Chapter Three

Trinity 

I sat quietly in the back seat of the car while Shinjie was immaculately playing whatever game on his tablet. Sometimes I watched him play, but what? I don't get it. I'm not happy with shooting zombies definitely not exciting to play with.

"Hey, Sis. Did you receive mama's message to you?" he inquired, suddenly, his eyes still on the game.

"Yes," I simply answered once, leaning back in the seat and watching out the window.

Mama just greeted me in the email, I wanted to call her, but because she was busy with charity work yesterday, I didn't plan anymore. I tried to call papa, yet answering my call was his hardest thing to do. Why do I forget that my father is like that? That it didn’t matter to me since I was a kid.

I sigh. Suddenly my face came to be awful.

"I'm close to school, sis. Excited?" He glimpsed at me and saw in the reflection of the tinted glass window of the car the frown on his forehead.

"Why sad, you really missed Mama?" He wondered.

Even if that wasn’t the reason, I nodded and forced a smile. "I'll get used to it too, Shin," I said softly.

"I know it's not Mama, Sis." He glared suspiciously. I laughed, and I already knew what he was going to say.

"It's your bodyguard, and you're sad because until now, Roger is still watching over you." The tone of his voice was serious which made me laugh even more. I reached for his bangs and messed it up.

"What is it sis, don't my bangs." He took my hand. He was suddenly taken aback. Aww, this half brother of mine was really cute.

"Because you're wrong to say that you're probably still very serious there." I explained.

"I'm exact, right?" He adjusted the wavy bangs.

"In Q and A for Mister International, You got the wrong suspicion and wrong assumption that resulted in the wrong answer." I smiled.

"I have no plans to join Mister International." He doses it and sat sideways.

"Who says you're going to join or I'm going to join you? It doesn't matter to you because first, you're not handsome and you're not macho." I tried not to laugh at his reaction. He couldn't believe my words.

"What? As in, sis?" He was serious again. I had no intention of speaking out I ignored him. I knew he would be annoyed if I added more.

"I don't believe you. I'm so handsome even though I'm not macho, my body build is good, I have abs,” he asserted sullenly. I thought women were only the one who pout? But he did. 

"Our brother Jerwin's body is better than yours, you're so thin, its impossible you have abs?" I annoyed him even more. His eyes reddened. I'm just kidding him, for what, I know what mendez is.

He paused and thought for a few seconds then returned to play. That's all? I approached him.

"Hey, Shin. Why are you silent?" I was curious about his silence. He ignored me. I looked at his face, and guilty of what I uttered because his face in shade of pink and his eyes watery.

"Don't look at me." He moved away. I did hurt his ego.

"I was just kidding. I'm sorry, Shin."

"Whatever!" he continued to play. Whether it's playing or busy, he just keeps from crying. He is not emotional or easily hurt but to me, he becomes that way. Am I that harshed you? I think yes, not in short.

"I'm sorry Shin, you know I'm just teasing you. Hey, I'm sorry ... I'm sorry .. I'm sorry ..." I sang with sorry matching funny faces. He still hadn't looked at me.

"I'm really sorry, Shin. We're fine. Please? Pretty please?" I pleaded with both hands.

“Okay!” he said in strained voice.

"Oh, I don't feel." I said with crossed arms.

The car stopped in front of the school where I am going to studying. Why Papa choose this place? I wish I knew someone here at Vellas University? Is there such a thing? Shin left me without a word. I wasn’t given a goodluck  in your first day of school sis. He's upset. 

I’m nervous now, not knowing this university. Are they friendly? Can I have a friend? Aish! Shin was really mad at me. It's up to you, we'll feel that way when we get home. If not, I'll do everything to make appease with him.

It was big that I didn’t expect. The riding fordge stopped in the school parking lot after entering. I got out of the car. I lost the urge to enter when I saw Roger outside the car, waiting for me. As always giving him my scowled look. Yesterday I have not seen him at home all day and now here he was ready to watch over me. When will I be free of him?

