CHAPTER SIX

The next day, Via attended her school. During the subject time, Erika informed her on what school works they did yesterday, gave her the handout papers intended for her since, in their school, nobody took down notes; each of them gets a handout about the discussion. Erika informed Via about the lessons yesterday for her friend never had to miss the academics. Since Via did not request her friend for such action, this bored her to death. Via spent her recess time with Erika. They both agreed to spend their free time at the library and sat with Angela and her group of friends. Via was silent most of the time as Erika shared the circumstances that happened yesterday.

Erika talked with Angela and her group of friends regarding the latest episode of Angelic Ray that was aired yesterday on television. Everyone in the group talked about the anime series except for Via. A few seconds later into the topic, Erika noticed that her closest friend had been speechless the whole time and just stared at them. At this point, she felt guilty once again and considered herself to be a terrible associate.

"Are you okay?" Erika spoke to her, "Via?"

Via, who was listening to their topic as she wanted to know which cartoon they were referring to, nodded a yes and asked, "I thought we were going to draw or something."

She expected an art competition among the group when Erika informed her a while ago.

"So yesterday, Angela decided to have like a drawing bonding time during recess. I was alone yesterday because you were absent and so they invited me. They said they only started drawing yesterday as a group. I told you about it now that you are in school because maybe, this will help you become joyful. Especially you had an illness yesterday. Your service rider came to our classroom, told the adviser about it, and gave us your school planner. I was the one who volunteered to write on your planner for you." Erika informed her closest friend.

Such expressive concern disgusted Via because she never saw someone openly express their concern for a friend; her parents never said they love her as their daughter. She thought that could happen only in movies. She did not notice herself when she said, "ew." with outright disgust.

The group took it as a joke and laughed it off. There was never someone as straightforward as Via was, especially in their Catholic school that taught students to sweeten their words as this would have God wanted his followers to obey. Via regretted her response right away.

Angela brought out her art materials which were colored pencils but of different brands from what she had. Each one in their group had brought the drawings they made from yesterday. It just surprised Via that Angela grabbed the materials from one of the spaces from the bookshelf. Each of them had one piece of bond paper on which they started to draw yesterday, yet, they had yet to finish their sketches. Via silently judged their works; she laughed at the artworks secretly in her mind as she considered them to be clumsy.

"Angela, please give Via just one piece." Via heard her companion whispered to Angela.

Angela did so happily and was about to inform her of their activity when Erika interrupted, "So yesterday, Angela decided to share with us her art materials. I think even in their group, they only began to do so yesterday. It is a bad thing that you were not here with us yesterday. I am sure you would have enjoyed it as much as we did and you will do much better than any of us. Angela here taught us some art techniques. We talked about you yesterday, wondering what techniques you will teach us if you were here, because you are a talented artist too, and we..."

Though Erika continued her information, Via lost focus on her statements and just started to grab the package of Angela's art materials and read the brand. Prismacolor. The packaging was a cheap metal of black color and box-shaped. It had a total of 124 colors that enabled everyone in the group to share the art material. Via touched one of its pencils and found it to be sturdier as well than hers. She was amazed at the various shades that it offered; the wonder of ombre colors that it created, from the stunning shades of pale blue, regular blue, dark blue, light blue-green to dark green, and so on in other groups of pigments.

"You can get one and draw your favorite cartoon character. Just make sure to take care of it." Erika continued to speak even if Via never minded her words.

"Only make sure to take care of it. I secretly stole it from my sister," Angela whispered with a smile on her face.

Angela stood up, went to the book section, and brought them two books regarding the pencil art tutorials. She placed them quietly on the center of the table. "We saw that yesterday. That was when we decided that maybe, we could follow the tutorials inside, that was what Erika was talking about a while ago, that I taught them techniques, when in fact, I just read those stuff for them." She said as she resumed her seat.

Via ignored her remark and just decided to read the book; she was amazed at how detailed some of the art techniques in the book explanations were. There were lifelike illustrations of the objects, words of tutorials on the correct blending, and the explanation of a pencil consistency. The presentation of the information brought her more excitement on improving her art skills that gave her the urge to be interested in borrowing the two books.

She took down the books and saw that they continued their drawings with joy on their faces though she still chose not to participate in their bonding. She just observed the blending of the Prismacolor pencil arts and found them to be better than hers, for it produced a perfect shade of its color pigment; not too bright and not too pale either, just the right shade. She saw a closed sketchbook placed beside Angela with piles of bond papers placed on the back cover that interested Via's curiosity.

