[THE QED FOUR REUNITED by chiire_dumo]

LORELEI

"JAMIE WAS working for Moriarty, and Loki already knew about it?" Alistair asked, sipping from his canned soda. "I knew that something was strange about that girl. My hunch was right all along."

He wasn't that surprised, huh? Weeks ago, he told me that Jamie was hiding something. It turned out that he was right. The confrontation two nights ago revealed where Jamie's original allegiance lie.

"Hindi na ako nagulat na alam na ni Loki ang katotohanan," Al lowered his gaze at me. "He's always one step ahead of everyone. But he should have told you about what he knew, so you wouldn't feel left out. He may have his own reason, but still..."

Matagal na akong naghahanap ng makakausap tungkol sa isyung 'to. I'm glad that Al is back to hear me out. I always had this conversation with myself in my mind, thinking if my reaction was too much or justified.

"Loki trusts Jamie despite everything," I added, recalling what he told me earlier. "And he said that we should trust her too. She shared an intel about Augustus channeling some funds from the Clarion to Moriarty's organization. And that's what we are going to work with."

"If Jamie remains loyal to Loki's archnemesis, given the information she provided, isn't she risking too much?" Al asked, throwing his empty can of soda into the trash bin. "Augustus is one of Moriarty's pillars and if we manage to take him down, Moriarty's stage is an inch closer to collapsing. The narrative suits well with her trying to get revenge over her brother's death."

Pababa na kami papunta sa execom office, kung saan ang meeting place naming apat. I was expecting Loki to be surprised to see that Al is back in action. And Jamie, as well.

"After everything that happened, I'm still suspicious of everything around me," I said. "I told her that I have already forgiven her, but why do I still doubt her? Loki doesn't seem to share the same view."

"Our relationship with some people is like a mirror with a crack," Al remarked, smiling back at the student who beamed at him. "We can either focus on the crack that ruins a seemingly perfect image, or on the reflection that shows us the bigger picture. Let's give Jamie the benefit of the doubt. This is her shot at redemption. If she misses it, then it's going to be her loss."

My childhood friend was right. I should focus on the good, not the bad. As Loki put it earlier, trust what Jamie is, not what Jamie was. I hope I could. Susubukan ko.

We skipped our way down to the stairs. The clock has already struck twelve and it's time for our rendezvous at the ground floor. Nagkaroon lang ng maliit na problema. Sa tuwing may makakasabay kaming estudyante na may hawak na magazine, tinatawag nila kami para magpa-autograph. We couldn't say no to them so we entertained them on our way down. Nasa mahigit benteng estudyante siguro ang nagpapirma ng kanilang copy.

Leaning his back on the wall, Loki was already waiting for us in front of the execom office. Arms crossed, he was tapping his finger on the elbow impatiently. Mukhang hindi siya nagkaproblema sa mga nagpapa-autograph sa kanya.

"Sorry, we are late." It was already fifteen minutes past twelve o'clock.

Loki turned his head to my direction. Napabalikwas siya ng tayo nang makita si Al sa tabi ko. There was a slight change on his facial expression. His flat-lined lips curved slightly, a few centimeters maybe. Well, I wasn't expecting him to jump around and sing in glee that Al is back. His reaction was okay.

"You lost ten pounds," Loki stood face to face with my childhood friend.

"And you gained five or seven," Al surveyed him from head to shoes.

"I see the therapy hasn't muddled your sense of humor," Loki chuckled awkwardly, his left eyebrow inched upward.

"No, I meant what I said," Al flashed his dazzling smile. "Mas nagkalaman ka ngayon kumpara noong huli tayong nagkita sa hospital room ko. Your cheekbones aren't as sharp as before."

I bit my lower lip, trying to suppress my laughter. Loki glared at me with a look that begs the question, "What's funny?" That was one of the rare occassions where he has run out of witty comebacks. Not once did I observe him being conscious about gaining weight.

"Blame my mother for forcing me to eat too much rice," Loki muttered. "Anyway, glad to see you back to the club. Though there's no longer any club to speak of. Thanks to my dad, we lost our humble fortress in this vast wilderness of stupidity and madness."

"Lori told me as much," Al tossed me a look. "But we can still work things out. I heard that you plan on joining the executive committee?"

"Not the worst idea in the world, I know," Loki said, glancing at the door to his right. "We need access to some official documents, and the execom might show us the way."

"My God! Alistair?!"

