Chapter 6
Secret Admirers, Poets, Invaders, and then Some...
"Don't you just love PE, Your Highness?" Jira jeered Mimi in the girl's locker room after she fell flat on her face during the jumps, "It is so nice having to see a future monarch falling from her throne, don't you think, girls?"
The girls nodded in agreement.
Mimi spoke to her in her pretty, fluent, French that left Jira speechless. She had been secretly practicing French in case her mother was to visit next week. Jing sniggered under her own locker as she got her school shoes out. Unexpectedly, a pink scented stationary fell out of her shoes. The paper said:
"Roses are red,
Violets are blue, You may not know it,
But someone loves you..."
She stared with a questioning and confused face at the paper. Unknown to her, Gee and Mimi were reading behind her shoulder. They exchanged glances of mixed disgust and excitement.
"So, who's it from?" Mimi asked out of the blue as they made their way out of the locker room.
"Whoever it is, he must be very good to get that in the girl's locker room," Gee said.
"There's no signature," Jing answered, inspecting the card back to front, "And it's computerized."
"Yap! You have a secret admirer, Jing-kun!" Mimi exclaimed, "You really are prettier than the both of us combined!"
"I'm not pretty," Jing said timidly.
The girls joined Kiko and Leonel on their usual spot at the cafeteria. Both boys were looking at them suspiciously from the girls' conspicuous faces. Leonel, who was very good at detecting any gossip of the sort from females, was first to speak up.
"Hey, girl, you have something to 'fess up!" Leonel pushed at Jing, "I can smell your guilty little faces from a mile away."
"How can't you?" Gee said, "You're gay."
"Jing's got a secret admirer," Mimi piped up for Jing, who was as shy as ever. Kiko suddenly dropped his fork and it clattered on the floor.
"Really?" he said, raising his brow as Gee and Leonel started a food fight between the both of them.
"Uh-huh," Jing nodded, "He/She/It, wants me to meet him/her/it this afternoon at five if I want to meet him/her/it."
"Hey guys," Eric had joined the now messy table, "The Commander wants you guys to report this afternoon at five. He's all psyched up about this company owned by one of the students. He said it's the main base of the Invaders, but I think he's just being paranoid."
"Ugh," Mimi slumped, "I won't be there to see Jing's mystery man. Don't worry Jing-Jing, I'm gonna cover up for you."
By this time, the whole cafeteria had joined in Gee and Leonel's fight. And they all knew that if you valued your outfit, you had to clear the cafeteria. Jing, Mimi and Kiko got out as fast as they could, but not fast enough for Mimi to not be hit on the side of her head by Tapioca Pudding thrown by Jira.
"Damn," Mimi said, wiping her ponytails with Kiko's handkerchief, "This ponytail is brand-new. I am never eating Tapioca Pudding ever again!"
They entered their classroom and saw a boy kneeling on the floor with his hands clasped together on his desk. He was holding a blue ornate rosary.
"RJ Kyoichi Ramirez," Mimi whispered, "His mom's a Filipino, that's why he's so religious. Nobody ever goes near him; they think he's weird or something."
RJ looked up at them and smiled. He sat on his chair and began to work on his Japanese.
"Hello, RJ, praying as usual?" Mimi smiled at him.
"Yup," RJ answered, "I see Jira has gotten the better of you, huh? I can see by the Tapioca stain on your hair it wasn't pretty."
Mimi giggled and went to her seat, followed closely by Jing and Kiko. They stared at RJ, who was writing Japanese in his notebook. Just then, Gee and Leonel appeared on the door looking flushed and with bits of gelatin on the front of their uniforms.
The dreaded afternoon came. Unknown to the rest, Jing's heart was thumping faster and faster as she went to the girl's room together with Gee and Mimi. She had to go to the music room first to practice a new sonata on the modified violin for it was only four-thirty.
"She's nervous," Gee noted.
"For a tomboy, you're pretty good," Mimi told Gee as she took off the vest of her school uniform so that it wouldn't be too hot.
The three of them went out the girl's room vest-less. The music room was empty when they came in. Leonel caught up with them on the way to get a taste of Jing's music. Jing played and her Gate power was unleashed. The room became dead silent as Jing played and the gang stared in awe at her. Music washed over them like magic, only stopping when they heard someone exit the room.
"Someone's heard you," Leonel said.
"Hey guys!" Eric called from the Mimi's watch-communicator, "It's five, the Chief is getting paranoid, and you better get your butts here on the double!"
"Well, time for your big meeting Jing-kun!" Mimi said, patting Jing's shoulder playfully, "and if I could give you any advice, it's be yourself and don't take it too seriously."
Jing made her way to the now empty campus to the bench near the acacia. She mustered up her courage and sat on it. She looked around but only saw Peist, the keeper.
"He won't come," She said to herself, "He's probably as nervous as I am. Well, I can't wait for him forever, might as well join the others in the HQ."
She stood up and heard a faint rustling from the nearby bushes. Her heart leaped, but then she felt a tremor on the ground.
