Paige's POV

Habang nakapikit, napakunot ang aking noo nang maramdaman ang pagdapo ng init sa aking mukha.

Groaning with my arms stretched wide has never felt more relieving. Especially when I noticed that my bed has become stiffer than usual... as well as my pillow-

Napatigil ako.

Dahan-dahan kong binuksan ang aking mga mata, at agad sinalubong ng liwanag mula sa kisame ng greenhouse.

Napalunok ako, at saka di makapaniwalang yumuko upang tignan ang braso na yumakap sa'kin pagkatapos akong umunat.

My lips slightly parted to let out a silent gasp.

What am I doing here?

Bago ko pa man masulyapan ang lalaking katabi ko, nagsimulang bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko, at kung saan-saan dumako ang aking mga mata, inaalala ang bawat nangyari kagabi at kung bakit nagising ako rito sa greenhouse katabi siya.

I remember...

The door was locked. We didn't find the key and we tried knocking on the windows. He also tried to make a portal but it only connected to one of our classrooms. He tried making another one again but it was a portal back to the party.

He was too drunk to get us inside, and I didn't want to break one of the doors or windows just as Reign always asked of us.

So, we decided to wait in the greenhouse until he could turn sober.

He did attempt to summon a portal for the last time, but on the other side was the house party in one of the Gamma's buildings.

And what he did, he stole a blanket and a couple of pillows before drunkenly suggesting we sleep in the greenhouse instead.

'Hey, Paige...' Lumabas siya mula sa kabilang dako ng portal na may dalang isang makapal na kumot at dalawang unan. 'Can we sleep here?'

Hindi pa nga ako sumagot ay inilatag na niya agad ang kumot sa semento at magaang tinapon ang mga unan dito.

Pagkatapos, bumagsak siya rito.

'Grey-'

'Your back will hurt if you sleep on the chair.' Tumagilid siya ng higa at tinapik ang espasyo sa tabi niya. 'You can sleep beside me if you want.'

'Vous...' Nakapikit siya nang madahan siyang gumulong pahilata sa kumot. 'Vous devriez être assez bien ici...'

'You... you should be comfortable enough here.'

Mahina akong napatampal ng noo.

And when did I decide I wanted to sleep beside him?

Napahilamos ako ng palad. Tumigil ang aking kamay sa tapat ng aking bibig habang nakatingala sa lumiliwanag na kalangitan.

Muli akong napalunok, bago mabagal na nilingon ang aking ulo sa mukhang nakatapat sa'kin.

Ilang segundo akong pumikit.

This is only just a dream, I convinced myself. I could never have slept beside him.

I slowly opened my eyes to see him again, peacefully sleeping close to me with one of his arms around me.

Oh, gods.

Mahina ko siyang tinulak pahiwalay sa'kin, ngunit agad din akong napatigil nang magkasalubong ang kanyang kilay sabay hila sa'kin.

My body shifted awkwardly when his hand crawled under the side of my waist after he lessened the space between us.

Dahil dito, kusa rin akong napahawak sa balikat niya.

"Grey," mahina ko siyang niyugyog. "Grey!" pabulong kong sambit. "Wake up!"

I didn't notice one of his arms was under the pillow my head leaned unto. So it came as a surprise when he moved it up and squeezed me into an even tighter embrace, forcing me to lift my head and wrap an arm around him.

"G-Grey..." Literal na hindi ako makahinga dahil sa higpit ng pagkakayapos niya sa'kin. At tila hindi pa nakuntento rito, ipinatong niya ang kanyang binti sa gilid ko.

"I'm telling you, if you don't wake up-"

Bigla kong narinig ang inaantok niyang tawa.

"Your heart's beating too loud," bulong niya. "Who wouldn't?"

I looked down on his head comfortably resting on the top of my chest. Blood automatically rose to my face and before he could even move the slightest bit, I finally gathered enough strength to shove him off of me.

Mabilis akong napaupo hawak-hawak ang aking dibdib habang siya naman ay gumulong pataob sa labas ng kumot.

He slowly rose from his stomach while letting out a drowsy groan. And as he sat, he looked at me as if he was never surprised at all.

