This chapter is dedicated to @Hannah Mae Palmera

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"Ang akala ko ba nandito lang siya para sa kaso? That rich kid should really stop this all 'transferee' act."

Habang naglalakad sila sa hallway, mahina namang natawa ang kanyang kasama. Naythan had his hands behind his head as he leisurely walked beside her. Isang makakalokong ngiti sa mga labi nito. "Grabe ka naman kay Damien! Kaka-transfer lang last week, pinapalayas mo na agad. Chill ka lang, Nem!"

Inayos ni Nemesis ang strap ng kanyang bag. "Anong chill? Aren't you even a bit suspicious why he wants to meet us at the oval? Plot twist, mamamatay-tao pala talaga siya!"

Paano na lang kung...

"Hay! Ayan ka na naman, eh. Look, it's just a harmless meet-up, okay? Malay mo naman ililibre niya lang pala tayo! Hehe."

She rolled her eyes at his suggestion. Sabay angat nito ng isang maliit na card. "Saan ka naman nakakita ng manlilibre na magpapadala pa ng invitation na naka-print pa sa scented paper?"

Naythan was about to say something, but quickly closed his mouth. Wala siyang naisip na witty remark sa sinabi ng kanyang best friend. Nagkibit na lang ito ng balikat, "Damien's a rich bastard. What can we expect? Medyo nagtataka nga ako kung bakit hindi na lang 1000-peso bill ang ginamit niyang papel."

Nemesis couldn't agree more.

For half an hour, the walked in silence. Walang-imik na pinanood ni Nemeis ang iba pang mga estudyante ng Eastwood Central University. Abala sila sa kani-kanilang buhay at para bang hindi sila naaapektuhan ng mga misteryong bumabalot sa kanilang bayan. It surprises her how other people are fine with this normal lifestyle.

Mangilan-ngilan lang talaga ang nabibigyan ng pribilehiyong makaranas ng mga kababalaghan.

She was thankful that she's one of the lucky ones, despite how dangerous it had been.

'Pero sandali lang kasi ang buhay ng mga tao. That's why we should never hesitate to take risks. Dahil kapag nasa bingit ka na ng kamatayan, you'll only regret the things you didn't do,' she thought.

Maya-maya pa, nagtanong na si Naythan.

"Kamusta na nga pala sina Cristy?"

Matapos nilang matalo ang amalanhig noong Friday, Nemesis still kept in touch with her over the weekend through Facebook. Alam naman niyang tapos na ang "kaso", but it only felt right to check up on her. Lalo na dahil sa nangyari sa pamilya nila.

"She said she couldn't go to school today. Inaayos na rin daw niya ang pag-file ng LOA. Baka rin daw dumalaw sila sa probinsya nila. Mr. Malvar wanted her to meet and spend time with their relatives, even for a while," Nemesis said.

Sinabi rin sa kanya ni Cristy ang plano nilang ilipat ang libingan ng kanyang mga tiyuhin sa sementeryo kung saan inilibing ang kanilang mga magulang. As terrifying as the amalanhig case was, hindi pa rin nila tuluyang maitatakwil ang nakaraan.

They were still a family...

Hanggang kamatayan.

Nang marating na nila ang malawak na field, agad nilang natanaw si Damien. His luxury branded clothes and shades stood out as he sat by the few benches that were scattered in the area.

Pero hindi ito mag-isa.

Sandali silang nagkatinginan ni Naythan.

Mukhang wala rin itong ideya kung anong nangyayari.

Nang makarating na sila sa kinaroroonan ng tatlo, agad na nagtanong si Nemesis.

"So, what is this meeting about?"

Magsasalita pa lang sana si Damien nang bigla na lang sumabat si Naythan at madramag tiningnan sila isa-isa.

"Hey! Alam niyo ngayon ko lang na-realize that we haven't even formally introduced ourselves!"

Caelum and Rionach blinked, as if suddenly realizing it as well. Napasapo na lang si Nemesis sa kanyang noo. 'Here we go again,' she thought. Meanwhile, the billionaire sighed. "Well, we already learned our names. Nag-hunting tayo ng amalanhig kagabi, kaya malamang wala nang oras para sa 'formality' na sinasabi mo."

"EXACTLY!"

Naythan dramatically stood upright and cupped his hand as if he was holding an invisible microphone. "Hahayaan ba nating sirain ng isang paranormasamang creature ang sense of humanity natin? Now that we're out of harm's way, I'll go first!"

He even cleared his throat before speaking...

"The name's Naythaniel. Naythaniel Fabroa! But you can just call me 'Naythan' para cute. You spell it with a 'y', kasi 'why' not? Hahaha! Hindi ko rin talaga alam kung bakit may 'y' ang pangalan ko, siguro akala nina mama kapag naging unique 'yong spelling magiging unique din ang anak niya, at hindi naman siya nagkamali roon! Single nga pala ako pwera na lang kung aamin na si Ne---HEY!"

