FABIENNE

MASISIRAAN NA yata ako ng ulo. 'Di dahil sa mga personal na ganap sa buhay ko, pero sa mga pinaggagawa ni Castiel. That guy was totally unpredictable! Who would've thought na aaminin niya on a livestream na siya ang mastermind sa pamba-blackmail kay Chevy? Tapos na ang issue na 'yon, so why did he have to bring it up again?

"What game is he playing at?" tanong ni Valeria habang palakad-lakad sa stage. Kasama namin ang tatlong suspended USC officer na sinusundan siya ng tingin.

Right after The Herald's interview with Castiel, nag-chat agad sa group chat namin si Valeria at nagtawag ng urgent meeting. Yup! Kahit 'di ako officially part ng USC, sinali nila ako sa Anti-Castiel Club. We thought of gathering at the benches in the campus quadrangle, kaso maraming tao ro'n. Baka dumugin kami lalo na si Valeria dahil nadawit ang pangalan niya. Alaric must also be flooded with messages due to the exposé —which he rightfully deserved, by the way.

So we decided to meet in the auditorium habang walang ibang class na gumagamit at 'di pa isinasara ng housekeeping personnel. This was probably one of the last places na paghihinalaang pinagtataguan namin. We switched on only the dim lights para 'di masyadong halata mula sa labas na may tao rito.

"I was already at peace with it. Naibaon ko na nga sa limot, 'tapos bigla niyang huhukayin ulit?" pailing-iling na dugtong ni Valeria. "I don't get that guy sometimes."

"I've been telling you that he's already out of his mind!" bulalas ni Lavinia, may kasama pang pagmuwestra. Nakasandal siya sa right stage panel at nakakrus ang mga braso. "If this goes on, imagine the damage he will deal not only to the presidency, but to the USC. Baka sira na ang reputasyon ng council pagbalik natin do'n."

"What should we do?" tanong ko kahit 'di ako kasali sa council. Umangat ang aking tingin sa kanila, palipat-lipat sa bawat isa.

Mabilis na hinugot ni Valeria ang phone niya. Dinig ko ang pag-vibrate nito mula sa kaniyang bulsa hanggang sa kamay. "Reporters have been messaging and calling me. This is getting annoying already." Pinress niya nang matagal ang power button bago muling ibinulsa 'yon.

"This presents us with a dilemma," sabi ni Rowan na nakaupo sa edge ng entablado. He dangled his feet and swung them alternately. "If you deny it, Castiel will look like a liar and you will still be known as the person who thought of blackmailing Chevy. If you corroborate, you will be vindicated. Matatanggal na ang mantsa sa reputasyon mo. In exchange..."

"Alaric and the majority bloc will have the perfect ammunition to impeach Castiel," tuloy ni Lavinia na may kasamang buntong-hininga. "Thanks to his recent actions, Avi and the other SALVo chairpersons are not inclined to help him out this time. Baka maging unanimous ang boto ng LEXECOM na ipa-impeach siya."

"Then Alaric becomes acting president," bulong ko sabay iling. The mere thought of it made me shudder.

"Masisikmura ba 'yon ng mga taga-SALVo?" tanong ni Valeria kay Lavinia. "Do they want to see an AEGIS officer take back power?"

Napakibit-balikat siya. "It depends who they dislike more: Alaric or Castiel? Maybe they can tolerate Alaric as acting president since it's only temporary."

"But what if Priam doesn't wake up again? Or what if umabot hanggang end ng academic year bago siya magising?" tanong ni Rowan. Lahat kami'y nalingon sa kaniya. Sinamaan siya ng tingin ni Valeria. Napatampal tuloy sa bibig ang lalaki. "Sorry, that came across as insensitive."

Masakit mang i-entertain ang possibility na 'yon, may punto pa rin siya. If Priam doesn't wake up soon or doesn't wake up at all... Hay, naku! Bakit biglang sumagi 'yon sa isip ko? Dapat positive thoughts only!

"It's too risky to give Alaric the presidency even if temporary." Umiling-iling si Valeria habang napapalatak. "Kapag pinalitan niya si Castiel, mawawalan na ng checks and balances. He will have full control of the USC and the LEXECOM. He will be the most powerful student on campus."

