Project LOKI ③

Chapter 45: The Scarlet Thread VII (Trail of Blood)

Now I'm curious. Ano kaya ang magiging reaksyon ni Jamie kapag nakita niya si Hel sa campus? She didn't really like her the moment their eyes met. Dumating pa nga sa puntong gusto niyang makipag-alyansa sa akin para kontrahin si Hel. She even asked Alistair if he had any chainsaw in his car trunk. Alam kong minsa'y exaggerated si Jamie, but that only showed kung gaano niya 'di kagusto ang isang tao.

Oh, by the way, Jamie calls Hel "Impy." Short for "impyerno."

"I still remember you." I flashed a smile at her. "You helped us solved the Bascoville case."

She clapped her hands once, her grin widened. "I'm glad that you remember! I thought you saw me as someone forgettable~ I hope that my dad still remembers me. Dads who forget about their children are the worst! Magagalit ako sa kanya kapag nakalimutan na niya ako. I'm not that forgettable? Am I? Am I?"

Dad... My eyes looked down as I remembered something close to my heart. I wonder if my dad knew about me? That I ever existed? Maybe he didn't know. Maybe my mom wasn't able to tell him.

"Are you okay?" Hel waved her right hand in front of me. She leaned her face closer to mine kaya napaurong ako. "Did I say something that upset you? Oh, is it about your dad? I'm really sorry about that~"

Naningkit ang mga mata kong nabaling sa kanya ang tingin. If I hadn't met Loki and known his methods, I 'd be surprised on how she guessed that the word "dad" triggered something in me. She probably read my face.

"Nice to see you again, Hel," Alistair said, stealing the attention of our unexpected visitor from me. Napatingin siya mula ulo hanggang sapatos. "But what are you doing here? Wala ka bang pasok?"

Sinuri ng mga mata ko ang suot niya. She wasn't wearing any visitor's ID. Nakasabit pa nga sa kanyang leeg ang kanyang school ID. Kapag kasi may mga tagalabas na pumapasok sa campus, binibigyan ng ID ang mga bisita kapalit ng kahit ano'ng valid ID card. They had to wear that thing at all times.

"Paano ka nakapasok dito?" tanong ko na may kasamang pagkunot ng noo.

"You caught on real quick, huh?" Her bubbly tone faded and became more serious. Now she's showing her other side. "I didn't have time to undergo the standard security protocol so I had to find a way inside your school. Such an inconvenience." Muling nagbalik sa mapaglarong tono ang kanyang boses. "Luckily, I met a spirit along the way and he showed me the other way! Kinailangan ko pang mag-ober da bakod para makapasok~"

Mag-ama nga talaga silang dalawa ni Loki. They don't want to submit themselves to protocols that they view as hassle.

But I can't say if she's being figurative that she really met a spirit—or ghost, maybe—somewhere around the campus. Baka pinaninindigan niya ang kanyang narrative na kaya niyang makipag-usap sa mga patay. She's a detective. She likes finding stuff. She could have found a secret passage to the campus using her deductive prowess. I bet Loki's gonna sneer at her for saying something so ridiculous.

Kahit ako, hindi naniniwala.

"At bakit kinailangan mong makapasok dito?" sunod na tanong ni Alistair. I'm curious as well. Why would she have to go through such lengths? What she did obviously was trespassing, which is strictly speaking illegal. "Do you have an appointment with someone here? Are you planning to transfer in this school?"

"I thought of paying a visit to my dad!" she answered, sounding excited. "He must have missed me~ Balak ko siyang i-surprise!"

She kept on calling Loki her dad because of their Norse mythology connection. Hel, the Norse goddess of the underworld, is one of the children of the trickster god Loki. Talagang kina-career niya ang kanilang father-daughter relationship.