GIO “JOE”
Present.
"Wake the fuck up, future Super Hero. Wake the fuck up, future Super Hero. Wake the fuck up, future Super Hero.”
The monotone voice-over phone alarm of Gio himself continued to ring until the fourth time.
“Wake the fu- “
“I knooooow.” Gio searched for his phone and elongated his arm to stop the alarm. He yawned like he was not yet ready for his first day of school and then proceeded to wash his face.
"Gio!” His Mother noticed him as he walked away from his bed. “Just because summer has ended, you won’t have to do your chores anymore. Ayyyyyt! Fix your bed first before you eat your breakfast.”
“Yes, Mom.” He replied lazily.
He returned to his bedroom. His bedroom was a mess, as always. From his working table, books and food wrappers were seen to have spread anywhere. His files were unorganized and were stacked everywhere on his small bookshelf that it’ll be a hard time locating a specific document. The only thing that was organized was his collection of 5Fection, a famous girl band, merchandise. His 5Fection magazines and figurines were organized and located in a special section of his bookshelf.
He looked for his glasses and checked his phone. Three new notifications from Marko Delfin, his former high school classmate who was enrolled in the same school as his.
Joeeee
Are you awake?
Is it okay if we go together? Sorry, I woke up late. Kinda fixed with my old body clock hehe.
He was shocked. He did not know what to do. His dad will never be there to drive them up to school.
A few days ago, his parents were separated, because his mother was tired of his father’s alcohol addiction. Gio chose to stay at his mother’s place here in Rockmarble City, while his twin brother was forced to be taken by his father in his hometown.
Hey Marko, jwu.
I’m sorry, but my parents have been separated recently :((
Still living here in my place, but my dad won’t be around anymore.
While waiting for his response, Gio fixed his bed and went to eat his breakfast. As he was eating, he felt sad again. He finds it hard to move on about what happened recently. He can’t forget the fight between his parents that led to a separation. His father’s intense madness. The cry of his twin brothers. The pain of his mother’s suffering. It was all over in his head.
“Gio, you’re looking sad again,” his mother noticed. She sat in front of him on the wooden table and ate her piece of bread. “Look, I know it’s been a tough decision to separate, but I believe in Havito, our God—”
Gio stopped eating. He cannot swallow her mother’s undying faith in her god. After all this suffering, you still managed to believe in your invisible god, he thought. He didn’t even do anything to fix their family relationship. He made eye contact with his mother and listened to her upcoming words.
“I believe that Havito will fix everything. Everything will be in good hands. Just trust in him, my son.”
“Yes, I know, but you don’t have any job up until now! It’s a good thing that I study in a free school, but we are resorting to savings. Savings don’t last forever, Mom!”
“Don’t scold me! I’ll find a way to—”
“What way?”, Gio interrupted.
“Let me finish first.” She sipped her cup of coffee and continued, “I have told our church members about this problem.”
“Why have you told them about the problem? You even told us that God hates unfixed marriages.”
“Listen, I’m not done yet. The Havitonians are willing to help us. In fact, I have been referred by Sister Atkins for a job interview tomorrow morning.”
“What’s the job?”
“It will be teaching the English language to foreign children at Kalc.”
Gio’s anger was slowly replaced with a smile. He was confident that his mother will pass the interview because she has prior knowledge of teaching children. Kalc City is known to offer high-paying jobs, which is also just a few kilometers away from Rockmarble. He was happy as if he believed that god’s power exists. He began to regain his optimism and confidence in God and his followers.
“What’s the matter?” His Mom recognized the shift in his reaction.
“Nothing, Mom,” Gio replied as he devours to eat his bread. “Just wishing you good luck.” He began to eat fast, escaping the situation that he has currently been in.
“Why are you blushing?” His Mom smiled and laugh. “Kidding aside, thank you.”
Gio continued to blush. He can’t express himself. He did not even know why this is happening. Maybe it was his genuine reaction after being proud of her Mom’s freedom from his father. Maybe it was his sheer optimism for not depending anymore upon his father’s dominant behavior in the house. After being sad and depressed for days, he only felt genuine happiness today.
“Mom, I’ll be taking a bath.” He ate his last piece of bread.
“Okay. What time does your school start?
“Uhmm, 7:30.”
“Oh! 30 minutes left, and you’re gonna be late. Don’t forget, Dad’s not taking you to school.”
“Yes, Mom. Marko’s coming with me, so it won’t be a problem.”
“Oh, really? Good luck with both of you, then!”
“Yes, Mom.”
