Grizzled

Episode 47's

Half-run, I'm threatened late if not fast. Luckily towards the weekend, the contents of my bag were rather light. I can also walk a little fast without being tormented. Friday school schedule is shorter. We students can go home early, but most students do not go straight home because there are still extracurricular –lucky I have freed myself from the organization and extracurricular mandatory– but maybe all excursion activities today are closed because next week is a middle assessment semesters.

My footsteps relaxed a bit after I looked at the watch. Fifteen minutes before the entrance bell and the front gate of the school were already visible across the street. Aman, I'm far from late. Standing at the end of the crossing, I waited for a silver car that was no longer far away to pass first, but apparently the car pulled over in front of the school. No more vehicles, so I crossed over. From the upper window at the end of the front building, my classroom window, the faces of Yasinta, Tiara, and some friends sitting by the west window docked. I thought they were greeting me, but when I waved their hands they did not respond. They clearly weren't watching me.

I turned towards their attention, the gate that was a few steps behind me. The passenger of the silver car came out of the front seat next to the steering wheel. I immediately recognized that typical sleepy face, Eagle. Oh, delivered huh? Tumben once, usually he drives his own motorcycle. Not so concerned with his pouting expression even though it was still this morning, something else caught my attention. A person in the steering wheel that I had seen before the side glass went up, a middle-aged man with a firm and somewhat ferocious face. Heh, that's the papa ‘kan? I wonder why the head of the Dirgaraja family came all the way from the next town to come here? To visit his children? For a moment I knew the cause of the Eagle's melancholy and the immense pressure that attacked him. His father is terror and he hates being watched during the next two weeks of testing.

I turned my gaze when the pair of sharp eyes behind those glasses also noticed me, turning back into the school area. The eagle just walked quickly past me without saying hello as if it did not see me. Fuck his attitude! I understood the pressure he was under and understood his increasingly annoying attitude. Well, maybe he needs an impingement. I just want to know how long he can endure being someone else, pretending like that.

 ***

Since the first hour there has been no teacher who entered, but the pdf files about the practice are too trash in the class group. Today's teachers are too much to let us learn on our own. In fact, the male friends actually train for the performance of the cultural festival later while the female friends are busy planning the dress code, arranging that the existing simple clothes can look in accordance with the theme of the show, and the, correcting things that are lacking, also setting up the property. I hope I can also participate in this preparation.

“Calm down, you want to cheat us during the exam later, it's been very helpful, Ra!” chirp Rehan immediately approved the other.

“I, anyway, don't mind, but no one knows that suddenly Mr. Hasibuan is guarding our exam room when the math schedule. How, dong? Instant way not safe, know!” my answer. Friends smiled wryly at the name of the most fierce teacher in this school. The events of last semester when he was guarding our exam room three days in a row were also not good memories. Especially for Yuanda and Diana who were caught sharing answers.

“But honestly, I'm surprised you finally have the intention to help, Ra! While our class leader this time is busy alone!” imelda. I glanced at the glance of the Eagle who looked seriously working on matters.

“He understands priorities, Mel! Shouldn't that be true? We test first compared to the festival,” I replied.

“Well, Shira defends the Eagle. Ah, yes it is!”

“What? What do you want to say?!”

I just wanted to spray Imelda who started showing her naughty grin teasing me without getting bored.

“Hei!”

“What?! What are you saying too?!” I was annoyed at the person who patted me on the shoulder. Stuck bumbling, I didn't expect it to turn out to be an Eagle.

“Eh? Ku ... I thought Yasinta, sorry!” my whiny. He doesn't seem to care. It's healed, eh?

“You've been working on that thing this morning?” tanyakanya.

“Ya not yet! Just finished half. Why?”

“Then about yesterday? Which has not been discussed in the group. Must have been ‘kan? I borrowed your workmanship steps to compare with mine!” the answer. I just smiled, asking him to be patient while I looked for the worksheets in my map which was a mess where various documents and sheets were mixed.

At least I'm a little relieved that the Eagle started talking. Maybe he had forgotten about last night and was stupid about his charade. After all, the temperament and impatient character was very incompatible with him. It's too surprising that he had to turn out like that overnight. Moreover the idea of making me hate him was really coercion! Was there ever anyone I hated that I wanted to die?!

“Shir, you are wrong in the number so, basic is not meticulous!” he said we were still seriously comparing our work.

“Oh yes? Maybe I did it while being sleepy,” I replied sniffing my shoulders.

“Which number is also, you forgot to enter the minus sign. Geez, why do you actually make a lot of mistakes in trivial things while high-level questions are actually all right?!” eagle Scrub. It's more to say he's correcting my answer.

“Ah, I don't know! Maybe because challenged I became very attentive to every detail,” I replied.

“Yes, different from the easy questions that you trivialize ago it turns out that there you make a lot of mistakes,” ideal.

“It's healed, nih?” my many.

“What?” The eagle asked back, confused.

“You!”

“What do I hurt?!”

The mental! My reply is in my heart. Only a sick person can't remember the war's change last night. Maybe he didn't want to talk about it.

“Ah, no, deh!” my answer. He only snorted because of my obscurity.

