｡˚⛓˚｡⋆. HERMÉS

I kneeled down as I saw my friend, Chanel, whom I considered a sister, lifeless in front of me. I was so mad... For the first in my life, my mind failed me. Demonyo lang ang makakagawa nito! I was fuming.

I wanted to be impulsive and kill Crow with my bare hands.

"Putangina kang hayop ka!" Hades' voice cracked as he fell to the ground, in front of the table where Chanel's head is displayed. My heart broke when I watched them. "M-mahal..."

God, Hades was so wrecked.

"Putangina!" Hades cried as Prada hugged him. We were all in tears. Hades lost the love of his life. "Panaginip lang ito... Buhay pa si Chanel, 'di ba? Buhay pa siya!" Para kaming nawalan ng ina... At hindi lang 'yon...

We all lost faith in ourselves.

"Bakit siya pinatay?!" The very calm Ares looked so different today. His eyes turned a shade darker as he looked at us with cold eyes. In a snap, he was not the father figure we looked up to. "Who the fuck did this?!"

Alam ko na he took this hard. He probably did not expect death... Well, we all didn't.

"In one of your rooms, I placed a big advantage. The one who found it really put it into good use." Nanlamig ang paligid ko sa sinabi niya. "The one who found it is given the chance to eliminate someone."

"Kung sino mang pumatay sa kanya..." I saw Zeus's hand form into a fist. "Magpasalamat ka hindi ka namin kilala."

Fuck.

I was shocked when Hades came charging to Apollo, gripping his collar tightly as he slammed him against the wall. Their eyes were both bloodshot and I knew mag-aaway sila so I had to pull Hades away.

"Tangina mo!" Sigaw ni Hades kay Apollo. Apollo was too weak to even fight back. Magang-maga na ang mga mata niya kakaiyak. "Ikaw kasama niya kagabi, bakit hindi mo nakita na pinatay siya?!"

Wala nang nagawa si Apollo kundi lumuha lalo. After all, wala na siyang kawala rito. All aspects were pointing to him. Did my best friend really kill Chanel?

"Ikaw ba ang pumatay sa kanya?!" Hades shouted again as he gave Apollo one big blow to the head.

"Kaibigan ko siya, Hades." Tumutulo ang mga luha ni Apollo. "Kaya bakit ko siya papatayin?!"

"Hades, stop it!" Gumitna si Ares sa kanila at saka inalalayan si Apollo. Tiffany quickly tended to Apollo who was too wrecked to function.

"A-ares... si Chanel..." Hades cried kaya lumapit ako para yakapin siya. We were all too broken. Lumapit din si Ares sa amin at saka inalo si Hades. "A-ang mahal ko..."

The girls were hugging each other. Karamihan sa kanila ay mayroong problema sa pamilya kaya Chanel stood up as the mother to them. And now, they lost a mother. ㅤ

Para na rin silang inulila.

"Fuck, umamin na kasi kayo!" Zeus shouted as almost everybody flinched. Nakita ko paano umiwas ng tingin ang mga kaibigan ko at pinagpatuloy lang na inalo ang isa't isa. We were heartless to each other at this point.

So, we're going to play this game.

"Crow, parang awa mo na..." My jaw dropped when Hades... knelt. The Hades, the strongest and toughest in school, was suddenly surrendering to someone.

He was not the king of the university now. He is now a slave.

"Ako... ang pumatay kay Yves," sabi niya habang nakayuko. "Inaamin ko na! Paalisin mo na kami rito, tangina mo!"

We were all just desperate to leave this place.

"You must be hungry, right?" Biglang tanong ni Crow kaya kumuyom ang mga kamao ko. Why the fuck was this Crow changing the topic?

"Putangina, itigil mo na 'to!" Ares bursted out, earning the gasps of the girls. He rarely cursed throughout the years I had known him. Kapag narinig mo ang mga mura mula sa bibig niya, it was surely coming from something core to him.

"Let's get you breakfast first." Crow chuckled. "We have a long day ahead!"

In a matter of seconds, sleeping gas flooded the whole room. And there we were, dozing off again into deep slumber.

-  -

FLASHBACK

"Kuya Hermés..." Tawag sa akin ni Yves.

