Obscured

Spring time in Q’ylinfria is my favorite time of the year. It’s not so cold anymore and not hot either. The flowers would sprout their buds and the air would be filled with the aroma of Paulownia trees around the neighborhood.

The first week of April marks the end of spring break, which means that classes are starting again. I really hate going to school and attend my classes. Who would want to spend the entire day listening to the boring lectures of know-it-all adults? They believe that just because they earned a high degree, they’re better than everyone else. They get bossy and make you do tons of ridiculous things such as assignments and projects, smiling at their superiority. But it’s not so bad if you have friends to spend the school life with, going through the hard and fun times. You can say that I’m not really serious about my studies. I don’t participate in sport or cultural activities too. Why do I have to burden myself at such things? I’d rather sleep.

On the contrary, my brother is the complete opposite although he looks exactly like me. He is very active in school activities and never gets idle. He is always the number one student in our batch and very competitive in sports. He is even in the student council, that brat.

The sun hasn’t risen yet. Today is the first day of my sophomore year. I got up as usual with the help of my alarm clock which buzzes like a car horn. I rub my eyes and stretched out my arms. I feel especially groggy in the morning but with a quick dose of cold water and coffee, that could help me stay alert for the rest of the day.

I usually wake up at 5:00 in the morning. It also takes 1 hour for me to prepare for school. By 6:00, my twin brother would pressure me to hurry up. Ever since our parents died, he has become more responsible in taking care of me and our family’s business. So, in their place, he’s the one who constantly reminds and scolds me.

I picked out my ironed spring uniform and placed it on my bed. I like our school uniforms so whoever designed it, I’m really thankful to her or him. The design is not intricate. Our spring uniform top is black, long sleeved and buttoned down in the front with the school crest embroidered at the left chest. We also wear yellow collared shirts inside. The pleated skirt is also yellow and an inch above the knee. Girls also wear red ribbons while boys wear a yellow tie.

Before I went inside my bathroom, I turned on the television to listen to the morning news. My parents taught me to be aware of current events and it is an embarrassment to know nothing since our country is just small. I strode towards the bathroom half-listening to the advertisements being overly exaggerated by top endorsers. Who cares about infomercials? A few minutes later, I hear the male newscaster reading out the headlines.

“..A male body, about 35 years old was found dead on the cliff of St. Haynes, the westernmost part of Q’ylinfria.” The stern voice of the reporter came after the headlines.

Q’ylinfria is the name of the country where I live. It is a big city who used to be part of the imperial kingdom of Morvonia. It gained its independence a decade ago. A civil war even transpired when the king angered the people of the city of Q’ylinfria about 50 years ago. There are even legends that witches and wizards helped Q’ylinfria in the war that’s why the imperial kingdom surrendered and gave the rebellious city its independence. It was only declared an independent country by the Eleventh Hour Circle ten years ago because the preparations of transforming the city into an independent nation take a long process. The Eleventh Hour Circle is an association of the most powerful leaders of the 11 countries who spearheaded the creation of the World United Organization – an association for all the countries in the world aiming for peace and coexistence.

“There was no trace of blood anywhere within the vicinity. The cause of his death is a puzzle. There are no physical clues that could point to what happened to the victim. The body was sent to Eastwood Medical Facility for an autopsy. The investigation team is currently on the case..” The young female reporter expounded the story while I’m on the shower.

“Here’s Detective Murray to tell us more details about the case..” As I slid out of my bathroom, I glanced at the television as the scene switched to a face of a middle-aged man with a grumpy expression wearing a fedora surrounded by reporters. “We won’t be declaring any statements yet until the autopsy will be over..”

I turned my cell phone on to log in on my favourite blog site – iblog.net while dressing up. The website requires each individual who signs up to use a unique username. You can post your blog, stories, poems, artwork, videos and photos and everyone can access to it unless you only narrow your post’s visibility to your followers. It’s really different to a social networking site because the site is strict with grammar and punctuations and is not really a domain to socialize and chat with friends.

“What’s taking you so long?” my twin brother Sean suddenly called out from the hallway as scheduled. He is always impatient every morning because he always wants to go to the school early. I’m still busy tying my ribbon and arranging my hair. I snickered. Why can’t he understand that girls take longer time to prepare than boys do? I picked up my red chopstick and attacked my hair, creating a knot to hold my raven hair up. I feel a bit perky and giddy at the same time, weird.

