CHAPTER 2 - Red Signal

V1. CHAPTER 2 - Red Signal

"Athena, did I hear it correctly? Did Professor Santiago scold you because you were late?" 

Athena glanced at her friend before chuckling. She pulled a chair in front of Karina and sat down. It was lunch break, and she had just arrived at the cafeteria. As soon as she approached the table where Karina was, the first thing her friend asked her was a question.

"Yes," Athena smiled.

"Really? Why? Did something happen?" Karina couldn't believe her friend was late. Since they were young, Athena had never been careless about school schedules.

Athena placed her shoulder bag and the canned drink she was holding on the table before responding.

"Yes, I collided with someone earlier. She's new here at school, so I accompanied her," Athena explained.

"Aww, you're too kind, and that's why... Anyway, I'll just take this, hehe," Karina suddenly took the canned drink. Athena was surprised and tried to stop her immediately. She attempted, but it was too late.

"Hey--"

"WOAH! Yikes!"

The contents of the newly opened drink suddenly burst out. It rose and spilled. Both Athena and Karina were stunned and speechless. They captured the attention of almost everyone in the cafeteria, especially the janitress who had just finished mopping. They glanced at the janitress. Karina responded with an awkward smile and a peace sign while Athena bowed to ask for forgiveness. After a moment, the close friends locked eyes and burst into laughter.

"Sheesh, why did it explode?"

"It rolled earlier when I bumped into the girl."

Karina pouted, "And you didn't even alarm me?"

"I tried, but it was too late," Athena giggled.

"Hmmp! Okay. Good thing I avoided it quickly; otherwise, my outfit would have been ruined. Let's go buy lunch now."

Karina stood up first, followed by Athena. Athena's eyes were fixed on her cell phone as she turned. She didn't notice that there was someone behind her. Athena bumped into her, and for the second time, the freshman she helped earlier reappeared in front of her. The two stared at each other before Athena acknowledged the girl first.

"Clara," Athena exclaimed in surprise.

Clara was taken aback and remained silent. It wasn't just her, but the people around them also stopped. Athena was a well-known beauty in their school, but now they saw another face that could be likened to her.

"Miss Athena," Clara said shyly. After her first half-day at school, she had come to know who the girl was that had helped her. "I'm sorry," she added.

"No need to apologize. I was the one who didn't see you. How is your first morning here?" Athena asked with a smile.

"Fine, thanks to your help earlier," Clara replied.

Athena nodded. She was about to say something when Karina grabbed her arm.

"Is she the reason why you were late for your 1st class?" Karina inquired, surprising Clara.

Meanwhile, Athena chuckled, "Yes," she replied, making Clara feel uneasy.

Karina looked Clara up and down, "Wow, you're quite a beauty."

"Thanks," Clara replied timidly.

"Luckily, it was Athena who helped you. If it were someone else, who knows where you'd end up," Karina added playfully. Clara didn't pay attention to her joke and instead looked back at Athena.

"I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble."

Athena's eyes first questioned her before she realized what Clara meant, "No, don't feel sorry. I'm glad to help you. Anyway, have you eaten? Why don't you join us?" 

As Athena spoke, Karina just observed her. She sighed, realizing her friend's good Samaritan nature was at play again.

"Not yet. Thank you for the invitation, but I have somewhere to go. I'll go ahead, Miss Athena. Thank you again and sorry for what happened earlier."

After Clara spoke, she headed inside to buy some candy. Meanwhile, Athena's attention remained on Clara before Karina pulled her arm.

"Come on, let's go, or the salad might run out."

♦️

The library is a refuge for students who want to study quietly. Besides the focus it provides, the library materials can answer the lessons students don't quite understand. But not only students who study can be found in the library, but also students who seek the quiet to sleep.

Two kinds of students are inside the library, all of them looking toward the farthest corner. There, sitting at a table, was the immediate subject of conversation — freshman student Clara Ysabella Ortega. In front of her was a book, but it was not open, just like her closed eyes. At first, those observing her thought she was just lost in thought, but after several seconds and minutes passed, they realized she was indeed asleep. Instead of accomplishing their true purpose in the library (studying and sleeping), they were captivated by the beautiful face of the freshman. She looked like an angel, a nymph, or perhaps a goddess, with an atmosphere and light radiating from her, even in her unconscious state.

