Chapter 53: The Culprit is a Ghoul
(Part 1 Introduction Chapter)
Travelling has always been a hassle to me, especially land trips. Fortunately, we'll ride an airplane para sa pupuntahan naming kasal ng kaibigan ni Math. I'm not really into attending weddings lalo na at hindi ko personal na kakilala ang ikakasal. I hope that Math's friend won't mind us accompanying Math kahit pa sinigurado naman ni Math sa amin na aprubado na iyon ng kaibigan niya.
"Ahhh! My back aches", reklamo ni Jeremy nang makababa kami ng eroplano. There's a huge sign that says Laguindingan Airport. Pagbaba pa lamang ay naramdaman ko na ang preskong hangin sa dakong iyon ng Pilipinas, it is very different from the surroundings I'm used to.
"Ang arte nito, ang dali lang naman ng byahe", Math said as she guide us to the airport's base. May mga shuttle van doon at sinalubong kami ng mga lalaki, speaking in a language that the three of us failed to comprehend, maliban kay Math na nakikipag-usap sa mga ito.
"Wait, you don't have your own vehicle to pick us?", Je asked nang niyaya na kami ni Math patungo sa isang shuttle van.
"We're not VIP's here kaya learn to commute. Later, you will be riding public utility vehicles and deal with people of Mindanao. You'll be surprised to see how friendly we are."
"Maliban sayo", Je murmured.
"May sinasabi ka ba Jeremy?"
"Wala, sabi ko parang nahihilo si Bestie. Okay ka lang ba Bestie?", he asked me. I slowly nod my head kahit medyo masama ang pakiramdam ko. I woke up at the wrong side of the bed and the few minutes flight didn't help in making me feel better.
Naramdaman kong may humawak sa siko ko at iginiya ako papasok sa shuttle van. Nang lingunin ko kung sino iyon ay nakita ko si Gray. He's carrying his backpack at may suot itong baseball cap, making him so manly in my eyes.
Uh, what did I say?
"May land trip pa? Malayo pa ba yung sa inyo Math?", I asked nang maayos na ang pwesto namin sa van. There are also other passengers with us at panay pa rin ang pagtatawag ng pasahero ng dispatcher ng van.
"Just an hour and a half", Math answered. "We're already in Region 10, Laguindingan to be exact. We have to pass through few municipalities of Misamis Oriental bago tayo makarating sa Iligan."
"Malayo pa nga. My God, I miss Porsche", wika ni Jeremy. None of us brought our pets with us dahil mas lalo lamang magiging hassle ang aming byahe kapag nagkataon.
May isa pang sumakay sa van kaya mas lalo akong napasiksik sa tabi ni Gray. I'm sitting beside him samantalang nasa likurang bahagi ng van naman si Jeremy at katabi si Math.
"Don't worry, I will be your tour guide later", Math said, natahimik lamang ito ng nagsimulang kolektahin ng dispatcher ang mga pamasahe namin at isinara ang pinto ng van bago iyon umalis ng airport. I chose to spend the few hours of travelling with my earphones tucked in my ears at ipinikit ko ang aking mga mata.
******
I felt someone tapped my cheeks kaya agad kong binuksan ang mga mata ko and I realized I was leaning on... Gray's shoulder! God, that was embarrassing! I hope he didn't mind.
"I don't want to wake you up but I guess we're already here", Gray said. Inayos ko ang magulong buhok ko at umupo ng tuwid. Kakababa lamang din nina Math at Jeremy. I hope hindi mangantyaw si Jeremy sa pagtulog ko sa balikat ni Gray. Knowing him, malamang kung anu-ano na naman ang isipin nito. He's our number one shipper after all.
"Welcome to the City of Majestic Waterfalls!", masiglang bati ni Math sa amin. "I'm Math Corazon and I will be your tour guide for the next 42 hours here in this City. First, let's ride a public jeepney going to the heart of the city."
"Math, hindi bagay sayo maging tour guide, mag-extend ka na lang ng furniture shop mo", bara ni Je sa kanya. I saw Gray smiled bago kami sumunod kay Math na pumara ng isang pulang jeepney.
We immediately settled inside at marami-rami rin ang sakay niyon. Jeremy got his wallet at naglabas ng isang 500 peso bill. "I'll take care of your fare guys", he said at akmang ibibigay na sa driver ang kanyang pera.
"Hep hep", pigil ni Math. "Barya lang sa umaga."
"Bakit, magkano ba ang pamasahe?"