“I’m not dawdling!” I called out in reply. “I won’t violate your precious tardy rule, I promise.” Sean’s in the disciplinary committee and one of the patrol officers who hands out blue slips as we commonly call. Blue slips are really violation slips.
“I’m going on ahead then!” I heard his slow steps as he descended the stairs. I glanced at my watch to check the time; it’s only 6:15. I grimaced and pulled my bag from my chair, turned the television off and ran down the stairs.

“Have a nice day Thea.” Aunt Sylvia greeted me as I grabbed a piece of muffin from the fridge. She is our housekeeper and the one who took care of us when our parents died six years ago. She is a middle aged woman with no children. She’s a good friend of our parents and told us that she is indebted to them. I always wonder if she’s lonely but she would always say that she’s happy with us.

I flashed a smile, “I will.” I walked two blocks to get to the main gate of the subdivision. It is kind of chilly during spring mornings. The trees provide fresh air which I really love on my way to school. The chirping of the birds signals that they are not in hibernation mode anymore. Those tiny sounds would cheer me up every morning. I have to cross to the other side of the street to get to the LTRS or Light Transit Railway Station which is just near our subdivision.

The station is not yet full of people. Office workers carry their own cup coffees waiting for the next train. I spotted a couple of high school students buying tickets to get to their respective schools by light transit. I swiped my student commuter’s card and joined the group of passengers waiting for the next train.

“Good morning. The time is 6:27. A train to Cornwall Metropolis is arriving shortly.” The cool voice of a female announcer could be heard through the loud intercom. Cornwall is my stop. The train arrived like the announcer said.

I walked in as soon as the doors opened. I took a seat near the back and seized my cell phone from the back pocket of my bag. The home page of iblog.net appeared as I pressed a button to stop the animation of my screensaver. The dashboard is flowing with new blogs and photos from different people I do not know. I immediately navigated towards my page. I waited for the internet bar to load and my iblog page loaded completely. I spotted some new comments on my previous posts and answered them a bit. I managed to post a new blog before I arrived at my stop.

________________________________________________________________________
Subject: Mysterious death 6:46 a.m.
Blogger: EnnuiDummy April 4, 2011

I’m always fascinated by detective mysteries on books and comic books. Don’t you? I even wonder if those things really happened in real life. Well, only the author knows that. They really have the power to make our heads spin and be hooked up on the mystery they stir.

So here’s the deal, a 35 year old man was found dead on the cliff of St. Haynes. No sign of physical injuries. The doctor who came with the investigation team cannot pinpoint either. The police are really baffled. Should we call Mr. Lockwood*?

I can’t wait for the autopsy. Thoughts?
________________________________________________________________________

Satisfied, I closed my phone. When I looked up, I caught a weird guy looking at me but he quickly turned away. He looks shady and a bit sketchy. I couldn’t see his face now. I could say that he’s weird because he stands out with what he is wearing. It’s like he came out from a fairy tale story book – he is wearing a long brown flowing coat with a furry collar that looks like a large cape which hides what he is wearing inside. I’ve never seen anyone wear anything like that. Some eyed him and simply snickered while others appeared not to notice, preoccupied with their cellular phones or busy reading the newspaper.

“Next Stop, Cornwall Metropolis and we will be heading to Lizhinsk as scheduled.” A booming male voice said through the speakers.

I sighed in relief as I got out the train.

Whenever I reach the campus, my eyes would always wander at the parking lot. As usual, Sean reaches first. I spotted his blue bike tied by a chain and locked on the railing where the bicycles are supposed to be kept. He always goes to school riding his mountain bike. Sometimes, I ride at his back since it can be a two sitter.

“There you are.” Sean would really make sure that I’m safe. I remember him crying at our parents’ funeral six years ago. Unlike me, he never broke down in front of everyone during the service. I was really depressed and vulnerable but Sean kept his shit together. He even arranged the service and made the necessary preparations, a nine-year old cannot ordinarily do. But he is really exceptional. I thought that he was really strong, taking everything in that time but he is just like me after all. There was this time when we were alone before the burial, he cried and spilled out his hidden feelings. Then, he promised me that he will take care of me from now on. That’s him.

Sean caught up with me and we walked together.

Our school is really big. The saffron exterior of the learning buildings and their glass windows sometimes hurts my eyes because of its brightness. The well-maintained gardens add beauty to the campus. I could hear the grass mowers hum loudly as we walk towards the basketball gym, chatting about inconsequential things.
“I bet we’d still be on the same class.” I chuckled. “It’d be nice to be off your shadow once in a while though, you know?”

