REYNARD

NEW YEAR, new me! Promise, magbabagong buhay na ako ngayong taon. Lahat ng bad traits at red flags ko, tatanggalin ko na ngayong 2022. Hindi na ako masyadong magiging pushy to the point na nagiging uncomfortable na ang interviewee ko. Hindi na ako magiging masyadong mapang-ahas to the point na malalagay sa peligro ang buhay ko.

Just kidding! I would be the same Reynard that I was in 2021. Bakit ko babaguhin ang isang bagay kung wala namang dapat baguhin do'n? In fact, I planned to amplify some of my traits. I aimed to be bolder and fiercer—all for the sake of the truth. I would pose harder-hitting questions to those who would try to evade accountability with falsehoods.

"Thank you all for joining our first team meeting for 2022," greeted Nolan San Miguel, our boss in the news department, with a forced smile. "Sana'y nasulit n'yo ang inyong Christmas break dahil magiging hectic ang susunod na tatlong buwan. Mas lalalim ang inyong eyebags at mas sasakit ang mga likod n'yo sa ilang oras na pag-upo sa harap ng computer."

Thanks for killing the mood, boss!

The two-week break bored me. May ibinigay na projects ang Journalism professors ko, pero hindi 'yon sapat para ma-entertain ako. Man, I missed campus and all its issues! This might be an unpopular opinion, pero mas gugustuhin ko pang may pasok kami no'ng bakasyon. If the university had been open, I would have been here as if it's business as usual. Instead, I locked myself at home and wasted away for two weeks.

"As you all know, the student council elections are just around the corner," Nolan continued, pacing back and forth in front of the white board with his hands clasped behind him. "It's going to run for three months. Given the tension last year, expect it to be brutal. That's why we have to be prepared."

This would be my first time covering a student council race. Last year, I was just a spectator. This year, I got a front row seat to watch history unfold at Elysian University. Mas gugustuhin ko pang mag-cover ng corruption scandal kaysa subaybayan ang mga estudyanteng mag-asta bilang trapo at mangako ng too-good-to-be-true promises.

Luckily, politics here was not as boring as in other schools. Sa ibang university, iisang party lang ang tumatakbo every year at walang nag-o-oppose sa kanila kaya automatic winners na sila. Castiel and Alaric deserved our gratitude for spicing up the race. I was on the edge of my seat watching their moves and countermoves. It almost reached a crescendo last November, but it ended in a whimper due to Castiel's personal tragedy. If not for that, the campus would have been ablaze.

"If you've been following the news, you'll know that the incumbent USC president is likely running for reelection," Nolan explained, writing Priam Torres' name on the board and then another name beside it. "We can also assume that Alaric Esteban is also running. There's no confirmation yet, but they're the top two contenders so far."

"Are we considering Fabienne Lucero?" asked my fellow news reporter, acknowledged by our editor. "May mga narinig akong bulungan na may nagko-convince sa kaniyang tumakbo sa pagka-USC president."

Nolan scoffed. "That's just a rumor. Probably the one who gave you that info wasn't being serious. If she decides to run, the COMELEC will likely declare her a nuisance candidate."

Most of my colleagues laughed.

Ouch. We might not be friends—more like acquaintances—but I knew a bit about her. Walang makapagkukuwestiyon sa charisma niya, kaya nga madali niyang makuha ang atensiyon ng mga estudyante. Meron din siyang puso sa kaniyang ginagawa. I might not be open to the idea of Fabienne running for an elective position, but assuming she would be a nuisance candidate was too much!

Elections are a popularity contest after all. If Fabienne smacked her head on the pavement and decided to seek the presidency, she would have a decent chance of winning. Just look at our national elections! A former action star could win a seat in the Senate by just posing, dancing, and singing. And no, I didn't mean that as a dig at Fabienne. That's just how elections work most of the time.

"This January, our two major political parties will announce their candidates." Nolan encircled the acronyms AEGIS and SALVo on the board. "If unchallenged in his own party, Alaric will likely be their nominee. As for SALVo, we don't know yet whom they're going to field. Wala pa akong naririnig na napipisil nilang candidate."

