Chapter 44: Dead Man's Switch IX (The Sleepover)

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A/N: I know it's a bit late, but here's the ninth update in a row!

A/N: I know it's a bit late, but here's the ninth update in a row!

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LORELEI

"FOUR. RED!" masiglang sabi ni Jamie sabay lapag ng baraha sa sahig. She glanced sideways at Loki na susunod na titira.

"Four. Blue," malamyang sambit ni Loki nang ibaba ang kanyang card. Mukhang wala siyang kagana-ganang maglaro ng card game na 'to, pero kanina pa niya pilit na sinisilip ang mga baraha ko.

I discreetly looked at my five remaining cards. Pinag-isipan ko muna kung ibababa ko na ba ang +2 na card para masira ang diskarte ni Alistair. After taking a deep breath, I changed my mind. Kapag ginamitan niya ako ng special card, doon ko gagamitin sa kanya 'to. "Blue. Eight."

Tumingin sa akin si Alistair at ngumiti na parang may masamang balak. He's really into this game. "Let's change the rotation, shall we? Blue. Reverse card."

We decided to play UNO after enjoying our delightful dinner. Kaming dalawa ni Jamie ang nagluto ng ulam habang si Alistair naman ang bumili ng drinks at snacks para sa sleepover. Loki only sat in his couch, reading another mystery novel. Mabuti't hindi na namin siya kinailangang hilahin para piliting kumain ng hapunan. Nandyan naman kasi si Alistair na ready siyang buhatin from the couch to the chair in the dining area.

So what happened in our car ride when Loki asked me kung ano ang hawak ni Augustus laban sa akin? Well, I didn't answer his question. I merely deflected it by saying na idi-discuss namin kapag nagsimula na ang aming strategy session ngayong gabi. I needed more time to think kung dapat ko bang sabihin sa kanya ang totoo.

As much as I wanted to be honest with him, kailangan kong isipin ang magiging consequence ng aking desisyon. Mas sensitive ang atmosphere ngayon matapos maungkat 'yong isyu ni Jamie tungkol sa tiwala. Maybe if Loki found out that Alistair and I haven't been fully honest with him nang makita namin ang laman ng notebook sa desk ni Augustus, he might react the same way that Jamie did.

Maybe he will. Maybe he won't.

Gusto ko ring mabawasan ang mga iniisip ko ngayong araw kaya kinailangan ko munang i-distract ang sarili ko. Cooking somehow helped. Playing UNO somehow helped. But these were only temporary distractions. Kapag nagsimula na ang session namin mamaya, I would be facing the same dilemma that I was in: whether or not I should tell Loki about the audio recording and the notebook's contents.

For now, let me enjoy the game.

Muli kong tiningnan ang kulay ng reverse card na ibinaba ni Alistair. Blue. Saktong-sakto, may isang baraha pa akong maibaba. I had no choice but to use that card against the person seated next to me.

I slowly pulled the card from my hand and turned to Loki. Pinilit kong huwag ngumiti bilang pang-aasar sa kanya. "Plus two."

Loki clicked his tongue as he drew two cards from the deck. Hindi muna siya pwedeng tumira kaya si Jamie na.

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