LORELEI

KUNG KANINA'y nasa labas kami para sa welcome remarks, ngayo'y pinapasok na kami sa cabin. We fell in line as we walked in. Pagpasok namin, namangha kami sa bumungad sa mga mata namin. We don't get to see a place like this every day. Mukhang well maintained ang loob at bagong renovate ang ilang parts nito. There's a stone fireplace at the back of the living room. I guess that's only for design since it doesn't snow here nor does the temperature drop so low.

The entrance hall was spacious enough to accommodate about thirty people. Nakalupong pa rin kami sa aming club. Wala akong napansin na kahit anong couch o mesa sa paligid. I looked down. Base sa skid marks sa sahig, mukhang may mga furniture na naka-arrange kamakailan dito, but they probably moved them somewhere else for this team building.

Ipinalagay muna ang mga gamit namin sa sulok bago kami ipinaupo sa gitna ng sahig. Nakaupo nang Indian style ang ilan sa amin habang ang iba'y naka-stretch ang mga paa.

Tumayo si Professor Morayta sa harapan ng fireplace. The student council officers and execom members stood on the side. "Ngayong nakapag-breakfast na ang lahat, sana'y may energy na kayo para sa ating activities!"

Nabusog kami sa boodle fight kanina kaya siguradong full of energy kami ngayon. Hindi ko lang alam kung nabusog din ba si Loki o kung na-enjoy niya ang kanyang pagkain dahil nahirapan siyang magkamay kanina.

Napatingin muna si Professor Morayta sa hawak niyang index card bago tumuloy. Bakit parang magkakaroon kami ng recitation dito? Sorry, nasanay na kasi ako sa gano'ng senaryo kapag nasa class kami. "We have four participating clubs for this team building session. Once your club is called, make your presence known. You can shout your club name or yell a cheer. Kayo na ang bahala. Ready?"

"Ano'ng sasabihin natin kapag tinawag na tayo?" bulong ko sa aking mga kasama. Hindi sa pagiging competitive, pero ayaw ko namang boring ang introduction namin.

"Why don't we just raise our hands?" Loki suggested, looking uninterested. He's up for the games, but he's not up for this?

"No!" pagtutol ni Jamie. Napalakas ang boses niya kaya napatingin tuloy sa kanya ang mga katabi namin. Nanliit siya sa kanyang puwesto at bumulong sa amin. "Kailangan sa roll call pa lang, kabugin na natin ang mga kalaban natin."

"Or we can boo our competitors?" Loki said in a matter of fact tone. No, that wouldn't do. Mas gugustuhin ko pa ang unang suggestion niya na itaas ang aming mga kamay. Gusto niyang magsimula ng gulo.

"Remember what we agreed on during the bus ride?" Alistair reminded him. Wala naman amnesia ang kausap niya, pero kinailangan pa niyang paalalahanan. "We're here for a healthy competition. No booings or insulting other clubs."

"Hey, I was just kidding," Loki replied. Parang 'di naman. Napakaseryoso ng boses niya, 'di mo mararamdamang nagbibiro siya. Kung pwede nga lang, baka binoo na niya ang ibang teams. "Can't you take a joke?"

Sasagutin ko na sana siya pero nagsimula nang magtawag sa harapan.

"First, we have the Sewing Club!" Professor Morayta called.

Four students had their hands up in the air. Gaya ng suggestion ni Loki kanina. Gano'n kasimple ang kanilang gawa. Walang kaarte-arte. Baka pwedeng gayahin na lang namin sila? Walang originality, pero mabuti nang 'di kami mapahiya sa kung anong gimik ang naiisip ng mga kasama ko.

"Sewing Club? That's really a thing?" Loki muttered. I shushed before the others could hear. His side comments would not help.

"Next, the Robotics Club!"

Apat na kamay na naman ang itinaas at ikinaway nang paulit-ulit. This may sound stereotyping, but they all looked nerdy. May suot na salamin ang bawat isa sa apat na members nito. If this were a science competition, they would have probably won easily.

"Let's keep an eye on that club," Loki whispered. "They might be developing a Terminator in their clubroom that can wipe out the entire humanity."

"Funny." I rolled my eyes.

"Next, the Paranormal Club!"

"We're here, baby!" One of the three male students shouted as they stood together, much to Rosetta's embarrassment. Hindi tuloy niya naiwasang mapa-facepalm. Ayaw kong magmukha kami na parang trying hard na umagaw ng atensyon.

