CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter may contain content that might be troubling to some readers, including, but not limited to, depictions of and references to death, self-harm and suicide, graphic violence, sexual assault, strong language and more.
Please be mindful of these sensitive themes and other possible triggers. Remember to practice self-care before, during and after reading.
LORELEI
"I'd like to invite you on a date."
Muntik na akong mabulunan sa sinabi niya. Agad akong kumuha ng isang basong tubig sa kusina at deretsong ininom ito. After wiping my mouth dry and clean, I returned to my seat. "Are you serious? Or is there a punchline waiting for me?"
"Just kidding," he replied nonchalantly. I knew he was joking. The Loki that I had known all these months would not randomly ask someone on a date. He got no time for any romantic inclinations. He would rather lock himself in a room and solve puzzles than go out and eat dinner with anyone.
"But are you really free this weekend?"
"Bakit ba?"
"An acquaintance of mine wants to pick my brain in solving a seemingly bizarre case. We both owe him a favor so he deserves our help."
Kumunot ang noo ko habang nakatitig sa kaniya. "Teka, in what way did I owe that person anything? I don't even know any acquaintance of yours."
"You'll find out this weekend. Just make sure you're free on Saturday."
I was hoping that he would elaborate the request, but he fell silent and continued reading the book.
Pagkatapos kumain, dumeretso na ako sa aking kuwarto para magpalit ng damit. Tinirhan ko siya ng sandwich sakaling magutom siya mamaya.
Sana'y hindi kami mapapahamak sa request na nabanggit niya.
nadatnan kong nakaupo si Loki sa paborito niyang spot sa couch. Hawak-hawak niya ang kaniyang silver laptop. Hinintay niya yata akong matapos sa pag-aayos at lumabas ng kuwarto. Nitong mga nakaraang araw, tulog pa siya ng ganitong oras kaya kataka-taka kung bakit gising na siya.
"May lakad ka ba today?" tanong ko habang isinusuot ang aking flat shoes. Pasulyap-sulyap din ako sa kaniya. "Magdya-jogging ka ba kaya maaga kang nagising?"
Without saying good morning or any pleasantries, he approached my couch and stood before me. He stretched out his arms holding the laptop. "I want you to have this."
I tilted my head up. My left eyebrow raised as I stared at his gadget. "What am I supposed to do with that thing?"
"Yesterday, you sounded so concerned about our club's fate. Thus, I'm offering you its salvation."
"Gusto mo bang ihampas ko 'yan sa mukha ng kuya mo at ng mga kasama niya sa student council?"
"You can slam this in my brother's face, but spare the others." Nangangawit na siguro ang mga braso niya dahil hindi ko pa 'yon kinukuha mula sa kaniya. "Kidding aside, this laptop is the Pandora's Box. Once its contents are leaked, chaos will ensue on campus. But if you're careful enough in opening it, you can make anyone bow to your will. If you wanna save the club, all you need to do is log on and browse some files."
I took the laptop from him and opened it. A window prompted me to input the password. "So paano ko mabubuksan 'to? What's the password?"
He walked back to the couch and crossed his legs. "There won't be any fun if I tell you right away. Why don't you try deducing it?"
Wala akong nagawa kundi ilang segundo siyang titigan. He must be joking. How could I possibly deduce his password if there were an infinite number of possible combinations?
"My laptop has a nine-digit code," he revealed. "When decrypted, those numbers will reveal the word DETECTIVE. Sounds easy, right?"
Easy? Saang part ang easy roon? Ilang beses akong napakurap at pilit na in-absorb ang mga pinagsasabi niya. "So you encrypted the word DETECTIVE into a numerical code and set it as your password?"
"Those who aren't aware of my methods will have a hard time figuring it out. I've already expected that the club will be in danger of being dissolved one day, so I've prepared a dossier that will turn the tables in our favor. And that day has finally come! The salvation of our club is now in your hands."
Wow. Thanks for giving me that task. "Any clue that might help me?"
"Try Mary Had a Little Lamb."
Though I did not understand why he mentioned that children's song, I took his laptop with me and left the apartment. Napakabigat ng responsibilidad na ibinigay niya sa akin. If it was true that this laptop could save the club, bakit kinailangan pa niyang i-withhold ang password at pahirapan ako? Some problems had simple solutions, but Loki always wanted to pursue complex methods to arrive at the answers.
