Chapter 7: Frogs and Hugs
Gaya ng inaasahan ay naroon nga si Gray. He wasn't tied or anything but when I saw him, I immediately throw myself to him at ibinaon ang mukha ko sa leeg niya and I was hugging him tightly. Gosh! I'm so worried ! Akala ko ay ano na ang nangyari sa kanya! I thought Marion got him!
Marahil ay nagulat ito sa ginawa ko. Ang feeling close ko diba? Higpit ng yakap ko tapos naalala kong hindi nga pala kami magkabati, but who cares?! Ang alam ko lamang ay ligtas ito at walang nangyaring masama. I swore to myself not to let my mouth slip mean words towards him. Kapag gagawin ko pa ulit iyon, bubunutin ko talaga ang mga buhok ko sa ilong!
He hugged me back and when he pulled me upang matingnan ay kumunot ang noo niya.
"Why are you crying?", he asked as he looked directly to me. Hinawakan ko ang pisngi ko and I was also surprised to see myself crying! Uh, bakit ba ako umiiyak? Maybe I'm just happy dahil nakita ko ito. He wiped away my tears using his hands and I blushed. Uh, ang arte ko diba? That's when I understood everything! Did he —
I punched him on his gut at napangiwi ito sa sakit. Uh! He made me worried by scheming his own abduction!
Hinawakan niya ang nasaktang sikmura at nagtatakang tiningnan ako. "What was that for?"
I frowned at him. "That's for making me so worried! You schemed your own disappearance and you made the codes, you idiot! Balak mo bang ipadama sa akin kung paano mag-alala dahil kung oo, well you're successful! I'm so worried!", I said straight on his face. Uh, yeah. Dapat hindi ako nagalit sa kanya noong nag-alala siya nung kasama ko si Ryu but kailangan pa ba talagang gawin niya iyon?
"What? I didn't!", he said. Aba! In denial pa ang mokong!
"Don't deny it moron!", wika ko sa kanya. This is so full of effort. He sacrificed his classes just to plot this. Okay, this scheme is really something ngunit nakakatakot! Argh! Akala ko talaga napahamak na ito!
"But I really didn't.", he said. "I was really kidnapped by some guys and I was brought here. I was sleep for few moments at ilang minuto pa lang ang lumipas ng nagising ako at dumating ka."
What?! He's really kidnapped?! Ngunit sino naman? Tama ba ang hinala ko na si Marion nga ang nagpadukot sa kanya?!
"Then who could have done it?", I asked in confusion.
"I did."
Sabay kaming napalingon ni Gray sa nagsalita. We're so surprised to see who it was at hindi agad kami nakapagsalita. Ilang segundo ang lumipas at si Gray ang unang nakahuma.
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"MR. ARMAN BRIDLE!", he exclaimed in surprise. Yes, it's Sir Arman. The one who gave us some adventures on his private island!
"Hello my detectives", he said with a big smile.
Tumakbo kami papunta sa kanya at niyakap siya ng mahigpit.
HIIIIINDEEE! JOKE LANG! He's Mr. Arman Bridle! The owner of the school and a respectable man! Alangan namang magpaka-feeling close kami, kapal naman ng mukha namin diba?
"Sir Arman! It's good to see you again!", I said. Like I said before, he's a mysterious man. He's not like the other na kailangang ipalinis pa ang buong school upang paghandaan ang pagdating nila. But him? Walang nakakaalam maliban na lamang sa mga trusted staff ng Bridle High.
"Sorry for this facade. I abducted Gray and let you, Amber, track him by solving the code and you did", he said at naupo sa swivel chair na naroon. "Please have a seat."
Nang maupo kami ay hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala na nasa harap namin si Mr. Bridle. He did show himself to us for the second time! The adventure he gave to us was unforgettable. That's where I overcome my fear of dark places at doon ko rin nakilala si Cooler.
"Wag niyo po sanang mamasamain pero bakit niyo po iyon ginawa?", Gray asked to man.
Ngumiti ito ng matamis. May mga wrinkles na ito sa mukha, but he still look as strong as a horse. Marahil ay healthy living ito. Some of his hairs were grey and his presence yields out that he's a respectable man.
"Ah, I went here in the Philippines to visit my bedridden friend. Bago ako bumalik sa London ay naisipan kong bisitahin ang mga institusyon ko so when I visited this school, I remembered my promise to the both of you", paliwanag niya. Nagtatakang nagkatinginan kami ni Gray. His promise?
