XXIX: The Survival Game

Ezekiel "EZEKIEEEL!!"My kuya Venchel shrieked in my ear, jarring me out of sleep. His voice echoed like the nearby thunder that could be heard in our flat room. His voice is that loud, and I hate the fact that he will be doing that again. I'll set my alarm clock next time because I think it's more reliable than kuya. I glared at him while trying to see if I could still hear, "Why are you waking me up this early, kuya?" Well it's okay, thank goodness. He simply smiled, as usual. "You're running late for school," he said casually. It was 6:30 when I glanced at my clock. That's when it all started to make sense. I was in such a panic that Tito August had just set the plate down when I picked up a toast, bit into it, and ran to the bathroom. "Why didn't you wake me up?!" I yelled to kuya as I entered the bathroom. Although Tito cautioned me, "Ezekiel, no running!" I feel as though I have to break the rules right now, since I knew I'd be late. Tito responded annoyingly to kuya, "Ven, can you calm him down?" before sitting and grabbing a plate. When Kuya said, "Gladly," my heart began to beat properly, and I felt at ease. I exhaled deeply and grinned slightly. "Thanks kuya. But I'm still late." "I can't control time, so you may want to take a bath now."he smiled at me as if he did something really good. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah." I said before slamming the door of the bathroom. Since Tito, him and I have been sharing this flat for years, kuya, who has the most accommodating schedule, has taken care of me from when I was younger till now. They are the only family I have ever known and the ones I grew up with. We treat each other as a family member even if Kuya Venchel isn't truly my Kuya by blood. We're not your typical humans, as you can see. Because we are superior to them, our race is known as beyond humans. Yes, that is all. I'm not sure when it began, but genes carry along our "blood." Meaning that if at least one of your parents doesn't possess such special abilities, you cannot have them. According to my Tito August, our family are all beyond normals, but when certain individuals learned of our presence, they believed we were some type of witch and killed us one by one. Some people continue to kill people like us whenever they see one because they still believe that nonsense. That's why we are forced to lurk in the shadows. Kuya Venchel and Tito August are best friends and co-workers. They were classmates in college, Kuya told me back then. Kuya was a first-year student at that time, while Tito was a junior. He even bragged that they both graduated from college with Latin honors. When I asked them about their majors, Kuya said that he studied Biology while Tito studied Physics. Despite being in the same college, their curricula are distinct. Both of them are urging me to enroll in the same course as them because they have a few books for it, but I have decided against it. Why? I have no idea either. Perhaps I simply don't like it. At that time, I really didn't like anything and felt compelled to enroll in college even though they didn't want me to. I chose engineering instead, and now here I am heading to the first day of class. As I remembered to prepare everything last night, it didn't take me long to finish. After a short while, I waved farewell to Tito and Kuya Ven followed me as I made my way to school. I finish preparing at 6:45am and have my first appointment at 7:00am. I didn't take long, so I believe I should start waking up at 6:30am every day now. I should have mentioned our unusual skills. As I already stated, nobody is certain of its origin. Some claim it was a seventh sense, while others claim it was a divine gift. I'm happy to have one even though I don't know how. My only issue is that I can't use my powers frequently because they don't help me with my daily activities. I have the power to call forth one weapon at a time. However, I can only summon a weapon that I'm proficient with, so, before I can summon it for real, I must practice with that particular weapon first. Additionally, because of the ongoing training I receive from Tito and Kuya, I can now conjure two identical weapons. I can, for instance, summon two swords simultaneously. I get tired easily from summoning, so I can only summon three weapons at once. Tito August is a rock summoner and manipulator. He is more skilled than I am, as evidenced by the length of time he can call and control rocks without running out of energy. He has awesome powers, and did I mention that he looks good looking like me? The manipulator of emotions is Kuya Venchel. He has the ability to play with other people's emotions and use them for...some things. He will occasionally use that to make someone feel guilty or to relax them like he did