"Seven pesos at dahil studyante tayo, we'll have a 5.50 fare."
"Bakit ang mura?", nanlalaki ang mga matang tanong ni Je. "Malapit lang ba yung sinasabi mong heart of the city?"
Math giggled. "Ganyan po dito kaya magbigay ka ng mas maliit pa na pera kesa dyan sa 500 mo."
Je frowned at her but he followed Math's instruction. He got a 50 peso bill at ibinigay iyon sa driver. "Mama, bayad po."
"Asa ni gikan?", the driver asked and Je looked at us with a puzzled expression.
"Anong sabi?", bulong niya sa amin.
"Sabi niya, saan daw yan galing."
"Ahh, okay", Je replied at muling bumaling sa driver. "Sa pitaka ko po."
"Ha?", the driver asked. Uh, mukhang hindi yata kami nagkakaintindihan dito. Math just laughed at us, mukhang siya lamang ang may ideya kung ano ang nangyayari.
Muling nagsalita ang driver. "Pagtarung ba, asa ni gikan?"
"Ano ulit ang sabi niya Math?", he whispered again to us.
"Seryoso na daw, saan daw yun galing", Math said and giggled.
"Fine. Galing po yan sa piggy bank ko. Binasag ko po kasi yun kagabi para sa extra allowance", sagot niya sa driver and this time Math laughed so hard.
"Wala raba ko gabinuang dong, asa ni gikan ba?", the driver asked and we still have no idea what he's talking about.
"Mayaaaaa! Interpreter ulit!"
"Hindi daw siya nagjojoke kaya umayos ka. Saan daw yun galing", Math translated.
"Sa piggy bank ko po talaga yan galing, Kuya, hindi ko po yan kinupit", Je said and it made Math laugh harder. Uh, what's really going on here? Kahit ang ilang mga pasahero na nandon ay natawa na rin. What's with them?
Si Math na ang sumagot sa driver. "Sa syudad na Kuya, gikan terminal."
"You will pay for this Maya! Ginagawa mo akong laughing stock", bulong ni Jeremy kay Math. I laughed when I realized what just happened. Je gave the wrong answer to the driver. Hindi nagtagal ay pinara na ni Math ang sasakyan at bumaba na kami.
"Welcome to the Lone District of Iligan City with the total area of 813.37 kilometer squared and a total population of 342,618", panimula ni Math.
"You memorized that figures?", Gray asked.
Umiling si Math sa kanya. "I have a review during the trip. And as your tour guide, let me give you some informations about this City. The city got its name from the Higaunon word ILIG which means to go downstream."
"What's Higaunon?", tanong ko kay Math.
"They are the natives of the city. The city is known as the Industrial center of the south because its economy is largely based on heavy industries. It produces hydroelectric power throughout the Mindanao region through the NaPoCor-"
Jeremy waved his hand in front of Math. "Alam na namin yan. Hindi pa ba tayo pupunta sa bahay ninyo?"
"Who said we're staying at my place?", Math smirked. "My friend's wedding will be at a hotel's grand hall and it will be tomorrow kaya sa ngayon kailangan muna nating manatili sa mga inn."
Naalala ko na wala pala kaming dalang mga pormal na damit. Math didn't tell us the wedding's motif at ayaw naman naming mag-iba kaya nagtanong na ako sa kanya tungkol doon.
"Math how about our clothes for tomorrow? Baka kasi mag-iba yung damit natin", I asked her.
"Don't worry about it, my friend will provide", she assured us. "Now let's go. How about going to Tinago falls?"
We didn't get the chance to protest dahil pagkatapos naming magcheck-in sa isang hotel ay hinila na kami ni Math para puntahan ang sinasabi niyang falls. We took public vehicles and bus which is really tiring.
"Math pagod na ako", reklamo ni Jeremy. We were walking up on a hill at sabi ni Math ay malapit na kami. Katunayan ay kanina pa siya nagsasabing malapit na kami pero mukhang malayo pa talaga.
"Just a little longer", wika ni Math. She ran a little and waved her arms. "Congratulations! You just survived the almost 500 trekking steps towards this magnificent landmark. Welcome to Tinago Falls!"
I stopped on my tracks at tiningnan ang anyong tubig sa harap namin. It wasn't a huge falls but it was enough to remove all my weariness in climbing up the small hill. The falls is high, its water's cascading beautifully into a deep and calm basin-like pool
that looks like a blue-colored lagoon. Sa ilalim ng talon ay may isang kweba at may iilang tao na naroon. Luntian ang paligid ng talon dahil sa mga puno at halaman na nakapalibot dito, giving it the soothing and relaxing aura.