Inaantok pa rin ang mga mata niya nang itukod niya ang kanyang kamay sa semento sabay hilig dito. Bahagya pa siyang ngumisi pagkatapos dagliang sulyapan ang mga braso kong mahigpit na nakatapis sa aking dibdib.

"Bonne matinée à toi aussi." Nginitian niya ako. "...chérie."

Hindi ako nag-abalang intindihin ang sinabi niya at mabilis na dinampot ang isang unan upang ibato ito sa kanya.

Natatawa niya itong sinalo. "Paige..."

Agad akong tumayo mula sa pagkakaupo. Madali kong kinolekta ang sarili ko at pinadalhan siya ng namamahamak na tingin bago umikot at padabog na lumayo sa kanya nang nakakuyom ang magkabilang palad.

"Paige!"

Hindi ko pinansin ang pagtawag niya sa'kin.

"What do you want for breakfast?!"

Binilisan ko ang aking mabibigat na hakbang papalabas ng greenhouse.

"For you to be dead," nangangalit kong sagot.

• • •

"There you are," bati ni Reign sa'kin nang salubungin ko siya sa labas ng faculty. "Sa'n ka galing? Ba't di kita nakita kaninang umaga?"

"I left earlier for school," sabi ko sa kanya. "How about you? What were you doing in the faculty?"

Inabot niya sa'kin ang papers na nasa kamay niya. "We're getting pulled out from class today to start preparing for the games."

Tinanggap ko ito. "We're going to start to do it now?" Mahinahon ko itong inipit sa clipboard na dala-dala ko. "Do you have the time?" Inangat ko ang aking tingin sa kanya. "How about your punishments?"

"Ah- haha-" She laughed with a straight face. "Natapos ko na."

My brows furrowed, confused, but she didn't let me ask for further questions when she suddenly walked away with an unusual silence, as she, herself, also looked confused by what she said.

Kinibit-balikat ko nalang ito at saka sumunod sa kanya.

Pumunta kami sa hallway papuntang indoor gymnasium ng Academy. Dumaan kami sa locker room ng athletes at tumigil sa katabi nitong locker room ng cheerleaders.

Pagkapasok namin, bumungad si Amber na nakayuko sa desk niyang napuno sa sketches at illustrations. Pinalibutan siya ng mga kasama niyang nagbibihis sa updated uniforms nila. Halatang nananabik silang lahat maliban sa captain nilang nakabaon ang ulo sa magkabilang braso.

"Amber?" nag-aalalang sambit ni Reign nang lapitan namin siya.

Mabigat na umangat ang ulo ni Amber. "Huwag niyo'kong kausapin." Nawala na ang dating buhay sa tinig niya. "Nasa panglimang pain reliever na ako."

Ibabagsak na sana ulit niya ang kanyang ulo sa mesa nang pigilan ko siya.

"Amber," seryoso kong tawag sa kanya. "We have some finalizing to do."

She frustratingly hit the table. "Paige naman, eh!" reklamo niya. "Nasusuka ako kapag pinapasagot niyo'ko- hmp-" Napatakip siya ng bibig at kumaripas ng tumakbo patungo sa comfort room nila.

Reign let out a heavy sigh, while I looked at the school paper on the table.

It had a big picture of Amber smiling widely at some students while raising a shot glass in her hand.

'VICTORY PARTY: Exclusive Look on the Omega's Complete Attendance.'

Binasa ko ang ibang titles sa front page ng paper at nalamang napuno ito tungkol sa'min.

'Amber Finished Ten Like A True Captain!'

'Is Vintage the New Trend? A Description of Reign's Latest Fashion Statement.'

'Bella's New Favorite is San-nakji and... Soju?!'

'Henri: A Talk About the Son of Destiny's Rising Ropularity.'

'Vance's List of Ordered Drinks and What They Could Mean As Explained by An Oracle.'

'Zack on The Lookout: Best Brands for Binoculars.'

'Victory Bash with Ash: A Dream Turned Reality.'

'New Couple Alert! Grey and Paige on a Casual Date?'

Napasimangot ako pagkatapos basahin ang huling title. Wala sa sarili kong kinuha ang school paper at hinanap ang mga pahina para basahin ang article na ito.

'LAST NIGHT— After weeks of fueling dating rumors, Grey finally went out on an obvious date! But with a student every one of us didn't expect it to be: the serious and wise Paige, daughter of the saint and the seeker.