After a while, Annabelle arrived at the library. She didn't look around and went straight to her favorite spot at the corner of the room. But when she laid her eyes on her usual spot, she was surprised to catch a glimpse of a new face sitting there. Nevertheless, she still went over. As she approached, she recognized the girl. She was the freshman currently being talked about, her classmate in all their morning subjects.

Annabelle noticed that Clara was fast asleep. She carefully nudged the empty chair in front of Clara and sat down. Like the others, she also gazed at Clara. While observing her, she realized that Clara, like herself, was one of the students who sought quiet to sleep.

Annabelle was about to close her eyes when suddenly Clara's eyes flickered open. Clara struggled to open her eyes. And as she slowly opened them, she was unaware that she had caused a decline in the self-confidence of some of the onlookers, including Annabelle.

"Woah, her face is so insulting. How can she wake up like this?" Annabelle muttered to herself, frowning.

"Annabelle?" Clara's questioning eyes were still a bit glazed when her vision cleared. Annabelle was surprised.

"Did I wake you up?"

Clara didn't immediately respond, processing the question in her mind. When she returned to reality, she shook her head and answered.

"No, I just woke up myself," Clara replied and looked at her watch. "I still have half an hour," she murmured to herself, which Annabelle heard. Clara stood up, picked up her bag, and the book in front of her. She was about to leave but stopped when Annabelle spoke to her.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to explore to familiarize myself with the school."

"I'll come with you. So you have a guide." Annabelle also stood up and put on her backpack.

Clara blinked for a second before answering, "Okay," she replied with a chuckle drawn from Annabelle.

♦️♦️

The two roamed around, and as Annabelle promised, she acted as Clara's guide. As they walked together, Annabelle realized that Clara seemed unaware of her surroundings. It was as if even though she was awake, her mind was still asleep and unfocused.

"Are you still sleepy?" Annabelle blurted out while looking at Clara's eyes.

Clara's bright eyes blinked and nodded slightly, "A bit."

Annabelle laughed, "I see. I heard you are a scholar. You must study excessively, right?"

The two were currently walking near the Wisdom Garden — a landmark visible eastward from the library. This area was also one of the places where students hang out when they want a quiet environment. A few steps after Annabelle's question, Clara stopped walking. She looked around, and Annabelle followed her gaze, realizing that Clara was studying the place.

"No, I work late nights. Then my study time is only during class hours. I caught up on sleep during lunch," Clara's response made Annabelle react in awe.

"Amazing, but that's tough," Annabelle nodded in reaction. Clara simply nodded in response to her.

"There are many students over there," Clara pointed toward the direction of the east wing.

"Yes, that is the student lounge."

"You know a lot of places po here in school. Are you really a freshman po?" Clara asked in wonder. She squinted her eyes while looking at Annabelle, causing Annabelle to be taken aback and giggle. Annabelle scratched her neck before answering.

"You still used 'po', haha. Technically I am, if we're talking about our course. But in terms of how long I've been here at school, well, it's almost three years."

"Did you shift courses?"

Annabelle shook her head.

"I was made to shift. Fine arts was my previous course," after Annabelle's answer, she noticed Clara looking at her from head to toe, nodding a few times.

"What?"

"Your style speaks that you really are from that course," Clara said with a smile.

"You look quiet, but I can sense that you're hiding some mischief," Annabelle chuckled.

The two continued walking. They had not even covered half of the entire school, yet their remaining half-hour lunch break was already used up. From the library, they passed through the Wisdom Garden and headed to the North Wing. From there, they had to pass by the Student Lounge to get to the East Wing, where the Marketing Department was located. Clara and Annabelle were in the hallway when Annabelle suddenly stopped and hid behind Clara. Clara was perplexed, but as she followed her companion's gaze, she realized the reason. Some students were loitering around a tree in the Student Lounge, displaying a unique sense of fashion. Some had different hair colors, various types of accessories, and distinctive clothes that you could immediately tell were customized.

"Are they your classmates?" Clara asked.

"Former ones." Annabelle shook her head, "Come on, let's hurry, or we might be late." She suddenly grabbed Clara's arm and pulled her towards the East Building.

♦️♦️♦️

It was already three in the afternoon, and Athena and Karina had just finished their last class. While they had separate morning classes, they shared the same afternoon class for all their subjects. They were walking along the hallway when they were approached by Roka, their schoolmate who invited them to the welcoming party.

"Are you guys up for it later? How about we skip the welcoming party and head straight to Tipsies instead. I heard the Stray Catz will be playing there."

Karina looked at Athena.

"Okay, let's go to Tipsies. What time?" Athena asked.

