"Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent."

- Arthur Conan Doyle, The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 20:
Pandora's Box

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ZANE

"What do you mean?" Raine asked. I rose, eyes fixed on the paper.

I scrutinized the message closely. Having studied Baybayin characters since elementary school, I recognized the symbols and sensed they conveyed something ominous.

"Alam... ko... ang... (I... know... what...)" I read slowly, as if just starting to read words, but I understood it well enough.

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ᜀᜎᜋ᜔ ᜃᜓ ᜀᜅ᜔ ᜄᜒᜈᜄᜏ ᜈᜒᜌᜓ|| ᜊᜒᜈᜊᜆᜒ ᜃᜓ ᜃᜌᜓ ᜐ ᜄᜒᜈᜄᜏ ᜈᜒᜌᜓ|| ᜁᜈᜀᜋᜒᜈ᜔ ᜃᜓᜅ᜔ ᜋᜄᜎᜒᜅ᜔ ᜃᜌᜓ||

ᜋᜌ᜔᜔ ᜁᜐ ᜎᜅ᜔ ᜀᜃᜓᜅ᜔ ᜈᜃᜎᜒᜋᜓᜆᜈ᜔ ᜊᜄᜓ ᜀᜃᜓ ᜆᜓᜋᜒᜄᜒᜎ᜔|| ᜉᜒᜇᜓ ᜊᜄᜓ ᜁᜌᜓᜈ᜔| ᜋᜌ᜔᜔ ᜁᜐ ᜋᜓᜈᜅ᜔ ᜋᜈᜈᜄᜓᜆ᜔|| ᜏᜎᜅ᜔ ᜁᜊ ᜃᜓᜅ᜔ ᜑᜒᜈ᜔ᜇᜒ ᜀᜅ᜔ ᜊᜄᜓᜅ᜔ ᜃᜁᜊᜒᜄᜈ᜔ ᜅ᜔ ᜋᜄᜎᜒᜅ᜔ ᜈ ᜐᜒ ᜇᜁᜈᜒ ᜇᜒ ᜊᜒᜇ᜔ᜇ||

ᜉᜒᜈᜄ᜔ᜋᜋᜐ᜔ᜇᜈ᜔ ᜃᜓ ᜎᜅ᜔ ᜃᜌᜓᜅ᜔ ᜇᜎᜏ||

斯嘉丽女士

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After translating for what felt like ages, a complete message finally emerged, interrupting our minds.

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Alam ko ang ginagawa niyo. Binabati ko kayo sa ginagawa niyo. Inaamin kong magaling kayo.

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"I know what you're doing. I commend you for that. I admit you're doing great," I translated.

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May isa lang akong nakalimutan bago ako tumigil. Pero bago iyon, may iba munang mananagot. Walang iba kung hindi ang bagong kaibigan ng magaling na si Raine de B(V)erra.

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"I just forgot one thing before I stopped. But before that, someone else will be held accountable. None other than Raine de B(V)erra's new friend."

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Pinagmamasdan ko lang kayong dalawa.

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"I'm just observing the two of you," I continued.

My eyes widened as my heart raced while staring at the paper on the table. There was more writing at the bottom that wasn't in Baybayin.

"Sī jiā lì nǚshì," Ali whispered to herself. I assumed it was an expression she used when scared or nervous.

"Zhane!" Ali interrupted, looking at Raine. "Zhane, there's a probability that you're in danger! You might be the next one who will suddenly disappear."

Even though Ali suspected her so-called Zhane might be the one in danger, I reassured myself that I was still the real Zane — perhaps the new friend referenced by the symbols. Moreover, I had disclosed the location of our assignment to the mysterious woman who offered me a scholarship last Saturday.

"Should we tell the police?" Ali asked.

"Maybe we can report this, but regarding your dad and uncle, they need to be missing for three days before they can be declared as such," Raine calmly replied. "First, ask your acquaintances if they know anything. They might have gone somewhere important that they didn't want others to know about."

"I have another uncle who lives nearby!" Ali exclaimed. "I'm just not sure exactly where."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Maybe he knows something about what's happening. Do you want to join, Raine?" she replied. I glanced at our other companion, waiting for her answer when I suddenly remembered she knew me as the one she's referring to.

"Uh-"

"Maybe someone is stalking Zhane. This might be some kind of prank and unrelated to what's going on with my strange family, but we still need to be cautious," Aliza added. "It's better if she stays here for now."