“Eh, since when did your papa visit here?” I finally talked about something else. The eagle still did not answer, still focused on comparing his work with mine. Maybe talking about his dad isn't fun, but let it be. Let all his worries and frustrations not be swallowed by himself.

“Lang, I asked, know! When did your father visit? With your mom too?”

“Nothing to do with you, Shir. Why is it that the old man for the next week is at home?”

“Wah, so long! How's work?”

“How do I know! I haven't talked to him much and I don't intend to talk much!”

“So bad is your relationship?”

“Worse than you want to know,” replied the Eagle indifferently.

“Why keep going like that? Or is there a plan to reconcile?”

“The old man? Make peace? With me? He came here just to start a new war, you know!”

“Good, dong! Isn't that a chance for you? Just win the war and you will be recognized in the eyes of your papa!” my answer. The eagle put down the paper he was holding, sighing long.

“Seenak it's you talk yes!”

“What's really why? Is it too hard until you want to escape? I never thought it turns out your willingness to die and be sacrificed in the gray world is just an excuse to run away from every problem you face,” I replied.

“There I said like that ...”

“Even you had the idea of playing a show, playing a bad play so I hated you. You must be tired and want to end that instant.”

“What, the hell, are you talking about, Shir? I don't understand the skits you mean!” the Eagle rose from the bench in front of me and brought back the ancient book and copies of the papers containing the translation.

“And if you are still concerned about the solution of that exit ... I've read it to the last note. Last night I was kind of outrageous to Sakti. The end of him alone seems to hinder my plans and always affect you, but what is clear about the sacrifice of the black soul is true, Shir. No matter if you believe it or not!” said Eagle. I continued reading the translation he wrote.

“About the turning point prophecy was indeed discussed in this book. I talked to you first, remember? But the signs that Sakti mentioned never existed, including the assurance of the unfolding of the event itself. That's why I don't want to believe it. This sword embedded in my back may indeed have something to do and if indeed the turning point event that Sakti predicted happened, it does not mean that I can survive from that world. Quite the contrary, perhaps my slaughter ritual should involve that sword,” explained the Eagle.

“No, Lang. The role of the sword in the slaughtering ritual is never mentioned in this book!” my dispute.

I let out a long sigh, “You've obviously forgotten our agreement, Lang! Don't you no longer care how to get out of here, no one can be sacrificed!”

“Ah, you changed the sound of the deal, Shira! We agreed to look for that gap of light together, no matter who had to be sacrificed or who could escape. That doesn't mean I have to agree with your wish not to sacrifice anyone. The provisions are only you who can come out, it is like that, while you and Sakti are so stubborn trying to believe other things are too risky. I don't want to try, Shir!”

“Means I can also keep believing in something I trust?”

“Whatever, then what's the point of the deal if we keep going our own way?”

“You yourself do not want to take the middle path and always feel right with the path you believe in, Lang!”

“You and Sakti are the same! Don't just blame me, dong!” reply Eagle.

Ah, one of Sakti's mysteries happened again. Though I was proud to say to Sakti that I and Eagle remain one voice in solving this problem. However, it turns out that uniting opinions is not easy. In the condition of not meeting the middle way, one still has to give up, but I do not want.

 ***

As much as I can try to stifle selfishness. Although I secretly could not agree with the Eagle anymore, I did not want it to make us have to move alone. However, the difference regarding something we thought about was simply too much. There were still a few more things I wanted to refute from him, which were completely contrary to my thinking. About his suspicions to Miss Lasmi. I was just about to discuss it but the Eagle had already left after the first break bell, out of nowhere.

Walking towards the library, I wanted to enjoy the tranquility there. Unfortunately the officer who is guarding today happened to be Mr. Hanri. I didn't turn right until he realized I was at the door. He greeted me first, it was too impolite for me to immediately run away and pretend not to listen. There was no other choice, so I went in.

“Hai, you haven't been to the library in a long time, Shira! This quiet room is getting quieter without regular visitors like you. What was? It feels like you are also becoming more difficult to contact,” said Mr. Hanri at the officer's desk.

“Ah, ti .. no, really, sir! My time is hard to contact? Oh, lately I've been reducing touching phones. Maybe a message from my father was buried and I read it a few days later. Sorry yes, Sir!” answer me as much as possible to make up. Mr. Hanri just nodded.

“Hm, reasonable. Soon test and you will be touching more books than mobile phone ‘kan?” answer Mr. Hanri. This is the first time I've managed to make up an excuse.

“I've moved, Sir. Anything else I can help you with?” ask someone's voice. I turned to find Erik with several cobwebs stuck in his hair.

“Oh, hi, there's Shira here! This job will be faster after there is you!” he was cheerful as always.

“Pe ... what job?”

“Move old books to warehouse. There are many new books coming while the shelves here are not enough. So something has to be moved,” he replied.

“Have been, Rik. Below I have no data. You are too busy,” replied Mr. Hanri. Since when does Erik like to help here? But considering that Erik was a member of the watchdog under the guidance of Mr. Hanri, it was possible that Mr. Hanri asked for his help for anything.

“Ah, how, Ra? Have you tried telling Eagle?” ask Erik.

