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Wonder Whodunit?

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COMPARED TO the bloody events that happened last night, Castillo High seemed to be brighter and cheerier the next day as the campus buzzed in excited rumors over Ria Vendeya's case.

"Mr. Marquez, ano pong masasabi ninyo patungkol sa nangyaring kaso ni Ria Vendeya? Kilala niyo po ba ang salarin sa likod nito?" Tanong ng isang reporter sa mayor ng Ylando City.

Jarrell, who was watching the interview from the television found inside the junior high school lobby, pursed his lips grimly. Kasama niya ngayon si Rein at Quinn na nakatingin na rin ngayon sa flat screen. Both friends had already filled Quinn in with the details of last night's events.

"Buti nalang talaga 'di ako officer." Quinn grinned earlier that morning after they had told him everything that had happened, including Jarrell's unfortunate wound.

"As the one who established the O.C.P., I am in fact furious with what happened, especially after learning that the crime committed was an apprentice of the O.C.P." The mayor, who was an older spitting image of Jarrell, said grimly as he stood behind a podium wearing a suit and tie. "Despite this, I as mayor, captain Arturio Biña of the O.C.P., and chief Monty Uy of the Ylando Police District, will ensure that this won't ever happen again."

"You think principal Lilia will keep her promise?" Quinn frowned as the three friends watched the breaking news change into the day's weather report.

"She's a woman of her word." Sambit ni Rein bago tumingin sa kaibigan na nakatingin sa malayo. "Why?"

"Because Jesper Marquez is heading right to our direction." Quinn remarked, nodding towards their left.

Dahil dito ay agad na napatingin sa kaliwa si Rein at Jarrell, only to see that Quinn was right. Jasper Marquez, one of the local government's counselors, the eldest of the Marquez siblings and Jarrell's older brother, was walking towards the three friends with an intimidating aura.

"Shit—"

"Act. Normal." Jarrell said to his two friends through gritted teeth as they straightened their selves.

"The three musketeers." Jesper said as soon as he came face to face with them, using his nickname for the trio.

Up close, the three could observe the cold, stern-faced features of Jesper — a Marquez trait that Jarrell did not inherit. Unlike the rest of his family, Jarrell had softer features and a friendlier aura. Ang tanging detalye lang na masasabing isang Marquez si Jarrell ay ang kaniyang buhok, which was light-brown like the rest of his family.

"Bakit ka napadaan kuya? Boring na ba sa trabaho mo bilang counselor?" Jarrell joked, but his brother did not flinch nor laugh at his statement. He however, was looking at Jarrell with a mixture of worry and sternness.

"Pinapunta ako dito ni papa to make sure you're okay." He said, eyeing them. "He wanted to know if you were near the Ria Vendeya incident last night — considering you're a class officer and was most likely an attendee of the leadership training."

"Oh psh," Jarrell scoffed, waving a hand as if it was a trivial matter. "Pina-stay nga lang kaming facilitators sa central grounds eh." He then turned to Rein and Quinn who immediately nodded.

"Diba mga pre?"

"Absolutely. We were all safe last night." Rein agreed for the sake of his friend.

"Ay nako, tulog mantika nga po 'yan si Jarrell kagabi sa tent." Dagdag ni Quinn kahit na hindi ito kasama sa nangyari kagabi. He then quickly glanced at Jarrell's bullet wound which was luckily covered by the sleeve of his polo.

"Hmm." Jesper hummed quietly in reply before staring at the trio who were trying to keep their composure. "Alright." He then finally nodded, much to the inner relief of the three.

"Mag-ingat kayong tatlo. It seems as if even Castillo High isn't as safe as it once was." The older man said grimly before turning once more to his younger brother who was smiling widely, trying to convince him that everything was alright.

"Jarrell, huwag mong kalimutan ang bilin ni papa." Sambit ni Jesper at saka tinapik si Jarrell sa kaniyang balikat kung nasaan ang sugat nito.

Jarrell inwardly hissed in pain, trying to hide his discomfort from his brother. His wide, fake smile then immediately quivered as he waved goodbye to his older brother.