"I wish we can control Avi and her party, but they have a mind of their own." Muling napabuntong-hininga si Lavinia, mas malalim ang pinanghugutan this time. "They can listen to us, but they're not obligated to follow us."

"Teka!" Nagtaas ako ng kamay na parang may recitation. "Can they do another impeachment trial just one month after the first one?"

"Walang cooling period ang impeachment attempts," paliwanag ni Sabrina. Lumingon ako sa kaniya at napansing nakapatong ang isang laptop sa mga hita niya. As usual, kanina pa siya abala sa kaniyang device. "Puwede silang mag-initiate agad basta may probable cause na makita."

Napakamot ako ng ulo. Bakit ba mas pinakomplikado ni Castiel ang sitwasyon namin? Suspending three of his officers and directly attacking Alaric might not be impeachable dahil nasa kapangyarihan niya 'yon. Pero 'tong pag-amin niya sa blackmail? That might do him in! If he only kept his mouth shut, wala sana kaming pinoproblema ngayon at wala rin siyang poproblemahin.

"Ano'ng magiging response mo?" Tumayo na si Rowan sabay pagpag sa likod ng pantalon niya bago lumapit kay Valeria. "You can choose not to say anything, but you know what they say. Silence means yes... or guilt."

"Kung hindi maiipit ang status ni Castiel, maganda sanang opportunity ito para malinis ang pangalan ni Val." Umalis na si Lavinia mula sa pagkakasandal at lumapit din sa ex-vice president. "Kaso alin mang action ang piliin natin, paniguradong may impact sa atin o sa kaniya."

Ano ba talaga ang pakay ng lalaking 'yon? Gusto ba talaga niyang bigyan ng sakit ng ulo ang kaniyang sarili? O baka naman... Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. Maybe that's it!

"I have an idea why Castiel did that stunt," bulalas ko. Sabay-sabay silang lumingon sa 'kin, nakatitig na parang isa akong prey na na-corner ng predators. "Maybe he wants to clear Val's name and reputation, so he's coming clean about his involvement."

Nagpalitan ng tingin sina Valeria at Lavinia, 'tapos sina Valeria at Rowan.

"I don't think na nasisiraan na siya ng bait kaya ginagawa niya 'to," dagdag ko habang palakad-lakad nang mabagal sa stage. "He suspended the three of you para 'di kayo madamay sa mga susunod niyang desisyon. He confessed being the mastermind of the coercion para malinis ang pangalan ni Val. If you think about it, he's trying to do you four a favor."

"But there must be another way!" Bahagyang lumakas ang boses ni Valeria. Pinakalma muna niya ang sarili bago nagpatuloy. "The Cas that I know is careful to the extreme. He won't leave any hints that he's involved in a scheme. But this Cas? He's too reckless."

"He's on a path to self-destruction," dugtong ko. "No'ng nakausap ko siya sa ospital, sinabihan niya akong 'wag makialam sa mga balak niya. His mind is focused on just one goal: taking down Alaric Esteban. He will stop at nothing to make it happen."

"If he hadn't suspended us, we might have been able to advise him appropriately," komento ni Lavinia. "Hindi hahantong sa ganito ang sitwasyon. Ang dating sa 'kin ay parang masokista siya. He wants to carry all the pain and burden."

If Priam were here, Castiel probably wouldn't have done things this way. Maybe if Priam was here, maitutuwid pa ang landas na tinatahak ni Castiel. Only he had that power and influence. Pero hangga't wala pa siya rito, kami muna ang mag-aasikaso sa kaibigan niya. Parang babysitters kami at ang baby ay si Castiel.

Yam, please wake up. We need you.

"So!" Pumalakpak nang isang beses si Rowan. Napaangat ang magkabilang balikat ko at nagawi ang aking tingin sa kaniya. "It looks like we have to align our response with his confession. What else can you confirm?"