The two are already childhood friends, along with the other Omegas. But perhaps they were even closer than we thought, as everyone knows that Paige's brother, our century-boy Vance, is Grey's bestfriend. Grey's sister, top student Reign, is also Paige's closest classmate!

The chance of them hanging out together is already as high as the peak of Mount Olympus!

So, for today's daily question: Are you prepared for the moment we find out if the two are indeed exclusively spending time together a.k.a. dating?'

Kumibot-kibot ang isang mata ko sa pinagbabasa ko, hanggang sa makaabot sa pinakadulo ng article.

'On the next page, we have consulted a few of our oracles about the likelihood of them being together and what could possibly await their omegamazing future-'

Sinarado ko na ang school paper.

"Teka," sambit ni Reign. "Di pa ako tapos sa pagbabasa-"

Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin dahilan na pagtawanan niya ako nang mahina.

"Give me that, kung ayaw mong malaman." Kinuha niya ang pahayagan mula sa kamay ko at binuksan ito sa kasunod na pahina. "Gusto ko, eh."

Minasdan ko ang mga mata niyang gumalaw habang nagbabasa. Pagkalipas ng ilang segundo, umangat ang magkabilang kilay niya.

"What?" Nagtangka akong sumilip sa binabasa niya nang bigla niyang inilayo ang papel mula sa'kin.

"Wait," aniya. "Di pa ako tapos."

Curiosity grew quickly inside me as I watched her continue to read what I want to read, and come to know what I didn't want to know at first, but now badly want to.

"What is it?" usisa ko. "What does it say?"

"It says the likelihood of the two of you dating is eighty percent."

"That's wrong," giit ko. "If we're going to consider every one of our differences, it's only sixty-five percent-"

"Yeah, well, they didn't ask a mathematician, Paige." She gave me a knowing glare. "They asked oracles."

I answered with an irritated look. "Then what else did these oracles say?"

"About your future together?" tanong niya.

She looked at me again and softly laughed when I didn't bother to answer.

"Sabi rito..." salaysay niya nang ibalik ang kanyang atensyon sa school paper. "Kung magiging kayo man ng kuya ko, maaamoy daw namin mula sa malayo ang halimuyak na dala niyo sa tuwing magkasama kayo."

Nagkasalubong ang aking kilay. "What does that even mean?"

"Means you will have a flowery path in front of you if you do decide to hold his hand and walk beside him."

"But I don't like flowers," saad ko. "And I don't like your brother."

She hummed in response, with a tone both agreeing and disagreeing.

"What else?" tanong ko pa.

Grey's POV

A subtle grin formed on my lips after closing the school paper.

"Vance." Inabot ko ito sa lalaking nakaupo sa tabi ko. "Have you read this?"

Vance completely ignored me and continued to stare at his notes for our quiz later. Though, it was obvious he wasn't reading it.

"Says I will have a flowery path and a strong future with your sister." I leaned to the side and lazily waved the paper closer to his cold-stricken face. "Would you believe that?"

"Tsk." He clicked his tongue before grabbing the paper from my hand.

Seated on his other side, Henri glanced down at the paper on Vance's table before looking back at me with a curious expression.

Kumibit-balikat ako.

The truth is, the three of us almost arrived late for our first subject because for some mysterious reason, the son of the saint and the seeker decided to become a saint in his room and a seeker for sad music.

Because instead of preparing for class, he spent his entire morning locked alone while lightly strumming the strings of his guitar.

Henri and I heard it, ourselves. After half an hour of standing in front of his room.

Humilig ako sa sandalan ng aking upuan at iniunat ang leeg ko sa direksyon ni Henri na napatikhim at umayos sa pagkakaupo, bago humilig din ng kaunti sa likod ni Vance.

"What do you think happened?" I mouthed.

Nanliit ang kanyang mga mata. "Why are you asking me?"

"You're the son of Destiny, Percival," pabulong kong paalala sa kanya. "He was obviously destined to turn out like this today."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't you have the ability to find out what happened that made him like this?"

"What?" Kumunot ang kanyang noo. "No."