"Earthquake???" she held on to the bench.
The ground suddenly opened up and a huge Invader leapt from the hole. Jing suddenly made a dash to her bag, but the Invader (who was in the form of a giant slug this time) had flattened it out terribly. Jing began to panic as she avoided the Invader's attacks with precision. Her violin had been in that bag, and she couldn't do anything by singing.
The Invader made a swipe at her and found herself cornered in the school wall. This is it, she thought, they're really going to hurt me this time! I'm done for! Finished! Oh God-huh?
RJ, the boy who was praying that lunch break had now stepped in front of her and shielded her from the Invader. A Gate had opened up before him as he stood on his feet with enduring valor. His Gate power repelled the Invader's attack, forming a gray shield on Jing and himself. He smiled at Jing as the Invader was crushed into a thousand green pieces.
"I don't know how exactly did I do that but the important thing is that you and I are safe from that-uh-thing," RJ said, helping Jing up from the ground.
"Yeah, I thought I was dead meat back there, arigato," Jing grinned, "And I know exactly what you did. I do that too, I'm also a Gatekeeper."
"Gatekeeper?" RJ asked, "Do you mean there's more like me? I've been doing that for quite a while now but I didn't know we were called that."
"There are lots of things you don't know," Jing said, "Iwanu ga hana. Incidentally, were you the one sending me all those letters I found?"
"It seems there are a lot of things you don't know either," RJ smiled, "It was me, your friend Gee agreed to help me pick out the cards and put them in your locker in the girls' locker room. She was laughing half the way but I didn't mind her."
"Are you serious with what you wrote?" Jing asked.
"Would I send them if I weren't serious," RJ told her.
In the distance, the others were watching them intently.
"I thought the Chief said there was an Invader around here," Leonel complained, "The Chief's being overly paranoid."
"But isn't it sweet?" Mimi said.
"Sweet my butt," Kiko replied.
"You're just jealous because you have a crush on Jing!" Gee giggled under her breath.
"I DO NOT!" Kiko exclaimed.
"This reminds me of Byron's poem" Mimi said and then quoted:
"Love me little, love me long, Love will find its way,
Through paths where wolves, Would fear to prey,
And if it dares, 'Twere hard, If passion met, Not some reward."
"What the hell does that mean?" Gee asked.
"If I knew the answer I wouldn't have quoted that poem anyway," Mimi said, glancing sadly at Kiko who was peering at RJ and Jing with a fixed stare, "Love is indeed a mysterious thing..."
Secret Admirers, Poets, Invaders, and then Some...
"Don't you just love PE, Your Highness?" Jira jeered Mimi in the girl's locker room after she fell flat on her face during the jumps, "It is so nice having to see a future monarch falling from her throne, don't you think, girls?"
The girls nodded in agreement.
Mimi spoke to her in her pretty, fluent, French that left Jira speechless. She had been secretly practicing French in case her mother was to visit next week. Jing sniggered under her own locker as she got her school shoes out. Unexpectedly, a pink scented stationary fell out of her shoes. The paper said:
"Roses are red,
Violets are blue, You may not know it,
But someone loves you..."
She stared with a questioning and confused face at the paper. Unknown to her, Gee and Mimi were reading behind her shoulder. They exchanged glances of mixed disgust and excitement.
"So, who's it from?" Mimi asked out of the blue as they made their way out of the locker room.
"Whoever it is, he must be very good to get that in the girl's locker room," Gee said.
"There's no signature," Jing answered, inspecting the card back to front, "And it's computerized."
"Yap! You have a secret admirer, Jing-kun!" Mimi exclaimed, "You really are prettier than the both of us combined!"
"I'm not pretty," Jing said timidly.
The girls joined Kiko and Leonel on their usual spot at the cafeteria. Both boys were looking at them suspiciously from the girls' conspicuous faces. Leonel, who was very good at detecting any gossip of the sort from females, was first to speak up.
"Hey, girl, you have something to 'fess up!" Leonel pushed at Jing, "I can smell your guilty little faces from a mile away."
"How can't you?" Gee said, "You're gay."
"Jing's got a secret admirer," Mimi piped up for Jing, who was as shy as ever. Kiko suddenly dropped his fork and it clattered on the floor.
"Really?" he said, raising his brow as Gee and Leonel started a food fight between the both of them.
"Uh-huh," Jing nodded, "He/She/It, wants me to meet him/her/it this afternoon at five if I want to meet him/her/it."
"Hey guys," Eric had joined the now messy table, "The Commander wants you guys to report this afternoon at five. He's all psyched up about this company owned by one of the students. He said it's the main base of the Invaders, but I think he's just being paranoid."
"Ugh," Mimi slumped, "I won't be there to see Jing's mystery man. Don't worry Jing-Jing, I'm gonna cover up for you."
By this time, the whole cafeteria had joined in Gee and Leonel's fight. And they all knew that if you valued your outfit, you had to clear the cafeteria. Jing, Mimi and Kiko got out as fast as they could, but not fast enough for Mimi to not be hit on the side of her head by Tapioca Pudding thrown by Jira.