"Cas came up with the plan to coerce Chevy, and Alaric gave us a way out," kuwento ni Valeria. "Kapag nag-resign kami ni Priam, hindi na niya itutuloy ang pagsasampa ng impeachment complaint at hahayaan niya kaming bumaba nang walang bahid ang reputasyon namin."

"That's it!" Napaturo sa kaniya si Rowan. "Just tell them the truth and we have nothing to worry about—"

"But Cas didn't ask me to take responsibility for it," putol ni Valeria. "He even asked me to throw him under the bus during my turn at the witness stand. Hindi ako sumunod sa plano niya at ako mismo ang umako sa responsabilidad."

"Uh-oh." Tatlong beses na napapalatak si Rowan. "Mas magiging komplikado ang narrative kapag idinagdag mo 'yan."

"So Val has to lie about it?" tanong ko.

"Val doesn't have to lie." Marahan ang pag-iling niya. "She doesn't need to make up some story. She just needs to omit the part about Cas wanting to take responsibility. Hindi dapat umikot sa kanilang dalawa ang narrative. Dapat i-focus natin 'yon kay—"

"—Alaric." Ako na ang tumapos sa gusto niyang sabihin. "Okay lang ba sa 'yo na gawin 'yon, Val?"

Mariin siyang tumango. "As long as I don't have to lie, I'm fine with it. Enough nang nagsinungaling ako no'ng inako ko ang pamba-blackmail kay Chevy."

Because of what Castiel said, mukhang mababawasan na ang bigat sa dibdib na dala ni Valeria. I couldn't tell if her lie at the impeachment trial was haunting her, pero mabuti nang mailabas niya ang katotohanan at umaliwalas na ang kaniyang pakiramdam. Carrying that burden throughout her college life wouldn't be healthy anyway.

"Sab," humarap sa kaniya si Rowan, "can you write a script for Val—"

"I'm already on it," mabilis na sagot ni Sabrina. Nakayuko pa rin siya sa kaniyang laptop at patuloy ang pagta-type sa keyboard nito. Nag-reflect sa mga lente ng salamin niya ang liwanag mula ro'n. "Habang nag-uusap kayo, tine-take note ko na ang ibang detalye. Just give me five to ten minutes."

"If you're already on it, then we have nothing to worry about anymore," nakangising sabi ni Rowan.

Gaya ng ibinigay na estimate ni Sabrina, natapos niya ang script sa loob ng limang minuto. It didn't need to be long since it's only a confirmation and some additional details sa sinabi ni Cas. Lumapit siya sa 'min para ipakita ang naka-display sa screen niya. Three short paragraphs lang ang laman.

Kinuha ni Rowan mula sa kaniya ang laptop. Nang mapangiti at mapa-thumbs up siya, ipinasa niya 'yon kay Valeria. She read it silently while mouthing every word. Napatango siya matapos magbasa.

"So how are we going to let everyone know about Val's response?" tanong ni Lavinia pagkatapos i-check ang script. "Will we just send it to the reporters and call it a day?"

Umiling si Rowan habang hinuhugot ang phone mula sa bulsa. "Castiel put on a show to expose it. We might as well do the same. I'm gonna go live on SchoolBuzz and stream Val as she gives her statement." Ikinaway muna niya 'yon bago nag-tap nang paulit-ulit sa screen nito.

"If you're gonna go live, better kung maganda ang lighting at background," suhestiyon ko matapos igala ang tingin sa paligid. "Medyo madilim dito sa audi. Baka isipin ng mga manonood sa 'yo na magbabasa ng horror story si Val."

Dinala ko sila sa backstage kung saan mas maliwanag. I drew the curtains covering the windows para pumasok ang natural light. Pinaharap namin si Valeria sa bintana para 'di against the light ang kuha sa kaniya. Hawak ni Sabrina ang laptop na nagsilbing teleprompter. Tumayo kami ni Lavinia sa likod ng secretary para 'di kami sagabal sa frame at anggulo.

"I've already informed our friends in the campus press," anunsiyo ni Rowan habang inaayos ang anggulo ng front at back camera niya. "Are you ready, Val?"

Tumango ang ex-vice president matapos huminga nang malalim. Inayos niya ang kaniyang bangs at ponytail.