"And last but definitely not the least, the QED Club!"

"Let's just raise—"

"Woooh!" Jamie yelled as we raised our hands. Dahil sa sobrang lively ng kanyang cheer, napatingin sa amin ang lahat ng tao sa entrance hall. Mas malala pa yata 'yon sa ginawa ng Paranormal Club. Napayuko ako dala ng pagkahiya. Ang akala ko ba, kakabugin niya ang ibang club?

Mabuti't tapos na ang ilang segundo ng kahihiyan. Pwede na kaming mag-focus sa kung anumang nakahanda para sa amin.

"Now that you are aware of each other's existence, I'm gonna ask you to choose a leader among yourselves," Professor Morayta said, putting his hands that held an index card behind him. "Someone who can best represent your club in this session. Pwedeng ang club president n'yo mismo o kahit sinong gustong mag-volunteer. Kung sinuman ang napili n'yo, pumunta rito sa harapan."

"I may be the club president, but I'm not, at this very moment, the best person to represent us in this team building," Loki said. By default, siya dapat ang kakatawan sa amin. Wala pa nga akong sinasabi, may palusot na agad siya.

"I volunteer as tribute!" Jamie raised her hand, but she was ignored.

"Following the line of succession, the responsibility falls on the vice president." Loki turned to me, smirking. Bakit biglang sa akin napunta ang responsibilidad? "Are there any objections?"

"None," they answered in unison. Bakit parang pinagkaisahan ako ng mga kasama ko? Even Alistair agreed to make me the representative.

"Mas maganda kung ikaw muna ang tatayong leader namin," paliwanag ni Alistair sa akin nang bigyan ko siya ng nagtatakang tingin. "You have that aura in you where you can order us around. Kahit itong si Loki, mapasusunod mo."

Naintindihan ko kung bakit siya sumang-ayon. Pero sana binigyan ako ng opportunity na tanggihan ang responsibility na 'to. Nagbo-volunteer na nga si Jamie na siya na ang magre-represent sa amin. She would certainly bring energy to our team.

"Don't try to wiggle yourself out of this one," Loki told me. Halatang ine-enjoy niya ang sandaling 'to na pinanigan siya nina Alistair at Jamie. "Our club's constitution and by-laws states that should the president declare himself incapable of performing his duties, the vice president shall take over. Since I'm not in the mood to act as the leader of our club, you shall take my place just for this instance."

"But—"

"No buts, no excuses. You've also been outvoted through the —what's your favorite term again?—democratic way." He's really savoring this moment. Halata sa kung gaano kalawak ang ngisi niya. He must be thinking that he turned the table against me.

"Ayaw mo ba, Lori?" tanong ni Jamie. "If you don't want to be our leader, pwedeng ako ang mag-sub—"

"Fine!" Tumayo na ako't pumunta sa harapan. Wala akong say sa leadership skill ni Jamie dahil hindi ko pa na-witness personally, pero mas mabuti kung ako na ang magle-lead sa team namin.

I heard Jamie shout from behind, "Go, Lori!" na para bang sasabak ako sa on-the-spot quiz bee kung saan makalalaban ko ang tatlong representatives mula sa ibang clubs.

Professor Morayta beamed at me, and I forced a smile back. Sunod na pumunta sa harapan si Rosetta, isang lalaking nakasuot ng black-framed glasses at isang babaeng may suot na sweater.

"For this team building, each club will compete against one another. This will test not only on how you cooperate with your fellow members, but also on how you can espouse the spirit of sportsmanship."

May sinenyasan siya sa mga nakatayong execom member sa gilid. Isang fishbowl ang iniabot sa kanya. Were those the challenges we would have to go through?

"But there's a twist." Paulit-ulit na hinalo ni Professor Morayta ang mga nakatuping piraso ng papel sa bowl. "We will add another member to your team. We only invited four of your officers or members, and this is the reason why."

Thankfully, apat lang ang members ng QED Club kaya hindi na kami napilitang magdesisyon kung sino ang isasama at sino ang hindi. Masaklap siguro kung lima kami tapos may isang kailangang maiwan.

"The fifth member of your team shall be randomly picked from this fishbowl." The suspense was starting to build up. Heto na ba ang sinasabing surprise ni Maggie kanina? "Whose names are included, you ask? Our very own student council officers and execom members. They agreed to participate in this exercise. Pwedeng ang additional member n'yo ay ang mismong president ng student council o ang chairwoman ng execom."

