"My dear, Nemo... we can't fail. Dahil kapag namali tayo ng tawag, posibleng iba ang tumugon sa atin sa gabing ito."

Nemesis would be lying if she said Rionach's words didn't bring a chill up her spine. 'Is that even possible?' She mentally told herself that it's unlikely. Kasama naman nila si Rio, hindi ba? At maalam si Caelum tungkol sa ganitong mga bagay, he probably read an Ouija board instruction manual somewhere and....

"You scared, Silverio?"

Nang mapansin ni Nemesis ang nakangisi nilang lider, that was enough to dispell all her worries. The challenge in his tone was undeniable, as if he knew what was running in her thoughts all along.

'May checklist na nga yata ang isang 'to kung paano sirain ang araw-araw at gabi-gabi ko,' she thought in contempt.

Tumalim ang kanyang mga mata kay Damien at inirapan ito.

"Me? Scared? Mas nakakatakot ang makatabi ang isang aroganteng kagaya mo rito. Are you sure you're not the ghost?"

"Well, kung ako 'yong multo, baka natakot na ako sa kamalditahan mo."

"Say that again, I dare you."

"Okay. Want me to put it on a tape recorder so you can listen to my voice every night?"

The tensiin between the two sparked an imaginary wildfire. In the background, the their other clubmates sighed in defeat. Naawat na lang sila nang tumikhim si Caelum na naging dahilan para bumalik ang kanilang atensyon sa Ouija board na napapalibutan nilang lima. "Not to scare you guys, but what Rio mentioned is a possibility. May rason kung bakit hindi dapat ginagamit ang mga Ouija board sa pakikipag-usap sa patay. In fact, it just became popular for that," paliwanag nito. "The Ouija board was manufactured in the late 1800's, being advertised as a 'talking board' with its printed numbers and letters. Nakilala na lang ang board dahil sa mga bali-balitang nagagamit ito sa pakikipag-usap sa patay, panghuhula sa hinaharap, at paglutas ng mga misteryo."

"Ah, parang 'yong mga horror movies na may mga estudyanteng naglalaro ng Ouija board na pinulot nila kung saan tapos nakakalimutan nilang mag-'good bye' sa mumu kaya pinapatay sila isa-isa?" Naythan was quick to make the analogy. "May attachment issues siguro 'yong mga multo kaya ganoon. We can't blame them. Masakit nga naman talagang bitiwan ang mga taong naging bahagi na ng buhay natin. Alexa play 'hindi na makalayaaaa dinadalaw mo 'ko bawat gabi~! Wala mang nakikita, haplos mo'y ramdam pa rin sa dilim~!'"

Nemesis face palmed.

Nakatinginan naman sina Rio at Caelum na tila hindi maka-relate.

Naythan paused, sensing the atmosphere. "Hey! Hindi ba talaga kayo nakikinig ng mga nauusong songs ngayon? Weak!"

"Let's just get this over with," Damien finally interrupted. "May kailangan pa akong ipabiling mall kay Sorren."

"You mean, may kailangan kang ipabili sa mall?" Namesis clarified, a bit skeptical with his words.

"What am I, broke? No. Bibilhin ko 'yong buong mall."

Natahimik ang iba pang miyembro ng samahan. The silence was so loud that Rio had to clap her hands together to call their attentions.

"Okie dokie~! Dahil mukhang nakahanda na tayo, simulan na natin ang pakikipag-usap kay Agnes."

The mood instantly shifted.

Ilang sandali pa ay nakapaikot na ang lima sa lumang Ouija board sa Mahogany Street kung saan nakaganap ang karumal-dumal na pagpatay kay Mr. Domingo. Habang lumalalim ang gabi, tila mas nagiging sensitive sa maliliit na bagay si Nemesis. Her body was now hyperaware of her surroundings. The cold night breeze gave her goosebumps. A stray cat chased a rodent in the nearby sewers. The static buzz from the streetlight flickered before them.

After placing their index fingers on the planchette, Rio started the prayer.

Mabigat sa pakiramdam.

Nahihirapan na siyang huminga.

Nemesis started studying her other clubmates, noticing how they were concentrating on the task at hand. Even Naythan had a serious expression on.

'Am I the only one feeling this?' Nemesis shook her head, trying her best to focus.

"Is there anyone here with us?"

Napapitlag siya nang sinimulan na ni Rio ang pagtatanong. Ilang sandali pa, unti-unting gumalaw ang planchette hanggang sa huminto ito sa 'YES' na nakasulat sa board.

"G-Ginalaw niyo ba 'yon? Hindi nakakatawa ah..." Kabadong sabi ni Naythan habang magpapalipat-lipat ng tingin sa kanila.

Isang makahulugang ngiti ang sumilay sa mga labi ni Rio.

"Shhh, Tantan... May kausap na tayo. Denying the existence of spirits is a form of disrespect, you know," she calmly said before returning to the board. "Anong pangalan mo?"

Sandaling katahimikan.

'What if we called something else?' Nemesis repeated Caelum's words earlier. Dahil binuksan na nila ang linya ng komunikasyon sa mga kaluluwa, paano sila makasisiguradong si Agnes ang nakakausap nila? What if there's someone (or something) else trying to talk to them? Trick them?

Maya-maya pa, gumalaw ulit ang planchette.

This time, it spelled the words:

A-G-N-E-S

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