CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter may contain content that might be troubling to some readers, including, but not limited to, depictions of and references to death, self-harm and suicide, graphic violence, sexual assault, strong language and more.

Please be mindful of these sensitive themes and other possible triggers. Remember to practice self-care before, during and after reading.

LORELEI

QED'S PATH TO FAME?
Victims, suspect claim deceit
by Zoey Bernardo

THAT HEADLINE alone was enough to diminish our club's credibility. Kaya pala pinagtinginan kami ng ilang estudyante kanina. They knew our faces. They knew that we're part of the QED Club!

"Kahit anumang nakasulat sa article, naniniwala pa rin ako sa QED Club!" sabi ni Rosetta habang nakatitig pa rin sa headline "Baka nagkamali ang writer nito o baka nagsinungaling ang mga in-interview niya. Ako mismo, witness kung paano n'yo kami tinulungan doon sa haunted building case—"

Hinablot ni Loki ang diyaryo mula sa kaniya bago naglakad palayo. "Call Jamie and Alistair. Ask them to meet with us as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Rosie. That means a lot," paalam ko sa aking classmate bago sinundan ang kasama ko. "Paki-inform si ma'am na baka ma-late akong pumasok sa homeroom session natin. Pakisabi may emergency!"

"Sure! Ako na'ng bahala, Lori. Ingat kayo!"

Inilabas ko ang aking phone at cinontact ang dalawa pang member namin. Darating daw sila within ten minutes. Binilisan ko rin ang aking lakad at sinubukang sabayan ang maliliksi at malalaking hakbang ni Loki.

Zoey Bernardo wrote the damaging article, but only one person in Clark High could be behind this attack: Augustus Moran, the editor-in-chief and one of Moriarty's generals!

Lumiko kami sa hallway at umakyat sa hagdanan. Pinagtinginan pa rin kami ng mga estudyanteng may hawak na latest issue ng student publication namin. Karamihan sa kanila'y hindi nagbabasa ng diyaryo. Pero dahil kontrobersiyal ang nasa front page nito, malamang ay na-curious sila kaya naisipan nilang kumuha ng kopya.

Napahinto kami ni Loki nang nakarating sa tapat ng clubroom. May mga graffiti sa pinto kung saan nakasulat ang mga salitang "LIARS! FRAUD! FAMEWHORE!" Nang iginala ko ang aking tingin sa paligid, nagsitakbuhan palayo ang mga estudyanteng may hawak-hawak na balde ng pintura.

First, the news against the club. Now, the graffiti. What a good way to ruin our morning!

Kumuyom ang mga kamao ni Loki habang nakatitig sa mga salitang isinulat sa pader. Bilang club founder, siguradong masakit para sa kaniya na madungisan ang reputasyon niya dahil sa kasinungalingan. Ilang buwan ko na siyang nakasama. Ako mismo ang magpapatunay na totoo ang lahat ng mga kasong na-solve niya noon at sinolve namin ngayon.

"The clubroom isn't safe," sabi niya bago siya nagtungo sa hagdanan. Dumistansiya ako nang kaunti dahil ramdam kong nag-iinit na siya sa galit. "Let's find a place where those piercing stares won't reach us. Tell Jamie and Alistair to meet us on the rooftop."

Sumunod ako sa kaniya sa taas matapos sabihan ang dalawa pang kasama namin. Pagdating doon, sinipa niya ang pinto na agad bumigay. Simula noong may nagtangkang magpakamatay rito, ginawang off-limits na ang lugar na ito sa mga estudyante.

Kung kanina'y maaraw pa, ngayo'y unti-unti nang kumukulimlim.

"So that's why Zoren asked us those questions yesterday!" Ibinato niya ang diyaryo sa sahig. "By the way, where's Jamie and Alistair? Aren't they on campus yet?"

Zoey, Loki, not Zoren. But it did not matter now.

"I've already told them to proceed to the rooftop and not the clubroom." Pinulot ko ang diyaryo at iniladlad 'yon para buong mabasa ang news article It started off with a lead about our club's success in closing cases on campus. And then . . .

