FLAW: FORTY-ONE

Greetings,* Psychics*!

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to those who supported this story and congratulate those who made it this far! You're halfway through the entire story with two (2) more volumes left: Flaw and Vigor. To give a little bit of a summary, Volume 3: Flaw, revolves around Alex's imperfections as a friend, a family, a boyfriend, and a psychic. These flaws will test our protagonist's faith and confidence in himself; meanwhile, Volume 4: Vigor, will showcase Alex's peak of his prowess and how he dealt with the adversaries brought by himself and his enemies. These two volumes will make you sympathize and admire the protagonists as they do their best to be the heroes their world needs the most.

So, sit back and buckle yourself up again for another life-and-death trip. Can you withstand the thrill?

Before ending this, I humbly request that you share your insights and feedback about the first two (2) volumes. Does it need improving? Did you find it bland and mundane? Or is it the other way around? Your input will be greatly appreciated as it will help me to become a better storyteller. Voting and sending gifts are the least I care about, but doing so will be my pleasure. Recommend this story to your friends as well!

I think that's most of it for this segment! I'll talk to you again soon! I hope you enjoy the next volumes just as much as I enjoyed writing them! May you all have a blessed day and stay safe, everyone!

Loving,

Jan Mangahas
The Author


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******

**ALEX POV**

"Try again," I ordered Maica, her fatigued face showing the strain. We were practicing how she could re-activate her telepathy. Sky and her mom were surprised when I told them about Maica's ability. I asked Sky for explanations, but he didn't provide a concrete answer. So, here we were in the living room, training this girl in her newly found hidden ability. She had tried it several times, but I still couldn't hear any voices from her.

"Argh! Why can't I do it this time!" Maica exclaimed in frustration, lying on the sofa she was sitting on. I, too, felt tired from teaching her. Actually, I was hungry, and I assumed Maica was too. So, I stood up and headed to the kitchen.

Tita and Sky had gone to the mall to buy groceries, leaving Maica and me alone. While Carlo decided to continue living in the forest, Trisha was dealing with some business at her house. They had nowhere else to go, and he said he couldn't leave a place he once loved.

We promised to visit him occasionally to check on them. Everything was almost back to normal, except that revealing my true identity had stirred up a lot of gossip and rumors in the city. Some said I was an alien, others believed a demon possessed me, and a few even thought I was an angel sent to punish the sinners. Little did they know, I was just an ordinary teenage boy with extraordinary abilities.

Grabbing a pack of bread and a jar of strawberry jam from the fridge, I also took the remaining pitcher of pineapple juice. I took two pairs of bread and opened the jam jar, spreading it evenly on the bread before sticking them together. After finishing, I put everything back in its place, including the utensils I used.

I returned to Maica, carrying the tray with juice and sandwiches. Maica was still lying on the couch with her eyes closed. It seemed like she was attempting telepathy again.

"Argh!" she groaned, sitting up once more. It looked like she failed again. Without waiting for my permission, she grabbed one sandwich and took a big bite. She chewed and swallowed it in a big gulp.

"No luck?" I asked, starting to eat. We both leaned against the sofa's backrest, chewing our sandwiches.

"For the 57th time. I don't know why I can't do it," she replied, her frustration evident.

"Did you concentrate? Did you visualize well?"

"I followed all your instructions, but still nothing!"

"Maybe it only works in desperate times. Like during an adrenaline rush," I suggested. Maica continued to frown while chewing her food. I took a sip of my juice, and as I returned the glass to the tray, the doorbell rang.

"They're early," Maica remarked, looking puzzled. She was right. Sky and Tita had left just fifteen minutes ago, and considering the travel time to the mall, it would take 25 minutes at least. Add the traffic and the long grocery lines, it was impossible for them to return so soon.

"Did Trisha mention visiting us?"

Maica shook her head negatively. Suddenly, I felt a sense of fear and unease. Whoever was behind that door was someone we didn't know. As a precaution, I kneeled down and released an energy wave. The wave spread and detected five people standing just outside our house. But something was odd—they were all wearing backpacks, and looking like students.

I opened my eyes and stood up. I walked towards the door, unlocking all the safety locks. As I grabbed the doorknob, I sighed.

I hope I'm right.

Twisting the knob open, I pulled the door to reveal ten pairs of glimmering eyes. Amazement and joy were evident on their faces, except for one at the back who seemed emotionless. It reminded me of Sky when we first met.

"Good day, Kuya Alex Rischon! Remember us?" the one in front of me greeted. They looked familiar, and I was sure I had seen them before.

But where and when?

"Sorry, but who are you again?"

"Trevor!" the girl behind me exclaimed. Maica's footsteps approached us, and when she stood beside me, Trevor became even happier.

"Ate Maica!" Trevor joyfully exclaimed after seeing her.

"What are you doing here?" Maica asked, looking at the five with a smile.

"Maybe we should let them in?" I suggested. It would be rude not to. They might think we lack hospitality.

