I was standing at a dimly lit room, with only the moonlight as my source of illumination. Nasa harapan ko naman ang isang mirror, pinapakita ang reflection ko na suot ang uniform ng Shadowscale Academy.
A white button-up shirt topped with a dark red vest with a black bolo tie attached. A black pleated skirt that reached a few inches above my knees. What's new to wear as a uniform was a cropped jacket that barely reached my waist. The footwear seems optional, so I decided to wear a black knee-high boots. Overall, I looked like a hot female MC in an action movie.
"Sigurado ka na ba talaga sa desisyon mo?" I couldn't help but give it a doubt.
Alam ko sa sarili kong maraming tanong na kailangan pang masagot. Ngunit mas maganda na siguro kung doon ko na mismo malalaman. Malayong-malayo sa normal ang buhay ko ngunit...minsan napapaisip ako, what if normal lang akong tao. What if hindi ako anak ng isang bigshot or hindi naging pulis si papa, ano kaya ang mangyayari sa buhay ko?
Inikot ko ang aking mga mata sa buong bahay. Posibleng tumagal ang operasyon na 'to kaya baka ito na rin ang huling beses na masusuyod ko ang kasulok-sulukan ng bahay na 'to.
Okay. Just be optimistic. Makakabalik pa ko rito. Matatapos ko rin ang misyon na ako rin ang nag-propose. Hindi ko alam kung hanggang saan ang magiging impluwensiya ko, pero saan magkaroon. I just have to believe to myself. All right!
****
I just found myself in a middle of nowhere. Gaya ng inaasahan, wala masyadong dumadaang sasakyan ngayon. Ahead of me was a forest with enormous trees and a few postlights enough to guide someone's way. Hinaharanangan din ito ng malaking rehas at may nakapaskil na sign na "No Trespassing". Mukhang ito ang entrada ng Shadowscale Academy.
Dala ko ang isang maleta, isang backpack na nakasuot sa harapan ko at ang isang guitar case. And yeah, I'm bringing a real acoustic guitar. Mahirap gumalaw kasama ng mga 'to, pero wala akong magagawa.
Kailangan ko pang akyatin to? Madami akong dala! There's something inside me that wanted to climb the rails, but managed to disregard the thought. Luminga-linga ako sa paligid hanggang sa may napansin akong isang white telephone booth. Doon siguro sasabihin ang password para makapasok.
Sumalubong sa'kin ang black na interior wall. Halos wala akong makita dahil wala itong kailaw-ilaw, para bang naka-camouflage ang mga pader sa dilim.
Wait. What number should I dial? I remembered the password, but my dad never mentioned about a telephone booth.
I sighed. Nandito na tayo, simulan na natin. At doon na nagsimulang humakbang ang aking mga paa.
"Ano ba naman yan!" Napaupo na lang hinahaplos ang buhok ko pataas. "Unang araw pa lang, ganito na ang nangyari. Bakit kasi sobrang masikreto nang-"
Napatigil ako nang may naramdaman akong parang may naka-carve sa sahig. Agad ko itong inilawan ng flashlight.
Nakikita mula sa silangan ang kaliwanagan. Sumasalubong mula sa kanluran ang dilim.
Is this a code? Pinalibot ko pa ang flashlight sa buong sahig, nagbabakasakaling may mahanap pang clue.
"Seems I found my first clue," I muttered to myself.
02XX-XXX-XX
Sana may clue pa kong mahanap. Pero mukhang hanggang dito na lang muna ako. Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako. Ano ba ang meron sa silangan, kaliwanagan, kanluran at kadiliman? Laban sa pagitan ng kabutihan at kasamaan? 'Yun lang ang pwede kong...
Kanluran...silangan...sunrise...sunset...
Pinalibot ko ang ilaw ng flashlight sa mga pader at sa dingding. Please, please, penge clue. Bakit kasi hindi sinabi ni Dad ang telephone no. ng Shadowscale!!!
I slumped my shoulders when I had no results. Wala akong nahanap sa loob kaya sinubukan kong maghanap sa labas.
Hanggang ngayon ay wala pa rin akong napapansing kahit anong sasakyan. Mukhang bihira lang ang mga dumadaan sa kalyeng ito. Mukhang wala akong maasahan kundi ang sarili ko lang.
