Fangs of a Half-Blood

03 | The Heaven and Hell

Sunod-sunod na kumawala ang mga malalim na buntong-hininga ko. We were seated on our chair the entire morning. Lahat ng lakas ko sa katawan ay tila parang sinipsip ng upuan ko. I couldn't feel my body anymore. Tiny lights were flying in front of me.

Three birds were flying around my head as well. I felt like a thorn had been finally pulled out in my throat when the bell suddenly rang. Sunod-sunod ko ring narinig ang sigh of relief nina Hecate at Lupus. Kanina pa ako nahihilo sa mga lecture ni Sir Durano.

Magkasunod kasi ang dalawang subjects niya. Two hours naman 'yong Multimedia. At four hours naman 'yong Programming 1 namin. The first two hours is okay. Pero no'ng dumating na ang oras para sa programming namin, tila nanghina kaagad ang tuhod ko nang ituro na ni Sir Durano ang basic coding.

Basic coding palang 'yon, ah. Pero ganoon na ang epekto nito sa akin. Our professor even let us practice coding the "Hello World" program. A program that is the first step towards learning any programming language and is also one of the simplest programs we will learn.

Nakakaduling ang programming because it consists of a vocabulary containing a set of grammatical rules intended to convey instructions to a computer or computing device to perform specific tasks. According to our professor, each programming language has a unique set of keywords along with a special syntax to organize the software's instructions.

"That's all for today. Tomorrow we will be learning further about Multimedia and Algorithms and Flowcharts in Programming," when he finally said his final words, he excused himself.

Nang makalabas na ang aming Professor sa classroom ay dinampot ko ang aking bag na nasa aking paanan. Ipinasok ko ang aking notebook doon. Tumingin ako sa wrist watch ko kung ano na ang oras. Mag-a-alas dose na pala ng tanghali.

"Would you like to eat lunch with me, Kai?" Napatingin ako sa katabi kong lalaki na naka-cross arms pa rin.

His tantalizing mocha-brown eyes met mine. I gulp twice when I realized how captivating those were. Sandali pa akong napatitig sa mga mata niya. Tumigil na lamang ako nang mapansin ko ang mapang-asar niyang ngiti sa labi.

I was about to response when Hecate suddenly grab my hand. Nataranta pa akong napatayo't dinampot ang aking bag. I don't want to be rude, kaya nagpatangay na lamang ako sa kaniya. I mouthed him 'sorry' before finally getting outside the room.

"Sama ka sa 'min ni Lupus, Kai. Kasi nagsasawa na ako sa pagmumukha niyan." Inirapan pa niya ang taong nasa likuran ko.

Lumingon ako. There I saw Lupus behind my back. Nakabulsa naman ang isa niyang kamay. Habang 'yong isa pa ay nakahawak sa strap ng kaniyang bag na nakasabit lang sa kaliwa niyang balikat.

I saw how his face grimaced after he heard what Hecate said. They even throw piercing stares to each other. I secretly nodded. I concluded, they are friends.

"Mutual."

I saw Hecate placed her palm on her chest, acting as if she's emotionally hurt. Tinawanan lang siya ni Lupus dahilan para makatanggap siya ng isang malakas na batok mula kay Hecate. Napangiti ako.

Ganitong-ganito lang kami mag-aasaran ni Wesley. Biglang bumagsak ang balikat ko sa lungkot. How I wish Wesley, my only friend, is here with me. But of course, I know I couldn't do that. My life is already here in Luna Roja. And Wesley's life will forever be in Las Plovis.

I gritted my teeth. I will call him later this afternoon, for sure.

"Kai, are you okay?" Nabaling muli ang aking atensyon kay Hecate nang bigla niya akong tanungin. They are now both looking at me with worried on their eyes. "You seemed down," she added.