"Not bad. I bet the water is very cold", Gray said at tinahak ang hagdan pababa.
"Yup, very cold. Alam niyo bang may legend to?"
"Really? What is it about?"
"May nakatira daw na Sultan dito, Si Sultan Agok at asawa niya, they were appointed as the king and queen by their people but later on they became too proud and they turned into selfish rulers. When the sultan's wife was pregnant, a diwata-"
Jeremy cuts her off. "Diwata ulit? Baka si Maria Ozawa ulit iyon."
"It's Maria Cacao moron", Math hissed. Gray giggled with Je and I wanna roll my eyes. I really regretted searching that Maria Ozawa nang napag-usapan namin iyon dati.
"So this diwata disguised as a beggar begged for their help but they rejected her. At dahil doon, sinumpa ng diwata ang mag-asawa. She said that the child that the queen carries in her womb will be so ugly."
"Aha! Ikaw yung bata ano?", Je said.
"Shut up Jeremy", Math told him. I also darted Je a glare, kanina pa nito binabara si Math.
"They did not take it seriously at nawala na ang diwata. When the queen gave birth, the child did become ugly. The couple was sad and disappointed dahil umaasa silang magiging maganda ang bata gaya ng reyna. What they did is that they hide the child in a cave para hindi sila mapahiya, they called the baby Tin-ag, na ang ibig sabihin ay "Tinatagong Mukha". Doon nila inalagaan ang bata sa loob ng kweba. When the child grew up, lumabas siya ng kweba at namangha sa paligid since she used to stay inside the dim cave. Nakita siya ng diwata, the same enchantress who cursed her parents, and made an offer if she wants to be something of great beauty and splendor. She accepted the offer and became the falls."
"You know what, I wanna test the waters already, let's swim!", excited na wika ni Je.
We settled our things in the cottage. Je removed his shirt, leaving only his board shorts and Gray did the same. This isn't the first time I saw him topless pero naiilang pa rin ako. The guys there are really topless but I don't feel fazed with them baring too much skin except Gray's.
"You can breathe Amber", Math whispered to my ears. Inaayos namin ang mga dala naming pagkain na binili namin kanina along the way while Gray and Je are already in the water.
"Uh, I'm breathing", sagot ko at nag-iwas ng tingin. It's so awkward to talk to Math about Gray. I'm not really sure if she likes Gray for real but taking into account her attitude when Gray's around, I bet she does. Not to mention that she kissed him- TWICE.
TWICE ON THE LIPS.
"Gray's really adorable", she said. I stopped and looked at her for a while bago ipinagpatuloy ang ginagawa. Of course, that's Gray.
"Yes, he is."
"I like him."
I felt my hand squeezed the big pack of junk food when Math said those words. I cannot do anything to make her unlike Gray or whatever. Kahit sino naman ay hindi malabong magkagusto kay Gray. Smart, handsome, rich- especially the Vander's. Kahit may pagkamayabang minsan si Gray, it's not a reason to not like him. In fact that adds to the package.
"You do?", patay-malisya kong tanong sa kanya. I suddenly felt the urge to open the pack of Piattos and get a fistful of it. I stuffed my mouth with enough food, I just hope hindi mahalata ni Math na nate-tense ako sa topic namin. I got another fistful and pushed it to my mouth, causing me to cough few times.
Hindi naman ako halata diba?
Math giggled at hinubad ang kanyang t-shirt, displaying her red bikini top. Her shorts is so tiny that it looks like a denim underwear. Binuksan niya ang butones ng kanyang shorts so that anyone can have a glance at her red bikini down there. "Let's go and don't wear your shirt, flaunt your bikini Amber."
She winked at me. Napalunok ako sa kinakain ko. I was weighing in my head if I would remove my shirt or not. Basing on the people who are there, okay lang na magsuot ng t-shirt. Math didn't inform us about our falls exploration kaya hindi ako nakadala ng kahit crop top man lamang. We bought the bikini along the way and I chose the black stringed bikini that I tied in a bow behind my neck. I'm still thinking if I will remove my shirt or not. May mga naka T-shirt na naliligo sa paligid kaya marahil ayos lamang na magsuot niyon unlike sa ibang mga resorts at public na paliguan.
I decided to take my shirt off and find the others ngunit ang tumatakbong si Math ang nakita ko. She has this furious facial reaction. That's the thing about Math, mahirap para dito na itago mula sa reaksyon ng mukha ang kung ano mang nararamdaman nito. Whenever she's disappointed or something, her face would tell you so.
