MAGIC SHOP

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Airee took a seat as soon as she saw the back seat empty. She's a new student, and she doesn't know anyone yet, but she don't intend to know anyone anyways so it doesn't matter.

She honestly thought that no one would want to sit right beside her, but then, a pretty girl with a braided hair did, which she thinks is also a transferee.

The lady is plastering such a sweet smile to Airee, but the latter didn't reciprocated it, instead she covered her head with her hood.

The other girl looked sad, but she still keep her smile as the class begin to be filled with other students. Magkakakilala din naman ang karamihan sa kanila, maliban kay Airee at sa babaeng katabi niya.

Maya maya pa ay tinanggal na ni Airee ang hood sa kanyang ulo at ang pagkakapasak ng earphone sa kanyang tainga. "How noisy." She muttered as she keep away her earphone.

"Hi?" the girl greeted her, Airee looked at her awkwardly and looked away. "Que lindo," the girl whispered as she let out a chortle.

The lady stretched her arm towards Airee, "Hi, I'm Karis Elisha Jimenez. Nice to meet you," saad nito habang nakalahad ang kamay sa katabi.

Batid sa mukha ni Airee ang pagka-bigla, pero hindi niya ito ipinahalata at tumango sa kaklase, "Airee," maikli niyang sagot nang hindi manlang tinanggap. ang pakikipag-kamay ni Karis.

In a sudden, the students started to settle down, and they all fell in silence, all they can hear now is the faint sound created by a 6-inch stilleto echoing in the hallway.

Dahil sa inasta ng mga estudyante inakala ni Airee at Karis na masungit ang magiging class adviser nila, pero nang makita nila ito kapwa sila napabuntong hininga.

Their sighs caught most of the class's attention, including their adviser who then smiled at them. "Good morning class 7 of 12th grade, I am Harieth Ballestra, and I will be your adviser, obviously you already know it since ako ang pumasok dito," she cheerfully announced while vaguely gesturing her hands ⏤ it pretty much looked like her mannerism.

She has a long wavy black hair that touches her butt, she's around 5 feet tall, she has a fair complexion and her body figure is just perfect.

"I would like to start the boring repetitive 'first-day-of-class-introduction' with the two transferees from Freeland High," she said as she motioned her hand for the two ladies she's referring to to come in.

Their beauty greeted the whole class. One was wearing a glasses and she looked cheerful, while the other beside her look very timid. "Good morning everyone! I'm Samara Yra Cheng, 18, living in Esaje Subdivision, hope we can all be friends," the girl with the glasses introduced herself with a big smile.

"Hi, I'm June Lee Park, nice to meet you all," the other one said still looking down on the floor, figdeting her fingers. Harieth told them to sit on the two vacant seats in front Airee and Karis. Samara gave them a warm smile but it's only Karis who smiled back.

"Miss at the back, you're next," Harieth said pointing at Airee. The latter stood up and face the class, "Hi! I'm Airee, nice to meet all of you," she briefly said and sat down again.

"Good morning everyone! I'm Karis Elisha Jimenez, I hope to get along with you," sumunod naman si Karis. Hindi na nagpakilala pa sina Samara at June Lee kaya sumunod na kaagad ang mga nasa harap nila.

"Good morning, I'm Angel Faith Valdriz." Pakilala ng isang babaeng mahaba ang buhok, hindi gaanong maputi pero maganda siya at makinis.

Sumunod ang katabi niya, "Annie Isabel Bernave, the student council secretary," walang emosyong pakilala nito at umupo din kaagad. Such a b***h with an angel's face, Airee thought of.

"Good morning! I'm Trisha Mae Brooklyn, the student council vice president," the lady in the front row with an eyeglasses and fair white skin said.

Kumunot ang noo ni Airee sa tinuran ng dalaga, Trisha is a Brooklyn, she's guessing then that she is partly owner of the school but why is it that she's just the student council vice president? Airee was wondering but she didn't let that thought stay in her mind for another minute.

Nabaling na naman ang atensyon niya sa lalaking katatayo lang, he looks intimidating with his onyx eyes, but then he smiled making him more handsome than he already is.

"Harrix Vale Valdez, the student council president, I'm glad to be in this class. Hope we can be friends," he said with a boastful yet cool smirk.

Great! Airee thought of, they have the student council president, vice president, and secretary in the same class, surely, other sections and teachers will have the most expectations from them which may or may not put great pressure to the class.

"Hi, Rashed Thor Smith here," the guy wearing a leather jacket in summer said. He looks fine, especially in that jacket and among the boys in the class, he has the most defined jawline.

