LORELEI

"Ano pa ang hinihintay n'yo? Let's go, guys!" masiglang sigaw ni Jamie, akmang makikisabay sa pagtakbo ng ibang teams. I grabbed her hand while she's within my reach. Muntik na siyang madapa. "What's the problem, Lori? Mauunahan na nila tayo!"

"We shouldn't run like headless chickens," tugon ko. Wala pa nga kaming plano. "Let's strategize muna bago tayo sumabak sa giyera, okay? Mahirap na papasok ka sa laban nang hindi mo alam kung anong strategy mo."

We huddled together except for Loki who was watching the other teams disappear from our eyeshot. I unfolded the map that we bought. They all looked at it. "The best positions in the arena are the spots near portable toilets, right? Siguradong doon mag-uunahan ang ibang teams."

"I saw the other teams buy a map," Alistair added. "They know where to find them."

"Shouldn't we go ahead as well?" atat na tanong ni Jamie sabay turo sa papalayong teams. "Kung mag-uusap lang tayo rito, talagang mauunahan na nila tayo! Baka tayo pa ang walang portalet mamaya!"

"What Lori's trying to say is we need to choose which spot we're gonna go for," Alistair explained. Ibinaba niya muna ang mga gamit namin. Siya na ang nag-volunteer na dalhin ang camping bag. "Mag-aagawan tayong lahat sa mga spot. Once a team occupies an area, we will have no choice but to look for another."

"Hindi sila basta-basta makalalayo sa atin." Sa dami at bigat ng mga dala ng bawat team, hindi sila agad makapupunta sa mga strategic area. "The more important question is, which spot should we take?"

"Siyempre 'yong pinakamalapit!" Jamie pointed at the blue square nearest to the neutral zone. "This is the perfect spot for me. Malapit na siya sa cabin, malapit din siya sa ilog. Kung strategic ang pag-uusapan, ito na ang area na hinahanap natin."

"Forgive me my intrusion, but I personally don't think that's a good idea," Luthor spoke the moment Jamie took a pause. "Since that spot is the nearest and the most convenient, every other team will think the same way you did. They will try to reach and occupy it first. There's going to be a competition among them. Best if we avoid any confrontation this early."

Jamie pouted. "If not the nearest, then the second nearest!"

"Those who fail to capture the first spot are going for that one next." Luthor scanned the map. "Do you mind if I make a suggestion?"

"You don't need to ask for permission," Loki blurted. Sa wakas, nagsalita na ulit siya. Akala ko'y napipi na ang member naming may pinakamalaking contribution so far. "You're gonna tell them anyway."

"We welcome any suggestions," I told his brother. Wala na ngang natutulong ang Loki na 'to, nang-aasar pa. "Mabuti pa nga ikaw, may ambag sa grupo natin."

Luthor pointed at the blue box near the edge of our map. "We must get to the farthest spot in the arena. They will most likely compete for the two nearest portable toilets. I suggest that we take advantage of their preoccupation and claim this spot for ourselves."

Alistair nodded, still looking at the map. "Luthor's right. Unang pupuntahan ng ibang teams ang malalapit na portalets dahil convenient ang distance sa kanila. They will choose that spot last because it's the farthest one. Malaki ang chance na wala tayong makaagaw."

"Are there any objections?" My eyes glanced over them. Alistair shook his head. Jamie was about to say something, but she withdrew. Loki and Luthor only looked at me. "Hearing none, let's go!"

"Hey, Luthor?" Alistair called him. Sandaling nagawi ang tingin ko sa kanila. "Pwede ba akong magpatulong na magbuhat ng gamit?"

Tiningnan siya mula ulo hanggang paa ng ikalimang member namin. "Are you seriously asking me to help you carry our items? I believe you are strong enough to bring them on your own."

"Kailangan nating kaagad makarating sa spot na sinuggest mo," Alistair replied. Kung ibang tao ang hiningan niya ng tulong, malamang binitbit na agad ang mga gamit namin. "Mas bibilis kung may tutulong sa akin na magbuhat. We can't ask the girls to carry that heavy stuff."

