A/N: Third update for the week! Tapos na ang kalma, tapos na ang drama.
LORELEI
HOW I wish that today stayed as calm as my morning. We didn't expect ourselves to be in for a surprise. It left us hanging, wondering whether the events that unfolded before us were real.
"Susundin ba natin ang request ng kuya mo?" tanong ko kay Loki habang papasok kami sa campus. He looked more refreshed now that he had taken a bath and fixed his looks.
Luthor dropped some bombshells last night and he told us that the conversation should be kept among the three of us. No one else must know. Not even Maggie, the person whom he probably trusts the most in school or even Alistair, my childhood friend who I knew wouldn't spill a secret.
As for not telling Jamie, wala akong reklamo roon. Luthor said that her late brother was the founder of M's organization. We don't know kung aware ba siya roon. Kung oo, ang susunod na tanong ay gaano siya ka-aware? She's been helpful recently, telling some info directly from Stein. But after last night's revelations, parang babalik na naman ang trust issues ko sa kanya.
"We haven't fully verified the pieces of information he revealed to us," Loki replied. "As much as I want to sabotage whatever schemes he's planning, I'd rather not have those details leaked."
Hindi pa rin humuhupa ang kanyang galit sa kuya niya. I could still feel the contempt in his voice. It's the same as last night. Maybe we should avoid talking about his brother for a while. Baka sakaling makatulong sa "healing" niya. Or maybe it wouldn't.
Nadaanan namin ang White Hostel na nasunog kahapon. Kitang-kita kahit sa malayo ang itim na markang iniwan ng naglalagablab na apoy.
Everyone in the campus thought that Rosetta was killed in the fire. Except for us: Me, Loki, Luthor and Rosetta herself. Obviously, walang dapat makaalam na buhay pa siya, lalo na si Stein at ang kanyang grupo. She wanted to unshackle herself from the grasps of the organization. She asked for our help, but Luthor stepped in and granted her wish.
I let out a long sigh and looked down. Magtatago na naman kami ng sikreto sa mga kaibigan namin. Nabunutan na nga ako ng tinik sa sikreto ni Luthor, tapos ngayon, may bago na naman? Kailan ba matatapos ang cycle na 'to?
"You think Rosetta is really on our side?" tanong ko. "Your brother went through the trouble of starting a fire in the dormitory. Sayang naman kung tatraydorin siya ng tinulungan niyang magpanggap na patay. Speaking of which, how did he manage to pull it off? The whole fire. The firemen pretending to have found a body."
"He probably had some help from my father's bodyguards. They must have connection with the fire department," Loki answered, staring at the burnt part of the hostel. "He always asks someone else to do the dirty work for him. If his presence annoys me today, I'm gonna report him to the campus police for arson."
I have no idea kung gaano kalawak ang connection nina Hugh at Munroe, pero kung totoo ang sinabi ni Loki, 'di malayong maisagawa nila ang complicated plan na 'to.
"Don't worry about the damages," Loki spoke as if that was on my mind. "My father's probably going to donate money to have the burnt parts of the hostel repaired. That's what he does sometimes. He cleans our mess."
"Just like when you assaulted Stein in the cafe?" I recalled. Despite what happened, Loki didn't get charged for hitting a student and sending him to a comatose state. The only thing that he got was a one-week suspension, which wasn't a penalty for him. Nag-enjoy pa nga yata siya noon.
That incident was etched on my mind because my dad was involved. If I remember correctly, matapos ang insidente, nakipagkita si Luthor sa aking dad para pag-usapan ang case na 'yon. They must have fixed the mess that Loki created to get him out of trouble.
"What Luthor did was more complicated and costly than what I did," he replied. "I only put a boy to a state of temporary death while he had a room caught fire. Other tenants could have died if the situation was handled poorly."
Of course, mas ipapakita niyang worse ang ginawa ng kanyang kuya kaysa sa kanya.
"How about Jaime Santiago?" I asked. We didn't touch that topic last night.
"We've already suspected that he's the missing piece of the M mystery," Loki said, his eyes looking ahead. "Rosetta is still in possession of Augustus' box, right? She must have checked the contents and told my brother about what she found in the folder named after the late student council president."
If Rosetta's really our ally, makatutulong sa amin ang hawak niyang hard drive. Sorry for the "if" statements. Dahil sa mga nangyari nitong nakaraan, nananaig ang trust issues sa akin.
