Antithetic's Tale

Chapter 30

"Athena, can we be your bestfriend?" I frowned at what Manok asked me. Bestfriend? I don't know the feeling of having that, obviously, you know the reason behind that.

"No." I answered them quickly. I saw the rapid change of emotion in their eyes.

"Athena too." Daldalita said with a sigh.

"I don't know you, and you will never have a glimpse of an idea about me." I told them seriously. "Athena, the important thing is, we are always together, you are there, we are here. You will also know who we are and we will be like you." Daldalita explained.

"What the f**k humans? Is that your perception about having a bestfriend?" We stopped walking. I faced them and stared at them seriously so they immediately bowed.

"And why the heck are you putting labels on people? Give me a valid reason for that." I raised an eyebrow at the question. What the f**k is with those labels?

"So you know what you're going to treat someone. How much does it cost, how little or how little--" I immediately interrupted what he said. "You don't need labels to know how much you'll give a human something. It is based on how much he's or she's worth the level of care and love you'll offer. Labels are nothing but a pet name." They looked at me when I said that.

"Are you serious, pet name really?" Manok told me. I was suddenly taken aback.

"Yeah, pet name. If you labeled me as your freaking Best friend, of course, I will give a damn. I will be obliged to be one, to do what a 'Real Best friend' does. You will make me your pet , you labeled me, you will expect, and I will be responsible enough for your expectations. " I turned around and started walking.

"We will not make you an animal. You will not obey us. That is why we want you to be our Best friend so that our connection will be deeper. We will get to know you better." We sat down on a bench. I opened the book they bought me. 'Looking for Alaska' is its title. This thing makes more sense than most people in this world.

"I don't care. My answer will always be a no." I said. I opened its first chapter.

I read it and I also felt the silence of the two next to me. I glanced at them and saw that they were reading using their cell phones. I turned my attention back to what I was reading.

'I go to seek a Great Perhaps.' That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps. "

I agree. Humans, now a day, never bother knowing their great perhaps. As long as they are happy, they won't mind seeking for it. Some people even think that happiness is the greatest thing in this world. Yes, it is. But, finding and making your great perhaps will make your life meaningful, senseful and useful.

We are not here just to be happy, neither to seek for happiness. But we are here to do meaningful and great things. To do our great perhaps. To do what is planned to happen.

When it is too late, we start realizing things. When you are near to the cliff that will end your life, you will realize everything. Are you happy? Is your life meaningful? Am I useful? Did I do great? Am I contented? Am I ready to die? Did I do everything I want? And when the answer to that question is No or Maybe. Then, you'll start doing great, but because you are just holding tightly to the surface of the cliff, the only possible thing to happen is falling.

We were given a bunch of days, years to do our missions, to do what is right, to be happy, to be contented and to do what is planned to happen. But our choices are the biggest roadblock in achieving our Great perhaps. We chose to do predictable things every second, every minute and every day. Like going to school to study, working to earn money, and many predictable things.

We, sometimes, know what will happen the next day, but, we keep on ignoring the fact that every single second of your life is a chance to have a very meaningful life. We keep on avoiding the ways that will take us to our Great perhaps. Humans keep on avoiding and ignoring. Humans keep on accepting and receiving. Humans, are humans.

"Let's have lunch first." Daldalita said as she took her suitcase out of her bag. I did the same, I took my bag and took out what Ion had buried in me.

I took everything with Century tuna on it and opened my basin with pancit canton. I looked at the food of the two. Daldalita eats red eggs and rice. While the shrimp belongs to Manok. Their difference is evident on their food.

I sang at once from all Century in my Pancit canton. I received weird glares from them. I just raised an eyebrow at them and I started mixing Century with pancit canton.

"Yuck! Kadiri!" Manok told me so I looked at him badly. "What gimmick is that, Athena Iris?" My eyebrows rose even higher because of what they were saying.

"It's delicious, you have no right to criticize what I eat." I ate pancit canton, I smiled because of its taste.

"Who invented that thing?" They asked as we ate. I ignored them and just continued eating.

Flashback

"Damn Ion! What's with the noises ?!" I said as I covered my ears and went down the stairs. I was sleeping a while ago and having a serious conversation with Thyra when I suddenly woke up due to the noise around me.

"Oh, gaga is gay!" My eyes widened when her tone, Maarte and feminine, was destroyed. "Hahahahahaha! What face is Athena Iris?" He said while laughing.

"What happened to you?" I asked in shock. She looks like a woman.

"You are not aware that your gender is aketch." My eyebrows met even more because I was irritated by what he was doing.

"Stop it, Ion. I hate what you do." I stared at him. "Jealous!" He said at the same time retaliating against me.

"Explain the noises." I said. I keep hearing noises, explosions and whatnot.

"New year today, Iris." I frowned. "So?"