"Right now. So we can have a long drinking session. I'll head there first, and we'll see each other there. Bring Marcus along, okay?"

"Sure, we will." 

Roka ran off after their conversation, while Athena and Karina continued. Karina thought they were heading to the East Wing to pick up Marcus, but instead noticed Athena's footsteps towards the parking lot and her car.

"I thought we were going to bring Marcus along?" Karina asked as Athena opened the driver's seat before looking back at Karina.

"Yeah, but I'll just message him to meet us there."

"Huh? Aren't you going to pass by? For sure, he'll be happy to see you after his first day of class."

"You make it sound like he's a lovesick teenager. We both have cars, and his last subject will end later, around four."

"Well, he really is like a lovesick teenager. He's so sweet to you and only you, so you should make some effort, you know."

"You know I'm not like that. Anyway, if he doesn't see me after his class, he'll see me before he sleeps and when he wakes up. Are you okay with that?" Athena smirked, causing Karina to burst into laughter.

"Haha okay, okay. I'm beat. Like you said, you're not sweet. I now understand that you prefer sex over chocolates."

"Nonsense, I'm not that addicted."

Karina hopped into the passenger's seat, and Athena took the driver's seat. After starting the car, they both heard the satisfying sound of the Range Rover's engine. Athena then turned on the sound system and played some EDM.

"Should we stop by the convenience store?" Karina asked.

"Why?"

"You know, condoms, sis. I like Marcus for you, but we need to finish school without any babies for the economy."

Athena chuckled and shook her head at her friend's statement. "Don't worry. Just open the one in front of you, and you'll find everything you need."

Following Athena's advice, Karina opened the compartment in front of her. When she saw what was inside, her mouth formed an 'O'.

"What the, it used to contain only snacks!" Karina exclaimed.

"Yeah. He's kinda adventurous, you know. I need to protect myself, as you said, for the economy, duh," 

As Athena talked Karina rummaged through the contents of the compartment then squinted her eyes before looking back at Athena. 

"Please don't tell me you've also done that here?"

Athena avoided her gaze. 

"Shit! Haha, you're truly epic, girl. It's a good thing you have many things stored there."

"I'm just doing my duty as a girlfriend. Hai-hai. Okay, enough now. Let me concentrate, if you want to use the things in there," Athena sighed as her companion continued to giggle.

"Okay, but hey, can I have one of those ribbed ones?" Karina asked.

"Sure," Athena replied.

♦️♦️♦️♦️

"Clara, please take this to table 8," Clara nodded and took the tray with cake and coffee. She walked over to table 8, placed the food there, and caught the attention of the customers. Then she returned to the preparation area, still garnering attention. The boss of Cafe Martina peeked outside before beaming and talking to Clara.

"I am so lucky to have you. You're the lucky charm of our cafe. Since you started working here, our sales have doubled," Vince, the cafe owner, said.

"Yes, Clara, if you only saw it. The male customers were gaping while they followed you with their eyes as you walked in here," Maan, one of the servers, commented.

"Such fools. Huh! Let them dream about you, Clara. While they're dreaming, they're fulfilling our dreams," Vicky, another server, laughed, glancing at their boss. "Right, boss, do we have a salary increase?"

Vince just scratched his head. "Yup, as promised. So be thankful to Clara," he said with a chuckle.

Maan and Vicky both enthusiastically thanked their colleague.

"Welcome," Clara replied softly and bashfully. "But I'm not the only reason why our sales have gone up. Overall, the food we serve is delicious. And Ate Maan and Ate Vicky, they're both hard working. Even Chef, too. All my colleagues, Boss Vince, are hardworking."

The three of them smiled, along with the three other cooks.

"I know, I know, and they know it themselves too. Right, guys?" Vince shouted, and everyone nodded. "We just want to let you know that we're really happy to have you as a part of this family."

Clara blushed upon hearing what Vince said.

"True. So, Clara, let's all work hard together," Maan added, patting Clara's head. Vicky followed suit. Their merry moment was interrupted when Emerald peeked and placed an order. As her eyes passed over Clara, she scowled and rolled her eyes. Clara couldn't help but feel concerned at her actions.

"Pay no attention to her. She was probably just raised with a lot of resentment. I don't know why she's our cashier. She doesn't even smile," Vicky commented, which made Vince laugh.