“And stay away from bad associations!”
He didn’t answer after that. He went to the bathroom and took off his shirt. Before taking a bath, he went to the mirror to reflect on himself. From his chiseled face down to his four-pack abs, he stared at himself confidently. He fantasizes about his dream of being a Super Hero and then began his internal dialogue.
Oy, Gio. He pointed at his mirror. I know this is your first day at Resmond, but you don’t have to be nervous about the people there. You studied at Herschel, a school with a strong foundation in education. This is just the beginning of your life. This is—
His phone vibrated with a new message.
You are trained for this. You got this.
His phone vibrated again.
“Kentarvo Hav!” He shouted, which is a chant from Herschel that means “Glory to God”.
A new notification has popped up again. This time it’s from Winston, his former classmate that will be studying also at Resmond.
Okay, fine! I’m going to check it, he thought. He fiercely grabbed his phone to see his new messages from Marko.
Hey, Joe. I’m so sorry to hear that
I’ve also brought our friend Winston.
Another message appeared. This time, it’s from Winston, another former classmate that will be studying too in Resmond.
Joe, I’m at Marko’s house. Do we need to wait for you?
As soon as Gio saw the message, he undressed his shorts. He turned on the shower and set it to warm. Wait, Ston. I’ll be on my way.
Hurry, we’ll be late.
Tell Marko that we’ll be meeting at the bus stop. I’ll contact you later. Gio laid his phone and glasses at the top of the toilet cistern and began to take a bath.
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MARKO
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Ston, what did Joe reply?” Marko asked Winston.
“He’s on his way. We’ll be meeting him at the bus stop,” Winston replied.
“Noted, thanks.” Marko was washing his face with a moisturizer, a part of his daily skincare routine. He continues to wash his face, looking at the mirror to make sure that his face is as smooth as silk.
The atmosphere of Marko’s room was very silent. No one in the room was rushing due to time-consciousness. The only sounds that you can hear are the running air conditioner and the sink wherein Marko was washing his face.
Winston was a Panda-man: half-panda and half-human. His original hometown is where Panda-men originated. He had a body figure like a human, except he has the face and fur like a panda. His arms and legs were big and muscular, but what sets him apart from an ordinary panda is that he is not a huge guy. He trains and works out every day to maintain his muscular appearance.
Winston was laying on Marko’s bed while reading his favorite fantasy novel. His weight was not heavy enough to break the bed, but it can squash a foam deep down. After several minutes have passed, he lay down his book and checked his watch. The time is 7:20, and Marko is still washing his face. Because of his concern that Gio might have been waiting for a while at the bus stop, he stood up and saw Marko brushing his teeth. “Marko, it’s 7:20, are we not going to the bus stop?” Winston asked.
“Bummer.” He stopped the running water and wiped his face with a towel. “Do you want to take an AirTaxi?”
“Fool! I don’t have money for that.”
“Go chat Gio. I’m sure he’ll agree ‘cos we’re late.”
“Fine.” Winston opened his cellphone and chatted with Gio, asking him if he wanted to take an AirTaxi going to school.
“Have you chatted with him?” Marko asked.
“Yes. I’m just waiting for the reply,” Winston responded.
“Okay. I’ll get dressed,” He opened his dressing closet which was located in front of his bed. He grabbed some of his favorite clothes and showed them in front of Winston.
“Ston!” He shouted, getting Winston’s full attention. “Which do you prefer for the ‘back to school’ outfit? This dark blue polo or this cozy Nike t-shirt? Or… This one. Our batch t-shirt.” He grabbed the batch t-shirt, which shows the image of the golden double-edged sword, the symbol of their former school, with the caption “Herschel Seniors Batch 2017 – 2018”.
“Wow, you’ve come fully prepared for the first day of school,” Winston replied, leaving actually with no exact answer. He sits in the bed to continue reading the novel.
“Hey!” Marko went aggressively towards Winston to close his book. “C’mon just choose which perfectly fits me!”
“Okay, Marko. I am not the guy who should be asking about the choice of clothes, but I will go for the Herschel shirt.” He reopened his novel and went back to read.
“Well, that makes sense, since you’re also wearing a different color of it.” Marko returned the other clothes to the closet and wore their batch t-shirt. Although it appears that the t-shirt became tight and small to him, he still manages to fit it in. He loves this t-shirt. It represents his pride in his alma mater.
“Ston, I think Joe has responded to you.” Marko heard the phone vibrating beside Winston’s lap.
