MINT ACADEMY 5: CHAOS

CHAPTER 21: ANGUISH

Jullia?"

Marahan akong napaitngin sa tumawag sa pangalan ko at nakita ko si Kesia na nag-aalalang nakatingin sa akin. Sumeryoso naman siya nang makita niya ang seal sa mail envelop na hawak ko. Nang makita rin naman niya ang alam ay napamura na lamang siya.

"What the fck!" sigaw niya.

Kaaagd din naman napapunta dito ang iba pa at nang makita nila ang picture ay hummagulgol na kaagad sa iyak si Min at Yana. Nahihirapan man akong makita sila sa pag-iyak ko ay gusto ko pa rin makita ang magiging reaksyon nila.

Inalalayan ako ni Mark papunta sa sofa namin at ganoon din naman si Henry kay Yana, Kass and Kesia kay Min. Tahimik lang kami at walang nagsasalita, tanging ang mga hikbi lamang ni Min at Yana ang naririnig namin samantalang ako naman ay pinipilit kong kumalma.

Kita ko rin ang sakit sa mukha ni Kesia habang nakatingin sa picture na nakapatong na ngayon sa coffee table namin.

Ang nasa picture ay ang mga ka-klase namin. They're all beaten up. Ang mga mukha nila ay puro pasa samantalang ang mga babae naman ay halos hindi maayos ang kanilang mga damit. Ayaw man naming isipin ngunit hindi pa rin mawala ang kaba namin. Sana hindi sila ginalaw ng mga taga-organization, sana wala silang ginawang immoral laban sa mga kaklase namin.

They boys were all have bruises on their faces, kita rin ang ibang pasa sa kanilang kamay. Summer ngayon kaya short sleeve lang ang damit na hawak nila and since they're going outside talagang short sleeve lang ang sinusuot nila, even us.

"What are we going to do?" humihikbi pang tanong ni Yana. "We can't let them be in that situation for long," she added.

Sandali akong napatingin kay Henry at Kesia dahil sila naman talaga ang nag-dedesisyon para sa mga ganito. Although we all have our own suggestion and recommendation but in the end both of them were the one who will decide for what are we going to do.

"I think we have to find them," sambit naman ni Min na agad naman sinang-ayunan ni Yana.

"Calm down," sambit naman ni Henry at kinakunot ng noo ni Yana.

"Ney! How are we going to calm down!"

"Hey," tawag ni Kesia kaya naman napatingin sa kaniya ang lahat. "I know na nag-aalala kayo para sa mga classmate natin pero may magagawa ba kung maghi-hysterical tayo rito? We have to find them, yes, but we have to keep our cool too," she added.

Ilang sandali pa ay natahimik naman si Yana at Min indicating na kumakalma na rin sila. I also stopped crying as Kass creasing my left hand while holding it.

"Kesia, can you call them?" tanong ni Henry at kaagad naman na umiling si Kesia.

"Okay," sambit naman ni Akesia.

The number you have dial is now unattended or out of coverage area. Please leave your message after the beep.

Beep.

Isang buntong hininga na lamang ang binigay ni Kesia at saka sinubukan ulit na tumawag ngunit ganoon pa rin ang nangyayari kaya naman in the end ay wala kaming nakuhang information.

"Paano na iyan?" tanong ko at saka ko isa isa na tiningnan ang mga kaibigan ko.

Nang pumunta kay Henry at Kesia ang tingin ko ay napansin kong nakatitig sila sa picture.

"The picture is the only clue we have," sambit ni Kesia at napatingin kay Henry.

"Kass, why don't you try to copy the picture into a sure high resolution so that even if we zoom it the quality wont get affected?" Henry said, hugging Yana and trying to make her stop from crying.

Tumango naman si Kass at agad naman ginawa ang sinabi ni Henry. We are all worried, hindi naman basta basta ang nangyayari ngayon sa buhay namin. We want to be a normal student but this damn organization won't let us. Kelan kaya kami magkakaroon ng katahimikan? Kelan kaya babalik si kuya? Kelan kaya gagaling ang magulang ni Kesia? Kelan kaya babalik ang lahat?

Yung time na wala pa kaming inaalala kundi ang grades namin, yung time na nakikipag away pa kami sa class B para lang sa posisyon namin as class A, kailan kaya?

"Here," sambit ni Kass na nagpabalik sa ulirat ko.

Kaagad naman akong napatingin sa hologram na nasa harapan ko. Kitang kita doon ang malaking picture ng mga ka-klase namin na halatang sobrang hirap na hirap na, yung mga bugbog nilang katawan at mukha, yung hindi magandang damit ng mga babae naming ka-klase. We really hope na walang nangyaring masama talaga.

