Mermaid Blues: Beasts, Giants and Spirits

School for the Elite

"How is he?" Seth asked the nurse. He was outside the room where the man they found in Abra was resting. He was facing a wall of glass wherein he could look at the inside of the room. The person inside cannot see who was behind the glass.

The guy was flailing on his bed. Trying to break free from the handcuffs and the straps. He was very confused and aggressive.

"As you can see," the nurse looked at the boss with disappointment. "It's been four weeks since he's been in a coma. Now he have been woken up. He hasn't calmed down without taking some pills. He's hard to talk to. He's always saying things we don't understand. Even your great nerd can't decipher him."

"But the doctor says that his condition is temporary, right?"

The nurse sighed. "Yeah. However, it's hard to contain him. Especially when he was about to turn into a scary wolf. We are always trying to tell him to calm down, but he doesn't seem to understand us. He is so frightened."

"Then, I guess you should handle your patience for a little bit longer," Seth advised.

"Yep," she nods. "That's my job after all," she added. "Have you identified him?"

Seth pouted as he gently shook his head. "None of the citizens can even verify his existence."

"God, this job is so complicated," she groaned. "I wonder if the government can raise my salary by at least ten percent."

"You're right about that, sister," he agreed.

They had a moment of silence. They sighed stressfully as they brought their eyes back to the patient inside the room, still struggling to break free. The nurses and the doctor are trying to hold him. He was screaming angrily.

****Blue Water****

Five months had passed. It's already mid-week of August, the month of love, and probably disaster. The first week of school for Grace Joy at the Horizon Reached University.

In her room, Grace Joy sighed nervously while looking at her face in the mirror. Her mother suddenly came in to see how was she. She turned around and saw her mother smiling.

"Are you ready for college?" her mother asked.

Grace took a deep breath, then she nodded as she smiled.

Her mother came closer, then she wrapped her right arm across Grace Joy's back and grabbed her right shoulder.

"Just remember this..." She gave her some advice.

"Always maintain your grades so that the tuition discount will not be canceled. Second, it's fun if you join their clubs. Third, have fun."

"Don't worry Mama." She said. "That goes without saying." She chuckled, then she wrapped her arms around Asunta for a few seconds.

"Go and change your clothes. I can't believe you are still wearing household clothes. You can't be late on the first day of your college life," she told her.

Grace Joy nodded after.

:::::::::::::

Lots of people were entering the front gate. Grace Joy never thought there were so many students, despite having a limited number.

Grace Joy stopped in front of it. She nervously stared at what was beyond it while people passed her by. She ballooned her cheeks then she blew the air out. She continued walking forward towards the gate, guarded by two security guards.

She entered through. There she stepped her foot on a wide grass ground. So many people are roaming around there. She stopped for a while. Next to the grassland stands a huge tall building. It was obviously the UPA Building, the most important building on the campus. She stared at it as she was reminded of how small she is. There's another huge building on the left side and another on the right. Both are much smaller than the UPA.

She resumed walking towards that building along the cemented pathway at the right side of the plaza which borders it from the parking area. The pathway is surrounded by pairs of benches, each pair has tables that separate each other, and bushes too. Likewise with the pathway on the opposite side.

::::::::::::::

In the school's parking lot...

A nineteen-year-old boy hopped out of the car. He is a baby-faced guy looking like he's two years younger. He nervously sighed while looking around, revealing his deep dimples. He has a height above five foot five. He has a fine complexion. His name is Kendrick Romero Rosales. Everybody calls him Ken since that is easier to pronounce.

His big brother came out of the driver's seat afterward. He's eight years older than Ken. However, his physique doesn't quite agree with his age. Like Kendrick, he has a baby-looking face, with a dimple slightly deeper than Ken's. He's got a fine complexion and a height of five-foot and eleven inches. Making him look years younger. Unlike his little brother, he got a stocky built body. His name is Benjie Romero Rosales.

The little brother was about to walk away to the plaza but his big brother halted him.

"Ken. Wait..." the big brother called.

Kendrick, the little brother, came to him.

