SSHS 151 It is now the official start of spring. No longer the cold weather and the cold breeze of Monday mornings. The snow was melting and they were letting the green of the grass to be alive and glisten under the sun and glimmer like a new found gold. The birds are back to their cherry self and singing the songs of spring, they are now all hanging around the trees with the new leaves and waiting for the fruits to grow and feast on it. The flowers were painting the walkways and the ground of the La Florence Academy with a vibrant and colourful twist in it that every student walking could only bear a smile. All students welcomed spring like a long awaited day. They all basked in the morning sunlight as they stalled in the open spaces and had a chat amongst each other. That is to say it only lasted— that happiness and contentment only lasted— until someone mentioned the Finals. The spring started at the very end of April and everyone was happy to see the snow melting and the warm
SSHS 152 “Hey Excami?” “I’m in our classroom. Why?” “Nothing, I just want to let you know that we won’t have to do anything for today so, we are free to do whatever we want.'' With that announcement, Excami squealed with an excited glee over the other side of the phone call. “Oh my goodness, really?” “Yes, really. We actually covered all the paperworks needed until the end of the school year so we are good. Unless there are things we need to do urgently and all of a sudden then, I’ll give you guys a call.” Damian said. By the background noise, it was apparent that he was walking through the hallways, probably back from the library borrowing some books. “Okay, copy that brother.” Excami cheerily said as she bid her brother farewell and ended the call. As she put her phone down, she returned to her notes and talked to the student in front of her desk. Apparently, she was using her time to tutor her classmates a little— so that they would be able to navigate the subject on thei
SSHS 153 Far from the range of the students walking by yet close enough to stare at the Student Council Vice President doing her reviewer. Clever position indeed. A clever person too. As the sun went from its glorious peak and down to the horizon, painting the sky a magnificent hues of purple, blues and greens, that also marked the end of the classes for that day. Half of the students went home with a smile on their faces, deeming the day productive and that they deserved a well- earned rest after that rigorous studying and running from one building to another just to obtain some notes or to get tutored. The other half deemed this day not as productive as they thought and so they went home or to their dorms with a downcast face, saying to themselves that they could have done more if not for those other students constantly bothering them for a note or for a tutoring or two. Nonetheless, everyone had their own perspective on this day and made some adjustment of goals in their lis
SSHS 154 Hestia has been perceptive of her surroundings a bit more than usual lately. Even though she has placed all the cameras and listening bugs to all places possible, she still could not catch the person who has been observing her for a long period of time. She reviewed all the clips, all the recordings and even made sure that she knows who is around her at all times and yet, she cannot pinpoint who the person might be. ‘Is it even a person at this point?’ Hestia thought to herself as walked through the pavement and into the familiar office that she goes to whenever she has a thought in need of exploration. But this time, she is not going here to ask for help for exploring her thoughts. This has become something very concerning at this moment. Entering that familiar hallway, exactly seventeen steps then reaching that familiar Narra door with simplistic carvings. Knocking four times, she waited for a response from the person at the other side of the door. “Come in.” Said that
SSHS 155 “Hello? Mr. Ben? Anyone inside?” the voice asked again all the while knocking at the same time. Whoever was at the other side of the door, they seemed to be impatient. The three people inside the office all looked at each other with a raised brow, nonetheless, Mr. Ben still answered them. “Who are they?” he asked. The person from the other side of the door immediately answered with, “It is us, Mr. Ben. the Student Council members. We are currently looking for Ms. Hestia Leblanc.” the voice of Damian sounded from the other side of the door. Then Excami was the one who spoke next. “May we come in, Mr. Ben?” her voice was a bit demanding yet still sounding innocent and sweet. “Yes, you may come in.” At that permission, the door immediately opened and the other three members of the Student Council presented themselves to Mr. Ben and the two other students inside his office. “Oh look, there is Hestia. We found her.” Arthur nonchalantly said by only glancing towards the room
