When I reached my classroom, the professor was still not in class which helped me settle on my seat while I tried to ponder on what to perform next for the competition. I thought of playing the Sad Tears but that's too simple for the next competition. I need something strong…stronger…better but will still show my soft side.
"Hi, Sapphire," Ven greeted me.
"Hi, Ven." I put down the music sheet booklet and faced him. His Aqua blue eyes fit his pale skin and curly hair. The color of the hair is a turn off though. "Your hair, it's gray this time?" adding the question tone at the end makes me look unsure of what to say next.
"Uhmm yeah." He grabbed some hair on his head, "Do you like it? I thought I would try something bold and different." What bold and different was your fuchsia hair last week, I thought to myself.
"Yeah, I guess. If you like it that way." I lied. Ven loves coloring his hair. I like how expressive he is but sometimes I am scared of that. One time, I didn't recognize him because he did a buzz cut and had a cheetah pattern as hair color. He even shaved his eyebrows that one time too. Then after that, he did neon colors like yellow and green.
"Class, announcement!" the class president shouted, "our professor can't come today because of some errands. He said that we're free for this period." The president sat back down on her seat. Brushing off her curly, brown colored hair away from her face.
"What errand is it that is more important than his job?" The student in front of me asked.
Some students from the other end of the room laughed.
"Nice, where should we go?" Ven pouted while squatting to be on the level where our eyes would meet.
"Hmmm…the same hideout?" I suggested.
"Brilliant. Let's go." He stood up and took his bag from his desk and signaled me to act faster. I took my things and ran towards him. "First to touch the tree, get to have a free box of pizza!" he shouted and we both ran faster. The air swift our hair out of our faces as if helping us not be covered with it while running through the school grounds and outside the facility and preventing us from hitting something. He gets to touch the tree first.
"Unfair, you have longer legs." I try to catch my breath. I don't know when this 'tradition' started but neither of us is against it. It adds fun to our ridiculously exhausting college life. Though it is always given that I will lose because compared to the three of us: Jo, me, and Ven, I've got the shortest legs. I could fit in a suitcase.
"What's unfair is you always say I'm unfair but you kept taking the challenge anyway."
We dropped our things on the grassy lawn and sat down.
"Here, buy the pizza" I gave him the money. I rest my back on the fallen tree trunk.
"No way, you lost." He pushed back the money to me.
"Come on, you're the guy here."
"Not playing chivalry, princess. I have a crown too." He placed his palms over his head shaping it like a crown.
"Aishh. Fine, my bag is okay."
"Yeah yeah." He lay on his back as soon as he lowered himself on the ground.
I stood up and went to the cafeteria. Sometimes, I am able to control my curse. I get to focus on the sounds I want to hear and cancel out the ones I don't want too. If I'm out of focus, I know the noises are there but somehow I don't recognize them. Like, it's just there. But at bad times especially at night even the music being played by the person next to my room, even if it's just earphones, it's still pretty loud; I'm yet to discover how to cancel out noise completely.
As I reached the hallway towards the canteen someone blocked my way. A tall man, very muscular and quite tanned skin. His gray eyes looked deep into me as if reading every pattern in my body. Or was he really doing it on purpose?
"I am." As if answering my thoughts he pulled his arm together. "I'm Lieutenant Henry. I came here to collect you."
"What?" I shrieked. His deep voice shook my whole body suggesting that he's serious.
"We discovered that your talent is having a good connection for sound waves."
Talent? "I'm not sure what you're talking about. You must be mistaken. I have to go." I tried to walk past him but he's too fast for me. He grabbed my arm and stopped me from walking.
"I could hear your mind. It is you. Sapphire Valoria." The way he says my name made my whole body shiver in fear. Is this one of those kidnapping series? Am I going to get kidnapped? I don't get it. I'm not rich or anything. If they're looking for someone rich, that's Jo, not me. "I'm pretty sure it's you."
"Are you…are you reading my mind?"
"For someone who doesn't have barriers in their mind you're spilling all your thoughts out."
I glared at him, "Who are you?"
"I just introduced myself."
"I know, Lieutenant Henry. But what I'm asking is: what are you? Like…you. Not the name." I pointed at him. His eyes started to shuffle around us as if searching for some fugitive.
"I'm afraid I can't answer that here. But if you come with me, I'll be glad to answer your questions together with my teammates."
My brain keeps ringing the 'red alert you need to run away now' on my head. "You expect me to come with you?" I need to make my mind blank.
"That's not good, Sapphire." From his tone, my mind immediately shouted 'run'. Run as fast as I can away from him. And I did. I pulled my arm away from him and started sprinting away from him.