Sinimulan kong ilawan ang likuran, kinakapa ang bawat sulok at nagbabakasakaling may nakaukit dito. Bigla kong naramdaman ang paglubog ng aking hintuturo.
Pinilibot ko ito hanggang sa unti-unti akong nakabuo ng context sa aking utak.
The news on the clock has been forgotten. The darkness hit thrice, slowly losing its value.
News on the clock? Paanong nagkakaroon ng balita ang orasan? Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako. Pang-ilang buntong-hininga ko na ba 'to? Ano bang meron sa word na "news"? Anong connection ng news sa kanluran at silangan....
Nanlaki ang aking mga mata nang unti-unting nagkaka-sense ang lahat.
Orasan. News...North, East, West, South. Slowly losing its value thrice. Ang considered na north sa orasan ay 12, while the south is the number ay 6. Ang kanluranan or west ay 9 at ang east ay 3. At kailangan i divide by three yun.
So ang 12 ay magiging 4, ang 3 ay magiging 1, and so on. At kung iko-connect siya sa unang riddle, ang magiging sagot ay 3412 dahil sa kanluran magsisimula. Pero yung sa lima pang number....paano ka naman...
I see. Ganoon pala.
0231-296-3412. Pinindot ko na ang call button. Umalingawngaw ang pag-ring ng telepemo kasabay nang pagbilis ng tibok ng aking puso. Alam kong dapat handa na akong pasukin ang illegal territory na 'to, pero maiwasang kabahaan.
Tumigil ang pag-ring ng telepono. "Hello, this is White Scale Publishing House. How may I help you?" a woman's voice echoed from the other side.
"May buwan sa kadiliman, may anino sa liwanag." Despite my furrowed eyebrows, I replied immediately. Wait, what? A publishing company? That's boring.
Nanahimik ang aking kausap. Hindi naman siguro mali ang nasabi kong password...tama?
Wala pang isang minuto ay napansin ko ang pag-hang up ng tawag. Iyon lang naman ang kailangan kong sabihin. "Naman oh. Bakit isang publishing company ang natawagan ko-
Naputol ang aking sasabihin nang nagsimulang kumaskas ang mga bakal sa bawat isa. Lumabas na ako ng telephone stall at nasaksihan ang unti-unting pagbukas ng gate.
Kahit hindi pa ito fully opened ay nagsimula na akong umabante. Bago tuluyang sumara ang gate ay luminga ako sa kawalan, ang mundo sa labas. From now and then, mamomoblema na ko sa mga paraan para makipagcommunicate sa mga tagalabas. At the same time, kailangan kong mamuhay na malayo sa morals ko. Hinihiling ko lang na sana ay hindi dumating sa puntong kailangan kong pumatay ng tao para iligtas ang sarili ko.
Umihip ang malamig na hangin, hindi ko maiwasang yakapin ang sarili ko. Umaalingawngaw ang mga kuliglig kasabay ng mga tunog ng mga dahon na aking naapakan. Para bang ang pakiramdam ko ay magha-hiking ako papunta sa isang haunted house.
Tanging ang mga postlights lang ang nagpapailaw sa daan. Ang kadiliman ay anumang oras ay lalamunin ako ng buo kung hindi ako mananatili sa ilaw ng mga postlights.
Pagkatapos ng ilang pasikot-sikot sa masukal na kagubatan ay may unti unti kong nasilayan ang isang itim na gusali. Para bang mala-Gothic era ang disensyo ng building. Sinubukan ko itong ilawan gamit ng flashlight hindi umabot ang ilaw sa aking tinututok. Inilibot ko ang aking ma mata. Paano ito hindi nakikita ng mga tao rito?
Sa aking harapan naman ay isang malaking gate na hindi makita ang looban. Hindi na siguro nakapagtataka. Lalo't liblib na lugar 'to.
Ikinusot ko ang aking mga mata at napansin ang dalawang guard na naka-full black tuxedo. Mukhang sila ang magiging susi para makapasok ako. Unti-unti ko silang nilapitan. Napansin ko namang tinututok nila sa akin ang kanilang mga handgun. I simply put my arms in the air and stopped my tracks.
