A/N: This is the last part of Lorelei's entry! Enjoy reading!

LORELEI

I HAD a good sleep last night. Kahit na wala ako sa comfort ng aking higaan, hindi ako naalimpungatan sa kalagitnaan ng gabi. Papasikat na ang araw nang mamulat ang aking mga mata. Wala pa yatang nagigising sa amin.

Gusto ko pa sanang matulog, but Jamie's snores coming from my left would not let me fall asleep again. Ilang beses kong niyugyog ang tulog-mantika kong katabi. Kahit gaano kalakas ang yugyog ko, walang epekto sa kanya. I sighed and turned to my right. Nakakapanibago. Mahimbing din ang tulog ni Loki na bahagyang nakabukas ang bibig. Lagi kasi siyang nauunang magising kaysa sa akin.

Dahil nawala na ang aking antok, bumangon na ako at chineck ang iba pa naming kasama. Natutulog pa rin si Alistair na diretso ang pagkakahiga. Iginala ko pa ang aking tingin sa kanyang kanan. I saw an empty sleeping bag.

Teka, nasaan sina Luthor at Rye? Maaga ba silang nagising?

Lumabas ako ng tent. I shaded my eyes against the rising sun outside, scanning the surroundings. Wala akong ibang nakita kundi ang campfire na binuhusan namin ng buhangin para patayin at ang nakabukas na portalet.

Where are they? Pumunta ba sila sa kakahuyan para mamitas ng prutas o sa ilog para manghuli ng isda? I don't think so. Luthor would not think of doing any legwork this early. May pag-asa pa na si Rye ang naghahanap ng makakain sa mga sandaling 'to.

Maybe they sneaked into another camp to steal a flag or supplies? As our strategist, Luthor may have thought that this was the perfect opportunity. Tulog pa rin siguro ang members ng ibang team.

Flag? Flag! Teka, nasaan na ang mga bandera namin?

Nagmadaling akong pumasok ng tent at iginala ang aking mga mata. Sa pagkakatanda ko, nasa side nina Alistair at Luthor ang dalawang flags namin. We put them there because we thought they'd be more secured there.

But the flags were nowhere to be found. Tiningnan ko ang bawat sulok ng tent. Pero ni stick o anino ng mga bandera namin, wala akong napansin.

Uh-oh. Doon na ako kinutuban. Hindi pa nga ako nagkakape ngayong umaga pero feeling ko'y nagpa-palpitate na ako.

Isa-isa kong niyugyog ang mga kasama ko. Alistair was first to open his eyes and asked what was going on. Sunod na nagising si Loki na noong una'y itinaboy ang kamay ko. Jamie finally woke up after I tickled her.

Ayaw kong istorbohin ang kanilang tulog, pero may emergency kami. Ayaw ko ring mag-assume kung bakit wala sina Luthor at Rye sa kampo namin, pero hindi ko mapigilang i-entertain ang idea.

"I knew it!" Loki exclaimed as he was poking the empty sleeping bag of his brother with a stick. "We shouldn't have trusted that person! They were on this flag heist together!"

"We welcomed Rye with open arms tapos tatraydurin niya tayo? The nerve!" Jamie clicked her tongue repeatedly. "Pero wala na sigurong mas disappointing kaysa sa ginawa ni Lulu. I thought he's one of us! How could he do this?"

"Maybe Luthor tried to run after Rye when he stole the flag?" I floated the possibility. Aminado ako, I was trying to think of a valid reason why he was nowhere to be found. All the while, I dismissed the possibility that he could betray us.

"Run after Rye?" Loki scoffed. "Can you hear yourself? My brother will let our flag be stolen than chase the thief. He has no energy for such a tiresome activity."

"Kung hindi niya kayang makipaghabulan, sana'y ginising niya tayo para hingan ng tulong," sabi ni Alistair. "At least one of us would have woken up, I think? The fact that he did not do so strongly suggests that he's in on the theft."

"We should have voted him out when he had a chance!" Loki grunted. "This is the part where I say 'I told you so.' If you only took my warning seriously, we wouldn't have been outsmarted by him."

But I don't understand it. Ako ang nakabunot ng traitor card sa amin. Kung meron mang magnanakaw sa flag, ako 'yon at hindi si Luthor. Kaya paano siya naging accomplice—sakaling hindi siya ang pasimuno—sa nakawang 'to?

Wait a minute. Baka dalawa ang traitor sa bawat team?

