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Hey, did you hear...?
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Ripley's POV

"Hey, what's happening around here?" tanong ko habang nakakunot ang noo. "Pagdating pa lang ng mga kaklase ko ay bulung-bulungan na nila ang Seven wonders. Ba't ang bilis naman yata?"

"Hmm." Chase smiled worriedly. "Last night the others started making a move. They even tried to attack us. Good thing we had this well as hideout."

"I win!" Inilapag niya ang mga baraha na hawak niya.

"Awww! Ang galing mo naman dito nakakainis!" Ibinagsak ko sa lupa ang sakin.

She just laughed at me.

"Hey, Chase?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know anything about JT?"

I saw her hair-covered eyes looked directly at me.

"I just wannna know how he became who he is and why is he in this predicament now?" I shrugged.

"Uhm." She tilted her head. "The thing is; I can't tell you everything. It didn't end well the last time I did that." She let out a strained smile.

Nanlumo nalang ako sa narinig ko.

"But.." I looked at her again with sparks in my eyes. "I'll tell you every bits that I can."

"Okay. Please tell me." Inayos ko ang pagkakaupo ko.

"Let me start with this: JT was..."

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Chase's POV

"Thanks for everything, Chase!" She waved at me as my hair lift her out of the well.

"You're welcome! Come by later, okay?!" I waved back.

"I will and you can keep those cards there!" dagdag niya.

Nakita ko pa siyang ngumiti bago siya tuluyang umalis sa bukana ng balon.

Napangiti na lamang ako.

It's so nice having a girl friend. I wish she was my friend back then.

"No one would want to be friends with you, freak!"

"Get lost! You irritate me!"

"Isn't that, the weird girl who always cover her face with her hair?"

"Pfft! Yeah man, creepy right?! She looks like Sadako!"

"Now that you've mention it, she really does look like Sadako!"

"Sadako!"

"Sadako!"

"SADAKO!"

"Chase!"

"Wha--" Mabilis akong napalingon nang may biglang tumawag sakin.

"Aidan? When did you came? I didn't even hear you fall..." I avoided his eye contact. "... or crash-- or plumetted or--Ack!"

"I did fall, you idiot!" He cut me off by pushing my forehead with his palms.

"That hurts." Napapout at napahawak na lamang ako sa noo ko.

"Oh. And by the way, you didn't tell her who's the mastermind, right?"

"No. I don't want the curse to act up again." I shook my head.

"Yeah." He smiled at me then placed his hand on the top of my head. "I wouldn't want that for you, either."

Last night was very rough. JT asked us to tell him who the main person is but we can't. We were cursed to never tell a soul about the person's identity.

I tried to tell him but before I even managed to say the first letter of the person's name, I was shocked by some electricity that came out of nowhere. Just reliving that memory pains me.

"Hey."

"Huh?"

He suddenly smiled at me.

"I've got something for you."

"What is it?"

"TADA!" Bigla nalang siyang may hinugot na bulaklak mula sa likuran niya.

"Wow! Is this really for me?!"

"Yes!" He placed it in my hand.

"But..." I raised it up my face. "...why did it still have roots?"

"So you can plant it, of course! That flower can survive even in the most harsh conditions. I think you could grow it even inside this well."

"Really?!" Nangintab ang mga mata ko sa sinabi niya. "Then, I'll plant it right awa--hey!" Bigla niya nalang niyang pinigtas ang isa sa mga bulaklak nito.

"It's as beautiful as it is strong." He smiled at me as he slid the flower between my ear. "I hope you could learn a lot from this flower."

I looked at him with a blush on my face.

I wouldn't be able to fulfill the 'beautiful' part but I'll try my best to be as strong as I can be.

"What is this flower's name?"

"It's called Cosmos."

"Cosmos..." I smiled as it's pink petals gently brushed my fingers.

"I'll be a cosmos, then."

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Ripley's POV

"Chemistry is the branch of science that deals with..."

"Hey, hey!"

Napaismid na lamang ako nang inabala na naman ni JT for the hundredth time ang pakikinig ko sa leksyon ng teacher.

"Sinasadya mo bang hindi suotin ang salamin mo para makita ang gwapo kong mukha?"

Natigilan ako sa sinabi niya.

"Ma-"

"Mahangin. Whooo!" Iwinasiwas ko ang kamay ko sa may parte kung saan siya nakatayo.

"Nahahanginan ka ba na masyado, Ripley?" Nilingon ako ni Anne. "Do you want me to close the window?"

"No. No, I'm fine." pag-aassure ko sakanya.

The only thing here that needs closing is this guys's mouth.

"Hmm!"

Mabilis kong inilapag ang basag-basag kong salamin sa mesa ko para makita niya.

"Oh..." Napatakip siya ng bunganga niya nang makita ito.

Finally, naintindihan niya na ri--

"You even broke your own glasses just to look at me?!" Ipinungko niya ang ang ulo niya sa desk ko. "You sneaky mortal. You could've told me." He then winked at me.

