｡˚⛓˚｡⋆. ARES

ㅤ

Blue ceiling. Cream white walls. A king-sized bed. A huge desk. Dior's picture. A big bookshelf. And an I.D. from our university.

This room was surely Hermés'.

Alam ko na sa aming dalawa nagsimula ang trahedyang nangyari sa aming magtropa. Kami ang unang nilapitan nina Yves and Achilles. Kami ang pinag-ugatan pero hindi ko alam sino ang gumago.

I did not know who failed us.

Were Yves and Achilles really to blame? O kami-kami rin lang ang naghilahan pababa sa amin?

Aware ako na my girlfriend knows so much about our situation. Unlike her, I felt so useless dahil wala akong alam. They were initiating plans without my knowledge. Kitang-kita ko ang linya sa aming lahat, walang gustong tumapak. Bakit? Dahil lahat ay mayroong tinatago.

I just know na malaki ang kasalanan ko sa kaibigan ko.

Someone died because of me.

Napagpasyahan kong libutin ang kwarto ni Hermés because I was thirsty for information. Gusto ko nang tumayo bilang tatay nila ulit. We had to get out of here as fast as we could. No more deaths.

To be honest, I felt betrayed nang mapagtanto ko na nagkaroon na pala ng patayan behind my back.

But who am I to talk to them like that? I was just the same.

I decided to look at his desk first. He was a highly investigative person and I know that he would be collecting information about the murder. He was not a law student but he was so curious with the study of it.

"Bingo," dulong ko sa sarili ko nang makitang tama ang mga predictions ko.

There were tons of news articles relating to Yves and Achilles' death. His laptop was also open and nakapalabas ang news ng murder.

One question rang on my mind.

Why did he have the CCTV footages of the university?

Alam kong mayaman siya para bilhin ito pero bakit kailangan niyang bilhin? The university would be the ones to surrender those to the police pero bakit nasa kanya ito? I was raising suspicions already.

I took the footages and sat on his chair. I inserted the CDs on his laptop which revealed ten videos. I clicked the video file with the name '22:00' as the murder happened around that time.

Iba't ibang angle ang hagip ng camera but Yves' body was found approximately three kilometers away from the university. It was weird because the place was located quite near the bar we were in that night.

Isang oras ang video at isang oras lang ang ibinigay sa amin ni Crow para lumibot sa kwartong ito. I had to be quick. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I had to use to my advantage.

I scrolled the video to the right kasi walang nangyayari at walang nahahagip ang CCTV na significant sa sitwasyon namin. I was starting to get impatient.

"What the fuck..." Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang makakita ng pamilyar na mukha na dumaan. She was in panic.

What was my girlfriend doing there?

Natataranta si Tiffany as she looked around while walking in the university garden. Para bang hindi niya mawari kung saan siya pupunta. She told me her professor asked her to do something before she went to the bar with us.

What did Tiffany have to do with this?

Love, what did you do?

Ilang minuto akong nakatulala habang pilit na sinasagot ang mga tanong sa utak ko. This would not do... kailangan ko pang maghanap ng ibang clues dito.

Tumayo ako and looked around but something caught my eyes. Kumunot ang noo ko nang makakita ng maliit na bote sa bedside table ni Hermés.

"Bakit may ganito ito?" I asked myself while looking at the chloroform in my hand.

Saan niya ginamit ito?!

I raised my suspicions towards Hermés nang makita ito. But I knew... kailangan ko pa ng matibay na ebidensya to prove my theories correct.

I knew he had something to do with their death and I'm going to find out what.

Killer or not... the secrets had to stop.

"Punyeta?" Napamura ako nang makakita ng dog collar and ball gag sa kama nito. Namula ang pisngi ko nang mapagtanto ano 'yon. My hands were shaking as I held it.

This was used for BDSM!

Never would I have thought that our friend, who is married to his studies, would have such kinks and fetishes. I would not judge him for that... It was his privacy and personal desires. But, wow, I was shocked.

Mas lalo akong nawindang when I saw an R-18 magazine beside it. Naimpluwensiyahan ba ito ni Apollo or what?