"Then why the hell is he acting like-"

"If the both of you can just stop whispering in between my ears," Vance slowly turned to me, his eyes and voice threatening. "Then you could actually help."

"Oh?" Umangat ang magkabilang kilay ko. "You need help with something, Vance?" Natawa ako nang mahina saka umayos sa pagkakaupo. "Pourquoi tu ne me l'as pas dit plus tôt?"

'Why didn't you tell me earlier?'

"Then I could have avoided whispering to Henri about you, non?" I reminded him whose fault was it that I ended up asking Henri about him.

At pagkaraan ng ilang sandali nang nakangiti, unti-unting naglaho ang bakas ng emosyon sa aking mukha habang binabalik ang seryoso niyang tingin sa'kin.

"And give that look to me again, Vance," I threatened back with an empty stare, but with a challenged smile. "And I will gladly remind you how-" Pinaningkitan ko siya. "...je n'aime pas être menacé."

'... I do not like being threatened.'

"Tignan mo, Bella, may magpapatayan sa classroom." Nilingon kami ni Zack na nakaupo sa unahan. Katabi niya si Bella na humarap sa'min nang lumiliwanag ang mga mata.

Nginitian ko silang dalawa, saka sinimangutan ang katabi ko.

"But fortunately for you, we are not the same." Letting out a calmed breath, I crossed my arms against my chest. "I woke up on the right side of the bed this morning unlike what happened to you." I comfortably rested my back on the chair. "So I suggest you tell us already what's bothering you."

"And if it's a man you want to kill." Sinenyasan ko siyang tumingin kay Henri. "Let Henri do it."

"I am not in the mood to hurt someone today," paliwanag ko. "Don't ask why."

"It's not a man, Grey." Vance answered with a low voice.

Nagpalitan kami ng tingin ni Henri, bago niya pinaningkitan si Vance.

"A woman?" he curiously asked, with his head a bit tilted to the side.

Hindi sumagot si Vance, dahilan na mapatingin ulit kami ni Henri sa isa't isa.

"A woman." Ako na ang sumagot para sa kanya.

Pagkatapos, dahan-dahang dumapo ang pagtataka sa aking mukha nang mahinuha ko kung anong ibig sabihin ng sagot na ito.

"A woman?" tanong ko kay Vance.

He let out a sigh.

"Wait-" Napababa ako ng mga braso. "You're acting like this because of a woman or the woman?"

Vance closed his eyes for a good few seconds.

"Fine," he finally said as he opened his eyes and stared at the front. "You can look."

The corner of my lips slowly curved upwards after the atmosphere around him suddenly lost its weight. His presence spread across the room as he broke his barrier made out of his own aura.

He has let himself become vulnerable and before he could rebuild his barrier again, I used my ability to see memories and dragged the three of us in my domain where we found ourselves standing in the middle of the road leading to our dorm.

The night of the party, I realized. Yesterday.

Napaatras ako nang bigla akong lagpasan ni Amber na tumatakbo habang umiiyak.

"Oh, you've definitely done something," puna ko.

"Go a few moments back," sabi ni Vance.

We did go a few moments back.

"Kasi, ano, na-miss ko lang siguro yung dati..." I saw Amber playing with her fingers. "Yung sobrang lapit pa natin sa isa't isa..."

Napakamot ako ng sulok ng aking labi para pigilan ang isang namumuong ngiti.

"Pero di naman ako nagrereklamo kasi naiintindihan ko naman na mas marami tayong inaasikaso ngayon-"

"How about you?" Vance's voice echoed in his own memory. "Do you like someone?"

Napatigil ako nang sundan ng tingin si Amber na lumapit sa kanya. Tumingkayad ito para abutin ang kanyang tenga bago bumulong.

"Ikaw po."

Nanlaki ang aking mga mata pero agad ding nanumbalik ang normal kong ekspresyon nang tumakbo si Amber at umikot para magbitaw ng tatlong salita.

"Yung dating ikaw."

I blinked once and found myself back in the classroom.

My head slowly shook at Vance who stared blankly at the pen he played in his hand.

"Vance Elliott Carswell..." I smiled, gently biting my lower lip in astonishment, and upon releasing it, broke into a wider grin. "What..."

Henri scoffed and quickly covered for my lack of words.

"What in the heaviest fuck was that?"