Edward Dace.
16. August.
Monday, 3:00 pm.
Coronado Chronicles Newsroom.
IT WASN'T THE GRANDEST WELCOME, but I felt the sincerity of this popstar-ish dude's "Welcome home!"
This dude led the way inside and Futhark followed first. I tried not to appear too awed with the newsroom, and diverted my eyes on my phone. Baka mahalata pa nila na first time kong makapasok sa isang college student publications newsroom.
"First time kong makapasok sa isang newsroom," Futhark muttered under his breath, leaning a bit towards my direction. Nawala na kahit papa'no ang hiya ko.
I looked up from my phone and quickly scanned the newsroom with my eyes. It was a lot nicer than what I've imagined. The room smelt like paper and coffee. One wall was jammed with stacks of newspaper and—well, obviously—more papers. Across that wall was a table, like a conference table, with more papers. There were two male students sitting there, but mountains of paper stole their faces from view. I could only see their uniform.
Behind that table, farther in the back, were two more tables, but they rather seemed to be used by individuals. Probably the editor-in-chief and the associate editor. Computers and printers were neatly arranged. The shelves were used for houseplants, though, so the books were left stacked on the tables.
I settled my vision on a cosy corner near a window. There was a cream leather couch and a low coffee table, and I saw two students just sitting, covering their faces with an issue of Coronado Chronicles. Then I saw a familiar face, Mistletoe's, pretending to be busy with the computers to hide from me.
"Congratulations!" the popstar-ish dude with the dark curly hair greeted and opened his arms.
Joyeuse, Futhark, and I stared blankly at him. We heard Laevateinn shutting the door behind him. There was an awkward silence that I broke with a silent, monotonous, and sarcastic, "Yaaay..."
The curly-haired dude cleared his throat and blinked. Medyo napahiya. He immediately regained composure, though, and introduced himself. "I'm Zweihänder, the editor-in-chief of Coronado Chronicles, and thank you, thank you for uhm, giving us your time."
"Na-suspend kami dude," I said, "at papaanong hindi namin pagbibigyan ang Tissue Paper of Destiny, e hinack n'yo ang lahat ng accounts ko para lang masiguro na sasagutan ko talaga ang mga clues doon."
"Hack?" Zweihänder furrowed his brows. "Mist? Hinack mo ba ang mga accounts ni Edward?"
Mistletoe blinked at me and shook his head. "M-May matapang bang kayang gumawa n'on...?"
"Hindi ka ba inutusan ni Sir Henry?" I asked him, crossing my arms.
"Hindi ako inutusan ni Sir Henry, Ed. Kaya lang nadamay ang Literature Club ay dahil member ka n'on at doon lang kita pwedeng ma... masundan."
"Stalker alert," I muttered.
"So you involved professors and clubs in this nonsense?" Joyeuse stepped forward, towards Zweihänder.
Zweihänder's face broke into a crooked grin. "I figured you're someone who can sort out the nonsense and ignore it. Nagkamali yata ako."
Joyeuse was a bit too stunned to speak for a moment.
Then it was Futhark's turn to speak up. "Bakit po kailangan pang magpadala ng tissue paper? Para saan po 'yon?"
"Please take a seat." Tinapik ni Zweihänder ang balikat ng dalawang babaeng nagbabasa kunwari sa may couch at pinaalis sila, tapos kami ang inanyayahang maupo roon. That's not gentlemanly, pero masakit na rin naman ang paa ko kaya thanks, Zweihän-dude.
'Yong mas matangkad na babae ay naupo sa "conference table" nila, at nginitian naman ako ni Macey bago s'ya naupo katabi nung matangkad na babae.
Macey?!
"Macey!"
I jumped, and all eyes were immediately on me. I coughed and tugged my shirt down. It got awkward. I didn't know she's part of the student publications. Macey giggled silently. The four staff members started to have a little meeting.
"Taking a seat then," I muttered and sat on the other end of the couch, seeing that Joyeuse took the other end. Futhark sat beside me, and I didn't know why I even expected Laevateinn to sit on Futhark's left, beside Joyeuse.
He took a monobloc chair and left the room.
He literally took a seat and everyone didn't know what to do. Do they protest? Do they stop him? Do they tell him, Ha-ha, what an idiot?