"Amberrrr!"
She was able to reach me and she still maintained her poise while running. "Oh anong problema mo?"
"May linta!"
"Eh? Edi ayaw ko ng maligo!", wika ko and tried to walk back to the cottage but Math pulled me. I hate leeches, they're slimy and creepy.
"Ugh! No, no. A big leech!"
"Kaya nga ayoko!" Those bloodsucking annelid worms are creepy that I'll be hysterical if one will cling to me. I experienced it once way back in grade school and I cried my heart out nang hindi ito matanggal sa legs ko.
But then Math cupped my faced and motioned it towards a direction, specifically on the water. I saw a couple sitting on the rocks near the cave. The girl is tall, a height that anyone would envy. Her skin is tanned, the flawless tan and her long blonde hair is tied in a bun. Sa ilalim ng suot niyang life vest ay ang itim na swimsuit na pinatungan nito ng shorts. When I glanced at the guy who's with her ay tila nais kong pulutin ang mga nagkalat na bato sa paligid upang itapon sa kanila. It's someone that I really know.
Gray Ivan Silvan.
"You see that leech over there? She's clinging to our Gray like there's no tomorrow!", Math hissed. Uh, did she say OUR?
OUR pertains to possession and I don't think we own Gray. Ah, we can still use OUR like Gray is OUR classmate. He's one of OUR companions today. I feel irritated about the sight pero pinigilan ko ang sarili ko.
"Baka si Jeremy lang yan." Wow, Amber! Si Je huh?
Natampal ni Math ang kanyang noo. "Speaking of that guy, he's a manwhore!" Tinuro ni Math ang kinaroroonan ni Je and to my surprise, he's with three girls around him. Tumatawa ang mga ito habang nagsasalita si Je. I'm sure he's been telling them his puns! Poor girls!
"Alam mo bang gusto ko silang lunurin?", Math said furiously. "But of course I cannot do that, those girls are not worth my sentence if I will be convicted."
Nagulat na lamang ako nang hinila niya ako at nilusong namin ang tubig palapit sa direksyon nina Gray. I tried resisting but Math did not let go of me. Saka lamang niya ako binitawan ng nakarating kami sa harap nila. The water is freezing but my body was able to adapt to it.
"Bestie!", nakangising wika ni Jeremy nang mapansin kami. "May tanong ako sayo, ano ang first name ni Herman?"
I shrugged my shoulders so he asked Math insteadc ngunit sinungitan lang siya ng huli. "Wala akong pakialam kay Herman."
"Ang KJ niyo! Edi Soup! Soup yung first name niya! HAHAHAHA!", Je said and the girls who are with him also laughed. See? He had gathered his fans with his puns. Who cares about Soup Herman by the way?
"Hoy Gray!", tawag ni Math. Saka lamang napalingon si Gray sa dako namin. He has a wide smile with the leech- err I mean the girl. Math pulled me towards him at tinulak ako. "Hindi marunong lumangoy si Amber kaya turuan mo siya."
She gave the girl a quick head to foot stare at mas lalo lamang napakunot ang noo ni Math. She is very flawless in any manner, nahiya tuloy ang binti ko na may mga pulang marka dahil sa lamok. Uh, I forgot to close the windows at the dorm last night kaya napagpyestahan ako ng mga lamok.
Her skin is tanned at bagay na bagay iyon sa kanya. Suddenly I felt like a pale radish with this girl here. Tila nais ko tuloy magbilad sa init though I am not sure if tan would be good on me. Her chest is yelling at kahit may suot itong life vest ay mapapansin pa rin ang dibdib nito. If it would be compared to mine, her's is a nutri-bun na siksik sa laman samantalang pandesal naman sa akin na napisa.
Wait, kelan pa ako naging insecure sa figure ko?
"Amber's good at swimming", wika ni Gray at nang mapansin niya ang tingin ni Math sa babaeng kasama niya ay agad niya itong ipinakilala.
"By the way, this is Isabel", pakilala ni Gray sa babae. The girl smiled at us, displaying a perfect set of teeth. Maganda rin ang ngiti nito na tila ba isa itong modelo ng toothpaste.
"Hi Isabel, I'm Math and this is Amber". Pakilala ni Math. Her brows are raised and I want to nudge her to stop her from raising her brows.
