Grizzled

Episode 41

“Shiraaa! There's trash in your drawer! Let's clean!” tegur Sindi when I just got to class.

“Ra, you are not picket yet! Next time come a little early, dong!” sahut Rihana's. Ah, I have always been a part of the cleanliness discipline team. Actually, my responsibilities were slightly reduced after grandma no longer lived in my house. She's sick and now lives with my aunt, but that doesn't mean my morning work is waning. Preparing breakfast and provisions for me and my sister took the longest. Moreover, I only walk to school which takes fifteen minutes. The bike was the only vehicle I had a problem with and had been unable to use for a long time. It's fitting that Maurin felt the need to ask Dad to buy him a new one.

“Yes, guys, I'm sorry. I picketed noon, okay?” I replied, Arnita had not spoken much to me.

“Sunday ago you weren't picket, Ra! The fine has not been paid, the cash of the past week as well. A total of ten thousand. If not, it will get heavier, you know!” said the treasurer of this class. Heh, that's right! It's early morning and I've been attacked here and there. Yasinta in the distance laughed mocking the misfortune that had not stopped charging at me since yesterday. Geez, what curse is really happening to me?!

I was slightly saved after the Eagle entered the classroom, asking us to sit on each bench.

“Hai, Ra! No wrong schedule again ‘kan?” ask Yasinta back to his seat.

“Ya no!”

“Please note, everything!” said Eagle in advance of the class, “there was an appeal from the jury of the class cleanliness competition that this week was the final assessment. The day and time are not specified, they can make an assessment at any time. So please keep the class always clean and tidy, including the front garden.”

It's worth the cleaning team being so chatty lately. Maybe they already know that this week's last assessment.

“Winning classes will be announced during the cultural festival. We want a MIPA XI 1 who is called as the champion one ‘kan?” ask Eagles fishing boisterous low enthusiastic friends. They look so optimistic. All our hard work from two months ago must not be in vain. Ah, related two months ago, something else I also have to find out.

“Oke, so far are there reports from each team? Maybe there's a problem? Oh, I heard that the dream team had a hard time when I didn't go in a while ago. How, team of yearnings?” tanyakanya.

“It's done,” I replied representing my team, “plants in the park suddenly died, but we've found instead.”

“Suddenly dead? Sounds weird ...”

“Yes, the oddity is so the discussion along the corridor up to XI MIPA 4 because their park also experienced the same thing,” timpal Tria.

“But thank goodness it's resolved now. Because we have worked this well, now is the time to both maintain the results of our work without caring who is the responsibility of the team. I hope that with us paying attention to each other, the problems that occur in the team of the shade do not happen to other teams. Well, next is there any more reports?”

“Lang ..” Fina knuckle, “books in corner read much reduced.”

I looked at the reading corner behind me. True too, this hexagon shelf looks springy and unsightly.

“How can? Still borrowed, right? Please borrow a book in the reading corner to be returned first. We are keeping book availability to a minimum until the final assessment,” said Elang was forced to end the discussion because the entrance bell had rung. My attention was still on the hexagon reading corner shelf behind my seat. Sixth, huh?

I yawned when the fourth lesson teacher came out of the classroom. First rest and I'm sleepy.

“What do you do all night to stay up, Ra? Just so you know, your sleepy face sucks!” Yasinta. I just sniffed my shoulders.

“Leap to learn, Yas. I don't like studying last night before exams. Uh, errat, I don't want to study during the exam weeks. There's been too much pressure. I want to play around!” my answer.

“Indeed only you can mess around when the atmosphere is so precarious! Don't make me do the same, Ra. My abilities are clearly different!”

“I'm not affecting you, Yas. I mean, if you take a lesson from now on, you can relax later!”

“Hehe, I will gather the intention of learning first,” Yasinta's grin. Dih, I expected. He envied the carnage I had but had no intention of fighting more. I yawned again. Looks like this won't stop until I get a supply of caffeine.

Getting out of the chair, I intend to go to the cafeteria. The eagle immediately disappeared since the break bell rang. I remember something we should have discussed. The event two months ago that we did together was install that hexagon reading corner rack. I remember that even though I wasn't part of the reading corner team, Eagle and I were involved. Its hexagon shape makes me even more convinced that the corner reading rack has something to do with the six keys in the six corners of –although it feels sad that the best point in class should I suspect as a demonic emblem that makes my soul lost in the grey world. But what else to do? Me and the Eagle did nothing but around that corner reading shelf.

