INSIGNIAS: THE ABECEDARIANS

Dressed in black pajamas and grey hooded jacket, she gripped the tray of two cups of hot cocoa as she debated on whether to open the door or not. She knew nothing about his preference so she brought the containers of sugar and milk. She also placed two tuna sandwich in case they got hungry.

“I wanted you to know him yourself.” Her aunt’s words echoed in her mind. Rejection, doubt or antipathy should not stop her from knowing about herself. Whether Skhy liked her or not, Lei needed to know more about the Academy.

She placed the tray on her desk to open the door. Cold dry wind embraced her as the door creaked open. The wind whooshed inside her room and the hair on her body stood. She trembled but she retrieved the tray and walked outside. Closing the door with her foot, she looked at the round moon and the countless stars. She stood in her small balcony. A wooden bridge connected her porch to the tree house. Her eyes wandered in the opened window of the tree house. The light was opened but Skhy was out of sight.

With a sigh, she walked on the bridge, careful not to drop the tray. She neared the door when it slowly opened, revealing Skhy dressed in grey sweatpants and blue tee shirt. His wet chestnut hair was combed backwards but a few fringe stood. What should I ask him first? She should have written her questions.

She stopped herself from panicking like it was her first time talking to a guy. She had a few guy friends so talking to one was not new to her.

But he was a Concordian.And a handsome one.

She walked inside the tree house and set the tray down on the small table in front of the brown settee. The bed behind the couch consisted of two apple green pillows and a blanket over the white sheet. The wall was painted white with a painting of birds above the head board. A door beside the bed opened to a bathroom.

Skhy sat on the couch as Lei awkwardly stood in front of him. He raised his eyebrow, tilted his head on the side and glanced at the seat beside him. Lei stared at it for a few seconds before sitting on the far end.

No one talked for a while. Lei just looked at the opened window facing them. She watched the stars in awed. She always loved stargazing. I’m daydreaming again.

She faced Skhy who nibbled a sandwich while stirring his drink. This guy is unbelievable.

“I’m sorry.” Lei was taken aback by his sudden statement. She studied his face but he kept on chewing. He finished half of the sandwich before he placed it down, drank his cocoa then looked back at her.

“What for?” He needed to explain his attitude towards her. She just met the guy but she felt like she had done something he hates.

“I was surprised and… sad at the same time,” he started. “You remind me of…your parents…so I didn’t talk much earlier.”

She understood. He was also probably close to her parents so meeting her was quite a shock. His face showed that he wanted to say more.

“You don’t have to explain but right now, you are the only one who can teach me more about the Academy.” For the first time today, Skhy appeared uneasy as his eyes wandered anywhere but her. After a while, he restored his composure but looked outside the window, elbows on his knees and hands clasped together.

“You are Celeste’s second daughter.” His voice was melancholic. He paused, maybe thinking what to say next.

“I know. Carol was the first child.” He faced him, eyes flashed pain and sadness. She wondered if there something about her family that she did not know of.

“She was a friend though she was three years older.” She searched his eyes for any hint of lies, but there was none. Lei just nodded. Words were not needed. She understood what Skhy was trying to say.

“I don’t know her but it must have hurt you and her friends,” she paused, feeling a slight pain in her chest, “when she left.”

Her aunt gave her the pictures of Carol along with her parents’. Even though she was not able to meet her, Lei felt happy knowing she had a sister.

“I’m sorry I reminded you of her.” She looked down. Her sister had the same raven hair but longer and wavy at the end. Carol inherited their father’s chocolate brown eyes. She was smiling in all her pictures and very feminine. Carol was the exact opposite of Lei.

“I never knew she had a sister.” His voice became soft and soothing.

“No one knew except for mother and father.” Not used to talking about her family, Lei knew she needed to face her reality someday. Her aunt had no idea why her parents left. Lei made it her mission to find the truth.

She then remembered Ashley’s words. She was abandoned. The pain in her chest grew as her eyes burned and turned blurry. Was I not needed?

I cannot cry in front of a stranger.

“After the war three years ago, there were many suspicious events in the Academy.” Lei turned to him while he gazed at the sky. Skhy must have felt her uneasiness so he diverted the topic.

“Suspicious?”

“Mrs. Emmy taught you the history and principles of the Academy. But she never mentioned the Eschaton war, right?” He sipped his drink after he said this.

“Not the details.” Her heartbeat returned to normal and her eyes seemed clearer. Lei grabbed her drink and placed two sugar cubes. She slowly stirred it.

“Some of our students disappeared.” Then he paused. Lips pursed into a thin line. “At first, we thought they died in the war, but no bodies were found.”