THE QED Club has risen to prominence after saving Clark High from bomb threats. However, their credibility is now in question after some students came forward to reveal their scheme.

Founded in 2016 by then Grade 10 student Loki Mendez, the detective club has become the go-to place of students, teachers, and staff. Even the campus police has reportedly sought for their assistance in some cases.

Last week, the club received commendation from the student council for their heroic act in the bomb threat incident. They were also invited to grace the cover of the CLARION's magazine issue.

However, some students approached the CLARION and claimed that a couple of cases had been staged to catapult the club to fame.

Benjamin Tenorio, a Grade 10 student, said that he had been threatened by the club to strap a bomb to his body. He added that the incident was staged by the club to "make themselves look like heroes."

"Ayaw kong ma-involve sa kanilang plano, pero b-in-lackmail nila ako kaya wala akong nagawa kundi sumunod," Tenorio said. "Hindi raw ako dapat matakot na sumabog 'yong bomba kasi ililigtas ako ng kanilang dalawang kasama."

The two club members, identified by Tenorio as Lorelei Rios and Jamie Santiago, came to the library where they "rescued him from the threat."

"There's no way a bunch of high school students can deactivate a bomb," Tenorio added. "Kaya malakas ang kutob kong kasabwat ang dalawang babae sa plot na 'yon. They're in it together."

My goodness! How could he accuse us of staging the bomb threat? Mamutla-mutla pa siya't halos himatayin noong dine-defuse namin ang bomba sa katawan niya!

Huminga muna ako nang malalim para pakalmahin ang sarili ko. I moved on to the next paragraph where a familiar name popped up.

Varsity player Adonis Abellana supported Tenorio's claim against the club. He said the club president had asked him to blackmail some of his female friends with the use of sensitive photos.

"They went to my apartment to convince me. No'ng sinabi kong ayaw kong gawin 'yon, bigla akong inatake ng kanilang president. Tinapakan niya ako at halos durugin niya ang collarbone ko. Wala akong nagawa kundi sumunod," he recounted.

Abellana had his right shoulder checked after being attacked by Loki Mendez. His medical records showed that his collarbone was fractured.

That was not the first time Mendez had assaulted a student, according to a source who requested anonymity. He apparently has a "history of violence."

"Na-suspend na dati si Loki [Mendez] dahil sa pananadyak niya sa math prodigy natin. He made a claim that [Stein] Alberts was behind some crimes in our school. Ang tawag yata sa kaniya ay Moriarty."

Weeks ago, a video of a student being kicked repeatedly at the Diogenes Café went viral online. Witnesses have confirmed that Alberts is the victim and Mendez is the assailant. When asked for confirmation, Alberts declined to comment.

The CLARION has received reports about the existence of a person called "Moriarty," but no substantial evidence has surfaced so far—except the crimes being alleged to him. Even the campus police said that they are only relying on Mendez's words.

In an interview, Mendez insisted that the so-called criminal mastermind is real and not a figment of his imagination. He even cited the cases posted on Rios' blog as proof. When pressed for more questions, however, he asked us to cut the interview.

Mendez' fascination with detective novels must have affected his thinking and created an imaginary enemy . . .

Napatakip ako ng mukha habang pailing-iling ang ulo ko. Hindi ko na tinapos basahin ang buong article. The rest of it was nonsense, and its only purpose was to destroy our club's reputation.

"We should have taken Augustus' threat seriously," sabi ko kay Loki na kanina pa palakad-lakad sa harapan ko. "Nagmukha talaga tayong masama, oportunista, at delusyonal sa article."

"Their words against ours. But not everything in the article is false. They've mixed in some truth to make it appear credible," tugon niya habang nakatulala sa malayo. "So how do we survive this story?"

"Gaya nga ng sinabi mo, these are just words." Muli kong ipinakita sa kaniya ang front page. "Gaya ng sinabi ni Augustus kahapon, these are just air. Wala silang concrete evidence na magpapatunay na gawa-gawa natin ang lahat nito."