I swallowed hard. "She should just stay at home for now."

If yesterday's incident hadn't happened, I wouldn't be mistaken for Raine. This wouldn't be happening.

"Okay, I'll stay here," Raine replied, sounding almost insulting. I knew she recognized that I was the one mentioned in the letter and now she seemed indifferent. "Who is this uncle you're talking about? Maybe I know him."

"He's the eldest of four siblings. His name is Daniel Tan," Ali answered.

"Daniel Tan?" Aunt Clara's words from earlier at the building's top floor came to mind. "Isn't it his birthday today? Is he asking you to come?"

"I haven't visited him in a long time, so I'm looking forward to seeing him again," Ali replied. "Do you know where he is?"

"Actually, I was thinking of bringing you as my plus one to his birthday party," I said, trying to hide my nerves with a smile.

I felt relieved seeing his sweet smile spreading across his reddened lips. "Let's go then," she invited.

Glancing at the clock, we still had a few minutes before six.

"Let's surprise him," I suggested.

"It's a shame I didn't bring a gift," she remarked.

I thought about myself in her position. "Just having his long-unseen niece's presence is already a wonderful gift," I replied.

I knew his uncle would be delighted, just like Aunt Clara, when he could be with his kind and beautiful niece again.

I linked my arm with hers, and she intertwined her left hand with mine. Together, we exited the building and hopped on a tricycle headed to the restaurant.

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

Closed.

"Hey, why is there no one here?" I asked as soon as we arrived outside the small building with 'Tan's Cuisines' written on it.

There was no one inside, just the sound of a few passing vehicles on the street. There was no loud music playing, and it seemed like no one was celebrating.

"Is it really his birthday today?" I questioned Aliza.

"Yeah, today," she confirmed. "I'm wondering why he's inviting us to his birthday. Uncle isn't really into parties."

"Does this mean he was just joking when he invited us to a birthday party here?" I continued.

"I don't know," Aliza replied. "Do you know where his house is? Maybe we should talk to him there."

"I only know about the restaurant. Raine hasn’t shown me—"

"Raine?" Aliza interrupted. "What's that, a voice in your head telling you what to do?" She joked.

"Ah, no!" I replied with a smile. "I meant Zhane! ZHANE hasn't told me where Mr. Tan's house is yet. I got confused because our names sound similar."

"True. Raine, Zhane," Aliza remarked.

"Zhane would have known more about your uncle," I added.

"Too bad! If not for whoever wrote that message, Zhane would have been with us now," Ali said. "I really like her personality."

"Yeah, it's a shame. She's really good," I whispered to myself. "She's better at these things several times over than I am," I added even more softly.

She simply looked at me, then fell into the silence of the night.

"Do you think they're inside?" I interrupted.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Do you think your dad and your uncle are inside? Maybe they're having a good time inside there together," I said. "And maybe it's one of those heart-to-heart talks, that's why it's so quiet inside and they don't want anyone else to hear because it's about your family."

Aliza's eyes widened as I felt someone squeeze my right hand.

"Maybe that's it," she said. "You're really good. That matches what I overheard people talking about outside our house the past few days."

"What did they say?" I asked.

"They said you supposedly faced a retired police officer who was poisoning people. Is that true?" they asked.

Even though I'm not really Raine, I wouldn't lie if I said yes. "That's true," I answered.

"You're impressive!" Her coffee-brown eyes sparkled as I looked at her.

"Oh, for goodness' sake! What are you two doing out here?" My eyes widened when I heard that familiar voice. When I turned around, there was the person we were just discussing earlier, now wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and black slacks.

As soon as my gaze landed on her, she greeted me with a small, wrapped gift, blue in colour and rectangular in shape.

"Zhane? What—" Ali asked, mirroring my own surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"You wasted money on a vehicle? Our flat is just nearby, isn't it?" She lectured again.

"It's okay," I interrupted before she could ruin my night. "What are you really doing here? Earlier, you said you'd give me time for us to talk privately," I whispered to Raine.

"She also mentioned that we still need to be careful. And I won't disturb you much because I came here alone for work," she whispered back.

"Zhane, what are you thinking?" Ali asked. "You lied to us. Earlier, you said you were just staying at your flat."

"Nope!" she calmly replied. "I said I would stay at my apartment FOR THAT TIME. Now, I decided to come here."

Aliza fell silent at her response. "Besides, someone hasn't given my money back yet," Raine added.

"So that's what I was forgetting," I whispered to myself.