"Hello there", she said and smiled. "Gray said you're here to attend a wedding. Well my cousin Farhan will be married tomorrow too What a coincidence. By the way those girls are my company, that girl is my friend Mary and the rest are her cousins." Itinuro niya ang tatlong babae na kasama ni Jeremy.
"Group of leeches", bulong ni Math sa akin.
"See? It's a coincidence", wika ni Gray. Natutuwa ba siya dahil posibleng iisang kasal lamang ang pupuntahan namin at nina Isabel?
"Farhan?", tanong ni Math. "Who's his bride?"
Isabel shrugged her shoulders. "No idea since it's an arranged marriage and we're not informed about the bride's bio but I know she's rich. An owner of a big advertisement company, what I know is that the wedding is tomorrow morning."
"Uh, I guess we're heading to the same wedding. I'm the Bride's bestfriend by the way", Math said.
Lumawak ang ngiti ni Isabel sa amin.
"Really? That's good to hear. Maybe you can come with us so that we can fit our clothes for tomorrow."
"We prefer to stay at the hotel", Math said and then she whispered. "Baka kung ano pa ang gawin mo kay Gray, we won't allow that to happen."
"Ha?"
"Nothing. I just wonder if you do modelling."
"Yes I do, I'm sort of a freelance model kahit 18 pa lamang ako." Weeh? 18? I don't believe her, she looks too mature compared to her age or it's just me being biased..
"How about you? What do you do?"
"We're some sort of high school detectives. We're lending some hand to the police." Math's tone is boasting but I guess that's normal to her. Mas hindi ako sanay kapag hindi nagyayabang si Math. Truth is I look stupid standing here without saying anything. Si Math lamang ang nakikipagpalitan ng salita kay Isabel. Uh, wala rin naman akong masabi sa kanya. What should I ask her then? Hey Isabel, what's your shampoo brand?
"High school detectives? The three of you?", she asked and this time ay si Gray na ang sumagot sa kanya.
"Yeah."
Nagningning ang mga mata nito na tila ba naging interesado ito. "Then maybe you can help us!"
"Saan?"
"Do you believe in ghouls or cannibals and the likes?"
I want to roll my eyes. Cannibalism exists but I don't think ghouls do. Uh, maybe. Ghouls are evil spirits who feed on human flesh. Cannibalism is a tradition of some groups of people who do some rituals that involves eating of human flesh. There are some places with a history of cannibalism and there is also evidence of the cannibalism in the 12th century of Native American sites.
"Why? What's with them?", Gray asked with a very interested face. His face is bright like the way it does whenever he faces an interesting case. Well, all cases are interesting to him, yet this cannibalism is another thing.
"The family's in this crisis where we lost two members. One is found on the yard with a heart missing."
Uh, if she said that its stomach was opened, I would have thought of the Genesis who has extended their business to this part of the Philippines. Well, who knows how big their network is? But this one with a missing heart just within their yard, I don't think the Genesis have something to do with it.
"Hindi niyo ba ini-report iyon sa police?", I asked. This case got me like how it got Gray. Cannibalism is questionable nowadays dahil nga modern na ang panahon but I don't think it really vanished. Such ritual is still present and people who do it are just so good in hiding the bodies, except this one.
Isabel shook her head. "The family refused to enter the family's name into scandal. Isa pa, kapag malaman ng pamilya ng mapapangasawa ni Farhan ang tungkol doon, they might call off the marriage. Their dowry is considerable enough and marrying the girl would also mean merging their business. They could not lose that."
Oh, what do I expect with such marriages. Betrothals are common on their culture and such arrangement is something that I do not wish on my situation. Kung ako ang papipiliin, I would still choose someone that I love kaysa sa ipakasal ako sa taong magiging daan upang lumago ang negosyo namin or into someone who can help the family. Arranged marriages are common and I'm lucky I am not one of those whose fate is like that. I hate it if someone will be controlling my life like choosing whom I will spend the rest of my life with.
"Mas mabuti sana kung ini-report niyo yan sa police, by the way does the family got any traditions involving endocannibalism?", tanong ni Gray kay Isabel and the latter shook her head.
"None. I heard nothing about it. Sa katunayan ay nababahala na kaming lahat, we want to know who's responsible for it even if it is a family member, but we cannot just tell the police about it. Can you help us with it?"
"Such case is in fact a big one and only experts can handle it with the exact knowledge about crime scenes and dead bodies but maybe we'll give it a try", wika ni Gray. "How about going now?"