"They must have something else up their sleeves. Publishing that article with just quotes and no proofs may backfire terribly on Augustus. He won't shoot us with a blank—"

Our conversation was interrupted by two knocks on the door. With confused looks on their faces, Alistair and Jamie entered the rooftop. "What the hell is going on?" was written all over.

Wala ako sa mood magpaliwanag kaya ipinakita ko sa kanila ang kopya ng Clarion. Ilang beses na napataas ang mga kilay nila, napakunot ang mga noo, at napabuka ang bibig—kaparehong-kapareho ng mga reaksiyon ko kanina.

"This is crazy!" Muntikan nang pagpunit-punitin ni Jamie ang newspaper sa sobrang pagkainis, pero napigilan siya ni Alistair. "Puno ng kasinungalingan ang article na 'yan! 'Tapos pinaniwalaan 'yan ng mga estudyante?"

"Is this Augustus' response to our provocation yesterday?" Maayos na tinupi ni Alistair ang diyaryo. "The writer must have prepared that article long before your surprise visit. They could not have put it together within a day."

"Doesn't matter anymore." Marahang umiling si Loki. "The article's purpose is to discredit everything we've achieved so far and destroy our credibility. If the student body believed the Clarion's lies, who else would believe a single word that we say about Moriarty or him?"

"We need to issue a statement!" suhestiyon ni Jamie. "Kailangan nating sagutin ang mga alegasyon nila. Their words against ours! Tingnan natin kung sinong mas paniniwalaan ng mga tao."

"Hindi pa ba clear kung saan panig ang mga estudyante?" hirit ko. "Kung makatingin sila sa atin, parang may nagawa tayong krimen."

"I also don't think that's a good idea," dagdag ni Alistair. "Magmumukha tayong defensive. Mas paniniwalaan pa rin ng mga tao ang sinulat ni Zoey dahil mas matimbang ang salita ng mga source nila."

"We need to discredit their sources," sabi ni Loki. Huminto siya sa paglalakad nang nakatalikod sa amin. "They might have been coerced to say those words during the interview. Moriarty and his gang have grazed our cheeks, and we must stop the bleeding immediately before it gets worse."

"Paano natin madi-discredit ang kanilang sources?" tanong ko.

"We'll split into two." Humarap siya sa amin sabay turo sa akin at kay Jamie. "You two will talk to Ben Ten while Alistair and I will deal with Adolin. I'm sure that guy will be delighted to see me again."

"Don't do or say anything that our enemies can use against us," payo ko sa kaniya. "Kung sasaktan mo ulit si Adonis, lalong paniniwalaan ang sinabi niyang tinatakot mo siya para mapasunod sa gusto mo."

"There's no need to worry. Alistair will be there to stop me." Nilingunan niya ang kababata ko. "I still have a copy of Adolin's schedule so we know where we can find him. How about you?"

"Baka ipagtanong namin sa ibang taga-Grade 10."

"Let's do this."

Nilisan na namin ang rooftop, bumaba sa hagdanan, at nagkahiwa-hiwalay muna kami. Pumunta sa gymnasium sina Loki at Alistair dahil may morning training si Adonis doon habang kami ni Jamie ay pumunta sa second floor kung saan ang classroom ng target namin.

It was déjà vu working with her.

"Usually, I'll comment about how unlucky I am to be stuck with you," sabi ni Jamie habang nilalakad namin ang hallway. Ilang classroom ang nilagpasan namin at ilang estudyante ang napatingin sa amin. "But we're dealing with a bigger enemy here, kaya ceasefire muna tayo. Kapag nakita ko ang b*tch na 'yon, I'll slap her face so hard."

"Remember what I said earlier?" paalala ko sa kaniya. "Huwag magsalita o gumawa ng isang bagay na mas ikasasama natin."

"Yeah, whatever."