May iba pang political parties sa university. Pero dahil hindi sila kasinlaki at kasinsikat ng dalawa, wala pa silang naipapanalong major elections. Hindi ko nga ma-recall ang pangalan ng mga 'yon, eh. Kaya pagdating ng botohan, laging nasa AEGIS at SALVo ang top two choices.

"But this election won't just be between them. An independent will make a play for the throne again." Nolan tapped the marker on Priam's name. "If the incumbent USC president doesn't join any major party, he'll probably run as an independent again."

"Do you think he'll win again without backing from a major party?" I whispered to my seatmate Rie who was focused on the briefing. I thought of teasing her to distract her. Na-miss ko siyang asarin dahil dalawang linggo kaming hindi nagkita.

She shrugged. "He only won last time because the front-runner was disqualified. If he chooses to be independent again, it will be an uphill battle. He might beat the SALVo candidate, but an AEGIS candidate like Alaric? I don't think so. Kung mauulit ang nangyari no'ng 2021, disqualification ulit ang magpapanalo sa kaniya. But lightning never strikes the same place twice."

"Scientifically, it can and does," I argued. "It may not happen in the same storm, but—"

"My point is," she turned to me annoyed, "natuto na ang AEGIS. Hindi na nila hahayaang ma-disqualify ulit ang kanilang manok. They will ensure this time na walang issue sa candidacy ni Alaric, o kung sinuman ang kanilang mapili."

Aside from a rare disqualification, the most probable way for Priam to beat Alaric would be to tarnish the latter's image and make him unpalatable—and therefore unpopular—to the student body. Castiel managed to make a dent in Alaric's image during his tirades against the guy. But Alaric being Alaric, he was able to rehabilitate his image by being given the opportunity to serve as an acting president and avoiding controversial decisions during his short stint. Also, thanks to the students' short-term memory, they likely forgot about his issues.

"Now for the major assignments," Nolan said, tapping his phone. "Ambrielle, since you're covering the USC beat, I'm assigning you to Priam Torres should he run as an independent again."

"Roger that," my seatmate replied with a nod.

"Spencer, since you've been covering campus survey stories, I'm assigning you to SALVo. Let us know as soon as possible kapag may napipisil na silang nominee."

"Copy, boss!" Spencer responded with a nod, too.

"Reynard, since you've been on the LEXECOM beat where Alaric is the majority leader, I'm assigning you to AEGIS. Let us know if someone dares to challenge him."

"Noted, boss!" I gave him a thumbs up. I couldn't help but think that fate must be trying to draw me closer to Alaric. It's such a coincidence that I was investigating him and would also be covering him in a high-stakes election. Maybe I was being given the chance to finish the story I had been pursuing since September of last year. Oh, to be favored by fate!

"As for the college student council races..."

The meeting continued for another thirty minutes. We were dismissed around lunchtime. Nauna na akong lumabas ng conference room at umalis ng editorial office. May ka-meet ako ngayong twelve noon at late na ako nang ten minutes. Meetings after meetings—ganyan ako kasipag. I hated being not punctual because time is money. I could only hope that person was patient and hadn't left when he realized I was running late.

Dumeretso ako sa food hub, umakyat sa escalator, at lumiko sa second floor. I passed by several restaurants until I found the one that wasn't too crowded even though it's lunchtime. Binati ako ng staff na naghihintay sa labas at tinanong kung may kasama ba ako.

"Nope!" sagot ko bago pumasok. I walked past a booth where a bespectacled student in a pure white uniform was seated. Parang 'di bagay sa 'kin ang gano'ng uniform dahil paniguradong mamamantsahan agad. Kung saan-saan ako umuupo at minsa'y natatapunan ng iniinom kong coffee ang damit ko lalo na kapag nagmamadali. My navy blue hoodie and black pants could hide dirt and stains. But that outfit na parang puwede na akong maging endorser ng laundry bar? Nope.

I settled down in a booth just behind that student. Lumapit sa 'kin ang staff at binigyan ako ng menu. I didn't need to check their list of meals and drinks because I had already done my research and I knew what to order. Um-order ako ng one-piece chicken with rice and soda. Majority of reviews said that's their bestseller. Let's see if the majority opinion was reliable.