"Sa kadiliman magkakaroon ng bagong liwanag. Sa kaliwanagan magkakaroon ng bagong kadiliman."
Nagkatinginan ang dalawa, tumango ang nasa kanan at sumenyas na sumama sa kaniya.
"Your contract?" he said in an expected baritone voice. Contract is their term for "certificate of admission". Naglalaman ito na alam ng nakatataas ng school na pupunta ako ngayon.
Inilabas ko ang black na envelope sa aking bag at itinapat ito sa scanner na parang nakikita sa convenience store.
"Please surrender any items that is considered as dangerous at the armory room. Knives, guns, bullets, poison. That's also the site to capture your mug shots, registration of codenames and your password."
Password? What a term. May accounts silang ginagamit dito?
Instead of opening that big gate for me, I entered through a high tech sliding door that produces a robot-like sound.
As expected, I didn't received a warm welcome. Well, this is a mafia. I thought that this place is a literal underground institution pero meron silang nagsisitangkarang buildings. Salamat siguro sa mga matatangkad na puno.
Sinubukan kong alalahanin ang ibinigay na mapa sa'kin kagabi. Sa pagkakaalala ko, ang armory ay nasa bandang dulo pa. Diniretso ko ang main road.
Gaya ng inaasahan tuwing gabi, wala talaga akong nakita ni isang tao sa lugar na 'to. Ano kaya ang ginagawa nila rito tuwing gabi?
Matapos ang medyo mahaba-habang paglalakad, nakarating na ko sa isang bahay. Parang kasing liit lang siya ng isang kwarto. Bumungad sakin ang isang hagdan pababa kaya sinundan ko ito at sumalubong ang isang maikling pathway. Nang makarating ako sa pinto ay may napansin akong dalawang scanner. Hm...dapat bang magkaroon ako ng sarili kong keycard? Whatever.
I used my "contract" and scan it to the scanner identical to what I've seen a while ago. Surprisingly, bumukas ang sliding door at ang nasa harapan ko ay isang malawak na espasyo na iniilawan ng isang light bulb. Nakahilera rito ang iba't ibang kalibre ng baril at armas. Diniretso ko lang ito hanggang sa mahanap ko ang isang lalaking nakasalampak ang paa sa kaniyang table. He's just wearing a white long-sleeves and black slacks. His hair is unkempt and has a beard that hasn't been shaved yet.
"You must be the one of the new students, right? Handover your stuff now and I hope you're not hiding somewhere at your chest or inside your mouth," he said in a bored tone. He pressed something that resembles a remote and everything became visible. The guns, the brownish interior wall, everything. It must be the fluorescent bulb above.
I found the chest part offending at first, but it somehow made sense. May mga times na nagiging handy ang dibdib ng babae para magtago ng isang bagay. Like some bills perhaps. Why I haven't thought of that anyway?
I handed over anything I brought. Inuna niya akong inspect gamit ng isang scanner. Narinig ko ang pag-blink ng scanner sa bandang hita. Now I've thought of it, why will Dad made me bring guns if these things will be confiscated anyway?
Pagkatapos nito ay pinapunta niya ako sa harap ng isang camera. May nakapaskil naman sa pader na instructions sa kung ano ang kailangan gawin. Isang personal photo, at tatlong full body picture; side, front and back. I don't know why this is necessary. Should I need the thing being held for mug shots?
Still, I did what is necessary. With all smiles, I did those shots. I hope the one in-charge is not making faces.
I looked at my right and...yeah. He wasn't paying attention. He's checking everything I brought. No questions asked. He even checked the insides of my guitar and strummed a few strings! After that, he checked the guitar case itself. Buti na lang di ko nilagyan ng kung ano sa loob.
Pagkatapos niyang i-check ang lahat ng mga gamit ko, inilabas na niya ang isang laptop. He's probably producing my photos now. Wala akong ginawa kundi sumandal sa pader. Sana lang ay hindi matagal ang proseso. My body's killing me already.
"Say, ilang taon kang namalagi sa "labas"?" he asked, his eyes still on his laptop.
I hope it's a harmless question. "Almost all of my eighteen years of experience, I guess?"
