Chapter 1: Meeting Jack Xolair Creed

"Tutor?"

Tumango ako at patuloy na ininom ang milkshake ko. 

"Sysfairóno? Ibang level na iyon. Alam ko na kilala ka sa pagpapa-amo ng mga bata pero…"

I sighed and looked at Brix. He gave me a glance before looking down at the ground, his frowning face clouded with worry. 

"Kahit highschool lang yung matapos ko, Brix. Makakapasok ako sa kahit anong trabaho ng walang kahirap-hirap," dahilan ko pa. Halos lahat ng mga kaibigan, kakilala at kapamilya ko ay may issue din sa SRA. 

His sunny eyes looked grim, "You can go to college, though." 

"Wala akong pera. Atsaka opportunity 'to, and you know that…" 

"I don't give a damn if It's an opportunity. Because going to Sysfairóno Royal Academy is a suicide mission. You do know that I'm doing this for you, 'diba? Seven batchmates of ours tried to get in, dalawa lang iyong nakapasok. One quit and was sent to a psych ward, yung isa nagpakamatay!" Bulalas nya sa akin. Naiintindihan ko naman, pero para kay Mama at sa sarili ko, kakayanin ko.

Average and poor people, hindi naiiba sa isa't-isa. That's what they believe. If you set foot in this kingdom, you will be welcomed. But if you are no royalty, you'll be getting out of here, either dead, or alive but fatally damaged. -SRA Power 6 Comittee. 

"I know. Pero we'll never know unless we try, right?" I am no royalty to the society, I'm not wealthy, I'm not flashy, but I got the brains. Alam 'kong kaya ko. "Hindi ko paglalaanan ng oras yung mga mabababaw na tao doon, I promise."

Nagbuntong hininga nalang sya at pilit nalang na ngumiti. "Whatever satisfies your annoyingly eager self, Criasha."

"See? You agreed after all," I smiled.

"You won't take no for an answer," he replied, rolling his eyes.

I grinned, a little bit guilty. "Oops, totoo."

We chatted for a bit more until I was about to leave. It's almost sundown already. Agad akong nagpaalam at tumakbo sa bilihan ng ulam at bibili ang paborito ni Mama. 

Agad 'kong hinablot ang keypad 'kong cellphone at tinawagan si Mama. Kumunot agad ang nuo ko ng hindi sya sumagot. She always answers in the first ring, wherever she is. Unless…

"Shit!" Mura ko at tinapik ang sarili ko sa utak ko. I literally dashed home, with a plastic bag of sisig in my hands. 

"Mama!" Nagpa-panic 'kong sigaw. We live in the suburbs, tago at tahimik sa gabi. You can say one word in a volume that's more than average, and it's guaranteed na maririnig ka ng mga kapitbahay nyo.

Pagpasok ko sa bahay ay nakita ko agad ang mga gamit namin. Maayos pa…

Agad akong lumabas at tumakbo papunta sa tindahang pinagtatrabahuhan ni Mama. Hindi pa ako nakakalayo ay narinig ko ang ungol ng isang lalaki at ang pag-bagsak sa lapag ng kung ano man. 

My heart was beating so hard inside my chest as I ran towards the alley where I heard the sound. If they find us, we would have to move and hide again. Binalot ako sa kaba ng marinig ko ang putok ng isang baril. Kinakabahang mas binilisan ko ang takbo ko kahit muntikan na akong madapa.

Nang marating ko ang pasukan ng madilim na eskinita ay nakita ko ang anino ng mga nakatumbang tao. I saw it for just a second before I bumped on someone going out of there. Napayuko ako sa sakit. When I looked up, silver-gray eyes looked down at me and stunned me, rendering me to stop breathing for a moment.

He just stared at me. Nagtinginan kami ng ilang segundo bago sya naglakad paalis sa akin. Sumilip ako sa eskinita at nakita ang nanay 'kong nakaupo sa lapag. Agad na hinablot ko ang sleeve ng hoodie na suot nya, "Anong ginawa mo sa Mama ko?"

He scoffed in disbelief.

"I helped her," sabi nya at agad na nangilabot ako sa lamig ng boses nya.

Naguguluhang naningkit ang mga mata ko. I tilted my head to the side, not believing him.

"Shouldn't you go check on her?" irap nya at agad na tinanggal ang kamay 'kong nakahawak sa kanya. He walked out and I rushed inside the alleyway.

"Mama!"