"Yeah, it’s him,” Winston checked. “He’ll be fine on AirTaxi. We’ll just meet him at the bus stop.”
“Okay, I’ll book,” Marko replied, “Tell him to wait for five minutes.”
“But he’s already there.”
“No. Just let him wait. He knows we’ve been always late,” Marko snubbed and sat on his bed to book for an AirTaxi.
After scrolling through Facebook for five minutes, the AirTaxi notified. Good Morning, Sir Marko! Please stay in the meeting place. Our AirTaxi will be arriving soon.
“Okay, read that book later, we gotta go.” Marko stood up and turned off the air conditioner. He grabbed the necessary things needed for the school. As he was searching for his notebooks, he saw his two table tennis rackets lying on the top of his drawer.
“Ston, have you brought your weapons?”
“Yeah, I’ve put it in the Storage Card.”
“Huh?! You can’t trust that crap. Haven’t you heard of the rise of the ‘4D Hackers’? They can access the fourth dimension where all the objects on the Storage can be located.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it,” he thought. “I didn’t store my katana though, only my bamboo staff, nunchaku, and my school supplies. I don’t want to carry them all, you know.”
“You’re really such a lazy panda.” Marko inserted the rackets in his bag and grabbed some extra blades. He closed his bag and ordered Winston to call Gio.
“Is it ringing?” Marko asked Winston.
“Yeah, he’s answering the—”
“Gimme your phone. I’ll talk to him,” Marko abruptly replied. Winston handed his phone over to Marko, and Marko initiated the conversation.
“Joe, where are you?”
“I’m on my way to the bus stop. You?”
Marko paused and turned to Winston. “See. I told you he’ll be late,” he whispered. He then proceeded to talk back to Gio.
“Okay, I’ll be on my way,” Marko turned off the lights in his room and closed the door, and then went outside with Winston.
“Sure, I know you’ll be late for the meetup,” Gio teased.
“Idiot! Who follows the ‘exact’ time?” Marko laughed. “Anyways, I’ll be really on my way.” He put on his Nike shoes and waved goodbye to his little brother.
“Oy, we got five minutes left before the flag ceremony,” Gio replied.
“Joe, just go there ‘cos our vehicle will be on its way. My house is just near the bus stop, so I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Marko locked the gate and went walking towards the bus stop, which was three blocks away from his home.
“I’m now walking towards the bus stop. See you there.” Marko ended the call and started to walk faster as Winston followed him.
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The invention of flying cars brought a revolutionary change in mankind’s transportation. Flying cars are fast and energy-efficient, however, it was costly and dangerous. The number of flying car accidents and deaths over the past two years forced the government to change flight transportation laws.
The revised Flight Transportation Law requires people to pass the “Flight Exam” and to earn a “Flight License” to use a flying automobile. It sets a higher standard for people who are legible to use flight as their mode of transportation. Various new courses and flight schools were built for people to master the safety of driving a flying car. However, attending these courses were expensive and time-consuming for people who work at jobs that rely on not being late. The people wanted fast transportation, not learning how to use a flying automobile, and thus, AirTaxi was born.
AirTaxi is a company whose goal is to provide fast transportation service among the people. By the name itself, AirTaxi provides transportation through the use of a flying taxi. The drivers are licensed and professional pilots. People can book a flight through their app or by putting their hands in the air and waving them, signaling a call for an AirTaxi.
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GIO “JOE”
“Yeah, sure. See—”
The call ended abruptly. Gio was sitting inside 7/11 when he was calling Marko. He was not even rushing to go to the bus stop. All he did was scrolling through his Facebook feed while drinking his hot chocolate. He did not care about being late for the bus, because he knows the fact that Marko was going to be late as well.
Gio and Marko were classmates for 3 years in Herschel, a school that aims to preach the word of Havito, the said creator of this universe. They were close friends, but their relationship is not as healthy as it seems. Gio finds Marko to be annoying and arrogant, so he ignores him as much as he can. However, he had no choice, because Marko will be his classmate for this school year.
After finishing his hot chocolate, he went outside and walked straight to the bus stop. He arrived first at the bus stop. From afar, he saw his two friends crossing down the street. He waved his hands over them to be noticed, but they were busy walking. He was soon noticed when they saw the AirTaxi landing in a vacant spot where no objects are disturbed.
Their transportation has arrived. It has no wheels and appears to be floating in front of Gio. Gio was surprised because he does not often ride AirTaxis due to its expensive transportation cost. He knows that this was their service because it shows the logo of the AirTaxi on its front.