"Siraulo ka talaga, Naythan! Ang haba-haba ng intro mo," Nemesis smirked at him and stole the "imaginary microphone" from his hand.

Kahit kailan talaga, ang sakit sa ulo ng bestfriend niya!

Pero dahil wala namang masama sa pagpapakilala, sumakay na rin siya sa trip nito at itinapat ang imaginary microphone sa bibig niya. She turned to them and smiled, "Nemesis Silverio. A certified mystery-addict. Pleased to meet you!"

Maya-maya pa, kinalabit siya ni Naythan. "Psst! Hindi mo sasabihin ang second name mo?"

She glared at him in embarrassment. Oh, he knows how much she hates it!

"Naythan, hindi na nila kailangang malaman..."

Sunod namang hinagis ni Nemesis ang imagine microphone kay Caelum na kanina pa nakatitig sa kanya. The nerd scratched the back of his head and spoke, "Caelum Zagreus Agustin. Please don't call me 'Zagreus'. 2nd year Electrical Engineering student..."

"So...adik ka rin ba sa mga mystery novels tulad ni Nem? I swear if I meet another one like her, baka magpa-admit na ako sa Eastwood Asylum! Hahaha!"

Caelum shook his head. "Umm... Not exactly. Let's just say I read a lot of paranormal-related literature."

"Oh! That explains why you know so much! Ako naman," kunyari namang inagaw ni Rionach ang mic sa kanya at ngumiti nang malawak. Her large cat-shaped earrings followed her movements as she tried to tame her messy hair. "Hola~! Ako si Rionach Flores! Isa akong psychic at witch-in-training. Kung may oras kayo, pwede kayong bumisita sa shop ng parents ko. Nagbebenta kami ng lahat ng klase ng mga anting-anting at agimat panlaban sa mga kampon ng kasamaan!"

"Uy! May agimat din ba kayo para paibigin ang isang tao?" Naythan excitedly inquired while wiggling his eyebrows.

Rio grinned, "Oo naman! Bigyan pa kita ng discount, friend!"

"Nice! Sanaol ganyan. Hahaha!"

Dumako ang mga mata ni Nemesis sa samu't saring accessories ni Rio. Ngayon niya lang napansin ang mga medalyon at kakaibang mga crystal sa kanyang mga alahas.

Nang inabot naman ni Rio ang imaginary mic kay Damien, he shook his head and frowned. "You already know me. Hindi ko na kailangang magpakilala."

Umirap naman si Nemesis at siya na mismo ang nagsalita, "He's Damien Crisvend Alcott, the youngest billionaire in Eastwood. May mansion siya sa Eastwood, Palawan, New Hampshire, Scotland, California, Paris, Germany, at Japan. He owns the Alcott Enterprises bukod pa sa iba niyang businesses sa ibang bansa, and at least nine figures palagi ang annual income niya."

Damien stared at her with an amused smirk on his lips. "Correction: ten figures. Hindi mo ba nabasa ang updated article noong ini-stalk mo ako sa internet, Silverio?"

She glared at him.

Nang namuo ang tensyon sa pagitan nilang dalawa, agad na tumikhim si Naythan at pumagitna. "Okay! Dahil nakapagpakilala na tayo sa isa't isa, panahon na para mag-meeting tayo nang matiwasay. Hahaha!"

When they were all settled down on the benches, hindi na nagpatumpik-tumpik pa si Damien at ipaliwanag ang dahilan ng kanilang "meet-up".

"There are a lot of things you can find out about me on the internet, pero may isang lihim akong pinangangalagaan. Isa akong paranormal investigator, at ilan buwan na akong nagha-hunting ng mga kaluluwa at paranormal creatures sa lugar na 'to. For some strange reason, Eastwood is the hotspot for all kinds of paranormal events and other creepy stuff. Kaya nang lumabas ang balita tuloy sa pagkamatay ng isang propesor, agad kong nalamang may kababalaghan sa likod nito. Like what some of you already know, I specifically 'transferred' here to make sure my investigation was running smoothly. Pero dahil sa hindi inaasahang mga pangyayari, nagbago ang plano..."

Hindi nakaligtas kay Nemesis ang pagsulyap nito sa kanya. Napairap na lang ang dalaga. Of course, he was still pissed at the fact that he couldn't pay her to shut her mouth!

'Minsan talaga ang sarap ipakain sa lalaking ito ang pera niya.'

"Pero kung hindi dahil sa'min, baka hindi naging matagumpay ang kasong ito," Nemesis countered. "Baka nga nabigo ka pang iligtas sina Cristy kung nag-solo ka lang sa 'imbestigasyon' mo. Why don't you just admit that you can't do everything alone, Alcott?"