Apparently Joyeuse knew what to do.
"Why take us to the couch instead of the conference table?" he asked. "Shouldn't this conversation be formal?"
"Tingin ko okay lang naman, kahit dito na lang tayo," Futhark said. "Maybe they want us to feel comfortable with them, and..." He narrowed his eyes as if he noticed Zweihänder watching him talk and found it awkward.
I felt obliged to drop a comment, but my mouth—which apparently has a mind of its own—decided to say, "Pwede po bang maki-connect sa Wi-Fi?"
Ramdam ko ang pag-ikot ng mata ni Joyeuse, na sinamahan pa ng isang napakalakas na buntonghininga. Tinitigan muna ako ni Zweihänder, na parang pinag-iisipan n'ya kung seseryosohin ba ang tanong ko o hindi.
Part of me hoped that he would, but anyway.
Bahagyang napatawa si Zweihänder at nagpatuloy sa sasabihin n'ya. "How did you perform in your fourth-year high school thesis?"
Thesis?
The three of us were caught offguard. Si Futhark, nag-alinlangan muna bago sumagot ng, "Nahirapan po ako sa pag-gather ng matinong sagot galing sa respondents at nagka-problema po ako sa... Hindi ko na po maalala 'yong thesis namin, marami kasi kaming nagtulong-tulong para matapos 'yon."
I raised my hand. "Ako po sumagot sa pagpapa-print at pagpapa-bookbind. I read the entire thing an hour before the oral defence so I didn't have to worry about looking like an idiot."
Zweihänder slowly nodded. I didn't think this was the reason why he's called the three (or four) of us here. His body language said otherwise. It's as if he's testing us.
"Ikaw, anong ambag mo sa thesis n'yo?" Zweihänder asked Joyeuse. He leant on the wall near the door, crossing his arms. He kept an approachable smile.
"I worked alone," Joyeuse answered confidently, crossing his arms as well. "Didn't need to deal with any stupidity or drama, grade's all mine, no one to put the blame on to but myself—it was perfect."
"Sanay ka na palang mag-isa," sabi ni Zweihänder.
"Are you insinuating something?"
"Ano pong kinalaman ng thesis namin sa Tissue Paper of Des—I mean 'yong tissue papers po na may codes?" tanong ni Futhark.
"We'll get to that soon, but for now: triangle, circle, square, or squiggle?" A smiled was etched on Zweihänder's face, but I saw him glance cautiously towards the direction of the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editor's tables. Hindi ko alam kung sino ang sinulyapan n'ya roon, at nakakahiya kung bigla akong lilingon.
"Square, it's the simplest of the three," Joyeuse answered dourly. He answered so fast, he almost made me wish I had my life as organised as his.
"Kuya Zweihänder." Futhark raised his hand, like a nerd. "Napag-aralan po namin 'yan no'ng first year kami."
"Cool," Zweihänder replied with a low whistle. "That means you're aware of your own choice."
"French?" I asked without thinking. Or rather the contrary, my mouth—which had, as I have established, a mind of its own—asked on its own because I was thinking of it subconsciously. "I mean I'm choosing the squiggle," I backpedaled.
"Bakit ka nagtanong tungkol sa French?" Zweihänder asked. I can't read if his face showed amazement or suspicion because at that moment, I can't even look at him straight in the eye. He must've noticed how awkward I've gotten because he laughed gently and added, "Narinig mo ba sa pagsasalita ko? Cool, cool. Nice. You're the squiggle then."
Nagtaas ulit ng kamay si Futhark. "I choose the circle."
Zweihänder smiled genuinely, nodding. Joyeuse, the ever dismissive one, leant forward and asked, "You've measured our intelligence with the codes, and now you're trying to figure out our personalities. Answer me. What are you planning?"
Zweihänder raised both of his hands and chuckled. He then smiled crookedly, saying, "Wala akong masamang plano. Masaya nga ako na nauna akong kumausap sa inyo."
A dude with white blond hair approached, stood beside Zweihänder, and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Ichaival, Associate Editor of Coronado Chronicles. May sasabihin lang ako sandali kay Kuya Zweihänder n'yo."
