TONY

FATE HAS a funny way of playing with our lives. If you told me a week ago that Cleo and I would be literally close, I would have laughed at you and thought you're high on drugs. I might even tell you to give me whatever you're smoking. Why? Because there's less than five percent chance of that turning into reality. Mas may chance pa akong maging dean's lister kaysa mangyari 'yon.

But things happened. I didn't see them coming. Last night, she appeared at my doorstep while dressed in a hoodie to hide her facial features. She asked for my help and we agreed to take her in for a while. Well, only me and Emilio agreed. Octavio had no choice but to respect our decision.

Pagkagising ko nitong umaga, inakala ko noong una na nakatulog ako sa couch at panaginip ang mga nangyari kagabi. Sa sobrang pagod ko minsan, hindi na ako nakaaabot sa kuwarto. But no. Everything was real. When I opened my eyes, Cleo was standing before the electric stove. Akala ko'y namalik-mata ako noong una, pero hindi pala. She was there, in the flesh!

Kinusot ko ang aking mga mata. The smell of garlic fried rice couldn't escape my nose. Muli kong ibinaling sa kitchen ang tingin ko. Cleo was helping Emilio prepare our breakfast. She greeted me with "good morning!" and a bright smile as our eyes met. I was about to greet her back, but I remembered that I still had morning breath. I rushed to the comfort room and rinsed my mouth.

So this was really happening, huh?

Pagkatapos kong maghilamos, pumunta na ako sa dining area at humila ng upuan. May fried eggs at hotdogs na nasa pinggan at isang bowl ng sinangag na kanin. I usually took for granted the breakfast that Emilio was cooking for us. But today might be different. Feeling ko'y mas masarap ang agahan namin ngayon. My stomach growled. Nagutom tuloy ako sa amoy. I scooped some fried rice and stabbed a hotdog with my fork.

"How's your first night here?" tanong ni Emilio sa bisita namin. Nilagyan muna niya ng mainit na tubig ang mga baso bago siya umupo. "Masarap ba ang tulog mo kagabi?"

Kumuha ako ng three-in-one coffee pack at ibinuhos ang laman nito sa mug. I blew the steam off as I glanced at our guest. Habang nagwawalis siya sa sala kagabi, pinalitan ko ang pillow case at kobre-kama sa kuwarto. Inayos ko rin ang mga damit sa laundry hamper para hindi niya mapansin ang mga underwear ko. Ini-spray-an ko rin ng air freshener para bumango sa loob.

Cleo nodded after taking in a spoonful. "Yup! Nahihiya nga ako kay Tony kasi pinatulog niya ako sa kuwarto niya habang dito naman siya sa couch."

She looked at me apologetically.

"No, don't be sorry! It's perfectly fine with me!" I replied, waving both of my hands. Napabitaw tuloy ako sa hawak kong kubyertos. "Ako naman ang nag-offer sa 'yo kaya wala kang dapat na ikahiya."

Emilio forced a cough, making me and Cleo turn to him. Kasusubo lang niya. "Wala ka naman bang na-feel na humahawak sa 'yo habang tulog ka?"

Kumunot ang noo ko. Was he trying to imply that— "Hey, Emil! Hindi ako pumasok sa kuwarto at wala akong ginawa habang tulog siya, okay?"

Kumunot din ang noo ni Emilio, kunwari'y walang kaide-ideya sa tinutukoy ko. "Teka, bakit napaka-defensive mo, Tony? Wala naman akong sinabing ikaw ang gumawa o gagawa no'n, ah?"

"E ano'ng ibig mong sabihin?"

"Didn't you hear from the other tenants na may nagmumulto raw dito sa apartment? Baka kasi naisipang takutin ng multo si Cleo at nagparamdam sa kanya kagabi. Baka rin may naaninag siya na kakaibang figure sa kuwarto mo. Malay natin, 'di ba? Doon siya nag-i-stay for free?"

Galing niyang mag-change topic, ah? Pero sigurado akong iba ang pakahulugan niya roon.

I may not look like the most pure and innocent boy in this city, but I wouldn't violate any of our guest's personal space.