Maybe it's just me, but I heard Luthor forcing a cough on the side. He's one of the student council officers, so his name must be in the bowl too. Knowing him as someone who doesn't appreciate doing the legwork himself, he might have been forced by Professor Morayta or pressured by his peers to participate.

"Let's start with the Sewing Club! What's your name, miss? Susan? Pick a piece of paper."

Muling hinalo ng babaeng nakasuot ng sweater ang mga papel bago bumunot. May ibinulong siyang pangalan na 'di ko maintindihan sa sobrang hina ng boses niya. She must have her own choice. Ibinigay niya ang kanyang nabunot kay Professor Morayta na may pa-suspense pang effect habang binubuksan ang papel.

"Your fifth member is... Ezekiel from the execom! Please join the Sewing Club. Be kind to him, okay? Next, the Robotics Club!"

Sunod na bumunot ang lalaking nakasalamin. Hindi na niya hinalo ulit ang laman ng bowl. Basta-basta na siya bumunot. His right hand was shaking as he handed over the piece of paper.

"Rye from the execom! Next, the Paranormal Club!"

Turn na ni Rosie para bumunot. Nakangiti siya kay Professor Morayta habang ipinapaikot ang kanyang kamay sa loob ng bowl.

"Margarette from the execom! Wala pang nabubunot na taga-student council, ah? Let's see kung taga-execom din ang mabubunot ng QED Club."

Now it's my turn to pick. Finally. Wala naman akong pakialam kahit sino ang mabunot ko, taga-student council man 'yan o taga-execom. As long as it's someone willing to work with us, I would be totally fine. Hinalo ko muna ang papel bago ako bumunot.

I observed the reaction on Professor Morayta's face as he read the name in his mind. May halong pagkagulat, tapos ngumiti pa siya. Whose name was it?

"QED Club, your fifth member is from the student council!" he happily announced. There are only five officers in the council, kaya sino sa kanila? "Please welcome him to your team. Luthor!"

Napanganga ako. Sa dinami-dami ng pangalang nasa fishbowl, kay Luthor pa talaga ang nabunot ko? Was this a mere coincidence or was fate playing a trick on us? Hindi naman sa ayaw kong maging part ng team namin si Luthor, but fate knew very well that he and his younger brother would not easily get along with each other. This was a disaster waiting to happen.

"Repick!" Loki shouted. He cupped his hands around his mouth para mas dinig ang sigaw niya. Ngayon pa lang, nai-imagine ko na kung gaano ka-complicated ang magiging teamwork namin. Sasakit na yata ang ulo ko kahit hindi pa kami nagsisimula.

"No, you can't pick another name again," Professor Morayta told him. "In life, we sometimes do not have control on who we are going to work with. What we can do is live with that fact and try to make things work despite our differences. That's one of the challenges that I want you all to overcome for two days."

Luthor came to me and gave me a curt nod. Welcome to the team, I guess? Sabay na kaming pumunta sa aming puwesto. Masaya siyang winelcome nina Jamie at Alistair. I could feel Loki's sharp glare following his brother intently. Siya lang ang hindi natuwa sa nabunot ko.

"I look forward to working with you," Luthor said before he took his seat beside me. Would it feel strange for him to sit on the floor instead of his throne? He used to stand on a pedestal as he watched mere mortals squabble. Now he's among us.

"We should have asked Jamie to represent us," Loki protested, clicking his tongue repeatedly. "She could have picked someone else. You must be extremely unlucky today, Lorelei."

Bakit parang kasalanan ko? Ako na nga ang inalay nilang mag-lead sa team namin, tapos parang ako pa ang may kasalanan na si Luthor ang nabunot ko? And by the way, nothing's wrong with randomly picking Luthor. I also did not choose Luthor on purpose. Itong si Loki lang talaga ang may issue. I bet Jamie and Alistair were a hundred percent fine with having the vice president as our teammate.

"Maybe if you stood there instead of me, you could have deduced which paper doesn't have Luthor's name on it," I fired back. Tama naman ako, 'di ba? Baka kung siya ang nandoon, iba ang nabunot niyang pangalan.

"Now that your teams are complete, let me explain to you the mechanics of the team building," Professor Morayta said, handing over the fishbowl to a random execom member. "Do you know the game Capture the Flag? Yes? That's what you are going to play for two days."

