Epitome of a Hero

Sketches

“Hey kid! Wake up!”

Knocks on the door continued as the voice kept calling out for someone else’s name. I don’t even know who that—

“Oh no!” I gasped and hurried on my way to the door, remembering my state in this current life that I’m living. I have school!

“Coming! Just a minute!” I opened the door slightly just to peeks to the door.

“You’re late. I’m already going to work,” dad said through the door and I opened it when he looked mad.

“Why didn’t you wake me earlier?” I asked, I just slept though.

“I’m also late for work, kid,” he chuckled and I snorted, he probably stayed up late watching the mid game.

“I am going to take the bus so take care on your way to work,” I answered and we both separated ways with him going out of the house and me rushing my way to the bathroom to take a cold shower.

I shiver while the cold water poured in my body, never even giving me a chance to close my eyes to feel the freshness of the shower.

This body can’t even last longer in this water. I used to bathe like this every damn day before.

When I reached the school. The classes already had a 10-minute head start but when I got there, the room was empty. Don’t I have classes today? I went to grab the doorknob but it was locked, so I tried pushing and pulling the knob to try and open it.

“Caprius?” a boy called from behind. He had a short hair and he was going towards the room that I was banging. He’s the one from my class, Adrian. “What are you doing here? The P.E class is already starting at the gym.”

What? P.E?

My mind suddenly made me remember about the fitness class that this girl has every Thursday and I completely forgot about it. My P.E. uniform is also on my locker which is located at the entrance of the building.

“Uhm, Caprius?” Adrian asked while looking at me before grabbing the doorknob.

“Sorry, I was thinking. The door is clo-“

I stopped when Adrian grabbed the key from his pocket making me look at him like a jerk. “Why do you have that?”

“Ms. Caitlyn told me to grab her record book. What are you still doing here?” He entered the room and I followed him, just so I can put my bag on my desk.

“My things, I need to leave them here.”

Adrian nodded and I left him to go change into my P.E uniform from my locker. I knew exactly how to manage the things since I have a new mind but as I opened her locker, it was completely messy. Some school books were disorganized, mixed up with the P.E outfit encased in a bag. “Why can’t you be neat?” I’ll have to fix this later.

 s**t, I’ll be too late! I hurried on the rest room and changed immediately before running into the gym where Ms. Caitlyn and my classmates were.

“Ms. Caprius, you’re late.” The woman said and I bowed down to say my apologies.

“Forgive me, Ms. Caitlyn. I woke up late this morning.”

As I did, my classmates laughed so I looked at them.

“What a weirdo.” A girl whispered making me raise my brow at them. Is this how they normally treat you, Tricia? Fei and Sheene kept a worried smile on their lips as they wave their hand for me, telling me to stand up.

“Class. Stop!”

Ms. Caitlyn stood up from her chair and smiled at me as she put her hand on my shoulder. “Thank you for being honest, Tricia. A simple excuse will do the next time, you don’t have to kneel down, okay?”

I nodded, this is a new world, Damian.

“Okay, let’s go. Team yourselves from one to three. The boys will be separated from the girls, and each team will be given their own time to practice with this volleyball ball.”

Volleyball?

Groups of three.

Most of the girls already teamed up together without coordinating with the other students but I don’t have any problem on being alone since---

“Triz!” Fei ran up to me while holding Sheene’s hand stopping my thoughts. “Let’s team up!”

It made me happy. Someone wanted me or maybe not really me. If I tell them about who I really am, will they be able to accept me for who I am?

“Volleyball is kind of hard for me…” Sheene whispered and Fei looked worried as well.

“I’m also not sporty…” Fei added making me feel nervous as well. I have been in wars, why would I feel nervous about this?

“We’re gonna be okay. Just tell me how to play it.”

I held them in their shoulders so they could be at ease, even though I don’t know what to do.  

Fei and Sheene began talking me about the mechanics of the game when I sensed an odd ambiance from the group of girls whose been bad mouthing me a lot.

I paid it no heed since it may just be a feeling. Now, I understood what the game is about, I just have to hit the ball back depending on different serves and hits like how Fei thought me too. We’ll probably be fine.

“Can you handle balls, Tricia?” I mumbled to myself making Fei and Sheene asked what I said so I shook my head and smile. Just talking to myself. I laughed but stopped and pulled my arms up to cover my face when I sensed a ball about to hit me.

“Triz!” Fei shouted.

Basketball ball?

I felt a hot pain vibrating from the arms that it hit. “Who was that?”

My eyes began to search for the culprit of whoever threw it to me. The way it hit me wasn’t an accident, it was fast and intentional.

“Are you okay?”

Ms. Caitlyn immediately came to me and I smiled at her, saying I was okay even though it stings like hell. I need to make this body work out to make it stronger and more flexible.

The pain is manageable though, I learned how to not mind the pain with the power of the mind which is why I stood strongly as I stared at the culprit.

“Andrei! You threw the ball! Come with me to the guidance immediately!” Ms. Caitlyn furiously announced and the stupid kid tried to hide but it was no use. If he’ll do something this foolish, he could have done it on a hidden place. Turns out, this mind recognized that guy as someone from the other section, a real bully.

I smirked and called Ms. Caitlyn’s attention. “I’m okay Ma’am. I guess Andrei just missed his shot, intentionally.”