"Ano pong ibig ninyong sabihin?", I asked in confusion. He promised us something?
Sir Arman frowned. "You two forgot? Sino ba ang matanda sa atin?", he chuckled heartily. "Didn't I promise you to take the two of you to London some other time? You both decided na hindi muna noong panahon na iyon dahil a day or two in London isn't enough. I want to test your detective skills again so I schemed everything from Gray's abduction to this. I also heard from the staffs about your big help to the crimes and other events and here I am, reminding you of your trip since classes are almost over", he said at parehas kaming nasorpresa ni Gray. Oh, is he serious?!
LOONDON?!
LONDON?
LONDON as in LONDON?!
"You're not serious Sir, right?", I asked but he shook his head. Kinuha niya ang isang brown envelope at inilapag iyon sa harap namin. Nang tingnan ni Gray ang laman ay mga papeles iyon para sa paghahanda namin sa flight. Uh, he's really serious in taking us to London!
***
Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala na muling nagpakita sa amin si Sir Arman kanina. Hindi naman siya nangako sa amin, he just told us that he can take us to London if we want to but I really can't believe that he's a man of his words. I'm not dreaming right?
Paulit-ulit kong sinampal ng mahina ang mukha ko. Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala.
Kinuha ni Gray ang kamay kong pinagsasampal ko sa sarili. "Hey, stop that", wika niya at napatingin ako sa kanya.
"Hindi ka ba nagtataka kung nananaginip ka ba or what?", I asked him. Kasalukuyan kaming nasa gym at nanunood sa mga kaklase naming naglalaro. PE basketball tournament kasi namin ngayon.
"Bakit naman ako nananaginip?", he asked. Bagay na bagay sa kanya ang suot niyang puting jersey, wag mo na lang itong palaruin dahil hindi nito maja-justify ang suot niya. He's not good in basketball.
"London Gray. London. L-O-N-D-O-N. London", wika ko.
"Tapos? I've been to London when I was young", he said.
"And we're going there. Hindi ka ba naeexcite?", tanong ko sa kanya.
"Of course I am excited. What made you think na hindi ako naeexcite?", he asked.
"Kasi parang wala lang sayo."
He frowned at me. "Alangan namang pagsasampalin ko ang sarili ko gaya ng ginagawa mo.
This time ako naman ang napasimangot sa kanya. Pero tama naman siya. Ang bakla kayang isipin na sobrang nae-excite si Gray tapos kung anu-ano na ang pinaggagagawa diba? Ugh, so gay.
I looked for my bag at saka ko lamang naalala na naiwan ko pala iyon sa classroom. I asked Gray to come with me. Ayoko ng iwan siya, baka makidnap ulit.
"Baka ipasok na ako sa laro", he said. Jeremy is currently playing now at gaya ni Gray, he sucks in basketball.
"Sandali lang naman at isa pa, wag ka ng maglaro, hindi ka naman marunong", wika ko sa kanya kasabay ng malutong na pagtawa.
Napasimangot ito nang tumayo. "You hurt my ego", he said with a frown.
"Sige na kasi. Samahan mo na ako", wika ko sa kanya.
He bowed down as if I'm a queen. "Okay po, Your Highness!", wika niya at sumunod sa akin. Natawa naman ako sa sinabi niya at sabay kaming lumabas ng gym.
Paglabas namin ay nilapitan kami ng dalawang babae. At first, they were hesitant to approach us but in the end ay nagpasya ang mga itong lapitan kami.
"Excuse me. You're Gray and Amber right?", they asked. They weren't from Bridle dahil iba ang suot nilang uniform. If I'm not mistaken, they're from Carson High School, a school na hindi masyadong kalayuan sa Bridle.
"Yes, why?", Gray asked and he smiled at them. Tila kinilig naman ang dalawa. Uh, pagbuhulin ko kaya itong dalawa?!
Sumagot ang isa sa mga ito. "My name is Erryza Lopez from Carson High School. Ito naman ang kaklase kong si Kirsten Lee", pakilala nila at kinamayan kami.
"Kaya kami nagpunta dito ay kailangan namin ang tulong ninyo. Our friend, Janicelle is missing. Ilang araw na itong nawawala. We're members of the science club and this Janicelle is the club president and she happened to be a sort of detective", paliwanag ni Kirsten.
