Ngayon lang ako nakakita ng ganito karaming sundalo. Higit sa lahat, nakatutok ang mga baril nila sa aming direksiyon.

I knew there was no way out. I was scared to death, but, I had to accept the fact that any minute, I'd already be dead. I could still feel Seth's grip on my hand. Somehow, I felt safe and secured because he was there beside me. At least, I wouldn't be alone.

"Don't move!" one of the soldiers shouted, pointing a rifle at us. I heard the clicks of the trigger, sending shivers up my spine.

"Seth..." I mumbled.

"Don't be scared. I'm just here." The way he said those words gave me a sense of security. I felt his warm hand gripping me tightly, so I held onto him, as if my life depended on it.

Ayaw ko pang mamatay. Kailangan ko pang malaman ang rason kung ano ang nangyari kay dad. I needed to know everything. I had to fight for my life. But how?

Papalapit na nang papalapit sa amin ang mga sundalo. Ilang metro nalang ang layo nila. Rinig ko na rin ang pag-iyak at sigaw ng mga taong kasama namin doon. Wala akong magawa kung hindi ang kumapit kay Seth.

When a line of fire suddenly appeared in front of us, blocking the soldiers' way, Seth and I both exchanged glances in amusement.

"Over here!" It was Luther, riding on the dragon's back with Channing behind him. I realized that the latter was the one chanting something to create the fireballs.

The dragon started spitting fire, completely eliminating the soldiers surrounding us. And then, it landed on the ground.

"Sakay na kayo! Bilis!" Luther ordered, helping us climb up.

Tahimik lang ako. Pero, at least, safe na kami. Kahit na nakasakay na kami sa dragon, napansin kong nakahawak pa rin si Seth sa kamay ko.

"Paano niyo kami nahanap?" tanong ni Seth sa kanila.

"Narinig ko ang boses ni Maxine," Logan answered, glancing at me. "Pero, hindi ko alam ang exact location ninyo kaya humingi ako ng tulong kay Jedrick."

"Pero, naka-switch off ang trackers namin," Seth pointed out.

"May binigay na singsing si Jedrick sa atin, hindi ba? Lahat tayong nasa Level Krypton?" Channing spoke this time, showing his ring with a symbol of the Academy. "May kasamang tracker 'to. Ngayon ko nga lang rin nalaman."

"Mukhang kailangan rin namin ng singsing na 'yan," komento ni Luther.

"Kaibigan ka ba niya?" Channing hissed, rolling his eyes at him.

"Oh, akala ko ba okay na kayo?" I finally spoke, silencing them. I was still confused as to why they came here together, but either way, I was thankful they found us.

"Nagtulungan lang kami para hanapin kayong dalawa," Channing answered.

I sighed. "Okay sige. Thank you."

Soon enough, nakarating na ulit kami sa academy. Pinatawag agad kami ni Professor O sa kanyang office. Muntik na nga kaming mamatay. Papagalitan pa talaga niya kami?

Pagkapasok namin sa loob ng silid, nagulat ako sa boses ng propesor. Hindi pa rin ako sanay sa robot na boses niya. "You spent four days at the Cosmos and even turned off the trackers, which is strictly prohibited. You know that, Seth, right?"

"Yes, Professor," Seth answered him. "But, I only did that to protect us."

"That is not an excuse," Professor stated, raising the tone of his voice. "And Maxine, you broke the rule for going at the Cosmos, knowing that you belong to Level Atlas. I specifically asked the students from Levels Krypton to Magna only, am I right?"

His voice was calm now, but I didn't know why it felt like his every word was striking me so hard. "Alam ko, Professor. I'm sorry."

"I accept your apology, but I can't just let the both of you go without receiving any sanction. Do you understand me?"

Seth and I both nodded.

"I-a-assign ko kayo sa isang special level. You won't be abandoning your previous levels. You'll only be attending your classes in this special level every after class. That means additional load for the both of you. You will be meeting your classmates in this special level once you start later at 5 pm. And what makes this level special is that no one else knows about it... only the ones in it, so don't tell this to anyone. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Professor," we answered in sync.

"Your watches will tell you all the details later. You may leave now!"

Nang makalabas kami mula sa office, walang umimik sa amin. Marami akong gustong sabihin at tanungin kay Seth. Gusto kong siguraduhin na okay lang siya. Naalala ko rin ang pagyakap niya sa akin at hindi niya pagbitaw sa aking kamay, pati na ang mga sinabi niya. I felt the sincerity in his words and actions.

Hindi ko namalayang nakalayo na pala si Seth sa paglalakad. I noticed that his gait was unsteady. He was still not feeling well.

"Seth!" I called out to him.

Slowly, he turned around to face me. "What?" He was back to his old routine of speaking in monotone.

"Uh..." I paused, taking a few steps toward him. "...gusto ko lang tanungin kung okay ka lang."