"Wahhhh!" Napakamot ako sa buhaghag kong buhok.

That's it! That's the final straw!

"Stop pestering me--"

"Miss Solomon!" Bigla nalang akong sinigawan ng teacher. Ngayon ko lang rin napansin na kanina pa pala nakatingin sakin ang mga kaklase ko.

"You haven't been paying attention to class! Have some respect!" Ihinagis ng teacher papunta sa direksyon ko ang librong hawak-hawak niya.

Ipinikit ko na lamang ang mata ko at inabangan itong tumama sakin.

Inabangan ko ito pero walang dumating. Kasunod ng katahimikan ay ang pagsigaw ng isa sa mga kaklase ko.

"Ahhh! The book stopped in midair!"

Binukasan ko kaagad ang mga mata ko nang marinig ko ito.

"J-JT? What are you doing?" bulong ko kay JT na nasa harapan ko at hawak-hawak ang libro na tatama sana sakin. "They can't see you!"

"Yeah, they can't see me. But they can see THIS!" Mabilis niyang ihinagis pabalik sa teacher ang libro.

It hit the blackboard, purposely missing the older man.

"Ahhh!"

"This school is haunted!"

"I'm scared!"

Panic arised and the teacher was left speechless as his glasses dangled down his nose.

I looked over to JT who is just casually collecting some fear.

"Enough!" sigaw ng teacher na nakarecover na.

"Get back to your seats!" utos niya na sinunod naman ng mga kaklase ko.

He walked towards the blackboard again then adjusted his tie.

"No one will talk about this ever again, understand?!"

"Yes, Sir," walang buhay na sagot namin.

Nang makita ko sa peripheral vision ko si JT ay nagsulat ako sa notebook ko.

"Can you please leave me alone, for now?"

Ipinakita ko ito sakanya habang nagsasalubong ang mga kilay ko.

He started to look sad but it didn't get to me 'cause I'm still angry.

"Okay..." He started to walk away slowly. "Talk to you later," paalam niya pero iniwasan ko lang siya ng tingin.

"Just go, please."

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"Ripley, sorry talaga!" Bigla nalang humarang sa harapan ko si Anne at diretso yumuko sakin.

"Hindi ako nakapagsorry ng maayos kanina tungkol sa salamin mo kaya ngayon ko gagawin," dagdag niya.

"It's fine, really." Hinawakan ko ang balikat niya at sinubukang ituwid ang katawan niya. "Nangyari na ang nangyari. You can't turn back the time."

"B-but--"

"And please stop bowing, will you?" Ibinewang ko nalang ang mga braso ko nang nabigo ako sa pagpapaangat sa sakanya. "You reminded me of..."

Chasidy

"Someone."

Whoops! Muntik ko pang mabanggit ang pangalan ni Chase kay Anne. You can't blame me, they're pretty much the same person! Now, that I've mention it...

"Hey, Anne?"

"Yes?" She finally lift her head up.

"Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"Huh?" She tilted her head. "Did something happened yesterday?"

I smiled.

Ahhh. So, her memory was erased.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Pagkatapos ng usapan na 'yun ay tinakasan ko na si Anne bago pa niya ako tanungin ng kung anu-ano. It's recess afterall, so I want some time alone while I eat some snacks.

"Hey, I saw JT roaming around earlier."

"Huh--" Napatigil ako sa paglalakad ko nang marinig ko ang pinag-uusapan ng tatlong lalake.

Are they ghosts? Now that I didn't have my glasses it's easy to mistaken the dead as the living.

Just to be safe, I didn't approach them. I turned then faced the window nearest to them. I acted as if I was just looking at the sky outside.

I can't help myself. I know this guys know something I don't, so my curiousity drove me to stay where I am.

"Heh!" The bald guy smirked.

"Don't worry he can't harm us."

"Yeah. It's a good thing the boss and his gang sucked out all of his strength before they threw him into the abyss."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko.

So that's why he was so weak the first time I met him.

"But some girl pulled him out of there!"

"Yeah! She wasted our boss's time and effort!"

Bumilis na ang tibok ng puso ko.

They're talking about me!

"I swear, I'm going to kill that girl if I found her!"

I gasped but quickly covered my mouth.

They wanted to kill me. But they don't know my identity.

That's go-good! That's my ticket out of here.

I tried to reason to myself but I can't stop trembling. They are standing so close to me, smirking with their balled fists. They're all big and buff, especially the bald guy who's looming closer to me.

Okay, this is-this is easy, all I need to do is get out of he--

"Wait!"

I was paralyzed when one of them made an eye contact with me through my reflection in the window.

Nagsimula ng manginig ang tuhod ko.

They're coming, they're coming...!

"I think that girl can see us."

I closed my eyes as I gathered all the light into my shaking hands.

Will this be enough?! Please be enough!

"Really?!"

"Let's check her out then, shall we?"