⪼ S A P P H I R E
I found myself standing in front of Gelo and Denise's dead bodies. Parehas silang naliligo sa sariling dugo at parehas ring may kutsilyo na nakasaksak sa may bandang tiyan.
Relationship goals.
I stood in the midst of the group, biting my finger while I pondered the situation. Although I really don't care about other people's problems, this is the first murder that has occurred inside the Academy. Of course there were deaths, but not for this reason. Typically, the cause is suicide or an accidental lethal blow, but murder? This is definitely the first time.
"Sa tingin mo sinong gumawa nito?" Hadley asked. I removed his hand gripping on my arm and gave the two cold bodies a final scan. Maybe I'll just sleep.
"No idea," I walked past by the crowd and they gave me way. I stepped out of the hallway and went back to the girls' dormitory. The night was deep, it's like a canvas painted with jet black. No stars, but the bloody moon is wide awake, a call for the eyes.
What the hell?
A realization just came inside my head.
That blood...
I think I have an idea who did that reckless manslaughter.
Pumihit ang mga paa ko at taas-noong naglakad patungo sa boys' dormitory. Silver must be connected to this crime, I reasoned as I suddenly remembered the blood smear on him. Senses well. I don't want to draw any premature conclusions, but how might you account for that?
Now, I don't think it happened because of plain coincidence. There must be something else.
I stopped midway when someone came out of nowhere. He's still wearing his training clothes and he looks like he just woke up in a middle of working out. Really? At this hour? His tall figure made him noticeable and those brown eyes will definitely look gorgeous under the dazzling sunlight.
Hey there, Newt Harrison.
"Girls are prohibited here," he said coldly.
"As if I'll do something weird here. Kilala mo naman siguro ako 'di ba?" I asked. If he doesn't know who the hell I am, he must be that ignorant.
"Sapphire Quinn," removing the hands inside his pocket, he scratched an eyebrow, lips lifting in one side. "Ano naman?"
I squinted my eyes at his tone.
As far as I know, he also aces monthly evaluations making him part of the monthly list that consists of only ten excellent students, nababago 'yon every month pero ilang beses siyang nagstay sa list. Kaya siguro ganyan ang tono ng pananalita niya sa akin.
"If you have plans on getting into my way, make sure you can beat me," I smirked, leaving him in awe.
You're still nothing against me, Newt.
Napatigil ako sa paglalakad at napangiwi na lamang nang maalalang hindi ko pala alam ang number ng room ni Silver kaya naman muli kong hinarap si Newt.
"Where's Silver's room?" Tanong ko na ikinakunot ng noo niya.
I tilted my head, waiting.
And he ended up telling me. He had no choice.
"Now that's weird," He commented before we part ways.
I locate room number 7. On the wooden door, the room number and the owner's name were etched with a gold outline. I repeatedly rang the doorbell. I'm so eager to know the answer. Kusa na lamang umangat ang sulok ng labi ko nang bumukas ang pinto.
It's time to confront the devil.
Silver Inferno.
Ang normal na reaction ng isang lalaki kapag makakakita sila ng babae sa loob ng boy's dorm ay pagkagulat. But being Silver, he showed no emotion. He is extremely laid back in any situation. Always calm and cold.
"Why are you wasting your time here?" he asked me.
"I'll go straight to the point." I pushed his shoulders and shut the door behind me using my foot.
Of course, ayaw kong mahuli ako ng personnel na nagsusupervise sa buong dorm, better be safe than sorry.
At this moment, I could tell that his eyes grew a bit wider, he's totally not expecting to be in a same bedroom with me. Well, me too. If this wasn't for a clarification, I wouldn't be doing this.
"Okay, but you can go straight to the point without pushing me," eyeing me from head to toe with an arched brow, he brushed his shirt as if my hands were dirty. "What do you want?"
"Did you kill Gelo and Denise?"
Calm, still.
"Go back to your room." My mouth dropped after hearing that. And seeing him turned around and was about to close the door, I felt insulted. Kailanman ay walang tumalikod sa akin ng ganito habang nagsasalita pa ako lalo na't hindi niya naman sinagot ang tanong ko!
"Answer my question first," I'm just bossing around the student who has managed to keep his first rank since the day he entered this institution. Silver Inferno is unmatched. That is why I despise him so much.
Bigla siyang humakbang ng isang beses kaya mas lalo akong napatingala dahil ang lapit na niya sa akin. "Wala akong mapapala sa kanilang dalawa," his gaze was blank. "Hindi ko sila pinatay. Bumalik ka na sa dorm niyo, nagsasayang ka lang ng oras," pinagbuksan niya ako ng pinto at inangatan ng magkabilang kilay na para bang malinaw na dapat sa akin ang susunod kong ggawin.
Iyon ay ang lumabas.
I hate him, really. Sa sobrang inis ko ay sinipa ko ang pinto bago ako maglakad palayo. Walang kwenta kausap.
