Before the Lightning Strikes

Before the Lightning Strikes
Arzen Venura.

“Oh Arzen, that’s a pretty wallet. Mind if check it out?” Denise Watts flashes her smile at me and I merely nod, taking my leather wallet out and handing it over to her. Beside her, Mel Day peeks over and looks over my wallet as well, as if I had allowed her to do so. But whatever – it’s not like I minded. Looking back at the board, I merely close my Algebra book and lean back on the chair. There was no teacher as of now (and the start of the period), and we were only given a seatwork to accomplish by the end of the subject. Denise takes out a few pictures and whispers to Mel, then puts them back in the original spots. From the corner of my eye, I watch them.

The class around me grumbles, laughs, and sighs as they finish the seatwork, some tutoring and others not really seeming to give a damn. Beatrice was probably figuring it out with Celle.

“Hey Arzen, that’s Elaine, right?”

I stiffen at the name mentioned. Turning back to Denise, I see the picture in her hands. A picture of Elaine’s seventh grade grad photo stares back at me, smile preserved in the colored, wallet-sized picture. The dedication, written on a post it note, was kept away in my safe box back at home. Taking note of my silence, Denise looks at me with a cryptic look on her face.

“Don’t be an idiot, of course that’s her. Elaine Rivers, I-4. Arzen hangs out with her and her other friends during break time.” Correction: used to.

“That’s weird...” she frowns, tucking the picture back in the wallet sleeve. “I could have sworn I’ve been seeing you hanging out with Beatrice and Therese lately.” She pats my arm, giving a sympathetic look. “Did anything go on lately?” Denise Watts, of course, was a keen observer. Aside from being a loud speaker. “You can tell us,” she urged, pulling Mel closer. “We won’t tell a single soul.”

Uncomfortable, I take my wallet back and slide it into my pocket.

“Denise, don’t pressure her.”

“I’m not! I’m just being a kind, listening soul.” Mel rolls her eyes at this, but was interested as well.

“Well...” I hesitate. Denise leans closer, wanting to hear. “...we’ve had a bit of a falling out.”

“No way, what happened?”

I shrug. “Things. I don’t understand it myself. Should return back to normal in a couple of days. No worries.” I flash a smile of my own at her, and she nods. I wonder if she notices how forced it seems. “Probably your usual friend problems, it’s going to clear up soon enough.”

She gives me a pat on the shoulder. “I hope it all works out.” Then, she looks back at her half-solved paper and resumes writing, occasionally talking to Mel. I could feel Beatrice staring and heard as she got up, the familiar clicking of her heels resounding in my ears. She taps my shoulder, and I look up.

“Are you done?”

“Obviously.”

“Mind helping me out?” grunting a reply, I stand, take my paper, and walk with her to her own desk, taking the empty one to her left. As I sit, she ambushes me: what did Denise want? To which I reply: “She wanted to see my wallet. End of story.”

“That’s all she said?”

“Yeah. Now what do you need help with?”

“Number six is killing me, thought you could help...”

Helping Beatrice calmed me down. As she scribbled various variables and constants, my mind was a million universes away. Thinking back, and negatively seething silently.

No, it wouldn’t take a couple of days.

No, it wouldn’t clear up soon.

No, it wasn’t going to work out.

And somehow, I could tell Denise knew this, but listened anyway.

“Arzen? Dude, are you listening to me?”

Blinking, I look up as she takes my paper. “You’re blanking again. For the third time today.”

“Must be the lack of sleep.”

“Bull, I knew you slept your usual time last night.”

“Then it must be Freshman year.”

She passes the papers and sighs. “I somehow don’t doubt that one bit.” We stay silent, finally standing as Therese appears outside the classroom, the bell ringing on. As we walk with her, she and Beatrice talk about a show I don’t watch, and I merely listen. Finally, Therese looks at me and smiles.

“He was our sub today.”

I smirk.

“I could tell. Your cheeks were redder than usual.” At this, Beatrice snickers and Therese blushes more, and I simply keep my smirk to myself as we lined up for lunch. As Therese orders a pesto and Beatrice a lunch of mashed potatoes (making Therese and I give her a look), a familiar ring of laughter reaches my ears. Immediately Therese frowns and Beatrice sighs.

“Today’s my day with them,” she says apologetically as she glances at the other table. I merely nod, not saying another word and hearing her leave. Therese huffs and I look at her.

“She’s being unfair.”

“No, she’s being fair. She doesn’t deserve to be mixed into this mess.”

“I agree with you, but I don’t like her hanging with them.” At that, she takes a stab at her food and eats. Staring at my own lunch, I only spoon some fried rice into my mouth and let her talk. “Look at us, two only, and look at them, definitely more than two. Does she look happy there?”

Sneaking a glance, I see Beatrice smile and take another bite as their table bursts into another peal of laughter. My stomach turns and I push the small cup of food away. Therese looks at me in surprise.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“You take it.”

“Hey...” she frowns. “Don’t be like Beatrice. She’s not eating much, and you can’t do that too. You’re not having a love problem, right?” at that, I laugh and shake my head. “I swear, Arzen, when you stop eating it’s a clear indicator that something’s wrong.”