He gave me a sharp look. "Eighteen years huh. If you're superior made you go here just for fun, then you're wrong. This place is a bloody hell. I hope you are aware."
I know, and that's why I'm planning to burn this place to ashes. If you just know how much I want to throw up because of being a student here. But I have no clue how this place will be a bloody hell. Probably I should experience it first before making conclusions.
He turned his head towards me. "May I ask what codename you want to use?"
Codename, huh. I haven't thought of it before. Whatever, I'll just choose the one the came into mind. "I'll choose Nathalie."
The guy made a face, making my brows furrow. Wala namang sigurong masamang gamitin ang Nathalie, tama?
"Is that your real-"
"It's not my real name. It's just the one that came out of my head."
He stared for a few seconds. Afterwards, he resumed his work and entered my name. "Pasensya na, only a few uses a codename that isn't synonymous to death, justice, black, et cetera, et cetera."
I couldn't help but be curious. I already expected that those meanings for names will be often used here. Was my name unique to begin with?
Bigla siyang umalis sa kaniya pwesto. Pagkabalik niya ay may hawak na siyang mga armas na identical sa mga dala ko. Kasama naman ang isang pakete ng blue na bala na hindi ko rin alam kung ano ang tawag. Sakto namang natapos sa pag-process ang keycard ko.
Binato naman sa akin ang bagong gawang keycard. How rude. Buti nasalo ko. Laman nito ay ang personal picture ko, barcode, student number at iba pang mga bagay na ayaw ko ng alamin.
"I hope you know the location of your dorm, but I'll say it nonetheless. From the main gate, you need to take a one to two minute walk then turn right. If you have any questions, just ask away to your roommates and you may leave."
Despite my inner protests, I decided to pack my things up and leave. Ang impression ko sa lalaking 'yun? He's a bored, cold jerk in a good way.
****
Room 404. Yun ang naka-assign na room sa akin. I hope they're not psychotic. But if they are, I will be forced to guarded every single time.
I swiped my card at the keycard reader at automatic itong nagbukas. Ang sumalubong sa'kin ay isang kwarto na nababalot pa ng dilim. I could recognize some silhouettes from things like a table, chair, a drawer and many more. Wala pa bang tao rito?
"Um...hello? May tao ba rito?"
Ang weird. Sabi nila ay ito ang girls' dormitory namin. Ako pa lang ba ang nandito na. Or parang-
What the heck. I simply leaned my body to the left and let that silver line puncture the wall. A hunter knife, huh. Seems they're going to challenge me. Fine, I'll bite.
Agad kong binato ang aking gamit papasok sa loob. Surprisingly, they didn't took the bait. Kaya wala na akong nagawa kundi pasukin ang mismong kwarto. At hinayaan ko na lang ang senses ko na magdikta sa'kin.
Shit! Is that bloodlust?
Tumalon ako paatras at may isang taong bumagsak na may hawak na kutsilyo. I could feel a glint of murder in her gaze. Pakiramdam ko ay may kutsilyo pang tutusok sa'kin kaya kaagad akong gumulo at hinarap ang kalaban. I swiped my hand to the left and met a knife with a clank. I pushed her away and kicked the other one at the gut.
I need to get out. Agad akong tumakbo palabas. But again, my body moved on its own. I leaned my body leftwards a few centimeters from the door. Shit! Hindi pa naman nila ako napapansin, tama?
"All right! Stop~!" a girl instructed.
Huh? Stop? May narinig akong kalansing at pagbagsak ng isang bagay. Did they just dropped their weapons?
"Pwede pakibukas ng ilaw. Salamat."
Hindi ko maiwasang mapabuka ang bibig ko. They attacked me with an intention of killing me. Afterwards, they just talked casually like we're friends?
Baffled, I turned on the lights while my knife's blade was pointing towards them. Finally, the room was illuminated, revealing the interior of the dorm.
The windows were facing east. The interior walls were crimson red while the floor was tiled. At the center of the room was a red carpet.
And then, there were the two girls who attacked me, both raising their hands as a sign of surrender. Both of them were wearing the standard uniforms, but carrying their own style. Nasa baba nila ang isang 9mm na handgun, isang hunter knife at mga....pellet or should I say rubber bullets?
