The Newfound Seer

The dark clouds are gathering outside, the instructor continued to talk about somethings while I just stared outside, not listening. I think it’s gonna rain later.

My my, what a bad timing, I don’t have any umbrella.

KRSZZKKZ KZZKRRRK

We all stared into the school speaker hanging in the wall when we heard its glitching sound.

What’s that? An announcement in the middle of the class?

“Hello students of Genesis Institute. This is a message for OQHMBHOZK UDQNRZ, Prepare for a blast. Sayonara.”

Blast? Does it mean.. explosion?

BOOOM

I snapped my pencil into two as soon as I heard a thunderous sound booming from our back which is the direction of the schools field. The walls around us shook violently as we try to digest what’s happening.

I looked into it’s direction forcefully. “What’s that?!”

“What’s that sound?”

“Is that a bomb?!”

Everyone from our classroom stood despite the slight shaking of the ground. I hurriedly ran from my classroom trying to pass by the panicking crowd in the hallway of the school.

“No! Everyone don’t panic!”

No, that explosion definitely came from the back of the school. No, Angela. I-It’s the time for her volleyball practice now.

“ANGELA! WHERE ARE YOU ANGELA?!” I screamed on top of my lungs. Rain started to fall as I panted heavily trying to catch my breath standing outside the field.

“Llyan? You’ve been awfully silent this morning, anything wrong?” I snapped out my reverie as I heard someone called me.

“A-Angela?” I asked stuttering and shocked to see her. What’s that earlier?

“What happened?” I asked her confused creasing my eyebrows.

“What? You’re acting strange. Did you get enough sleep last night?” Now it’s her time to ask me confused as well.

“I-I saw it. A bomb exploded.” I mumbled looking down at my hands. Did I just sleep inside the classroom without me knowing and dreamt about it? What was that? Was I hallucinating?

“Huh? What happened to you girl? You’re so absentminded today. And what bomb? You sure your not on drugs?” She said jokingly to me. I glared at her. “I’m serious here.”

“Fine fine.” She said raising her hands as if to surrender. “But what did you said again, you saw a bomb explode? Girl, were you hallucinating? Maybe because of too much studying.”

“Of course not. It’s not just a visual hallucination, if ever. It includes gustatory, olfactory, tactile and auditory. Almost like a memory-”

“Ah!”

“Could that be a premonition?” I said to her when I realize something.

“Possible. But you’re no seer. Sigh, that’s what you get for sleeping late at night and studying weird things like how high can a rocket reach and its velocity. Hallucinating weird things.” She said with no energy, dropping to the seat beside me with a thud.

“You’re just being weird.”

Sigh, I think it’s weird either. But it just feels real. Like it’s gonna happen. It almost seemed as if I am reminiscing a memory.

What if a bomb will really explode? I remember myself saying that Angela is on a practice that afternoon.

“By the way-”

“Do you have-”

“What is it? You go first.” She said to me when we said something at the same time.

“Do you have a volleyball practice this afternoon.?” I inquired her. I need to confirm that. If she really have a practice, it means something in that premonition is true, and that increases the possibility that… It’s true.

“Huh? Yes. How did you know? I was just about to tell you.”

“No way.” I said. I rummaged my bag and took my phone from it. I opened the data and searched for the weather forecast for today.

“Huh? What no way?” I heard her say but I ignored her. It says, it will rain today with with isolated thunderstorms. Just like what will happen in that premonition.

I slumped in the chair. I need to try to stop it. It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. If it’s not true, then great. If it is , then I will have to stop it.

The first goal is to find where the bomb is placed. But I really have no clues.

From what I remember, the school speaker creaked at probably three in the afternoon. It’s just twelve in the afternoon. Then the robotic voice said, hello students of Genesis institute this is a message for, err, what’s that again?

I placed my thumb in my chin and crossed my legs. What was that again? OQHMBHOZK UDQNRZ.

I smirked, this is one of the time I’m thankful for having an eidetic memory. I took a piece of paper and wrote down the letter before I forget it.

Hmmn, that’s weird. A nonsensical message. Why would someone who want to bomb a place send a message that have no logic in it.

No, it have sense. It must be a code. But what could it mean?

I recalled most of the codes that in know, it’s not bacon cipher. Maybe ROT13?

I wrote the whole alphabet in a piece of paper. I counted the letters backwards starting from O, which is C, then E, uh then V.

CEVAPVCMY IREBFM. Tsk, still makes no sense.

“What the hell does this mean? Argh.” I scratched my head in frustration.

“Man, what the hell is happening to you?” Angela asked me, I mumbled. “None.”

That’s right, I should try a shift for numbers one to 12 if ROT13 does not work.

*** 

“Arghh. All of it don’t work.” I ducked my head in my desk. I’ve also tried polybuis square but it doesn’t work either.

Wait what if, it’s not backwards but forwards. If I count one letters forward instead of backwards. If that’s the case then, it would mean....

PRINCIPAL VEROSA.

A message for principal Verosa.

I stood from my seat and Angela immediately noticed. “I’m going somewhere.”

She nodded. “Ow-kay?”

I knocked into Principal Verosa’s office as soon as I reached it. If the speaker said the explosion, it meant, they want to scare her, or they want to kill her. Who could be Principal Verosa’s enemy?”

“The door’s open.” I herd her shouted from inside so I entered her office.

“What is the school’s top One here for?” She asked surprised. Principal Verosa is a beautiful woman on her late twenties. She’s quite strict and terror that’s why most students are scared of her. But even though she scare most students, some still fantasize her, since she’s really gorgeuos with a model like body.

