The Invisible Mystery

Chapter 8: The Announcement

I walked inside of the room at exactly 6:30 in the morning, just like how I usually do whenever I knew that I did not have to do anything other than preparing myself for the other day. I always make sure that I was on time so that I would have enough hour on preparing myself on our lessons for the day, and that was what I had on my mind the moment that I took a step inside the room.

Though, the moment that I put down my bag on the table that was intended for me, I suddenly felt that something was wrong. I suddenly felt that there was something odd inside the room, but then again, I just decided to not point it out any longer because it felt like that ‘something’ I was talking about was not that serious.

I just decided to shrug it off as I sat on my chair and fiddled on my phone because it felt like it has been ages ago ever since I heard something from my Dad and from Abigail. It felt like it has been almost a month ever since they had checked up on me, and I wanted to know why would such thing happen.

After all, this never happened before. We always make sure that we would check up on each other when we knew that one of us would be away from home for some time. We always make sure that we would try to contact the other one on any way we knew just so we would be rest assured that he or she was just alright.

I did not want to think that it was still because of the conversation that we had before, when I wanted to tell them that I got accepted on Section A. I did not want to think that they were doing this because they wanted to avoid the questions that they knew I would ask them the moment that I had a chance to do so.

I also knew that I would never really be able to stop myself even though I already knew that that was really the case that was why they had refused to call me. After all, I had the right to know why they suddenly acted like that way, right? I had the right to know why it seems as if they wanted to keep something from me, right?

We were family and we were always so close to each other, that was why it pains me to think that something was going on behind my back, without me knowing anything at all. We always make sure that there was no secret between the three of us, but then again, it felt like they were keeping something from me.

I badly wanted to know why it had to go this way. I badly wanted to know what has been keeping them on really telling me the truth, but then again, I could not do anything at all because they refused to answer my calls, and even my texts.

Even though I already tried countless of things just so I could contact them, I still could not reach them at all. I still could not do anything to know their secrets, or whatever the thing that they wanted to keep me.

I also wanted to investigate, but then again, I knew that it would be hard for me because our home was too far from where I was. I did not know where to start, and somehow, it felt like I could only know the truth once they would really tell me something about it.

I let out a sigh as I saw that once again, Dad and Abigail had ignored my call. I saw how they cancelled it as if they never really planned on picking it up at all.

It frustrates me, because it felt like I was being abandoned by them, but then again, I still kept my rational thinking as I already knew that nothing would go right if ever I would not keep my cool.

I knew that I would just bound to hate them, and I never planned to do that. After all, they were the only people that I really wanted to keep so dearly. They are my family, and I wanted to think like that way until I could; though I did not think I would still be able to do so if ever they would keep on refusing my calls, if ever they would keep this act as though I was some kind of another person to them.

I let out a sigh once again as I finally decided to keep my phone inside my bag so that I would be able to focus on my study once again.

If they did not want to call me and would just frustrate me even more, then might as well just focus my attention on other things so that I would not be irritated any longer, so that I would never think of hating them just because of the situation we were currently in.

After all, just like what I have said earlier, I wanted to keep my cool and to think, rationally, so that I would still be able to think of our situations and all the possible things that they have been keeping me. I would like to think that they would still tell me the truth, even though they were acting like this kind of way as of this moment.

I was just thinking of that, while I was staring out of the window on my right side, when I felt that I was not the only person inside the room any longer.

I felt that the other students had entered the room, as well as Ms. Madison, who has been carrying so little things than usual - which made me frown because I think that this was the first time that she was not carrying a bulk of things.

She greeted all of us, and we greeted her back, in unison, while we were standing up, before she told us to take a proper sit on our respective seats.

She looked around all of us, just like she always do whenever she went inside the room, before she finally settled on her seat in front of us as she even clasps her hands in front of her.

I frowned a little because it seems like she was acting strange today, but before I could even point that out, I heard her say, “I have some announcement for you, guys.”

The other students inside the classroom kept their silence as they wait for whatever she was about to announce to all of us, and it also made me do the same and keep all of the questions that I had inside of my mind as of this moment. I thought that I should just ask it later if ever it would not be discussed why she was so silent because of whatever announcement that she had to say.

She looked around us once again, which I had found odd because it seems like she was really problematic about this - though I must say that I did not have any idea on why she was suddenly acting like this way just because of once announcement, if this was really because of some announcement or something else.

I even heard her let out a sigh as though what she was about to say was really bothering her, for real, and she did not want to say it to us, but then again, it seems like she really did not have any choice but to really tell us because how her face changed into one of determination as though she wanted to motivate herself and to not make us worry about her.

She had this kind of look on her face that was telling me that she would tell us whatever announcement that she had, even though it really felt like she was a bit hesitant about this; even though it felt like she did not want to really tell us, but then again, she did not really have any choice but to do so.

“Actually, this announcement goes through many different discussions from your subject teachers, as well as the higher ups of Pristine University,” she said as she let out a sigh as though she was really problematic about the announcement she was about to make, but then, she still kept on going as if it would be unfair on our part if she would not do so. “We needed to consider all of the circumstances, as well as what had happened on the batch of Section A five years ago.”