It's a pity that the eagle has to leave when I want to make my discovery. I don't know where he is now. I didn't find it in the crowd in the cafeteria. He said he wanted to start an investigation today. Confused to choose coffee packaging with various flavors, I was silent for quite a long time in front of the cooling machine. I'm not used to drinking coffee and I don't know which is the best. Ah, all types of coffee are the same ‘kan? I took a random one box and got a mocha-latte. If it's not wrong this is Eagle's favorite, then I'll take another one for him. Yes, to repay my debt that was yesterday. Leaving the cafeteria while sipping the coffee I just bought. It doesn't feel too bad!

I took a detour through the library before returning to class because I saw Mr. Hanri in front of the eleven IPS corridor. The skeleton of the novel he asked me to do yesterday was careless and I just left it on his desk because when the bell came home Mr. Hanri was not there. I don't want to be reprimanded or continue my work. Research on the six keys in the six directions should start immediately.

I arrived in front of the library. Door's locked. This is unusual, it should be when Mr. Hanri is not on guard there are other staff who replace it. One of the key traps I already knew and I needed a school plan I could find in this school's unified data book. If two other keys are found, I can predict the location of the other key by drawing a regular hexagon on the floor plan. Next, just make sure. Ah, think of another way! Where else can I get data like that?

Someone surprised me when I was busy thinking. Want me to shake the face with that innocent expression after making me almost hangers. Eagles always know how to start a bacot.

“So much as a shock!” answer lightly, “you're looking for me ‘kan?”

“No! No business with you! Please don't be so confident!” ketus.

“Oh, what a pity! Though I already know one of the key position of the trap,” he replied.

“I already know!” my reply won't lose.

“At our class reading corner!” say us simultaneously. Well, we finally know. Perhaps the Eagle was also aware after Fina had discussed the reading angle earlier this morning.

“Nih, my debt that was paid off yesterday!” I replied, handing me another coffee pack.

“Eh, even though I don't want to drink.”

“How about the next key?” my many.

“Don't rush, Shir. We need to make sure something that makes the corner reading shelf becomes the key to the opening of the light gap,” replied the Eagle in the end sucked his coffee as well.

“I think from the shape, Lang! I once read on the internet that devil worship rituals involve magic circles with pentagon or hexagon symbols!”

“Well, then let's look for hexagon-shaped objects throughout this school!” let him leave the library terrace.

“You think anywhere part of this school there is such a thing?” tanyaku spelled out the steps of Eagle.

“People who never patrol around the school do not know much,” he replied smiling arrogantly. Dih, what do I have to patrol around the school for?!

“School does not want to repaint this wall because it does not look annoying from the main page. In addition, the graffiti art here is too good to remove,” said Eagle then walked through dozens of meters of the back wall of the sports building. I also did the same thing even though I didn't fully understand what we were looking for. I found some indecent words coupled with a line of poetic rhymes, inappropriate images and unique graffiti.

On this wall all that is good and not good blends perfectly without any limit. It really represents the picture of the environment in this school. Not everyone has good achievements and not everyone behaves well. Some of us are drunkards, drug dealers, even demons. But if I refuse to be in this school just because I'm worried about the ugly picture, then I really can't stand anywhere. Badness and evil are everywhere, existing alongside good.

“Ah, where is the graffiti yes?” asked the Eagle who was a few meters away from me. His voice echoed along the hallway. I'm still stuck in front of a picture.

“Meet ..” gumamku ogled. My voice echoed as well making the Eagle approach me.

“This is what you're looking for ‘kan, Lang?” ask me to touch the hexagon-patterned picture with the half-closed single eye in the middle.

“Ah, here it is!” replied the excited Eagle. Then like an illusion, that single eye blinked once. Me and the Eagle looked at each other.

“You also saw it ‘kan?” my many. Eagle nodded. I don't know how it is, but this unnatural thing is clearly part of the six-key trap. The instant the image we had seen changed, it now looked like a glowing orange hologram. The single eye in the middle twitched, gnawed and glanced here and there. The surrounding images also moved, lived, and sounded, a squeaking laugh filling the ear canal. My knees are too trembling to immediately run away from this place.

The eagle put on a standby stance. Could it be that his legs were also fixated on not being able to run away from here? The light in his eyes seemed to be as insignificant as the devil before us.

“Lang ...”

“Shira!”

My words were not finished when my body collapsed first. Foreign powers are trying to take over my consciousness. The eagle who could guess the next incident immediately took me away from this passageway. The sound of laughter still filled my head.

“Fight, Shir! Don't let him rule you! Fight with courage! Don't be afraid of him!” said Eagle gives me a little bit of strength. He was right, there should be no fear in my heart! The mouth of the hallway was still a few meters away in front of us. Slowly, my whole consciousness again. Irregular breaths, my legs still feel limp. The eagle let me sit for a while on the steps next to the gym after we escaped from the hall.

“You're okay ‘kan? Huh hello? Can you hear me, Shir?” ask Eagle. I just nodded. He even touched my forehead as hard as usual.