I SPENT the whole morning scribbling the possible combination for the password. The simple substitution, the use of base eight—I tried all codes we had encountered so far. My effort yielded some results, however, I did not know how the clue was connected to the numbers.
By lunchtime, I went to our clubroom and reviewed my notes. The first number combination was based on a simple substitution. Letter A is 1, letter B is 2, letter C is 3, and so on. For letters substituted by two-digit numbers, I combined them para maging isang digit sila. Following that logic, for example, the letter M which was substituted by the number 13 would become 4.
4 5 (2) 5 3 (2) 9 (4) 5
"The password is incorrect. Two attempts left."
W-What?! Meron palang limit kung ilang incorrect password ang puwedeng ilagay! Loki should have told me earlier that I was only given three tries. What would happen if all my inputs were incorrect? Would this laptop self-destruct or would the files inside be deleted?
Looking at the next set of passwords—which were quite many—I could no longer pick a random combination and enter them in the field. I was thinking over the clue that Loki gave me. How could a children's song help me encrypt the word DETECTIVE? Could the encryption key be a date? When was that song composed again? No, it might not be a date shift cipher.
Inilabas ko ang aking phone at inilagay sa keypad screen nito. Kinailangan ko nang humingi ng dagdag na clue mula sa lalaking 'yon para ma-unlock ko na ang laptop niya. I hope that he will give me something helpful. I was typing his number when a thought crossed my mind. Aside from being a children's song, Mary Had a Little Lamb was also the tune of Moriarty's number when dialed. Each number key had a corresponding note.
If memory served me right, his number was 0921-654-5666. Sinubukan ko siyang i-dial at pinakinggan ang tune.
Bip! Bop! Bip! Bip! Bip! Bip! Bop! Bip! Bip! Bip! Bop!
Dahan-dahang nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang napagtanto kung bakit ito ang binigay na clue. Muli kong ibinalik ang atensiyon ko sa keypad screen kung saan naka-arrange ang mga numero mula one hanggang nine. Maliban sa 1, may mga nakalagay na letter sa ilalim ng bawat number.
Hawak-hawak ang aking phone sa kaliwang kamay, sinimulan kong mag-type sa laptop gamit ang kanan habang pasulyap-sulyap sa keypad screen.
3 3 8 3 2 8 4 8 3
Click!
"Welcome, Loki Mendez!"
Nakahinga ako nang maluwag matapos tanggapin ang password. Kaya pala nabanggit niya ang children's song bilang clue! Every number key had a corresponding note. In case of Loki's password, every number had corresponding letters. Kinailangan kong piliin kung saang numero nabibilang ang bawat letter ng salitang DETECTIVE. Sa gano'ng paraan ko nakuha ang 3-3-8-3-2-8-4-8-3.
There was nothing on the desktop except the black background and the folder at the center named "Pandora's Box." Talaga nga yatang pinanindigan niya ang Greek mythology reference na 'yon. Hell would break loose once I opened that folder.
Click!
The new window that greeted me had a number of sub-folders with unfamiliar names. I randomly clicked a folder and what my eyes saw next made me gasp. Agad kong isinara ang laptop at huminga nang malalim. What was seen could not be unseen. I never thought na gano'n ang laman ng bawat folder. Now I understood why Loki called it the Pandora's Box. I immediately regretted taking a peek at their contents!
This reminded me of a case we solved a few months ago. I had a gut feeling that Loki, after retrieving the device that could spell doom to anyone, copied its contents in his laptop so he could use them to his advantage one day.
And that day had finally come. It was up to me whether I would save the club or not . . . through a vile method. But would I?
"I'M DOING this for the club," I kept telling myself as I walked down the hallway. Pagkatapos ng afternoon period, nagmadali akong tumungo sa student council office para kausapin si Luthor. Iniwan ko muna ang laptop sa clubroom, pero dala-dala ko ang isang envelope kung saan nakapaloob ang mga ipina-print ko kaninang lunchtime.
Nang huminto ako sa tapat ng kanilang pinto, sandali kong ipinikit ang aking mga mata at huminga nang malalin. Nang ako'y ready na, iminulat ko na ang mga 'yon at ilang beses na kumatok bago ako pinagbuksan.