Napatingin si Luthor sa mga gamit na nakalapag sa lupa. Ilang segundo niya ring tinitigan ang mga 'to. Mukhang tent poles ang kailangang buhatin dahil mahahaba at mabibigat kapag pinagsama-sama. If I were only stronger, I would have carried them by myself.

"Loki, tumulong ka rin sa pagbubuhat!" utos ko sa kanya. Hanggang ngayo'y binabasa pa rin niya ang rulebook. Unlimited ba ang number of pages no'n? Kanina pa niya ginagawang excuse 'yon, ah?

"Why don't you let my brother experience doing some legwork?" he asked, lowering the rulebook so our eyes met. "He needs to stretch those weak arms and legs."

"Hindi ka exempted," tugon ko. I don't care if he insults his brother now and then, but I needed him to do what I ask of him and cooperate with us.

"What if I refuse? What are you gonna do? Banish me from the team?"

Hindi kailangang umabot doon. Mas may simpleng solusyon ako riyan. "I'm not going to give you a share of our food later. Kung gusto mong kumain, mamitas ka ng sarili mong prutas mamaya."

"Hey, that's unfair! Food is for everyone!" he protested. Baka hindi siya marunong manungkit ng mangga kaya nagrereklamo siya.

"Funny that you used the word unfair." I chuckled. Sa aming lima, siya ang may least na karapatang gamitin ang salitang 'yon. "Alam mo kung ano ang unfair? 'Yong nag-e-effort ang lahat tapos ikaw, walang ambag."

"But this isn't—"

"Nakalimutan mo na bang ako ang team leader? You are expected to follow my orders." I honestly don't want to play that card, but I needed to make him do what I want. "Now, are you gonna carry those poles or are you gonna starve later?"

"Fine!" Loki sighed. He had no choice but to follow. Maganda rin palang maging leader minsan. You have power over your team members.

Nagkatapat ang magkapatid na Mendez at sabay na binuhat ang mga tent pole. Dahil siguro sa bigat o dahil sa kakulangan sa coordination, nabitawan nila ang mga poste. Napa-facepalm ako nang malaglag ang mga gamit. Maybe Jamie and I could do a better job than these two. But eventually they managed to carry the poles.

While the other teams went east, we decided to march west. I could hear Loki's rants behind me, but I ignored him. Nagpatuloy kami sa paglalakad sa masukal na gubat. I acted as the navigator, glancing at the map and searching for the markers around us. Alistair was carrying our maroon-and-gold flag fluttering in the wind. Loki and Luthor were carrying the tent poles. Jamie also had her eyes peeled, remembering the paths we took.

"Don't worry," sabi ni Jamie na maingat na naglalakad. She was careful enough not to be tripped over by rocks or roots on the ground. "Tanda ko kung saan tayo dumaan. Kung mali ang dinaanan natin, we can easily trace back our steps. Do you think I'd let our team down?"

Thanks to her retentive memory, there's slim chance that we might get lost in this area.

The march took about ten minutes. Nagpatagal sa amin ang bigat ng mga dala namin. Tirik pa rin ang araw kaya tumagaktak ang aming pawis. Nakarating kami sa area na may portable toilet. As Luthor expected, no one claimed that spot yet.

Loki groaned as they carefully put down the poles on the ground. He was staring at his own hands. Napansin kong namumula ang mga 'to at medyo nanginginig. "The two of us carried the poles, but why do I feel like I did most of the carrying?"

"Save your barbs for later and start putting up our tent," utos ko sa kanya. Akala niya ba'y tapos na ang task niya? Nagsisimula pa lang kami. "Kailangan na nating maitayo ang camp natin dito para makapagplano na tayo kung ano ang susunod nating gagawin."

"Ako nang bahalang magtayo sa tent." Nagtaas ng kamay si Alistair pagkababa niya ng malaking bag na kanina pa niya buhat-buhat. "Magpapatulong ulit ako sa inyo, Loki at Luthor. We need to position the poles properly."