"If that person is the really founder of M's organization, then the whole 'crown' narrative makes sense," Loki went on. "Jaime was the former king. When he died allegedly in a car accident, the crown passed down to Stein. It perfectly fits Augustus' unfinished words that Stein is a successor—"
Natigil siya sa pagsasalita maging sa paglalakad. He stared blankly in front of him for a moment. Para siyang robot na nawalan ng battery sa kalagitnaan. Kumaway ako sa harapan niya para makuha ulit ang atensyon niya.
"Can you recall his exact words?" tanong niya sabay baling ng tingin sa akin.
Ipinikit ko ang aking mga mata at ini-rewind sa isip ko ang scene noon sa board room. Sumagi na naman ang mukha ni Augustus nang nahihirapan siyang huminga.
"Stein is actually a su." I opened my eyes and looked at Loki. He said the same thing so I wonder why he asked me to recall it? Dinig na dinig ko pa rin ang boses ni Augustus habang sinasabi ang mga salitang 'yon. "Why? May napansin ka bang kakaiba?"
Bahagyang nanliit ang mga mata ni Loki, napahaplos sa kanyang baba. He then let out a sigh. "Nevermind. Maybe it's nothing."
"Sure ka?" Naningkit ang mga mata ko na may kasamang pang-iintriga ang boses. Parang 'di kapani-paniwala ang nothing niya.
He nodded. Inilapit ko ang aking mukha sa kanya para i-observe kung nagsisinungaling ba siya. But I couldn't read anything from his expression.
"Let's say na tama ang sinabi ni Luthor sa atin." Mukhang 'di rin naman niya sasabihin sa 'kin kung ano'ng sumagi sa isip niya. "Some things don't make sense to me. Jamie described her brother as a man with a strong sense of justice and she thought that M had her brother murdered. How could he have founded a group that is evil? Parang hindi ko ma-connect sa isa't isa ang mga 'yon."
It's like Luthor revealed to us the complete image of a jigsaw puzzle, but when we tried to put it together, some pieces didn't fit perfectly.
"That is the question, is it not?" Loki shrugged. "If what my brother said is true, then we're already done answering the who. Now it's time to find out the why and the how."
Nagkahiwalay na kami ng landas sa may staircase. Hindi na kami dumaan sa execom office dahil three minutes na lang, magri-ring na ang school bell.
The atmosphere in our classroom was somber. Usually kasi, pagpasok ko rito, babatiin ako ng malakas na sigaw at malawak na ngiti ni Rosetta. May mga nagtsitsismisan din sa iba't ibang sulok ng kuwarto. But this morning, everyone was seated in their chairs. No one dared to break the solemn silence.
When I settled down, napansin ko agad ang bakanteng upuan sa tabi ko. That's the only vacant chair in the room. May iilang bulaklak na nakapatong dito.
I know that Rosetta's still alive somewhere safe. But I had to pretend that I was also grieving for her untimely death.
"Are you okay, Lori?" Alistair asked, greeting me with a smile. Lumingon ako sa kanya, nakasimangot at napakagat na labi, sabay tango. Kailangan kong sabayan ang mood ng buong klase.
Muli kong naalala ang sinabi sa amin ni Luthor. Wala raw kaming dapat pagsabihan ng mga shinare niya sa amin. That included my childhood friend. I don't know if this would be the second time that I'd be deliberately withholding an info from him. Nakaka-guilty minsan. I know very well that he can be trusted, but I can't make any excuse for him. Luthor made it very clear. No one aside from the three of us.
"She didn't deserve it, did she?" I tried to make my voice crack. "I mean, yeah, she tricked us yesterday. But to meet this kind of end..." My voice trailed off.
Marahang umiling si Alistair, pakurap-kurap ang mga mata. "No one deserves that."
Even if Rosetta really died, I'd feel the same right now. She was classmate, she was my friend. We became close, but not that close.
"Plano sana naming mag-attend ng burol niya," sabi ni Alistair. "But our class president said that the family wants the wake to be private."
Malamang kinuntsaba rin nina Hugh at Munroe ang parents ni Rosetta para masigurong consistent ang kanyang fake death narrative. I wonder how they explained the whole thing to them? Kung wala kasing coordination sa kanila, we would know soon that Rosetta's coffin was gonna be empty.