Kapansin-pansin ang bitbit n'yang mga asul na folder sa tagiliran n'ya. Kinuhit n'ya sa balikat si Zweihänder at bumulong sa tainga nito. Kaming tatlo nina Joyeuse at Futhark ay nagpanggap na hindi nakikinig sa binubulong ni "Ichaival" kay Zweihänder.
Pagkatapos bumulong ni Ichaival ay iniabot n'ya kay Zweihänder ang mga folder at ngumiti s'ya sa ʼmin. Masyadong pala-ngiti ang mga tao rito. Hindi ko sila pinagkakatiwalaan.
"Parating na raw si Sir Lance," sabi ni Ichaival sa ʼming tatlo. Zweihänder fixated his eyes on the door, puffing his cheeks and rapping his fingers against his arms. He looked rather serious and fierce.
"Lance Ducere?" I asked. "He's a... a professor, right? I almost forgot. Sorry, hindi ako familiar sa mga pangala—"
Joyeuse glared at me. "Stop acting like you forgot who Lance Ducere is because last night I heard you muttering and cursing Lance's name because he got you suspended."
"Akala ko magugustuhan mo kapag nagpanggap akong tanga?" I mocked.
"Pretending to be dumb when you're actually smart is an insult to no one but yourself."
"So you're admitting I'm smart?"
"Of course. I'm just smarter."
"Aaat tama na ʼyan, nasa harap tayo nina Kuya Zweihänder at Kuya Ichaival." Sabay na tinakpan ni Futhark ang bibig namin ni Joyeuse. "Si Sir Lance po ba ang nagpapatawag sa ʼmin dito?" Ngumiti si Futhark.
Sabay na tumango sina Zweihänder at Ichaival.
"Quick question," I interjected, "may kinalaman po ba ito sa nangyari noong Friday sa library; and follow-up question, may security cameras po ba sa labas ng Newsroom?"
"Imposibleng may kinalaman sa Tissue Paper of Destiny ʼyung nangyari last Friday dahil bago pa man mag-Biyernes ay meron na tayong tissue papers," sabi ni Futhark.
"So bakit si Sir Lance ang sumugod sa library noon?" tanong ko pabalik sa kan'ya. "Maraming prof sa Coronado. Marami ring classrooms sa paligid ng library. Bakit si Sir Lance? At bakit tayong apat ang nando'n?"
"Because they're watching us—following and stalking us," Joyeuse said, having a sudden epiphany. "They wanted to make sure we solve the codes and come to this room this exact moment. They do have someone who is experienced with Shadowing."
"Who?" Futhark and I chorused.
"Excalibur—I thought that was obvious since I mentioned him being a Criminology student. And the one who wrote my code was the girl, Macey. She was with us in the library but excused herself after getting a "call" from this "Adrian". Her voice got higher not because she's talking to somebody she liked, but because she was lying. Having her solve the code with us will spoil everything. And us four together in that library last Friday caused an alarm, thus—Lance Ducere."
The newsroom door opened and a tall, lean professor with curly dark hair parted in the middle walked in. His amber eyes were fierce but . . . homely.
"The murder has no connections with you or whatsoever," assured Sir Lance Ducere, with a satisfied smirk from his awesome entrance. "But it was serendipity that you were there. We have confirmed that we've chosen the right students to participate in our program."
He stood upright, his presence flooding the newsroom. For some reasons, Joyeuse, Futhark, and I got on to our feet and gaped at him. Well, Futhark and I gaped. Joyeuse furrowed his brows and furtively studied the professor from head to toe.
All the gentleness he had last Friday was replaced by this powerful aura he's emanated the moment he entered the Newsroom. Even the staff members of Coronado University gave him their serious attention—all except for Zweihänder.
Zweihänder cleared his throat loudly, and with a crooked grin, he told Sir Lance, "So... it's all up to you, sir?" He handed him the folders Ichaival gave him earlier.
"Thank you for allowing us to use the Newsroom, Zweihänder," Sir Lance replied. He scanned through the folders for a bit.
Zweihänder shrugged. "Hindi naman kami makaka-hindi sa ʼyo, ʼdi ba sir?" He laughed and beckoned to his staff, "CC, iwan muna natin sina sir."