Achilles, Yves, and I were in the cafe today. Ares told me na may gusto raw silang sabihin. Baka mangungutang? Achilles borrowed from me a dozen times.

And, that was definitely okay. We're friends.

"Ares told me you wanted to say something." I sipped from my coffee. "What is it?"

"Kasi pre..." Parang nahihiya pa si Achilles e wala naman siyang hiya talaga. Nahawa siguro siya kina Hades at Apollo dahil makakapal ang mukha nila. Ito ang dahilan bakit madalas magkasama ang tatlong 'yon.

"Kuya Achi, dali!" Utos ni Yves and I saw paano pa sila nagtalo kung paano sasabihin sa akin. Napabuntong-hininga na lamang ako sa magkapatid na ito. Ano ba 'yan?

"Nahihiya ako!" Achilles whisper-shouted to his sister, making me roll my eyes. Ngayon pa talaga siya mahihiya?

"Achilles..." I chuckled. "Paano ka mahihiya when in fact, ilang beses mo na hiniram brief ko?"

"Nakakahiya ka, kuya!" Pinalo ni Yves ang kapatid niya kaya natawa ako. It was true though! Noong nag-overnight kami kina Apollo, I saw him wearing my underwear!

"Ano nga kasi?" I gave them a small laugh.

"Nabaon kasi kami sa utang," sabi ni Achilles. "Hindi ako nakapagbayad sa renta ng apartment kaya wala kaming matitirhan ngayon."

Yves and Achilles were abandoned by their parents so they had to do everything on their own. Witness kami sa kung paano nagpursigi ang dalawa to sustain themselves. Luckily, they were scholars in our university but the allowance wasn't able to cover their residences.

"Pwede bang makitira muna sa inyo?" Tanong niya. "Kahit dalawang linggo lang sana para makapaghanap kami ng bagong titirhan."

Of course, I could. Pero takot ako na maranasan nila ang toxicity sa bahay. Baka gawin pa silang kasambahay doon at mas lalo na na abusive ang ama ko. I could not risk their safety. They mattered to me the most.

"I would really like to take you in but..." Sagot ko. My eyes were twitching left and right out of hesitation. Nandito ako sa pagitan sa pagdedesisyon.

"Kuya, kahit ano gagawin namin!" Ngiti sa akin ni Yves. "Willing ako maging maid!"

"No, no..." Agad kong tanggi. I would never refuse to provide them help. "It's just that my father is abusive. Baka madamay kayo."

"Kayang-kaya namin ito, pre!" Bulyaw ni Achilles. "Saglit lang naman kami."

I sighed and stared at them for a moment. Para bang nagtatalo ang anghel at demonyo sa utak ko. I took one last sip from my coffee before making my decision.

"I'll take you in." I smiled at them. "But please... Let me know if my father is hurting you."

That was the start of our downfall.

END

- -

"Huwag mong kainin!" I heard Dior's voice as my eyes fluttered open. Nang magising ako, we were in front of a feast of food. Napakarami at mukhang masarap. God, I was so hungry.

But why weren't they eating?

"Gutom na ako!" Reklamo ni Gucci at sinamaan ng tingin si Dior.

"What's happening?" Tanong ko kay Apollo sa tabi ko. He looked like he was torn between eating or not eating. Bahagya akong natawa nang marinig kong kumulo ang sikmura nito. Gutom na nga siya.

"Pinapakain tayo ni Crue," sagot nito. "Good A.M. pala, pare."

Crue?

"That's Crow, idiot." Umirap ako sa kanya at natawa siya sa akin. "Kumain kayo?"

"Pinipigilan kami nina Dior at Tiffany." Umiling siya at pinanood nalang mag-away sina Dior at Gucci. They were adamant we do not eat the food in front of us.

The heck... Gutom na rin ako.

"Gago..." I saw Apollo staring at me. Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. "Bakit mukha kang bugbog sarado?"

"Penalty," I simply answered. It did not hurt that much anymore, though. I was always willing to take everything, just so Dior would not get hurt.

My eyes darted to Hades who was silent in the corner. He was only watching our friends but his eyes screamed sadness. Hindi ako sanay na ganito siya. He was always one to initiate the noise in our group.

I felt sad for him.

"I think we can eat this, love." Narinig kong sabi ni Ares kay Tiffany kaya napa-krus ang kamay nito sa dibdib. He was desperate to eat too.

