Chapter 13

LEVI'S POV

"How's Caius?" Pino asked when he arrived at the clinic.

"He's fine. It's good that he's calm and resting now," I answered.

"He's a Linonophobe."

We both turned our head to the school nurse who were just done checking up on Caius. I ended up bringing him here at the clinic because he looked so pale. He's now resting and asleep.

"Yes, probably," I said as I nodded.

Pino asked, "A Linonophobe?"

"It's the fear of strings," I answered.

"He only fear the rope, right?" the nurse asked, putting the stethoscope around her neck.

"That's right," I replied and glanced at Caius who's sleeping on the bed at my right side.

"Linonophobes usually have no problems wearing clothes, but shoes with laces may be a problem and they may prefer leather and slip on shoes. Clothes with buttons are not a problem as well, but those with strings are avoided. In his case, he only fear the rope, but his fear is pretty serious."

Nodding while looking at Caius, I uttered, "It really makes him weak."

"Many specific phobias are due to childhood experiences or trauma, just like in the case of your friend," the nurse said as she headed back to her table.

Sh added, "Almost all phobias can be successfully treated and cured by desensitisation or self-exposure therapy, which is the patient can be treated through gradual exposure to the object, animal, place, or situation that causes the fear or anxiety, however, since phobias is not life-limiting, only few people seek out help," she added.

I didn't say a word. I just simply stared at Caius as I felt pity for him.

"Anyway, he'll wake up soon. Excuse me." The school nurse went out of the clinic, leaving only the three of us inside.

"Life-limiting?" Pino asked out of curiosity just after the nurse had gone outside.

Putting both of my hands inside my pocket, I said, "It's a medical term which the condition of a person has no cure and expected to die prematurely. Phobia isn't life-limiting, so people with phobias usually don't seek help about it."

"Ah. I assume, Caius doesn't want it as well."

"Sure thing. It would be even harder for him if he expose himself to that thing, I guess," I replied as I heaved a sigh.

"I wonder what's... the rarest... phobia," he whispered.

"It's Allodoxaphobia," I said. "It's an extremely rare phobia which define the fear of opinions."

"Whoa. You know it?"

I just shrugged my shoulder and said, "Reading a lot really helps. Try it."

He smiled and shook his head. "No, thanks."

I smiled.

"Overall, fear of public speaking, heights and bugs are the biggest phobia. That's in America. Twenty-five percent says they fear speaking in front of the crowd."

"Oh," Pino chuckled. "Even me. I always fear public speaking," he said, scratching his head.

"Clowns are officially scarier than ghosts, but zombies are scarier than both," I added as I barely laughed.

"Yeah right? Zombies, my ass," he smirked. "Well, Levi... how does... um..."

I frowned as I turned to Pino who suddenly looked hesitant.

"Why? What's it?" I asked.

"I'm just curious about..." he paused. He looked at me as if he was trying to figure out something.

"Spill it and I'll answer."

He nodded and asked, "How happened that Caius has a fear of rope?"

"Ah." I looked back at Caius and stared at him for awhile.

"We use strings to tie our stuff in place or secure things so that they won't fall off. Just very useful in our everyday lives, but there are some people who fear strings," I said.

"Um..."

"People with this fear might have experienced being tied up in the past, whether they were tied up because of a punishment. Some might have developed this fear because of watching TV or in the movies where people being tied up while their houses were being robbed, or being tied up when they were captured or kidnapped," I continued.

"Wait. Was he kidnapped when he was still a child?"

I gently shook my head and said, "No."

"Got punished?"

"No, he's not."

"He got that from watching movies," he said as if he was really sure about it.

"He got that fear upon seeing her own mother died because of a rope," I answered. "Her mother hanged herself during his high school graduation."

Pino lost for words to say. I glanced at him and he was a bit surprised.

"The rope reminds him about that nightmare, so I asked everyone in our department to be careful towards the others. I even warned all of you not to bring rope or let that thing be seen around because even if it is left mistakenly or not, I won't let that slide."

Pino was still silent. Maybe because he didn't expect that it was really the reason behind.

"Pino?"

He tilted his head and said, "Y-yes, Levi?"

"Are they all inside the hall?"

He just slowly nodded his head.

"How about Kakang Julio?"

"Oh. I already informed him—"

He was cut off by the sudden appearance of Kakang Julio in front of the school clinic.

"I'm here, boys," Kakang Julio said, taking off his old baseball cap as he stepped inside.

"He's here," Pino said.

"Thank you, Pino," I said and tapped his shoulder.

"Kakang Julio, forgive me for bothering you. I just need some help from you," I said when I turned to the old man in front of me.

"No worries, Hijo."

I looked at Pino again as I held his shoulder. I said, "Please be with Caius for the meantime. I'll get back here soon."

"Just go ahead and I'll stay here."

With Kakang Julio on my left side, we made our way down the hallways to the school hall for I called an urgent meeting again. I couldn't just really accept that they would be this so irresponsible.

We stopped at the garden and I asked him about the old Narra tree's possible height. After we talked, we proceeded to the hall.

The noise went down the moment I entered the hall. They all turned their heads down because maybe by now, they already knew what would be this urgent meeting all about.

I stepped up on the stage with Kakang Julio. I grabbed the microphone and tried to stay calm.

"I assume you all know what happened," I said and looked at all the worried faces in front of me. "And yes, he's the friend that I was talking about."

I let out a sigh.

"He's fine now, lying on the school clinic's bed, resting. I'm just wondering..." I paused and bit my lower lip. Heaving another sigh, I said, "I thought I already made myself clear last time."

But everyone remained silent.

"Anyway," I uttered, "I'm with Kakang Julio for I'll be needing his help."

Students were just listening to me attentively, probably thinking what would I do next.

"Before we headed here, me and Kakang Julio stopped by at the Department's garden. Caius was at the garden with Pino earlier. Pino told me that Caius was just about to leave the garden when a rope fell down right in front of him. What a coincidence, right?" I grinned as my eyes caught the boys who dared to laugh last meeting. They immediately avoided me so I continued.

"There's an old, tall Narra tree at the garden, and Kakang Julio said that it's about 30 to 40 meters high. The rope would only fall from that tree, and what makes me more upset is what on Earth did that rope doing at that damn high tree? How happened that there's a rope above that tree?"

I closed my eyes for awhile as I held the microphone tighter.

"A certain freely falling object requires 1.50 seconds to travel the last 30 meters before it hits the ground," I said as I looked at them again.

"Specifically, that rope fell from 38.2 meters above the ground which is the exact height of the Narra tree. Now, tell me who's the person behind this. Don't even dare to make a lame excuse or story because that garden is exclusive only for the Engineering students," I threatened them, but none of them say a word.

"Who the hell did this?" I shouted. My loud voice echoed that the microphone already feedback and rumbled.

"Son, please calm down. You're already scaring them," Kakang Julio suddenly uttered as he gently pressed my shoulder.

I looked at him and nodded my head. Tightly grabbing the microphone, I gave them my last notice.

"I'll give only this whole day for you to tell me who's that irresponsible student. If no one does, all of you... I'm warning you. All of you will get punished!" I stated with full authority.

They started whining upon hearing me, not until a woman inched towards the stage.

"L-Levi!" she shouted.

My eyebrows knitted as I looked at her. What was she doing?

"Adalee?" I mumbled on the microphone.

"A-about the rope... it's... it's my fault."

My eyes just widened as she started to get cussed out by the students.

She was rubbing her hands, face crumpled out of guilt, then she said, "Levi, it's m-my f-fault."