That shocked, singsong voice could only come from one person that we know. Meters from where we stood, Jamie stood frozen like a statue, her hands clapped over her mouth. Nagmadali siyang tumakbo papunta sa amin pero bigla siyang hinarang ng ilang estudyante. They were shoving their copies of magazine to her face, asking for an autograph. Since this was another moment in the spotlight, Jamie obliged to their request.

"Did anyone bug you about signing their magazines?" I tore my gaze from Jamie and looked at Loki.

"Lots of them," he spoke with contempt. "I don't understand why these students are so keen on having their copies signed. I bet my liver and kidney that they haven't read the full article. They only looked at the photos on how we perfectly looked as Holmes' disciples."

"Tinakbuhan mo sila?"

"Yes, but only after I threw a smoke bomb at them," Loki answered, smiling with an eerie satisfaction on his face. "Oh, don't look at me as if I have committed a crime. It's improvised! I went to the new chemistry lab earlier, got some sodium nitrate and sugar, and mixed them on a frying pan. It's like baking cookies! Though I have never baked one. I don't know if I used the perfect analogy, but you know what I mean."

"He may have gained some weight, but he's still the Loki that we know," I whispered to Al so the subject of our discussion wouldn't hear us. My friend giggled.

"Say that again, Lorelei," Loki demanded, but I ignored him.

The crowd dispersed, and Jamie was finally free to go. She launched herself into Al and hugged him as I did in the classroom. Al was caught off guard.

"We miss you, Al!" she almost cried in joy. Pinunasan niya ang nangilid na luha sa kanyang mga mata. She genuinely missed our friend, I could see it in her eyes. Kumalas siya mula sa pagkakayakap at tinitigan ang kasama namin ng ilang segundo. "Pumayat ka nga talaga. Hospital food must be so horrible!"

"I miss eating real food, to be honest," Al chortled.

"Don't worry! Papakain ka namin ng masarap na pagkain!" Jamie patted him on the shoulders.

"By the way, I have already briefed Al about what happened when he wasn't around," I told Jamie. Sandali kaming nagkapalitan ng tingin. Ilang beses na kumurap ang mga mata niya bago niya naintindihan ang sinabi ko.

Jamie took a step back, looking embarrassed. "Oh, so you know that—"

Al nodded.

"And the thing about—"

Again, Al gave her a nod.

"Perfect!" Jamie clapped her hands, her mood back to being jolly. I was expecting her to be slightly ashamed of the lies that she fed to us, but the opposite happened. "I trust that my friend Lori told you every bit about our little affair. I hope that you understand why I did what I did."

Oh, dropping the f-word casually? Kalma lang, Lori. Remember what Al said. Give Jamie the benefit of the doubt.

"I do, of course," tumango si Al na sinabayan niya ng malawak na ngiti. He always understands. That's one quality that makes him a better man than most of his kind. "We always do things for a reason, whatever that reason may be."

"Dapat mag-celebrate tayo dahil buo na naman ang QED Four!" Jamie sang out. "To formally welcome Alistair's return! Parang 'yong celebration natin noong bumalik na si Loki matapos siyang ma-suspend."

"Fun times," Loki commented. He must be talking about his weeks-long suspension, not the party we threw for him.

"But we no longer a clubroom," I reminded her. Just in case she has forgotten already.

"We can do it in the cafeteria!" she suggested. She would never give up on the party idea. "I can convince the manager to lend us their function room. You know me, I always get what I want."

With a seductive wink and charming smile. That's Jamie for you.

"I, too, would like to—what's the phrase again?—throw a party in celebration of Alistair's comeback," Loki gestured to our returning member. He never liked parties. He despised them! Or maybe he has changed already. "But let us deal with the situation at hand first."

"The party can wait," Al agreed.

"As you know by now, we are joining the student executive committee," Loki announced, putting his hands behind his back. "We may not have the autonomy that we used to enjoy in the QED Club, but our affiliation with them will open doors for us. The worst part of it is that we might need to work under my brother Luthor."

"I don't think that's the worst part," I argued.

"Wait until he asks us to find a lamb or a newly born baby as sacrifice to his friends on the other side," Loki quipped. I thought he was joking, but maybe he wasn't. His tone was dead serious, keeping up with his recurring stance that his brother was evil incarnate. "First, we need to get past the gatekeeper: Margarette Fernandez. Pray that she doesn't throw a chair at me."

