FLAW: FORTY-TWO

**ALEX POV**

The clock struck nine in the evening, and it happened to be the perfect time for us to finish all the listed activities prepared by Trisha. We managed to complete everything in just two hours. We all had our own consequences after losing in some of the games, so we were now cleaning up the mess. Tita went to her room first as we noticed her fatigue. Trisha was busy cleaning the living room, while Maica tackled the dining table, which also had a bit of a mess.

Sky and I decided to wash the dishes since there were quite a few, even though there were only five of us in the house. I was assigned to rinse while Sky took care of soaping.

"I never knew you were good at singing," I commented while rinsing the soaped dishes. Sky just continued washing, seemingly not hearing what I said.

"You might not remember, but I used to sing every night to help you sleep." I was surprised by his response. He used to sing to me. That's why it felt like I had experienced it before. A déjà vu.

"I really don't remember, but thank you."

"You are lucky," he said arrogantly, causing me to look at him and pause what I was doing.

"Is that so?" I sarcastically replied with a smile.

"I only sing to you. I never sing to anybody," he informed me, and my cheeks suddenly felt warm. I knew I was blushing but didn't want to hide it anymore. I wanted him to know my reaction when he said something sweet.

"But you sang earlier."

"I never sang for the game." Sky looked me in the eyes, and I could see his sincerity and affection towards me. "I sang it for you." My cheeks became warmer upon hearing those words. My heart started to race as if I were being pursued by something.

"Awe~!" the two girls shouted simultaneously, causing Sky and me to stop staring at each other. We continued washing and tried to ignore the laughter and teasing from the two girls behind us.

Sky and I didn't take long to finish washing the dishes. When we returned to the sofa, we saw the two girls asleep.

"Should we wake them up?" I asked Sky. I didn't get a response because he suddenly left and headed to the bedrooms. I squinted at Sky's actions. He was sweet earlier, and now he seemed to be ignoring me. He could be annoying sometimes.

After a minute, Sky returned, carrying two blankets. That's when I realized he got blankets for the two of them. My annoyance towards him disappeared after he covered Maica with a blanket. I decided to help and grabbed the other blanket. With my telekinesis, I easily placed the blanket over Trisha.

Once we ensured the two were comfortable, we headed to our room. I was about to enter when he called me. I approached him, surprised when he suddenly pulled me closer. Our bodies were close, and our faces were just inches apart.

I stared into Sky's eyes as if I were looking at the entire galaxy. His eyes shimmered like stars, and I couldn't help but admire them. After a moment, his lips brushed against mine. It took me several seconds to realize that he was kissing me. In response, I kissed him back. I felt the tightness of his embrace, so I hugged him back tightly.

We stayed in that position for about a minute. We parted, and we could see each other's passion and affection.

"Let's go to sleep. We still have classes tomorrow," I reminded him, and he agreed. We gave each other a goodnight peck on the lips and then headed to our respective rooms.

******

"Alex!" shouted a girl, waking me up. I rubbed my eyes and slowly opened them. "Alex, wake up! We're going to be late!" I checked my alarm clock and abruptly sat up when I saw the time. It was five minutes before seven, and our class started at seven-thirty. I only had thirty minutes to prepare, and it's not enough for a guy like me.

"I'm up!" I shouted in response while hurriedly grabbing a towel and clothes to shower quickly.

"Good! Take a shower, and then we'll have breakfast!"

"Okay!"

I quickly left the room and headed straight to the bathroom. Since I was in fast-forward mode, I finished my shower in just five minutes. Afterward, I put on my uniform while using my telekinetic ability to put my school items in the bag.

Once I finished, I immediately left the room and went to the living room. Sky and Maica were already in their uniforms, patiently waiting on the sofas. I placed the bag on the sofa as they stood up to go to the table where breakfast was ready.

"It's kinda new for you to wake up late," Maica teased while chewing her food.

"Maybe my body was just tired." I noticed Trisha wasn't there, so I couldn't help but ask, "Where's Trisha?"

"She went home around five," Maica answered after taking a big gulp. I didn't ask further because we might take too long and be late. After eating, we immediately said goodbye to Tita. We used Lola Vemine's car today to avoid commuting.

Speaking of Lola, I miss her. It's been a month since she disappeared, or let's just say, she was abducted. I hope she's okay. I hope she's being fed well. She's old, so she needs proper nutrition to stay strong.

"By the way, Alex, did you tell Sky?" Maica asked, referring to what the senior high students told us.

"Told him what?"

"Remember Trevor and his group?" I asked her, even though she was busy driving. Sky nodded, his eyes still on the road. "They went to our house yesterday when you were at the mall with Tita."

