"Nothing is certain in this world, everything can be a factor that may change every course that may lead to an unpredictable but inevitable result except-DEATH"
-Our Philosophy Prof.

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Aly's PoV

Still the same day

"Ano kaya ang laman ng camera phone ni Brandon?"

Kanina pa kasi ako binabagabag ng kung ano. Sa isip ko palang kinikilabutan na 'ko kung totoo ba ang sabi ni Brandon sa mall. Malay natin adik na pala si Brandon at hallucination lang niya na may kung anong organisasyon sa loob ng Lucullian High.

"Don't ask me a question in which you obviously knew that I don't have the answer to. We both don't know what's inside, so your silence is very much appreciated Laurel"
Inirapan ko lang siya. Akala ko ba alam niya lahat ng bagay-bagay sa mundo? At ako pa talaga ang pinapapatahimik niya? Sa sarili kong apartment? Kapal din naman ng mukha nitong yelong 'to.

"I'm doing intrapersonal communication Sirius, kung hindi mo naitatanong. Sarili ko kinakausap ko no! Assuming ka masyado."

Sumbat ko sabay krus ng kamay sa dibdib at napasandal na lang sa coach. Bumalik kami sa apartment ko pagkatapos ng nangyari sa mall. Dapat sana manunuod ako ng play nina Maggie ngayon eh. But no, I was stuck with the ice man. I still don't trust Sirius, I don't really know who he is. Isang malaking question mark pa rin ang pagkatao niya. 

Pero sa panahon ngayon he's the only person that I'm capable to gumble my trust.  Siguro i se-set aside ko muna 'yung mga kuro-kurong naglalaro sa isip ko.

"I assume things because I knew it is true. You did look at my direction when you asked, that means the question was intended for me."

"Well Sirius, you're just sitting right in front of me, where am I suppose to look at?!!!!"

Minsan talaga nakakasakit ng ulo kausap 'tong si Sirius. Malapit na talagang maubos ang kabaitan ko sa kanya.

Hindi na siya sumagot pa. Siguro na realize na niya na wala siyang kwentang kausap.

May be it's the other way around?

The other side of my brain whispered. Aish! Ang traydor lang.

Hinihintay ko na lamang siyang matapos sa pag titipa sa laptop niya. Sabi kasi niya may i-se-send siyang email kay inspector Petrina. Pch. Ginawa namang internet cafe ang apartment ko.

"Matagal pa ba yan? Uh! I am not suppose to be here. I should have been in school watching that play! Maggie will really kill me and I wouldn't see my arch-nemesis get killed."

I cried in frustration. Sirius just threw his signiture scoff which really irked the hell out of me. Pwede naman kasing ibigay muna niya sa'kin ang phone eh.

"You mean you really wanted to watch that moronic play? Even the title sucks!"

Hala! Ang sama talaga ng ugali ni Sirius. Napakacritic! Isumbong ko kaya 'to kay Maggie!

"Why Sirius? Can you think of a better title instead of 'Awakening of Deborah' huh?"

Imbis na sagutin ako ng ulol ay bigla na lamang niyang nilihis ang usapan.

"Done" He declared. He close his laptop then he fish out the camera phone in his jacket's pocket.

"Let's see what he had here" Sabi pa niya sabay turn on ng phone. Agad naman akong lumapit sa kanya. Both of us look at the camera phone at tumambad sa amin ang...

"Damn! Why do everyone put a pattern in their phone?! It's very pretentious" Angal ni Sirius.
Nakalock kasi ito at kailangan ng pattern.

Pero makikita pa rin naman kung ano iyong screen lock paper niya. It was numbers. Numbers iyong background ng ng camera phone.

Puno iyon ng numbers pero ang mas naha-highlight dahil medyo malaki ang font nito ay ang

361 441 625 841 1024

"Did Brandon tell you before hand that this phone has a pattern?"

Umiling ako. Ang tanga naman ni Brandon bakit niya nakalimutang sabihin sa'kin?

Tanga ka rin dahil hindi ka man lang nagtanong!