SSHS 156 Surprised faces— that is what is plastered at the faces of the Montague siblings and Arthur. The information laid out to them by Hestia, Albert and Mr. Ben was too much shocking and too much in of itself for just one sitting. Their eyes were wide open as well as their mouths. Excami covered hers with her hands but the shock is still evident at her expression. Damian then hurriedly faced Hestia and asked in haste, “Someone has been stalking you and you did not tell us?!” He even grabbed the shoulders of the poor Student Council Vice President and shook her. Excami was quick to stop her brother from tormenting her classmate even further. “Wait! Damian, stop! I am sure that Hestia has her reasons.” separating her brother from Hestia, Excami let out a sigh of relief, but the sense of shock and fear for Hestia still resides inside her. And she sure hopes that Hestia has a real and valid reason for that. Through the narration of what Hestia, Albert and Mr. Ben told them, they
SSHS 157 To say that the Student Council members, as well as a member of the Photography Club and Mr. Ben himself has constructed a plan— almost foolproof for tomorrow— the day that they will know who the mystery person stalking Hestia Leblanc is. But it should still be reminded that they are faced with very limited options and paths to take, and so their plan may not be as foolproof as it was mentioned above. And yet, here they are, determined to make this plan as successful as possible. After all, a lot is at stake here. They managed to work with so little information, that they were now walking towards the rooftop of the Club Building with a confident gaze and determined stance in them. It’s a good thing that they found a loophole in the love letter given by the mystery person— the stalker of Hestia. “Whoever they are, they are also geniuses for choosing the time to meet. 6 am mostly consists of the teachers arriving and the guards doing rounds.” Damian muttered as they all wa
SSHS 158 ‘I guess I’ll just have to engrave that image to my memory.’ Thinking that to himself, he slowly walked towards the Student Council Vice President and with silent steps as he could, he wanted to surprise her. Take her off guard and use that opportunity to confess his love and get a confession from her that instant too. His steps were a bit quick, and yet he does not make any sound at all. Either it was due to his shoes or that he really is a skill to do so. Wanting to call the attention of the girl he likes, he cleared his throat. That sound is enough to make the Student Council Vice President turn and that is also a masterpiece to him. Her hair swayed with her head, and everything was in slow motion. Even though her eyes were relentlessly cold, he still saw her beauty— in her rose tinted eyes, she was a magnificent art to be delicately treasured. And he made sure to also engrave that moment in his memories, for him to remember, always. Hestia was well aware of her sur
SSHS 247After the Thanksgiving dinner that night and that mission, the two rookie undercover spies went on with their days. They went on being the ‘normal’ third years that they are and continued being the third years that they are. No more missions were given to them after the mission about the Montague couple and they do not know if the headquarters of the ISO where sympathising with their shock or if there is really no more mission for them to do. But either way, they are glad that they were able to finish the mission in such a short time and also experience being students as they are.They went on and experienced things as if they were normal people and not some spies who were trained at the very young age. Not some undercover people who are in there for the sake of completing their mis
SSHS 246After the game it was already time for dinner, Damian and Excami won because none of them were able to find out what kind of thing they had and they were all tagged out of the game. It was fun for the most part but what everyone waited for was the thanksgiving dinner and it was satisfying. They enjoyed every bite and they waited for the dessert because it was the star of the dinner the dessert.Then after eating, they lounged a little longer by the dinner table and talked about all the other things, like the fun times that they had in school, the love story between the Montague couple how they met how they fell in love and then almost talked about how they conceived the children but thankfully damien and Excami stopped them before it happened. The Montague siblings almost asked about the families of Hestia and Albertand what kind of stori
SSHS 245Sometime later, it is already the Month Of October and things have been going smoothly both for the Montague siblings and for the two rookie undercover spies and for the Montague couple. for the course of the month of october, Hestia and Albert had been invited for dinners and lunches by either Damian or Excami and would always result for a dinner together with their parents and with that the bond between all of them had grow and become stronger and they were more close with each other than ever before.But there is something that the two rookie undercover spies can not pinpoint at all. because most of the past missions they have been assigned to, they are always making the opportunity to get close to the target; they are always making the opportunity to do something, to create a movement, a pattern, a path for their mission t
