Verse of the Day. ‬‬
"To respect the person of the wicked is not good, Nor to turn aside the righteous in judgment."
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18:5‬

Chapter 14
Be Ready
[ Ava Maureen ]

I REALLY believe the quote, "Expect the unexpected." Iyan din ang palaging sinasabi sa 'kin ni Mama. I never expected my life would turn into this. From an excellent student, international model at my young age, business heiress and an adopted child turns into a child who don't know her real identity and keeps seeing unexplainable things.

My world just turned into upside down, I can say.

Kung noon ay pakiramdam ko ako ang nakalalamang sa lahat, ngayon naman ay ako ang pinakababa at pinaka-walang alam. And even I, myself, don't know who really I am. I thought all the books I read before was all made by their imagination. But I was wrong because all of it was true. They just have different plot. Powers, magic school, witches and other unexplainable things were true at nakakikita pa ako mismo nito.

I'm only reading fantasy books thrice before dahil nako-kornihan ako. But now, I'm living in a corny world. Ha, how ironic. Minsan iniisip ko na baka isa sa mga author ng fantasy books ay nakapunta na sa lugar na kanilang ginawa na nasa libro. Is that even possible?

Last night, I cried because I missed my old life. No real friends means no hindrance, tasting the popularity, can kiss any attractive guys, and liking someone who can't like you back. Pero narealize ko na mas gusto ko na itong buhay ko ngayon. I may be still don't know my magic and only my ability but I now have a new friends and I don't know if they're really true or not. Bonus nalang na may bago na akong gusto rito. Keeping all those memories of my family can be my inspiration for all of the problems I'll have.

"Hoy! Ano na namang iniisip mo at kanina ka pa tulala riyan?"

Maituturing ko ng pinakamatalik na naging kaibigan ko ay si James na siya rin ang unang nakakita sa 'kin. Next to him was Jane who trained me and I can say that my past life was closest to compare with hers. Lastly, Zoe. I don't know but I can feel a connection with her but I can't distinguish on what is it. Sofia rarely talks to me and I think I know the reason. Pero mabait naman siya. Jack, on the other hand, I can say that ako lang talaga ang gumagawa ng paraan para mapalapit kami!

Ugh! That guy! He said I'm not her type! Sino naman ang type niya kuno? He said he wants a girl that is simple at walang kaarte-arte sa katawan, intimidating (intimidating naman ako, a?), beautiful and gorgeous (ako yan, e), intelligent (lalo na ito), at higit sa lahat ay malakas at konektado sa apoy ang kapangyarihan. Don't tell me, he'll marry his twin?! That's incest, Ava! Ugh! Basta if may magustuhan na siya, I'll make sure that that girl will suffer so much from me before she could even touch my Jack!

"Magic world to Maureen!? Nakikinig ka ba?! Your face seemed like to kill someone! Ano ba ang iniisip mo riyan?" sigaw na naman niya.

Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin at patuloy nalang sa paglalakad patungo sa isang room na sinasabi niya na naka-locate sa freshmen's dormitory. He said that the one who can read minds is just a freshman! Paano ako magtatanong kung paano ko ba it-train ang kakayahang ito? It's just useless dahil sabi pa ni James na noong isang araw pa lang daw ito nadiskubre.

Tinanong ko pa siya kung bakit namumutla ito, sinabi niya na kapatid daw ito no'ng nasa Rank 5 SUPREMUS. Iyong boyfriend ni Jane Hilary. Takot siya ro'n? Mas nangunguna pa nga siya kaysa ro'n, e.

Huminto kami sa isang kulay abo na pintuan at kumatok doon si James. Sumilip doon ang isang bata na sa tantya ko ay nasa 12 to 13 years old. Unlike her brother na kulay blonde ang buhok, she has an ash gray shoulder length hair and tan skin. A pouty lips and a cute nose. Gray is the color of her eyes while her brother was hazel. She also have a cute mole on the side of her pouty lips.

"D-Dau—," She lightly shake his head and forced a smile to us. "H-Hi po! I'm Amber Hoviery, Kendreck's little sister and Lady Elizabeth's daughter," pagpapakilala niya.

Pinapasok niya kaagad kami sa loob ng dorm niya. Her dorm motif was gray and white. Kapareha lang ito ng design sa akin pero ang kulay lang ang ipinagkaiba. Hindi naman halata na adik siya sa gray, 'no?