"That was close." Rein sighed as they watched Jesper Marquez walk away, passing by Milo Cortez who was listening to music with a large red headset.

"Putangina ang sakit!" Alulong ng binata nang nakalayo na ang kaniyang kapatid. Dahan-dahan nitong hinahaplos ang kaniyang balikat. Rein chuckled as Jarrell continued whimpering in pain, whilst Quinn on the other hand, reached out for a copy of the Castillian Gazette.

"Look at this." Quinn remarked as he opened the newspaper in his hand. Rein and Jarrell momentarily stopped horsing around and curiously peered over Quinn's shoulder to read the headline written in big, bold letters.

THE RIA VENDEYA CASE: WHAT WAS THE INTENTION?
by Sheyna Ramirez

Last night at around 7:34 in the evening, ninth grader Ria Vendeya and the heir of the Vendeya Multinational Goods Corp., was found to be missing minutes before the events of the leadership training event, an event held by the student council of Castillo High.

Rein, who didn't bother to read the rest of the article, raised an eyebrow. "So what? It's normal for the Vendeya abduction case to be publicized by the Gazette. Nakaabot na nga 'to sa local government ng Ylando City."

Quinn shook his head. "I'm not talking about the Vendeya case." He said before pointing towards the headline of the next page.

MYSTERIOUS VANISHING ENTRIES
by Elysia Arcedes

Throughout the past three days, Castillians who had joined the prestigious annual writing contest of the Writers' Schism have been filing reports about their stolen drafts. "It was during my break yesterday when I left our drive in my locker." Roella Guerrero, who was one of the Schism's participants, said in an interview with the Gazette on Thursday afternoon. "I made sure that my locker was locked before I left. Pero pagbalik ko roon after lunch, wala na yung drive sa loob. I already asked Mariel Santelmo, my partner for the contest, at hindi raw niya kinuwha 'yung drive."

Guerrero also said that the only files contained in the stolen drive were the details for their novel entry, as well as their chapter drafts. Because of this, both Roella Guerrero and Mariel Santelmo suspected that a fellow participant of the Writers' Schism may be the thief.

Aside from Guerrero and Santelmo's case, Faith Lorenzo and Angelique Rosmeña also reported that though the drive containing their novel entry was not stolen, it was however hacked. "We don't how it happened," A teary-eyed Lorenzo told the Gazette. "Pagkabukas nalang namin sa drive kagabi ay iba na ang laman ng folder na ginawa namin for the Writers' Schism."

These reports were then reported to professor Wyanna Perlita, the chairman of the Writers' Schism who promised to look into the matter as soon as possible.

Rein immediately looked up from the newspaper that they were reading with furrowed eyebrows.

"Familiar noh?" Tanong ni Quinn. "It's exactly what happened with your leather journal."

Jarrell, who was recovering from the pain on his shoulder, made a face. "So sinasabi mo bang may nagnakaw ng journal ni Rein?"

"I'm not saying na 'yun talaga 'yung nangyari." Quinn replied, folding the newspaper in his hands. "I'm just entertaining the possibility of the idea. Right, Rein?"

But Rein wasn't listening anymore as he stared at the newspaper thoughtfully. He needed to talk to Ann about the matter. Immediately.

---

"You seem restless."

Rein, who was pacing around the empty space of Room 414, looked up to see his rival enter the abandoned room that they had cleaned together a few days ago. She had a dark shawl covering her head and face that she soon removed, letting her hair free.

Rule number two. The young boy remembered her saying on the night that they had agreed to work together. Room 414 is our official meeting place. To do this, we must duplicate the keys that professor Zaldiga gave us. Buti nalang may kakilala ako.

"We have a problem." Diretsong sabi ni Rein bago ibinato sa dalaga ang copy ng Gazette na ipinakita ni Quinn sa kanila kanina. "Flip to page 4."

Ann frowned as she caught the folded newspaper, eyeing Rein before opening it. She immediately went to the fourth page as he had instructed, quickly scanning the article.

"What's this have to do with us?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you remember when you deliberately poured coffee all over my writing journal?" Tanong ni Rein, and Ann couldn't help but smirk a little. "Somehow you knew it was the journal where I kept my ideas for my novel."

