24: Regroup

For the past few days, Emy's mood obviously didn't change. In fact, maging sila Feng at Francis ay nahalata din na bugnot ang dalaga nitong mga nakaraang araw. Franco, on the other hand, felt her rage through sword fighting. Halatang sa kanya ibinubunton ng dalaga ang inis nito.

Iniisip tuloy niya if he had done something that caused her irritation.

Days passed at nakareceive ng balita si Emy. She heard that Diana had finally found a new HQ at malamang sa malamang ay kikilos na ito as soon as possible.

That improved her mood. Ibig sabihin kasi non, the game would resume in no time.

As Diana prepared for her next move, she should also do the same. She had to make sure that all her pieces were in place kapag kumilos na si Diana.

Luckily, Calix contacted her again. Saying that he had already moved the girl in boutique. Galit pa rin siya dito dahil sa panttraydor sa kanya and she was still weighing whether to trust him and that cursed prince, but she would surely take this chance to get her next piece.

***

The classes in Grey Academy had already resumed. Gaya ng dati, as much as she didn’t want to, kinailangang umattend ni Emy ng klase niya.

Bumalik ang inis niya ng makita si Sebastian lalo pa nga at nginisian siya nito. The nerve! Kaya naman, buong klase ay wala siya sa mood.

Napuna naman iyon nila Cherry at Kelly. Naatasan sila ngayong araw na magreport tungkol sa Natural Selection. Habang nagdidiscuss sila ay napansin nila na hindi nakikinig sa kanila si Emy. Instead, she was busy looking at window and her mind was obviously drifting far away.

They smirked at each other. Diana might not able to shame her but this time, siguradong wala na silang ligtas.

"Ehem... It is time for us to ask question about the discussion. Miss Hans..." Tawag ni Kelly sa kanya.

Emy looked at her lazily.

"Can you summarize to us the Natural Selection concept?" Tanong naman ni Cherry sa kanya with a smirk.

Their classmates just looked at each other. These two were picking on Emy again.

Emy stared at them for a moment. Her gaze started to make Cherry and Kelly feel uncomfortable.

"M-miss Hans, don't tell us you are not listening earlier? Ang haba haba ng report namin tapos hindi ka nakinig?" -Kelly.

"No wonder she can't answer the question." -Cherry.

"Not really." Emy suddenly said lazily.

Something was wrong with her today, Kelly and Cherry thought. Usually, Emy would have a pretense of smiling before talking at them. Obviously today, she was not in the mood.

"I just thought your question is stupid."

"Pfft..." Di na pigilang tawa ng mga kaklase nila.

Nainis naman sila Kelly at Cherry dahil doon.

"Shut up." Sabi ni Kelly sa mga kaklase nila.

"If it is stupid, how come you can't answer it?"

"Who told you I can't?" Tumayo siya at saka nag-umpisang i"summarize" ang Natural Selection. Ibang iba ang pagkakaexplain niya kesa sa dalawa.

Even her classmates were surprised. They even started jotting down notes dahil may ilan sa sinasabi si Emy na hindi nabanggit ng dalawa.

When she was done, nakita niyang nakanganga yung dalawa sa unahan. She smirked. Dahil inumpisahan nila siya, dapat lang na tapusin niya iyon.

"Now, I have a question for the two of you too."

Napaayos ng tayo ang dalawa. This was their report. Surely, whatever she asked them, they could surely answer it.

Emy smiled sweetly at them."If you will be a variable in Natural Selection, do you think you can be a survivor?"

That literally made everyone dumbfounded.

Hindi naman napigilan ni Sebastian na mapatawa ng malakas. Truly, kapag binigyan mo ng isa ang dalaga, she would give it back to you multiple times.

"That's a joke. Chill, you two. We are way long passed that era. But if it will come back, I am sure you know that you can't even be considered as one of the "fittest"."

Emy was saved by the bell that signaled the break. Hindi na nagawang makabawi ng dalawa dahil agad siyang lumabas ng classroom.

***

Saktong paglabas ni Emy ay nagkakagulo ang mga estudyante. Agad naman siyang nacurious kung bakit.

She was about to ask one of them na malapit sa kanya when someone did that for her.

"What's happening?" It was Sebastian. He grabbed one student and asked that.

"P-president, it is the Black Council."

Nagkatinginan sila ni Sebastian. Pero inirapan niya ang binata saka nagmadali na magpunta kung nasaan ang sentro ng kaguluhan.

It was just at the gate kung saan sila nagkakagulo. Nagtipon doon ang mga nakaitim na maskara at cloak. There were quite a lot of them.

But what caught Emy's attention was that person in the middle of them. Hindi siya maaaring magkamali. It was Diana. Mapride ang dalaga kaya hindi niya ipapagamit sa iba ang maskara niya. It was like a crown of an empress, after all.

"I thought you have annihilated most of the Black Council. I have never expected them to be this many." Bulong ni Sebastian sa kanya. He was just standing behind her.