"Wait! Wait! Wait! Put it down! Put it down! Hindi ka na namin pagti-trip-an!"
The one who said that was a girl who let her straight long hair loose and shorter than me. If I would give her a description in one word, it would be "cute". 'Yung tipong gusto mo siyang i-pet.
The other one on her right was a girl slightly taller than me. Her hair was tied in a ponytail. She's a definition of the word "model". She got the proportions to handle modelling.
This...isn't something that I expected. Kinusot ko ang aking mga mata. Akala ko ay nagbibiro lamang ito pero hanggang ngayon ay 'di ko pa rin tanggap.
"Surprised much? Baka nabongga ka sa ganda ng mga ka-roommate mo." A grin was etched on the ponytail girl's face.
They're supposed to be assassins?! Bakit ang gaganda nila. Not to mention...
Napatingin na lang ako sa parte na sana ay pinagpala ako. Ngunit mapait ang realidad at hindi man lang ako nagkaroon ng growth spurt. Wala naman akong balak mag-swimsuit dito so ayos lang yan! Gora tayo!
"Mukhang natakot yata sa'tin. Pagpasensyahan mo na kami! Sadyang malakas lang ang amats namin." The shorter girl pushed her hands awkwardly.
"Nako, sinabi mo pa. Sana naman ay hindi maging madugo ang unang pasok natin oh. Ikaw kasi eh, ang lakas ng amats mo!"
Eh? Wait, they're supposed to be assassins. Why are they talking like this was a normal university? Wait. Probably it's an encrypted code so-
I sighed and slowly calmed myself. Overthinking would be useless. Wala akong napapansing aura na magiging hostile sila. Probably mas maganda kung sasabayan ko na lang sila.
"Hello? Huwag ka namang magalit! Sorry na!" The straight haired girl clasped her hands.
"Pasensya na! Medyo nagulat kasi ako. Kayo naman kasi, tinakot niyo ko kaya gumana ang fight or flight response ko," I said on my normal tone. I held the hunter knife by its blade and gave it back to the "cute" girl.
"Again. Pasensya na. Sadyang gusto lang naming i-test ang abilities ng roommates namin." The cute girl put it back on its sheath. "Alam mo naman ang pinasok mo, hindi basta basta."
"Anyway, what is your codename?"
"Codename. I'm Nathalie, nice to meet you!"
They gave me a blank stare. I couldn't help, but furrow my brows. Ngayon lang ba sila nakarinig na codename ay Nathalie? Or was it something else?
"May mali ba sa paggamit ng Nathalie?"
The shorter girl fanned her hands side by side. "Ah. Hindi, hindi. Was that your real name?"
"May restriction din ba ang mga names dito?"
"Wala naman. I just felt like mas malaki ang chance mong mahuli kung real name ang gagamitin mo."
I see . I sighed. "Sheesh. Why would I even use my real name when I know that I'm risking myself? Are you knots?"
"You do have a point." The ponytailed girl initiated a handshake. "I'm Musketeer and this shorty there is Rose. Nice to meet you."
"Hey! I'm not a shorty, damn it!" Rose slapped Musketeer's head hardly, knocking it down.
"Nice to meet you, you two." As I was about to make contact with her, I froze. My senses were telling me not to trust them. I have no proofs why. It's just-
"A good call. Naintindihan kita," Rose uttered, "Kahit ikaw ay may trust issues sa'min, tama?"
Hindi ko naiwasang tumaas ang kilay ko. "Isn't it natural? But I hope we can get all though. We're all girls here so we can just chitchat like we're in a typical school. But wala naman kayong ina-apply na lason, tama?"
"Why would we even do it? It might be a good strategy, but we're not going to poison you for flimsy reasons," Musketeer replied.
"Really, really, pasensya na talaga kung tinakot ka namin kanina." Rose bowed her head.
"You don't have to apologize twice. Let's just forget about it, okay?"
"Then shall we kill you, then? You look like a sleeper agent, a time bomb waiting to explode." Musketeer's tone became cold. She raised her a gun, pointing at my head. "The thing I hate are those spies thinking that they're fighting for equality but they're just a bunch of hypocrites."