“Say what ... Oh, that one. Not yet, anyway!” my answer. Our more important issue has not even been discussed.

“About what? If I persuade him to return to the supervisory team, I myself have repeatedly asked for it, but he still refused,” replied Mr. Hanri, “I can not understand his refusal. Should have been after he was not proven guilty he did not have to hesitate to rejoin.”

I'm not commenting. Pak Hanri should have been able to prevent the Eagle from coming out of the watchdog team at that time.

“Looks like he's still accusing me, sir. I don't know what to do for this misunderstanding to end,” replied Erik wistfully.

I was shocked by someone passing by just like that from beside me, out to the door.

“Excuse me, sir,” he said with a decidedly forced smile, briefly looking at the three of us one by one then leaving. Mr. Hanri and Erik were silent for a while.

“We talked about it while he was here from earlier?” erik said he could not believe it.

“I have not seen the Eagle in and suddenly he has come out,” said Mr. Hanri. I'm no longer surprised. It was indeed his natural talent to sneak up and eliminate the air of his existence as if it was disappearing and invisible. I actually realized there was someone behind this first shelf, but I didn't know it was an Eagle.

“Anu, I also have to excuse me, Sir,” I replied saying goodbye hurriedly following the Eagle.

I found it far around the canteen area. It felt like he was about to reach but I soon lost track of him in the crowd of the canteen. Damnit damnit! It quickly disappeared! I decided to buy milk first. I saw Yasinta and Nike chatting together a little far away from my place. Strange, they are both my friends, but never that close, rarely play together if I am not in the middle of them. Because I watched both of them I hit someone in front of me.

“Yeah, where do your eyes look?!” protest the man I hit. Lucky –or unlucky– she is an Eagle. The milk I just opened spilled a little about his clothes.

“Okay, sorry, deh! Not accidentally, really!”

“Drink milk continuously but not high!” the answer sounds awful.

“I didn't ask you to comment about my height, heh!” my reply was always furious when anyone mocked me about it. Anybody would agree that milk is better than his mochalatte.

“Already, don't run away again! There's a lot I want to talk about, you know!” I said to line up his steps.

“What? If you asked me to join the surveillance team, you should know yourself. Mr. Hanri the team leader who asked me to refuse let alone you who are nobody!” reply Eagle.

“Not about that ..” I replied but in the end forgot what I should have asked. I asked another question, “Eh, but seriously, are you still prejudiced against Erik?”

The eagle turned the eyeballs stifled, “That's all you talked about, Shira! But that's okay, you naive people are easy to believe! You need to hear a long explanation. Let me tell you, the letter from Danil that Erik showed about his confession is not true, it could be fake!”

“What?! How can?”

“First, although his handwriting is similar, but it is not like Danil's letters of previous days that contain short words. It's too magical if Danil can suddenly express all his feelings clearly and smoothly,” explained Eagle, “second, the most powerful reason, on the day of the incident the drugs were found in my bag, Danil truant. I know because during the afternoon raid Danil alpa was in his class, so how did he put evidence in my bag if he didn't even come to school himself?!”

I was surprised to know that fact, “But .. but Danil could have come in the morning and then immediately truant once knowing there will be razia.”

“No, Shir! It is impossible for him to come early in the morning to school before there are many people, ” replied the Eagle. Ah, it might be! When there's such a bad intention, Danil can do whatever he wants, right?

“If you think the letter is fake then it's the same that you suspect Mr. Hanri, Lang! Only Mr. Hanri oversaw Kak Danil's suspension including the sentence of writing the letter as well!” my answer.

“You really don't understand, Shir! Not so! Danil and Erik are old friends! Erik was once the same sneer and he hasn't changed at all! He just pretended to be good, infiltrated the surveillance team, secretly protected the network of mischievous children of his flock, also wanted to get rid of me who always disturbed their fun. Then when Erik failed to get rid of me and his cover was almost revealed, his position was threatened to be removed from the supervisor, so it was Danillah who sacrificed. He who acknowledges Erik's actions, protects Erik from staying in his position. Because if Erik gets kicked out of the surveillance team, Erik can't protect the remaining herd. Moreover, being excluded with such a case can harm his friends. Mr. Hanri would have easily snatched his other friends from Erik's description. Do you still not understand? You're still eating good-natured behavior and a guilty-faking face!”

I was silent, still wanting to argue. No matter whether Danil's letter was fake or not, Erik was really not what the Eagle thought. If Erik is right, he can't help me when he's taken by Danil's own flock. How do I explain to him who has been dominated by prejudice?

“Sorry yes, Shir! I'm underestimating you even more. You are indeed smart and always get good grades in class, but if you face this intrigue-filled world I am much better than you!” said the Eagle patted the top of my head slowly. I saw him, Eagle's chin raised.

Hatred, prejudice, arrogance, were suddenly so densely wrapped around his heart. Last night he had played the evil play, animating the role of the black soul so that I hated him and believed that he was indeed worthy of sacrifice. I know it's just a skit, but this time it feels .. it doesn't feel like what I just saw. He really let those vices close his eyes. Suddenly I feel sad.

.Seriate.