"Good afternoon!" nakangiting bati ng isang babaeng naka-ponytail ang buhok. If I remembered correctly, siya ang secretary na inutusan dati ni Luthor. "This is the student council. I'm Jessica. How may we help you?"
I cleared my throat first. "I need to talk to the vice president. Nandiyan ba siya?"
"Sorry, miss. May meeting kasi kami ngayon. Pero puwede kong i-relay sa kaniya ang message mo kung gusto mo."
Umiling ako. "No, I have to talk to him in person. It's an urgent matter."
"Pasensiya na talaga pero—"
"Is there any problem, Jessica?"
Hindi ko pa nakikita o nasisilayan ang anino ng lalaking 'yon, nanindig na ang mga balahibo ko sa boses pa lang niya. Bigla siyang lumitaw sa likod ng kausap kong babae at binati ako ng walang kaemo-emosyon niyang mukha. Sa sobrang tangkad, hanggang dibdib lang niya ang secretary.
"Lorelei? I find it strange for you to come here," he said in his usual voice that sent chills down my spine. "What is so urgent that you seek an audience with us?"
"Gusto ko kayong makausap tungkol sa plano n'yong pag-dissolve sa QED Club." Wala nang paligoy-ligoy pa. Nilakasan ko ang aking loob para sabihin ang pakay ko. "I have an offer that you and the student council cannot refuse."
He stared down at me for a few seconds, probably wondering by what I meant with the word offer. He let me inside and escorted me to the conference room where the other council members sat around a long table. With just a single nod, everyone in the room left except for the president.
"I apologize for the interruption, but a member of the QED Club has requested to speak with us urgently," Luthor said before taking his seat next to the other person in the room. The president whose name I could not recall—was it Emilia or Esmeralda? Ah, Emeraude!—stared at me with curiosity. Magkasing-haba ang buhok naming dalawa pero wavy ang kaniya. "She said that she has an offer to make regarding their club's pending dissolution."
"My name is Lorelei, speaking on behalf of our club." Hinila ko ang upuan sa kanilang tapat at pumuwesto roon. Napalunok muna ang ako ng laway at nag-ipon ng lakas ng loob. "Gusto kong siguruhin n'yong hindi madi-dissolve ang aming club. Narinig ko kay Luthor na plano n'yong pagdesisyunan kung ano ang dapat gawin sa club namin dahil sa Diogenes Café incident."
"But that's not something we can control," tugon ni Emeraude na may malambing na boses. "Pagbobotohan namin bukas kung dapat pa bang i-retain ang inyong club. Hindi namin puwedeng diktahan ang choice ng bawat isa."
Napasulyap ako sa kaniyang vice na nanatiling tahimik at nanonood sa palitan naming dalawa.
"Kaya nga may offer ako sa inyo para masiguro n'yong majority o unanimous ang hindi papayag sa pag-dissolve ng club." I slid a regular-size envelope across the table.
Emeraude caught it with her hand. Umangat muna ang tingin niya sa akin bago buksan 'yon. Luthor sat like a statue in his seat, watching intently as the president opened the flap. Nanlaki ang mga mata ng katabi niya, bahagyang bumuka ang bibig habang tinitingnan ang mga retratong laman ng envelope. "W-Wait a minute. These are—"
"Do you remember Charles Meliton, the serial blackmailer who tried to extort money from one of your fellow officers in exchange for not leaking those photos?" My arms crossed over my chest as I mustered all the remaining courage in me. "Kapag natuloy ang pagka-dissolve ng club namin bukas, expect that those photos will be leaked by an anonymous user via social media. Malaking scandal 'yon kung sakali."
"Do you believe that this is enough to make us bend the knee?" At last, Luthor broke his silence. "You seem to have misread us, Lorelei."
"Meron pa akong hawak na photos ng mga kasama n'yong student council officer at executive committee member. I did a quick research and found out that some of them are from influential families. "Can you imagine the damage to be done to their families' honor if those compromising photographs get leaked?"
Halos masuka ako sa aking sinabi, pero kinailangan kong tibayan ang loob ko. Never in my life had I ever imagined that I would resort to this vile method. Ayaw kong i-blackmail sila para pumabor sa amin ang desisyon. Kung puwedeng pakiusapan nang maayos, 'yon ang mas pipiliin kong paraan. Pero sa ganitong sitwasyon kung saan si Luthor ang balakid, ang mga maruruming taktika ni Loki ang effective. Nanginginig nga ang mga tuhod ko habang pinagbabantaan sila. Labag ang ganitong pamamaraan sa kalooban ko.
