The Fallen Essentials

TFE 2: Start

Tishara Hari POV

"HOY! GISING NA!" madali akong napatayo at napatingin nang masama sa gumising sa akin. "ANO BA?!" I shouted back.

Gulat na gulat si Guthrie sa sigaw ko. Maybe because that's my first real shout. "I never knew you could shout that loud." Nag iwas siya ng tingin.

"Maybe because you wake me up in a wrong way. Don't you think?"

I dunno, with this guy, napapagod ako kakasalita. I'm usually quiet that's why Ethereal and I are friends but, Guthrie is making me loose my patience. Guthrie shake his head like he can't believe I have the guts to still rebut.

"Anong oras na kasi. Ethereal and Amara are already eating. Baka nakakalimutan mong may training? Bahala ka na nga." He leave as soon as he finish his sentence. What a nosy guy.

I get up and took my glasses. I took a bath quickly before going to where they were.

Amara smile at me and Ethereal nod when they saw me. Kahit medyo blur ang mukha nila, nagawa ko pa rin ibalik ang ngiti. "You look pretty, Tishara. Does your eyes really that damage?" Amara ask and I just nod.

"My family from air tribe usually have bad eye sight. They use their breathing expertise to see clearly the living things that surround them. Obviously, I can't do that so I need glasses." Amara got speechless. Even the grumpy man who wake me that's eavesdropping got speechless.

"Eat." Ethereal told me before handing me the food. "Who cooked?" Ethereal simply point Mr. Grumpy.

Wow, he can cook.

Now I feel guilty acting bad.

Psh.

"Guthrie" calling him, he just thumbs-up without even looking at me.

Maybe he gets what I will say so I just proceed eating.

Training day, huh.

Sana pala binagalan ko pa kumain. Bulong ko habang hinihingal na tumatakbo. This academy sucks. When all of the freshmen, including us, got to the field, pinatakbo na nila kami kaagad.

"Mamamatay... na... ako." Guthrie said while still running. We don't know how many minutes we're running. The upper essentials said we need to run until they say stop.

"Hindi... ka pa.. mamamatay. ....But your... breathing's...suck." I said while running and while I'm catching my breath too. As an Air Essential, we usually see breathings of other Essentials so our tribe is really designated to be the medical center of all tribes. But, when I use that, saglit lang dahil hindi ko pa kaya ng matagalan.

"Amara!" I call her name so she look back at me. "Guthrie...might ....loose... consciousness!" This training is testing our team work I guess.

I look back at my shoulder. Many teams stop running due to their lack of strength and had ran out of breath.

Amara lower her pace and went beside Guthrie. "Hey!.... You ok?" Guthrie just shrugged. Of course he'll not be ok. He just cook this early morning. Except from lack of sleep, he burn his energy while cooking for the four of us.

Over all, Team Fallen yesterday did nothing but cleaning. It's natural that our body can't recover so fast.

Fuck, my breathing is now uneven.

No, don't be a burden Tishara.

Ethereal lower his pace making our line- our team blocking the way of other Essentials. "Guthrie.... Jump in my back." Guthrie didn't even hesitate and jump to his back.

Amara look so mad because of what happened to Guthrie so she look at me. "Jump in my back too."

I used my remaining power to see her thoughts, She really look so bothered and mad. 'Kapag tumagal pa ang pagtakbo namin sabay-sabay, pare-pareho kaming mahihimatay sa training na to. Think Amara, Think!'

I shake my head for the answer. But Amara look at me and my chest.

She's checking me, damnit. Paano ako makakapalag pa nito kung makikita niya.

"My back... Now." Wala akong nagawa kundi sumampa sa likod niya. Ethereal and Amara keep running while we're on their backs.

Others who saw what we did, copied us in an instance.

The upper essentials look at us intently when we pass through them.

A minute had passed when I felt that I fully recovered from my uneven breathing.

I look at Guthrie that he is now breathing fine so I lower my head to whisper at Amara. "Let's switch." Sabay kaming tumalon ni Guthrie paalis sa pag kakabuhat saamin.

Amara jump at my back so I start running. Now I thank my brothers for training me lift heavy things. Aside from seeing thoughts, lifting heavy things is my forte. Guthrie whom now ok signalled me to fasten our jog.

Dalawang lapse pa nang sa wakas ay pinahinto na kami. Psh. Death run ata yong ginawa namin hindi training.

"Team Fallen!" Napatayo kami ng diretso nang tawagin ang grupo namin. Nakakapansin na ako sa mga Upper Essentials na to ah.

"We're Essentials! Oath to save humanity and peace! Team Fallen." We answered in harmony.

" Who's your leader?"

"Ako po sir." Amara said in monotone. Our leader is one brave girl.

"Why did you do that earlier?" The Upper Essentials look at us. It's like they're scaring us.

"I believe it's strategy sir." Amara continued to answer. I badly want to see their thoughts but Upper Essentials might sense that I'm using my powers. Baka mapagalitan pa ako.

"Strategy for what?"

Amara bit her lower lips, unable to reply.

Should I answer it? But I don't know how to reply too.

"Sir, it's strategy to accomplish the task by supporting each other as a group. I believe you tell us before letting us run is that we should be a complete team to finish it. We also didn't break your only rule that we can't stop, then later on continue." I look at Ethereal with wide eyes. That is like, his longest speech since we met.

Impressive, his deep voice sound well.

Amara look amazed too.

Hosh. Muntik na kami don. Kung hindi dahil kay Eth, baka may iparusa sa amin.