Wait! Am I that obvious? There's no way- Nopes, calm down. Despite the cold tone, I remained unfazed. This girl is interesting. She could kill someone in a blink of an eye. Let's indulge this girl for a moment.
"Musketeer! Stop! You're being plain stupid. Are you just being a hypocrite?" Rose said in a serious tone.
Nothing bad will happen if I humor her a bit.
"Oh. Then what if I'm a spy? You will surely kill me, of course. But unfortunately, you can't. You don't have the ability to kill me, got it?" I gave her a sly grin.
"Not you, too!" She sighed, frustrated. "Just do what you want!" And Rose went out of the scene.
"That's quite confident of ya, isn't it?" I felt a cold thing being pressed on my forehead. Musketeer's face became nearer, along her cold grin. "There's no way you can dodge this bullet. Now then, any last words?"
I took a quick glance to my right. Wala akong makitang Rose sa anggulo na 'to. Mukhang hinayaan niya talaga kaming gawing ang gusto namin.
"Then..." I grabbed the pistol with my right, pressing it closer. "...shall we know which is faster?"
I could feel the astonishment in her gaze. Seems she likes people like me. We'll really get along. Just don't kill me because I have an important duty to do.
"Then let's-"
And what happened after became quick. Iwinasiwas ko siya pakanan, pinatid ang kaniyang paa hanggang sa nadapa siya face-first. Nabitawan niya naman ang pistol na kaniyang hawak. And now, I was on top of her, ready to rip her right arm if she did something nasty.
"Hey! That's not fair! You've tricked me! Cheater!"
"Wow. Coming from you. You're the one who made me unprepared, now you're saying that's unfair? It's just payback from what you did minutes ago." I snorted. She should have sensed something odd when I tried stalling time by talking to her.
"Hey, gals~ I brought some tea..." Rose entered the scene, holding a tray with a kettle and teacups on it. She placed them at the nearby table, eyes still staring at us.
"Thank goodness! Help me out! This girl is going to kill me! C'mon, Rosy! We're friends, right?" Musketeer begged. It's like a cry of a fool begging to be freed. But I'm not of much of an idiot to let her escape.
"You should have seen this coming, sweetie." I grinned mischievously. "Nakisakay lang naman ako sa trip mo, sana lang ay ayos sa'yo."
"So Musky finally found her match, huh. Well played, Ms. Nathalie," she said flatly.
"Thankie very much! I'll have a brawl with this girl whenever she wants. Of course, if she felt like it."
"Hey! It's not like I enjoy anythin-GAH!" I bend her arms leftwards. She writhed in pain, making a sound like a duck yelling. She was flapping her free arm, creating soft sounds due to the carpet.
"Finally, someone who can match the energy of that girl. She's really hyper, it's annoying sometimes. Mind ripping her arm, please." She went back to the table and poured tea on the teacups. How cold-hearted.
"Roger that!" I cheerfully replied.
"Hey! What's with the cold shoulder, you psycho-OUCH!"
I bend her arm a bit more like what Rose suggested. Musketeer's screams became louder. I admit that I'm prolonging her suffering that much. Although, I will not stop this if she doesn't say those magic words. "I'm sorry" and "I surrender", either of them will do. Besides, her screams are funny.
"Have you decided on what you needed to say?"
"Please! Please! I surrender! Enough! I'm sorry!"
"Okay~! Fine~" Tumayo na ako at umatras ng konti. Baka kasi bigla niya kong bawian.
Tumayo si Musketeer na inuunat-unat ang kaniyang braso. "Damn. That hurts."
"Try to learn your lesson, sissy. You should be thankful that you've shown me your tricks. You'll be crush if it wasn't me, alright."
"You're quite outgoing for a criminal, I assume you're more psychotic than I do."
Criminal, huh. "Well, if I'm forced to do so. Hope you're ready to raise hell."
Musketeer grinned widely. "Sure! Let's show those bad guys whom they are fighting with."
Bad guys, huh. You are the bad guys here, you know. You are the ones responsible for all the immoral things that are happening here. This place is bathing with blood and I couldn't help but be sick of it. Justice, death? How these two words became linked to each other? I hope I can rid of this place sooner rather than later. I would be pleased to see this place crumble into dusts. But...for now...I need to act like one of them. Even it is against my will.