"Wala naman akong na-feel na kakaiba," may pag-iling na sagot ni Cleo. Glad that she ignored whatever my housemate was trying to imply. "Ang sarap nga ng tulog ko kagabi. Hindi ako naalimpungatan. Comfortable ako magdamag."

My eyes looked down, blinking. She may have left out this detail, but she cried in the middle of the night. Narinig ko mismo mula sa labas ng kuwarto. Hindi ko na siya kinatok o inistorbo noon.

Should I ask her about it? Nah. She's in a good mood this morning. I didn't want to dampen it.

"Hindi ka ba na—"

The three of us were startled when we heard a door slam. Our heads quickly turned to the room where the shocking sound came from. Octavio just got out of it. Nakabihis na siya sa prescribed male uniform namin—cream blazer, red necktie, and dark pants—at naka-sling na rin ang kanyang bag. He was walking in faster than normal pace.

"Vio, mag-breakfast ka muna!" yaya ni Emilio.

"No thanks," sagot ng housemate namin. Kumuha siya ng baso, nilagyan ng tubig mula sa dispenser at ininom ang laman sa isang gulp lang. He put down his glass and made a beeline for the door. We followed him intently with our eyes. Wala man lang goodbye. Nang isara na niya ang pinto, doon kami nagkatinginang tatlo.

"Baka may emergency meeting ang mga taga-Clarion?" Lumingon ako sa kapwa niya staffer sa university publication namin. "You'd think na masasaraduhan siya ng gate sa bilis ng lakad niya."

"E 'di sana kahit ako nagmadali nang umalis dito?" sagot ni Emilio bago muling sumubo. "Baka wala siya sa mood na kumain ng breakfast."

"Is he always like that?" Cleo asked.

Emilio emptied his glass in one gulp. "Minsan umaalis talaga siya nang hindi nagbe-breakfast. Either nagda-diet siya o sa cafeteria na siya kakain."

"Gano'n ba?" Napatingin sa ilalim ang mga mata ni Cleo. She was twisting the fork in her hand while staring at it. "I don't know if it's just me... but I feel like he's not comfortable with having me around. Na-feel ko kagabi habang kumakain tayo ng dinner."

Nagpalitan kami ng tingin ni Emilio, napakurap pa nga ang mga mata ko. I wouldn't be surprised if Octavio was acting that way. He was against the idea right off the bat.

"Sa totoo niyan, hindi siya in favor na mag-stay ka rito," pag-amin ko sa bisita namin. There's no need to lie about it. Ipadarama at ipadarama ni Octavio na hindi siya welcome dito. "Narinig mo naman siguro ang suggestion niya sa 'yo kahapon. Gusto niyang dumiretso ka sa pulis kaysa kupkupin ka muna namin."

"Bale napilitan lang siya na payagan akong tumira muna rito?"

"We're kinda democratic in our decision-making process here," I explained, looking at my seatmate who gave me a nod. "Emilio and I agreed to let you stay, but he didn't. Kaso wala siyang magagawa dahil majority wins."

"Don't worry!" singit ni Emilio. His voice had that energy trying to uplift our guest's mood. "Hindi lang siguro siya sanay na may iba kaming kasama rito. At saka compared sa aming dalawa ni Tony, wala kayong degree of closeness. Magkaklase kayong dalawa ni Tony, habang nagkausap na tayo sa mga photoshoot ng varsity team. We kinda know a bit about each other. Meanwhile, Vio only interviewed you for his U-Night article."

"Baka nga," Cleo muttered, forcing a smile.

I wouldn't say na may closeness kaming dalawa. We're just close literally dahil nasa iisang classroom kami at ilang row lang ang layo ng upuan niya sa akin.

"This won't be a permanent arrangement naman, so Vio only has to tolerate this set-up for a few weeks... or months," dagdag ni Emilio. "Depende kung kailan matatapos ang investigation sa death ni Damon o kung kailan ka na hindi ituturing na person of interest."

"Speaking of which," I gently put down my spoon and fork, and put my hands together as I looked at Cleo, "do you know someone who holds grudge against you? Someone who might want to frame you as a suspect in Damon's death?"