"Nagtampo pa nga." Tumawa si Zeus at the sight. "Landi niyo, oy!"

"Baka mamatay tayo sa gutom, lods!" Apollo said as Tiffany sighed and nodded. Wala na silang magawa kasi lahat kami ay talagang gutom na. I'd give anything just to eat.

"Nice!" Maligayang sabi ni Apollo. "Kain na tayo!"

"Paano kita papakainin..." Tanong ni Hades kay Prada kaya napaisip din si Ares. The two girls had their tongue removed so this will be hard for them.

"Tilt your head so you can chew your food then open your throat wide," I said and grabbed a piece of the chicken. I was in awe of the taste of this chicken... Ang sarap.

"Dior, eat," I told her and she just rolled her eyes before taking her bowl of pasta. "If you want, I can feed you."

"Ano ako, baby?" Pagtataray nito na ikinatawa ko. "Kakain na ako!"

"Wala pa naman kayong nararamdamang kakaiba?" Zeus asked us and we shook our heads.

"Ako, pre, may nararamdaman para sa'yo," Apollo said and looked lovingly to Zeus na binatukan ito pabalik. "Alam ko iniisip niyo, mga gago. Hindi ako si Ed Caluag!"

"Gago!" Tumawa si Hades at sinipa ang kaibigan ko.

Para talagang mga bata.

"Nagseselos ang baby ghorl ko!" Dior exclaimed at inakbayan si Gucci kaya pabiro nitong sinabunutan ang nakatatanda.

"Ate, kumain ka nalang!" Gucci pouted as we all laughed at their bickering. Zeus had to avoid our gazes at that. Ah... Of course. Dati ko pa alam ang sikretong pagtingin ni Gucci kay Zeus.

"Prada, dadaan ang airplane!" We all turned to Hades as he helped Prada eat her food. That fucker even had the guts to clap for Prada. "Very good ang bebe!"

"Good job, Prada!" Pumalakpak ang gagong si Apollo at binigyan ng 'thumbs up' si Prada.

"Ay, ang harot." Napatingin naman ako kay Dior who was looking at Ares and Tiffany feeding each other. "Sabaok."

"Halika, ate Dior, subuan kita," natatawang sabi ni Gucci and attempted to feed her. Hindi ko mapigilang ngumiti. God, Dior looked so adorable tuwing bina-baby siya.

"Naranasan ko rin 'yan, e," singit ni Apollo. "Ang kumain."

Why the fuck were they my friends?

After a few minutes, our tummies were full as we recharged ourselves from the exhausting day yesterday. Ano naman kaya ang gagawin namin ngayon?

"Hello, little ones! I hope you ate well," sabi ni Crow. "Before we start our next challenge, we need you to vote for the most suspected member of the day."

Ito nanaman?

"Panira ng umaga," Zeus whispered.

To be honest, I had no leads on my mind. Masyado pang vague ang lahat kaya wala akong maturo na pumatay kina Yves at Achilles. I just had to investigate more before I could come up with a conclusion.

"Ako nalang ang iboto niyo," Ares said. "I can take it."

"Bakit hindi si Apollo? Tutal siya ang puma—" Hades was cut off.

"Putangina, hindi ka ba titigil?!" Apollo stood up and looked like he was about to punch Hades. I saw the girls massaging their foreheads, anticipating a fight between them. Parang wala na silang balak na pigilan sila.

"I'll take the penalty," I said to make them stop. Kaya naman ng biceps ko 'yan.

"Ako na," Gucci said. "I got used to it yesterday."

"Uhh... Goodluck?" Dior said, obviously not wanting the penalty. But, I mean, who would?

"Just vote for me." Zeus stood up. "I can take it. I believe I'm the strongest here."

"Are you sure?" I asked and he nodded. It was better this way at para na rin walang samaan ng loob.

"Who wants to vote for Zeus?" Ares said and we all raised our hands. Zeus gave us all a reassuring smile, not wanting us to worry about him.

Babawi ako, Zeus. Hindi ko lang kaya na aminin agad ang mga kasalanan ko.

｡˚⛓˚｡⋆. NARRATION

Unang nagising si Dior and noticed her wearing a full white bodysuit. She felt uncomfortable for some reason as she scanned the location they're in.