"Remember to be careful. Whatever happens, act normal, don't do something reckless," he advised.

Ken smiled with optimism.

"Kuya, don't worry about me. I am already in college. I know what to do," he said. "I can take care of myself now. Just trust me." He raised his hands forward as he showed him his thumbs up.

His cute big brother gently nodded. He bit his lips for a while, reflecting on what Ken had said.

"Ahh!" Benjie suddenly yelled in pain. He suddenly felt that his right wrist was blazing. He raised it to check.

Ken widened his eyes in horror when he saw what was happening on his big brother's wrist. Ken walked closer to Benjie. They looked at each other worriedly. They were looking at Benjie's lizard tattoo lighting up like coal.

"Are you okay?" Ken asked.

"I am fine," he said while slightly gasping. "Don't worry about me. Just be careful in there."

"Are you sure? That mark's acting up again."

"Yeah. Yeah, I am fine. Just go. Don't worry yourself," he said.

Ken took a deep breath. Even though he does not believe the answer of his big bro. He still tried to be optimistic and to trust Benjie.

"Okay!" He optimistically said.

"Go," Benjie told him with an optimistic smile.

:::::::::::::

Gaddo was in his mansion. He was on the veranda connected to his office. He was silently looking at the view of the entire village.

Half of his face was burned due to what the ball of fire did to him. Meanwhile, he sensed someone coming into the room. He heard the sounds of footsteps coming over. He grabbed the gun in his holster and turned around. He pointed at it to the person behind him who had just arrived.

"Whoa there big guy," a lady said as she raised her hands.

Gaddo then put down his gun when he found out that she was not a threat. She was just his comrade.

"You seemed out of yourself. Are you okay?" she asked with a confident smile painted on her face.

"Shut up. Why are you here anyway?"

"Besides visiting you to see how you are doing, I came here to tell you that I have sighted the Anito(spirit) of plague. It was here again then disappeared," she said.

Gaddo scoffed. "As if finding the entire seven keys and killing them is not easy enough."

"Oh come on. Aren't you worried that you and your family are going to get murdered by a giant lizard man? They're killing you one by one. You have no time to waste, you should act before any member of the family will get killed again."She came over to a chair adjacent to a round table. She sat down. Gaddo walked to get close to her. "How are you holding up?" she asked. "With that face of yours."

"It's just a minor burn. It will take time before it will completely heal back," he answered.

"That's good," she nodded. "However, I hate seeing you miserable like this. Remember when I said that I really hate all anito (spirits)?"

"So what?" he wondered.

"I want you to eradicate the Saint Elmo who did that," she said. She stretched out her hand holding a potion.

"Sealing it with a spirit rope is not enough for me. I want it dead," she added.

Gaddo silently chuckled and he grabbed the bottle of potion in her hand. "Why do you hate them anyway?"

"I don't know," she smiled. "Maybe I hate them as much as you hate lycants and their kind. So, if that spirit ever comes in your way again, I will do everything to eradicate every single one who intervenes in the plan."

Gaddo laughed. "You know that I will do everything to eradicate anyone who stands in my way, right?" he resumed, laughing.

"Get your job done. Or else we'll both fail to get what we want."She turned her back on Gaddo. She moved a little further from him. When she got four meters away, she stopped. And then she snapped her fingers. She immediately disappeared into thin air.

Dionysus watched her disappear from the place. He does not know how she did that, but he doesn't care. He's used to seeing her disappear into thin air like that.

:::::::::::::::

It was five minutes after Kendrick left. Benjie was still in the parking lot. He was leaning on his car while he was talking to someone on the phone. The unwashable and unremovable tattoo on his wrist keeps on glowing. Because of it, he felt like there were a bunch of ants biting his wrist. Despite the disturbing sensation, he could still manage to talk normally without any sign of straining.

"I just told you. I'll be there. Yep. Yep. I just dropped my little brother here at school," he said.

The caller, on the other hand, then replied, "I hate that you are always late for your therapy. It is not good to be late for any appointments. It felt like you were not taking it seriously. Don't you know that you're getting worse?"