"And?"

"He told us about the world being changed."

"I don't understand."

"Even us. He said that the world now is not the same as the world before. He said that the world has somehow changed."

"Changed? In what way?" I noticed Sky's eyebrows furrowing as he squinted in confusion about what I said.

"I don't know because they didn't explain it. He said they could explain it properly when we see the data and evidence they have."

"They invited us to their clubroom," Maica added. Sky went silent after hearing all our statements. It seemed like he was thinking about what we should do.

"I'll think about it later."

"Okay."

I leaned back and looked out the window again. Trevor's words came back to my mind.

If what he's saying is true, then what in the world changed?

"Alex?" a kid's voice called out. I looked at Maica, thinking she was the one who spoke, but she was too busy tapping on her cell phone. The voice seemed familiar to me. "It's your Alter, you dumbass!"

Alter? Oh! I forgot!

I closed my eyes and waited for the shift of setting. I quickly opened my eyes when I felt that I was no longer in the car.

"I have been waiting for you all this time! I haven't been visited for weeks!" my alter yelled at me angrily.

"Wait? You're waiting for me?"

"Yes, idiot! I'm your alter! I'm your responsibility! You can't just leave your Alter for a month! What?! Did you forget about me?" he angrily exclaimed. I could do nothing but listen to him.

He's right. He's my responsibility.

"I'm sorry. I was bombarded with many revelations lately, so I didn't think of you. I'm sorry."

"I'm totally aware that what happened to you wasn't easy. And it's just normal to forget something. But you should also remember that I'm here. Alone." Out of the blue, I could sense a hint of sadness in his tone. I didn't realize that he was alone here. No one to talk to, play with, or have fun with. I wondered how he managed to survive.

"I'm really sorry. I won't do it again. I promised."

"It's fine."

"By the way, why did you call me? You can't just call me to give me a sermon."

"Tsk. I have something weird to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Your world has changed."

******

We reached our classroom just in time. It didn't take long before the first-period bell rang, prompting my classmates to return to their seats. Speaking of them, they've been looking at me since I entered. Some were discreetly talking about me, even though it was obvious.

But just as Sky said to me earlier: "Just ignore them." And I did. I wouldn't gain anything by confronting or acknowledging them. I knew the story better than they did, so I had nothing to worry about. If there was anything, our new professor just entered the room.

"Good morning!" our professor greeted us, and we responded kindly. He began lecturing about a virus currently spreading in China. He mentioned that it could be an outbreak if the authorities did not handle and control it. But something popped into my mind, something that my alter had said. It's strange that my alter and Trevor said the same thing.

The discussion ended, as did the second one. The bell rang as the clock struck twelve, signaling lunchtime for the students. The three of us headed straight to the cafeteria despite the eyes staring at us, especially at me.

"Isn't he the one in the news?"

"The one with powers?"

"My mom claims he's an alien."

"Alien? More like a witch" whispered the girls behind us. I just ignored them, just like Sky said. But there were still parts of me that wanted to defend myself. I wanted to tell them that their assumptions were wrong. But I sighed in defeat.

Who would believe me? Aside from Trevor and his gang, no one else understands my situation.

We reached the canteen, and I praised myself for successfully ignoring their gossip and murmurs about me. But I forgot that there were even more people here in the canteen. And now they're all staring at me.

"Guys!" a girl called out to us. We saw a girl waving her hand at us, and that's when I realized it was Trisha. We immediately went to her and saw food already served on the table.

"What are these?" I asked in amazement, looking at the dishes in front of us.

"Our food, obviously?" Trisha replied in a sarcastic tone.

"Did you buy all of these?" Maica asked in surprise.

"Some of them."

"Some?" I asked, squinting my brows.

"Trevor paid for the rest," Trisha answered, leaving me puzzled.

He did?

"Let me guess, he wants something," Sky speculated. Trisha scratched her head while smiling. We sat down and started eating. Since the food was already served, we couldn't do anything but eat it. It would be ungrateful to decline.

"Trevor wants to show us something. And he wants us in their clubroom after dismissal," Trisha explained while preparing her food.

"Let's go there later. I want to know how, why, and what these changes are. If this is bad, we need to know as early as possible to prepare," I suggested.

"Do you really believe them, Alex?" Maica asked with concern.

"At first, no, because it might just be a prank. But earlier, when I talked to my alter, he said the same thing."

"Whatever that is, it'll explain Maica's newly found ability," Sky accused.

The four of us fell silent while contemplating our new predicament. Many questions started popping into my head that I couldn't answer. It looked like we were going to be tested once again.