Pagpasok ng aming homeroom adviser, nag-alay kami ng isang minutong katahimikan para kay Rosetta. Her other friends in the classroom began to sniffle and cry as they reminisced the time that they were with her. Gone too soon, they muttered.
Due to recent events, Rosetta's life was gonna change. She had to stay dead for a while, until we had everything sorted out. Maybe, once the M case was over or once the threat was neutralized, she could go back to her old life. She'd probably appear one day in front of us and shout, "It's a prank!"
Nakadagdag sa gloomy atmosphere ng aming classroom ang makulimlim na kalangitan sa labas. Parang nakikiisa ang langit sa pagdadalamhati sa pagkawala ni Rosetta. But I bet the angels above knew that she's still alive.
Maybe these grey clouds meant something else? Something more sinister.
Pagkarating ng aming morning break, sabay na kaming bumaba ni Alistair patungo sa execom office. We skipped down the stairs.
"Is something bothering you, Lori?" tanong ni Alistair nang nasa second floor na kami. Napansin niya sigurong tahimik ako magmula kaninang lumabas kami ng classroom. I wasn't that talkative unless we had something so urgent to discuss along the way.
"Masyado na kasing maraming nangyayari," sagot ko sabay buntong-hininga. "What happened to Rosetta can happen to any of us, kung hindi tayo masyadong mag-iingat. Ayaw kong isipin minsan, but I can't imagine how I would react just in case na..."
"We have each other's backs, don't we?" Alistair smiled. His gentle voice was trying to cheer me up, kahit hindi ako gano'n kalungkot. I know the truth about Rosetta, but I must also acknowledge the fact that one of us could be targeted.
In response, I forced a smile. What Luthor told Loki last night echoed on my mind."No one in his right mind in the organization would think of laying a finger on you. But the same protection doesn't apply to your friends. You are invulnerable. They are not."
Stein and his minion could hurt any of us, except Loki. That's something we must watch out for.
"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you, Jamie or Loki," Alistair said, his voice became serious. "Basta't magkakasama tayo, walang mangyayaring masama sa isa sa atin."
I appreciate him saying that, but he can't look after us all the time.
"Hey!" sigaw ng isang babae sa aming likuran. We were about to reach the last flight of stairs. We turned around to meet the familiar voice.
"Bakit napakaseryoso yata ng mga mukha n'yo?" tanong ni Jamie. Mabibilis ang kanyang mga hakbang sa hagdan. "May nangyari bang masama? May nangyari ba kay Loki dear ko? Lori, tell me!"
"Nasa mabuting kalagayan si Loki, okay?" sagot ko. "It's about Rosetta. Medyo malungkot sa classroom namin kanina. You know why."
"Oh..." Jamie's smile turned into a frown. "I'm sorry. I was only trying to lighten the mood. Kahit ako nga, dinidistract ko ang sarili ko para 'di ko na maisip 'yong nangyari sa kanya.
Sabay-sabay na kaming bumaba sa hagdan patungo sa ground floor. Pasulyap-sulyap ako sa mukha ni Jamie na may bakas ng kalungkutan. Ilang segundo rin siyang natahimik. Baka naalala niya 'yong mga panahong magkasama sila ni Rosetta.
There's a question that I've been itching to ask her. Mula nang malaman ko ang dying message ni Augustus at lalo na ngayong ibinunyag sa amin ni Luthor na ang kanyang kuya ang founder ng organisasyon ni M, gusto kong tanungin kung gaano niya ba talaga kakilala ang kanyang kuya.
From her narratives, it sounded like Jaime Santiago was the ideal brother one could have. A man with a strong sense of justice. A leader who wants to change the system. Protective of his younger sister. If I could have a brother, I wanted it to be someone like him.
Unfortunately, hindi ko pa alam kung kailan ang tamang timing. I could ask her right now, but was it the right thing to do? We're grieving. We still have some problems to solve. Ni hindi pa nga namin nasasabi sa kanya na pinaghihinalaan naming malaki ang koneksyon ng kanyang kuya sa M mystery.
I wanted to trust Jamie. She's shown herself to be loyal to Loki. Siya ang dahilan kung bakit natuon ang atensyon namin kay Augustus at natanggal namin ang isang balakid sa chessboard (following Luthor's analogy) kahit na 'di ko in-expect na mamamatay siya. She's been updating us every now and then.