A deafening silence followed as the two high-ranking student leaders exchanged glances. They seemed as if they were telepathically communicating, deciding whether to accept my offer or not. The vice president looked sideways at the president who gave him a nod.
"I have never thought that you would use my brother's method to bring us to our knees. This is probably his idea." Luthor gazed at me with his dull eyes. "Regarding your offer, we need a guarantee that none of these materials will leak to the public should we reconsider our position."
"You have my word. And my word is my bond," I answered with conviction. "Do we have a deal?"
He got to his feet, extending his left hand to me for a shake. "Deal."
OUR CLUB was saved, and my business with the student council concluded. Paglabas ng opisina, parang gumaan ang bigat sa dibdib ko at nakahinga na ako nang maluwag. I had never imagined that I would be this attached to our club. I had also never imagined that I would go to great lengths to protect it. I was not proud of what I did, but it gave me the result that we needed.
Beep! Beep!
My phone continuously buzzed in my pocket, so I quickly took it out. Tita Martha's name was displayed on the screen. Agad kong sinagot ang tawag niya.
"Hello, Tita? Bakit po kayo napatawag? May problem po ba sa apartment? May ginawa po ba si Loki?"
"Hi, Lori! Pasensiya na kung naistorbo kita. Nasa school ka pa ba? Nasa coffee shop ako malapit sa campus n'yo. Diogenes Caf yata ang pangalan. Puwede mo ba akong puntahan?"
Just hearing the name of that shop reminded me of the confrontation between Loki and Stein. What a coincidence na roon gustong makipagkita ni Tita Martha. Ang mas nakapagtataka, bakit nandoon siya? Gusto niya bang magmiryenda muna o tikman ang best-selling latte nila?
Kinuha ko muna ang laptop ni Loki sa clubroom bago ako tuluyang umalis ng campus. Dahil nasa kabilang side ng kalsada malapit sa campus ang meeting place namin ni Tita, mabilis akong nakarating doon.
Parang may kakaiba? Ang una kong napansin, parang walang tao sa loob. Bakante ang mga upuan at mesa, pero hindi nakasabit ang "SORRY WE'RE CLOSED" sign. Sa ganitong oras, dapat dagsa na rito ang mga estudyanteng gustong mag-chill matapos ang isang hectic na schoolday.
Pagbukas ng pinto, bumungad sa akin ang malamig na hanging bugso ng air-con. Compared noong last time na pumunta ako, mas dumoble ang lamig. Biglang nanginig ang mga braso't tuhod ko. At dahil walang katao-tao rito, mabilis kong nahanap si Tita Martha na nakaupo sa isang mesa. May kasama siya na isang lalaking nakatalikod sa akin. Gaya ng naramdaman ko kay Luthor kanina, nanindig ang mga balahibo ko pagkakita sa taong 'yon.
Mabagal akong naglakad patungo sa mesa habang pinagmamasdan ang lalaking kasama ni Tita. Some strands of his hair were either gray or white, so he must be probably in his fifties. His black designer suit and the luxury watch on his left wrist indicated that he was a man of means. There was also a cup of tea on the table.
Lumakas at bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko nang makita ang profile ng mukha niya. Tita Martha's question yesterday if I was available this afternoon, the empty seats in the café, the chilling atmosphere here, the choice of tea on the table—I should have realized sooner that I was lured into a trap!
"Lori!" Tumayo si Tita Martha at agad akong nilapitan. "May sakit ka ba? Bakit namumutla ka?"
"T-Tita, ano'ng ibig sabihin nito?" Hindi na ako nag-hi o hello sa kaniya dahil napangunahan na ako ng kaba. I shot a sideward glance at the man who was reading a magazine. Kahit nasa tabi na niya ako at narinig na niya ang boses ko, parang hindi ako nag-e-exist sa kaniyang paningin.
"Lorelei, we're overdue for a chat," the man said before turning to my aunt. "Thank you, Martha. You may now leave."
"Iwan ko muna kayo, ha?" Nginitian ako ni Tita bago niya ako tinapik sa balikat. Akala niya siguro'y natutuwa ako sa surprise na inihanda nila para sa akin.