Meanwhile, at a distance, there was a Tamaraw Fx car just parked in a vacant space a few slots away from the car where Benjie was.

A girl came out from the back seat. A girl slim and pale but full of energy. Her face reveals to everyone her smart character. She was eighteen, turning nineteen in September.

"Oh my gosh, I'm late, I'm late!" she, panicked and whispered as she immediately ran away from the vehicle.

Her mother took her head out the window.

"Hey, Ana! You forgot your bag!" she reminded.

And so, she stopped and turned around. She immediately rushed back to the car to get her bag.

"Good luck, Anak (T/n: 'anak' means daughter/son)!" her father said, who was sitting in the driver's seat. Although, Ana was already far away when he said that, so she didn't hear what she said.

"Oh God," he muttered. "Look at her grow," he said to his wife.

Ana was getting close to the spot where Benjie was at. Benjie suddenly could hear the ringing in his mind getting louder. He suddenly felt light-headed.

"Okay, I'll be there. I am not going to cancel my appointment today. I promise."

Benjie opened the door of his car and he immediately went in. When Ana passed by...

"AHH!" he screamed in pain. "Oh shit..." he gasped. His mark was at the peak of torturing his hand. At the same time, his brain suddenly buzzed louder. His eyes got blurry as they turned from dark brown to lighter brown. His fangs were starting to grow. The pain that all happened together in just mere seconds had made him take some heavy deep breaths. He started to reverse his mutation back into normal.

When Ana got to the spot where Benjie was about to pass by, she suddenly heard an electrical buzz in her brain. She immediately lost her composure and stumbled over the concrete. While she was standing, she could still hear the buzz. However, like dealing with any psychic disturbances, she ignored them. She got back right on her feet and continued running.

"Damn it!" Benjie slammed his hand on the maneuver. He accidentally pushed the hunk button. He looked through his windshield and he saw a girl running away. He anxiously looked at her, although he couldn't see her identity because her back was the one facing Benjie's direction and she was wearing a cap and a loose jacket.

::::::::::::::

Four subjects had passed. Grace Joy was already sick of introducing herself from one class to another. Every room she had gone to was really different from what she had expected. Mr. Anthony Alhibing was right, the school he had built is what every Filipino student had dreamed of. Each room she had gone to is wide enough to fit at least sixty-five to eighty students, but the students who occupy it there are less than thirty. Which leaves a wide space at the back part. The seats aren't ordinary armchairs, but each armchair has a wooden deck that can be flipped up or down that serves as a cover to its small storage 'box' underneath. She thinks that she's at an American school because of that. The walls of each room had been painted. Which are inspired by traditional Cordilleran Cultures.

In the corridor of the third floor of the main building, Grace Joy was heading for the stairs going down in order to search for the Marcos Building. It's where her next class will be held.

She went to a building that she wasn't familiar with. It's standing tall behind the main building. She had no idea whether she was at Marcos's building or not. She arrived at its first floor wherein she was standing in a corridor. She felt lost and tense since she knew that she was already late. And so, she tried to approach some person who was walking in that corridor.

The first person she approached was a girl who was looking for something in her locker.

"Ummm... excuse me po..."Grace Joy got nervous.

The girl seemed like she didn't hear her.

"Excuse me po... May I ask something?" She said. Still, she didn't answer."Excuse me po..." she asked for the third time. The girl finally managed to hear her. She rolled her eyes when she turned around to face Grace Joy.

"Yes?" she asked as she drew a fake smile on her face.

" May I ask if this is the Marcos Building? I think I am lost and late." She responds.

Instead of telling her the right answer, she said something that Grace Joy didn't expect.

"First of all, I am not the person who answers questions from lost students like you," she responded.

Grace Joy widened her eyes because of her rude answer.

"Huh?"Grace Joy was surprised.

"Second of all, you do not have the right to disturb me while I am looking for something in my locker. Can you please find what you are looking for yourself, since I don't care if you are late because of your ignorance?"