"This is the kind of celebration people want to celebrate the new year. Noises." When he explains. I laughed, people are really weird.

"Why don't they celebrate it with silence, love and peace? Do they not want their year to be like that?" I ask, is this world like this because it is only the first time of the year that they meet with chaos? Of course not Iris. I was just shaken by the immature thought that entered my brain.

"As far as I know, they are shouting to push the bad spirits away. I don't know, seriously." He said and shrugged. He walked to the kitchen so I went with him there.

I was surprised to find a table full of colorful foods, unusual food (because I only know grass food.), And circular food.

"What's this for?" I asked him, he took a piece of purple, round and small food. "Catch!" I was surprised when he threw something at me, red food, I caught it.

"That's Apple, taste it." I followed what he said, I bit into it and what he said was true, it was delicious. When will I discover everything in this world? I ate a lot, I discovered a very delicious food. Pancit Canton with Century tuna. Damn.

"Really preparing for the new year, Iris. Even in Mreine, it does." He said. I was a little surprised by what he said. Even those busy people know how to celebrate.

"Kayalang, you were always there, alone in that dark room. No one even bother calling you for a celebration." I bowed to what he said. No one dares and bother asking me if I am willing to celebrate something. I hope, there is someone whose name is, No one. So at least, there is someone who will be brave enough to talk to me during that time.

"You are so intimidating and wraithlike. It was like, talking to you will make a person cadaverous. The way you look will bring anyone to death. That's why everyone, even me, can't look directly at your eyes. Your presence, everything about you is horrifying. " I looked in the other direction.

"What a great description." I said softly that I was the only one who could really hear.

Bu actually, everything he said, I agree with that. I was horrid, truly. Then, a realization hit me. That was the reason why I felt the loneliness, solitude and the blahs. Of course, I am not exactly a human being, but it does not mean that I am not a human. I don't know things, anything about the outside world. Sir Arthur taught me how to read, to write, to count, to speak, Science, Mathematics, Science, Science and Science. 'Everything is science.' They keep saying that.

"I do not know, but there is a force inside me. That force gave me the courage to talk to you when we are at the age of fourteen. We have been together since birth, but I only had the braveness when we accidentally had an eye to eye conversation. You asked me, 'Where's the exit?' then, I told you the direction, and you didn't bother giving your gratitude. Then, since then, I've always talked to you, but since you are Iris, of course, you didn't give me feedback. " He laughs at the story.

I no longer remember what happened when I asked him because I only looked at him for a moment. The only thing I remember is that he brought food to me when I was 14 years old. He also always quizzes me about the unusual things that happen in his life, every day. I didn't listen to him, but I did care that his life went well. It is exciting. I always waited for him to come into my room just to tell me a story. But, when I was 16 years old, he stopped talking. He talks to me but he does not talk.

I don't want to let him know that I was looking forward to his stories, I don't want this one's head to grow.

"There, what I told you, I passed it on to MMK. You know, my story came out on TV, of course, I will be famous. Then you, I will see you in my mall shows, arguing, then asking for my signature. Hey me. I can imagine right away. " He said while laughing. I don't have a glimpse of an idea about MMK. I know what he said was just nonsense because everything he said was just nonsense.

Noisy sounds resonated in my ears. I can hear everything, everything even what people say is far from me. My ears are a mess. It just disappears and I control when I focus. But when I lose my temper, my brain gets confused by the noise. And because of what Ion said, the noise of the whole world.

"Hey! There are fireworks!" After he said that, he pulled me out. Pure light, noisy, chaotic, but happy to feel.

I looked at the sky, a different variety of colors appeared on the sky. Fireworks. I am mesmerize and enthrall with the beauty above. I want to touch it and keep it.

"Do you like fireworks?" I saw Ion looking at my behavior, I didn't bother looking at him. I don't want to take my eyes off the fireworks.

"No." I refuse.

"I feel sorry for the atmosphere, it's new year, but pollution immediately greeted him." I'm sorry, I don't want him to know that I'm too captivated by the light in the sky. I don't want him to know what I want.

"You're really bitter." He said, I could see his face turning his gaze back to the sky. What I see is really beautiful in the eyes. It took a long time, and hopefully not over.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five," I heard Ion count, even counting on our neighbors' televisions.

"four, three, two," I looked at him, our eyes met.

"Happy new year, Iris." He pressed our foreheads together. I was suddenly nervous, it is the same thing Zephyr did to me. I do not want the next thing to happen, I do not want to feel again what I felt when Zephyr did that to me.

He brought his face closer to mine, very close. I do not want. I don't want to feel it. I didn't want to feel the strange thing in my heart again when Zephyr and I pressed our lips together. Even though I don't know what that means, I have no idea why I feel that way.

But it was too late before I could avoid my face.

Under the bright sky, under the thing that made me happy,

I felt again the thing I did not want to feel.