But until the issue about her brother was cleared, I couldn't confidently rely on her. My trust issues would pop up from time to time.
"Uhm... There's something you should know." Jamie broke her silence.
Ilang hakbang na lang ang layo namin mula sa execom office nang mahinto kami sa paglalakad. Naunang tumigil si Jamie, sumunod ako at si Alistair. We looked at her curiously.
"What is it?" I asked. Napalunok ako ng laway.
"About Rosetta." She raised her gaze at us and took a pause. "Hindi si Stein ang nasa likod ng sunog kahapon sa White Hostel."
"W-What?" I tried to look surprised. Alam ko na magmula pa kagabi na walang kinalaman si Stein. The whole fire thing was Luthor's idea.
"Sigurado ka ba?" tanong ni Alistair.
Jamie nodded. "I see no reason why Stein would lie to me. Akala nga niya, matapos tayong utakan ni Rosetta, mapapasakamay na niya ang hard drive. Imagine his disappointment when something happened to his queen piece."
Just as Luthor planned, I thought to myself. Kung tama nga ang sinabi ni Jamie, his scheme worked out the way he intended it. Luthor wanted Stein to think that Rosetta's still loyal to him para kapag may biglang nangyari sa kanya, the latter wouldn't suspect any deception.
"What's going on here?" tanong ko sabay baba ng tingin. Ang hirap talagang magpanggap na wala kang alam. Pretending to be clueless wasn't my cup of tea, but I was trying. "Kung hindi si Stein ang may kagagawan no'n, sino?"
Jamie shrugged. "'Yan ang tanong na gustong masagot ni Stein. He suspects that the third party had something to do with it. Kung hindi tayo, kung hindi rin siya, sino pa ba?"
Again, just as Luthor planned. Kung wala sigurong third party na nakikialam sa amin, mahihirapan siyang makahanap ng scapegoat. Well, to be fair, we wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for that mysterious third party.
"But why would he kill Rosetta?" Naningkit ang mga mata ni Alistair. "The third party doesn't know that we lost the hard drive, right? Hindi rin niya alam na hawak na 'yon ni Rosetta. Let's say he found out immediately after Rosetta ran away from the rooftop, paano niya na-set-up ang pagsunog sa unit niya?"
I would have been wondering the same if I didn't know the truth. Pilit na kumunot ang aking noo para kunwari'y napapaisip din ako. Ugh, I hate this whole pretend-you-know-nothing act.
"We'd only know the reason once we unmask that person. Shouldn't we be focusing our efforts on finding out who he is?"
My shoulders jerked when I heard Loki's voice behind us. Sabay-sabay kaming lumingon sa kanya na kabababa pa lang ng hagdan.
"Rosetta's scarlet thread is a literal deadend already," he went on. "We still have some threads to follow, don't we? Also can you tone down your voice a bit? People with very sharp hearing like me can hear what you've been whispering."
"Right." I nodded. I like how he tried to change the subject from the Rosetta mystery to another mystery that we haven't solved yet. "Kailangan pa nating isipin kung paano tayo magkakaroon ng access sa security footage na kinuha ng campus police."
"Yeah!" Jamie clapped her hands once. "I need to work on my charming skills. Ita-try kong baguhin ang attitude sa atin ni Inspector Morales."
"We better discuss that case inside." Alistair jerked his thumb toward the office door.
Sabay-sabay na kaming pumasok sa execom office. To our surprise, no one was inside. Nag-e-expect kasi kami na nandito na sina Maggie at Rye, naghihintay para sa morning briefing namin. Baka may inaasikaso lang sila kaya wala pa sila rito?
We sat around the round table for a while. I told Loki what Jamie had shared moments ago about Stein not being behind the hostel fire. Siyempre, alam na rin niya kung sino ang may pakana. His face flashed a small hint of surprise. I guess that's enough to show us na hindi niya in-expect ang kanyang narinig.
Ten minutes later, hindi pa rin dumarating sina Maggie at Rye. In normal circumstances, I wouldn't feel worried, but something I couldn't explain made me feel uncomfortable.
"Oh, my gosh!"
We all turned to Jamie whose eyes widened in shock as her mouth gaped. Nakatitig siya sa kanyang phone na parang may napanood siyang disturbing na video.
"Ano 'yon, Jamie?" tanong ko.
Dahan-dahan niyang iniangat ang kanyang tingin sa amin, bahagyang nakabukas ang kanyang bibig.