"Nakakapanibagong makita na ganiyan ang suot mo," sabi ko kahit walang nakaupo sa aking harapan o gilid. "I used to see you in your maroon blazer with the student council brooch. If we were in a crowd, I wouldn't have recognized you. Is that your way of saying 'new year, new you'?"

"I'm currently on an indefinite leave. Since I'm not serving as a USC officer, I thought of wearing this again." Castiel's voice was almost a whisper, but still audible. Yup, he's the one in the other booth. Suot niya ang prescribed uniform para sa Psychology students. Kahit sino'y maninibago sa hitsura niya gaya ko. "Mabuti't kasya ko pa 'to. Hindi naman ako masyadong tumaba nitong nagdaang taon."

Pumayat pa nga siya compared noong una kaming nagkaharap. Pero mukhang unti-unti na siyang nagkakalaman ulit. Baka naparami ang kain niya noong Christmas at Bagong Taon.

Since the personal tragedy in his life, I hadn't seen much of him on campus. Pumapasok pa siya sa classes niya, pero hindi na siya dumadalaw sa office. May mga tsismis nga na nag-resign na raw siya dahil never na siyang nakita kasama ang kapwa niya officers. Meron ding ilang bulungan na nagsabing baka tinerminate na siya dahil sa mga pinaggagawa niya bilang acting president. He was even a no-show in the USC's Puso ng Pasko event last December.

"It may be more than a month late, but I'm sorry about your sister." My eyes glanced sideways even though I couldn't see him. First things first. "I didn't know much about her, but she was probably a good person."

"She was."

I waited for him to say more, but the conversation about that subject ended there. My bad. It's probably painful for him to even remember or talk about it. As a reporter, I would always gauge the timing of my remarks or questions. Ayaw kong ma-offend o ma-turn off ang mga ini-interview ko.

"Are you sure this is the way you want us to have a conversation?" he asked after a minute of awkward silence. "Are you worried about being seen together in public? Without my blazer, I doubt anyone can recognize me as that guy from the USC."

"Parang may itinatago tayong relationship, 'no?" I chuckled bago nagseryoso ang mukha at tono ko. "But trust me. It's better this way. Someone out there might be interested in who I'm meeting with."

"Oh? So you've made some progress, huh?" I heard utensils clank from his booth. The smell of his food—burger steak, if I recalled correctly—made my stomach growl. Ilang minutes ba ang serving time dito? Nagutom na tuloy ako. "How deep are you?"

"Deep enough for someone to taser me and steal my phone," I replied with a giggle to lighten the mood. Saktong dumating ang order ko kaya nagpasalamat muna ako sa waiter. Nilanghap ko ang amoy ng fried chicken. Amoy yummy! "Someone also tried to access my computer in the editorial office. I doubt the two incidents aren't connected, especially when one happened right after the other."

"Do you have anything on your phone or computer?"

"My computer? None. But my phone?" I took in a spoonful of rice, chewed, and swallowed. "Quite a treasure throve! But the contents are password-protected, so there's no way they could have accessed them. To their credit, they were generous enough to return my device."

"Don't be so sure," he warned. "If I'm right about my suspicions, the person you're dealing with wields considerable influence. He could hire someone to crack your password and access your confidential files. All secrets therein aren't safe anymore."

"Let's see about that!" I replied, taking a bite of the perfectly cooked chicken. Hindi dry, hindi rin hilaw. "But you're right about one thing. I confirmed it last December from a reliable source, but it's off-the-record so I can't write about it."

"Which one?"

"The rumor about Fabienne," I said, taking a sip of water, and then apologizing for burping. "May nag-utos nga kay Michelangelo para gatungan ang paninira sa First Lady. Mukhang may hawak na pam-blackmail ang nag-utos kaniya."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Alaric had nothing to do with Priam's failed assassination," I revealed, wiping my lips with a tissue. Since I couldn't see him, I couldn't gauge his reaction. "He was name-dropped by Michelangelo and Priscilla when I asked about Brandon, but apparently, Alaric wasn't involved in the stabbing."