"Take a seat." The man gestured to the vacant chair across from him.
Gusto kong tumakbo palabas, pero hindi nagawa ng mga binti ko. Sinunod ko ang gusto niya at umupo sa kaniyang tapat. Sinubukan kong tingnan siya, pero agad ding nabaling sa ibang direksiyon ang aking tingin.
Meet my dearly beloved father, Walter Rios. If there was an award for the best dad in the world, he would not probably win. After how many months of no contact, he appeared right before me. Ilang buwan ko na ba siyang hindi nakikita? Dalawa o tatlo? I had lost track of it.
"Would you like tea or coffee?" he offered.
"Neither," sagot ko. Hindi ko naiwasang mapakapit sa aking mga tuhod para makontrol ang panginginig ng mga ito. "Ano'ng ginagawa n'yo rito? Naligaw ba ang driver n'yo?"
He flipped the page of the magazine. "I met with a valued client yesterday. Since I'm in the city, I might very well hit two birds with one stone. The last time I went here, you were busy with school activities so—"
"So you thought of paying me a surprise visit, huh? And you conspired with my aunt to pull this off?"
Kinuha niya ang teacup sa mesa at hinipan 'yon bago uminom. That was his favorite chamomile tea. Paano ko nalaman? I could tell based on its aroma.
"Pumunta ba kayo rito para kumustahin ako?" sunod kong tanong. "Puwede n'yo naman akong i-text o tawagan para itanong kung buhay pa ako. O baka na-delete n'yo na ang number ko?"
For the first time since I arrived in this café, our eyes had finally met. Ibinaba niya ang binabasang magazine at inilabas ang kaniyang smartphone. May ilang pag-tap muna siya sa screen bago niya ipinatong 'yon sa mesa at iniharap sa akin.
Curious, I took a peek at his screen. To my surprise, I had already seen it before—Loki's assault on Stein that happened in this very same café. Ang alam ko, na-delete na ang video mula sa internet kaya paano siya nagkaroon ng copy? At paano niya nalaman ang tungkol doon?
"This isn't the first time you've been involved in a controversy." My father's deep voice reminded me of Luthor's. "Months ago, I sent you here in Pampanga because I thought you would keep yourself away from trouble. It turned out that I was wrong."
"Sa-Saan n'yo—"
"Someone brought it to my attention. It seems that you've acquainted yourself with this violent young man in the video. You're making the wrong choices. I can't help but feel disappointed in you."
Bumaling sa ibang direksiyon ang tingin ko at napakurap ang aking mga mata. Lalo pang humigpit ang kapit sa mga tuhod ko.
"In light of recent events, I want you to return to Manila and enroll again in St. Bartholomew High," my father said after sipping his tea. "Alistair must have already told you that those responsible for that incident have been expelled. I can talk to my friends in the school's board of directors so we can arrange your immediate transfer."
I shook my head as I maintained my composure. "No, I don't want to return there! Matapos n'yo akong ipatapon dito, ngayo'y kukunin n'yo na ako ulit? You can't just pass me around wherever you want me to be."
"Considering what happened here, it's better if you're within my reach. You seem to attract trouble anywhere you go."
"I'm not a child anymore, Dad. I won't allow you to control my life again."
He then smirked as if I said something funny. "I've kind of expected that you would insist on staying here. If I want to, I can drag you all the way back to Manila. But you want freedom. You want to take full control of your life. Fine, let's have it your way. For now."
"Kung wala na kayong sasabihin, aalis na ako." Dahil wala na ring patutunguhan ang usapan namin, agad na akong tumayo. Hindi ko na rin matitiis na magtagal dito kasama niya. "Kailangan ko nang magpahinga. Medyo exhausting ang araw na 'to. Thank you for wasting my time, Dad."
Naglakad na ako patungo sa exit ng café, iniwan siyang iniinom ang paborito niyang tsaa. Bago ako tuluyang makalayo, may pahabol pa siyang hirit.
"By the way, what do you think of Alistair? Do you think he's a perfect match for you?"
I ignored his question and walked out of the café.
It had been a short while since the last time we talked face to face. My dad was the same controlling parent who wanted to dictate almost every aspect of my life.
Sa pagkakataong ito, hindi ko siya pagbibigyan.
q.e.d.