Grace Joy couldn't speak up because of all the words the girl spit out to her. She felt so embarrassed.

"And third. Who are you?" She rolled her eyes and she turned away. Grace Joy bit her lips while she nodded slowly as she watched the girl walking away.

"Ouch," she said afterward. "Excuse me po." Grace Joy approached a group of girls who were talking and giggling in the corner.

That time, the girls got quiet, then they faced her. They sneered at her. Grace Joy suddenly felt another creepy feeling from them. In her mind, she was going to regret that she chose them to ask for directions.

They circled her. Then they looked at her up and down, from head to toe. Grace Joy suddenly felt nervous and afraid. She held her head down while letting them scan her. The girls looked at each other and they chuckled softly. One of them rolled her eyes and scuffed. She appears to be the leader or something like that.

"Poor." She said. "Let's go girls. We don't talk to the poor."

"Yeah," they seconded with their very irritating sassy tone. And then they walked away.

"What's their problem?" she asked herself. "Seriously. What's everyone's problem? I was just asking. Damn it. I mean, what is wrong with everyone?"

:::::::::

In a spacious room with thirty-nine students and a teacher who was lecturing for ten minutes...

Someone gently pulled the door open as it creaked. The teacher halted and she focused her eyes on the person who was about to enter. The students were also curious to see who it was.

The students murmured right after they finally saw Sherdel stepping in.

"You're late, Mr. Sherdelino," the teacher said.

"Sorry ma'am," he said with a faint voice. He immediately headed toward the seat located at the back part of the third row.

"Ops! Ops!" the teacher told him to halt.

"Ugh," he rolled his eyes. He stopped and then he about-faced.

"Yes, ma'am?" he asked.

"Would you mind introducing yourself to the class?" she complained.

Sherdel looked around and he saw that everyone murmured while looking at him. Seemed like everybody in the room know who he was. Still, he had no choice but to do it.

Suddenly, he heard a faint laugh coming from a familiar person. He looked to his right and he saw Gregory sneering like a killer.

Sherdel sighed in frustration.

A few moments later, Sherdel finally managed to sit down. The teacher resumed her lecture. The students continued to do what they were doing. Most of them were bored, not focused, and sleepy. Sherdel was one of them. And so, he decided to text his girlfriend.

"Hi, Babe!"

"Hi, Babe! Why? I'm still in the middle of the class."

"I'm just bored. "

"But babe!"

"Can I speak to you?"

"What is it? I am busy right now..."

"Is that so? I am bored. I just want someone to talk to."

"I am really sorry, Babe. Talk to you later?"

Then...

"Oh...there is another late student!" the teacher suddenly said. "Come in."

The students focused their eyes on the student who had just entered. Even Sherdel took his eyes off the phone and looked at who the teacher was talking about.

To his surprise, a girl with such a familiar face, who was standing in front of the students and standing beside the teacher was the girl whom he awkwardly met last March. He couldn't believe that he would meet her again. He couldn't believe that months had passed, but he still remembered the face of the strange girl. A girl who he didn't know was Grace Joy. A girl whose eyes are tamed and innocent. He noticed that her hairstyle was the same as when he met her, a sleek high-style ponytail.

Grace Joy sat down on the vacant chair located at the back part of the fourth column which is next to a wide window. She never knew that Sherdel was sitting on a chair just beside her.

She put her notebook and a pen on the desk and then she began to look in front. While Sherdel was looking at her, wondering if she also remembered him at that awkward moment. Grace Joy was so focused on the teacher's lecture at that time, that she hadn't noticed that someone was looking at her. Suddenly, the moment broke when his phone suddenly vibrated. Sherdel immediately turned it down. He laid his eyes on Grace Joy once again. He was surprised when he saw her looking at him. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Grace Joy couldn't believe her eyes, the boy who sat beside her back then who looked pitiful was sitting next to her.

Sherdel couldn't help but remember what happened and then he laughed faintly. Grace Joy cleared her throat and then she faced in front. She felt so embarrassed again. What she did was pretend that she had never seen him in her life.