Sshs 244The next day, Hestia and Albert walked side by side to their classroom. Apparently, the whole school knew of the incident yesterday: Mrs. . Montague pulled them out for the whole day and never came back until the wee hours of the night. Some people tried to block them and ask a ton of questions about what happened yesterday; questions like: what happened? Where did you go? What did she say? Was she generous? Was she kind? Was she loving and sweet and like a saint when she visited back at the beach house? What did you talk about with her? Such a ton of questions were asked to them and yet they remained silent about it. No comment, no answers, just complete silence as they went through
SHS 243 They ate in silence, up until dessert. No one spoke a word and it stayed that way until they were brought into the library. No one spoke as each of them were encouraged to pick a book in the vast collection of books inside the library. As they sat into the chairs available at the library, only then did the conversation start at the pretence of wanting to know what book they found. “How about you, Hestia? Albert? What book did you pick?” Hestia and Albert then lifted up the books that they picked. Mrs. Montague cooed at the books in their hands and proceeded to analyse them. “Wow! You live up to your personality. Unlike someone else.” Mrs. Montague threw in the shade as she briefly looked at her children who were silently reading with their father on the other side of the library. It was not quite far, but it seemed that the Montague siblings were so immersed in what they were reading that they did not notice the shade that was thrown at them by their
SSHS 242 As the three of them sat in silence without any of them taking a bite of their food, they tried to process the information that was at their table. The Montague siblings have been showing two different personalities and all between being inside the school and at school. If at school, they were glorified as students who are the top role models; a fun and energetic one and a gentle ruler, both were on ground and knew how to touch some grass. At home, they are the arrogant siblings who think they are better than anyone and will not even go down to their current level. It was as if they know the a person with the same name and yet still different by how they act.&nb
SSHS 241 A new school year started right before their eyes. Without any mission to worry about, time passed by the two rookie undercover spies and with barely any notice, they were in their third years. There were a lot of things that happened but they were used to it and it passed by them like a flash of the camera and after that, it was already in the middle of the month of September. The voting for the new Student Council began and the whole school was bussing with noises and the representative of the running Student Council President was shouting and getting people to vote for their candidates. “Please vote for…” one student shouted. “No, please vote for…” another student shouted. It was the start of the shouting battle between the two parties running for the Student Council President position. It created so much commotion that Damian had to step up and break the commotion apart. “Enough with this! This is so immature of you! Can’t you go and make your da
SSHS 240 As the surroundings dimmed into darkness, the light sensors in the gymnasium began to light up. Freya’s eyes adjusted from the dark and into the light that the sensor lights brought up. She shielded her eyes with her hands from the sudden light and that was Albert’s cue to remove himself from the sight of the Senior Cheerleader and go behind her. This is not to catch her off guard--- oh she was already caught off guard by the time she mentioned the Pandora’s Box--- but it was his way to not let Freya do anything anymore that will put herself into more danger. It is better if she just surrenders to them in a plain and simple manner.&
SSHS 239 “By the way, how were the Montague siblings? I have not heard from them after that incident with Arthur.” Albert asked. The two rookie undercover spies were roaming around the campus, taking a leisure walk as they passed by some of the students who were headed for their extra curricular activities. The two of them do indeed have some activities too but it was all done. Hestia is done with her paper works and scheduling for the Student Council and Albert was also done with his portfolio for the Photography Club with the theme of ‘After Christmas’. There was a moment of silence to the part of Hestia before she answered the inquiry of her spy partner. “They have been normal, acting as they always have as far as I am concerned. Although Excami now has her guard up always and was weary of everything and everyone, she is as cheerful as ever. Well, it is Damian who changed. He became more strict and protective of his sister, and he also became colder.” Hest