"C-Check the Clarion's page!"
Mabilis kong inilabas ang aking phone sabay type ng "Clark Clarion" sa search bar ng Facebook app. My finger quickly scrolled down, looking for the post that gave her that reaction. Jamie may be exaggerating her expressions sometimes, but the one that she showed us in this office? Legit shock.
Ano ba'ng nabasa niya—
My phone slipped from my palm as I read the first line of the Clarion's latest post. Nanlaki ang mga mata kong nakatutok sa screen. Nanikip ang aking dibdib. Bigla ring bumilis at lumakas ang pagkabog ng puso ko. Parang aatakihin na yata ako.
"H-Hey." Nagbato si Alistair ng naningkit na tingin sa akin. "'Di ba ito 'yong..."
He didn't have to finish what he wanted to say. Alam ko na ang tinutukoy niya.
"I-Is this legit? B-Baka fake news 'to?" Jamie quickly turned to Loki. "What do you think?"
Loki only squinted his eyes looking at his screen. He then took a sharp breath.
STUDENT COUNCIL VP CONNECTED TO CODENAME 'MORIARTY' —EIC'S NOTES
The vice president of Clark High's student council, Lucian Thoren Mendez, is allegedly connected to the mysterious mastermind only known as "M" or "Moriarty," according to a journal kept by the Clarion's late editor-in-chief Augustus Moran.
The Clarion received photos of the journal's pages through an anonymous source. After comparing the handwriting in the journal and in official documents, the publication concluded that Moran's penmanship in the two perfectly matched.
The said journal alleges that Mendez was involved in situations where he could have acted on behalf of "Moriarty."
I tried to keep on reading the article, but I didn't manage to finish it. I can't.
Alistair and I had already read some parts of this article from the notebook hidden in Augustus' desk. I wasn't expecting that this would become relevant again!
Natahimik kaming apat sa loob ng office. Kami nina Jamie at Alistair, nakamasid kay Loki na nakaupo lang at ilang beses ding napabuntong-hininga. They must be mentally asking him how he felt about the news. Ako naman, gusto siyang tanungin kung sino kaya ang posibleng nag-leak nito at ano ang purpose niya.
Kahit pala hindi bumisita si Luthor kagabi sa apartment, the truth about his connection to M would have been revealed today. I don't know kung coincidence lang, pero parang naunahan niya.
"We should go and check the student council," I said as I got to my feet. "We've been investigating the M case for months. We deserve an answer from Luthor, don't we?"
That was just my excuse to see how he's doing amid this bombshell. Alam na namin ni Loki ang katotohanan. Nagdalawang-isip pa ang mga kasama ko kung sasamahan ako. In the end, they all stood and we left the execom office together.
Saktong paglabas namin, narinig naming bumukas ang pinto ng student council office. The scarred face of Inspector Morales appeared from the doorway. He still wore that terrifying look in his eyes. But why was he already here? Kung dahil ito sa post ng Clarion, kaka-publish pa lang nito a few minutes ago. How could he have gotten here that fast?
Kasunod niyang lumabas si Luthor na walang karea-reaksyon ang mukha. He shot a glance at me then he looked ahead. Mabilis akong napatingin sa mga kamay niya. Pinosasan ba siya? Mabuti't hindi! Pero bakit siya sumusunod sa inspector?
Lumabas din ang ibang student council officers. Emeraude clutched on her chest as she looked at her vice president with so much worry. Masama ang pakiramdam ko rito.
Nabaling ang tingin ko kay Loki. He only squinted his eyes as he watched the campus police chief and his brother walk past him.
"Saan n'yo siya dadalhin?" naglakas ako ng loob na magtanong.
"Lori..." bulong ni Jamie na humawak sa braso ko.
Nahinto sa paglalakad si Inspector Morales at lumingon sa akin. "We've invited Mr. Mendez to the police station for a friendly chat. He happily accepted our invitation."
"Dahil ho ba 'to sa pinost ng Clarion?"
"Clarion?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "Hindi ko alam kung ano ang sinasabi mo. But we found a lead on the M case. I'm hoping that Mr. Mendez here can shed some light. Well, this is none of your business anyway."
I watched as the campus police took Luthor with them and walked away. Wala kaming nagawa kundi tumayo at manood na lang.
What the hell was going on here?
q.e.d.
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