The floor was covered with checkered black and white tiles while the whole place seemed to be in the middle of a castle garden. She looked at her friends and saw that Hermés, Zeus, and Hades were wearing the same colors as hers. Ares, Apollo, Prada, and Tiffany were wearing black while Gucci is wearing a mix of both.

Ano nanaman kayang katarantaduhan ito? Dior thought.

Dior was devastated at the loss of her friend. Si Chanel ang dahilan bakit nakilala nina Dior and Tiffany ang buong tropa and that resulted to Dior loving her friends so much.

Kaso nga lang... Alam niya rin na siya may kagagawan nito.

What she did not know was that she was not only one who made reckless decisions.

She could not help but stare at Hermés who was almost beaten to death because he was willing to take her punishment for her. Nagagalit siya... kay Crow, kay Hermés, sa mga kaibigan niya, pero mas lalo na sa sarili niya.

Lumipat ang tingin niya kay Zeus na suot-suot ang napakabigat na posas. Hindi niya maiwasang malungkot sa kalagayan ng mga kaibigan niya. She was never one to give up easily... pero wala na siyang nakikitang pag-asa ngayon.

"Gising ka na pala?" Tanong niya kay Tiffany na mukhang tulog pa ang diwa.

Ngumuso si Dior at saka yumakap sa malapit na kaibigan. When Dior felt like she is at her worst, Tiffany was the remedy to her. Dior grew up with her parents in prison, hence, Tiffany became her parent.

"Bes..." Bulong nito. "Miss na kita."

Tiffany smiled at that. They were the most unlikely of best friends because Tiffany was introverted while the latter loved to socialize. Tiffany widened her social network through her.

She had more confidence than before.

Tiffany could not help but think na baka may tinatago rin si Dior sa kanya. They knew almost everything about each other... almost. Alam din ni Tiffany na they were both on different sides regarding the issue.

They needed someone to tell the whole truth now more than ever.

"Payakap kami ni Ate Prada!" Gucci exclaimed as she and Prada ran towards the girls.

They all missed their girls' night where Chanel would always cook them their favorite food. Now, hindi na nila alam paano kumilos nang wala siya.

"Pre, tayo rin nga magyakapan." Hades, who just woke up, invited Apollo for a hug. Nainggit siguro sa mga babae nilang kaibigan.

"Bahala ka diyan." Inismiran siya ni Apollo at nakiyakap sa mga babae. "Makikiyakap ako rito!"

"Ang baho mo, puta," reklamo ni Dior nang siya ang mayakap ni Apollo. Nagtawanan ang mga babae at saka umalis sa yakap ng isa't isa.

"Napakabango mo, Araceli," sarkastikong sagot ni Apollo. Araceli was Dior's second name. "Amoy kang tae ko."

"Sana nakatae ka na, Apollo." Napalingon lahat kay Zeus na kagigising palang. Natuwa si Zeus nang makitang he can tolerate the weight of the handcuffs.

"Nakatae nga siya," ani Hades at umakbay kay Apollo. "Ang problema lang... Kumain siya kanina kaya may bago siyang itatae."

"Ang dugyot," Hermés said as he woke up from slumber.

"Hermés, you look beat," saad ni Ares na pinagmasdan lang sila kanina pa. "Are you okay?"

"Very." Binigyan ni Hermés ng bahagyang ngiti ito.

"Kanina ka pa pala gising, Ares!" Bati ni Dior sa kanya.

"I was observing our outfits," Ares answered as he continued scanning their clothes. He knew already what their challenge will be.

Kaya pala may exempted na isa. He thought.

"Nga pala, bakit iba ang suot ni Gucci?" Hades asked.

"Our advantage in our room was that one of us is exempted for today's challenge," sagot ni Ares kaya binigyan ito ng ngiti ni Gucci.

"Hulaan ko, magkakagrupo kami nina Tiffany," sambit ni Apollo as he looked at the people wearing the same colors as his.

"Tali-talino mo na talaga, pre." Zeus chuckled, sarcasm evident on his tone.

"Huwag mo kaming kalilimutan ha," panggagatong ni Hades.

"Hermés!" Umaktong umiiyak si Apollo na inismiran lang nitong isa. "Inaaway nila ako!"