She sucked in a breath, her eyes staring at the wall. "Someone? Try some people."

My eyebrows furrowed as I gave her a curious look.

"Sa volleyball team pa lang, may ilan nang may ayaw sa akin," Cleo went on. "They don't like the fact that I was chosen as the team captain. Meron din sa mga admirer ni Damon. They think that a sports person like me doesn't deserve him. If you want to put together a list of people who aren't fond of me, mukhang lagpas sa mga daliri ang kailangan n'yong i-consider."

There's no doubt that Cleo has made a name for herself in the campus. But it came with a price, I guess? Fame is a strong magnet for hatred and envy. Some might be jealous of her achievements. Mabuti pa ang mga low-key o ordinaryong student, they didn't have to suffer the same fate as the popular ones. They could go on with their lives in silence.

"You think na someone who hates Cleo is behind this?" kunot-noong tanong ni Emilio.

I shrugged. "We can't easily dismiss the possibility, can we? Nag-effort talaga kung sinuman ang nag-text sa kanya na balaan siya. Though that's really a dumb move. How? By telling Cleo about pinning the blame on her, she had the chance to escape. Kung 'di niya sinabihan, e 'di sana hindi siya nakatakas."

"Maybe it's not dumb," Emilio muttered, his eyes squinting. "With Cleo taking that message seriously, she seemingly went on the run. Dahil hindi na siya mahagilap ng mga pulis at ng mga kakilala niya, everyone started to think that she's guilty. Maybe that's the texter's goal: to make her look suspicious. O 'di ba? Ang taba ng utak ng nasa likod nito?"

Napahawak ako sa aking chin at bahagyang napayuko. He had a point. The rumors about Cleo fleeing intensified the suspicions that she might have something to do with Damon's death. Halata naman sa dami ng mga tsismoso at theorist na walang alam gawin kundi mag-imbento ng mga kwento at posibleng nangyari.

"Even if she didn't run away, Cleo would have been in a very difficult situation," I commented. "Lalo na kung determinado talaga ang taong 'yon na ibaling ang sisi sa kanya. That person wouldn't simply stop just because her target's already in police custody."

"But why?" Cleo slowly shook her head, looking troubled. "Why would anyone go through the trouble of killing Damon just to spite me? Marami naman silang pwedeng gawin para sirain ang image ko, kung 'yon ang objective nila. They didn't have to... kill him."

Sandali kaming natahimik na tatlo, nakababa ang aming mga kubyertos. It's not a good idea to talk about Damon's death this early. She might still be hurting.

"Maybe that person hates you and Damon," Emilio spoke, breaking the sudden silence. "Maybe that person only hated Damon, and they saw you as an easy scapegoat. They needed to blame the crime on someone at ikaw ang pinaka-convenient."

If Cleo's truly innocent, she was just an unfortunate victim. Either she was being intentionally targeted or she happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

My eyes looked down on my plate. Paubos ko na ang kanin ko habang nakalahati ko na ang hotdog. Wait, food? That reminded me of something which bothered me a few nights ago. A question that was left unanswered.

I raised my gaze at our new housemate." "Whoever's behind his death, we can agree that they're clever and skillful. Remember what you said in the Clarion article? Walang kinain na kahit anong food na makati-trigger sa kanyang allergy si Damon? Parang magic kung paano sumumpong ang allergies niya."

That allergic reaction was the first domino that fell, which led to his eventual death minutes later. Kung malalaman namin kung paano 'yon na-trigger, baka magkaroon kami ng idea sa identity ng mysterious man na nasa likod ng pagkamatay niya.

Cleo nodded. "I was with him the whole time, mula noong dumating kami sa venue. The only time we weren't together was when he went to the washroom. And that only took three to five minutes, I think? Hindi siya masyadong nagtagal doon."

"Was that before the Faces of the Night awarding?"

Muli siyang tumango.