All staff members, including Macey and Mistletoe, left the room. Macey shot me and Sir Lance a nervous look before she left and I suddenly felt all alone. In addition to that, Zweihänder pushed an unwilling-looking Laevateinn, who was still carrying the chair, inside the room. He locked the door behind Laevateinn, leaving the five of us alone inside. Laevateinn set his chair near the door.
Laevateinn is scary, Sir Lance is scary, and Joyeuse is annoying. Mabuti na lang at kasama ko si Futhark dito sa loob. Kahit paano, may makukuhanan pa ako ng lakas ng loob.
"To the conference table," Sir Lance commanded. The four of us boys silently followed him. Sir Lance sat at the head of the table; Futhark at his left and Joyeuse to his right. I sat beside Futhark, and Laevateinn just plopped across me, burying his head in his arms.
I crinkled my nose at his disrespectful behaviour, but I let him be. Una, hindi naman ako ang mapapagalitan. Ikalawa, nakatatakot si Laevateinn. I couldn't stress that enough.
Once he's sure we were settled in our seats, Sir Lance slid the blue folders in front of us. "I would start with a congratulations, but you're not high school students."
"Then get straight to the point," Joyeuse said and didn't forget to add, "please."
Sir Lance took a quick deep breath before explaining so I listened carefully to the way he spoke. "The four of you got the highest score in a screening we did last year. Ang screening na isinagawa namin ay para sa isang program, a curriculum. Titingnan naming mga stakeholder kung ang program na ito ay makapagpo-produce ng efficient at talented policemen."
He changed languages midway through his sentence. I wasn't able to fully assess his character, but I noted that he has no particular accent and he's using a simple range of vocabulary. And the fact that he's cautious was already enough assessment.
"Excuse me?" Joyeuse blinked, unsure of what he's heard. "Policemen?"
"I'd say "detectives" but there's something in your screening that convinced me that you'll take it the wrong way."
"I am taking it all ways and I still can't believe what I'm hearing," I said, shaking my head.
"I'm literally a Political Science student," Joyeuse added.
Futhark silently muttered, "Ayoko pong maging pulis."
Sir Lance exhaled through his nose. "I see your knowledge of the field is not enough."
That's an insult to Joyeuse, I swear.
"And that's why you'll educate us, correct?" Joyeuse raised an eyebrow. "Through this curriculum you're saying."
Right, in-expect kong magbibida-bida ulit s'ya at ipaglalaban na sapat na ang kaalaman n'ya sa pinag-uusapan namin. Hindi ko inaasahang may itinatago pala s'yang kapakumbabaan.
Sir Lance chuckled. "Correct."
"Ayoko pong magpulis," Futhark repeated. "Pwede pa naman pong magback-out, ʼdi ba?"
"Was this program approved by the government?" sabat ni Joyeuse. Hindi na nasagot ni Sir Lance ang tanong ni Futhark dahil nagdagdag kaagad si Joyeuse ng isa pang tanong. "Are we the inaugural batch?"
Sir Lance maintained eye contact with Joyeuse, as if they're talking telepathically, aside from what they're saying in person. Sir Lance answered, "Yes, it is approved by the government. However, the curriculum will not yet be released to the public. You are the inaugural batch. The first four. This curriculum requires four students complementing each other to work together."
"But we're from different courses," I said in confusion.
"Ilang extra subjects ang kailangan n'yong kuhanin nang magkakasama. The rest, you'll follow the curriculum of your course."
"And then in the end?" Futhark asked.
"You'll be given a choice to pursue your chosen profession, or pursue being a," Sir Lance sighed, "a detective. All the extra subjects will be credited for future use."
"You're making sure we have nothing to lose," Joyeuse said, narrowing his eyes. "And what are you going to gain from it?"
"If this program was proven to be effective then we'll publicise the curriculum that we made and apply it on chosen universities. We were hoping that this program could produce better detectives in the future."
"What if I chose to be a lawyer? A defense attorney?" Joyeuse asked.
"Anong connection? Why is that important?" I asked.
"'Yong mga detectives, Ed," sagot ni Fu, "hinahanap nila ang katotohanan at kung sino ang may sala. ʼYong mga abugado naman, lalo na 'yong mga abugado para sa mga kriminal, tinatago nila ang katotohanan."