Lei drank her cocoa as she thought of the probabilities. If there were no bodies near the area, were they disposed somewhere else? If not, someone must have kidnapped them.

“That’s our assumption too.” Her gaze met his tantalizing blue orbs. Skhy now had his back against the couch and a hand on the arm seat.

“Huh?” She had not said a word.

“We think that the Mortemians seized them.”

“But you don’t have any proof,” she declared. His eyebrow rose but his eyes acknowledged her statement.

“True, but I’m going to find out,” he said with much conviction his eyes turned a different shade of blue.

He may be mysterious sometimes but he definitely have valour.

“Who disappeared?” Her question must have caught him off guard as he opened his mouth but closed it again. He turned his gaze to the floor between his feet.

“Some of my friends. Eloise. Ice. Levy. Faz.” His voice broke as he uttered the last name.

“I’m sorry I asked,” she whispered. She really felt bad for asking. He just nodded then looked at her.

“Aside from the disappearance, the new members of the board, the Consortium, are opposed to any kind of involvement outside the Academy. Restriction to media was also present. Aside from the Sentries and Legionnaires, students were advised to stay in the dormitory. I only managed to stay home when the Premier or President asked them to let me stay in my house.”

He bit his lower lip and stared behind her. He must be deep in thought. Lei, on the other hand, waited for him to speak up. She had lots of questions but she wanted him to continue. She observed how his brows knitted, how he chewed his lips. It took a while before he spoke. His eyes widened when he noticed that she was still there.

“I’m sorry. I escaped the Academy to execute the mission given by my parents.” The moment he turned back to the Academy, he readied himself for the consequences. Lei remembered how he fought earlier. He was strong, she knew that. But unlike when he was at home, he now had two opponents: Mortemians and the Concordians who sided with the Academy. Her body trembled as she thought of the fights he might encounter in the future.

“I need to find the Seven Regalis or Royals,” he continued without waiting for her to ask.

“There’s a royal family in Concordians?” That would be cool. Skhy chucked, his eyes lit with enthusiasm but there were also still hint of distress.

“What?”

“It was a prophecy after the Eschaton war. The warriors of light and truth will defeat the Mortemians in the upcoming war, so it says.” His voice hardened when he spoke of the approaching battle. He must have suffered from the previous one. Just like my aunt.

“I could also uncover the secrets of the Consortium while I look for them.”

“Why don’t you trust them? Is it because they do not approve of your mission?” He brushed his now dried hair.

“No. Because no one knows who they are,” he revealed. Lei frowned, confused.

“What do you mean?” She never took her eyes off him. Every change in his expression always meant something.

I’m starting to read him. This is not good.

“They never reveal themselves to the faculties and students. Even the Premier is clueless.” He took another sip of his drink. A Board without a face. A school without freedom.

“Does it mean that they could be any teacher in the Academy?” After the war, the Academy changed. And it was not a positive one. Lei wondered how the students coped up with the strict rules.

“It means that, they could be anyone in the Academy,” he corrected. Right. It only meant that the Board observed everyone without the fear of being caught.

“How are you going to find these people? The Seven Royals, I mean.” He stared at her for a moment then sighed.

“I had no way of knowing who and where they are,” he confessed. Lei stared at him, disbelief evident in her eyes. Then she thought for a moment.

“Had.” Skhy looked at her questioningly.

“You said ‘had’. You must have found a way before you came here.” Skhy smiled. He smiled at her. She was awestruck for a moment.

“True.” He stood up, picked his bag on the bed and returned to his seat while she recovered from his sudden smile. I need to stop this. He is handsome, that’s all.

“I found a book my dad wrote and sketches of seven insignias,” he said as he searched his bag. Her thoughts shifted to the discovery. The sketch was a good start. But how about their locations? Lei hoped his father gave clues on the book. She was useless to him at the moment.

What? Am I thinking of coming with him to his mission?

No. Don’t. I have another mission.

But he could help me and I could help him. Win win.

Her debate with herself was interrupted by a hand waving near her face. Skhy now held a small maroon book with a cover that read ‘Abecedarian’. It means...

“It means Apprentice,” he answered. Lei sometimes wondered if he could read her thoughts. Skhy scooted near her and her eyes widened at his action. She noticed Skhy as he flipped through the pages of the book.

“How will you find them? There are many elemental users in this country,” she stated as she looked at the writing but they were written in a foreign language.

A white folded paper dropped from a page. She picked it from the floor and opened to see the contents.

She slightly gasped and her eyes widened. She must be dreaming. Astonished, Lei opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

“I already found one,” Skhy revealed beside her but she was beyond hearing.

No. Aunty, what should I do?