She smiled, a sad one to be exact, as if she had remembered something, but then again, she still tried to compose herself as if she did not want us to see whatever she did not want us to see; though I could tell that we were all just acting that we did not know anything about it even though we all knew how sad she looked as she had said those words to all of us.

it was like she was keeping something. It was like she did not want us to know, and she never intended to let us know. It was like she never really wanted to tell us anything, and it seems like my classmates would not force her on telling us anything, and I am sure that I would also do the same thing.

After all, it really seems like she really wanted to keep it personal. She wanted to keep it private, and it seems like she was thinking that it has nothing to do with her working as our adviser and guiding us on our chosen paths. It seems like she figured that she did not like the idea that she would tell us something that she think was too personal to be shared, that was why she was trying her best to stick on just telling us the announcement without really revealing anything about her, or why she was acting like that way.

“For your information, the Section A five years ago was the last one before we had finally decided that it was time to open this opportunity once again,” she said to us, which made me feel interested about it because I never thought that it has been that long ever since the last Section A was established before us.

I even looked around the room to see if it was the same case for the other students inside the room, but then again, their faces was nuetral, which made me have a hard time on figuring out what they were feeling right now. I was even about to ask Storm, one of the twins, who was near my seat, but before I could even do so, I stopped because I heard that Ms. Madison had cleared her throat as though she wanted us to listen to her once again; or maybe, she did that because of some reason that I did not know about.

I could feel that there was something odd about the atmosphere all around the room, as though what Ms. Madison had said did not sit right to any of them - which made me feel confused as I really did not have any idea as to why they were suddenly like that.

I never had a chance to ask them though. After all, I did not intend to be rude to Ms. Madison, that was why I just decided to keep my mouth shut and just listen to what she was saying to us. I just decided to focus all of my attention on her, because it seems like I was the only one who had noticed the sudden change of air all around us.

It seems like they were just doing the thing that they usually do whenever Ms. Madison had something to announce to us, and I was just imagining things. Maybe, it might really be the case because no one had pointed out anything at all and no one had tried to lighten up the mood, not even Cloud or Storm who was usually the first two who would always try to lighten up the mood of the whole class once they noticed that something was wrong.

No. No one was trying to say anything at all, not even Evo who was unusually quiet as soon as he had heard the announcement that Ms. Madison had. He did not even shared any of his opinion, unlike the usual whenever he would open up about some of his knowledge about the things that Ms. Madison was discussing.

They just all stayed indifferent as Ms. Madison continued to talk about the things that they had discussed in the faculty in order for them to really continue this activity that was stopped because of the disappearance of the Section A years ago.

“Many argued about this, because they think that this activity is not safe for our students any longer,” she said as she let out a worried sigh, which made me focus my attention on her once again as frown started to form into my face because I was getting confused over things. “But then, we figured that if we were careful enough, we would be able to really execute it without any worry that the past would once again happen.”

I have seen how much she tried to smile, but then, she failed that was why she had decided to look away from us as though she wanted to calm herself down. It was almost like she did not want us to see any negative emotion on her face, though I must say that was she was failing to do so as I knew that I was not the only one who noticed that.

We kept our silence though. It was almost as if we wanted to give her some space, because somehow, it felt like she really needed one as of this moment. It felt like she needed to calm herself down first before she continued what she was about to announce to us.

It seems like whatever she had to say, it really affected her in some way that I really did not know. It seems like it hurts her so much, though I never really had an idea on what it was about. I did not have any clue as to why she was suddenly acting like this way towards us.

The whole room was unusually quiet. No one dared to say anything as we kept our eyes in front of us, while Ms. Madison was trying to focus her attention on the announcement that she needed to say. We just waited for her to say anything about it, though I must say that we might take a lot of time before we would be able to know about it because Ms. Madison seems like a little sensitive about the topic.

“I am sorry,” she said as soon as she regained her composure, though I must say that I knew I did not imagine how her voice trembled as she said those three words. “I am honestly against this activity because the person that was so important to me was gone because of it.”

I felt that the room suddenly got colder than usual when we had heard those words from her. It almost felt like the people I am with had turned cold when Ms. Madison had mentioned something like that to us. It almost felt like they were suddenly affected by it, though I must admit that I did not have any idea as to why they suddenly acted like that.

Ms. Madison let out a deep sigh once again, which made me refocus all of my attention on her once again and forego the thought of asking what had happened, because it also seems like the people all around me would not talk any single thing about it.

“Alright, I will announce it now because I did not really have any choice, and I knew that you really deserved this activity because of how you performed on our class,” Ms. Madison said, which made me straighten my back as I had anticipate what she was about to say. “Section A will be having a trip on a place that will be chosen by you, guys. You have the privilege to choose the place that you wanted to visit, and all the expenses would be paid by the school.”

I tried to process what she just said, but then again, I was just halfway there when I suddenly heard that the once silent classmates of mine suddenly shouted as though they were joyful when they heard about the announcement.

It almost felt like they were suddenly different people, because of how they suddenly became so excited when they finally knew about the announcement.