Chapter Nine: Instinct

Later that day, after the incident that happened between Ligaya and V's friends, the boys were now having their conversation about it.

"You should have seen her face earlier. Jeez, it's like she is already plotting some murder scenes in her mind." Benjie said at once while applying what seemed like holy water on his arms like a lotion. The same thing was done by the others as well. They were all totally frightened and disgusted. 

"She's haunting, dude. I can't believe you let her stay in your house while you're wounded. With that look of hers, I wouldn't be surprised if she had hurt you," Dan commented. 

"What are you talking about? As if she could match my strength and combat skil--...wait, you knew?" V couldn't believe his ears. He was really surprised that Marco betrayed him on their deal to not tell anyone about Ligaya in his house. But it seemed like he's already late."Fine. As if I have a choice. That bastard reallt couldn't keep things for himself. Anyway, with regards to that girl, I just gave her a favor because she saved my life when Miko tried to kill me." 

"But why? What if she's Miko's spy? Or the Salamanders'? Or the Jaguars'?" Asked Benjie.

"Look, I trust my instincts more than anything else. I spent the night with her. But of course, she was downstairs, and nothing bad happened to me. In fact, my wound is strangely healing so fast. Trust me, I am not defending her or anything. I just feel like she's harmless. And don't tell anyone about her living in my house, idoits. She's just staying for a month."

"A month?!" All his friends were so shocked about the news that they asked in unison. 

"You know what, chill. I know what I'm doing." V defended himself.

"No, you don't. Dude, for whoever's sake, she is abnormal. And Marco told us already about her shamanic thing. Who wouldn't be sacred of that?" Banjie bellowed. 

V just stared at them. They all got point but he also trusted his instincts. Besides, as much as he did not want her to be around his house, he was still very curious about something, and he needed to find this out 

through Ligaya. 

"Okay, fine. Let her stay in your house, but be careful," it was now Armand who spoke. He was the man in their group who didn't usuallly speak a lot. 

"You haven't known me yet, dude," V just smirked with the thought of someone advising him to be careful. 

"And what about Miko and those stupid salamanders? The police said no case has been filed against them, and they were left with nothing but to let them out of jail." 

"In my entire existence, the policemen have never proven their worth and credentials to me, and even to the community. Just like the salamaders, they're a bunch of gits. Why would I need their help?" V grinned, as if relaying the message to his friends that the business had been done already. All his friends glanced at each other, but with no trace of confusion on their faces. Seemed like topics like this one was already too old to be discussed. They weren't actually aware what V was like and what he got but his mystery made them like and respect him more. 

~~~

V and his friends' second class of the day was about to start and they were currently heading to their classroom. This was one of the subjects that they happened to fail last semester, thus, they had nothing else to do but to retake it. As they went inside, they were not surprised anymore when they saw Ligaya calmly sitting at the back. They proceeded directly to their seats and sat on them. Nobody moved, probably still not confident with Ligaya's presence. Nobody aside from V. He was checking something on his phone. The professor then entered the room few minutes later, with nothing on her hand but a white board marker. She stood at the very center of what seemed like a mini stage that was situated in front of the class. She smiled mockingly and began to speak. 

"Same faces. I thought you all dropped the subject during the intramurals because you found out that I'll be replacing Mr. Topaz in this section for this subject, which of course, you failed last semester," her smile was shining and was trying to illuminate power. But nobody spoke except Marco, who muttered something under his nose. 

"We failed because of your unending corruption, frog," he uttered as she continued. 

"As usual, I am not expecting you to understand everything that I will be teaching you this semester. But of course, I still believe that you can. All of you can graduate. It just might take a little longer, perhaps for others." she chuckled but the students did not react. "Of course, even if no one does, I do. I do understand your generation's way of living. Night life and all...tsk tsk. But, I hope that for the past two semesters of your failed attempts to pass this precious subject, you have finally learned your lesson. That just like life, advanced engineering needs to be taken seriously as well. And that it won't budge unless a 

certain amount of force or effort is exerted. So, as a starter, I want a volunteer to answer the problem 

that I will be giving later on." 

As usual, no one moved and made an eye contact with her. 

"I am disappointed. Okay then, to make life easier, I will just write the problem ahead so you could decide and prepare as fast as possible." She wrote a very short yet very complicated equation. "Anyone?"

But no one volunteered. 

"I see...no one wants to, which leads me to choose among you randomly." Still wearing her evil grin, she walked across the isle and after a couple of seconds, her rude eyes landed on Marco, who seemed defying the purpose of the air conditioner as he sweat like never before. At that moment, everyone was sure that Marco would be the one. Fortunately for him, and perhaps, for the rest of the class, a small and emotionless voice from the back row interrupted the scene. 

"I want to answer the equation." 

Everyone was so taken aback. No one had ever accepted Mrs. Dorina's starter challenge. Aside from it was a trick, no one also liked her in every aspect of her entire existence. But of course, as peculiar as she was, Ligaya accepted it, which of course, she did correctly.