"You see it as an irony, I see it as a perfect opportunity," sabi ni Sir Lance kay Joyeuse. Joyeuse gazed pensively at him. "Knowing every bit of the truth will make you a good lawyer, won't it?" Sir Lance then turned to Futhark, "And you'll be a better Psychologist if you understand how the mind works through actions."
"That's kind of what Psychology really is..." Futhark said awkwardly through his teeth.
"What about me?" I asked. "I'm a Mass Communications student."
"You already have a lot of options for your future, Edward Dace. This program is your stepping stone to success. Just don't leave."
"Hold up, just how in-depth was the screening you made?" Joyeuse said with a snap.
"Dude, dude-dude-dude-dude, dude." I cackled and interrupted Joyeuse because I was sure as fuck what he's trying to say was nonsense. "Let's do a headcount and a quick recap here, yeah? So you say you wanted a detective group—"
"That's not what I said," Sir Lance protested calmly.
"Different words, same outcome."
"Personally, I wanted to call it an initiative."
"Like the Avengers..." I muttered silently. Then I shook my head and proceeded, "I'm an Edward Dace, a Mass Communications student; he," I pointed to Futhark, "is a Psychology student who does nothing but read my thoughts in inappropriate times. That's creepy, by the way. We have Superman here," I pointed at Laevateinn, who still hasn't budged from his sleep, "we don't really have any idea who and what he is. My wild guess is that he's just disguising as a human male. And lastly, he"—I pointed to Joyeuse—"is a bloody drama queen. Please tell us how this chaotic mess of a group is the future of law enforcement."
"You complement each other," sagot ni Sir Lance. Short yet certain. He intertwined his fingers and rested them above the table. I was left puzzled but remembering what happened the past few days, I was a bit convinced with his answer.
There was a pensive silence, broken by Sir Lance. "I will give the four of you an hour to study the contract in those folders, and you may sign them whenever you're ready. As long as it's within a week."
Whenever we're ready, but within a week.
Very funny.
"Isang oras, sir?" tanong ni Futhark. He stared down at the folder, whilst I secretly captured photos of the contract. I noticed Laevateinn waking up to read the contents of the folder too. Wow, finally.
"Yes, is there a problem with it, Mr. Gomez?" Sir Lance pursed his lips.
"Gomez?" I knitted my eyebrows together.
Futhark shushed gently, side-glancing at me. "May naghihintay po kasi sa ʼmin sa baba—"
Joyeuse and I stood up abruptly, at the same time.
"D.I. of Hotness!" I blurted out.
"Casey!" Joyeuse hissed between his teeth.
I turned to Joyeuse. "Ang sabi mo talaga seven minutes lang tayo pero halos kalahating oras na tayo rito sa Newsroom!"
"Well that doesn't matter now, does it?"
"Pwede po ba naming balikan ʼyong kontrata, Sir Lance?" tanong ulit ni Futhark. Tumayo na rin s'ya.
Sir Lance nodded. "Yes, but please surrender your phones and delete all photos you snapped that show this meeting and these folders."
Great.
16. August.
Monday, 4:00 pm.
Coronado University Main Gate.
MASAMA ANG LOOB KO. Natunugan ni Sir Lance na kinuhanan ko ng litrato ʼyong kontrata. No worries, though, dahil pwede naman daw naming balikan. Perkele.
"So apparently, Detective Cassandra has left to investigate another limb found in Muntinlupa, which is an hour away from here," Joyeuse narrated, whilst the four of us—Joyeuse, Futhark, Laevateinn, and the greatest of all four—stood outside the "Police Line Do No Cross" tape they've taped on two trash bins three metres around the original trash bin where we discovered the arm.
"This is my first time standing near one of these," I told Futhark, poking the yellow tapes. "Didn't think they could afford these in San Lorenzo." An officer glared at me so I stopped poking the tapes and turned to the other three standing behind me.
"Tingin n'yo nasaan ʼyong ulo?" nag-aalalang tanong ni Futhark. "Tinago kaya nila?"
"I think the first question should be, 'Who's the owner of those body parts?'" nakasimangot at nag-iisip na sagot ni Joyeuse.