"Let me ask our rules expert. "Loki, napag-aralan mo ang rulebook, 'di ba?"

He nodded. "I know every rule by heart."

"Meron bang nakalagay kung ilan ang pwedeng makabunot ng traitor card sa bawat team?"

Marahan siyang umiling. "The rulebook did not state how many traitors there can be in every team. It only says that a player may randomly pick a loyalist or a traitor card."

Kung gano'n, posibleng hindi lang ako ang traydor sa team! Luthor must have picked the traitor card too.

"You picked the traitor card, didn't you?" Loki asked me.

I looked at him for a few seconds, thinking whether I should admit it or not. I was no longer that surprised if he figured it out.

"You've been adamant about voting out my brother or anyone in our team," he explained when I did not say a word. "You knew that we'll still be safe even if we didn't send him or anyone to jail. Why? Because you are the traitor and you have no plans of betraying us."

Jamie gasped while Alistair squinted his eyes at me.

Well, what's the point of denying it? Hindi naman magbabago ang takbo ng laro.

I nodded. "I am the traitor and I have no intention of switching sides."

"H-How is that possible?" pagulat na tanong ni Jamie.

What kind of question was that? "I picked the traitor card and I made the decision to stay loyal to the team even if I had the option to betray you."

"I know the obvious!" she replied with a mocking tone. "I also picked the traitor card kaya ganyan ang reaksyon ko."

"What?!" Napatingin kaming tatlo sa kanya. My forehead creased. At least three of us in the team picked the same card? Grabeng coincidence naman yata!

"Wala rin akong plans na magtraydor sa inyo kaya safe ang team natin," sabi ni Jamie. "Hindi ko lang in-expect na may tatlong traydor sa atin. You, me, and Luthor."

"Make that four," Alistair said, showing us four of his fingers. "I also picked the traitor card."

Lalong lumalim ang pagkunot ng noo ko. What the hell was going on here?

"You got it wrong, Alistair." Loki shut his eyes for a second. "It's not four. It's five."

"Pati ikaw?" tanong ko.

"So everyone in our team is a traitor?!" Jamie exclaimed.

I thought all along that there could only be one traitor while the rest were my teammates. What a twist!

"Nagkamali ba si Professor Morayta sa ipinabunot niyang baraha sa atin kahapon?" kunot-noong tanong ni Jamie. "This must be some kind of glitch!"

"What are the chances na ang limang member ng isang team ay nakabunot ng parehong baraha?" Good question, Alistair. Though it's not virtually impossible, the chances were undeniably so low. "For every one of us, there's a fifty-fifty percent probability that we will pick either. Masyado yatang mapaglaro ang pagkakataon para traitor card ang mabunot ng bawat isa sa atin."

"What if it's not a coincidence? What if it's a—"

Nahinto sa pagsasalita si Jamie at napahawak sa kanyang tiyan. We heard her stomach growl.

"Sorry, medyo gutom na kasi ako, eh!" natatawang sabi niya.

"Let's prepare our breakfast muna," Alistair said. "Huwag tayong magpalipas ng gutom. This traitor discussion can wait."

So we did. Lumabas na kami ng tent at muling kumuha ng mga pangsiga sa improvised stone stove namin. Habang nagluluto ng itlog si Alistair, sinubukan namin ni Jamie na mamitas ng mga dilaw na mangga. Loki gave us a pass when we asked him to help us. We did not have any long stick with us so we had a hard time picking that fruit. Nakaapat na mangga lang kami.

Dahil naubos na namin ang kanin kagabi, tinapay ang i-p-in-artner namin sa sunny side up eggs. Dagdag pa rito ang sliced mangoes. With cups of hot drinks in our hands, we ate and watched as the sun rose from the horizon. For a moment, nakalimutan namin ang mga tumraydor sa amin.

But we had to deal with that issue. After taking our breakfast, each of us took turns in taking a bath in the portalet. Dahil limited ang water supply, kinailangin naming tipirin ang tubig. We had to literally drag Loki into that box because he did not want to shower and change his clothes. Sa cabin na lang daw siya maliligo.

When we're dressed, we set off to find our treacherous two teammates. Where could they have possibly gone? Kung may pagbibigyan sila ng aming flags, aling team kaya ang papanigan nila? Which club was the second best? Sorry, that last bit sounded boastful.

Nakasalubong namin sa gitna ng kagubatan ang mga member ng Paranormal Club. Kung kahapo'y lima sila, ngayo'y apat na lang. Maggie was nowhere to be seen. May isang bagay ring nawawala sa kanila.