"Can I borrow the sketchbook?" Via asked Angela and nodded a yes.

Angela slid the sketchbook on the table to reach Via's hands. As soon as Via opened the sketchbook, she noticed the good smudge of the colors on each page. Via had seen Angela's drawings to be better than hers; they made her artworks mediocre. Each anime had lively colors. They had the correct shadow position, the wrinkles on their clothes were realistic, the hands were perfect, and their hair color had good blending; she had hidden drawings way better than those she shared with the class. Via looked at their works in silence. She observed them cleanly done with the quality of colors even if they failed to copy the characters correctly. She thought that it was because of the brand of their pencil arts.

"Via, are you okay?" Erika asked.

Via gave no response as she sat with envy towards the quality of their pencil arts. Although she enjoyed the art materials her parents gave her yesterday, she changed her opinions towards them. She began to plan how to have the same brand of those colored pencils.

After twenty minutes of their recess time, Angela checked her watch and informed her classmates they had to say their prayers at the hall. Each class section from Grade One to Grade Four had to line up separately. The boys and girls were separated were lined according to their height. The four grade levels stood in silence as they waited for their assigned prayer leader.

This routine was to encourage habitual prayers among their Catholic students before they proceed to the classrooms. Not only would this be practiced after recess time, as well as before they take their recess, before the start of their daily classes in the morning, and every dismissal time, they had to line up at the hall to say their prayers. In their school life, they had to do so four times within their five-hour period of class.

Via stood behind Erika as she was taller. Her friend turned around to whisper, "I forgot to tell you, Via, that I was the one who arranged for that time together, with Angela because I thought you'd like it, and I thought you were still pissed off at me for my advice a few days ago, but I didn't expect you'd be absent yesterday. I'm glad they agreed to continue today. That was like an apology in action."

Via was disgusted by her open expression of concern again. She remained silent and looked for Angela's presence in the line; she was standing at the front with her sketchbook, their piles of bond papers, and the Prismacolor Pencil Art that she desired to have in her hands.

"So why were you absent yesterday?" Erika continued to speak in a hushed tone.

Via looked at her face with a stupid look.

"Angela said that there's a possible reason for absence other than sickness, the ones that you don't tell the teachers. Is it true?" Erika asked teasingly.

"Whose art materials were those? I saw her taking it from the shelf" Via changed the topic as she pointed her look towards Angela's art possessions.

"It was hers. We hid it there yesterday because the bag was too heavy yesterday. Angela carried some borrowed books from the library. And you know that we don't have a locker in this Catholic school, unlike in America, I saw in one of their movies wherein the students had their lock...." Erika was interrupted by the announcement of their assigned leader in the loud microphone.

They said their prayers together at once and walked towards their classroom as they maintained their straight line in silence. When they reached their classroom, their subject teacher came in late that caused some of the students to continue their casual conversations with their friends. The group of Angela went to the bathroom outside. The whole class scattered to each of their group of friends.

Via saw her close friend check her bag. With this opportunity, she observed if someone was paying attention to her, there was none. She proceeds to steal the Prismacolor pencil arts from Angela's bag quickly, placed it inside their bag, and zipped it. She observed her surroundings again and saw that no one had witnessed her did such a thing. It took a while for Erika to walk to her to attempt a conversation. Via remained the cold-hearted and quiet person she had always been to let no one take suspicion off her. After a few minutes, Angela went back inside with her group to announce that their next teacher was coming. She walked to put her facial powder and comb into her bag but failed to notice a single thing lost from her belongings.

She had lived the life of her eight years with little to no reason to despair her. Yet could never say whether she has encountered the untainted definition of happiness. She was well provided by her family at home and lives in a kind environment with not a single incident of bullying. Despite the condition of her childhood, she had always felt empty. Until such a time came when she stole something from a good companion who did her no wrong brought her the happiness she had awaited in her eight years of life. She realized that the happiness for her was to inflict sorrow on these innocent people.

She resumed her seat with a big smile that would never cease at the time and looked again at Angela's reaction. The teacher came inside the classroom and greeted them; it was this time that Angela had a double check on her bag and noticed her missing Prismacolor Pencil art. She scanned her belongings once again and once assured by herself that her art materials were now gone. She made no loud reaction. But Via could see her through her body language the sadness over such a thing