Pagkabalik ko sa girl's dorm, iilang estudyante na lamang ang nakita ko sa entrance kung nasaan ang walang buhay na katawan ng dalawa. Napatitig ako lalo at napansin ko ang dalawang cellphone sa kanilang mga gilid, maging ang dalawang kutsilyo na nakasaksak sa kanila.
If Silver didn't kill them, then who did?
That was my question the whole time. Hindi ako nakatulog dahil roon. Papasok tuloy akong puyat.
Going to classes is actually your choice, you're all free to choose your specialization, but there's a fixed time and schedule for that. Every weekdays, 7 AM to 12 PM. Followed by lunch and the whole day is for physical training. Saturdays are alotted for a whole day general training while Sundays are for your personal space.
I walked down the corridor in my crimson red uniform, my chin held high. Confidence is one of the key factors. My outfit is mostly responsible for my pride. I am confident, and everything is well with that. I worked hard to obtain this position, therefore I have the right to act this way.
Every month, crimson red is for the Top 10. Plain black is for those who did not make it, for the average students who requires to train more. The monthly examination, which includes both mental and physical tests, will determine which uniform you will wear the next time.
Katulad ni Silver, hindi rin nawala sa akin ang honor. But what irritates me is the fact that I'm always behind him. Then followed by Ford, si Hadley naman ay laging nakikipag-agawan ng spot with that New guy from last night, sila ang laging kasunod namin ni Ford. Sobrang consistent ng list, may times na gano'n pa rin ang ranking sa sumunod na month.
"Hey, Sapph! Pinapatawag tayong lahat sa hall," sinabayan ako ni Ford sa paglalakad. Kaya pala doon papunta ang lahat. "Siguro about sa nangyari kagabi, alam mo ba 'yon?" Of course, I even blamed someone na hanggang ngayon hindi ko alam kung paniniwalaan ko.
When we got to the halls, the two big doors were entirely open, signaling that everyone was welcome to enter. A long carpet was placed. The magnificent set-up of the hall met my eyes; it's been a while since I've seen this, and the decorations have changed somewhat. There are clearly a lot more velvet drapes strewn about here and there. Every seats are good for 10 people, there's wine glasses on top of the draped tables. From every aspect, fake human skull decorations stare down at us and torches provides more light and heat.
This screams nothing but a royal yet grunge reception, but it's just a school hall. Just a fucking school hall for Mr. President's rants and such.
The government spends this much money on us because we are an investment for them.
Nakahanap kami ng isang table kung saan may nakaupong isang babaeng may kulay pulang buhok at nakasuot ng uniform na katulad ng suot namin ni Ford. Too much red. Ford sat beside her and then I followed. I tried to recall her name, but failed. I'll just call her red head.
"Nakatingin ka?" Her perfectly shaved and filled-in brows arched. Sarkastiko na lang akong natawa. Sa akin pa talaga siya nagtaray.
"Good morning, students," at the middle of the huge enclosed area, on the perfectly decorated platform or what they call stage, stood a man with authority. He's the founder of Infernio Academy and also its Organization. Our Mr. President, the man behind everything.
"Last night, an unexpected incident happened. I'm really sorry for the loss."
"You're the one who blamed Silver Inferno and for what reason? Do you have concrete evidences to justify your accusations?" The red head asked me.
Paano niya nalaman 'yon? Don't tell me may nakatunog sa usapan namin? The hell? Aren't we inside his room?
But she's right, I don't have enough proof aside from the dried blood sticking on his skin. But still I accused him, I pointed fingers at him. But was he really involved?
"I heard one of the suspect was Silver, where is he?" Mr. President asked.
Silver raised his hand boredly, he's sitting next to our table and everyone's looking at him now. "We heard someone pointed out the dried blood on your skin. Saan iyon galing?"
But he just shrugged his shoulders.
Bigla kong naalala ang walang buhay na katawan nila Gelo at Denise. Ang kutsilyong nakasaksak sa kanilang dalawa. Ang mga cellphone sa sahig. "We opened Denise's phone because it might lead us to answers and we found a text message from Gelo." The projector showed up the message. The whispers became louder.
What the actual hell?
"Vou te matar?" Ford squinted his eyes, clearly shows he doesn't have an idea what that means. In portuguese, it means I will kill you or I'm gonna kill you. "What's that, Sapph?" Hindi ko na pinansin ang tanong ni Ford dahil agad akong tumayo. Sa isang iglap, lahat sila ay sa akin na nakatingin.
"What is it Ms. Quinn?" Mr. President asked me.
"I think I know who actually killed them." And this time, it's not a mere speculation. Mula sa gilid ng mga mata ko ay nakita ko ang pagkunot ng noo ni Silver kaya nilingon ko siya para tingnan pero agad ko ring iniwas ang tingin ko.
"Who killed them?"
"Them." I emphasized, earning multiple gasps and whispers. My answer may seem absurd and impossible, but if you look closely and think outside the box, it is possible. "They killed each other."
_