Napakurap-kurap ako ng ilang beses dahil sa sinabi niya. Elizabeth? Don't tell me . . . "So, Harold is the name of your father?" I jokingly said and laugh a little.

Gulat siyang napatingin sa 'kin. "How did you know the name of my father?!" she shrieked.

"Ha?"

"You're so galing for knowing my father's name!" What the?! Sofia the First?! First, Amber, the girl who's in my front. James, my closest friend. Sofia, James' girl. And lastly, Lady Elizabeth and Lord Harold, Amber's Parents. Ang galing!

"So . . . you can read minds?" pag-iiba ko sa usapan.

Agad lumiwanag ang mukha ng bata. "Yes po. But, last day ko pa nga lang na-discover. I'm so excited to learn on how it works." Napasapo nalang ako sa noo ko at nilingon ulit siya. I am making sure na nasarado ko na lahat sa aking isipan ang mga iniisip ko. Natutunan ko ito kagabi pagkatapos namin mag-dinner. But even if I close my mind, they can't invade it. I even dreamed a voice lately saying, "I'll always protect you." It's . . . weird.

"Can you read my mind?" Binuksan ko na ng tuluyan ang aking isipan dahil baka sakaling mabasa niya. I tried to think about me, having my spa, soon.

She focused her eyes on mine. Pero napapikit kaagad siya at sinapo ang ulo niya. "Ahhhh!" she screamed in pain.

Nataranta naman kaming dalawa ni James dahil maski siya ay hindi na mapakalma si Amber. "What's happening?!" sigaw lang siya nang sigaw habang sapo-sapo ang ulo niya. Hinayaan nalang namin siya dahil wala naman kaming magawa pero si James ay nanginginig na sa kaba. Oh, I remember, takot nga pala siya sa kuya nito.

"Maureen! B-Bakit nagka-ganyan siya?! Patay na talaga ako sa kuya niya nito!" nagpa-panic na aniya.

"Why are you asking me? I'm not the one who feels that way," kalmadong sabi ko. I'm just trying myself not to stutter and panic. Inirapan ko siya at pinanood nalang namin ang kaawa-awang Amber. I badly wanna help her, but we can't even control her!

Maya-maya pa nang matigil ito sa pagsisigaw. Lumapit kaagad ako sa kaniya pero napa-atras din nang lumiwanag ang mga mata niya't pati na rin ang kaniyang buong katawan.

"Be ready, my child."

Her voice changed! The voice she used was the voice who always tells me that she'll protect me. It's also the voice that the woman in my dreams before I went here.

She immediately lose her consciousness when she said those words. I run again towards her and touch her. Maybe my healing ability can help her to be conscious again. Her pale skin was now back to its original color after her.

James' eyes widen on what he saw. Ibinuka niya ang kaniyang bibig pero isinara ulit. He carries Amber's body patungo sa higaan nito. He heaved a heavy sigh at muling tumingin sa akin. Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay at umupo sa tabi ng bata. Maybe he's going to ask.

"What was that?" This is the second time I saw him being serious.

"It's my ability. I just discovered it when Jack trained me," I honestly said. There's no way I'll tell him that I have another ability.

I also promised to myself that I wouldn't read other's mind for their privacy. Dahil kung ako man din ang babasahan ng iniisip ay magwawala na ako. I don't like it when someone is invading my privacy. So what I just did yesterday was wrong. So, so wrong and I will never do it again unless it's necessary.

"Talaga?!" he exaggeratedly said. "Grabe! Sa mukha mo na mukhang brutal kung pumatay, healing pa ang naging sa 'yo na abilidad?!" Okay, he's back with his old self. Typical James Bradley.

My forehead creased on what he said. "Did you know that I already killed someone?" I said with a faint smile on my lips. Of course it's just an act but half truth. "Your statement about me, that I can kill someone brutally, was true and it will happen on you." Ngumiti ako nang sobrang tamis kaya kaagad siyang namutla.

Para naman itong bakla! How did Sofia like him?! I really shipped them!

Napairap naman ako at muling sumeryoso. Bakit nga kaya nagkagano'n si Amber? Is it because of the woman who will protect me raw? But what was that 'Be ready, my child' words mean? Is it connected on me?

Is it possible that . . . ?

@eggarru