The next one's the guy beside him, Ethan Marton Briez, Airee's friend from her grandfather's birthday party.

She met the guy almost 4 years ago on her grandfather's, Takeshima Yushiko, 75th birthday celebration, and after that they never met again but they kept in touch for a year, which was suddenly cut off by her grandpa for a reason she couldn't put her finger to, so Airee didn't get to talk to Ethan again. She doubt that guy still remembers her. And to add up, Aixza, her mother is the attending physician of Ethan's comatosed sister, Elezandra.

"He changed so much," Airee whispered, "Hmm? May sinabi ka?" Karis asked. Inilapit pa nito ang mukha niya kay Airee kaya nailang ito at umiwas ng tingin na tinawanan lang ni Karis.

"Hi, I'm Jean Yves Millet, the student council executive fund manager," the last one, after Jedric Gin Malton, Grey Yvan Tan, and Lei Troy Marrix, introduced with a smile.

"Okay, so that would be all then, le-" maam Harieth's word was cut off by a sudden message on her phone. After reading it, she looked at the class, "I'm sorry, the head master just called for a meeting," she said and group the class into 5 with 7 members each.

"Take this time to know each other. I'll be back." Harieth said and immediately stormed out.

As soon as she left, everyone is already talking, but the other group of girls are still in silence. The noise made by the class overpowered their silence, and it made it more awkward for them.

It's when they all thought that the awkwardness among them will reach it's peak when someone spoke⏤ Angel.

"How are you related to Doctor Aixza Celeste? I think I saw you the other day talking to her at the hospital," nakangiti niyang tanong kay Airee. The latter is moved, she bit her lower lip and smiled awkwardly, "Uhm, she's my mom," sagot niya na ikinagulat nilang anim.

"Jinjja? Aizxa bagsaga jeongmal ne eommaya?" napatingin ang lima kay Samara, samantalang ang kaibigan nitong si June Lee ay natawa. "Uh- we can't actually undersntand hangul, and I thought you're chinese?" Annie asked half smiling.

That contradicted Airee's impression towards Annie. The latter isn't a b***h as she thought after all, but she does have that vibe.

"Oh, I'm sorry it's a habit of mine to speak my first language when I hear something I wasn't expecting, or extremely shocking." Samara explained, "So ano nga? Nanay mo talaga si Dr. Aixza?" tanong niya habang nakatingin kay Airee, na tanging tango lang ang isinagot.

"But wait, you said it's your habit to speak your first language when you're surprised, so does that mean hangul is your first language?" Trisha, being the intellegent observer that she is asked Samara who nodded.

"I used to live in Korea all my life, I was born there but my dad surely is half Chinese," she answered, "And it used to be a habit, actually. Nagulat lang talaga ako na may anak pala si Dr. Aixza."

Napatango nalang ang ilan sa kanila nang bigla nalang tumahimik ang klase at tatlong babae na pala ang nakatayo sa harap ng grupo nila ⏤ Ruth Atienza, Irene Valdua, Lilibeth Farania ; ang mga typical na girl bullies sa academy, at self entitled trio.

Lumapit sila kay June Lee, "Stand up, do you want to be with these losers?" saad ni Ruth at pinasadahan niya sila isa isa ng tingin. She then held June in one arm forcing her to stand up, but June slapped Ruth's hand away. "Get off." Saad ni June Lee na nagmistulang ibang tao.

Tinignan niya ng masama si Ruth tsaka umirap dito. Natawa si Annie at Angel dahil doon kaya lalong nainis si Ruth at umalis sa room.

"What the hell was that?! Do you know Ruth?" Trisha asked June. "Hmm? Oo," maikling sagot lang niya.

"Actually, both Sam and I know her, she's my cousin who used to live next to our house in Korea but when she turned 13, they moved here. I didn't really like her," June Lee answered honestly.

"However, she's not that bitchy as you all think. Mabait 'yun, di lang halata, medyo spoiled brat kasi at mas lalong lumala ang attitude niya nang lumipat sila dito," singit ni Samara. Halatang hindi kumbimsido ang mga kasama nila sa sinabi niya kaya napailing nalang siya.

They fell in silence again, and just as about Angel asks again, Ethan greeted them ⏤ Airee to be exact.

"Long time no see, Airee!" he happily greeted her. Airee didn't respond⏤she didn't know how to. "Don't act awkwardly, doesn't really seem like you, eh," he laughed.

Nakatingin ang mga kasama ni Airee sa grupo niya sa kanya at kay Ethan. Nagsimula ding lumapit ang iba pang kasamahan ni Ethan sa kanila, maliban nga lang kay Harrix na hindi nila alam kung saan na naman nagpunta.