“Aduh, sick know!” irked me.

“Sorry, that is to make sure that your consciousness has really returned,” the grin sucks.

“There should be another way!” my protest while stroking my forehead.

Deheman someone surprised us both. I didn't think Erik would show up here.

“What do you guys do?” the question is looking at me and the Eagle alternately with a suspicious face, “you two from the back of this building ‘kan?”

When I didn't know what to write, the Eagle replied casually, “We're on patrol.”

I don't know if that convinced Erik, but Erik's next reaction was completely beyond my expectations.

“You want to re-join the supervisory team ‘kan, Lang?” ask him with sparkling eyes. His detective-assuming expression vanished just because the Eagle said so.

“You miss that routine task ‘kan? Just so you know, there's a lot of sloppiness that we made after you came out. That's why we always wait for you with open arms!”

“Unfortunately, does not mean miss and so on. I just haven't stopped probing and hunting down people who tried to defame me that day. I still haven't forgotten and will continue to hunt him!” replied the Fierce Eagle.

“And you still accuse me?” ask Erik. The eagle just looked away. There was concern in his eyes.

“Shira, has Mr Hanri notified you?” ask Erik.

“About what?”

Erik was still smiling from earlier, looking so cheerful, “Maybe you haven't read a message from Mr. Hanri. So I'll show you,” Erik said activating his phone. A message from Mr Hanri? Yes, there was a message from Mr. Hanri last night, but I didn't open it worrying that it was the next order for my travel project. I'm avoiding that.

Erik showed a message from Mr. Hanri on his phone. It's about the punishment I gave Danil to write about his feelings every day for at least one page. This message was forwarded from Papa Danil. Most of Danil's handwritten photos read only ‘I hate you guys!’, ‘Papa just die!’, ‘Take me to hell!’ That's all it has been since the last three days, written so big that it filled the page of paper. Honestly, this is not what I mean by writing at least one page. Ah, basic!

Only then can Danil's next handwriting be called a letter. He expressed his frustration all along because of his family being not whole. Her materialistic mother left when her father tripped over a problem. The good friends he believed in were only using his property before Danil finally chose the dirty association that he valued was much more sincere and what it was than his hypocritical friends before. He doesn't want to be blamed. He thinks it could be because no good man ever saved him. I can't believe good people really exist. Next he confessed to all the crimes he had committed, trying to bet whether there were still good people who could save him after knowing the ugliness.

The post continues on the next page. There are many scribbles and how tangled the paper he writes, showing various emotions poured into this letter. Danil actually lists all the depravities he has ever done. It's too horrible for me to know. I never imagined a high school boy would dare to do things like this, but I finally found the point Erik wanted to show me.

“Kak Danil admitted that he was the one who smuggled dozens of cough medicines in your bag to deliberately defame you, Lang,”. I saw both eagle eyes widen. I showed him the message. He read it for a moment, then still with a careless face, Eagle returned Erik's phone and left. Erik held him.

“Lang, go back to the supervisory team. Before Danil confessed we never believed that you did it,” pinta Erik. The Eagle's jaw line was still hardened, he did not dare to look. His ego has not collapsed. He just snorted, throwing a short stare that I could translate ‘not’.

Erik let the Eagle go with a sigh, his shoulders looking down.

“Already, maybe he feels shame and guilt because his accusation to you is not proven,” I replied.

Maybe I feel that way too.

“Tell me, but please yes, Ra! Persuade him to rejoin the supervisory team. If you ask him he will,” pinta Erik. I chuckle softly.

“You think I can talk wonderfully what he wants to do with me?”

“Entahlah, anyway Eagle must remain in the supervisory team in order to help more people,” said Erik a little incomprehensible.

“When reading Danil's letter I couldn't help but laugh. I immediately contacted him and received the bet he said in the letter,” Erik said again. Bet that ... oh, Danil bet if there's still a good guy saving him after he's known to be that bad.

“I'll bet I'm the one who won because I went through what Danil felt. Just so you know, I used to be part of his gang, against the same family and social background. What was on my mind then, right? Behave mischievously, despairingly, escaping trouble by allowing yourself to fall deeply. There is no shame in doing all of this. Thank goodness someone immediately snickered me, telling me how ‘mirawes’ is doing in a cooler way. He not only gave me a second chance, but also accepted me as a friend even though I knew I was just trash. That's what I call saved and that's how it feels to be saved, Ra! I want Danil to be saved with the same man. However, the Eagle still has to be on the team because only he can save people like me who used to, save people like Danil,”, Erik said at length.

I can't help but smile. Someone in the position of a black soul who feels very sinful is never aware that someone feels saved because of it. Erik was so hopeful, but the Eagle once said that he could still hunt for crime even outside the surveillance team. Too bad!

.Seriate.