We’re quite close and I can tell she’s quite fond of me. Like some sort of unusual friends. Where do you find a principal and student as friends?

“Malorie. Do you have any enemy?” I asked her. It’s important to know the motive of her enemy. The reason why they wanted to bomb this academy. 

Technically, this academy is owned by her. She inherited this from her parents and I don’t know why but she chose to be it’s principal. The motive must be to destroy this academy’s image. A competitor probably?

“A lot. Why?” She said to me and folded her arms then leaned in her chair.

“Is there anything unusual that happened to you or anyone for the past days?” I asked then seated in the chair in front of her.

“Why are you asking me this questions?” She asked raising her eyebrow to me.

I slumped on the chair. “Err, I know you won’t believe me.” I said looking away from her. Damn.

“Hmm? Try me.” She then closed her legs.

“I had a premonition.”

“Premonition? I’ve known you for so long. You’re no seer. Llyan.” This is what I’m talking about. Damn, why can’t they believe me? My instict is telling me to believe that premonition I had earlier.

“It’s true. Tsk, why can’t you believe me?” I said frustated.

“Fine fine, I’ll cooperate with you, but I still doubt that so-called premonition of yours. What is it even about.” She said then moved her swivel chair sideways.

“So?”

“So in that, someone said in the speaker ‘hello students of Genesis Institute. This is a message for OQHMBHOZK UDQNRZ, prepare for a blast. Sayonara. And a bomb exploded. I’ve decoded it so, its means PRINCIPAL VEROSA. I don’t quite get why the culprit have to say your name in code. But I need to determine where it will place the bomb, then if possible, deactivate it or call the police.”

“In my premonition, the explosion happened in the field. Even if I now it, won’t be able to find it in that huge field. So I figured I need to investigate where will it be placed.” I finished talking but she just stared into the wall in deep thinking.

“Malorie?”

“It’s shift to one letter forward isn’t it?” She said afterwards and I nodded to her.

“I do have a letter sent to me with the same weird jumbled letters. I think I know how to decode it I just don’t have time to.” She took one letter in her desk and handed it to me.

“Here. Try to decode this one.” She said. I took it from her and also took a pen and a piece of paper.

Dear Verosa

              Tis’ a lovely day Verosa. With the sun up, you’re school ‘fields’ might be full of students.

             Good luck on keeping your students safe. ODIBTJOUUIFCPNCJIFCFSFB Sayounara.

“That’s it? No stamps or anything to determine the culprit?” I asked. Even if my main goal is to fine the bomb, of course I still have to find the culprit.

“Hmn, so if this is shifted to one letter forward, this would mean…” I wrote the alphabet and then substituted the numbers.

“NCHASINTHEBOMBINHEBEREA? It still don’t make sense.” I mumbled.

Wait, I think it wasn’t coincedence that there are few words in here. It’s like the words are cut off. Has, In, the, bomb. This must be a combination code. But what code?

I looked back in the letter sent to Malorie. Why is there a highlight in the word “fields” Could it be?

That’s it.

“Columnar cipher.” I said smirking. This is nice. So if the word Feilds is the key, probably with six columns, four vertical letters. It should be…

FIELDS

342516

T O S H N R

H M I E C E

E B N B H A

B I T E A S

THE BOMB IS IN THE BENCH AREA, with S as filler letter. It could be read from top left to down,

“I’v decoded it.” I announced. Time check, 2:11 in the afternoon.

“What does it says?” She asked curiously and looked in the paper.

“The bomb is in the bench area,”

“If that’s what its said, let’s check it.” She said and stood from her table. She rushed to the door but I stopped her when I noticed something.

“Malorie, your skirt.” I said and face palmed.

“What?” She asked

“Your skirt rode up.” I said my patience thinning.

“Oh, sorry,” Then she giggled childishly then pulled her skirt down.

“Let’s go.” I said.

We walked past the hallway and several rooms. We came across the broadcasting room. “Wait,” I said and pulled her arm towards the room.

Someone could've placed a cd to play in here for the speakers.

We entered the room silently, and we saw two people inside sitting in the chairs in front of the systems, unconcious whichmade me panic. I rushed to them and checked their pulse. “Thank God,” Their pulse is fine. We checked the devices and found a CD that does not belong to the Academy playing, but there’s no sound so there might be silence input for the first minutes.

“Let’s manage this later.” We hurried to the field, since we’re both no athlete, we got exhausted easily but we didn’t stop even when some students stared to us confused. I even saw my bestfriend Angela playing volleybal in the covered court nearby .

“This..Hah…is….the bench..hah..area.” I said through rugged breaths.

“Let’s split to two.” She said. Finally, she believed me. We searched the benches and looked underneath it but there’s nothing unusual. No, I have a strong feeling about this.

“There’s none Jillian.” Malorie walked to me and said to me with disappointment.

I stared to space, was I wrong in decoding? But, if that premonition is untrue, why is there a letter like that sent to Malorie, A prank?

Then I noticed an isolated bench in the farthest part with trees around it. And a duffle bag underneath. I smirked “There is.”

We called the bomb squad and told them to make their presence unnoticable to avoid alarming the students and they took the duffle bag with the bomb in it. Police also said that they’ll be investigating to catch the culprit.

“Fine, you’re now a seer.” Malorie said then rolled her eyes, but she’s smiling.

“I told you.” I told her smirking.