No...

Fuck.

ㅤ

"He lied..." Sambit ko when I realized that Apollo told us that the picture of the Sex Room was his.

Madalas kaming tumatambay sa bahay ni Apollo and we memorized each room. Maliit lang naman siya because the house was his only. Regalo ito sa kanya ng mga magulang niya.

But Hermés... there was one door in their house na hindi namin alam ang nilalaman. It had a huge lock on it.

Para bang sumakit ang ulo ko sa mga nalalaman ko... Fuck, of course!

Yves and Achilles lived with Hermés at the time the video went viral. The video was filmed in his sex room!

Kung kanya ang Sex Room... Kanino ang picture ng video recorder?

Possible ba na there are two pictures for the same person? Kung ganoon, may inosente sa amin.

And I would be damned if the innocent one is already dead.

I wanted to feel happy because before this, I was slowly knowing what really happened to Yves and Achilles. Pero mas lalo lang akong nalilito ngayon.

The detectives said that there were no traces of chloroform sa bangkay niya but it was confirmed that she displayed signs of defense because of her bruises and wounds.

Hermés did not cause her death.

But what exactly did he do?

And, Tiffany... why was she running away? Most importantly, sino ang tinatakbuhan niya?

- -

FLASHBACK

"Hindi..." Lasing na si Hades. "Hindi ko na siya mahal!"

Hindi makatingin nang maayos si Chanel sa kanya dahil naiilang sa sinasabi ng ex. Sa totoo lang, it has been five minutes since Hades came here sa bar pero naglasing na agad siya! Ako naman ay napapatakip ng mukha dahil sa hiya. People were looking at us!

Magkakasama kami ngayon nina Hades, Chanel, Zeus, and Apollo sa bar. Tiffany told me na susunod nalang daw siya. May pinagawa kasi ang professor niya.

"Pre, nalalamigan siya oh." Pasimpleng tinuro ni Zeus si Chanel na niyayakap ang sarili. She was wearing a halter top kaya siguro nilalamigan.

"Tangina naman," Hades groaned and took off his jacket before coolly handing it to Chanel.

"I'm fine, thank you." Umiling si Chanel pero pinagpilitan ni Hades na isuot nito ang jacket niya. Bumuntong-hininga si Chanel before wearing it.

"Sana ol!" Sigaw ni Apollo, lasing na lasing na sa hindi malamang dahilan. He looked so devastated these days.

"You can wear this, Apollo." Ngumiti si Chanel at akmang aalisin ang jacket na suot. Natawa tuloy ako kaya sinamaan ako ng tingin nina Hades at Apollo.

"Don't say bad words, Chanel!" Saway ni Apollo at nilagay ang isang daliri sa harap ng labi niya. "Baka masuntok ako!"

"Ang kulit..." Ngumuso si Hades at uminom nalang ulit. Pagkainom, bigla nalang ito nakatulog.

"Love!" I smiled sweetly at my lovely girlfriend na pagod na pagod karating. She was sweating too much. Baka nagmadaling pumunta rito?

"Love." Ngumiti ito sa akin at saka binigyan ako ng halik sa pisngi. "I missed you."

"Putangina naman," reklamo ni Apollo at saka uminom ulit ng alak. Was he broken or what? Kanina pa 'to.

"Hey!" Binati ni Tiffany ang dalawa naming kaibigan na gising pa at tinawanan si Hades na naghihilik. Sobrang broken siguro ni Hades at ang lakas ng loob na umiyak tungkol kay Chanel habang kaharap ito.

"You look so tired, love," sabi ko at hinila ang upuan sa tabi ko para makaupo siya. "How are you?"

I saw her froze for a brief moment.

"May pinagawa lang si prof," she said and took a shot.

But her dirty skirt did not escape my eyes.

END

- -

Sa kwarto ni Hermés nga ako napunta, but why was I suspecting my girlfriend?

One thing was for sure.

May kinalaman silang dalawa sa pagkamatay nina Yves and Achilles.

