SSHS 227 “I…” Arthur started but his voice faltered and became more silent the more that he dragged on to that syllable. Everyone was waiting for him to continue, to begin his sentence of answer, but he only dragged on more until the air left out of his lungs and he had to cut off that syllable. He looked around the room and saw that every pair of eyes were focused on him, still waiting for him to answer even though it is evident that they are near the end of their patience for him. Some were tapping their feet to the ground at a rapid pace, some were tapping their fingers against their other arm and some were tapping their finger to a surface close to them. They were waiting for him to speak. Arthur was unsure if he should continue or not. He did have some thoughts a while ago. And to ignore would just mean that he is ignoring all the time he thought those things--- kind of like throwing it all to the trash without any second thought and putting himself in the fire like it was fu
SSHS 228. Hestia wanted to run after Arthur in hopes to catch him and interrogate him herself, but the timing would not permit it as she as well as Damian and Excami were busy dealing with the Club President about some paper works. She could only rely on Albert and Aaron to do the job as they also bid farewell to the Student Council members. “We will be going then. Bye.” Albert said as he did a salute and walked out of the Student Council Office with Aaron following him from behind. After that, Hestia focused on the task at hand, the paper works of the Club President that are so dis- organised and lacking that it needs even some grammar checking that they find a lot. If this is a plot of the Senior Cheerleader, which is highly likely, then it is effective at best and was able to prevent the two rookie undercover spies from moving together. If this is pure chance the ‘curse that chance’, Hestia thought as she reviewed one last time the paper works on her hands,
SSHS 229 The instinct to instantly freeze in one spot was present in Hestia’s mind, there was that option but she chose not to, for doing so would mean to also alert the person that was watching her from somewhere around her. She tried to sneakily look around but not make it look like she was suspicious at all. ‘Maybe this is one of those like before? I already felt this before and I was only being watched through cameras and monitors. I could check for them while I am here. But I should let the feeling pass for a moment.’ Hestia thought to herself. And she waited for a while. After a few moments have passed, she made herself look busy with her tablet by making it look like she was doing some review or taking some extra notes. All the while, she sneaked in a communication with Albert through their own server. In Morse Code. She told him that she has been feeling like she was being watched as of the moment, and there is a great possibility that it was Freya.
SSHS 230 Through the course of the month of December, things have happened. There was the celebration of the students since they have completed all their requirements, as well as taken their finals exams--- some were celebrating but the anxiety of not knowing your examination scores were still lingering at the back of their minds; hopefully, the spirit of Chriostmas would be able to drive such thoughts away--- and then the Christmas Party that each class had has been overly extravagant and joyous. They even had party games and prizes prepared since the school had an extra budget for suh: prizes such as clothes, watches and even limited edition things, they have provided for the joy of the students before the Christmas Break arrives. However, even if at such a time everyone is having fun, there are certain people who are not: like the Student Council. The School Board have passed down to them the budget for the prizes and they had to work over it in less than
SSHS 231 Suddenly, Hestia was frozen in her spot, even though she had been standing still at that time. If she was not able to control her emotions and expressions, she might have shown the Senior Cheerleader what she has been thinking all along. It is a good thing that she had those areas under control, and yet, the hair at the back of her neck rose up at the tension and the feeling of dread that she was having at that time. Remaining calm, Hestia looked towards the Senior Cheerleader who was beside her. Freya’s gaze was frightening--- on the perspective of a normal person: her eyes were wide open, she was frowning and the look of anger and rage were very visible and reflecting to her eyes--- her face was that of a terrifying painting. Such a staring contest would have continued if not for the sound of the elevator door opening. Once the doors opened, it was as if Hestia saw Freya flip a switch inside her. From being a frightening lady and back into her swee
SSHS 232 The story of how Freya Tolentino was able to obtain the Pandora’s Box was quite an adventure. Although it was nothing like an exploration in a jungle or an encounter with the mafia, and not even being kidnapped by the goons of the Underworld. The way that she discovered that the Pandora’s Box exists was a result of a mere curiosity that she had when she was young. Being born in an Asian household as she had, it means that everything is a competition. Whether it be in physical, academics or any field there is, everything is about competition. Everyone was trying to one up each other.
SSHS 233 As such is the nature of an Asian household, and due to the generational practice, it was never questioned at all. They accepted it as the truth, the normal and the norm that exists in their circle and tradition. Even if there are those who try to break from the norm that exists, it is still hard to flush it out of their system and mindset. But there are those who are successful. Like those of Freya’s parents. Her parents were adamant to remove themselves to the toxic environment, and so they relocated in another country where her father owned an airline. A successful one. Freya is indeed lucky to be born with parents with the likes of them, and so, Freya was able to grow up without the toxic environment and live freely as she deemed it be--- it is true that there are still supervision of her parents--- but she was lucky nonetheless. With the opportunity present in her palms, Freya and her parents, let her curiosity flourish to the depth that it can reach. There are t
SSHS 234 Once they were at the safety and privacy of Albert's dorm room, the two rookie undercover spies then began sharing the recording to the server of the ISO. Some listened to it and some tried to skim it as if there was a hidden meaning. But to the two rookie undercover spies, there is no hidden meaning at all only that there is a pattern. Such pattern is that all of their missions has been anti climatic so far. The only thing that contains action in them where the gunfights, the cross fires, and the need to save the helpless; so far there was nothing at all only the anti climatic things that his happening.
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