Bumuntong-hininga si Loki habang walang imik si Luthor. "Here we go again."

Habang busy ang mga lalaki sa pag-aayos ng masisilungan namin, kami ni Jamie ang nag-ayos sa mga gamit namin. We separated the food from the other items. Limited ang supply kaya kailangang tipirin ang mga 'to hanggang sa matapos bukas ng tanghali ang game.

Once in awhile, napatitingin ako sa aming bandila na nasa tabi ni Alistair. There's no need to be so concerned about the flag being taken away from us because everyone must be busy with building their own camps.

Ligtas din ang flag mula sa akin. Dahil ako ang nakabunot ng traitor card, ako ang nag-iisang threat sa grupo namin. I don't have any intention of betraying the team. Even if I entertained that idea, hindi ko alam kung kaninong team ko ibibigay ang flag namin.

"Done!" Jamie clapped as soon as we're done separating the cooked rice, instant cup noodles, eggs, hotdogs, bags of marshmallows, and a loaf of bread from the cooking materials and utensils.

"Tapos na rin kami rito," sabi ni Alistair na napapunas ng kanyang pawis sa noo. Naligo naman sa pawis at halos maglupasay sa lupa ang dalawang kasama niya.

Ayaw kong i-judge ang dalawa, pero mukhang hindi masyadong nakapapagod ang kanilang ginawa. They only stuck poles in the ground! Kailangan talaga nilang mag-exercise para hindi sila agad mahapo sa ganitong kasimpleng gawain.

Ipinasok na namin sa tent ang iba pang gamit gaya ng sleeping bags. Malawak ang loob kaya kasya kaming lima kapag natulog kami mamayang gabi rito.

"So what's next?" excited na tanong ni Jamie. Game na game na siya sa main event. "Are we gonna start capturing the flag of other teams? Kasi ready na akong makipagbunuuan sa kanila!" Biglang tumunog ang sikmura niya at napahawak siya sa kanyang tiyan.

I also felt my stomach growl.

"Kailangan muna nating maghanap ng pagkain," suhestiyon ni Alistair. Kinuha niya ang mapa at sinuri ng mga mata niya. "Base rito, hindi gano'n kalayo ang ilog na pwede nating pagkunan ng tubig. Pwede rin tayong manghuli ng isda na lulutuin natin pagbalik dito sa camp."

"But why?" Loki asked. "Why should we catch fish for our lunch?"

"We have food supplies, don't we?" Luthor added. "You can make fire right here and cook some eggs."

Sandaling nagtagpo ang tingin ng magkapatid. It's kinda strange yet refreshing to hear them sort of agreeing to something. They were mostly at odds with each other.

"Kailangan nating i-maximize ang available na resources sa paligid natin," paliwanag ni Alistair. He's starting to sound like an expert in camping. "Pwede nating lutuin ang hotdog at ang marshmallow mamayang gabi. Pwede naman nating lutuin ang mga itlog paggising natin bukas ng umaga. Hindi dapat tayo nakadepende sa kung ano ang meron tayo."

"Speaking of maximizing the resources around us, may mga nadaanan tayong puno ng mangga kanina," tanda ni Jamie na lumingon sa landas na tinahak namin. "Baka pwede tayong pumitas ng mga prutas doon? Wala namang nakalagay na bawal 'yon sa rules, 'di ba?"

Tumingin ako kay Loki. If there's one person who must be well acquainted with the rules by now, it should be him. "Bawal ba 'yon?"

Loki shook his head. "There's no such rule in the book so we can safely pick some mangoes."

"Great!" Jamie clapped once. "Siguradong masarap ang magiging lunch natin! Inihaw na isda at bagong pitas na mangga? Perfect combination!"

"Kailangan na nating puntahan ang ilog para makapanghuli na tayo ng mga isda," sabi ko. "Kung ayaw n'yong malipasan tayo ng gutom, dapat kumilos na tayo ngayon."