As I recall, Capture the Flag is an outdoor game where the main objective is to, obviously, capture the enemy's flag. Ang pinagtatakahan ko lang, bakit kailangang umabot sa dalawang araw ang game? Within an hour or two, a team could already steal all the flags.

"But we'd like to put a twist in the game, so here it is. Listen closely." Professor Morayta cleared his throat. May iniabot sa kanya na ilang baraha. They did not look like the common playing cards. "Before we officially start the game, we need to determine your roles. We will ask you one by one to pick a card. May dalawang roles kayo na pwedeng makuha: a loyalist or a traitor."

"Sounds interesting," Loki whispered.

Ipinakita sa amin ni Professor Morayta ang isang card na may illustration ng taong nakatapat sa dibdib ang nakakuyom na kamao. "If you pick the loyalist card, you must protect the flag at all cost. Pwede n'yo ring nakawin ang flag ng kalaban kung kakayanin n'yo."

We nodded. That's pretty straightforward.

Sunod niyang ipinakita ang card na may illustration ng taong nakakuyom ang kamao sa dibdib pero may hawak na patalim sa gilid. "If you get the traitor card, you can choose whether to stay loyal to your team or give your flag to an enemy team of your choice. Pwede n'yo ring timbrehan ang kalaban n'yong teams tungkol sa strategy n'yo."

"Ho-Ho! That makes the game deliciously complicated." Loki rubbed his palms together. Naintindihan ko na ngayon kung bakit sinabi ni Maggie na mag-e-enjoy kami sa game na 'to. Aside from the physical act of stealing the enemy's flag, we had to be cautious of the traitor in our team who could sell us out.

"One added feature of our Capture the Flag ala Clark High is the power to detain," Professor Morayta continued. "At any time of the day, you can call for a vote on who among your teammates is likely a traitor. Kung sino ang makakuha ng majority votes, siya ang ipapadala n'yo sa jail. That player shall be considered out of the game. Kung magkaroon ng tie, walang ipadadala sa jail."

Alistair raised his right hand and waited to be recognized. "So it's like lynching in the werewolf game? The villagers gather during the day and vote on who they think is the werewolf among them?"

"Precisely." Professor Morayta nodded. "This version of Capture the Flag is a combination of this and that. Gusto naming magkaroon ng thrill ang game na 'to kaya binigyan namin ng isa o dalawang twist. You can read the mechanics in the guide that we're distributing right now. Familiarize yourself with the rules."

May iniabot sa aking rulebook ang isang execom member. Loki quickly grabbed it from my hand and started to read it. Mukhang mas naging excited siya, ah? That's better. We could make good use of his faculties in this activity.

"I'm going to ask each team to come here in front and randomly pick your roles."

Gaya kanina, una munang tinawag ang Sewing Club, sunod ang Robotics Club, tapos ang Paranormal Club. Huli na naman kaming pumila sa harapan. As the team leader, ako muna ang lumapit kay Professor Morayta. May kalayuan ang puwesto namin para siguro hindi masilip o maaninag ng mga kasama ko kung ano ang role na nabunot ko.

"Are you ready?" Professor Morayta asked me. Parang ang hirap ng gagawin ko, ah? Tumango ako, iginala ang aking tingin sa mga baraha at bumunot ng isa.

I kept the card close to my chest as I shut my eyes. I want it to be the "loyalist" card. I'm not good at acting kaya kung ako ang makabunot ng "traitor," it might already be a dead giveaway, especially in the eyes of Loki.

Iminulat ko ang aking mga mata at tiningnan ang baraha.

My jaw dropped as I saw the figure of a person holding a knife behind his back. I freaking picked the traitor card! I hope the look of surprise on my face only lasted for a split second. Sinubukan kong kontrolin ang reaksyon ko.

I returned the card to Professor Morayta and had it recorded by the student standing beside him. "Good luck, Lorelei. My tip? Just act normal."

Easier said than done, sir. Kung kasing galing ako ni Jamie sa pag-acting, baka madali kong magagawa 'yan.

Bumalik ako sa linya namin at pilit na ngumiti sa kanila. I pretended as if I picked the card that I wanted. Gaya ng sinabi ni Professor Morayta, kailangan kong um-act nang normal para hindi ako magmukhang kahina-hinala.

"How was it?" Jamie asked.

"I got the good card," I lied.

Napatingin ako kina Loki at Alistair. I hope they would not notice that something was up.

q.e.d.

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