"Detective? Then you don't need our help. May kaibigan naman pala kayong detective", I said in a bratty way. Naiinis kasi ako. Panay ang ngiti ni Gray sa kanila at naiinggit ako! I mean hindi ako naiinggit. Naiinis lang. Iba ang inis sa inggit, right?
"But like I've said, Janicelle is missing but she left some clues and we can't figure it out. We heard about the two of you so we decided to ask for your help. Tulungan niyo kami please. Nag-aalala na kasi kami sa kaibigan namin", Erryza said and I was about to turn them down ngunit nauna ng magsalita si Gray.
"Can you wait a little longer while I change into my PE uniform?", he asked at nang tumango ang mga ito ay agad akong hinila ni Gray papunta sa classroom namin.
"Get your bag at magbibihis muna ako", wika niya but I didn't move. Nakasimangot lang ako sa kanya. "What?"
"Pumayag ka bang tulungan sila dahil magaganda sila o dahil gusto mo lang tumulong?", I asked.
"What? Of course I want to help them."
"Ang tamis ng mga ngiti mo kanina, alam mo ba?"
This time ay napasimangot na ito. "What's wrong with it? Ang pangit namang tingnan kung nakasimangot ako habang tinitingnan sila diba?", he asked. "Sige na, kunin mo na ang bag mo."
Hindi ako gumalaw at tumayo lang doon. I seemed like a spoiled brat pero wala akong pakialam. "Fine, ako na ang kukuha mahal na prinsesa", wika niya at kinuha ang backpack ko. Hinawakan niya ang braso ko at pinasuot iyon sa akin. Kinuha niya ang isang strap ng bag mula sa likuran kaya mukhang nakayakap siya sa akin. Sheyt! Forever mabango talaga si Gray Ivan Silvan.
Nang maabot niya iyon ay agad niyang ipinasok ang kabilang braso ko doon. He held my shoulders and he raised my chin.
"Just wait here Your Highness, okay?"
It seems like I've been caught in the spell of his sweet fragrance kaya napatango na lang ako at hinintay siya habang nagbibihis sa CR.
Matapos magbihis ay agad naming pinuntahan ang dalawang babae. Gray brought his car and we immediately drove towards Carson High.
Habang nasa daan ay tinanong ni Gray sina Erryza at Kirsten. "By the way, paano nga pala kayo nakapasok ng Bridle?", he asked matapos kausapin ang guard upang makalabas kami kahit na class hours. Mukhang tulad ni Ryu at Cooler, binestfriend na din yata ni Gray ang mga ito. Maybe I should ask him to introduce Khael at nang masali ito sa mga circle of friends ng mga guard nang hindi na ito magkaroon ng challenging entrance sa susunod na dadalaw ito ng Bridle.
"We snuck in without them noticing", Erryza said and I mentally rolled my eyes. Hindi talaga kayo napansin? Baka pusa kayo?
"Tell me more about this detective's disappearance", Gray said.
Si Kirsten naman ang nagsalita. "Ganito kasi yun, we're in the laboratory yesterday habang hinihintay na dumating ang tatlong prospect na magiging next president ng club. Kaso may pinuntahan kami ni Erryza so we left Janicelle alone at siya na ang naghintay doon upang makipag-usap sa tatlo ngunit pagbalik namin ay marami ng basag na equipments and she's nowhere to be found", kwento nito.
It's creepy! Naalala ko tuloy ang nangyari kay Mrs. Sera doon sa laboratory ng Bridle. I still cannot imagine that Marion plotted everything.
"You said there are some clues that she left", Gray said.
"Yes, and well see it pagdating natin doon", Erryza said at patuloy naman sa pagmamaneho si Gray. Hindi nagtagal ay nakarating na kami sa Carson High School. It's also a big school but Bridle and Athena were bigger. Not to mention that both school are prestigous.
Nang makababa kami ng kotse ay isang walking ESPASOL ang lumapit at yumakap kay Gray. "Ivan!", the espasol exclaimed.
Do you remember Espasol Girl? Yung kinidnap ni Gray dati. Yung maarteng mahaderang espasol na anak pala ng may-ari ng paborito kong pastry shop. Yep, Allison Easton.
"Ivan, I want to hate you! Mabuti na lamang at sinabi ni Dad na ikaw ang nag-infiltrate sa gang", she said and she pouted. Hindi bagay girl, please stop it.
Tinanggal ni Gray ang nakayakap na palad ni Allison. "Sorry Allison, I cannot talk with you right now, may importante pa kasi kaming gagawin", he said at tiningnan sina Erryza at Kirsten. Naintindihan naman iyon ng dalawa at nagsimula na silang maglakad. Sumunod naman kami ni Gray sa kanila.