"Pagkagising namin, wala na si Maggie kasama ang flag!" nakapamewang na kuwento ni Rosetta sa amin. "Hay! I really thought she can be trusted! Naging medyo close pa namin kami dahil sa bonding namin kahapon!"

"Talaga? Tinangay rin nina Luthor at Rye ang dalawang flag namin," kuwento rin ni Jamie. "Hinahanap din namin sila ngayon. Can't believe they had the guts to betray us! Kapag nakita ko silang dalawa, makatitikim ng kutos sa akin sa mga 'yan!"

"First, Luthor and Rye. Now, Maggie..." Loki muttered, looking down.

Pinuntahan namin ang camp ng Sewing Club na siyang pinakamalapit sa kinatatayuan namin. Dahil wala na ang flags namin ng Paranormal Club at ng Robotics Club, ine-expect kong sa kanila ibinigay ng mga traydor ang mga bandera namin. They were the only remaining team. But to our surprise, apat na lang silang nandoon at nawawala na rin ang kanilang flag.

"Wala na 'yong flag pagkagising namin," sabi ng kanilang team leader na napakamot ng ulo. "Ninakaw yata ni Ezekiel habang tulog kami."

Nagkatinginan kaming apat na taga-QED Club. We're starting to see a pattern here: Those who stole are flags were the fifth members added to our teams. And they all belonged to the student council and the executive committee.

"So there's a secret fifth team that we weren't aware of?" Loki chuckled as he ran his fingers upwards through his bangs. "Wicked. My brother probably orchestrated this whole thing. None of them can pull this off except him."

"We didn't know that there can be more than one traitor in the group." Alistair folded his arms. He did not seem to be disheartened. "This really came as a surprise."

"Not to me," Loki replied. "I already saw this coming. Kinda. But none of you listened. If anything, you deserved to be outplayed by him."

"Kahit future brother-in-law ko pa siya, masasabunutan ko talaga 'yang Luthor na 'yan!" Parang may nilalamukos na mga invisible na papel si Jamie sa kanyang mga kamay. "I don't care if he's the vice president of the student council or the president of the Philippines."

Sumagi sa isip ko ang eksena kahapon, noong tinangka naming nakawin ang flag ng Paranormal Club. I remember Luthor chatting with Maggie amid the commotion.

"Traitors are not bound to any teams. They can choose whichever side they want."

I slapped my palm on my forehead. Kung tama ang hinala ni Loki, his brother might have been convincing Maggie to be on his plan at that particular moment. Dagdag ko pa ang kanyang pag-taunt kay Loki para ipakita kung saan niya itinago ang mga flag habang wala kami sa camp.

"So ano nang gagawin natin?" tanong ni Jamie. "Tatanggapin na lang ba natin ang ating pagkatalo? Won't we get back at them? May ilang oras pa bago matapos ang game!"

Alistair shook his head slowly. "If they're nowhere to be found in the woods, they must have gone back to the cabin and surrendered the flags."

"They've already achieved the primary objective of this game, which is to capture all four flags," Loki added. "There's nothing we can do anymore. It's a sweet victory for them and a bitter loss for us."

Since it's virtually a game over already, we decided to head back to our camp. Bago pa sumapit ang alas-dose ng tanghali, iniligpit na namin ang aming tent at ilang kagamitang pang-camping. Mas mahihirapan kaming magbuhat ngayon dahil kulang ng isa ang mga kasama naming lalaki. We would have to carry together the poles of the tent and the other items we bought.

As we marched back to the cabin, we saw Professor Morayta standing at the porch. The four traitors in each team stood behind him. Nakatarak ang aming mga flag sa kanilang likuran. They looked so proud of tricking us into trusting them.

"I wanna wipe off that subtle smug look in his face," Loki muttered as his eyes landed on his brother. I understood why he's feeling that way. Being beaten by another team was not preferrable, but could still be accepted. Being beaten by his brother was on a different level.

Pumila kami per team at ibinaba ang mga dala naming gamit sa lupa.

"Welcome back to the cabin!" bati sa amin ni Professor Morayta. He stretched his arms wide open as if he wanted to give each of us a hug. "I hope you all had a good night's sleep and ate some food before going back here."

Well, we surely had a fun moment last night and I say it's definitely worth it. Naging mahimbing din ang tulog ko at ng mga kasama ko. Kaya nga naisahan kami nina Luthor at Rye.