"What about it?"

"That was my first journal." He said simply before pulling out a black, leather notebook from his pocket. "And this — baka napansin mo na ito yung ginamit ko nung nag-uusap tayo kagabi sa leadership camp — is my third."

"So what you're trying to say is that, you think your second journal was stolen?" Ann asked in observation, slowly walking around the room.

"It's a plausible idea. Sa bag ko lang naman siya nilagay and no one else would think of stealing a simple writing journal — unless that person was interested in my ideas." Rein stated in an obvious tone, leaning against the wall. Pinapanood nito ang dalaga na naglalakad sa loob ng kwarto habang seryosong nag-iisip.

"Maccio, what are you implying?" She finally asked, folding her arms and straightening her back.

"I'm saying that we have to get to the bottom of this." Rein said, stepping forward until he and Ann were at eye level. "As participants of the Writers' Schism, hindi tayo exempted sa kung sino mang nagnanakaw ng chapter drafts and entries. We can be potential victims in the future. The thief might steal our drive or entry, find out we're partners, and it's the end for us. Pwede niya 'tong gamitin laban sa atin — which is why I propose that we expose the person behind this."

He then leaned forward before whispering. "And we don't want anymore threats, do we?"

Ann, who stared right back at him, pursed her lips in concentration. She knew he was right, however, still felt hesitant about it.

"No." She said at last, eyes searching Rein's face.

"What?"

"No, Maccio." Matigas na sabi ng dalaga. "It's too risky. We're already being watched by people we don't know."

"C'mon Lobris. We can also use this experience as further basis for our novel."

"Remember the policeman I saw last night?" Ann retorted. "He was watching us. I don't know him, but he could be a friend of your clan or mine. Pwede niya tayong ibuking if we're anything less than carefu—"

"Then let them be." Rein said, a mischievous smirk on his lips.

"Excuse me?!" Ann exclaimed with a creased forehead.

"Let them chase us." He shrugged before stepping nearer. To his rival's surprise, Rein reached out to push back a strand of Ann's hair behind her ear.

"If they'll be the hunters, we'll be the foxes." He smirked, hovering so close that Ann soon realized what he was doing.

Playing along, she then grabbed the tie of Rein's uniform, pulling him close until her mouth was next to his ear.

"Funny Maccio," she said in a breathy voice. "But your flirting charms won't make me susceptible." She then pushed him back before thrusting a laptop bag in his arms.

"Awts," Rein grinned playfully. "I thought it would work on you."

Ann made a face. "Kahit ano pang sabihin mo, we are not investigating the vanishing entries case. End of discussion." She said in an authoritative tone.

"Now let's get down to business and work on our novel."

---

Despite staying up late that night with Rein to work on their novel entry, Ann didn't feel a tad bit sleepy the next day.

Too much was running on her mind for the young lady to feel drowsy.

"One pickled sandwich please." Ann told the cafeteria lady who was wearing a black hairnet and a white apron.

Kasalukuyan itong nasa canteen para mag-lunch break since wala namang gaanong academic workload ang ipinatong sa kanila ngayon. The cafeteria lady serving Ann glanced at her with no reply before placing a pickled sandwich on her tray.

"Thanks." She mumbled, immediately walking away. Kahit na inosente naman ang lunch lady na ito ay hindi mapigilan ni Ann na maging mapanghinala sa lahat.

There was no else to trust except herself.

By the time she had left the long cafeteria line with her tray of food, Ann accidentally bumped her shoulder on another figure who was heading to the left side of the canteen.

"Sorry." Ann muttered and glanced up to see that it was Milo Cortez — her classmate, and the quiet twin of Mayer.

Tumango lamang ang tahimik na binata bago nagsimulang maglakad papalayo. Ann then took a deep breath before walking once again. She was used to the silent nature of Milo, being his colleague for quite some time now.

Umupo ang dalaga sa isang bakanteng lamesa at napatingin sa paligid. Aside from being used to Milo's silence, she was also used to having no friends — which also meant sitting alone at the lunch table.