"Kailangan din nating kumuha ng malinis na supply ng tubig," dagdag ni Alistair. "We can bring the five canteens and fill them with water in the river."

"Paano ang magiging strategy natin dito?" I folded my arms as I cast my glance at every one of us. "Hindi pwedeng pumunta tayong lima sa ilog at iwan na walang bantay ang kampo."

"Stealing items is not against the rules," Loki shared with us. Mabuti't nagagamit niya ang kanyang binasa sa rulebook. "Since you're all excited about fishing, I volunteer to stay here and guard our stuff."

Naningkit ang mga mata ko sa kanya. I could feel he's volunteering so he didn't have to go through the trouble of catching fish. "Kakayanin mo bang mag-isa na bantayan ang mga gamit natin?"

"Do you think I'd just let them steal our sleeping bags?" Loki cut his gaze away from me. "Of course not! I will also try to think of traps so we can secure our camp."

Alistair grabbed our maroon-and-gold flag on his right. "As long as we're bringing the flag with us, it's okay to leave Loki behind. Basta't siguruhin niyang hindi tayo mananakawan."

"Baka pwede rin akong magpaiwan dito sa camp?" pakurap-pakurap na pakiusap ni Jamie. "Medyo napagod kasi ako sa trip natin papunta rito. Kailangan ko munang magpahinga. Kaya n'yo naman sigurong gawin ang tasks n'yo kahit wala ako, 'no?"

Oh, really? Alam kong may iba pa siyang reason kung bakit ayaw niyang sumama. Ayaw ko ring maniwalang napagod talaga siya.

"Enough nang may isang tagapagbantay sa kampo. Kung tatlo kaming pupunta sa ilog, we can be easily outnumbered by the other teams. If there are four of us, we have a higher chance of protecting our flag."

"Fine," Jamie sounded resigned.

"So let's go?"

"Before you do," may huling hirit pa pala si Loki, "can I make a suggestion?"

Lumingon ako sa kanya. "What is it?"

"Just so our team is safe from any potential betrayal, can we vote to detain my brother?" he asked, pointing at Luthor. His brother did not look surprised. "He might steal our flag while you're knee-deep in the river. Admit it or not, he's the least trustworthy among the five of us. Since I'll be stuck here, I won't be there to stop him."

Isa pa itong si Loki na para-paraan din. Malamang gusto niya na matanggal agad sa laro ang kanyang kuya dahil naiirita siya sa presence nito.

Also I was the one who picked the traitor card. Kung may magnanakaw man ng flag namin at magkakanulo sa aming team, walang iba kung hindi ako. If I were taking my traitor role seriously, I would have quickly agreed to hold a vote.

"How easy it is to point fingers even if you do not have any proof," Luthor said in his defense. "You being the traitor is within the realm of possibilities, isn't it? You want me to be eliminated this early so you have one less person to worry about."

"Me? A traitor? Do you even hear yourself—"

"No," I told Loki as I turned to face him. "Kung sinuman ang traydor sa atin, masyado pang maaga para kumilos siya. At saka kung isa sa aming apat na aalis ang traydor, there are three of us who can stop that person. Do you think we'll let them do as they please?"

"Kasama rin namin si Al kaya kung ang kuya mo ang traydor, he'd be caught before he can run away with our flag," dagdag ni Jamie sabay turo kay Alistair. "I don't wanna judge Lulu, but he doesn't look like the athletic type. Nakaiilang hakbang pa lang siguro siya palayo sa amin, hihingalin na agad siya. Mabilis siyang mahahabol ni Al!"

Napangiti si Alistair sa compliment. What Jamie said was not an exaggeration. It's a fact. Wala rin kaming dapat ikabahala na baka si Alistair ang traydor dahil ako ang hawak sa role na 'yon.

Loki let out a sigh of defeat. "I merely suggested a safety precaution. But if you want a traitor hanging around with us for a while, sure, let him stay by your side."

q.e.d.

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