earlier. He uses his powers more frequently than I do because he can do so without being genuinely noticed. He likes to motivate me to train as well. He never stops telling me how his power develops. Like before, he must look someone in the eyes before he can control their emotions, but now he only needs to feel that person in order to do so. We enjoy training together and showing off our advancements. That's how we get to know one another. I appreciate how my kuya and tito support me and give me praise whenever I succeed. I wanted to give back to them for the coming month because of that. See, beyond normals also hold a game for beyond normals to honor their centennials. You can lose or die in the game because it's a survival game. No one is aware of the events either, because the game's facilitators keep it a secret and, based on rumors, no one has yet succeeded in winning. We're fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the game, which will be held the following month. Although we were aware of the danger we were taking, we believed the price was really worthwhile because so many people outside the usual were interested in it. Who knows, maybe it's more than money. Unless, of course, we go in. Kuya Ven actually pestered us to sign up for the survival game. Due to his protective nature, Tito August hesitated. But then I realized that this was my time to truly show them what I was capable of, so I persisted until Tito eventually gave in. The fact that we are only three is our problem. To continue the game, we need three additional players. When kuya Ven said, "You're spacing out again, kid. We're here," I was startled out of my daydream. I soon notice I'm in front of the campus's imposing gate. Kuya gave my COR a quick glance before grinning ominously. As if a thought had just occurred to him. "So you're in the same room, huh?" he murmured. the same classroom? What does he mean by that? He continues speaking before I can even ask. He hands me the paper back and gives me a light push. "Go there and find Yurika." Then he takes a few steps back and waves good-bye. I nervously waved before entering. Who is Yurika, anyway? Why should I look for her? Or him? Anyway, this campus is enormous. Where exactly is my room located? And what about Yurika? I keep saying CE 11 over and over in my head, hoping to eventually discover it. I went to the building where we had the interview a long time ago, but there was nothing there. I was so confused in the corridor when I saw a girl in a hoodie coming my way. I can't really see her face because she is gazing down at the ground. I froze and tried to understand why I was staring at her. I just realized what I needed as she passed me. I approached her quickly and mustered up the guts to ask. She stopped walking and I asked, "Miss, do you know where CE 11 is?" I truly believed she would respond, but she just kept walking. My brows wrinkled. Is she deaf? Unaware that I was chasing after her, I shouted, "Uh, miss," but she just kept walking and walking and walking. I halted as I overheard students discussing inside a classroom, "Miss, do you know—" I noticed the room I was looking for as I looked up. I observed the girl enter the classroom and take a seat in a rear corner. I thought that she might be mute yet still be able to hear me. She might also need a friend. Better still,I should sit next to her. So I took a seat next to her. It was odd, since I'm at the back and can't make friends, but I'm kind of interested in her. Additionally, I wanted to express my gratitude for what she did earlier. As I anticipated, she was silent. I took a quick look at her and noticed that she was wearing a strange-looking gloves and glasses. Strangely, I feel like I've seen those gloves before. Despite being only white gloves, the image of two swords intersecting immediately comes to mind. Although I can't really recall, I know I have seen it. She's also unbelievably stunning. She's extremely gorgeous, even with her glasses and sweatshirt on,and for some reason I can't explain. Despite the fact that her eyes were dull to me, everything appeared to be fine. Argh. What's going on with me? My eyes went wide as I heard her say, "Creep." Wait, isn't that her? I really thought she was mute! I said in a panic, "Uh, uhm. I'm sorry. I just wanted to say thanks for assisting me earlier." She just nodded briefly before falling asleep. She's sleeping at school?! Is she really real? In a chilly voice, she ordered, "Stop gazing." I glanced aside right soon as she said it and tried to decide what to do next. "I-I'm Ezekiel. What's your name?" I waited for her response, and when I didn't hear her back after a few minutes, I assumed she had fallen asleep. "Yurika."I almost jumped when she answered. Anyway, it's Yurika, I see. SAY WHAT?! -----