Nang nakarating kami sa mga classroom ng Grade 10 students, pinagtanong-tanong agad namin sa mga estudyante kung classmate nila si Benjamin Tenorio. Hindi pa nagri-ring ang school bell kaya hindi kami nahirapang makahanap ng mapagtatanungan. Pero iwas sa amin ang ilan sa kanila.

"Ben Tenorio?" tawag namin sa lalaking nagbabasa ng notes malapit sa railings. Napaharap siya sa amin at bahagyang nanlaki ang mga mata.

"Taga-QED Club kayong dalawa, 'di ba?" Isinara muna niya ang kaniyang binabasa. "May kailangan ba kayo?"

"About the article published in the Clarion. Na-mention mo kasi ang mga pangalan namin doon." Hindi na nagpaligoy-ligoy pa si Jamie. Medyo aggressive ang tono niya kaya siniko ko siya para paalalahanan. "Gusto naming malaman kung bakit ka nagsinungaling? Alam mong hindi kami ang naglagay ng bombang 'yon, 'di ba?"

"Nagsinungaling?" Napataas ang kanang kilay ng lalaki. "Hindi ako nagsinungaling no'ng in-interview ako. Bakit ko gagawin 'yon? Ano'ng mapapala ko?"

"Did someone force you to say what you've said in the interview?" Kalmado ang aking tono para mabalanse ang agresibong tono ni Jamie. "Meron bang nag-coach sa 'yo para sabihing tinakot ka ng club namin?"

Marahan siyang umiling. "Walang nag-coach sa 'kin. You know what? Alam ko na kung bakit nandito kayo. Gusto n'yong bawiin ko ang mga sinabi ko?"

"Gusto naming sabihin mo ang katotohanan. Kung may nanakot sa 'yo para pagmukhaing masama ang club, matutulungan ka namin."

"Pawang katotohanan ang lumabas sa bibig ko. Kapag hindi pa kayo tumigil sa pangungulit, sasabihin ko sa Clarion na sinubukan n'yo akong takutin para bawiin ang sinabi ko."

Kumuyom ang mga kamao ni Jamie, damang-dama ko ang pagtitimpi niyang sampalin ang lalaki. Mukhang kahit anong pakiusap namin, hindi magbabago ang isip niya. Kung tinakot talaga siya ng mga tauhan ni Moriarty, dapat ay may nakita na akong sign ng pagkabahala. Kaso wala kahit katiting.

"Tara na, Jamie." Hinila ko ang kamay ng aking kasama palayo kay Benjamin. Nagreklamo siya noong una, pero nilakasan ko ang paghila sa kaniya.

"Basta-basta ba tayo uurong sa laban?" tanong niya nang nakalayo na kami. "Wala pa ngang five minutes na kausap natin siya—"

"Malakas ang kutob kong tauhan siya ni Moriarty," sagot ko sabay lingon sa kaniya. "Kahit ano'ng sabihin at gawin natin, hindi magbabago ang statement niya laban sa club."

"Teka! Ibig sabihin, sinadya ni Moriarty na ilagay ang bomba sa sarili niyang tauhan?"

"'Yon ang hinala ko. Kung may sasabihin man siyang paninira sa atin, mas madali siyang paniniwalaan. Bakit? Dahil isa siya sa mga biktima, at may bigat ang mga salita niya."

Alam kong hindi dapat ako mamangha, pero grabe ang foresight ni Moriarty. A seemingly sacrificial pawn before was now being used to damage our credibility. Parang time bomb na hinintay pasabugin sa tamang oras.

Muli kaming nagtipon sa rooftop para i-report ang progress ng mission namin. Hindi na muna kami pumasok sa first subject namin. Hindi rin ako makapagko-concentrate doon. Mas importanteng maprotektahan ang club kaysa sa boring discussion.

Karga-karga ni Loki sa mga bisig niya si Freya. Napansin kong nagkakulay ang mga paw niya. Nang nakita niya ako, agad siyang tumalon mula sa may hawak sa kaniya at tumakbo papunta sa akin. I checked her paws and smelled paint on them.

