The next day, Kairo came just in time to the orientation. Divine gave him an acknowledging nod when he came in and found a seat by the windows. It wasn’t too far from the podium in front of the room. Kairo’s eyes scanned the expanse of the area, noting the number of the attendees. By estimation, the turn out was roughly composed of twenty to thirty people.

“Eyes here, people.”

Kairos’s attention was drawn to the front, focusing on Divine.

“Welcome to St. Baise University Cinema Arts Guild. I assume you all read the pamphlet distributed to you earlier. I will not repeat what you have read. We’ll talk about more important things. So, let’s all welcome our guild president, Mr. Landon Hale.”

A tall man walked in, face devoid of smile. He surveyed the room with quizzical dark eyes, his black hair falling past his broad shoulders. The dark blue collared shirt he wore fitted his slim physique, the paleness of his skin standing in contrast. Low slung tattered jeans rode his hips.

“Hello everyone. I’m glad you chose to be in SBCAG. Like what Divine said, I am here to discuss what’s in store for you in this organization.” Landon’s voice drawled; a lazy confidence infused in his tone.

“This year’s U-day is quite special. The administration asked all student organizations existing in the campus to set up a booth and put on a showcase reflecting the essence of each group. And our participation is not without merits. Especially for film students which makes up many of our members,” Landon continued, fingers drumming on the podium’s surface.

“And for this year, we’re tasked to create showcase of short films with various themes which will be provided to you later. Your outputs will be reviewed by the faculty members from the faculty of Mass Communication and Fine Arts. The winning film will be submitted to the yearly Metro Independent Films Festival. The experience itself will be an added feather to your cap and a boost to your portfolios. Divine?”

Divine stepped up beside the guild president.

“We have a total of twenty-five new members for this semester. For those who wants to participate, please raise your hands. Remember guys, participation is voluntary. No one is forcing you, okay? Especially those students from other programs. So, let me see those hands?”

Kairo raised his hand. None of the new recruits passed up the chance. Divine nodded with satisfaction.

“Now start counting from one to five. We will have five groups. People with the same numbers, find your group once the counting is done.”

Everyone does as instructed. Kairo found himself with his groupmates and were just waiting for further instructions. When they were finally done, Landon clapped his hands for their attention.

“It’s time to introduce to you your leaders. Guys!”

Five people came in one after the other. And when the last guy finally appeared, Kairo’s breath hitched.

You gotta be kidding me.

It was Gavin who came in last, wearing his smile as if it were imbued by the powers of the sun. Kairo hated him a little bit because of that. Who gave him the right to smile like that? Gavin’s brown hair sat at the top of his head undisturbed, a nest of rioting curls that seems to beg for attention. Kairo averted his eyes, worried he’d be caught. His inner self is screaming---he’s not ready.

When will you ever?

Each one of the newcomers made a quick introduction of themselves. And when it came to the last person, Kairo found himself extra-attentive even though his eyes were focused on something else.

“Hi everyone, I’m Gavin Alvarez. I’ll be your leader for group five.”

Kairo’s heart thundered, coupled with a sudden sharp drop on his stomach. He’s done for! He couldn’t believe his luck, the lack of it rather. He whimpered in silence, the urge to flee was too strong he needed to grit his teeth. It’s all he could do to save himself from making a drastic action.

“Now that you have your group leaders, it’s time for you to pick your short film’s sub-themes. Of course, since U-day is celebrated on the fourteenth of February, the central theme is love. To spice things up, we decided to add sub-themes you can play around with. I have a box here with five slips of paper with the sub-themes written. Whatever your leader’s choice, it’s final. Swapping is not allowed. This a challenge given to us by the administration, so I hope everyone rises to it. Leaders come on up,” the president said.

One by one, the five leaders piled towards the front and stuck their hands inside the box. Kairo saw Gavin read the slip of paper before folding it and putting it inside his jean’s pocket.

“Where’s group five?” Gavin asked, his eyes scanning the crowd.

“Here!” A girl three seats away from Kairo raised her hand.

The moment Gavin’s eyes locked on the girl, Kairo’s breath hitched. He had his eyes outside the window, but he can see from his side vision that Gavin looked at his direction. It’s impossible not to because the girl was just mere three seats away. He felt Gavin’s eyes lingering for a moment before he heard his voice.

“Alright. Everyone from group five, gather here. We’re about to discuss our presentation. Come on guys,” Gavin called out.

Reluctance clung to Kairo’s bones as he forced himself out of his seat. His fight or flight instinct has been screaming. Now that Gavin called the members out, there is no escaping. There are only five people in each group, excluding Gavin. Kairo’s presence is impossible to mask any longer, no matter how small he wanted to shrink his five foot nine frame.

“As I’ve said, I’m Gavin and I will be your team leader. Would you like to introduce yourselves to me first?”