"You tipped D.I. of Hotness about the arm and its owner," I told Joyeuse. "I think that's enough good work for today. Umuwi na tayo, dudes."
Joyeuse crinkled his nose and gave me a disdaining look. "We were just briefed about a curriculum that involves detective work, and you're saying that you're not interested in knowing who's murdered and who's the murderer?"
I groaned and cringed at the same time, it physically hurt. "I have three 4K-word articles in my blog to prove that us doing—quote unquote—detective work is the cringiest, worst, and the most unconventional thing ever."
"We caught a murderer last Friday."
"That doesn't make you a detective, sweetcheeks. You know, no matter how good you are in this kind of stuff, you still appear as a meddling smartass in the eyes of people with a fucking license."
"You were there too."
"Ginusto ko bang makasama roon? Sa pagkakaalala ko kasi uwing-uwi na ako noon. You solved the murder, dude. I was the cool side character throwing cool commentaries around. Futhark, back me up on this."
I turned to the direction where Futhark was moments ago, but he wasn't there. My eyes landed on Laevateinn (I got literal chills) and he pointed to Futhark and another girl talking a few steps away from us.
Joyeuse and I stared at them until the girl said, "Sige, thank you po, Kuya Gomez!" She skipped away afterwards. Futhark waved goodbye at her before returning to us.
"Kaibigan mo po, Kuya Gomez?" I asked to mock him. Joyeuse raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.
"Classmate," Futhark answered with a chuckle. "Tinatanong n'ya kung bakit wala ako kanina sa klase. Kinailangan pa naman ako sa kabilang lecture room dahil wala si Sir Felipe at hindi nila ma—"
"Okay, let's cut you off, baka mauwi kami sa istorya ng buhay mo," I finished, sighing.
"No, continue," Joyeuse prompted. Weirdly, he's really interested. "What happened to this Felipe you mentioned?"
"Sinasabi mo bang posibleng s'ya ang nawawalang prof?" I asked, my eyes wide upon realising.
"It's just a theory, stop bouncing in excitement," Joyeuse uttered sternly.
"I'm not bouncing in excitement." I frowned and actually stopped shifting my weight from foot to foot. I wasn't bouncing.
"Um-absent si Sir Felipe at hindi nila ma-contact. Phone, Facebook, wala," Futhark informed.
"Is he your professor?" Joyeuse asked.
"No, pero taga-CAS department s'ya."
"Dude that means he totally wore the same uniform as Sir Lance last Friday!" I added.
"Okay, Edward Dace, you might want to hide that excitement somewhere," Joyeuse said dismissively. "We need to know where this Felipe lives. Futhark, do you know where he lives?"
"Hindi, hindi naman ako teacher's pet." Kumunot ang mukha ni Futhark.
"What's his full name?"
"Felipe Bascardo."
"That name sounds familiar. Edward, can you search him up on Facebook or any social media—"
"Wait, are we really going to look for him on our own? Shouldn't we tell the police?" pag-aalinlangan ko. "So you're playing the "meddling smartass" card here?"
"Alright, then. I dare you to walk up to a policeman and tell them about our very weak lead—a professor missing his classes. I asked you to look him up to help the police narrow down their investigation. We are not meddling, we're helping."
"Tingin n'yo dapat natin sabihin kay Sir Lance ang balak nating gawin?" Futhark asked.
"Gago, nakatatakot si Sir Lance." I shrugged and shook my head. Futhark is a teacher's pet, confirmed.
"Based on my experience, teachers don't really do good with students involving them in their life outside the four walls of the classroom," Joyeuse said, checking his phone.
"I really have this gut feeling that teachers hate you in and out of the classroom. Well actually, not only teachers."
Joyeuse ignored my insult. His eyes were glued on his phone. I wasn't sure if he's looking up Felipe Bascardo or not, but he had this smirk on his face.
"What is it, what did you find out?" I asked. I tried to peek on what he's doing on his phone, but Futhark tried to peek too so Joyeuse got annoyed and stepped away from us.
"Parang tanga 'to." I scowled. "Ano ba kasi ang nginingisi-ngisi mo r'yan?"
Joyeuse raised his phone up to show us a photo posted on Facebook. With a grin, he said, "The meddling smartasses found their first lead."