Code Red : The Series

Chapter 1

“McXain, Arkhava Everette!!”

“Congratulations to Miss McXain!!”

“McXain, Arkhava Everette. Best in—”

“Award goes to,Arkhava Everette—”

“McXain, Arkhava—”

“McXain!!”

Isn't it just amazing to hear your name before receiving an award? Well, that's me, Arkhava Everette McXain, Sixteen when I first arrived, a wide-eyed Grade 11 student. Now, I’m a second-year business administration major, and yeah, I'm still top of my class. Ha! It's not even a flex, it's just... a fact.

And this whole achiever thing? It's been my jam since forever. I mean...don't get me wrong, it's totally my passion, but let's be real, it's also kind of addictive. The feeling of crushing it? Unmatched.

Walking down the hallway here at Royal Crest University, everyone's like, whispering. You know, the usual.

"Yun oh! Si Miss McXain!"

"OMG, she's so pretty talaga!!!"

"Bro, for real, hot nya no? Paano pa kaya pagnaka-uniform yan?"

"I'm obsessed with her outfit, damn."

I'm used to it, honestly. The stares, the whispers... the whole shebang. Because, yeah, I'm not just smart. I'm pretty, I'm confident, I'm... well, let's just say I'm blessed. And yeah, I'm ridiculously rich. But it's not just about that, okay? It's about the fire in my belly, the drive to succeed, to prove that I'm more than just a pretty face with a fat bank account. This isn't just school; it's my playground, and I'm ruling it.

"That's the rich girl, right? The one with the... Big boot—"

Wait—

"What did you say?!" My eyes narrowed, locking onto this guy. He looked tough, but I wasn't intimidated. In fact, the tension in the air only fueled me. This gorilla-looking guy was about to learn a lesson.

"Huh?? Wa-wala..." he stammered.

Seriously? I thought.

"Oh really?" I spun around, facing him fully. My voice dripped with icy disdain. "I'm not deaf, you know."

His friends erupted in a chorus of simpering giggles. Pathetic. I raised an eyebrow, my expression a mixture of amusement and contempt. Seriously, these guys looked like a troop of particularly ugly monkeys.

I sighed dramatically. "A goddess like me has better things to pa, than dealing with this... Arghh." I muttered, starting to walk away. But I paused, glancing back. I wasn't done yet.

"What are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be back at the zoo?" I asked, dripping sarcasm.

And finally, with a dismissive flick of my wrist, I walked away, leaving them in stunned silence.

—

“Eve!! Eve!! "Someone with a similar voice was shouting my second fcking embarrassing name!

"SHUT.UP!" I shouted as I turned to that person..

“I’ve been calling you for five minutes! Ano kaba ha?!” Her voice dripped with venom.

Urghhh, gosh... I knew it, Stella Habibi Ferrer. my dear cousin s***h bestie.

“Yes… Stel?” I replied, trying to keep my voice even.

And then, bam. A slap.

“What the hell?!” I roared, my hand flying to my stinging cheek. This was way beyond a simple slap; this was a declaration of war.

“Stop calling me Stel! Ayaw ko nyan!!! Hindi ako parang metal!” Stella whined, her voice dripping with a dramatic, fake sadness that grated on my nerves.

“The heck?! What do you want me to call you then?!” I shouted back, already regretting engaging with this.

I quickly checked my reflection in the little mirror I keep in my Gucci bag. My face was fine, thankfully.

Stella, clinging to my arm like a koala, continued her theatrical display. “Stel is so… blah. Habibi nalang Pleaseeeee?” Stel whined while clinging to my arm like a koala. She even tilted her head against my shoulder, and her voice was dripping with mock sadness.

“Nope, I like Stel. And I'm starving, so let's go eat.” I said, ignoring her ridiculous nickname protest.

“Edi Eve ka sakin. Fair is fair, dibaaawhh~?” Stella countered, a playful smirk dancing on her lips. I just rolled my eyes.

—

We entered the canteen, and as usual, we became the center of attention. It's always the same; everyone stares. However, we ignored them and went straight to Auntie Tia's stall to get our usual lunch.

Meanwhile, the rest of the students were engrossed in their conversations. The noise level was incredibly high—almost unbearable—but at least the canteen was relatively clean and didn't smell bad, which was a plus.

"Hey!! Tumabi ka nga!."

"Lintik naman oh!...you stepped on my foot, woman!!"

"Good morning sa inyo!"

"Smells good."

"Gucci bag?"

The chatter was a symphony of teenage chaos. But I barely noticed it... because my attention was completely captivated by a girl with striking white hair, wearing a light blue windbreaker—a strange choice for such a hot day. And wasn't dyed hair against the school rules?

She must be crazy, I thought, shaking my head slightly.

"Excuse us ha—but pwede naman kayo mauna. We're happy to wait for our turn." Stella said smoothly, her voice surprisingly clear above the din. Her politeness was a stark contrast to my own impatience.

"Stel, if you're willing to wait, I'm not. Move, or let me through." I commanded, my voice sharp and authoritative. And just as I expected, the crowd in front of us parted like Moses parted the Red Sea.

"Nakakaoverwhelm naman..." I side-eyed Stel. "Fine, wait there."

"Bibili na oh, see?" Stella said, her eyes glued to the menu board. I was about to order the same thing, but then her expression changed. Her eyes lit up as she looked to her left and smiled widely at a group of students.

Flirty weirdo, I thought, raising an eyebrow.

