Wintercrest Academy

Maniacs of Pain and Doom

“Why are you awake?” Kaia uses her shoulder to latch her phone onto her ear.

           “I’m working on that painting for Big K’s. Have you asked your dad yet?” Astrid’s eager reply comes.

           “Mmmhmm. Bring a portfolio when next you come over.”

           Astrid squeals like a five-year-old at Disneyland, which is so un-Astrid like. “You’d all fall in love with me when you see this. I promise. I don’t have to ask if you’re studying. I know you are.”

           “10 points for accuracy,” Kaia says with a smile. She’d gotten 2 hours of sleep after her team study with Bren and now she’s up and on her seventh bar of dark chocolate. Her favourite brain food.

           “I texted Adan but he’s probably in dream land. I wanted to make this a group call so we can cheer you on while you study.”

           Kaia tsks. How lovely. How in the world does anyone not want to be friends with Astrid? They’ve only been friends for like a week and she’s the sweetest person. Sure, she has an otherwise tough exterior, with her bikers’ jacket (even though she can’t ride a motorcycle and has begged Kaia to teach her) and ear piercings, but she could be really sweet when she wants to.

           “Yep, he’s most likely knocked out. He had an intensive practice today, ahead of the Homecoming basketball game.”

           Astrid makes a pfft sound. “Why do you know that and I don’t? I know you two became friends before I got into the picture, but you two sneaky rats should not share secrets without me.”

           “Aww, aren’t you the cutest jealous friend?”

           “Eww.” She hates being called cute, says it reminds her of her dead bunny.  “You’re eating chocolate.”

           Kaia snorts-laughs, or laugh-snorts. “I refuse to be predictable.”

           “This is probably your eighth bar.” That tears it. Astrid is officially a witch.

           “Okay you weirdo, hang up before I really start believing that you have some . . .spy superpowers.”

           Astrid sniggers. “Seeing is believing, get it?”

           Of course, she gets it. “I’m hanging up,” Kaia says and waits till Astrid says ‘bye’ before hanging up. She loses track of time as she returns to the delectable world of science. Her door creaks open and a chubby cheeked, booger eyed, Marvel pyjama clad Keanu traipses in.

           “Little K? What’s wrong? Why are you up?” she asks instead of scolding him for barging in without knocking. It’s 4:52am, 12-year olds should be asleep. Especially if their name is Keanu. She didn’t realize she’d been up this long too. Almost 7 hours.

           “Couldn’t sleep,” he says and snuggles under her duvet leaving just his head peeking out like a brown bun. Kaia swivels her chair towards the bed and her heart pangs as she shortly reminisces on the memories of them sharing a room when he was much, much younger. She refused to take her own room because Keanu couldn’t sleep without her, and she loved reading him bedtime stories and math equations till he fell asleep.

           “Want me to read you 7th grade math equations?”

           “Sheesh!” Keanu scrunches his face and Kaia chuckles. Not a fan of calculations, that one. Even after all her efforts.

           “Okay, but you should be sleeping though. Let me get you a glass of milk.”

           Keanu rejects the offer before she fully stands, so she sits again. “You’re always studying,” his voice is still heavy with sleep even though his eyes are as alert as a watchman’s torch.

           “I have to be a good example for you, so you can study hard too. Oh my gosh, that was so elderly and deep,” she says and they both laugh.

           “I miss Cliché.  She doesn’t come here so much now that you’re at different schools.”

           Kaia hums her agreement. She really misses spending time with her best friend. Sure, they still texted every single day and called each other too, but it wasn’t the same as going to school together, having lunch, sharing inside jokes, taking similar classes and then leaving together. Even their weekend schedule was getting fragile.

           “It’s a little hard, now that we have different routines. I’ve made some new friends though. They’re pretty cool.”

           “Don’t abandon Cliché.” When Keanu says this, Kaia has to stop and stare. Why would he think she’d ever abandon her best friend? “People abandon each other when they find new people. They leave old things for newer things. Sometimes they come back, other times, it’s goodbye forever.”

           “You sound philosophical. Like Dad. Or grandma. Not like the little boy you supposedly are.” Kaia narrows her eyes at her little brother who once in a blue moon develops a brain bigger than his head. “But no worries, I wouldn’t be able to abandon Cliché even if I tried. She’s too persistent.” Like Astrid. Huh, she should introduce them to each other. They’re like poles, hopefully, they don’t repel. She swivels again and faces her desk.

           “Do you think Mum and Kiki abandoned us?” Keanu asks and Kaia pauses abruptly. She expected him to have fallen asleep since a little time had passed in silence. This question is totally unexpected.

           “Why are you thinking about that?” Her voice is suddenly hostile.

           “Because . . .I think about them all the time. I wish they’d come back for us and we’d be a happy family again. Kiki would make her orangeade mixed with mangoes. You never got it right. Nobody did. I miss Mum’s hugs. I miss—”

           “We’re a happy family, Keanu.” Kaia takes one word at a time.

           “But we’re not complete. It makes me sad.” His voice is delicate and on the verge of a sob.

           “Exactly!” she turns around in a quick semicircle. “We’re not complete because they chose to leave. They abandoned us. And it makes you sad? They made the decision to go. They saw us cry and beg, yet they chose to leave and they never came back. Why should you be sad about that? Why should any of us be sad about that?!” Salt water trickles into her mouth and she hates this. She hates talking about them. She hates that they’re the reasons her baby brother is up at the early hours of the morning crying.

           “Look,” she breathes. “They’re gone. Dead to us. They don’t deserve us. Not her, not Kiana, none of them. We’re doing just fine on our own. Dad is . . .such an amazing father, and we’re okay. They chose this, and we will not be sad over them. Okay? Okay?”