"What do we have here, huh?" Grey asked. He scanned everyone on the group, but when his eyes reached Angel, he looked away.

"Whoa, Grey, your soon to be wife is here too," Lei teased him while caressing Angel's hair, which basically means teasing Angel too. "Tumigil ka nga, Lei!" inis na saad ni Angel at tinabig ang kamay ng kaibigan.

"How do you know Airee?" Karis asked switching the attention to Ethan, who is now being teased by his friends. "Get off!" he whine when his friends started teasing him. At the end they both explained why do they know each other.

Aasarin pa sana nila sina Ethan at Airee nang pumasok ang susunod nilang guro kasabay ng pagtunog ng bell ng eskwelahan na hudyat na para sa susunod na klase. "Good morning, I'm ma'am Espie. I have a report to finish so I'm sorry if I can't brief you all today about my subject," she started while typing on her laptop. "Please proceed to the main field and do what you want," she shifted her eyes to the class and slightly adjusted her glasses, "Don't do drugs, ah."

Everyone obeyed and started going out with their faces filled with joy, but it's quite expected that this will happen since it's the start of class.

Airee distanced herself from everyone and she immediately went to the back part of the benches watching the athletes as they practice.

Having athletes practicing during first day of class is really a thing in Brooklyn since it's the second of the most prestigious high school in the country, next to Freeland High and one of the most prestigious schools in Asia. Brooklyn is also one of the high schools to bag most awards in sports field, internationally.

Airee was having her peace when Karis, together with June Lee and Samara sat right next to her. They were eating chips and drinking shakes. June offered some but Airee refused. "Ayaw mo talaga?" Samara asked, she opened her mouth to answer but Karis put chips in her mouth causing her to choke lightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I didn't mean t⏤" Karis closed her mouth when Airee stop coughing and stared at her. For a while, Airee waited to be angry at what Karis did, but she looked away because she's not mad at all, and even find Karis very cute.

She has a strong resemblace to her mom, Dr. Elis, the only thing out of the picture is her hair. Dr. Elis Jimenez is blonde but Karis has a black hair, which she may have gotten from her father, Karl. Nakilala na kasi ni Airee ang mga magulang ni Karis noong may kailangang asikasuhin si Attorney Karl para sa kanila. She didn't know Karis is their daughter until she saw her earlier and found out her name.

Later on, three of their classmate sat in front of them ; Angel, Annie, Trisha. Ngumiti ang tatlo sa kanila na sinuklian naman nila. Tahimik lang silang pito na naka upo roon nang biglang humarap sa kanila si Trisha, "Nga pala, every year nagkakaroon tayo ng general activity, be prepared baka piliin kayong leader since transferee din kayo," sabi nito.

Kumunot ang noo ng apat, halatang nalilito. "Para saan at ano 'yon?" takhang tanong ni Samara.

"It's a general activity for the students, it's like a field trip or a camp, something like that, pinatupad iyon mga 4 years ago ni head master Mattheo dahil may nangyari noon na naging dahilan ng pag - ah I mean, nagkagulo kasi noon." Paliwanag ni Trisha.

Mukhang may alinlangan siya sa mga salitang bibitawan niya sana, kaya nagtaka sila, leaving a question in their minds ; What happened 4 years ago?

Maya maya pa ay nagpaalam si Airee na pupunta sa comfort room. Karis immediately followed her, and Airee let her, kahit na hindi naman talaga siya sa cr pupunta kundi sa locker niya.

"Akala ko mag c-cr ka?" Karis asked. Mukhang siya ang kailangan mag cr dahil aligaga ito na parang maiihi na kahit anong oras. Airee rolled her eyes and open her locker as she asked her companion, "You're doctor Elis's and attorney Karl Jimenez's daughter, right?"

Tango lang ang isinagot ni Karis sa kanya kahit na nagtataka siya kung bakit at paano nalaman ni Airee ang bagay na 'yon, gayong hindi naman sa bansa nagtatrabaho ang mga magulang niya, pero isinawalang bahala niya na lamang iyon.

Pagkabukas ni Airee ng kanyang locker, isang note ang nahulog mula roon, kaya nabaling doon ang atensyon nilang dalawa.

"Wow ha, unang araw palang may admirer ka na," pabirong saad ni Karis kay Airee pero umiling ang kausap at pinulot ang note mula sa sahig.

Airee read what was written on the note, maging si Karis ay nakibasa rin. Natigilan sila pareho sa nakasulat, at hindi alam kung ano ang gagawin o iisipin,

'Save yourself from the coming chaos. Please stay away from them.'

⏤ Vince

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