"I didn't know you were interested in that crime. Are you trying to play detective?"

"It piqued my curiosity." My lips curled into a smirk. Investigative journalists and detectives shared a dedication to uncovering the truth. "That alone is reason enough to investigate. Sadly, it seems I've hit a dead end."

"Is that why you called for this meeting? To tell me you're giving up? You could have messaged me."

"Hey, you're not my boss." I twisted in my seat, almost facing him. "I don't owe you any reports or explanations. But I'm sharing this out of courtesy because you pointed me in this direction. I was skeptic at first, but the more I dig, the more I think your theory might be right."

"Might?" Castiel snorted a chuckle. "My theory has always been right. Hindi mo lamang agad napagtanto dahil wala kang tiwala sa akin."

"So you think you're always right? That you're infallible?"

"No, I don't. Ilang beses na akong nagkamali. Halos lagpas na nga ang bilang sa mga daliri ko."

"See? That's why I need to verify—"

"But recently, I've realized another mistake. For weeks, I blamed myself for what happened to Priam. 'I brought it upon us,' I kept saying to myself. Ngunit mali pala ako."

My brows furrowed deeply. "What do you mean?"

"It's true that our maneuver to disqualify Candice Delavin led to Brandon stabbing Priam and almost killing him. But I failed to consider the root cause of that incident."

"Root cause?"

"There wouldn't be any fun or surprise if I spoil it for you now."

I sighed, shoulders slumping. "If you've got some scalding hot tea, you should pour some into my cup! Huwag kang madamot. Huwag mong solohin."

"You will learn about it in due time, just like everyone else."

Binitawan ko na ang mga hawak kong kubyertos kahit hindi ko pa nauubos ang fried chicken. My temples throbbed with frustration. Naaasar ako kapag merong maghi-hint na may tsismis, 'tapos hindi itutuloy ang pag-share n'on. Why bring it up at all if they weren't going to follow through?

"Can you at least give me a clue?" I pleaded. Baka hindi ako makatulog nang mahimbing mamayang gabi hangga't hindi ko nalalaman. If this turned out to be a letdown, Castiel would definitely hear about it.

"It involves Alaric and Candice," he offered cryptically, giving me some breadcrumbs. That would do. "And it's why a tiger like Tabitha is on Priam's council."

"Intriguing," I muttered, returning to my food. Pero agad din akong nahinto nang may naalala ako. "What about that thing you were going to reveal during your last presser? 'Yong hindi mo natuloy dahil may tumawag sa 'yo at bigla kang tumakbo palabas?"

"Oh, that."

Hinintay kong magpaliwanag siya, pero wala siyang idinugtong. Ano bang klaseng source 'to? Ang tipid sumagot!

"The person you were going to expose then..." I prodded cautiously. "Was it Alaric Esteban?"

"Sorry, my lips are sealed."

Ano ba 'yan? Ready na siyang i-expose noon sa harap ng Elysian community ang pangalan ng taong bumangga sa kaniya at sa kapatid niya. 'Tapos ngayon, umuurong na siya?

But my hunch seemed to be on target. He could have denied it outright, but he chose to cloak his answer in mystery.

"Don't worry," he added. "I will speak about it once the perfect opportunity presents itself. You know what I mean, don't you?"

The upcoming student council elections, huh? That would be the perfect moment to drop a bombshell. Matutuon sa mga kandidato ang atensiyon ng mga estudyante kaya kahit maliit na isyu ay paniguradong pagpipiyestahan. Not only would it boost Priam's chances for reelection, but it might also bring the justice Castiel felt they deserved.

But would that exposé be enough to secure victory for his candidate?

"Be careful, Rey." I heard his cane clack as he got to his feet. "The closer you get to the truth, the more dangerous it becomes."

"The more dangerous, the more thrilling," I replied with a grin, though he couldn't see it. "That's how I like it."

Castiel's words only fueled my determination to expose that guy. If Alaric thought he could get away with everything he had done so far, he was mistaken. No amount of lies could bury the truth completely or shield him from what was coming.

30

NEXT UPDATE: It's the First Couple's  first day on campus as official couple!