Umangat ang ulo ng ina ko bago nya ako nginitian, "I'm okay, kalma."

Napasigaw ako ng may matapakan akong malambot pero matigas na bagay. That's when I saw it. The gangsters my mom and I were running from for years. Nakahilata silang lahat, walang malay at duguan. He did save her...

**********

“Twenty what?!” gulat ‘kong sigaw at agad akong pinagtinginan ng mga tao sa loob ng store. Well, kanina pa naman nila ako pinagtitinginan. I even heard someone call me a beggar.

The cashier gave me a weird look before she repeated, “Twenty-thousand, ma’am.”

“A-Ah, o-okay…” pinihit ko ang katawan ko at tinalikuran ang cashier, tulala. People stared at me, but I’m used to it now. In this world, poor people are classified as weirdos, outcasts and pests. To put it simply, we are people who are worth nothing.

Twenty thousand pesos just for a book set of 5? I want to die. Nag-enroll nalang sana ako sa ibang school kung may twenty thousand ako. Ilang kilong bigas na ang mabibili ko doon.

“Are you going to buy it or not?” tanong ng babae sa likod ko. Halatang halata ang yaman nya sa mga simpleng alahas na suot nya, “Can’t you see that there’s a line? Bakit ka ba nandito if you're poor naman?”

Nag-ngalit ang bagang ko ng mag-bulungan sila. Mahirap ako pero hindi ako masokista. Yumuko nalang ako at lumabas. I feel uncomfortable in my uniform. First day of school and I’m already suffering.

Dala-dala ang bag ko ay naglakad ako sa hallway ng SRA. Sysfairóno Royal Academy, ang pinaka-sikat na paaralan sa buong bansa. Worldwide school na maraming branches at top-notch ang education. It’s also famous for its overpriced education.

“If you can tutor my brother's son and my son, I’ll grant you a scholarship in Sysfairóno. Suko na ang mga professors at part-time tutors na kinuha ko. No one could tame those children,” SRA’s Director says. I got a scholarship to teach midgets. Mahilig naman ako sa mga bata kaya ayos lang.

“Do you think Maddox will attend the orientation today?” tanong ng isang babae sa kasama nya. Tumigil ako at binuksan ang locker ko ilang dipa sa magkaibigang nag-uusap.

“Probably not. I mean, he never does. Pumapasok lang din naman sya dahil kukuhanin ng dad nya yung credit cards nya. Bakit ba baliw na baliw kayo kay Maddox? For me, Jax looks a lot better. He’s the bad boy type,” the other girl giggles.

“Dumbass, parehas silang bad boy type. But… he will graduate in two or three years, right? Tapos sa ibang sector na sya papasok?”

“Who will? Oh, Cairo?” nagtinginan sila at sabay silang tumili, dahilan para malaglag ko ang notebook ko sa gulat.

“The Venedovéas. They’re the wealthiest, right? Kapag nawala sila top 1 na ang mga Vasileía…”

“It’s impossible. The Vasileía’s net worth is just 30 percent of the Venedovéa’s net worth.”

Nahihilo ko silang pinapakinggan at nag-ayos nalang ng gamit sa locker. I need to organize my things before classes even starts.

“Whatever. Anong nangyari sa investment mo?” nagsara sila ng locker at nagkatinginan kami. They looked skeptical as to why I'm staring at them.

“The stocks skyrocketed so it’s doing well.”

That was the last thing I heard. Agad akong naglakad papunta sa second floor at hinanap ang class 12:1-A. Ilang minute akong nagpagala gala sa sobrang laki ng school bago ako napunta sa tamang hallway. I was about to walk when I felt the floor below me rumble a bit.

“May lindol?” nagtataka ‘kong tanong at nanlaki ng konti ang mga mata ko ng makita ko ang matangkad na lalaki na nakasakay sa hoverboard. Fluffy hair, fair skin, thin but pinkish lips, and he has dimples despite his slightly hollow cheeks. Ang nakakuha lang sa atensyon ko ay ang tsokolate niyang mga mata. It's warm.

“Shi-“ muntikang mura ko ng makita ang mga babaeng literal na hinahabol siya. People giggled and some gasped when he came in view.

The brown-eyed dude stared at me directly. He looks mysterious. He has a blank face on but it suddenly turned into a mischievious grin.

Oh no, I'm not liking this...

His hoverboard went straight in my direction. Napamura ulit ako sa isipan ko. Tumalikod agad ako para tumkakbo ng kaonti sa gilid. Kapag ako napisa dito! Why is there even a stampede in the first day of school?