"Greetings, little ones!" Bati ni Crow kaya napairap ang karamihan. "We're going to play a game today. I'm sure you're familiar with the game, Chess?"

Prada scoffed. Ang gago naman ni Crow.

Paano kaya nalaman ni Crow ang paboritong laro nina Yves at Achilles?

"Three per group will play as the king, the queen, and the knight. My staffs will be in charge of taking the roles of the other pieces," paliwanag nito. "The remaining member will be the one actually playing the game. That one will guide you into the direction he wishes to take. Ms. Gucci July will be exempted for today's challenge... but not the elimination."

"The mechanics are simple. The pawn can only move two steps forward on its first move and only once on the next. The rook can only go forward, backwards, or sidewards. The bishops can move diagonally. The queen has the same power as the rook and the bishops. While the king... must be protected," Crow told them the mechanics. "White plays first."

"The white pieces are Dior, Hermés, Hades, and Zeus. The black pieces are Tiffany, Apollo, Ares, and Prada," dagdag niya. "We will have three sets of games. First team to reach two wins will win. The losing team will have to face elimination."

Everyone held their breaths at that. Another death again.

Tiffany's team was at a disadvantage since two members could not talk and it would not be easy to plan a strategy. Ares kept his calm outside but deep down, he was so worried of what will happen.

"Who wants to play as the strategist for White Team?" Tanong ni Crow as the teams rushed together to meet.

It was obvious that Hermés was going to play as the strategist pero nagulat nalang ang kabilang grupo nang makitang si Zeus ang representative nila.

"Apollo..." Tawag ni Ares as Apollo looked at him.

"Do you want to be a strategist?" Agad na umiling si Apollo. First of all, matalino siya pero he believed that he was not that smart. And lastly, hindi niya kayang kalabanin ang kabila. It was too much for him.

"Mas matalino ka sa akin, Ares," pagbabaling nito kaya napabuntong-hininga nalang si Tiffany. Unlike himself, Tiffany actually believed in him. He was the best in thinking outside of the box.

"I'll play for the Black Team." Itinaas ni Ares ang kamay niya at inanunsyo ni Crow na pumwesto na ang mga chess pieces.

"This is exciting." Crow chuckled. "Well, let the games begin!"

The White Team was first to play as Zeus looked anxiously at Ares. Marami nang nakalaban si Zeus... but he didn't want to fight his friend.

It would cost them a life.

"1B move to 3C." The Horse of the White Pieces dashed to his assigned position. Dior was playing the queen, Hermés as the king, and Hades was the bishop.

"7H move a step forward," Ares ordered as the pawn occupied the space in front of it.

The White Team's plan was simple. They just had to make the game a draw para walang manalo at walang matalo. They hoped that the Black Team thought of the same thing.

"G2 move two steps forward," utos ni Zeus. Prada was observing carefully the game plan of the other team.

"H8 move to H6," Ares said as the rook moved two steps forward, shocking the other team. Dior immediately knew that they were fighting hard.

"C3 move to H4," sabi ni Zeus as its horse moved to the designated place. Ares was also keeping in check with the other team's play.

"Igagalaw na nila ang queen nila," pagpupunto ni Hades habang pinagmamasdan ang mga galaw ng kabila.

"D7 move to D5." Hades' predictions were correct as Prada, the queen of the Black pieces, was already free to move.

"F3 move to H3." Zeus said and now that they confirmed... This was no longer a fight for both wins. It was a battle to the death.

After a couple of moves, the black team was slowly losing. Their queen and rook was caught while the other team only had their horses and pawns removed.

"Move the queen to F4," Zeus said as Dior followed, coming face to face with Apollo, the king of the Black pieces. "Check."

"Apollo, move backwards." Ares was obviously panicking right now but he was trying so hard to keep his composure.

"Rook move to D4." As soon as Zeus said that, Ares realized that they lost as there were no other possible places for their king to go. "Checkmate."

"Congratulations, White Team!" Bati ni Crow. "That was a fun game. But do not relax just yet. We still have two sets... makakahabol pa ang Black Team."

Nakipagkamayan ang black team sa white team but they were all wearing apologetic faces. Whoever lost this game... had to face death.

"Black and white pieces! Let the crows kiss your death."