With a sigh, she then took a bite from her sandwich before opening a small notepad she took from her skirt pocket, scribbling a few plot ideas onto the paper. Right now, she was focused on writing the second chapter of their novel, since they had agreed thaf Rein would be the one to write the prologue and first chapter.

Habang nagsusulat ito ay biglang napatigil ang dalaga ng nakahagip siya ng mapang-insultong hagikgik.

"Look at Lobris." She heard a faint whisper say before giggling. Kunot-noong napalingon si Ann at napatingin sa isang grupo ng mga kababaihan na nasa kabilang lamesa.

"All alone for lunch again. How pathetic." One of the girls whispered back as they tried to bit back their laughter.

Agad na napairap si Ann at tumayo para kumuwha ng tubig mula sa kabilang bahagi ng canteen. Nang napadaan siya sa kanilang lamesa ay napatigil ito.

Placing her hands on their table, the young lady gave them a false smile before scowling. "Next time, you girls keep your businesses to yourselves." She snapped. Agad na tumahimik ang apat na babae.

With a whip of her short hair, Ann haughtily returned to her table with a small, victorious smirk.

This smirk immediately faded though when she sat down and realized that something was afoot. Nakalagay pa rin naman doon ang kaniyang pagkain, but she couldn't help but feel like there was something missing.

With a shrug, she then stretched her arm to reach out for notepad whilst focusing on her sandwich once more. Ngunit agad na nabahala ang dalaga nang hindi niya maramdaman ito.

Glancing around the table, the scowl on her face soon returned as she realized that her notepad was now nowhere to be found.

---

"Hello?" Rein asked later that night as soon as he had picked up Ann's call.

"We're doing the investigation." Seryosong bungad ng dalaga, looking out of her room. When she saw that Sera and Queenie were busy fixing the table, she immediately shut the door to her room. Kasalukuyan kasing nasa dormitoryo ang dalaga at ayaw niyang may ibang makarinig sa pag-uusap nila ni Rein.

"Someone stole my notepad when I was writing at the cafeteria." Iritadong sabi ng dalaga as she sat down on her bed. "I'm guessing it's the same thief."

"I warned you." Rein said from the other line, and Ann could almost see him smirking.

"Oh, shut up." Ann snapped, making Rein chuckle.

"On a serious note, wala namang nakalagay sa notepad na 'yun indicating we're partners right?" Rein asked, his voice turning serious.

"Bakit ko naman ipagkakalandakan sa mundo 'yon?! I'm not foolish!" Ann retorted. "What I want to know is how are we going to start our investigation?" She asked in a lower tone now, realizing that even though she was inside her room, she should still be cautious of her dormmates.

"Simple." Rein replied, smacking his lips. "You get more information about the other participants who lost their entries, and I'll see what I can find from the board of the Writers' Schism."

"Alright. Be careful." Ann warned before ending the call. She then took a deep breath. Their situation was getting more and more out of hand and it was stressing her out.

She already had too much on her plate.

"Ann!" Biglang sigaw ni Queenie mula sa sala ng kanilang dorm, snapping out of her reverie. "Kain na!"

"Coming!" Ann yelled back, hastily hiding her burner phone in a box under her bed before coming out of her room.

Queenie and Sera were already seated in the dining area of their dormitory, waiting for Ann who immediately put on her facade.

"So," Sera started as soon as Ann sat down with them. "Okay ka lang ba? Sino 'yung kausap mo?"

"Anong kausap?" Ann asked, playing dumb as she reached out for bowl of rice.

"Sa telepono." Queenie continued with a knowing look habang naglagay ito ng adobong manok sa kaniyang plato.

"Boyfriend mo ba?" She asked yet again before looking at Ann with concern. "You know, you can tell us anythi—"

"Stop." Ann interjected in irritation. "Both of you just stop, okay? I'm fine. So stop trying to snoop into my lif—"

"We aren't snooping." Sera snapped back. "We're just concerned."

Ann scoffed, standing up from the table. "You're not even my friends!" She cried out in exasperation. "So stop acting like you both care."

With one last flourish, she then left the two girls in the dining area.

---

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