Chapter 13: Mr. Lucero's Class
Before the meteor could hit, Tonton woke up from his sleep. His alarm clock was whining loudly. He was panting and sweating. He could not even control his trembling hands. He stayed on his bed until he recovered his nerves. Once he had relaxed, Tonton immediately prepared for school.
School was not suspended for the day. It was reported the day before that the team of scientists were almost done investigating the school and that nothing peculiar had been observed or found yet. Only few classrooms had to be checked yet and so classes could resume with some sections to be combined into one.
The school was noisy when the four friends arrived. Almost every student was present, and only a few parents continued to accompany their children. The school seemed to be back to its usual atmosphere - alive, kicking with excitement, and busy like during the first hour in the morning and the final hour at night.
In fact, Subangdaku was back to its usual self. Businesses which had closed the previous day were now open. People had gone back to their day jobs. Some media men had left, leaving the streets and vacant lots empty of tents. It was sunshiny in the district, as if the villagers had not been terrorized by the mysterious falling star.
In the school, the three sections of the fifth grade level were combined into a single class. They occupied the larger function hall in the campus. Theirs and the six graders' classrooms were still under inspection by the team of scientists. The boys were excited about it and they sat together in the first row of the class.
"We are finally classmates!" Bogart beamed with happiness as they waited for their first class.
"It sure looks unreal to be with you guys in the same classroom," Kiko said.
"We should be classmates next year," Jamie concluded. "It is more fun this way. Besides, we will not be anymore waiting for each other after class."
While the three boys chuckled, Tonton remained quiet.
"Tonton," Jamie finally confronted him, "you have been unusually silent since this morning. Is there any problem?"
The other two boys looked at Tonton. They had also observed his strange behavior but were hesitant to ask him about it.
"Yes," Kiko seconded, "you can tell us about what is bothering you."
Tonton stared at his friends' faces and he knew they were sincerely worried about him. He had been meaning to tell them about his dreams but he was afraid that they might not believe him, or worse, laugh at him. Yet, he also believed that they were real friends and they would not take his dreams lightly.
"I think I must be totally honest with you," he began. "I have not been feeling right since the explosion two nights ago -"
"Are you sick?" Bogart interrupted.
"No, it is not that," Tonton clarified. "It is more like -"
Tonton was not able to finish his sentence again as their classmates began racing to take their seats. Since the class had not yet started, the students were just all over the room. So when the teacher's footsteps were heard coming, they scampered, took their seats, and acted like behaved children.
"Good morning, class!" Alexander Lucero greeted his students as soon as he entered the room. "As you all know, all grade five students will be combined in one class today. Just today only so the team can finish their investigations."
Mr. Lucero, or Sir Alex as fondly called by everyone in the school, was a science teacher for grade four and five students. He was still young, somewhere in his late twenties, a bachelor, and undeniably handsome. Both parents and his co-teachers adored him while some girl students, particularly from grade five and six, had a crush on him.
"For our class today, we will be talking about astronomy."
Everyone's ear picked as they got interested with their lesson. The topic was really relevant to the mysterious explosion in the district. Mr. Lucero began with definitions of some important heavenly bodies. As they progressed, they discussed deeper topics which further held the students' attention.
"Sir!" Kiko called his teacher. "Can human live in Mars?"
They were talking about the planets. When Mr. Lucero discussed the similarities between Earth and Mars, Kiko became intrigued with the possibility of life in the red planet.
"Presently, it is not," Mr. Lucero began his explanation. "According to textbooks, the surface of the planet contain minerals toxic not only to humans but to all life forms. It has also plenty of ionizing radiation that is harmful and lethal."
The class was silent as they analyzed his answer. Bogart then also shot his inquiry.
"Sir, has any kind of life existed in Mars?"
"There are currently no concrete evidence or proof that life has existed in the planet. Missions sent to Mars had confirmed that there had been ancient water which makes the planet possibly habitable. However, just because its previous condition was habitable, it does not necessarily mean that there had been life in the planet."
"Can other kind of life live in Mars?" It was Jamie's turn to ask.
"Like I said earlier, the current condition in Mars will not likely support life."
"That is life from Earth. What if there is another life? The kind that can endure such condition, even worse. A life we never encountered and unfamiliar to us."
Mr. Lucero became muted as his mind raced to search for answers. The class was also quiet as they waited for him.
"I can't answer that since the kind of life you are asking is something we know nothing about. However, NASA and other space agencies are still working on it, even on the possibility of an alien life, " The class gasped upon hearing the word 'alien'.
"Teacher," a girl called Mr. Lucero's attention. "Everyone had witnessed that a meteor had fallen to Subangdaku two nights ago. Are meteors dangerous?"
"It depends on the size of the meteor. It matters how large or small it is."
"I did not mean the size. I mean a life force. Can meteors carry some kind of life? "
Mr. Lucero smirked at such witty question.
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