He was about to knock on the office door, but the door itself was swung inwards. Margarette's gleaming spectacles greeted us, as well as the annoyance sketched across her face. Last time I saw her was when she visited Al in the hospital and delivered the news about the QED Club's disbandment.

"Hello, Margarette," Loki greeted in his casual monotonous voice. "We are here to accept—"

"Hello, fat Loki," Maggie giggled with a suppressed smile. "Mukhang tumaba ka talaga, ah?"

If Loki has developed a habit of making fun of Luthor, Maggie hasn't missed an opportunity to mock Loki. Remember the time when she called him a "magnet of tragedies"? Well, that was partly true.

Their relationship was more complicated than trading barbs. Maggie was Rhea's bestfriend and the two had a bond stronger than any friendships in the world. She must still be blaming Loki for her friend's death, hence the jabs every now and then.

"Tumaba nga si Loki pero bagay naman sa kanya," bulong ni Jamie.

Recovering from the verbal barb, Loki took a deep breath. I could tell he wasn't expecting that kind of insult. "You were listening to our conversation? And by the way, you may have used the word 'fat' in the wrong context. I may have gained a few pounds but that doesn't mean that I am fat. Should we consult dear old Merriam?"

"No need," Maggie shook her head, looking pleased. "Sorry, our office isn't sound-proof. I can't help but hear your nonsense babblings outside. Oh, congratulations on the magazine feature, by the way. You are now campus celebrities. Have you googled 'how to handle fame' already?"

"Nope," Loki enunciated the word slowly. "Perhaps the execom would benefit from our fame."

"Come in." Maggie opened the door wide, letting us in. There was something in the way that she looked at Jamie. The resemblance with her late friend must be too uncanny for her to simply ignore it.

The executive committee's office was as large as the student council's room. The circular table at the center reminded me of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I don't know who the king is—Professor Morayta or Luthor, pick between the two—but certainly the execom officers were the knights.

We have been here before, when Professor Morayta invited us for a chat. He revealed during that meeting that he's the adviser of the execom and he was tasked by the school administration to put an end to the Moriarty case. We somehow agreed to work with each other in taking down the young mastermind's organization.

"Just to be clear, I do not want you to be here." Maggie folded her arms, looking at each of us with her scrutinizing eyes. "But our adviser wants to adopt you as if you were some abandoned kittens after you lost your home. He believes that this cooperation will help us solve the Moriarty case faster."

"Oh, he's right about that," Loki said, dragging one of the chairs, but Maggie stopped it with her right foot. The tension in the room turned up to eleven, with the two locked in a staring contest.

"I haven't given you the permission to take your seats," she spoke slowly. Lumipat sa amin ang kanyang tingin. "Kung gusto n'yong maging part ng execom, kailangan n'yong irespeto ang hierarchy ng grupong 'to. In this room, I am the one who calls the shots. And I don't care if you are the former members of a premiere detective club or campus celebrities. My castle, my rules."

Silently Loki pushed the chair back to its position. He could have fired back, but that would jeopardize whatever plan he had in mind. Wala rin kaming nagawa kundi tumango dahil una sa lahat, wala kaming karapatang magreklamo. She is the chairwoman of the execom. We couldn't argue with that.

Hinila ni Maggie ang drawer sa katabi niyang lateral cabinet at inilabas ang isang folder. She took out pieces of paper and distributed them to us. "First things first. Once you sign the membership forms, you will become official members of the student executive committee. Anong ibig sabihin no'n, Loki?"

"That we are under your command," Loki answered politely.

"Right," Maggie nodded, enjoying the taste of power-tripping her new subordinates. "At wala kayong gagawin na kahit anong bagay na hindi muna ako kinokonsulta, maliwanag? Old habits die hard, I know. Kung anong ginagawa n'yo sa QED Club, hindi n'yo na basta-basta magagawa rito. Everything has to be approved by me. Understood?"

"Understood." We nodded. We knew in our hearts that's going to be a problem, lalo na kay Loki. He has a knack for doing whatever he wants just to solve a case.

"Good," Maggie said, motioning to the chairs. "You may now take your seats."

Sabay-sabay naming hinila ang mga monobloc chair at inupuan ang mga ito. Maggie was watching us with her perusing eyes as we wrote down our answers. Once done, we handed back the papers to her. She checked them one by one to see if the required fields were filled.

