Above Cloud Nine — Chapter 35: REVELATIONS UNTOLD

Kamilla woke up with a smile. She still refused to believe that today is their graduation day. This is the time where she will get the reward that she'd been waiting for all her life.

She stretched her limbs and smiled as she faced the mirror. She combed her hair, after that, she brushed her teeth. She's really in her greatest mood. She looked at herself again in the mirror and as she blinked her eyes, it all came back to her once more...

***flashback***

A month before this event, she remembered a time where she walked past the principal's office. It was half-opened.

"Rose, why did you do that? You should be the top one if you got perfect scores in all of the exams."

She stopped and stepped aside. The voice of their principal is too loud she could clearly hear what they were talking about.

"Sir, there's nothing wrong. I did my best but I guess it wasn't good enough." Kamilla felt a slight pinch on her heart.

What does she mean by that?

"Are you doing this because of Kamilla? Rose, please reconsider. At the end of the day, it is not a charity for you to give. You also have to think about yourself."

"Sir, please judge according to grades. I am also doing all my best as a student but do not disregard what Kamilla could do, too."

"Elizabeth Rose..." Their principal tried to warn her.

"Let things be the way they used to be. Please don't worry about me, sir. I know the title will fall to those who really deserves it best."

Kamilla felt footsteps going outside the office. It alerted her right away. She ran as fast as she could with tears in her eyes.

'Oh, Elizabeth Rose, you're too much..."

***end of flashback***

She wiped her tears as she recalled that moment. It only added to her suspicion that Rose is not intending to snatch her academic rank away from her.

Instead, she's willingly giving it away, but why?

She got up and prepared for the big day that's happening especially for her. Her mom helped her prepare everything. She's even touched by her kindness because she even hired a make-up artist for her glammed up look. Bought her a pricey dress and the shoes of her dreams that she will wear under her white toga.

They reached the school grounds with full of graduates. The moment that most of them have been waiting for.

The program started at three in the afternoon and ended at seven in the evening. Everyone is almost going home. However, Kamilla, Karen and Elizabeth Rose gathered inside their room with their classmates for the last time.

Rose got the second spot while Karen landed on the top ten.

"Guys, I am really proud of myself!" She shrieked that made both of them laugh.

"Gosh, I thought you will congratulate Kamilla for being the first and my rank, too." Rose replied right away.

"Duh, Kamilla is already full of praises. Her rank is overrated and predictable, already. Can't you see? Nobody is even congratulating her this time because they knew how this year would end." Kamilla laughed as she poked Karen on her arm.

"Ow! That hurts!" Rose chuckled as Karen poked Kamilla back.

"Hey! I've never been poked by anyone before! Am I that good? Please let me experience it!"

"Shut up!" Kamilla and Karen chorused that Rose couldn't help but giggle. Karen bid the two goodbye as she followed her parents. They will go to their family-owned five-star hotel for dinner. Karen also booked Kamilla and Rose but they have decided to follow later. It was because many teachers and sponsors were too busy interviewing and taking photos of Rose's dad and Kamilla's mom. They noticed that they were the only ones left inside the room.

Someone looked from left to right as if observing if somebody might caught her peeking through their classroom's window.

From the outside, she could see Kamilla and Rose having their heart-to-heart talk.

She saw her chance this time. Pranks are common nowadays, why not do a lock-in-the-room prank, right? She smirked as she gently close their classroom's door and locked it using a big lock that she bought at a hardware. Nobody saw what she did. After locking Kamilla and Rose inside their classroom, she kept the key inside her pocket and left the place right away.

Their parents will eventually discover that they were inside the room and let them out anway. She just want to have fun.

"Hey, I need to talk to you," Kamilla couldn't help but cry with tears of joy. She walked towards Rose as she hugged her tight.

Rose was caught offguard she just chuckled as her way of response to what Kamilla did.

"Do you have a problem?"

"You are my problem." Kamilla replied in a very straightforward manner.

"What?" Her voice started to change, too.

"Why are you being good? I mean, why are you doing these things to me?"

"What things?"

"You don't have to give up being the first. You could always aim for the top, too. Why are you giving it to me?"

"Huh? Kamilla, please don't talk nonsense. I am doing my best. It happened that you are too good at being on top, who am I to spoil it?"

"You silly girl," Kamilla gently poked her arm that made Rose laugh a little.

"I will always support you in everything. That's what friends are for, right?" Rose answered as she gently poked Kamilla back.

"Let's go out from here. I guess our parents were waiting for us now." Rose smiled as she held Kamilla's hand.

"Okay," They were nearing the door when Rose felt something weird.

"Gosh, I am beginning to feel dizzy. Kamilla, don't shake the chairs."

"R-Rose...the ground is shaking!"

"What?" Kamilla's eyes grew wide when she felt the tremors were getting stronger their feet is feeling it. The movement of the ground from the second floor of the building was uncontrollable at that time they could both hear shrieks to most of the people left inside the school premises.

"Rose! Don't ever leave me please! I am scared!" Kamilla shouted at her as she held her hands tight.

"No, I will never!" Kamilla felt Rose's hands grip hers tight. They both saw the chairs began turning down and dust from the ceilings began to fall down. They could see cracks on the walls as they began to form from the four corners of the room. The shelves began to collapse. All of a sudden, there's a strong wave of tremor that seperated them. Rose was pushed on the left side, under where the metal chairs were turned down. Kamilla was pushed on the right, near the door.

"Kamilla! Save yourself! Go outside! Now!" Rose shouted at the top of her lungs. Kamilla could see Rose's head with full of blood gushing down her face as she tried her best to push the chairs that covered her body on the left side of the room.

"No! I will never leave you here!" Kamilla stepped back when the bookshelf near the door collapsed in front of the door that's located on the right side of the room.

The tremor stopped for a while, however, aftershocks continued. Kamilla bended down on four limbs as she crawled to where Rose is located.

"D-Don't be afraid, I am here now." They both found themselves crying because of the horror that instantly happened. There was a total blackout and they were unfortunate enough because their classroom was located inside an old building already.

With all of her strength left within her, Kamilla tried getting up and lifted the chairs that almost covered Rose's entire body.

"Rose, please answer me! Are you there?"

"Kamilla, t-thank you," she heard a weak voice that responded to her right away.

"I'm here, look! I am wonderwoman!" She chuckled as she lifted more metal chairs as fast as she could and threw it to the other side. Kamilla tried to joke around despite of her knees shaking uncontrollably. She could here Rose's weak chuckle, too.

She cried silently as she tried to move fast. She has to save her best friend this time. She has to repay her kindness, whatever it takes.

Even if it will cost her life this time.

She gently pulled her under the chairs. She assisted her to stand up and put her arms around her shoulders as they headed towards the door.

They felt tremors of aftershocks again. This time, it made them fall on the floor. Kamilla felt the wall where the glass window began to crack.

'No...the glass window will break!" She felt her heart beat really fast as the thoughts rushed from within her. She suddenly pushed Rose away from the window before the fine crystals fell to most part of her body including her eyes.

"Kamilla!" Rose's loud wailing, shouting her name was the last word she heard before everything went blank.