"Ako muna ang mag-i-intro, 'tapos ibabato ko sa 'yo, okay? Going live in three, two, one." Naka-front camera muna ang phone ni Rowan. "Good afternoon, fellow Elysians! This is your currently suspended Public Information Officer Rowan Oronce. Napanood n'yo ba ang live interview kay Acting President Castiel Seville? Shocking, 'no?"

I also checked his livestream on my phone. Siniguro kong naka-low ang volume para 'di ma-pick up ng stream ni Rowan.

"Actually, kasama ko ngayon si Valeria Encarnacion, ang ating former vice president at isa sa mga pangalan na nabanggit ng acting president sa interview kanina," dugtong niya. "Dahil nadamay ang pangalan niya at maraming humihingi ng comment mula sa kaniya—hello nga pala sa mga kaibigan namin sa campus press!—naisipan naming magsagawa ng livestream para i-address ang issue. Here's our ex-VP."

Pinindot niya ang switch camera key. Mukha na ni Valeria ang nasa screen. She cleared her throat bago nagsimula.

"Good afternoon, my fellow Elysians," bati niya. "I'm Valeria Encarnacion, the former vice president of the USC. I want to speak to you directly about the acting president mentioning my name during his interview with The Herald."

Heto na.

Nag-pause muna siya nang two seconds bago nagpatuloy. "What Acting President Seville said is true. He's the one who came up with the idea to coerce Chevy into voting in favor of the Freedom of Information bill in exchange for not making public the findings of our internal investigation on the Fabienne Lucero defamation incident."

Sandali akong naiwas ng tingin. Sumagi na naman sa isip ko ang ginawa ni Castiel, maging ang masasakit na salitang ibinato sa 'kin at ang opportunities na muntik nang mawala sa 'kin. May kaunting kirot pa rin hanggang ngayon.

"It's true that Alaric Esteban, the majority leader and the CBA-CSC chairperson, knew about the blackmail weeks before the impeachment trial. It's also true that he attempted to leverage that information by asking us to step down in exchange for not filing an impeachment complaint. He framed it as giving Priam and me the opportunity to gracefully step aside rather than face a harsh trial."

Kung nanonood man si Alaric, he must be sweating a lot right now! Ewan kung in-expect ba ni Castiel na ganito ang magiging response ni Valeria, but this must be playing along with his plan. Take note: This was uncoordinated at all!

"I have nothing to gain from this admission," dagdag ni Valeria. "I won't return to my position as VP, nor will I ask to be reappointed. I'm satisfied with being an ordinary student. All I want is for the truth to come out. That's all I have to say."

Muling sinwitch ni Rowan ang camera pabalik sa kaniya. "I know some of you may have questions, but the ex-VP won't be entertaining any right now. You can reach out to me, and I will forward your queries. Thank you for watching and enjoy the rest of the afternoon!"

The livestream finally ended. Nakahinga na kami nang maluwag. I only stood there and watched, pero parang kasama ako sa nagbigay ng statement. Nanghina ang mga tuhod ni Valeria at bigla siyang napaupo sa sahig. Agad siyang inalalayan ni Lavinia. Ipinatong naman ni Sabrina ang kaniyang laptop sa mesa, mukhang nangawit ang mga braso sa kahahawak n'on. Only Rowan seemed perfectly fine dahil sanay na siya sa ganito.

"Now what?" Napabuga ng hangin si Valeria bago bumaling sa 'min. "Do you think we did the right thing?"

"You told them the truth," sagot ni Rowan na may kasamang malawak na ngiti. "You can't go wrong with it."

"Let's wait for Alaric's response," sabi ni Lavinia. "The ball is in his court now."

May hinala ako sa direksiyon ng plano ni Castiel, pero 'di ko maaninag ang eksaktong destinasyon nito. How would it end? Ano pa bang gimik ang pinaplano niya? Meron pa ba siyang gagawin na mas ikagugulat namin?

The answer might be revealed to us in the coming days.

♕

NEXT UPDATE: Our favorite Herald reporter asks the embattled tiger about the recent revelations.