｡˚⛓˚｡⋆. PRADA

I was so tired. May alarm ba rito? I just want to take a quick nap before I will do the challenge. Especially, nasa room kami. E, ano nga ba ang nasa room? Bed! These days drained me too well.

First, I lost my baby.

Then, its father.

Now, even my friends.

Baka I will be the next. I just hoped it would not be Hades. I managed to live this far so the both of us can get out here alive. We had to do everything to move forward.

To be honest, I was not expecting that our group's friendship will remain intact. Pero, kahit sa amin nalang ni Hades ang matira. He never left my side since we first met and I did not plan leaving his.

Who kaya ang nakapunta sa room ko? I think malalaman naman na nila about my picture. I did not intend to hide it but inunahan ako ni Hades! Sa totoo lang, I was about to tell them but the video and the murders happened.

We were protecting each other, after all.

Anyways, hindi ako pwedeng matulog. I had to finish this so I could sleep peacefully in my own room. Magmula nang mapunta kami rito, I never had a dream!

Parang pagkapikit ko palang, umaga na.

It was so frustrating that I had to first, lose my tongue. At ngayon, I lost an eye! Nakakairita na! But, I know I have to do this challenge.

Pero kasi...

I was confused. Kaninong kwarto ito? This looked like Ares' room... but what was in it was supposedly Dior's.

Wait...

There's something wrong.

There were documents and newspapers related to the theft in our university. Plan yata niyang i-help si Dior about this? I highly believe that Dior did not steal the money.

I knew my friend and I am confident that she would never do that.

She got a scholarship in our university on her own and she was juggling her sideline jobs so why the heck would she turn into a thief? She was a woman of principles and hardwork. This was not Dior.

However, the school blamed her. They concluded she was the theft before she even stated her side. All of them were madaya.

I witnessed how she had to endure tons of judgments and dirty looks on the faces of our schoolmates, the faculty, and the police. It broke my heart seeing her not cry.

I never saw her shed a tear.

Gusto ko siyang i-hug and i-assure her that she is safe with us, her friends. I hope she remembers that we still got her back. Even if she did steal those, I knew she had a reason.

Mind you, hindi ko siya tino-tolerate. I just know her struggles in life.

Ares belonged to a family of lawyers kaya siya rin ay mag-aabogado. I believe tutulungan niya si Dior about her case since her parents also had an impending case.

However, what caught my eyes was the bag of money on the side. Mayaman si Ares but I know na hindi niya ganito sina-stack ang pera niya. It did not look like him.

Ares told me na he has a shared bank account with Tiffany. Doon daw nila ilalagay ang mga money nila for their future. Ares will propose to Tiffany kasi right after graduation.

Nakakabitter.

But the question is...

Kay Ares ba talaga ito?

I took the document on the desk and what I read there shocked me. Parang nanghina ang mga tuhod ko nang basahin ko ang document.

This was... impossible! Ares' family was among the richest family in our city kaya impossible na mababaon sila sa utang!

The document stated that the Revas Family has a debt of over 100 million since March last year. Ares never told us about it! I saw how he managed to smile at us kahit ganito na kalaki ang problema niya.

He managed to deceive us.

Baka namalikmata lang ako. I squeezed my eyes and read the document pero ayun pa rin. Rios Revaz pa rin ang nakalagay! That was the name of his father.

My braincells are reducing.

Mas nakaka-stress and nakakabobo ito kaysa sa course ko.

Natigilan ako when I realized something. I was starting to connect all the dots. Alam ko almost everything about the pictures... but now, it made even more sense!

Fuck.

Of course!

Yves and Achilles first sought help from Ares noong nabaon sila sa utang. Ares never says no. I even witnessed how he and Tiffany fought because of money pero hindi ako aware noon na about dito pala!

If only Crow gives me my tongue back, I would expose their secrets without delay.

We were getting nowhere with our investigation. I believe it is time to stop this and start getting out of here. If Tiffany and Chanel could not bear to tell them, pwes ako na.

You were protecting yourself all these time.

I know your secret now, Ares Revaz.

I just hope that by the time they found out, the crows haven't kissed my death.