"As you can see, none of you managed to steal the flags of the other teams." Professor Morayta gestured to the banners behind him. "Ang mga flag na nakikita n'yo ngayon ay ninakaw mula sa inyo ng mga extra member na binunot ko para sumali sa inyo."

"That felt like cheating," Loki whispered. While I may kinda agree with him, I still shushed him before the others could hear his unwelcome remarks.

Professor Morayta sucked in a breath. "I have a confession to make."

"Oh, finally!" Loki would not shut his mouth from giving side comments. I nudged him with my elbow. Kapag nainis ako, sisikmurain ko na siya.

"The team-building activity isn't really about capturing the flags of the other teams," our instructor went on. "It's about testing the trust you have in each other."

"Is that why you deliberately made us pick the traitor card?" Loki asked out loud. He spoke without being asked or acknowledged. "There isn't any teammate card in the deck, is there, sir?"

Members of the other teams gasped. Mukhang hindi pa sila nagkakaaminan kung sino ang traydor sa kanila. I heard them whispering "Kaya pala traitor card ang nabunot ko!" and "Ay, traydor ka rin pala?"

Professor Morayta nodded. "Every one of you has been given a traitor card. Gusto kong i-test ang resolve n'yo. Meron bang mate-tempt sa inyo na traydurin ang mga kasama n'yo? Meron bang magkapakita ng distrust sa inyong grupo?"

Only Loki expressed distrust in someone in our team. On his brother, of course. And he's right about it.

"Based on the report of your fifth members, wala namang kumilos sa inyong original members para traydurin ang inyong grupo at ibigay ang inyong flag sa ibang team. Wala rin kayong ibinoto na ipinadala sa jail. So I can safely say that the trust is there."

Sumulyap ako kay Loki. Paulit-ulit niyang isinuggest kahapon na mag-vote out kami ng isang member. If we eliminated his brother, maybe the outcome of this game would have been different. But if we eliminated someone else, that could have been seen as a sign of distrust within our club.

"You see, everyone always has the option of betraying our friends. Everyone has the option of doubting the people around us. It's ultimately up to us on whether we will give in to our suspicions or not," Professor Morayta said, smiling. "That's the lesson we wanna impart in this team building."

Thankfully none of us in the QED Club entertained that option. Kahit nabunot naming apat ang traitor card, we all thought to ourselves that we would not betray the team. And that spoke volumes about how loyal we are to our club and to each other.

"Alam kong nagugutom na ang ilan sa inyo kaya naghanda na kami ng pagkain sa loob." Our instructor jerked his thumb over his shoulder, toward the cabin door. "You can leave your camping materials there. You all deserve a rewarding lunch."

We formed a straight line as we prepared to get inside. There's buffet-style dining waiting for us there. I appreciate the food we had in our camp, but nothing beats a well-prepared meal. Loki was thankful that we did not have to eat via boodle fight.

Later in the afternoon, we held a forum in the entrance hall of the cabin. Isa-isa kaming tinanong ni Professor Morayta kung ano ang tumatak na experiences sa amin habang nagka-camping.

Game na game na ibinida ni Jamie ang sharing session namin kagabi, kung paano namin mas nakilala ang isa't isa. Naikuwento ni Alistair kung paano niya nagamit ang kanyang camping survival skills. Ako naman, nai-share sa kanila ang value ng trust at loyalty na kahit nabunot ko ang traitor card, mas pinili kong mag-stick sa aking grupo. Oh, how about Loki? He only said that he enjoyed the experience with a straight face and without any elaboration.

The bus came at around four o'clock, a signal that our two-day trip here was over. Gaya noong papunta kami rito, naunang pumasok sa bus si Loki at pumwesto sa pinakadulo. I sighed. We had no choice but to follow him. Again. We sat in the same seats we took yesterday morning. When everyone got in, the bus drove off, leaving the Emerson camping site behind.

Dala na rin siguro ng sobrang pagod kaya napasandal ang aming mga ulo sa balikat ng isa't isa. Alistair rested his head on my shoulder. I rested mine on Jamie's. Jamie rested hers on Loki's. And Loki rested his on the window glass. We fell asleep during that one hour ride.

This team-building may be tiring. We may have lost the game. But the experiences? I could not put a price tag on them. Definitely two of the best days of my life. And I look forward to enjoying these moments again with them.

q.e.d.

And there you have it, Lorelei's entry for the anthology. Up next is Jamie's!

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