"Right! How rude of me. Come in!"

Maica and I entered first, followed by the five. We cleared the long sofa for them to sit. Since only four could fit on the sofa, one sat on a single sofa. Maica and I took the remaining seats, facing them. I never expected to be visited by students, and what surprised me even more was that they were younger than us.

"My colleagues and I are Grade 12 STEM students from your school. I'm Trevor Galeo, he's Justin Amper, she's Calli Raphy, she's Wernie Demmy, and lastly, Dao Turi," Trevor introduced himself and his companions.

"So, what brings you here? We last saw each other during Alex's hearing, right?"

"That's right."

My hearing? I remember now! They were the group of students with Maica. That's why they looked familiar.

"So, what's up?" I asked.

"We're here to research supernaturals." Trevor thought but blurted out something else, trying to cover up what they really wanted to say. "We have this assignment—"

"Research about supernaturals?" I interjected.

"How did you—Wait! Did you just use read my mind?" Trevor asked in astonishment.

"You leave me no choice. I felt you would make up excuses, so I decided to get ahead of you." Instead of sadness, they looked even more amazed. I could see the excitement and joy in their eyes as if they had just discovered something.

"Since our excuses won't work on you, let me get straight to the point," Trevor shifted from a happy expression to a serious one. I could feel that he had something important to tell us. "The world we are living in right now is not the world we once knew," he said, leaving Maica and me confused. We exchanged glances, trying to find answers in each other's eyes.

"It's hard to explain without visual data and evidence. But if you want to know more, you can find us in the clubs building, in the SHS department. We're the Enigma Club."

******

It was seven-thirty-six in the evening and we were having our dinner. Trisha was with us, and she brought a cake for dessert. She said we should celebrate our victory over the monster and the successful hearing. It was too late to celebrate, but since everything was already prepared, we couldn't do anything about it.

Trisha already had a list of activities that we would do. It's a little victory party, but I'm sure it will be fun. After eating, we prepared for our party - the drinks, the food and snacks, the props for the games, and everything else we would need.

"So, our first game for tonight is charades. It's girls versus boys!" Maica shouted. Trisha grabbed the bowl with rolled-up papers.

"Who goes first?"

"Since we are distinguished gentlemen, ladies first," I said, gesturing to give them the stage. Tita went first, picking a paper from the bowl. She unrolled it and started moving silly, trying to convey the message to her teammates. The two started shouting random words that fit Tita's actions.

I couldn't help but laugh. Tita looked tired from all the movements, while Maica tried to encourage her to continue. Tita called for a pass, and it was our turn to play. Sky decided I should go first, so I went to the front. Trisha offered me the bowl of words, and I picked one.

I unrolled the paper and saw "gun" written on it. I immediately threw the paper and faced Sky. I held out my forefinger...

"One word..."

Then, I made a sign language of the letter "E".

"English..."

And then gestured a chopping motion on my arm.

"One syllable..."

I portrayed myself as if I was holding a gun and then acted as if I was shooting someone.

"Gun."

"Yes!" I shouted loudly, jumping. I gave Maica a you're-losing look and returned to my seat. Maica raised a brow and gave me an are-you-sure smile before turning to the front. Trisha brought the bowl to her, and she picked a paper.

The game started, and Trisha guessed the correct answer, so we all had one point each. The game continued until the winner was declared. And of course, we won with a score of six to four.

After our charades, we had a karaoke session with a twist. We all had to sing, and those with the highest scores would face consequences. So when I started singing, no lyric matched the song's tone. They all laughed, except for Sky. Sky had a deep sense of humor; only legendary jokers or comedians could make him laugh.

I got a score of 93 despite my off-key singing. I didn't know why, but it seemed like the karaoke was programmed to give scores above 90 to spare those who couldn't sing well.

Next was Trisha, who scored 95. Tita scored 94, Maica got 92, and lastly, Sky. Sky took the microphone when Maica handed it to him. He sat before the TV screen and waited for the song he had inputted earlier.

The song's title flashed on the screen, saying "Gold" by Owl City. The first tune dropped, and I realized it was the acoustic version. Sky started singing the lyrics as the countdown reached 0. But we were all shocked when he sang it normally. There were no off-key, no delays, it was perfect.

"Uhm… maybe he forgot the mechanics," Maica whispered. I just ignored her. I was captivated by Sky's deep and daring voice. I never knew he was good at singing. I stared blankly, listening to him until the song ended.

"HA?!" I was surprised when the three of them screamed simultaneously. Because I was busy staring at the guy who just sang, I didn't know why they reacted like that. I found out that Sky was done singing, so I quickly looked at the scoreboard.

"WHAT! ONLY 90?"

Impossible! With his beautiful voice, I was sure it was a 100, but all it gave was just 90! How could that be?

"This karaoke is the worst!" Trisha complained after finding out that she would be punished for getting the highest score. I looked at Sky, sitting quietly on the sofa, observing Trisha. I couldn't help but smile at him.

He never fails to surprise me.