I met Damon before the awarding, minutes before his unfortunate death. Remember when one of the attendees spilt wine on my shirt? I had to dry myself off in the washroom. Walang ibang tao na pumasok o lumabas doon habang nasa loob siya. Kung wala na siyang ibang pinuntahan, he had no chance of taking any food that he shouldn't eat.

I reached for the glass of water beside me. My hand was about to grab it, but I froze. Oops, my bad! Cup of coffee pala ang morning drink ko. Mabuti't na-realize ko agad na kay Cleo pala ang baso. Sakaling uminom ako roon, parang may indirect kiss na kami dahil dumampi na ang labi niya roon.

Wait, a kiss?

"You realized something?" Emilio asked.

My eyes narrowed slightly at Cleo. "Before your kiss at the awarding, nag-kiss na ba kayo ni Damon that night?" Asking that question was kinda strange, especially coming from me.

"Uhm... We did. Before the program started."

"And he didn't feel anything? Wala pang signs ng allergic reaction sa kanya?"

"Wala pa. He looked perfectly fine."

One and a half hour ang pagitan ng start ng program at ng awarding. That's quite a long time for the allergies kicked in. Kung may suspicious substance sa kanyang lipstick—let's say, isa sa mga ingredient nito ay peanut-related—Damon should have already felt something. But he did not. So the possibility that there might be something in Cleo's lipstick could be crossed out.

Let me confirm the other possibility that I thought of. "Did you eat stir-fry vegetables at dinner?"

"I think... I did. Damon didn't. Alam niyang hindi pwede sa kanya. Tinanong yata niya ang nagse-serve ng pagkain. 'Yon ang may peanut oil, 'di ba?"

Tumango ako. "Did you drink water or rinse your mouth after eating?"

"Kaunti lang ang ininom kong tubig. Ayaw ko kasing magpabalik-balik sa washroom."

Lumingon ako kay Emilio. Ibinalik niya ang tingin ko. At first, he looked slightly confused. But the longer our eyes exchanged stares, unti-unting nagliwanag ang mukha niya.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he muttered

"If we have the same IQ range, probably yes."

Cleo shifted her gaze repeatedly from me to Emilio and vice versa. Hindi na siya natuloy sa pagkain. "Ano'ng iniisip n'yo?"

Nabaling ang tingin ko sa kanya. For a minute, I hesitated of telling her what I was thinking. Baka kasi mas masaktan siya. But she needed to hear it.

"Kahit hindi siya kumain ng stir-fry vegetables, na-trigger pa rin ang allergy ni Damon dahil sa kiss n'yong dalawa. Mind you, that kiss lasted for seven seconds. Posibleng nalipat sa kanya ang allergens nang dumampi ang labi n'yo sa isa't isa," dahan-dahang paliwanag ko. "This might sound absurd or unbelievable, but this is the only logical explanation that I could think of."

"WHAT?!" Nabitawan ni Cleo ang kanyang kutsara't tinidor. Ilang segundong nakabuka ang kanyang bibig, hindi makapaniwalang nakatitig sa akin. Hinayaan ko munang i-process niya 'yon. "Y-You mean, I'm the one who caused his allergy attack?"

I kinda expected her reaction, but I hope she wouldn't fully blame herself for it. She'd feel worse because of this potential angle.

She looked down, frowning. "So it's really my fault? Maybe I did kill him. I triggered his allergies. I injected him with potassium. Maybe I am guilty."

"Or someone wants to make you feel that way," Emilio said. Umangat sa kanya ang tingin ni Cleo. Natuon din sa kanya ang tingin ko. "Ang mas mahalagang question ngayon ay kung bakit may pagkain sa menu ng catering services na posibleng mag-cause ng allergic reaction."

"Yeah!" I clapped once. "May pa-survey pa nga ang student council tungkol sa food allergies, 'di ba? If they submitted the survey results, dapat alam ng catering na bawal ang food na may kahit anong peanut. Damon would have surely filled out that form."

"And yet they still served that stir-fry vegetables with peanut oil," Emilio added. "Which makes me wonder kung ano ang nangyari sa survey result? Was it negligence on the part of the student council? Or did someone manipulate the result para magkaroon pa rin ng food na makati-trigger sa peanut allergy ni Damon?"