"Okay lang ako," he answered. "Is that it?"

I gulped down, avoiding his eyes on me. Hindi ko alam kung bakit bigla akong nakaramdam ng kaba habang kausap ko siya. Hindi naman ako ganito dati ah. "At tsaka, thank you ulit. Kung may kailangan ka-"

He cut me off with his hand. "I don't need anything from you." He was about to turn around again, but I stopped him in the arm. "What now?" he exclaimed, his tone irritated.

"Samahan na kita. Mahina ka pa tsaka-" I grabbed his arm, but he shoved me away.

"Kaya ko nga, Max. Huwag mo na akong tulungan dahil hindi ko kailangan ng tulong." He turned his back at me and continued walking away.

Suddenly, my heart sank.

Bakit ganun? Bakit bumalik ulit siya sa dati? Akala ko pa naman naging close na kami dahil sa nangyari sa Cosmos. Akala ko lang pala.

****

Hindi ako mapakali sa klase. Iniisip ko pa rin si Seth. Pati na rin ang special level na ni-assign ni Professor O sa amin. Sino kaya ang kasama namin doon?

Buong araw, rinig ko ang usapan ng mga kaklase ko tungkol sa ginawa kong pagtakas at pagpunta sa Cosmos. Sabi pa nila, ang tanga ko raw dahil hindi ako nag-iisip. Tinawanan pa nila ako nang malaman nilang muntik akong mamatay.

Well, at least I was brave enough to do so. I bet they wouldn't even survive. Who am I kidding? Siguradong wala na ako ngayon kung hindi ako niligtas ni Seth.

When our last period ended that day, my watch suddenly beeped. Naglalakad na ako palabas sa building namin. Patuloy pa rin ang pagtunog ng relo ko. Ito na ba ang signal para sa pupuntahan kong special level? Nasan na ba si Seth?

I didn't even know where to go. I was hoping I'd see Seth at the park again, but he wasn't there. Baka nauna na siya.

Sighing, I marched my way towards our dorm, when suddenly the watch started beeping again. I tapped the watch, but it didn't stop beeping.

Seconds later, a voice from the watch spoke, "Please proceed to the Oasis now! Class will start in 5 minutes!" And then, it stopped.

Sa Oasis? Yung malawak na gymnasium? That's so far away from where I was standing now. Dammit.

Agad akong tumakbo papunta doon. Malapit ito sa dormitory namin na halos isang gubat ang layo mula dito sa building namin.

When I reached the Oasis, I was already panting and gasping for air. I felt like I just ran in a marathon. But to my surprise, as I entered inside, the Oasis was empty. May iba pa bang Oasis na hindi ko alam?

"Maxine?" someone suddenly spoke. I recognized it to be Luther's voice.

I looked around, but I couldn't see him anywhere. The area was still empty. "Luther? Asan ka?"

"Ano'ng ginagawa mo dito?" he continued to ask. His voice was so near, but I really couldn't see him. May invisibility spectra rin ba siya?

"Na-assign ako sa special class starting today," I answered back, my eyes still wandering around, trying to look for the guy.

Moments later, Luther and his group appeared before my eyes. Seth and the rest of Level Krypton were there as well. Three other girls were standing in the middle, staring at me furiously. I was lost for words for a minute. Ano'ng nangyari? Bakit bigla silang lumitaw? Tsaka, nakita ba nila akong lahat na nagsasalita dito nang mag-isa?

"So, you're in this class now, huh?" A girl with a fiery ginger hair rolled her eyes at me, indicating that she wasn't welcoming me at all.

"Uh... yes?" I replied with a questioning tone.

"I didn't know people from Level Atlas can actually be a part of this class," another girl with a long, straight black hair commented, shooting me a look.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," the shortest of the three spoke in a soft tone, but I still heard it crystal clear in her voice that she didn't want me there.

Alam kong hindi ako dapat magpaapekto sa mga salita nila, but their words were sharp enough to make me bleed.

Nanatili ako sa kinatatayuan kayo habang nakatingin pa rin ang tatlong babae sa akin. Napansin kong papalapit na rin si Luther sa aking direksiyon. Kahit papaano ay kumalma ako nang makita ko ang nakangiti niyang mukha. It felt reassuring to me that I was not there by myself.

"Maxine, welcome to The Secret Society!" Luther announced, placing an arm on my shoulder.

I gulped down, looking at each of them. Everyone looked intimidating, like any minute they'd show off their skills in front of me. Sila siguro ang pinakamagagaling dito sa academy. Pero, bakit ba ako ni-assign ni Professor O dito?

Just then, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure standing tall from the corner of the room. Seth. Nandito na rin pala siya. His hands were tucked in his jeans pocket as he made his way towards his group of friends.

But, his eyes were completely fixed on me as his lips parted to say something, "I'm here."

I just knew he was talking to me.