Shortly, Marko and Winston arrived. Gio greeted them, but Marko spoke first to the driver of the vehicle, validating that they were the customers who ordered the service by showing his proof in the AirTaxi app. The AirTaxi driver then confirmed.
Marko quickly entered the vehicle, interrupting the conversation between Gio and Winston. Gio sat beside the driver, while Marko and Winston sat at the back. As soon as they were seated, the vehicle rose high up in the air and took off. It was two times faster than the ordinary car, which Marko assumed that they will be exactly on time. The first five seconds on the AirTaxi was awkward until their vehicle passed by their former school. Gio was reminded of the memories they had on Herschel and initiated the conversation.
“Hey! Nobody informed me that ya’ll be wearing our batch t-shirt!” He smiled.
“It was an impromptu decision that I made,” Marko responded.
“I was supposed to wear that same shirt too, but I can’t find it.”
“Don’t. We all be looking like fools wearing the same thing.” Marko chuckled.
“It’s a proud representation of our school, you know. By the way, why didn’t Saika show up?”
“Saika? She went flying towards Resmond.”
“Oh, really? Isn’t flying illegal?”
“She got a flying license recently. She knows what to do.”
“That’s great.”
“Why? Did you miss her?” Marko teased.
“Dumbass! I was just thinking that it’ll be better if we, Herschel students, went together in Resmond as a group because we are newbies in the school.”
“Really, Gio? You have a crush on her? You didn’t even inform us.” Winston sarcastically interrupted.
“Absolutely, Ston. They’ve been constantly chatting since summer.” Marko uttered.
“That's totally fake! I didn’t even chat with her that much. Ston, don’t believe in him.” Gio responded.
“Let me tell you, Ston.” Marko teased, “Last summer, while I was on a training camp with Saika. I always see her texting Marko. She used to say—”
“Shut up, Marko! None of those were legitimate!”
Winston and Marko laughed. They both knew that Gio was a funny person to bother with. They were all sarcastically teasing each other until they reached Solarmi Road, a long highway from Rockmarble City where Resmond is located.
“Hey, we’re almost near to Resmond, right?” Winston asked as he stared down from the AirTaxi.
“Yeah, just a few shortcuts, and we’ll reach Resmond,” Marko replied.
“Amazing. So this is how Solarmi looked like from an aerial view.” Gio wandered. He glanced at almost everywhere — cozy cafes, fast foods, gaming hubs, and everything that Solarmi offers. He felt freedom, something that he lacked in Herschel.
“Aww, look at Gio fanboying over Solarmi,” Marko laughed while observing Gio.
“Oy!”, Gio blushed. “I know that you’re also excited about this, right?”
“Not as excited as yours, though. Both you and Ston stayed for Herschel for like ten years. Unlike me, I have experienced studying abroad for two years,” he bragged. “Look at Ston. Chillin’ like a villain. Reading…” He searched for the title of the book beneath. “Chimmy Neutron??” he questioned.
Winston closed the book and replied, “Fuck, it’s Chiminea Thrones.”
Gio chuckled, “You never really changed, Marko.”
Moments later, and they have finally arrived at Resmond. The street where Resmond was located experienced heavy traffic wherein various students is getting ready for the first day of school. Since there was no safe landing spot in the area, they were forced to jump in front of their school gate. They hurriedly entered the gate and went to the auditorium for the school’s opening ceremony. Upon entering the auditorium, they were all shocked and amazed at how huge and wide the room is.
Gio was filled with excitement. “Woah! I’ve never expected to see this auditorium to be soooo huge!”
“Yes, yes. But can we first find our section and classmates?” Marko replied, as he was confused and could not find their classmates.
“Good morning, are all of you freshman?” A stranger approached them. He appeared as a human being with features from the other species. He didn’t seem to have a strong physique, but he had ears similar to a dog. “I’m Whiskey, an officer of this school’s student council.”
“Yes, nice to meet you too. I was wondering where are the freshmen seated?” Marko conversed.
“The freshmen are seated at the front of the auditorium. What’s your section?”
“Uhm, mine and—” Marko tapped at Gio, who was not paying attention. “We’re from section Argon.”
“I’m from the section Calvin,” Winston added.
“Well, good luck with your stay here. Come with me, I’m going to guide you from your respected sections.” Whiskey guided Marko and his friends towards the front row of the auditorium. Winston was the first to encounter his classmates and then went with them.
Marko and Gio saw a lot of familiar faces that they met through the enrollment day. They have also seen the people who were with them when taking the exams. One of them was Zai, a new student that they have made friends with recently.