“Want to bet that we’d be in different sections?” He grinned, walking beside me.

“Sure! No doubt, I’ll win.” I stuck my tongue on him.

He smirked. His jet black hair, same as mine are falling on his eyes. He is lean but not scrawny and slightly taller than me. He has an aura of aloofness around him, but if you would talk to him he’d respond politely. I guess he’s just contented with his own friends. Unbeknownst to him, a lot of girls are hopelessly crushing on him. He’s just dense on that department.

Everyday, he would spare some of his time in the morning to play basketball or run around the soccer field, kicking footballs. Of course, he won’t dare abandon his duty of patrolling in the morning. Sometimes, I would accompany him. I would just sit near the sidelines, watching him. Sometimes I read a book or just doze off.

When we got to the gym, I was surprised to see a lone figure dribbling and shooting hoops. My twin brother mechanically looked at me with a teasing grin. Of course he knows. The guy who was playing all by himself is my long time crush – Francis Albright. I tried to step back but my brother pushed me inside as Francis turned to notice us.

“Uh, hi.” He smiled at us, then went back to shoot some more hoops. It’s a good thing that he turned away immediately or else he might catch me blushing profusely. I don’t know what charmed me to like this guy. He’s not much of a hottie in the campus compared to my brother who has a fan club of his own. He’s just, well, average. He has short spiky brown hair and striking hazel eyes that are shaped like almonds. He’s taller than my brother by about an inch or two. He’s got a scar near his left eye but all the same, he is cute. He plays basketball but only as a benchwarmer. His grades are high but he’s not a geek at all. Or is he? We are in the same grade but never have been in the same class. I just see his test averages, since test scores are posted on the bulletin board. Francis was my crush for almost four years already, ever since grade school.

I sat down near the exit, rummaging my bag for a pocket book for me to do something. My brother left his bag with me and walked to the court. He put on his headphones and grabbed a ball on the rack and played on the other side of the gym. Minutes later, students began filling up the school. I watched as a couple of guys were playing with my brother now. It is starting to get noisy that I stopped reading and scouted for Francis who is nowhere in sight anymore. That was fast, where could he be now?

Just then, my brother appeared beside me, “Hey, I believe that the classroom assignments will be posted any minute by now. Want to check?” I nodded and followed him out of the gym towards the faculty hallway. A lot of students were flocking near the board. Apparently, a few teachers were posting the lists.

“I hope we won’t be classmates anymore.” I stuck my tongue out on him. He just smirked, “Yeah, I’m fed up on teachers calling us with the same family name.” He retorted.

“Thea! There you are!” I didn’t notice my best friend Courtney among the crowd. She approached us and we hugged. She then turned to my twin, “Hello, Sean.” He nodded and gave a small smile in acknowledgement.

We chatted for a while, catching on each other’s lives since we were apart over the summer.

“I really had fun back in the province! At first, it was boring but my cousins were also there. We spend most of time wandering in the riverside....”

Courtney is shorter than me. She has curly blonde hair and always wears different headbands every day. Today, she is wearing a red headband with a big white heart on it. She looks like an elementary girl for her age. “...oh, how I miss you!” She squealed.

“I miss you too, Court.” Our hands intertwined.

“I better check the list.” Sean instantly stalked off, walking towards the board.

“Guess the first guy I saw today in school.” I spoke in a hushed voice.

“Is it Fran –?” I immediately covered her mouth. “Don’t say it!” I said. Sometimes, my best friend’s not that sensitive. She could blabber anything without thinking twice first.

“Sorry.” I muttered, removing my hand from her mouth. “So, then what happened?” Her eyes were twinkling. She’s used to this gesture already that she was unfazed.

“He said hi and smiled.” I blushed as the memory of that morning flashed on my mind. “It really brightened my –“

Just then, Sean interrupted us. “We are not on the same class, finally!” he grinned.

I was a bit annoyed when he interrupted but I smiled despite myself. “Ho-ho, in that case, I won bro!” I stuck my tongue on him.

“What? You’re still at it?” His face fell. We argued a bit just like what most siblings do. Sean is a very competitive person that it’s hard for him to accept defeat. One time, when I beat his score on a film analysis paper last year (I got an A and he got an A minus), he won’t talk to me for three days.

I turned to my best friend for support but I noticed something new to her - she was staring at Sean, her face slightly flushed. Uhh, is it just me? But my eyes could not deceive me.