"Damn," Mimi said, wiping her ponytails with Kiko's handkerchief, "This ponytail is brand-new. I am never eating Tapioca Pudding ever again!"
They entered their classroom and saw a boy kneeling on the floor with his hands clasped together on his desk. He was holding a blue ornate rosary.
"RJ Kyoichi Ramirez," Mimi whispered, "His mom's a Filipino, that's why he's so religious. Nobody ever goes near him; they think he's weird or something."
RJ looked up at them and smiled. He sat on his chair and began to work on his Japanese.
"Hello, RJ, praying as usual?" Mimi smiled at him.
"Yup," RJ answered, "I see Jira has gotten the better of you, huh? I can see by the Tapioca stain on your hair it wasn't pretty."
Mimi giggled and went to her seat, followed closely by Jing and Kiko. They stared at RJ, who was writing Japanese in his notebook. Just then, Gee and Leonel appeared on the door looking flushed and with bits of gelatin on the front of their uniforms.
The dreaded afternoon came. Unknown to the rest, Jing's heart was thumping faster and faster as she went to the girl's room together with Gee and Mimi. She had to go to the music room first to practice a new sonata on the modified violin for it was only four-thirty.
"She's nervous," Gee noted.
"For a tomboy, you're pretty good," Mimi told Gee as she took off the vest of her school uniform so that it wouldn't be too hot.
The three of them went out the girl's room vest-less. The music room was empty when they came in. Leonel caught up with them on the way to get a taste of Jing's music. Jing played and her Gate power was unleashed. The room became dead silent as Jing played and the gang stared in awe at her. Music washed over them like magic, only stopping when they heard someone exit the room.
"Someone's heard you," Leonel said.
"Hey guys!" Eric called from the Mimi's watch-communicator, "It's five, the Chief is getting paranoid, and you better get your butts here on the double!"
"Well, time for your big meeting Jing-kun!" Mimi said, patting Jing's shoulder playfully, "and if I could give you any advice, it's be yourself and don't take it too seriously."
Jing made her way to the now empty campus to the bench near the acacia. She mustered up her courage and sat on it. She looked around but only saw Peist, the keeper.
"He won't come," She said to herself, "He's probably as nervous as I am. Well, I can't wait for him forever, might as well join the others in the HQ."
She stood up and heard a faint rustling from the nearby bushes. Her heart leaped, but then she felt a tremor on the ground.
"Earthquake???" she held on to the bench.
The ground suddenly opened up and a huge Invader leapt from the hole. Jing suddenly made a dash to her bag, but the Invader (who was in the form of a giant slug this time) had flattened it out terribly. Jing began to panic as she avoided the Invader's attacks with precision. Her violin had been in that bag, and she couldn't do anything by singing.
The Invader made a swipe at her and found herself cornered in the school wall. This is it, she thought, they're really going to hurt me this time! I'm done for! Finished! Oh God-huh?
RJ, the boy who was praying that lunch break had now stepped in front of her and shielded her from the Invader. A Gate had opened up before him as he stood on his feet with enduring valor. His Gate power repelled the Invader's attack, forming a gray shield on Jing and himself. He smiled at Jing as the Invader was crushed into a thousand green pieces.
"I don't know how exactly did I do that but the important thing is that you and I are safe from that-uh-thing," RJ said, helping Jing up from the ground.
"Yeah, I thought I was dead meat back there, arigato," Jing grinned, "And I know exactly what you did. I do that too, I'm also a Gatekeeper."
"Gatekeeper?" RJ asked, "Do you mean there's more like me? I've been doing that for quite a while now but I didn't know we were called that."
"There are lots of things you don't know," Jing said, "Iwanu ga hana. Incidentally, were you the one sending me all those letters I found?"
"It seems there are a lot of things you don't know either," RJ smiled, "It was me, your friend Gee agreed to help me pick out the cards and put them in your locker in the girls' locker room. She was laughing half the way but I didn't mind her."
"Are you serious with what you wrote?" Jing asked.
"Would I send them if I weren't serious," RJ told her.
In the distance, the others were watching them intently.
"I thought the Chief said there was an Invader around here," Leonel complained, "The Chief's being overly paranoid."
"But isn't it sweet?" Mimi said.
"Sweet my butt," Kiko replied.
"You're just jealous because you have a crush on Jing!" Gee giggled under her breath.
"I DO NOT!" Kiko exclaimed.
"This reminds me of Byron's poem" Mimi said and then quoted:
"Love me little, love me long, Love will find its way,
Through paths where wolves, Would fear to prey,
And if it dares, 'Twere hard, If passion met, Not some reward."
"What the hell does that mean?" Gee asked.
"If I knew the answer I wouldn't have quoted that poem anyway," Mimi said, glancing sadly at Kiko who was peering at RJ and Jing with a fixed stare, "Love is indeed a mysterious thing..."