ELEMENTALIA: Tale of the Elemental Guardians

Chapter 5: CEDRIC AND THE LIBRETA

"What is it, Miss Joy Malaya? Do you happen to know him?" the teacher asked.

"N-No, Sir. Sorry!" Joy just on her chair, feeling embarrassed as her classmates laughed at her.

"Okay. Mr. Martinez, please introduce yourself,” the teacher said.

Cedric stared at Joy. “My name is Cedric Martinez. Nice meeting you all."

"So handsome!" a student whispered.

"My prince, please sit beside me!" another one said.

“No! He's mine!" a third one protested.

"Thank you, Mr. Martinez. Please take your seat behind Ms. Malaya near the window,” the teacher said.

Cedric ignored his classmates as he quietly took his seat.

As the first-period finished, the teacher announced, "That's all for today, class. We have an emergency meeting this afternoon, so you’re free to do club activities or go home."

The students cheered.

"Let's practice!"

“I wanna go to the mall!"

Joy buried her face to her desk. What should she do now?

"Joy!” Khay suddenly called for her.

“My Mom—I mean the principal wants to see you in her office.”

Joy frowned. What could it be about?

"Can I come in, Ma'am?" Joy asked after knocking on the door.

“Told you, just call me Auntie Yuriko,” Principal Yuriko said as Joy entered the office.

But you're the principal of this school. So how can I help you... Auntie?" Joy said.

"I heard that you are an acquaintance of your new classmate, so I have a favor to ask,” Principal Yuriko said.

Joy didn't like where this was going.

"Will you please give him a tour of our campus?" Yuriko asked Joy.

Joy had no choice but to say yes.

"S-Sure, Auntie."

She saw Cedric waiting outside the office.

"She will take care of you. I need to go to the meeting now! Bye!" Yuriko said to Cedric before she left.

Joy didn’t know what to say.

"So, where should we go first?" Cedric asked her.

"Y-Yeah! This building have mostly faculties and offices. At the far end is the clinic,” Joy explained.

"I know. I've been there earlier,” Cedric said.

"R-Right."

Joy started to feel uncomfortable so she ended the tour quickly at the parking lot. They stopped where Joy had parked her bike.

"That's the end of the tour. Is there any place you want to go?" asked Joy. However, Cedric did not answer.

"Okay. I will now go home...” Joy tried to ride her bike, but she couldn’t move it.

"Can you go home with that bike?" Cedric said while pointing at the bike's broken wheels.

"I forgot it’s broken!" Joy cried.

Joy carried her bike and started walking.

Suddenly, Cedric's car stopped next to her.

"Put your bike at the back of my car,” Cedric said.

Joy couldn’t process what was happening, so Cedric got out of the car and grabbed the bike, then placed it inside the trunk.

"But, but, but!” Joy protested.

"No buts. Just get inside!" Cedric ordered. Sighing, Joy did what he said.

"Is this your house?" Cedric asked after driving her home and stopping at the front of her house.

"Yes. Actually, the first floor is an eatery while the second floor has more room. We are just renting it,” Joy explained.

Then they saw Peach and Sarah talking to their landlady who looked so mad.

"You are two months late in your payment! If you don’t give me the full payment by the end of this month, I will lock this house," she shouted before walking out.

"What was that about?" Cedric asked curiously.

"She is our landlady. I need to go now. Thanks for the ride! But don't think we're even! You still need to pay for my bike's repair and for the ruined packed lunches,” Joy said.

"But my car repair is more expensive,” Cedric replied.

"I guess you’re right!" Joy cried. Then Cedric left.

"Who's that, Ate?" Sarah asked.

"He is the transfer student,” Joy answered.

"I heard he is rich and handsome! Good catch, Ate Joy,” Peach exclaimed.

"It's not like that, Peach!" Joy protested.

Ian got home very late so he needed to go inside his room quietly. When he was about to climb up the stairs, a tricycle stopped at the front of their house. He hid under the table when he noticed someone unlocking the door.

"That's Mama! Where did she come from?" he whispered.

He noticed something glowing inside his mother's bag. Curious, Ian followed his mother and peeked inside his mother's room through the door.

Mina picked up the mysterious glowing item and placed it inside a hidden cabinet behind the big picture frame.

"Wait here, I need to perform the ritual first before the full moon disappears,” Mina whispered to it. The item stopped glowing after that, and she put back the big frame after closing the hidden cabinet.

Mina hurried outside and rode the same tricycle that was waiting for her. Ian quickly hid inside his room before his mother noticed him, and when he was sure that his mother was gone, he came back to his mother's room to check on that mysterious item.

Meanwhile, the tricycle stopped at the foot of a hill after a short trip. "I'm still wondering why you always go here almost thrice a month,” the driver said as Mina paid him.

“I can't tell you, Manong. Sorry!" Mina said before running to the top of the hill.

She prepared the ritual near the big balete tree. When she was about to start, she noticed that a dark cloud started to cover the moon.

"This is a bad omen!" Mina said.

Then she saw a beam of light piercing the dark cloud, going straight for their house.

Back at the house, the three girls heard a loud noise. There was a flash of light, waking them. They searched the house for robbers, but they only found Ian inside their mother's room.

"Ian, what are you doing here?" Joy asked.

Ian was freaking out. “T-THERE'S A GHOST!”

As soon as the girls stepped inside their mother's room, the bottles inside the hidden cabinet broke and thick colorful smoke enveloped them before going inside their boidy.

"What just happened?" Sarah asked.

"This feeling! It’s so warm!" Peach said.

"I know this! I feel that our powers are back!" Joy said.

They saw Ian lying on the floor unconscious.

"Ian, are you alright?" Joy tried to wake him up. But as soon as he woke up, Ian started to freak out again.

"BIG SIS! THERE'S A GHOST! I-It appeared from that book!!” Ian pointed behind the table so they go take a look.

"This is our father's Libreta!" Joy exclaimed.

When Joy tried to pick up the book, it suddenly floated in the air and they heard a small voice.

"Nice meeting you, chosen ones. I've been waiting for you for hundreds of years!" A Lambana was making the book float. It flew toward a startled Ian and hugged his face.

"Thank you so much for releasing me!" it said..

"Take it off me! Take it off,” Ian shouted.

Then the Lambana flew in front of them. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Roe, and I'm at your service! I will help you to be the Great Guardians and save the two worlds. But first, can I have something to eat? I'm starving!”

Author: TenTenJOY03

Editor: Kenneth Villa