I slammed the car door shut, taking big steps into the school. When I entered, I couldn’t help but notice the students glancing at me like I had a bad hair day.  I'm big, aren't I? I'm in my second year of college. Why do I still have a bodyguard?

Until I got to the room, Roger was standing outside and because I was late to enroll so I was in the third section. Our teacher entered the first subject, my classmate's eyes were warm on me, because I have a bodyguard or I am a transferred student?

Several sighs I made, my attention was on Roger, outside busy talking on his phone. Who is he talking to? Surely, it's my brother Jerwin having conversation with him. I'll ask him later what they were talking about during my class time, noticing how serious the face of him. I turned my gaze to the two men entering the classroom. My eyes almost widened when I saw him. It's him! I can't be wrong. That's him.

He was with a man with a serious face, seemingly rugged and scary aura while he was very cool walking approaching— Approaching my habit. The man with him stared at me, it was sharp, it seemed to indicate something?

"Another poor girl." I heard the woman next to me uttered.

"She must know, I should have warned her." Whispered the woman behind me.

What are they talking about? Me? My forehead furrowed even more as the two of them stopped. I averted my gaze from the man and turned to him. Does he know me? Surely, he's not maybe, but I know him. Why did the two stop in front of me?

"Get out of my chair." The man said with a warning. His grey stormy eyes narrowed.

Chair? Will he seat here? This is where I'm sitting? I looked out of the room, thanks goodness, Roger didn't see what was going on here if he did, a commotion would exist.

"This? Your seat?" I asked in surprise while pointing at my seat.

The teacher continued with what was being done, nothing seemed to be happening.

"Miss, just sit with someone else. There's the vacant one in front. That seat belongs to him,” he said and I stared at him still frowning.

No one will recognize him because of his disguise. He extended the clean cut of his previous hairstyle, he's wearing a dark brown contact lenses to hide his dark blue eyes and he's wearing eyeglasses now. Why?

"Ok!" I simply smiled and stood up on the seat. I will give the seat to this man. I am easy to talk to.

I moved to the vacant seat in the front. I turned to him and noticed he was looking at me so I smiled at him. He was really serious. I looked back at the teacher who was writing a line on the board. Math, it's really hard in my life.

For what reason Papa transferred me, I no longer mad of what he did but I'm just upset because I still have a bodyguard and Shin did not have. Aish! Annoying. 

I glanced at him. Carlo Carter Escalona, ​​we meet again.

It was break time, I went out of the classroom along with my classmates. I'm going to run away now, heck, I have something important to do that I can't do if my bodyguard was here.

I quickly turned onto the third floor of the school building unnoticed by Roger, my strides were hefty as I headed to the library. I just look around at what I'm doing, maybe because Roger has been following me before, I just don't know. Hmmm, it looks like I escaped him.

I took my identification card and slide into the machine so I could get inside the library and I immediately found a seat. What do I do here in the library? There was free wifi I can connect with. Remembering I left my pocket wifi in the bedroom. Consequently, I opened my bag and picked up my royal blue laptop with a tweety bird design on its back. I opened it and a few seconds the screen loading, I forgot my laptop password. It's because its too long.

I will play sim city, miss playing that game! Maybe, without Roger I would always play it, but whenever he was at my side saw me playing he sermon me that it's better if I study than playing pathetic game. I was hurt at first, and I continued playing but when he informed my father I hated them since that day. A year of not holding my laptop was my dad punishment and only using the school computer and Roger would look at what I am doing. Terrible days.

I lifted my eyes and my attention was drawn to the man who entered, with his large and light steps, turned and passed in front of my table. He sat silently at the other table next to me with his back turned. I noticed a book he was holding,  it was stephen king's book because of the distance so I couldn't see the title.

The man was tall, his raven hair a little long, wearing a black trench coat underneath the school uniform. He had this pale skin. Can I wear something like that at school? I was surprised when he turned to me, no smile, only his serious face, thick eyebrows meet to match it, only now have I seen that kind of eye. Two crystal icy eyes, it's mesmerizing.

"Don't scrutiny me? Will you?" He said, his voice like cold grave in the night. No emotion.