Aish! Nakakairita na talaga 'tong subconcious ko na 'to eh.

"Wala siyang sinabi. May be he forgot?"

"Forgot? No he did not"

"What do you mean?"

Napaayos ako ng upo.

"He entrusted us with this valueble thing, he wanted to reveal something. There's no way in hell that he forgot to tell you the pattern " Pagpapatuloy niya.

"So?"

"So it means that the clue to the pattern is just right under your nose that is why he need not to tell you."

"You mean 'yong numbers?"

Bakit ba ganito lahat ng taong nakakasalamuha ko ngayon? Ginagawa nilang komplikado ang mg bagay-bagay. Humanda lang talaga yang si Brandon 'pag nagkita kami ulit.

Tiningnan ko ulit ang mga numbers.

361 441 625 841 1024

Hindi naman siya isang cipher or code not that I'm really an expert on distinguishing if it is a code or what.

Then something clicked in my head.

"Wait...Parang alam ko na ang pattern!" Tiningnan ako ni Sirius ng 1, 2,3,4 na segundo at saka biglang ngumiti. Eh? Anong meron sa kanya? Teka! He smiled! Why would he do that? Kabilugan ba ng buwan ngayon? Pero infairness, gumagwapo si Sirius kapag nakangiti.

God Aly! Get a grip!

"Of course you can figure it out. You're a math genius"

Wala na akong panahong magpasalamat pa kay Sirius dahil sa puri na madalas ko lang naririnig.

I immediately snatch the phone and drew a....
square root pattern.

Then the phone opens. I smiled victoriously.

"Ano ka ngayon Sirius?" Ha! Akala kasi niya siya lang ang magaling.

"Right from the moment that I'd laid my eyes on that number I already knew that they were perfect squares. So you need not to be smug for your tiny achievement. Though, it was still very helpful since you've just further proven my theory that you're not really dumb"

Blablabla....Sometimes, I really want to plant a grenade in his mouth for being so annoyingly cocky. Then the grenade will detonate and his body will just explode like a confettee while I am dancing, soaked with his own blood and flesh. Wht a nice scene to savour.

Hindi ko na siya pinatulan pa at itinuon ko na lang ang aking pansin sa kinukulikot na niya ngayon na camera phone. Baka mamaya talagang masaniban ako ng masamang espirito at magawa ko pa ang iniisip ko kanina.

"Just as what I expected. It contains video and it is really not Brandon's phone."

Tama hindi p pala alam ni Sirius na galing kay Exel ang camera phone na 'yan.

"I'm Exel Laurence Golem, Section 11A of Lucullian High. If you're watching this I only have two reasons why. First, I personally hand this phone to you. Second, someone did and it is because I am already DEAD. Which is which, I am not certain. But one thing is for sure. If you're watching this then you must be a trustworthy person. Worthy enough to keep everything that I've said in this dummy little device to yourself for the mean time. And take a full throttle in rectifying the situation, whatever may it take, for the common good."

Hindi ko pa rin maitikom ang bibig ko dahil sa gulat. Exel. The geek and bullied Exel who would rather stay at the library than attend his P.E classes. Perhaps Brandon and Exel were close friends dahil pareho silang book geek.

He was still wearing his school uniform, medyo magulo ang buhok niya at makikitang sa kotse niya kinuha ang video.

"Now. Listen carefully, 'cause I'm about to tell you a secret. The world-crushing secret that may change everything good that you had think of Lucullian High"

Napalunok ako.  Whatever secret might it be, I'm sure it is not that big of a deal, right? Otherwise my ugly and dwarf step dad would have known and take some action regarding the subject matter.

"There's an underground organization functioning in that school. And they were not that friendly. They smuggle drugs and do illegal activities. I saw it. I had witness the dire act. They call themselves "THE SEVEN SHADOWS". I only heard of their pseudonames. They are hiding with the code name Frankeinstein, Belphegor, Deborah, Amon, Asmodeus, Cerberus, And the The seventh Shadow,  their fearsome mistress, The Soul Reaper."