Namayani ang katahimikan sa kanilang lima. Naythan, Rionach, and Caelum waited while Nemesis and Damien were having a staring contest. Sa huli, ang bilyunaryo na mismo ang nag-iwas ng tingin at sabay buntong-hininga.

"You're right... that's why I'm staying in ECU and recruiting all four of you."

That caught her off guard.

Nakatuon na ngayon ang atensyon nina Namesis, Naythan, Caelum, at Rionach sa kanya. Bakas ang pagtataka at gulat sa kanilang mga ekspresyon. Meanwhile, Damien took this opportunity to further elaborate...

"Aside from Sorren's constant suggestions, I've done some thinking last night after we defeated the amalanhig. Nakita ko ang potential sa inyo, so I thought we might as well put your individual strengths to good use. Gamit ang expertise ni Caelum sa paranormal creatures, he can easily identify them and narrow down what methods to use against those monsters; Rionach's protective charms, psychic ability, and crazy ideas can come in handy someday, lalo na kung kakailanganin natin ng proteksyon laban sa mga masasamang elemento; Napansin ko rin kagabi ang endurance at agility ni Naythan habang hinahabol siya ng amalanhig. I assume you're a former athlete?"

Sa kanyang tabi, nag-thumbs up pa ang kanyang bestfriend. "Yup! Varsity pa nga ako noong Junior High, eh."

'It's true,' Nemesis thought.

Noong high school nila, isa sa pinaka-proactive sa kanilang batch si Naythan. Halos lahat na yata ng sports sinubukan nitong salihan dahil sa pagiging hyper niya.

Damien nodded, "That might be useful too, lalo pa't madalas pisikalan ang paghuhuli sa mga halimaw... and of course, Silverio's bravery and wit is also essential for our operations. Mahalagang may bumalanse sa desisyon ng isang grupo, even if it means opposing our ideas."

Nemesis thought she saw a faint smile on his lips, pero agad rin itong naglaho. Well, he does have a point. Caelum unraveled the monster's identity, yes-but it was Nemesis who brought him there when she sensed that something was off. Kung hindi siguro naging skeptical kagabi ang dalaga, baka hindi pa nila agad na-realize na hindi naman pala isang bampira ang kalaban nila.

Finally, Damien asked the million-dollar question...

"So, are you willing to be part of this new 'club'? I have to warn you, though. Hindi madaling maging paranormal investigator... you might find yourself dancing with death, every now and then."

"I'll even ask for a second dance," Nemesis quickly stepped up to the challenge. Isang determinadong ngiti sa kanyang mga labi. "Bring it on!"

Ilang taon na niyang pinapangarap na magkaroon ng "excitement" ang buhay niya, ngayon pa ba siya mag-aalinlangan? If all those mystery novels taught her one thing, that is to never live in hesitations...

Because you just might miss a life-changing adventure.

Beside her, Naythan sighed. Napapailing na lang ito. "Hay! Syempre bilang baby-sitter ni Nem, 'di ko naman siya pwedeng pabayaan, 'di ba? Someone's gotta look out for her! Mabuti na lang at mabait akong kaibigan. Hahaha!"

Nemesis smiled in appreciation.

"Sounds really really interesting! Of course, I'm in! Sa wakas, may mapaggagamitan na ako ng kapangyarihan ko. Oh, and I can imagine all the fun we're gonna have as a club!" Rionach beamed at them and adjusted her large eyeglasses. "Magiging bonding time natin ang panghuhuli ng mga maligno! How awesome!"

Nang balingan naman nila si Caelum, napansin nilang nakayuko pa rin ito. Tila ba may malalim itong iniisip.

"Caelum?" Nemesis called as they stared at him expectantly.

Maya-maya pa, nag-angat ito ng tingin at ngumiti sa kanila, "Palagi ko noong iniisip na walang saysay ang mga natutunan ko sa pag-aaral ng paranormal... Now, I'm just glad that the information inside my head can finally be useful."

They were all relieved to hear that.

"Oh! Ano palang pangalan ng club natin?" Biglang basag ni Rionach sa katahimikan. With that, the other three mumbled their suggestions and tried to form a sensible name.

Napangisi na lang si Damien at pormal na inanunsyo ang naisip niyang pangalan ng kanilang munting grupo...

"Eastwood Paranormal Investigators Club."

And they all liked the sound of that.

Especially a certain loud-mouth...

"EPIC! Ang astig ng acronym, mga brad! Hehe. Dahil dyan, may naiisip tuloy akong tag line: 'EPIC lang paranorMALAKAS!' Woooh!"

But before Naythan could even finish that sentence, nagsi-alisan na ang kanyang mga kasama para pumunta sa kani-kanilang mga klase. He cursed under his breath and run towards them.

"TEKAAAA! Bakit niyo ako iniwan?! Nem! Ang daya niyo naman, eh! Hintaaaaay!"

They still have a long journey ahead of them.

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