“Who told you that, your sub?” she blushes and glares at me, and can only continue eating. Glancing back at my food, I take it back and take yet another bite.

* * * * *

“Goodbye and thank you girls, have a nice weekend!” Our moderator says, soon leaving the II-4 classroom. A friend of mine from the second year comes to me with a smile.

“So, Green Lantern, have you decided on taking up a position?” I snort and shake my head. Bettina grins slightly. “Or are you wading elsewhere next year?”

“I’m staying, but I’d rather get used to club duties first.”

“Ah, I see. Try to recruit some friends of yours, we’re going to need the number.” She eyes Lyka and Faye, who both exit the classroom. “We’re going to need it.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll keep trying.”

“Great – don’t disappoint me, Lantern.” Walking out with my things, I bid some other members goodbye and descend down the stairs. Beatrice was most likely on her way to her bus and Therese was at the music room, which was definitely far away.

Friday. My favourite and not-so-favourite day of the week. For starters, it was the start to a lovely weekend (not filled with homework, luckily). But it also paved the path to this: walking alone to the multi. It wasn’t that I didn’t like being alone...I actually liked it. But with recent events going on, me and being alone wasn’t a nice mix at all.

It gave way to something negative and dark.

Something I wanted to avoid.

Something I needed to avoid.

Kicking away a stone, I tried to think past the thoughts and dwelled into what I had to do upon reaching home. Bathe, help cook, understand the lessons, research for an upcoming project, create a design logo for Home Economics...drat. I forgot to ask Beatrice what color it was supposed to be.

And then my thoughts fell to Beatrice.

“Fuck it, I’m being paranoid again.” The stone I kicked rolled on the ground after being kicked by me. “This isn’t a good idea unless I want to wallow in a pool of self-pity and destruction.” I sarcastically say to myself as I walk. “Which would be better than this hellpit I’m stuck in...”

This hellpit with a damn lot of hellhounds around me.

* * * * *

Eri Blitzschnell.

“Cissa, it’s time for curfew.” My brown-haired companion nods and runs off, my hand twitching for the pistol in my holder. I watch as the sky darkens little by little, and wait for her to come back. Things haven’t been right lately. A foreboding sense of danger seems to surround Technika more than ever, and that just makes me even more anxious and irritated. Cissa’s noticed, Mona Lisa too. Taking the pistol out of its container, I jump down and patrol the area, keeping my eyes alert and my mind at ease.

But with what’s been going on, easiness isn’t quite the best word. Glancing up, the sky turns darker. My lips set themselves into a frown. I can only hope that Cissa would come back safely before anything else could happen. As I walk around, I can hear people rushing back into their homes and preparing for the day ahead. From afar, I can hear Cissa directing them back inside, warning them of what may happen and what could occur.

Things not so pleasant.

Technika has never faced something so dark.

“She’s probably in much as trouble as I am,” I grumble as I patrol. “Goddamn it...this place will probably become a living hell if she continues to do such things –”

“She?”

Turning around, Mona Lisa catches up to me, bow and arrow in her hands.

“...no one. Come on, let’s get Cissa and get back in headquarters as fast as possible.”

Mona Lisa nods, and searches with me as well.

The sky rumbles, but we pretend to not notice.

 * * * * *

Arzen Venura.

“Arzen, I saw Megan’s dad a while ago when I picked you up...” my grip on the utensils tighten. “He told me to say hi to you – have you two been talking lately?”

“No, we haven’t.” She blinks at this. My brother continues playing with his game.

“Is there something going on?”

“Yeah, but it’s going to fix itself.” I merely shrug and continue eating. Mom watches and turns to my brother, who had just asked for a glass of water. She leaves the table for a brief moment and comes back with his water, she then sitting across me. I try not to look at her – she’ll probably start asking questions about the others.

“The news reported chances of rain this Monday...might rain hard just like last week.”

“It’s been raining all month,” my brother pipes.

Just as he says that, the sound of lightning strikes. I jump and he nearly drops his glass. Mom curses under her breath. “Rain with a light chance of lightning and thunder, the weatherman said.”

“They’ve got the weather right for once,” I manage. Dinner finally comes to an end and I’m inside my room. My brother looks at me from his bed.

“Hey, Arzen?”

“Hm?”

“You using the Gameboy?”

“No.” I throw it to him. “You play.” Upon throwing it, my folder slides off the desk and lands on the floor, papers spilling out. I grumble and get off the bed, picking it up and sorting through the fallen papers, sorting them accordingly.

The very last ones were letters.

My throat closes up and my eyes burn.

I close my desk a little harder than usual, hiding the letters amongst other contents, tucking them away just like I did to myself. But knowing me, it would probably spill out at a worst possible time.

Lightning strikes once more.

* * * * *

...so, to end this letter,

Happy recollection!

-       Elaine Rivers

...from, Gabrielle Angeles

-       Megan Alando

...happy Recollection!

-       Maxine Ride