"I'm sorry," I bewildered averted my gaze from him. He is handsome but he was a rugged one and back to his reading.

I resumed playing, and minutes passed and my phone rang. Roger calling. I quickly cancelled the call. It's up to him, I'll never ever answer your call, sorry, I am busy. My eyes wander to the direction of the man and  notice he was gone, why didn’t I notice he left? If I’m not too focused on what I am doing probably I will notice him stand up and leave the area.

Where is he? I looked around but he was totally gone. Wierd?

I went to my last class today, no one planned to be friends with me. Why? Do I look rude? Not friendly? I looked at the reflection of myself on my turned off phone screen. I'm look friendly right? I sat near the window. Found a replication of a man at my back, he sat five chairs away from me. We had a same subject? This was the guy earlier in the library, as usual his wore the same when I the last I saw him. He bent over, looks like he was sleeping?

"Good afternoon, sorry if I'm late,” said the professor in financial management two, Mr. Martinez, and he looks like he was in a hurry so the placement of his eyeglasses over his eye isn’t fixed. He was holding a book in his hand and his forehead was sweating. We got up from sitting down and wished him a good afternoon Then he took his white handkerchief rubbing on the sweaty face and forehead.

After we sat down, he started lecturing about the importance of the financial management in the business.  I silently copied what our instructor was writing on the whiteboard.

"He's so weird ..." I turned to the woman in front of me talking to a woman next to her, it seemed the two were friend.

"Exactly, he's seem like that. Unfriendly, unapproachable, always sleeping in class and always wearing that coat. Handsome though but looks nerd, geeky," said the person next to her who had a brown eyes and would not survive a day without make up, and her look was behind me.

I turned to the man, he wasn't bent over yet, he was looking straight ahead not even blinking. Can he do that? Wierd? I returned my attention before he realized I am looking at him.

He might say again ‘Don’t scrutiny me. Will you? 'hey there? I'm just looking at him. Scrutiny right away?

Until the class was over, I was late leaving the classroom. I'm arranging the contents of my bag, bothering myself, I don't want my classmate see my bodyguard. What would they think of me? Daddy princess? A heiress? A damn rich kid? 

I knew my older brother would scold me, maybe Papa told him and Papa told Roger I made an escape at my bodyguard in break tome. Aish! It's wringing my neck. I'm planning on a trip today, maybe April will go but in case I am not allowed. As in really forbidden, unfair! I no longer have a sensible friend because of what Papa doing to me. He was so upsetting as always.

I was annoyed when I went out of the classroom, I was stopped by the sudden fall of the eraser place on the table. Did I hear it, right? I turned to look and gasped.  The eraser was on the floor. How did that happen? Impossible to fall on its own unless someone drop it? This isn't a haunted room, is it? Why do my hair on my body standing up and the blow of the aircon became colder? Is it normal? How the temperature of the place changes?

You are just scaring yourself Trinity. I looked back as I caught a glimpse of a foot wearing a shoes below the table. I turned my head again but there was nothing. What is that? Hallucination? I looked around.

"Hey there? Is there anyone here?" Who said I was scared. I went back inside and checked around. Whose feet did I  see earlier?

"Don't scare me because first I'm not scared for your information. My knees are just shaking but it's just a drama of my knees,” I declared, chin lifted up a little, while looking around.

It looks like nothing, it's just my hallucination.

"Man in front of me!" I cried out to see the man in front of me. My heart battering in my rib cage. His weird, popping up suddenly.

"Why are you still here?" he asked. The stare like I have someone next to me.

"I'm leaving." I said and passed him. I stopped when he took something out of my bag pocket. That's a brown friendship bracelet. Why do I have that?

"Is that yours?" I inquired. I wonder but he just left without a word. Walk out like that? He's so mysterious and weird too. Who could he be? I followed my gaze on him walking away. .

"Young lady," a deep voice said and Roger appeared in front of me. "Let's go home."

I nodded and walked out of the room. I'm so confused. What happened earlier? I look back at the empty classroom with my brows furrowed. 

Did it happen?