"Ok, very well. You can now go to your next training." When the upper essentials got away napayakap kami kay Ethereal.

"Layo." Mabilis naman kaming lumayo kay Ethereal. Atleast na yakap.

"Salamat Ethereal." Amara said sincerely.

"I did it to save myself." Ethereal avoided her gaze and walk away. Wow, my bestfriend seems really intimidated by Amara's eyes.

Save himself. Hah. Malamang hindi niya aaminin na ayaw niya mapagalitan ni Amara.

Girls and boys separate to clean ourselves. Puno kami ng pawis kaya kaylangan namin magpalit. 

"Amara, what is our next training?" Amara show me a book. "Training about strategies and team works."

Napatango na lang ako at nagbihis na.

"AH!!" Mabilis akong lumingon at nakita ko na lang na basang-basa na si Amara.

"s**t!" Nilapitan ko siya at tinignan ang gumawa non. Team Alliance. Ang leader nilang galing din sa water tribe ang bumasa kay Amara. She look so pissed.

Kung sinuswerte ka nga naman.

Mainit ang mata nilang tinitignan kami. "Bakit mo siya binasa? At saka bawal gamitin ang kapangyarihan sa paggawa ng g**o, Team Alliance, Leader."

Mukhang nagagalit sila dahil natapos namin ang training kanina habang sila, wala pa sa kalahati ay tumigil na.

"Maswuerte lang kayo ngayon Team Fallen." Tumalikod ang mga ito at naiwan kaming mukhang kawawang-kawawa.

"Anong potion kaya ang nakain non at apaka baho ng ugali?" Sambit ni Amara habang pinupunasan ang ulo. Napatawa ako at napailing.

"Kaya mainit tayo sa mata ng iba eh. Bukod sa feeling magaling tayo, maldita ka eh." Amara look at me with her smirking face.

"I'd better return her the favor in the future. Itaga mo yan sa mga mana gems." I chuckle with her ambition. "Amara, gising. First, our future isn't secure but for them-"

"It's also not secure-"

I rolled my eyes on her. " FACT! But! They have the upper hand of it. And second, I cant write it in mana gems, because only super skilled masters can do it."

"Pardon, but Tishara, you clearly state just now that you don't know what figuratively speaking is. Now I know why you and Guthrie always fight." My eyes grew bigger as her words cut my heart. But unknowingly, it did not hurt me like some kind of super hard. It hurt me because I admitted it myself.

"Hey! That's harsh!" I get up and so she is. "Ngayon alam ko na bakit talagang ang daming naiinis sa atin. You are saying what's in your head, hindi mo iniisip kung masasaktan ang makakarinig." I joke while fixing my uniform.

" Tishara, I don't talk my mind. I intended to offend." Amara patted my shoulders as we exit.

"Teka basa ka, hindi ka ba magpapalit?"

"Guthrie will warm this uniform."

Later on, true to her words, Guthrie warmed her soaked uniform while making a steam. Amara is giving Guthrie water and Guthrie steaming it to dry her. Nice, they coordinate so well.

I sigh as I read their minds. It's far from what they're doing. I don't get their mind.

Amara's mind is full of ambition and wishes. She's also jealous of Guthrie's essential. While on the other hand, Guthrie just want to laid back and wishes to be a water essential.

It's so complicated that I almost fall down. Hanggang sa naramdaman ko ang hawak Ethereal. "Don't use it too much. Privacy"

I nodded then look at him. "Team Alliance Leader did that to her." I said pointing Amara.

"I know." Hindi na ako nagulat nang sabihin niya yon. Mas nagulat ako ng ngumisi siya. "Why are you smirking?"

Ethereal simply showed me the small ball he got in our dorm. " It's just one ball, but it'll match the shame."

I sighed heavenly before shrugging. When Ethereal is planning something, it's absolute to happen. For he really put concentration and effort.

The lectures of strategies continue as we manage to understand all of it.

While sitting here at the bench made me realize how our group differ from the others.

Upper Essentials who's assigned to give us foods, pass us every single time. It's like they're ignoring us and our presence even though we are hungry too.

Nang makalapit na ang isang Upper Essential sa pwesto namin ay tumayo si Amara at tinuro kami.

"Apat na pagkain. Para sa Team Fallen, please." Bawat salita ni Amara ay mabigat pero hindi galit. Others draw attention to our side.

"Saglit lang. Maghintay kayo."

Oh no....

Amara hates people with no manners. patay.

Amara bow down then sit back to her seat. The Upper Essential got stunned on her feet for a second before coming back with foods in her hands.

The whole room is silent with what just happened. Kahit ako ay hindi ko alam kung bakit nangyare yung ganon akto ng Upper Essential.

"Amara, did you do something?" Guthrie ask but Ethereal is the one who answered. "Amara told the Upper Essential that if she keeps ignoring us, when she die the gods and goddesses will punish her severe."

Napakamot kami ni Guthrie nang marinig yon. "Why did you do that? That's too much."

"I'd rather be the scariest that shows truthfulness than doing nothing at all. Besides, it's all for you. Gutom na kayo eh."

Pinilit namin kumain ng normal kahit samut-saring atensyon na ang nakukuha namin. Damn, it's too hard to even swallow the food. Parang bawat galaw namin ay mariing pinagmamasdan.

Isusubo ko na sana ang huling pagkain na asa plato ko nang dumagungdong ang sobrang lakas boses sa hall.

"ALL ESSENTIALS OF THIS ACADEMY! TO THE WAR FIELD!"

Oh no. Hindi maganda ang pakiramdam ko rito. Tsk!