So the plot thickens. If we wanted to get to the bottom of this case, we needed to check on Cleo's and Damon's known and unknown haters. We also needed to ask the University Student Council on what happened to the survey result on food allergies.

But those were questions for another time. Tahimik naming inubos ang aming pagkain. Cleo fell silent throughout our breakfast. Mukhang nawalan na rin siya ng gana.

Maybe I shouldn't have been too honest with her.

Emilio and I prepared for our morning classes. Nauna na siyang naligo sa akin. Nang dumating na ang turn ko, he asked me if he could borrow my room for a while. Doon daw siya magbibihis kasi may ipis na lumilipad-lipad sa kanyang kuwarto. I didn't know that he's afraid of cockroaches. Kung ako 'yon, I would put my marksmanship skills to the test by throwing a slipper at that pesky insect.

When we're all set, we reminded Cleo to never open the door (unless she hears four knocks) and to never leave the house. Kung manonood siya ng TV sa aming sala, kailangan niyang hinaan ang volume para walang maghinala na may tao pa sa loob.

"So what do you think of Cleo?" I asked Emilio as we entered the campus. "Do you think she's still hiding something from us? Tama ba ang desisyon natin na hayaan siyang mag-stay sa unit?"

I tried to sound unbiased kahit na umaasa at naniniwala akong biktima lang ng pagkakataon ang bagong housemate namin.

"I've been taking photos since I got my hands on a camera when I was a kid," he began, touching the gadget that hung around his neck. Nauna siya sa akin at naglakad patalikod. Sana'y wala siyang mabanggang ibang estudyante o faculty member. Sana'y hindi rin siya madulas o matapilok. Sayang ang bagong camera. "I can tell if my subject is genuine in their reactions or not. Base sa facial expressions ni Cleo kanina, she looked really surprised nang sabihin mo na posibleng ang kiss niya ang reason kung bakit RIP na ngayon si Damon."

"Mas bumigat yata ang pakiramdam niya dahil sa mga sinabi ko?" Napabuntong-hininga ako. I was still bothered by the loss of enthusiasm in Cleo's face before we left the apartment. "Baka may gawin siyang masama sa sarili niya. Alam mo naman kapag malungkot ang isang tao. They can entertain dark and depressing thoughts."

"Don't worry!" Inakbayan niya ako bigla. Na-conscious tuloy ako dahil baka may ibang makakita sa amin. They might think we're best of friends! "Malalaman ko agad kung ano ang ginagawa niya sa apartment natin. If she tries to hurt herself, I'd tell you right away, okay? Ikaw na ang bahalang mag-rescue sa kanya."

"How will you know? May magic ka ba para malaman kung—" My mouth froze as soon as I realized where his confidence was coming from. "Did you install hidden cameras in our apartment?!"

"Only in the living room and the kitchen!" masayang sagot niya. "I'm concerned about our safety and security. Ayaw mo bang malaman kung may magnanakaw na biglang pumasok sa unit natin?"

I should have known. He liked spying on people like a glorified paparazzi. Hindi lang ako mapanatag kung talaga bang for security purposes ang mga hidden camera niya o gusto niyang mahuli kami ni Octavio na gumagawa ng mga embarrassing na bagay.

"You don't mind if I installed a camera in your room, right?"

"What?! That's invasion of privacy!" Napalakas yata ang boses ko kaya pinagtinginan kami ng mga tao sa hallway. Hininaan ko ang aking boses. "Kaya ba tinanong mo ako kung pwede kang magbihis sa kuwarto ko? So that cockroach story was a lie?"

Tch. Akala ko'y magagamit ko na laban sa kanya ang takot niya sa ipis.

"Kailangan nating i-monitor ang galaw ni Cleo," palusot niya. "Remember that cliche saying? Malalaman mo ang tunay na ugali ng isang tao kapag walang nakamasid sa kanya? That's exactly what we're doing! We want to know kung tama ba ang desisyon natin. Kung may gagawin siyang suspicious, I can easily report her to the police and they'll come to our apartment!"