Rape is not a joke at all, it's not an easy topic to talk about.

"Zoom from the upper right corner," Henry said and Kass did what he said.

Zinoom nga niya ito at wala namang ibang nakita doon maliban sa maliit na symbol ng kanilang organization na wari mo'y nakasulat sa papel at nakadikit sa dingding.

"So, it's really the organization," sambit ni Kesia na mas lalong nagdilim pa ang kaniyang mukha.

She can feel the other's emotion so if ever na mapasama nga siya sa pag-rescue namin sa mga kaklase namin for sure na masasaktan siya. Specially sa mga girls kung may nangayari nga sa kanila.

Mula doon ay ginalaw ni Kass ang picture mula sa kanan papunta sa kaliwa. Walang ibang nakikita kundi pader na akala mo ay yero.

"Wait, is that even a wall?" tanong ko at napatitig din sila.

"No, it's not. It's looks like a container's wall rather than a cement wall," agad naman na sabi ni Mark na nag-confirm sa sinabi ko.

"So, it's either they're in an abandoned place or in a container," sambit naman ni Kass at napakagat naman ito ng labi.

When Kass started to move the picture once again we saw a familiar symbol that made us confused.

"An academy's logo?" takang tanong ni Henry.

"What the heck? Why is there an academy logo?!" bulalas naman ni Yana.

"Is the academy one of them?" sabi naman ni Min. "Are we fighting against our academy?" dagdag pa ni Min na nagbigay naman ng bigat sa pakiramdam ko.

"I don't think so," sambit naman ni Kesia at napatingin kami sa kaniya. "If we really are fighting against the academy then why are we here safe and sound? Hindi ba dapat mas mapanganib tayo dahil nasa lungga tayo ng kalaban?" she added.

"But still we can't ignore this," sambit ko naman at napakagat na lang ako ng labi.

I'm trying to suppress my fear as well as my tears from falling. It's making my head hurts so much! Hindi ko akalain na ganito ang mangyayari sa akin once I started studying here.

Am I regretting everything?

I mentally shrugged my head. No, I'm not. Here, I'm always with my brother, I have friends, I have the same wavelength, I have a new life. Here, I can do whatever I want without being judged.

I'm not regretting everything I decide for myself.

"There! Stop!" sigaw naman ni Kesia. "I think I already know where it is," dagdag pa niya.

"How sure you are?" Henry asked with a doubt on his face.

Kesia didn't see that but we did. Hindi namin alam kung bakit pero feeling namin nag-iiba ng kaunti si Henry. Well, hindi lang naman siya, lahat naman kami.

I feel like our friendship is now challenging something unknown, something na makakasira sa amin. Still, I trust them. I know that if they do something that is against the all of us then that means he or she has a reason for it.

"A hundred percent sure," Kesia said as she looked at the picture. "I saw it once on my brother's phone. I'm sure dahil tinanong ko pa siya noon tungkol sa lugar na iyan and he warned me not to go there no matter what happened," she explained.

"And that place is?" Yana asked as she pinched Henry's tight.

"It's on the southeast part of our country. Hindi ako sure kung anong container number iyan but I am sure na ito nga iyong nasa phone ni kuya. As I remembered, it's a private property. Kaya sure din ako na pagmamay-ari iyan ng organization," she said as we all stared at the picture in front of us.

"Are we going or not?" Min asked.

We all stayed quiet. Of course, it's Henry and Kesia's job to decide about it. Although alam na namin ang magiging desisyon nilang dalawa.

"Ano pa nga ba? E 'di pupunta," sagot naman ni Henry and we all nod. "But what if mali ang lugar na iyan?" he asked.

Sandali naman kaming napatigil at napatingin kay Kesia, "E 'di ibig sabihin na hindi lang isa ang lugar na ganiyan na hawak nila," she said with a glint of annoyance on her voice.

This is the first time na parang nagtatalo ang dalawa. May hindi kaya sila pagkakaintindihan?

Napatingin ako kay Yana and she just shrugged her shoulder saying to us that she didn't know what's happening. Instead of forcing her, we just let it. since magkakausap din naman sila and eventually magkakaayos.

I know them both.

This time, we get ourselves ready to save our classmates. Every hour we have right now, seconds, minutes, hours are especial. We don't know kung ano ang mangyayari sa mga ka-klase namin if we were late so we will do our best to save them.

I just hope they will buy us a time.