hand, he looked around and smiled at the sight of the delighted faces of their guests. But this smile did not last. It faded when his eyes landed on the group of seven men huddled in front of the centerpiece of the exhibit. It was the previous Alphas of the fraternity; they were laughing and pointing at the collage. Adam held his breath and crossed his fingers behind his back as he approached them.

Hector, Adam's predecessor, noticed him before he could even introduce himself to the group.

"You have outdone yourself, Adam," Hector praised him. His tone was serious, but there was a smile on his face which made Adam relax. "I knew we were right in choosing you."

"That's right," another interjected. It was Benjamin, the Alpha before Hector. "You made our organization look like a real brotherhood and not some old-fashioned fraternity. This collage," he pointed at the cluster of photos plastered on the wall, "despite not having any words on it, speaks volumes of our purpose."

They made a toast to Adam and to the event, and lastly, to their brotherhood. Adam could not hide his smile as he took a sip of his wine. He was relieved to hear the satisfied remarks coming from his peers; their praises even made him feel better.

"So, who did you bring tonight, Adam?" asked Felix, the Alpha during his first year in St. Joseph.

Adam rubbed his nape. "Uh, I didn't bring anyone."

Felix raised an eyebrow. "You didn't bring your girl? What was her name? Betina?"

Hector elbowed Felix at the side, which made Felix almost drop his glass due to surprise. The group laughed at the grimacing face of Felix. Although Felix was older than Hector, the two of them were close friends back in their college days, so Hector could physically hurt his elder. But Hector respected Felix as his Alpha back in those days, and even until now. He quickly apologized to Felix, but his smirk betrayed his sincerity.

With a consoling smile on his face, Hector looked at Adam and said, "Adam and Betina broke up the summer before Adam's second year in college."

Betina was Adam's first girlfriend, and he thought that she would be his one and only until he grows old. The two of them met each other when they were still in high school. People considered it as a whirlwind romance and many expected that it would not last for more than a year. But Adam and Betina's relationship made it until their high school graduation day.