"I'm sorry, Beau. How can I resist a beautiful woman?" I make a lighthearted remark. Beauty expresses her displeasure by saying, "Yes, of course. That's how you are—a natural flirtatious man. "Damon fakes a cough as if warning me. Beauty raises her eyebrow at Damon, but the latter continues his meal. Quinn is seriously eating while reading a book that he has taken from the library. Soon, the students fell silent. We look at the entrance where Alhyssa's group, whom they call Valencias, enter. They sit quietly and eat on the side. I frequently look at them, but they are so focused on eating."How did you know this realm exists, Beau?" I ask without looking at Beauty but rather in the direction of the girls they call Valencias."Oh, I heard it from a documentary a while ago. People say it is an enchanted kingdom. Do you think they are witches?" Beau responds with a hint of thrill."No, they look like fairies to me," Quinn responds humorously, with his eyes still focused on the book."No
The sun is about to set, and we are here, gathered in our room. Beauty, who is sitting and resting her chin on her hands, is also with us. We are waiting for Quinn, who went out and said he would go to the library. He ventures to find information on how we can get out of here. We feel worried that he is out because we believe this school is not safe. Those Valencias are monsters. Soon the door opens, and Quinn enters. I almost did not recognize him because he tied his hair loosely with yarn."Are you fine?" Beauty sincerely asks. Quinn nods his head and goes straight to the table. He shows us a small book and says, "I found this."It is brown. There is written text on the cover page. The book looks old because the letters are no longer clear, but it can still be read. It says "Kingdom of Guhya". The text is written in large bold type, so I can tell it is just a short text."Have you read it?" Beauty inquires."Not yet. Why? Do you want to read it first?" Quinn asks in return."Oh, no.
"Why? Well, we've seen a lot of dangerous people here. But you don't kill people, right?" I butt in, but it appears awkward. Sachz's hint of a smile fades.She is caught in a deep thought and says, "Why? Do mortal people do not kill?" I feel anxious about her question. Quinn, Lorde, Damon, and I look at each other."I'm sorry for my question. I am just curious. My grandma said Guhya was once a beautiful place. It was peaceful. People were full of love and respect," Sachz states."Then what happened?" Quinn asks. Sachz smiles sadly."Greed and resentment took over people's hearts. That's why I am here in the Institution of Guhya, because this is the most pure and reserved place in the whole Kingdom of Guhya," her smile says a lot about how she means her words."What do you mean?" Damon asks curiously. Sachz looked at him and sighed heavily."Over a decade ago, we lost thousands of Dji because the Supreme offered them to the mortal world for experiments. My parents were part of it," she
Blair's Standpoint"The world of Guhya was founded by Apo and his wife for a beautiful tomorrow. He wishes that when the right time comes, the Djis will be recognized not as a powerful kingdom but as a perfect example of what society should look like. That, in the coming of age, we will be known for the goodness of our hearts. We will be out there to serve and not to be served; to plant seeds of good values and not of terror," Mr. Han says as he paces back and forth. I gaze straight at Quinn, who has been staring at me. Alhyssa, who is on my left, nudges me and grins."Do you like that cute, long-haired guy?" Alhyssa teases me. I roll my eyes at her."Shut up, Alhyssa. Stop playing around," I rebuke. Her grin stretches wider."Well, when you left the medical building last day, he asked me to tell you that you're beautiful."She teases me even more."Did he?" I shyly ask. Gosh!"Oh Gosh! You're blushing. Our baby Blair has a crush on someone," she says, laughing."Dream on!" I exclaim.
"I told you, Venice. He is Jax," I assert. She covers her face with her two palms. She looks distressed and does not seem to know what to do."I just don't understand why he has to be back. Aside from that, he's using the same name Jax but with a second name Lorde. I don't know what he's thinking. I just don't know him anymore," Venice utters helplessly."I am bothered by that, too. He doesn't seem to remember anything," I say, perplexed. For the few days that I have silently observed him, I cannot feel that he is the same Jax that I have known for so long. Everything just does not feel right."What do we do now, Blair?" She asks. Her eyes reflect hopelessness. Her voice reverberates fear."I can't let him be killed. I will regret it my entire life, Blair. Let's do it once more," Venice pleads helplessly. She holds my hand, but I just watch her beg. I am confused. I am afraid to speak. I am afraid to choose between friendship and responsibility."This time is different, Venice. The la
"We saw her in the dining hall yesterday, but she was not able to go back to our room at night. I waited for her until this morning, but until now, she's nowhere to be found," the senior girl says, looking uneasy. They look both anxious, especially Xhyee. It must have felt bad and scary to be new in a place and something like this happens. "Did you notice anything strange in her movements the past few days?" Alhyssa asks. "No, she was perfectly fine," the senior girl responds, teary-eyed. "Who did you last see her with?" I investigate. "She was alone, reading while eating her lunch," she responds, looking so troubled. "You can leave now. Thank you for reporting this to us," Alhyssa states. The girls nod their heads and exit the room. No one speaks for about three whole minutes. Thania walks silently to the window and focuses herself on the outside view. It is Alhyssa who dares to break the silence. "It's just two things. It's either she escaped, or enemies are attacking us." "I
I deliberately cling to the window and pull myself up inside the room. My eyebrows furrow when I see no one inside.I look at the clock set in the room. It is already eight o'clock. I take a seat on one of the beds. I just waited for them for ten minutes. They might be back from eating now. I look around their room. It is clean. I cannot believe this is occupied by males.Ten minutes pass, and the door does not open. Where could they be? I have to go back and find Venice. I dash back to the window. I check out the window to see if it is safe to go out. When everything is clear, I deliberately cross the tree branch. I am down the tree in five minutes. I take a deep breath. That was exhausting.I sprint into the dense forest, and I observe my surroundings. I keep moving around, but I do not see Venice. I feel terrified that she might have gone to the core of the forest. My feet are making a noise as I continually step over dried leaves by accident. This is frustrating. I cannot go deep
Ethan and Quinn start to move in the direction Xhyee is pointing."Beauty, you have to go; your friend needs medical help," I demand. She nods rapidly. I notice another tear falling from her eyes. Beauty quickly loads Damon, but she falls back to the ground."Blair, guide them out here!" Venice shouts as she tries to deflect a stab. She gives her opponent a straight punch to the face. The man is knocked out."Blair, now go!" Venice cries again. Another man is on his way to attack me. I split my legs to avoid him. I draw the knife I have kept in my legs and immediately throw it and strike him in the legs. He falls off.Beauty loads him again and succeeds this time. I see her move to Damon as I continue to fight the man. I quickly finish the man off. I hear another sound of people coming our way. Alhyssa promptly appears, bringing her sword with her. I look at her back and see a bunch of aylwards headed by the captain. The aylwards immediately move to fight with the men, but some of the