Episode 4

LUCAS stood still for a moment, as if waiting for an opportunity. His eyes darted quickly when he heard a rustle from a distance. A slight smile played on the young man’s lips, his tongue flicking out as if he were ravenous. He leaped down from the top of the tree and followed the sound of the rustling and the scent of his future prey. He moved with the agility of a wild beast, even surpassing it in speed.

“Bloody breakfast would be great,” the young man muttered with a grin as he ran. His smile widened when he saw his breakfast, a BABIRUSA.

Lucas disappeared instantly, and in a flash, cries echoed through the forest. Even the other animals retreated fearfully to their burrows, as if they knew the attack of the monster they feared.

A Month Later...

“Okay class, I have an announcement to make,” said Miss Gillany, Maxine’s class advisor. “Our class with my subject is tomorrow, so don’t be surprised to see me here. Actually, Miss Macalisang isn’t around yet, so you don’t have class either. She's on a trip right now. The dean instructed me to cancel all classes for today for the preparation of the upcoming camp that will be held in one of the mountains here in St. Monica.”

“Camp? When?” asked one of Maxine’s classmates.

“The day after tomorrow.”

“Is it just for BSHRM?” Maxine asked, following up.

“What are you talking about Maxine, it’s so boring!” countered Meghan, the girl sitting next to her.

Maxine sighed and rolled her eyes at her friend.

“Enough guys,” Miss Gillany interrupted the two before they could argue. “Don’t worry Miss Bodegas, the whole COM will participate.”

“Alright!” Meghan grinned as if she had won. “That would be fun, right classmates?” she asked her classmates. The students made a slight commotion in agreement.

“Everyone is mandated to participate. No one will be excused,” Miss Gillany added. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Ma’am!” the students responded in unison.

“And last thing, we won’t go there for fun. We will have activities there.”

___

MAXINE was leaving campus. They had no classes for the whole day to prepare for the next day’s camp.

“More expenses,” she thought. Of course, she would ask her mother for pocket money for that. The Alfonzo couple would only pay for the registration f*e.

“Awww!” She clutched her head. She bumped into someone’s shoulder, a guy who wasn’t looking where he was going.

“S-sorry Miss, I didn’t mean to,” the guy said as he picked up her things.

“It’s okay. I didn’t see you either, so…” She couldn’t finish her sentence when the guy looked up.

“H-hi!” He seemed surprised, just like her.

“H-hi!” she replied. She took her things from him.

“Maxine, right?”

She just nodded slightly. He still remembered her name.

“I’m glad we met again. It’s been a month. Remember me?”

She didn’t say anything.

“I’m Hevo. I was the guy on the mango tree.”

“Yes, I remember.”

Who could forget that? Making a mango tree his hangout place? She thought to herself.

“Heading home?” the guy asked again. He walked beside her.

“Yes. We have no classes for the whole day.”

“You’re also from COM?”

“Yes, why?”

“So, we’re from the same department. I’m in Business Administration. Nice, at least I have a friend at camp.”

“Ah..” she just mumbled. She couldn’t say anything to his chatter.

“I’ll drive you home.”

“No need,” she declined. It would be embarrassing, her house was in another village.

“I insist.”

She scratched her head at his persistence. Why was he so nice? She couldn’t help but think about things.

“Is something wrong?” she heard Hevo ask.

She looked at him in surprise. “N-no. I was just thinking.”

“Wait for me here. I’ll just get my car.”

She wanted to protest, but he was already gone. She had no choice but to wait. It was okay, she would save her fare for the day.

They arrived quickly at the mansion. It didn’t take thirty minutes, which usually happened when she rode a tricycle.

“You live here?” Hevo asked as he opened the car door for her.

“Ah, no,” she laughed, shaking her head. “I work here.”

“I see.”

“Sorry, I can’t invite you inside. My boss might get mad.”

He smiled. “It’s okay.”

They both turned when a car honked, it was Beatriz’s car. It stopped in front of them, the car window rolled down and her bitchy boss appeared.

“What are you waiting for? Open the gate!”

She quickly went to the gate and opened it. She saw Beatriz talking to Hevo from a distance, she was smiling at him. After a while, she drove the car forward, probably noticing that she was done.

“Thanks again for the ride,” she said to Hevo as she approached him. Beatriz’s car was already inside, giving her a chance to thank her new friend.

“My pleasure. Gotta go..”

“Okay..”

Hevo was about to get in the car when he turned back. To her surprise, he came back.

“Uhm, if you don’t mind.” He scratched his head before speaking again. “Do you have a cellphone?”

It took a while before she answered. To be honest, she was surprised. “Ah, yeah.”

“Can I borrow it?”

She scratched her head.

“Ah..” She shyly pulled her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Hevo. She was assuming again. “Ahm, I prefer this one because it’s more user-friendly,” she explained. Her phone wasn’t the latest, it was outdated, so to speak. The screen was also cracked. But Hevo just smiled and typed something on it. He was making a call.

“There, it’s okay now.”

She took the phone back, confused. How was it okay, he didn’t seem to talk to anyone?

“Okay. Bye Maxine!”

“Okay.”

After Hevo left, she went inside and closed the gate. She found Beatriz in the living room, sitting on the couch while fiddling with her expensive phone.

“Where did you meet him?” she suddenly asked.

She stopped and looked in her direction.

“Me?”

Beatriz rolled her eyes and looked at her. “Idiot. Is there anyone else besides you?”

Of course, she was stupid? She thought.

“At school.”

“Do you know that he’s a famous football player in L.A? He’s a transferee.”

She shook her head.

“He is Hevo Fontanella.”

She didn’t say anything. Well, she didn’t know him.

“I think he likes me. Did you see how he smiled at me earlier? Gosh, I’m blushing.”

“Ah, I see,” she replied flatly. She thought she was the only one assuming. But Beatriz was the one smiling all the time, clearly trying to be cute!

Beatriz stood up and went up the stairs, acting coy.

“You’re useless to talk to. You’re always with rags, of course you’re dumb,” she said in a snooty voice.

Well, it’s better than people who are crazy. She muttered to herself.

“Before I forget.” Beatriz stopped and turned to her. “Don’t get close to me at camp, okay? I’m disgusted by your face.”

Well, wow! Who would want to be near a bipolar person like her? She muttered to herself again.

“The feeling is mutual,” she whispered.

She watched her bitchy boss leave with annoyance. She thought she was so beautiful. She looked like a clown with all that makeup.