           His body shudders and trembles under the duvet and Kaia just breaks into tinier pieces. She crawls into bed and wails with him. All these years, she’s cried, prayed, hoped. She tried to be strong for Keanu who was too little to watch his parents separate. Her nights were plagued with horrible dreams of death and aloneness and she begged God to make her mother and sister come back. But they didn’t. They watched her fall to her knees and ask them to stay, yet, they left.

           And she was done. Done sulking over their absence. Done feeling like the loneliest person in the universe. She had picked herself up, stitched her wounds and moved away from the darkness. But Keanu, he’s reopened those sores, plunged her right back into the abyss. And as she soothes him, she feels the black hole in her heart resurface and stretch. She falls apart, all over again.

                                                           ***

           The highly anticipated Homecoming week is finally here and Bren could not be more in awe of the fuss of it. He’s not going to be Homecoming king though. That’d be Jace, popular quarterback and his queen would no doubt be Shira. He doesn’t care about that anyway; prom is more of his thing. Wintercrest has a Homecoming tradition they’ve stuck with for years, where some alumni and members of the student council plan fun activities: Mondays are for the house game, where the students are randomly split into four groups and have till the end of the day to find a hidden treasure. The winning house is recognized and awarded during the dance. Tuesdays are themed dress up days and this year’s theme is Pyjamas with a touch of school colour (school spirit and all). Wednesdays are movie days and some form of pep/mini career talk from the alumni. Thursdays are for basketball games and of course, Friday is football game and Saturday’s the big dance!

           There’s excited energy everywhere you look. Every student is determined to win this year’s house game and get their picture framed and hung in the hallways till the end of the semester.

           “Hey bro!” Rosco and Bren do a ‘bros’ handshake and half hug. “You ready for the games?”

           “You bet I am!” Bren flashes him a grin and checks his wristwatch. 10 seconds till the announcement. 9, 8,7, 6, 5, 4 3,2 . . . cheers and roars fill the hallways as the PA system comes on.

           “Hi there, Wintercrest!” Adan’s leaderlike voice booms through the speakers and the students go crazy again. Shira has meandered her way through the crowd and is now standing with Bren and Rosco. She leaves her warm kiss on Bren’s cheek. As usual.

           “I love the energy!”

           “The excitement!” Alex’s voice comes in next.

           “The Homecoming spirits!” the chorus together. “We have some of our alumni here already and we’re so honoured that they made out time to be with us!” Alex continues.

           “So, straight to the games,” Adan takes over. “This year, we’ve hidden clues that would be uncovered at the Homecoming dance. You’d set out to find 3D alphabets. As many as you can. But there’s a catch. You can now take down members of another house with a paintball gun!” Murmurs of surprise take over the atmosphere. “Good twist, right? Your game is simple. Take down as much members of another house as you can, surrender them to a council member and your house gains 2 points. When you find an alphabet, you get 5 points. All these points will be calculated to determine the final winners and strongest house, that is the house that takes down as much members of another. So, as you set out to search for alphabets, watch your back. Your enemy could be lurking nearby.”

           “We’d now group you into houses. Players, open your lockers.” Alex commands and like they’ve been bound by a spell, every one gravitates towards their lockers and open. They all emerge with cards holding different symbols. Bren, Rosco and Shira are all in different houses this year. Crap.

           “I won’t be easy on you, brother.” Rosco licks his lips and holds his fist out.

           “Don’t expect any kindness from me either,” Bren bumps it and then turns to Shira. “Fight well.”

           “Oh, I’d take the throne.” She claps both boys on their shoulders.

           “Everyone file out into the fields. They’re council members waiting for you under your respective house tents. Register your name and claim your weapons. The games are about to begin!” The noise picks up like it never left as they all move out into the fields. Tents are set up with the four different symbols on each of them. A wolf head representing the house Wolf Pack, katana sword representing the Ninja house, lightning bolt representing the Lightning house and a skull representing the Maniacs. The council really went all out with these years’ games.

           There are paintball guns on the table marked with the symbols representing the house, and customized bandanas equally holding the symbols. It feels like a real war zone. Bren ambles towards the queue and moves as it progresses.

           “You’re a Maniac,” the sophomore handing paintball guns and bandanas at Bren’s tent smile shyly.

           “You realize that sounds insulting.” Bren puts on his bandana and takes his gun, but he’s smiling too. “Do you want to give me a hint? Where exactly are the alphabets hidden? Am I asking for too much? Okay, just give me one hint. Just one.” he leans in, wearing his most charming smile.

           The girl turns beet red as she tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I can’t do that.” She looks away.

           “I see. Thanks,” he smirks and strolls away, knowing how attractive he is and how attracted to him a lot of girls are. Members of various houses are interacting; the Wolf Pack are howling. Show-offs, what is a Maniac supposed to do? Break things? Bren salutes Shira, a Lightning, and Rosco, a Ninja as the buzzer goes off. The games have begun. As students squeal and start running back into the school building, someone bumps into him, soft and small.

           “Sorry,” the person says and he looks down. Kaia. Their eyes lock and her gaze shifts to his bandana and paintball gun. His does the same. He had thought about her this morning, for some reason. He wondered where she was, if she was with Mr Ariel. He still hadn’t gotten to the bottom of that.

           “You’re stalking me now?” she says and Bren blinks. He’s suddenly forgotten how to breathe. Right, they’re in the same house

           “It was a random selection. Don’t flatter yourself.”

           “Behave, or I’d shoot you out of the game. Maniac to Maniac.” She gives him a small, daring smile and points her gun to his chest. Everyone is probably already running around trying to search for 3D alphabets, but Bren is staring at Kaia, completely lost in her eyes.  It’s like the whole world is on pause and they’re the only ones breathing. His doom. Kaia is his doom. s**t.