I squinted my eyes and see a black eye on his right eye, remembering the punch I threw at him.

I just noticed that the bruises on my fists are gone already. It’s just like on my normal body.

I didn’t notice that I was staring on the ground for too long already, and Ms. Caitlyn was already scolding Andrei on the corner. Fei and Sheene was just silently watching me, so I went to them and talked them about the other ways to serve on the opposite side of the court.

“Do you want to try how to control the ball? Let’s borrow a ball from Marielle’s team!” Fei said enthusiastically.

Sheene proceeded to go at the other side to talk to Marielle’s team while Fei and I read our guidelines. Our conversation stopped when I saw the girl, Ashley---- from Marielle’s team, throw away the ball so that Sheene can go fetch it somewhere else.

What the hell is that attitude?

I stood up, ready to charge to that Ashley but Fei grabbed my wrist and curled her lips to show a forced smile. I feel pained--- all of a sudden, these kind kids don’t deserve to be humiliated.

“I got it!” Sheene ran towards us with a grin on her face. Even though those girls were too mean. I stared at the mean girls and saw their eeky faces making crazy laughter. They do find that kind of action entertaining, huh?

“Uhm, Triz? I’m okay,” Sheene muttered.

“Does this always happen?” I asked directly and both of them kept silent. I’ll take that as a yes. A crying Tricia came to my mind making me ask another question which can be odd to hear.

“Do they always do that to me too?”

This time I looked at them gravely and they both have the same reaction, so it means that she was getting bullied too.

“Let’s just mind our ball,” Sheene tapped my back and so I followed them and started doing the basics. They already kept themselves immune to how they are being treated. I cannot just watch that.

****

“Okay, let’s begin.”

The students began arranging the net for the indoor training and Ms. Caitlyn grouped those teams who will be matching with one another and turns out, we were matched with Ashley’s team. The girls began matching and I watched how they played the ball, it was a fun game but I have never encountered this one before in my life. Marielle and my team were set on the last, and the score was just a run for 10 since it was just a subject for the class.

“I will be the one serving first,” Fei told me and Sheen as we set ourselves on the side of the court when it was our turn. I was on the front while Fei was on the further back to serve the ball. Marielle, Ashley and Gwen were arranged consecutively and it makes me want to punch the floor for how irritating they look.

Reminds me of the King’s wife. The smiles she wore always have some other agenda hidden on them.

“Serve!”

Fei began the serve and it went on the opponent’s court but Ashley passed it with bumping so I waited for it to go down but it landed near Sheene, but she missed the bump.

“I’m sorry!”

Sheene shouted and I smiled at her. “No, it’s okay!”

Fei also consoled her and gave the ball to the mocking girls since they scored. My ears began to be irritated when the score was 7-0 in the opponents' favor. They were laughing at Sheene because she kept missing when the ball is on her vicinity.

Now it was my time to serve again and I will make sure that they won’t even land a hit. I breathe all the warm air on my mouth, conditioning the body so I wouldn’t take too much toll on this girl’s muscle.

Serve!

I used the under head serve to make the ball go higher and it did, far higher than I expected and I know that the bright light from the ceiling will make them miss the hit and it did.

I smirked when Ashley frowned with the other girls.

It’s our score.

I began instructing Fei and Sheene that if they can’t pass the pall on the other side, just hit it and I will take on the passing.

Everything went well after that, and I felt like I was flying.

We chased the score and now it is already 9-8 on our favor, of course, and for the last touch of my sweet revenge to teach the girls some manners, I told Fei to bump the ball up higher so I could throw a spike.

My wrist was already pulsating and when I threw my last move, the opposite was devastated, they even blamed each other but my friends and I hugged one another and it was the best feeling.

When the classes ended, my friends and I were celebrating our time together during volleyball. They praised me a lot but I didn’t answer any of their comments but instead praised them a lot too.

It’s nice to call someone as friends and those you call as that won’t be dead because of the kingdom.

I decided to fix the locker before I went home so I urged the two girls to go on ahead without me. The locker was such a mess but I managed to clear it out. I’m just going to read this book when I already finished the one in the house.

I grabbed the pile of books to set it down properly when a piece of paper dropped down the floor. “Ah, shit.” I’ve been cussing a lot. I rolled my eyes at myself and set the books to the side of the locker before picking up the paper.

“Uhm, Miss? Is this yours?”

A voice emerged at my side and as I turn to look at him, he was holding and staring at the paper I just dropped.

But the thing is, it wasn’t paper that I turned to look – but the boy…

My chest began to feel unsteady as the beating of my heart raised a little bit faster. What is this feeling…?

The boy had semi-long curly brown hair and he was kind of thinner than the others. His eyes were kind of hooded and in front of his brown eyes were his glasses which looked all too familiar. I have seen this guy before.

He was still looking at the paper so I asked for it and he shook his head as if he was fascinated and distracted before giving it to me.

“That drawing… is nice…”

His voice was warm and sweet, and I almost want to giggle when he said those words while averting my gaze.

Damian! I fixed myself together as I remember my real state on this body. I am not Tricia, I am Damian.

I grabbed the paper nicely from his hand. “What drawing?”

I looked at the paper and blood started rushing to my cheeks as I see a sketch of the actual boy in front of me laid upon the paper on my hands. The sketches!! It was him!!