Andaming nakatingin sa amin. Uh, well I can't blame them. Two Bridle Students are here at nakasuot pa ng PE uniform ng Bridle.
Dinala nila kami sa science laboratory. Sa likod niyon ay ang office ng Science Club. I thought we're going to deal with chemicals again ngunit hindi sa may mga naka-display na chemicals kami dinala nina Erryza at Kirsten. They brought us in the dissecting room.
May mga malalaking garapon doon na may mga nakalagay na naka-preserved na mga hayop. There were snakes, small monkey, a kitten, fishes of different kind at kung anu-ano pa. Kung may ayaw man akong pasukan sa Bridle, it's the dissecting room dahil nakakadiring tingnan ang mga naka-preserved na mga hayop!
"D-dito ninyo kakausapin ang mga Science lab presidentiables niyo?", I asked in disbelief. Gosh, nakakatakot kaya doon!
"No, not here. Dito lang namin nakita ang mga possible clues na iniwan ni Janicelle", Erryza said at tinanggal naman ni Kirsten ang isang tela mula sa mesa. May tatlong garapon doon na may lamang preserved frog. Iba-iba iyon ng uri and they're so creepy! Ayaw ko pa naman ng nga palaka.
May mga nakalagay na electrical tape sa tatlong garapon. Sa isang garapon ay may maliit na electrical tape doon. Medyo mahaba naman ang nasa isa at pinakamahaba ang nasa ikatlo. May pitong garapon din doon na pinagdugtong sa pamamagitan ng electrical tape. It's formed into a circle at bakante ang gitna. The electrical tape was placed in the center.
Gray flashed his usual victorious smile. "Maari niyo bang ipatawag ang tatlong kakausapin sana ng kaibigan ninyo?", he asked at tumango naman ang dalawa. Iniwan muna nila kami doon. Gray stared intently at the containers that were formed into a ring.
"You already got this clue?", I asked and he nodded.
"Yes, she's a detective no wonder she made such smart clue. Ang kailangan ko na lang ay makita ang tatlong kakausapin sana niya kahapon. Ang hindi ko lang maintindihan ay ito", he said at tinuro ang mga garapon na may electrical tape sa gitna.
"The opposite of me. I think I have an idea on that kaysa sa tatlong garapon", wika ko.
"We'll see about that later kung tama ba ang mga deductions natin", Gray said at dumating na sina Erryza at Kirsten kasama ang dalawang babae at isang lalaki.
"Nandito na sila. These are the three persons na kakausapin sana ni Janicelle kahapon. If you'd noticed, walang pulis o iba pang mga estudyante dito. We're keeping this in private para na rin hindi masira ang pangalan ng Club", paliwanag ni Erryza.
"I understand. Why don't you introduce yourselves to us?", wila ni Gray sa tatlong kasama nina Kirsten at Erryza.
"What's this all about Kirsten? Anong ginagawa ng dalawang estudyante mula sa Bridle dito?", a shorthaired girl asked Kirsten.
"They're Gray and Amber from Bridle and we asked for their help upang matulungan kaming mahanap si Janicelle", wika ni Kirsten.
"And why are we summoned here? Don't tell me pinagdududahan ninyo kami?", galit na wika ng lalaki.
"Hindi naman sa ganoon. Gray wants to see you three", Erryza said.
Napataas naman ang kilay ng isang babae. She had a long hair at maputi ang balat nito. "Why? At bakit ba kayo nagpapaniwala sa kanila?"
This time ay nakisingit na si Gray. "Why are you all furious? Natatakot ba kayong isiwalat namin ang mga nangyari dito kahapon?", Gray asked in his boastful and arrogant tune.
"Bakit naman ako matatakot? I didn't do anything", sagot ng babae.
"Then have a little introduction and tell us what happened here noong kakausapin niyo na sana si Janicelle", Gray said.
Ang lalaki ang unang nagsalita. "Okay then. My name is Geory Bascon. I went here yesterday ngunit wala si Janicelle dito at makalat na ang paligid kaya umalis na ako."
Sunod na nagpakilala ang babaeng maikli ang buhok. "My name is Erica Estinto. At gaya ni Geory, wala rin si Janicelle dito nang dumating ako kaya umalis na agad ako."
The last one was the longhaired girl. "I'm Sophie Yuzon at gaya rin nila ay ito na lang ang naabutan", she said as she looked around.