"I am sure of that. I put that explosives myself and I had never left until I counted how many were in the room."

"Then who are these people? Don't tell me they have recruited these much just within a week?"

"How about borrowing your brother's people?"

Saka napatingin ulit si Sebastian sa mga nakaitim. Emy had a point there.

When he looked back the lady in front of her ay wala na ito doon. He could have chased after her pero biglang nagsalita yung isa sa Black Council.

***

Diana's eyes were glinting. The Black Council had still its effect to the students of Grey Academy. Look at how these lowly people stumbled here and there just to escape them.

Well, hindi naman talaga basta basta mapapalitan ng White Masked person na yun ang Black Council. They were just caught offguard kaya nagawa niya iyon sa kanila.

Diana took the megaphone and faced the crowd. Everyone stopped. This was the first time na may nagsalita from the Black Council.

"Grey students..." She started.

"Last week, a White Masked person destroyed our Headquarters. But do you really think that will end us? The Headquarter was just a mere room and nothing else. So don't you even think that Black Council will end just like that."

Nagcheer yung mga nakablack na cloak.

"And since that White Masked person tries to mess with us, we have prepared a gift for him or her.

"Black Council, let the festive begin!"

The Black cloaked people cheered again and started attacking the students. It was more vicious than before. In fact, some of their members brought out long wooden sticks and they used that to hurt the students.

Diana was laughing while looking at the chaos in front of her. Yes! This was her payback. These people were laughing behind the Black Council when their headquarters was destroyed. But see who was laughing now.

Suddenly, there was a thud behind her. Bago pa man siya makalingon ay may kamay na na pumulupot sa may leeg niya at may hawak iyong kutsilyo.

"Let her go!" Someone shouted.

Diana was sure it was Vio. But it wasn't just her who figured that out. Ganun din si Emy.

She smirked at mas lalong itinutok sa leeg ni Diana yung kutsilyo.

"Make your people stop now."

"Don't..." Pipigilan pa sana ni Diana si Vio pero agad nitong hinarap ang mga miyembro nila.

"Black Council, stop."

Agad naman na huminto ang mga ito at lumingon kung nasaan ang mga leader nila. Doon lang nila nakita ang sitwasyon.

"Bitch! Do you really think you can get away from us?"

"As long as your filthy life is important to these people, I am sure can." Idiniin niya ang kutsilyo sa may leeg ni Diana and it started to leave a red mark there. Kaunting diin pa niya ay dudugo na ito.

Vio saw that Diana winced.

"Damn it! Don't hurt her."

Pero dinedma lang niya si Vio and started walking.

"Walk properly o baka maaksidente kong maisaksak sayo ito." Takot niya kay Diana. Again, she felt the blade touching her skin. Sa takot na isaksak nga nito iyon sa kanya, she walked properly. Dinala siya nito sa may harap ng mga estudyante.

"Kill that person! Kill!"

Someone shouted. Tapos ay sunod sunod na iyong ichinant ng mga estudyante.

That made Vio angry. He took one of the wooden stick at tangkang hahampasin yung pinakamalapit na estudyante sa kanya when someone stood in front of that student.

"Do it if you can." Sabi ni Sebastian. He figured that it was his brother kaya naman hinarap na niya ito.

The amazing thing was, other students also took their steps forward to face the Black Council.

Vio laughed. "Do you really think kaya niyo kami?"

"We might not be able to take you all but surely we can take down as much as we can." Someone said from the seniors.

"Exactly. The Black Council has been doing a lot of cruel things to the students of Grey. Do you think we will just shut up and watch?" Jules said.

When Emy saw Jules there, agad niyang chineck kung andoon din si Franco. Agad din niya itong nakita malapit sa kinaroroonan ni Sebastian.

"Look at what you've done. These people had already enough of your cruelty."

Diana sneered. "These people are nothing but foolish. Just like you."

"Really? You must really have no brain for not seeing the real situation here."

Vio suddenly laughed. "If that's the case, then let's fight until we have proven kung sino ang mas matibay sa atin."

The fight broke out again. More students were fighting the Black Council.

It was indeed a rare sight.

Suddenly, Vio attacked Emy. Dahil sa pag-iwas niya ng biglaan ay nabitawan niya si Diana.

The two of them ran. She tried chasing after them pero agad siyang naharangan ng ilang Black Council members. They soon started fighting with her.

Ngayon niya nagamit ang mga itinuro sa kanya ni Franco.

Soon, natanggalan niya ng maskara ang dalawa sa kalaban niya.

It shocked the other students pero yung mga nakikipaglaban sa Black Council members got an inspiration.

They also started removing masks and soon, more of the council members had been exposed.

But the Black Council started to retreat. Hanggang sa may sumigaw na parating ang mga official members ng Royal Guards.

Agad na nilapitan ni Sebastian si Emy.

"Go now."

Naintindihan naman agad ni Emy kung bakit siya nito pinapaalis agad. She had bounty on her head.

Quickly, she ran away and looked for the nearest escape.

***