"They are just around you, you might have seen them, talk to them or keep them as friends. They're just lurking around the shadows ready to devour you anytime."

*gulp* Napalunok ulit ako. What the hell is going on? Frankenstein? Ito yong sinister blogger sa chapter 13 eh, este ito yung blogger na nag post na masusunog daw ang librabry.

"This is getting rather exciting" Agad kong pinandilatan ang katabi kong parang nanunuod lang ng palabas. Seriously? Kung ako halo-halo na ang kaba at takot na nararamdaman parang siya ay nanabik pa sa susunod na sasabihin ni Exel.

" A killing spree might happen in that school. I still don't know why. May be I would, once I open the encrypted documents. If I am absolutely and positively dead. Find the chip that holds the encrypted file .I had keep it for safety.  It may contain all the transactions, involved parties, plans, that may be use as an empirical evidence against them. Find the first that start with A that ends with A and find the last that Start with L that ends with L.  Ciao"

Then a black screen appeared.

Waring wala pa rin ako sa aking sarili. Ito ba ang dahilan kung bakit pinatay si Exel?

It doesn't seem so factual and right. Hindi kapani-paniwala. It is the same as waking up one day and realizing that the sun had ceased to shine. It was absurd! The whole idea of the freaking organization is ridiculous. I mean, sino ba kasing nagpauso nito?

Prank lang siguro 'to. Pinaglalaruan lang yata ako ni Brandon.

"No it's not" Dagli akong napalingon kay Sirius na nakaintertwine na ang mga daliri sa kamay kagaya ng kadalasan niyang ginagawa kapag malalim ang iniisip niya.

"Huh?" Na 'pano siya? Bakit bigla-bigla na lang siyang nagsasalita?

"I said, it's not a sham. Exel is telling the truth. I have keenly observed his gestures at the whole duration of the video. And there's not even a tinsy hint  that he was lying"

Wait...how did he knew what I was thinking? Uh! Nevemind. Of course he did, because he is Logan-I-can-read-through-your-expression-Sirius.

"So naniniwala ka talaga na may pitong halang na bituka na malaya lang nagliliwaliw sa school?"

"Definitely. And the tats of Casandra and the librarian just further substantiated Exel's claim"

Naisip ko rin 'yon. Yung SS na parang ahas na tattoo nilang dalawa.

"Biktima rin ba sila?"

"Nope. The opposite" Nagtagpo ang kilay ko.

"Can you please enlighten me?"

"If my hunch is right Laurel. They are one of the shadows. I mean WERE. Those nefarious beings won't bother on killing someone then put a tattoo on them, don't you think? I guess they were eliminated on purpose. But why?"

Uh! If only I knew all the answer to this mind-wracking questions in my head.

"Laurel, can you replay the video?" Tanong ni Sirius.

"Bakit?"

"I think I caught a familiar name there."

Is he refering to frankenstein?

I replayed the video tapos finorward ko sa part na binulgar na ni Exel ang seven shadows.

"They are hiding with the codename Frankeinstein, Belphegor, Deborah..."

"No way!/ Oh my God!" We both said in unison. Nanigas ako sa kinatatayuan ko. Then I saw Sirius surprise face as if he had just tumbled on an interesting case.

Then I  remembered what Maggie said yesterday.

"Aly, manuod ka ng play bukas ha? Awakening of Deborah yong title! 'Wag mo talaga yung palalampasin gayun pang papatayin si Patricia sa play na 'yon!"

And that play is tonight. Exactly 3 minutes left before it starts.

"The theater play" I whispered unto my self.

"Her death threat" Sirius cooed then we both run.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Ayieeh! Na miss niyo ba 'ko? Hahaha. Sorry sa matagal na update. Pramis dadalas-dalasan ko na dahil sembreak na naman namin. Siguro 4 times a week. This story should have been finish yesterday. That was my target date however school got into the way. So kailangan kong i-move 'yong date to 2017. Target date to finish this story is on its anniversary. So it would be April.

Please vote and comment :) Pang christmas gift lang :) Hahaha

Your Killer Santa
-Ms. Gie