—

Food in hand, we headed towards our usual table—which, ideally, should have been empty. Then, suddenly—

“Sorry.” A small figure, radiating an unusual aura, bumped into me.

I couldn’t help but glance at her face, even as I kept walking. Her skin was incredibly pale, almost white, and her hair, brows, lashes was startlingly white. And… her eyes, her pupils, they were striking red. I’d never seen anything like it...She must have albinism.

“Your height is so cute” I blurted out, the words escaping my lips before I could even think.

“Ahh” and walked away.

I watched her go, and I slumped back into my chair. Gosh, that was so embarrassing... It was her, the girl from earlier, the one who had dared to wear a jacket.

Did she just leave me behind??!! The audacity!!!

“I should be the one leaving!” I muttered, my words barely audible above the canteen’s din.

And yet, here I sat, abandoned by a girl who clearly didn’t recognize me—! I’m practically famous in this university! How dare she leave without showing me the slightest bit of respect?

My anger boiled, with a mix of hurt-pride and raw rage. Usually, people practically fawn over me. I’m used to being the one to end conversations, was always the one who left first, the one who made people want more. I was used to being in control and having the upper hand. But this time... Things were different. Ha!

I'll fck that girl talaga.

I looked down at my plate. My food was mashed to a pulp; I hadn't even noticed I was doing it. I-I just felt the need to destroy something, anything, to match the anger inside me.

“Hoy, Eve!! What's wrong? Ginagawa mo sa food mo?!” Stel asked, sounding worried.

I looked up. My face is red, and my heart is racing. "Dumb arkhava-dumb!" I mumbled, realizing how I'd been over such a small thing.

"uhm...so ano na?" Stella asked again, interrupting my self-thought.

“What? With that girl? The one who bumped into me? What about her?!” I snapped, my voice a blend of confusion and irritation.

“No, I mean… grades mo.” What? Her question was so vague; I couldn't understand what she meant.

“Just tell me, Stel. I don’t like to wait or think about it.” I demanded, my tone's firm.

I wasn’t one for riddles, especially when it came to something as important as my grades.

“Uh, well, Hindi mo paba na check ang school's web? The ranking’s already up.”

"Oh yeah, gosh... I totally forgot about it. I mean, I always get number one, right?" A familiar swell of pride filled me, but I fumbled for my phone. I needed to check the page, but... a wall of notifications blocked my way. What the heck was going on?

“Hm....Eve, look" Stel urged, holding out her phone. I then looked at the screen and gasped—

MY NAME's ON THE NUMBER 2.

I snatched the phone from Stel, and my eyes scanned the list and saw that on the other list, I'm still the top one, but only in the 2nd year college's level, BUT NOT ON THE OVERALL!!!!

“Hoy!! Phone ko yan! Wag mo sirain!!” Stel yelled, panic lacing her voice. But I barely heard her; madness was taking over.

My heart sank. I’d been so focused on acing every subject, I hadn’t even considered the possibility of failing—of not being number one overall.

"This can't be!!!" I swiped again to the other list and saw my name at number 2 in the overall ranking. Shocked and unable to control my emotions, I stood up but unexpectedly froze, feeling a mix of anger and disbelief.

“Eve?”

“Who the heck is—”

—

“Okay, fine. Oa mo.”

“Shut the fck up stel! Fck! This is not happening—look at me stella! Slap me! Sla—arghh!”

“Oh ano? Gusto mo yan.” She actually slapped me, and it hurt.

“fck.”

“Just—just who the heck is KLEIFORD ZYCS SAINT-HALTON!!??"I shouted, causing the students in the canteen to go completely silent.

"Eveee~! what are you doing~...hehe" Stel whispered.

But I'm furious. Fuming MAD!

As quickly as I could, I grabbed my bag and left the canteen, with Stel following closely behind me.

“Eve, hey! Calm down!!” Stel held my shoulders, trying to soothe me, but I couldn’t calm down.

“No stel, this is not happening! I- this would be the death of me!! ” I saw Stel making a strange-curious face and sighed.

“Hindi ka mamatay, you’ll just go crazy, ok??” she replied, arms crossed.

“Arghhh! You don’t understand—”

“One more word. At sisirain ko'yang pretty face mo!” She slapped me again. God… this was even more painful than being number two.

“Tsaka, maybe… it was just luck for that student, or maybe only a few points separated you, girl.” she added.

“No, Stel, even if it’s luck or whatever! I AM number one!!!” I kept proclaiming, even though it had already happened—making me look ridiculous.

This was incredibly stressful. Thankfully, I spotted an empty seat nearby. I sat down, trying to relax until I finally calmed down.

“Stel, give me your phone.” I commanded

“And then what? Ano gagawin mo? Sisirain mo kasi galit ka? Hey! I'm not like you noh!! Just because you see a tiny scratch on your phone, bibili ka agad ng bago!” she said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes; it was damn true.

“Come on...Just give it to me!”

“Don’t you have your own phone?”

“I want to use yours.” and rolled my eyes at her.

“San.a m.y..magp.t.rik.s.ma.t.mo...," she hissed, shoving her phone into my hand. She's crazy; I wouldn't break it.

I knew her password—her ex's birthday. I opened her phone and went to our school's f*******: page, determined this time to stay calm.

The comments were a flood, mostly gushing over the overall number one student. How could this person be at the top when I was clearly better?

I scrolled through my year's rankings, searching high and low for that mysterious name, but it wasn't there. Just who are you…

Kleiford Zycs Saint-Halton