While I disagree with him installing a hidden camera in my room, his idea was brilliant. Basta't hindi malaman o mapansin ni Cleo na may mga matang lihim na nakamasid sa kanya, we'd know her every move in our apartment.

"'Di na ako magtataka kung makukulong ka dahil sa mga pinaggagawa mo," komento ko.

"As long as I don't get caught, I can still enjoy my freedom!" he exclaimed. "O siya, dadaan muna ako sa Clarion office. Baka madatnan ko si Vio roon na nagsusulat ng article for posting. Balitaan kita kapag may emergency kay Cleo, okay?"

He waved his right hand at me before we parted ways. Nagpatuloy ako sa paglalakad hanggang sa marating ang hagdan at makaakyat sa second floor ng Arts and Sciences building.

Naging routine ko na ang pagkuha ng copy ng Clarion sa kanilang circulations station sa entrance lobby. Gaya kahapon, marami pa ring estudyante ang curious sa developments ng nangyari kay Damon. This time, fact boy Octavio wrote that the police has identified a person of interest, but refused to name the individual. Pero may mga bulung-bulungan na baka ang girlfriend ni Damon ang tinutukoy sa article.

"Heto na yata 'yong tinutukoy ng tweet ni Esmeralda."

"Feeling daw niya, 'yong student na two days nang hindi pumapasok ang person of interest."

"'Di ba two days nang hindi nag-a-attend ng classes si Cleo, 'yong girlfriend ni Damon?"

"Oo nga, 'no? Parang hindi ko na siya nakikita sa campus recently."

"Kung tama ang dinig ko, hindi na rin siya nag-a-attend volleyball practice."

"Very suspicious, right?"

These gossipmongers... They only read one tweet and already formed absurd theories.

Pag-akyat ko sa second floor, nadatnan kong nasa labas ang mga classmate ko. Wala namang gumagamit sa classroom bago kami, kaya laking pagtataka ko kung bakit hindi sila pumasok.

"Ano'ng meron?" agad kong tanong kay Hadriana. Mukhang hindi siya nakatulog kagabi sa kaiisip kung ano'ng nangyari sa bestfriend niya. How could I say so? Ang lalim at kapal na ng eyebags niya.

Kinailangan ko pa siyang tawagin ng isa pang beses bago niya ako sinagot.

"May gustong interview-in tayo nang isa-isa. Para daw sa kaso ni Damon."

"D-Damon?" I muttered, my eyes blinking. "Taga-university police ba siya?"

Marahang umiling si Hadriana. "Hindi siya naka-uniform gaya ng mga officer. Pero familiar ang itsura niya. Nakita ko na yata siya sa faculty room o nakasalubong ko na sa hallway."

Bumukas ang pinto ng classroom at lumabas ang nakangiting si Esmeralda. Oh, speaking of the witch, she's definitely on the list of people who don't like Cleo, to put it mildly. If this was really part of the investigation, she would have told whoever's inside about her nonsense theory. Sana'y hindi agad nagpaniwala ang sinabihan niya.

Who's that person in the room anyway?

Lumabas ang isang lalaking matangkad ang postura at payat ang pangangatawan. His hair had a side-swept fringe, reaching just above his right eyebrow. His dark corduroy blazer was draped over his back, like a superhero's cape.

Nang magtagpo ang mga mata ko at ang matalas niyang tingin, bigla akong nakaramdam ng hindi maipaliwanag na kaba. Bumilis ang pagtibok ng puso ko, kagaya tuwing bigla akong natatawag sa recitation at hindi ako ready na sumagot.

"Yow! Mukhang dumami na kayo rito, ah? Parang pila sa sine!" nakangising sabi niya. "Oh, for those who missed my introduction earlier and my purpose for being here, allow me to reintroduce myself."

I gulped as my eyes maintained a stare on him.

"The name's Julius Claud Roman, an instructor from the Social Sciences Department." He waved his hand lazily. "I've formally offered my assistance to the university police on the investigation of Damon Dominic's homicide case. And I'm here to find out who among you is sheltering our person of interest."

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