Three hours later, at ten in the evening, Cafe Martina closed. Clara's shift at the cafe started at 6 in the evening, but before heading there, she first stopped by the Central Library to do some data entry. Clara's school day ended at 4 o'clock. Since the Central Library was close to Central University, she could get there after a 15-minute walk. Clara would spend an hour at the library to finish the data entry jobs she took on, and then, after an hour, she would head to Cafe Martina, which was another 15 minutes away on foot.

"Clara, what if we walk you to the corner?" Vicky insisted, but Clara declined.

"Yes, Clara. We're fine with it, bhe," Maan added.

Clara shook her head vehemently. "It's okay. It's still bright, and there are still many people around."

Vicky sighed. "Okay, fine, just take care, okay?"

Clara nodded with a smile.

"Bye, bhe, see you tomorrow," Maan bid her farewell before they parted ways.

Vicky was the oldest of the three waitresses at Cafe Martina. She was also the tallest, measuring 5'9" in height. She had a brown complexion and always tied back her very dark hair. While her appearance might be considered average, she had a tough and assertive demeanor. Vicky was 28 years old and, as the eldest of three siblings, she was the breadwinner of their family. Like Clara, waitressing was just her part-time job. After her shift at Cafe Martina, she would head to Vervain, the security agency where she worked.

Maan, on the other hand, was the smallest of the three, a bit chubby, with porcelain skin and long curly brown hair that looked like it had just come from the salon. At 25 years old, she was already a single parent. She had a five-year-old son living with her mother. At first, her single mother had a hard time accepting what happened to her, but later on, she came to understand her daughter. Maan came from a well-off family, but out of shame to her mother, she took on part-time work to provide for her child while studying Information Technology during the day.

A month ago, when Clara started working at Cafe Martina, her colleagues, especially Vicky and Maan, couldn't immediately grasp her personality. Clara was undeniably beautiful, but she appeared aloof and often seemed lost in deep thought. Sometimes, they would see Clara at the Central Market with two children, a boy and a girl. The next day, during their shift break, they asked her about it and learned that the twins were Clara's younger siblings. Clara didn't hesitate to share the story, and they found out that Clara and her siblings had been orphaned at a young age. This helped them understand Clara's actions better.

As Clara had mentioned, there were still plenty of people around, but she didn't feel as safe as she claimed. She had noticed this a week ago, that someone was always following her. Despite this, she didn't let others know about it. Clara disliked burdening other people.

When Clara reached an intersection, she suddenly stopped. Aside from the passing vehicles, she couldn't see anyone else moving. No one was there but Clara and the man who had been following her. Clara stood under the lamppost, waiting for the pedestrian signal to turn green. She felt a sense of unease. It intensified when the man suddenly sidled up to her. Clara didn't look at him directly, but she observed him through her peripheral vision. She heard him murmuring, and that murmur gradually became more audible, though she couldn't understand what he was saying. Clara grew increasingly nervous, but her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when the man suddenly grabbed her arm. Consequently, even before the pedestrian signal turned green, she had hastily crossed the road, nearly leading to a tragedy. Luckily, a nearby car had stopped just in time.

"Miss, are you alright?" the driver of the car asked immediately upon stepping out.

Clara, shocked by what had happened, couldn't respond right away. She stood frozen in the middle of the road. The traffic signal turned red, and the other vehicles came to a stop. Meanwhile, the man who had tried to grab Clara ran away. He caught the driver's attention, and when the driver redirected her gaze to the woman who had almost been hit, she recognized her immediately.

"Clara?"

Clara snapped back upon hearing her name.

"Miss Athena," Clara stammered, glancing around. Realizing the commotion she had caused, she immediately apologized.

"What happened? Who's that guy?"

Clara shook her head, "N-Nothing. I-I don't know. I'm sorry for the trouble. I'll go ahead," Clara said. Athena noticed how rattled and nervous she was. Clara took a step forward, but Athena grabbed her arm once again.

"Where are you going? I'll take you home."

"Huh? No need, I'm fine here. It's nearby. Thank you," Clara said, but Athena didn't let go. Instead, she just gazed at her. Seconds passed, and the traffic light turned green. They caused some traffic, especially behind Athena's car.

"Please, I can manage on my own. No need to bother yourself," Clara pleaded.

However, Athena just returned a smile. Unfazed by the loud sound of horns and Clara's plea, she cunningly replied, "How about I accompany you, or I'll report you to the authorities for jaywalking?"

Clara didn't immediately respond, "You're just kidding, right?" she asked uncomfortably.

"Don't you know that I hate law violators?" Athena smiled.