"Well, welcome to the executive committee," she greeted, forcing a smile. "I will have your forms noted by Professor Morayta and you will be given the exclusive execom collar pins. Just like mine."

"So what's going to be our first case?" Loki asked, rubbing his palms together. "Or assignment, if that's what you call what you do here. We are so excited to start as members of your committee. See how Alistair passionately got out of his hospital bed just to work for you?"

Nawindang si Al nang madamay ang kanyang pangalan. He got out of hospital because he recovered from his injuries and the comatose.

"What's the rush?" Maggie asked, her eyebrows knotted over the nose. "Kaka-apply n'yo pa lang sa committee na 'to. You might want to relax and savor a few moments of being accepted here."

"Pagpasensyahan mo na si Loki dear, workaholic kasi siya," palusot ni Jamie. "Back in the QED Club, hindi siya mapakali nang walang case na isino-solve bawat araw."

"It's not about me, it's about Alistair!" Loki pointed his finger theatrically at my friend. "Do you want to ruin his first day back in school by not giving him anything to do? He woke up this morning just for this moment! Who knows? He woke up from his coma because he was eager to work for you!"

The smile plastered across Al's lips was awkward. Hindi ko alam kung bumabawi lang itong si Loki matapos siyang sabihan na tumaba siya. Or it could be his usual playful side. I couldn't tell which.

Maggie gently massaged her temples. "I knew you would give me headache on your first day."

"If you can't give us any task, how about we propose an assignment for us to do?" Loki suggested, looking at me sideways. Mukhang balak na niyang sabihin ang imbestigasyon namin sa Clarion. "Fair enough?"

Maggie sucked in a breath, rolling her eyes. "Okay, let me hear what you've got."

"Okay, but I'm going to pass the mic to Lorelei," Loki replied, jerking his thumb to my direction.

My forehead creased as I shot him with the "why me" look. He intentionally avoided my gaze. Ilang segundong nakatuon sa akin ang tingin ni Maggie kaya napilitan na akong magsalita.

"Does the execom have the power to review student organizations?" I started after clearing my throat. I thought that I shouldn't get directly to the point. I needed to establish the grounds for the investigation first.

"Of course, we conduct audit on both mandated and non-mandated clubs," Maggie answered. "Why ask?"

"Meron sana kaming gusto i-audit na organization." I was treading lightly so as not to botch the operation. "We want to check their financial reports to see if there are any irregularities."

"And what org are you talking about?"

I took a deep breath slowly as her stare lingered at me. "Clark Clarion. Our official student publication."

Maggie wasn't expecting that, I saw it in her face. Hindi siya kaagad nakasagot, parang pino-process niya muna ang sinabi ko.

"Yes, we have a review power on student organizations, but our student publication is on a different level," she spoke after a minute of silence and contemplation.

"How is the Clarion different?" Loki started in an annoyed tone, but he ended in a respectful one. "If you don't mind me asking?"

"The Clarion enjoys fiscal autonomy in the way they spend their budget, as long as they provide the necessary reports," Maggie explained, pacing around the table. "Kung magsasagawa ang execom—ang kanang kamay ng student council—ng full-scale review sa mga gastusin nila, they might see it as an affront to their editorial independence. They might view it as the student government's way of trying to intimidate them."

"Kung wala silang itinatago, wala silang dapat ikatakot, 'di ba?" tanong ni Jamie. "They should be open to being reviewed. Hindi sila untouchable sa Clark High."

For a moment or two, Maggie stared at Jamie reminiscingly. She must be having flashbacks of her moments with her late friend Rhea. She coughed as she went on. "Ideally, that should be the case. But once they find out that we are auditing them, they might publish an editorial condemning our actions. As much as possible, ayaw ng student council na magkaroon ng rift sa pagitan nila at ng Clarion editorial board."

"If there's any discrepancy in the financial reports, are you saying that we should just turn a blind eye?" Al asked. "How do we make all student organizations accountable kung mayroong untouchable sa kanila?"

"No student organization is untouchable, not even the student council or the execom," Maggie answered firmly. "I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm saying it's complicated. Why do you want to review their expenditures in the first place?"

"We have received a reliable intel that a portion of the Clarion's budget is being funneled into another channel," I replied, shooting a sideward glance at Jamie. "Moriarty's organization."

The mere mention of that group made Maggie shiver. She sat on table and leaned forward, closer to me. "Who gave you this reliable intel? And how did this person get hold of this information?"