We found ourselves stucked in the van owned by Isabel and her friends. Hindi ko na-enjoy ang paliligo dahil maliban sa panay dikit pa rin si Isabel kay Gray, it only took us ten minutes to swim at nagbihis na upang pumunta sa bahay ng kamag-anak ni Isabel. After dropping her friends to their homes ay sumama kami kina Isabel. It's a huge house and I'm pretty sure that Farhan's cousin must be incredibly rich. Malawak ang bakuran ng bahay and there are trees around the area. Malamig din ang panahon doon, in fact, the atmosphere is foggy.
Sinalubong kami ng isang babae na hula ko nasa 30 plus ang edad. She greeted Isabel at agad naman kaming ipinakilala ni Isabel sa kanila.
"Tita Jean, these are Gray, Amber, Jeremy and Math. They're heading to Farhan's wedding tomorrow. Katunayan ay mga detectives sila. I guess they can help us-"
"Sinabi mo sa kanila ang tungkol sa- Oh God, Isabel, what have you done!", Tita Jean said at nalupaypay na naupo ito sa upuan na naroon. "I told you, you cannot tell anyone about it. Isang malaking kahihiyan iyon sa pamilya. Isa pa, look at them. Do you think they can help us?"
I want to tell her that physical appearance doesn't measure one's capability pero pinigilan ko na lang ang sarili ko. We're just guests here and I don't want us to end up like the corpse that was found at the yard.
"With all due respect Ma'am, we can keep this things private and confidential. We can assure you that news about this will never come out from us unless another part of your member would spread it so", wika ni Gray. His tone is in a definitive type like he's so sure of it. So he trusts us that much that we may not go and tell the world about what we have discovered here.
"Given that is true, ano naman ang mga maitutulong ninyo? You look like you're just high school students."
"Yes we are but we have connections", Math said with a smirk. "I have someone who can help us, he's working in a known Medico Legal laboratory abroad and he's now here in the Philippines, I guess he could be of great help."
Tita Jean sighed in surrender. Since naikwento na ni Isabel sa amin ay wala na siyang magagawa doon. "I don't know if I could trust you that much. Pumasok muna kayo, meet the family."
I was amazed to see the interior of the house. Kahit medyo madilim doon dahil sarado ang mga bintana, the house displays a splendid design. May malaking chandelier na tila antique ang disenyo ang nakalambitan sa gitna ng bulwagan. There were big photo frames of the family members on the wall and some of them are black and white kaya marahil ay mga larawan iyon ng mga naunang henerasyon ng pamilya.
Nakasalubong namin ang dalawang lalaki na pababa ng hagdan. The first guy is around 40 years old at maputi na ang ilang hibla ng buhok. The other guy is a little younger than him at pareho sila na masama ang tinging ipinupukol sa amin.
"Sino sila Jean?", the first guy asked. Nakakunot ang noo nito na tila ba ayaw niya ang presensya namin sa bahay na iyon
"They are my friends Tito Noel", Isabel answered.
"They'll be attending Farhan's wedding tomorrow dahil kaibigan sila ng mapapangasawa ni Farhan."
"Do you think it's wise to invite them here lalo na at-"
Gray cut off the second guy. "We are completely aware of it Sir, that is exactly why we're here. We want to help-"
"Bullshit! Why did you tell them about it?", the guy that Isabel called Tito Noel said. Galit na galit ang reaksyon ng mukha nito. "You better leave this place now!"
"Pero Noel-!"
I took the opportunity to butt in. "I'm sorry Sir but we cannot just do that." The guy's mood is scary and I think he's the type of guy that you wouldn't want to mess up with. I want to kiss myself for being brave and messing with him.
"Of course you can. You're trespassing to our property. I can call the police and-"
"Yes, the police. That's right, you can call the police and maybe we can tell him about the corpse that was found on your yard. How do you like that?", I asked. See? I am Amber, the brave.
"You don't know what you are talking."
"Of course we do. We're not just a bunch of high school students that might mess up in your life, we want to find the truth and help in achieving justice for your family member who died brutally and the other that is missing", wika ni Gray and the two guys stiffened on their tracks.
"Tito please, let's just let them", Isabel pleaded.
"Fine then. I'll give you all this day but make sure, you're not in this house by tomorrow night, on the contract signing for the merger", Tito Noel said. "Tayo na Eric."
They passed us by at bahagyang binangga pa nila kami habang papaalis. "What time is the merger signing tomorrow?"
"8 PM", Tita Jean answered. Uh-oh. Looks like we have no much time for it.
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-Shinichilaaaabs#