"HISS!" bati niya kay Jamie nang nagtagpo ang kanilang tingin. Napalayo ang babaeng katabi ko sa takot na baka kalmutin siya ng pusa.

"Any luck?" tanong ni Loki.

Mabagal akong umiling. "We thought Benjamin was a random victim chosen by Moriarty to wear the bomb. Based on our interaction, we have strong reason to believe that he was planted in the library for the purpose of ruining our club's image when the right opportunity comes—which happens to be today. Kumusta si Adonis?"

"No luck either. He said he won't change any word in his interview."

"Kung anuman ang hawak ni Moriarty laban kay Adonis, masyadong malakas kaya hindi natin siya makukumbinsing baligtarin ang mga sinabi niya," pailing-iling na dagdag ni Alistair. He touched his chin. "We need to think of another way to turn this around."

"I've got an idea!" Itinaas ni Jamie ang kamay niya. "Why don't we intimidate the writer para itama niya ang kaniyang isinulat? Baka we can dig up some dirt on her and compel her to issue an erratum—"

"And give the Clarion a proof of intimidation?" Loki cut her words short. "We're already being accused of allegedly threatening victims for our personal gains. We mustn't shovel more coal into that fire."

Natahimik kaming apat, maging si Freya. This was the first time that we dealt with this kind of problem. Dati, nag-i-imbestiga kami para patunayan ang guilt o innocence ng isang tao. Ngayon, nahihirapan kaming patunayan na kasinungalingan ang lahat ng mga ibinato sa amin.

"If we can't kindly ask the sources to change their statements," humarap si Loki sa aming tatlo, "why don't we change their statements?"

"Good idea—" bulalas ko habang hinahaplos ang chin ni Freya. Nang napagtanto kong magulo 'yon, sabay kaming tumingin ng pusa kay Loki.

"But only the sources can change their statements," kontra ni Alistair. "Unless they issue a new statement correcting the previous one, walang magbabago sa takbo ng article."

"Pakinggan muna natin si Loki dear!" Kumumpas si Jamie sa club president namin. "Never siyang magsa-suggest ng nonsense idea. Mamaya na kaya kayo mag-react?"

Muling naglakad-lakad si Loki sa harapan namin. "Lorelei, remember when Zoey used her phone to record our short interview? I assume she's also recorded her interviews with Ben Ten and Adolin to serve as proofs in the event that someone questions her article."

Tumango ako. "But how do you plan to use the recorded interviews to our advantage? They only substantiate the credibility of Zoey's article—"

"What if," singit ni Jamie, "we edit the contents of those interviews? Kung magagawan natin ng magic ang audio recordings, maipalalabas nating mali at misleading ang mga isinulat ni Zoey sa article niya. Magmumukha siyang tanga, habang tayo'y mabi-vindicate!"

"That's a bold suggestion," komento ni Alistair. "Pero kung gagawin natin 'yan, Zoey's credibility will take a hit. Assuming na hindi siya direktang inutusan ni Augustus na siraan tayo o hindi siya connected kay Moriarty, she was only doing her job. She wrote the article based on her interviews."

"What's more important?" Huminto sa tapat niya si Loki. "Her credibility as a writer or our integrity as a club? Moriarty is playing dirty, using our student publication to destroy us. We may need to resort to cunning strategies and trample over someone's image."

"Paano natin gagawin ang pag-e-edit?" 'Yon ang tanong na dapat niyang masagot. "Alam kong marunong kang mag-pick ng lock, pero marunong ka rin bang mag-edit ng audio clips?"

"More importantly, paano natin makukuha ang clips mula kay Zoey?" dagdag ni Alistair. "At paano natin mapapalitan ang mga nasa phone niya? This plan won't work if the original recordings remain in her possession."

"Fortunately," ipinakita ni Loki ang phone screen niya sa amin, may numero na siyang idina-dial, "I know someone perfect for the job."

"Who?"

"Herschel Aguirre."

q.e.d.