"Ibig sabihin walang nakakita kay Janicelle dito kahapon? Oh well, one thing is for sure. One of you is lying", wila ni Gray.
"What? Sino sa kanila?", tanong ni Kirsten. They were waiting for him to spill who was responsible for that Janicelle's disappearance.
Isa-isa silang tiningnan ni Gray. "It's you Erica Estinto."
Nagulat naman ang babaeng pinangalanan ni Gray. "Ano? Bakit mo ba ako pinagbibintangan? I told you wala na si Janicelle nang dumating ako dito."
"Janicelle told us that you did it", wika ni Gray. Tinuro niya ang mga garapon na nasa mesa. "This one represent Geory", he said at kinuha ang garapon na may pinakamaliit na electrical tape. It's labelled with Pelophylax esculentus which is know as an edible frog. This next container is labelled Pelophylax ridibundus or the marsh frog and like the edible frog, it's not poisonous. It represents Sophie. The problem is the third frog. This yellow frog is labelled Dendrobates leucomelas or the Poison dart frog and frogs of Dendrobatidae family are poisonous and this represents you, Erica."
"At ano naman ang kinalaman ko dyan? How can you say so that it represents me?", galit na tanong ni Erica.
"Based on the electrical tape. It represents the length of your hair. The edible frog is Geory since ang garapon nito ang may pinakamaikling tape. Sophie with the long hair is the frog with the longest tape and you with a short hair ba hanggang balikat ay ang tape na nasa poison dart frog. If you will deny about it, why don't we asked the detective who made such clues? Amber knows where she is", wika ni Gray. Nagulat ako sa sinabi nito.
He trusted me with my deduction? I hope I didn't get it wrong.
"Uh, mayroon bang well dito? I mean, balon na wala ng lamang tubig?", I asked. "I guessed Janicelle is there."
"Yes, meron. Doon sa likod!", Erryza said at agad naming pinuntahan iyon. Just like what I deduced based on the arrangement of the containers, naroon nga si Janicelle. She was tied at may busal sa bibig kaya hindi ito makahingi ng tulong. Matapos namin siyang ilabas sa hindi kalalimang balon ay dinala na namin si Erica sa detention. Janicelle decided not to tell the police about it. Ayon sa kanya, nagalit lamang si Erica dahil sinabi niyang wala itong kakayahang pamunuan ang club. Marahil ay nainsulto ito kaya nagawa iyon.
She set up the clues nang hinahabol pa lang siya nito. Isinara daw niya ang pinto at nilagay doon ang isang cart na may laboratory equipments kaya nagkaroon pa siya ng pagkakataong iset up ang clues ng hindi nito nahahalata. Nang tuluyan itong makapasok, she knocked her off using a chloroform.
The case was solved at kasaluluyan kaming hinahatid nona Erryza, Kirsten at Janicelle sa parking lot ng Carson High.
"Thank you for your big help", Kirsten said at kinamayan kami. "Totoo nga ang mga naririnig namin tungkol sa duo ng Bridle High."
"Walang ano man. It's our pleasure to help", wika no Gray sa kanila. Nginitian ko naman sila.
"Thank you so much Gray and Amber. It's my pleasure to make your acquaintance", wika ni Janicelle.
"Same here. You're so smart for making such clues", wika ko sa kanya.
"Paano? Mauna na kami. Nice meeting you all", Gray said at bumaling kay Janicelle. "I'm looking forward on working with you Detective", he said at nag-salute naman sa kanya si Janicelle.
Sumakay na kami sa kotse matapos magpaalam. On the way ay pinag-usapan namin ang nangyari. I'm so amazed by how he figured out the clue left by Janicelle.
Nang makarating kami ng Bridle ay agad kaming bumaba ng kotse niya. Paalis na sana ako nang tinawag niya ang pangalan ko.
"Amber?"
"Yes?"
"Salamat nga pala at nag-alala ka sa akin noong nasa conference room ako", wika niya and I blushed. Yes, sobrang nag-alala ako sa kanya kanina!
"Walang ano man Gray", wika ko. Nagulat ako ng bigla niya akong hinawakan sa kamay at hinila palapit sa kanya. He slammed me against his body and wrapped his arms around me.
"This is for hugging me kanina without my permission. I'm just returning it", he said at mas hinigpitan pa ang pagyakap. Can anyone tell me how to stay calm? Uh.
#
-ShinichiLaaaabs.