Gusto ko lang umalis sa direkson niya dahil may masama akong pakiramdam pero dahil nakadikit pa din ang tingin nya sa akin, kinabahan ako. Agad akong tumigil ng wala na ako sa direksyon niya. I stopped to regain my breath. That’s when an arm slinked on my shoulder.

Galing sa gilid ng ulo ko ay sumilip sya na may ngisi. Kumindat sya at nginisian ako. He honestly looks dazzling, but I don't really care. Halos mapairap ako ng bumukas ang labi nya para sabihing, “Hey, baby.”

Redflag; operation avoid this flirt.

“I didn't see you around before,”  Medyo lumamlam ang ngiti nya. He looks intimidating to be honest... he looks like a Dior model.

Dahil sa self-defense mechanism ko, agad na lumipad ang kamay ko. 

"Oops..."

He gasped before groaning. He clutched his stomach and I froze. Sheesh, hindi ko sinasadya!

"S-Sorry! I swear, hindi ko sinadya!" sabi ko.

I hurriedly bowed and went to run towards my classroom. Bago pa man ako makatakbo ay hinila ng kamay nya ang uniform ko. "Don't run, sweetheart."

Halos masamid ako sa lalim ng boses nya. I didn't expect that. Napatingin ako sa mukha nya pababa sa paa nya. Shi-

"You'll slip," sabi nya. His aura shifted from friendly to alpha. Napalunok ako.

He sighed and looked down at the floor for a moment before pushing his hair back. Lumitaw ang nuo nya at agad na tumabon ulit sa gilid ang buhok nya. Umawang ang labi ko. It's not everyday that you see someone as gorgeous as him.

"Jax!" sigaw ng isang babae na naka-office work attire. She looks like she's in her early 20's. "What are you doing? Are you bullying people now, huh?"

So he's Jax, huh?

Agaran ang pag-irap ni Jax. When her eyes landed on me, I panicked. I held my hands up. "I didn't do anything!"

"Yeah, right," sabi ng isang babae sa gilid. "You jabbed him in his stomach."

The woman in the office attire opened her mouth, stunned and confused. Kinabahan ako. I should have stayed quiet and kept a low profile. I mean, I wasn't even trying to stand out!

"When?" the brown-eyed guy in front of me asked, his voice exuding power, and just a little bit of intimidation.

"A while ago! Jax-" she argues but he cuts her off.

"She did? Excuse me, but who are you again?" his naturally cool voice striked the air again. Parang nahihiya at naiiyak ay yumuko ang babae. She threw me an angered look first before looking down.

"I was just trying to protect you. Why am I in this situation?" bulong nya pero narinig ng mga malalapit sa kanya, including me. Jax probably heard it, too. But he didn't pay it any mind. Instead, he looked at the lady in the office attire.

"Ate Zura, did tito ask you to spy on me again? Come on, hindi ba sila napapagod? Maddox will be so pissed..." 

She just smiled, "Just come with me later. May kailangan daw sabihin si Kuya sa inyo ni Maddox."

The brown-eyed model on my left side sighed and picked up his hoverboard. He gave me a poker-face. Sobrang layo ng vibe nya kanina kaysa sa ngayon.

"In case you don't know, she's the School's Headmaster," sabi nya at nakapamulsang hinila pinatay ang hoverboard nya.

"See you, sweetcheeks," sabi ni Jax ng hindi man lang ako tinitignan. Sumunod sya sa Principal. Walang emosyon ang mukha nya pero maririnig mo ang asar sa boses nya. 

The bell rang. Napatigil siya at nagsitakbuhan ang mga tao papasok sa classroom. Naglakad na ako papunta sa classroom.

"Well... I guess mamaya nalang, ate. Bye!" rinig na rinig ko ang ngisi sa boses nya kahit nakatalikod ako.

A few moments after, may umakbay nanaman sa akin. Sa gulat ko ay muntikan na namang gumalaw ang mga kamay ko.

"I have a god-speed reflex. Please don't scare me, at bitawan mo ako," ginalaw ko ang balikat ko dahil ang ibang mga estudyante ay nagbubulung-bulungan na naman. Jax chuckled. 

"I'll go first," he murmured and walked to the classroom next to mine.

Liningon ako ni Jax, he smiled a bit and said, "Bye."

That was my first and last interaction with him. Kasi hindi na niya ako kinausap mula noon...