What language was that?

Hindi na maalis sa isip ko ang pintong iyon. My curiosity was triggered by the way it was heavily locked. Kaya naman nang makaalis kami ni Atticus sa bahay ng pamilya ni Gaia, tinanong ko siya.

"Kaninong kwarto iyon, Atticus?"

He immediately understood my question. "I don't know, brat. I was never curious about it, anyway."

Kumunot ang noo ko. "Hindi ba nabanggit ni Gaia? Try to remember." pangungulit ko.

We spent the whole trip talking about the mysterious room. Atticus told me that he once asked Gaia about it, but she didn't seem to want to talk about it so he dropped the subject.

"What does that mean?" naiintriga kong tanong.

"Why are you so interested with that room, anyway?" Hindi naman ako nakasagot sa tanong niya. Tinignan niya ako nang masama. "Since the door was heavily locked, you should know by now that it's off limits. Don't bother wanting to go inside and forget it."

"I'm just curious, okay?" I lied.

There's no way that this is just curiosity. My gut tells me that there's something inside that room, and that's what I need to know. Babalikan ko iyon.

The next day, we took note that it was the start of our little mission. Since Gabriel told me that a certain he was innocent, we assumed that it was Conan, and he's the one who needs some saving. An assumption, that is. Hindi ko rin naman masabi kung inosente ba talaga siya o hindi, at iyon ang aalamin namin ngayon araw.

"Do you really want to tag along?"

Tinignan ako ni Atticus sa rear mirror kaya inirapan ko siya. "That's the fourth time, Atticus. Isa pang tanong mo, uuwi na ako."

Napangiti naman si Sandro. At first, I thought it was still Gabriel but I was wrong. I carefully studied his eyes and they looked different. Wala na rin namang nagsalita sa isip ko, kaya wala na siguro siya sa katawan ni Sandro. Maybe was done possessing his body.

We were on our way to Conan Solaire's unit, the place where I was killed. Kanina pa ako tinatanong ni Atticus kung ayod lang ba talaga sa akin na sumama.

Aaminin kong pabigat nang pabigat ang nararamdaman ko habang papalapit kami, pero kailangan kong tiisin. I want to investigate, too.

Finally, we arrived at the place. There were cops assigned to secure the area, but since we asked permission from the National Bureau of Investigation, we were able to get inside, though one of the policemen was required to escort us. Hindi raw kasi kami pwedeng pumasok ng kami lang.

When we entered the unit, the place was a mess. May mga nagkalat na bote ng alak sa paligid, may mga confetti pa sa sahig at meron pang mga underwear na nakakalat kung saan-saan. May mga chaser pang naiwan sa maliit na mesa sa sala.

Party.

"We were prohibited to touch anything." The Senior Police Officer, Aster Gomez, explained politely. "This is a crime scene. Everything inside this unit is considered as concrete evidence. Kaya wala kayong pwedeng hawakan, hangga't maaari."

We entered one of the bedrooms.

"She was raped here." He pointed the king-sized bed inside. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "She was assaulted here, but this isn't where she was killed."

"What? Hindi siya dito pinatay?" kunot-noong tanong ni Atticus. He slowly approached the bed. "These stains... Are they because of that, Officer?" he awkwardly asked Aster, referring to the bloodstains on the bedsheets. He eyed me like he was being careful with his words.

Aster understood what he meant. "Yes. The autopsy report states that Stellar Lumina was still a virgin. It was her first time engaging in sexual intercourse."

Bumagsak ang mga balikat ko. Tila piniga ang puso ko sa narinig ko. Conan Solaire, kung ikaw talaga ang may sala, paano mo nagawa sa akin ito?  Bakit? What did I ever do to you for me to deserve this treatment?

Nilapitan ako ni Atticus. He gently caressed my back. I looked up to him then smiled, assuring him that I was okay.

Even if I'm really not. Because this is depressing.

This place is depressing me so much.

Sunod naming pinuntahan ang hardin sa likod ng condo. The area was still restricted. Maging ang parking lot na katabi nito ay hindi pa pwedeng puntahan ng mga tao. Sa isang parte ng hardin, may malaking bato. May bakas pa ito ng dugo, at mukhang alam ko na kung bakit. Aster confirmed my conclusion.

"She was killed here." Aster heaved out a deep sigh. "Isa lang ang masasabi ko. This murder was too brutal. Stellar Lumina was stabbed eight times on her chest, and the autopsy report showed that she was strangled, too. Basag din ang ulo niya at mukhang dito iyon hinampas sa batong ito."

My heart sank upon hearing that. Why me? Why does it have to be me? I could picture the cold night when this crime happened... Stellar Lumina must've been so scared and helpless.

Maybe this is why God erased my memories. Maybe he didn't want me to remember how painful that night was. Maybe he wanted me to forget everything because it was too much to handle.

"I want to have a copy of the autopsy report, if you don't mind." Atticus requested to Aster. The latter immediately gave a copy to Sandro. We thanked Aster for escorting us, but he only smiled.

"I know we all want justice for the girl." My heart was moved to what he said. "If there's anything I can help with, just give me a ring. I'll come and do what I can."

As soon as we got inside the car, Atticus turned to me. Mukhang nakikipag-usap pa si Sandro kay Aster kaya nauna kaming dalawa sa loob ng sasakyan.

I was taken aback when he suddenly hugged me.

"You did great, Stellar." he whispered to my ear.

A sob escaped from my lips.

"You were brave back there. I promise, whoever did this to you will pay." He wrapped his strong arms around me. "I assure you, Stellar. Justice will be served."

---