"Nah, we can't reveal that," Loki interrupted, shaking his head. "We have to protect the identity of our sources. Telling you might endanger that person. There might be a mole in this committee."

"Let me remind you that you are now working under me." Maggie got to her feet, her figure casting shadow over the four of us. "Kung gusto n'yong i-consider ko ang proposal n'yo, kailangan n'yong maging transparent sa akin. We cannot work with hearsays. That can diminish the integrity of the committee. And I cannot allow that to happen."

Nagkatinginan kaming apat. I understand why Loki refused to reveal that the source is Jamie. Kapag sinabi namin kay Maggie na sa kasama namin nanggaling ang intel, the execom might dig deeper. How did Jamie know about that piece of information? How was she connected to the organization? Surely it would create a friction between us and the execom. They couldn't allow someone who was aligned with the enemy to work with them.

"And I cannot also risk the identity of our source," Loki stood his ground. "Too much is at stake here."

"Proposal denied then," Maggie declared, walking toward the lateral cabinet. "May naisip na akong ipagawa sa inyo. Dahil excited na kayong mag-start bilang execom members, let me assign the most difficult case on our plate."

Binuhat niya ang isang kahon at maingat na inilapag ito sa pabilog na mesa. We stared curiously at it, wondering what its contents may be. Was it a severed head? An improvised explosive device? The list was endless.

"Let me present to you the Case of the Mysterious Papers!" Maggie tapped the box lid twice. "I don't know if you've already heard, but we have an upcoming event this Friday. My officers found this box lying around in the campus and addressed to us."

"A case..." Loki's eyes sparkled with joy. He probably missed solving cases in Clark High. Matagal-tagal na rin mula nang may tinanggap kaming kaso. "This will do. To ease our boredom."

"Have you opened the box?" Al asked, his eyes still fixated on the object before us. "Was it booby-trapped?"

"Luckily, walang hidden contraption sa kahon. Just a bunch of papers, hence the name," Maggie answered. "My officers tried to solve the mystery, but they are too busy running errands. I thought that this might intellectually challenge you."

"We will have this mystery solved before the sun sets today!" Loki rejoiced. The glint of happiness in his eyes was something I couldn't miss.

"You came at the perfect moment." Maggie fixed her eyeglasses, smirking. "So are you up for the challenge?"

"Of course!" Loki answered. We followed with a soft "yes."

"Very well..." Maggie pulled four pairs of scissors from the drawer and placed them on the table. "Use these. Masyadong matalim ang blade ng mga 'yan. Mag-ingat kayo sa paghawak."

Enthusiastic, Loki removed the lid of the box and checked its contents. His unusual smile faded into a frown, his eyebrows almost forming a straight line. Nagkatinginan kami nina Al at Jamie, nagtataka kung bakit nag-iba ang facial expression niya. Tiningnan namin kung ano ang nasa loob ng box. Was the mystery too much for him to handle?

"Crepe paper?" Jamie muttered, taking out three pieces of paper in red, blue and green color.

Ipinakita rin sa akin ni Al ang mga nakuha niyang makukulay na papel.

Loki rummaged into the box, trying to look for something. But all he had in his hands were the same colored papers.

"What are we supposed to do with this trash?" he asked.

"Those were unused crepe papers from the past student councils," Maggie explained. She was holding back her laughter, I could see it! "I want you to cut those paper into pieces and make confetti."

"And why are we making confetti? Can't you just buy some in a stationery shop?" Loki protested, his shoulders rising.

"Oh, it's your brother's call, not mine!" Maggie smirked. "Ayaw niyang gumastos sa mga bagay na itatapon din pagkatapos ng event. His solution? Gumawa ng confetti gamit ang mga lumang crepe paper. Also, if you can make an improvised smoke bomb, maybe you can also create an improvised party-popper? That will save us hundreds of pesos."

"But this isn't a case!"

"Am I hearing a complaint?"

"No," Loki backed down.

"Good," Maggie nodded, reaching for the door. "Ine-expect kong matatapos kayong manggupit ng confetti bago lumubog ang araw. Loki proudly announced that he will have this case solved before the sun sets. See you later!"

As the door closed, Loki muttered, "Joining the execom might be the worst idea ever! We are supposed to be solving cases, not making confetti!"

"Who said earlier that this is not the worst idea in the world?" I reminded him.

q.e.d.