REYNARD

FACTS BEGAN dropping like dominoes. First Priscilla, then Brandon, and now my best buddy Michelangelo. Maybe soon, Alaric Esteban.

Before our basketball team captain went into practice this afternoon, I asked for a minute with him. He was reluctant at first, probably fearing our conversation might arouse suspicion from some interested party. But for some reason, he agreed and asked me to follow him to the locker room. Alone.

"What is it this time, Rey?" he asked impatiently as he locked the door. No one else was inside except the two of us. If he was planning to do me harm, he might be able to do so. But I would put up a decent fight this time. "I gave you what you wanted. Ano pa ba'ng gusto mo?"

"I want more," I answered with a grin. He had given me a thin slice of cake. Now, I wanted the whole cake. My appetite for the truth was insatiable. "Usually, I won't get too pushy with my sources, especially if they're not comfortable speaking yet. But this story has gotten so big that I'm imploring you to get on the record with what you know."

He unlocked the door and swung it open. "We're done here, Rey. Kung gusto mong may magsalita on the record, maghanap ka ng ibang source. Ayaw kong madamay sa gulo lalo na ngayong may tournament kami."

"I found some sources, and they spoke to me about it," I revealed, hoping their courage would convince him. "But just to be sure, I didn't bring the recordings of our conversations with me. Mahirap na, baka i-taser mo ako at nakawin mo ulit ang phone ko."

Maingat niyang isinira ulit ang pinto habang pakurap-kurap pa siya sa 'kin nang halos nakanganga. "T-talaga? May kumausap na sa 'yo?"

I nodded twice. "And I didn't harass or blackmail them to speak. They spoke to me voluntarily and agreed to be on the record. All for the sake of the truth."

"Then you don't need me anymore. You already have what you want."

"Not quite." My lips stretched into a smile. "Look, if we're gonna play chess, I won't just declare a check and call it a day. I want a checkmate. And you're the missing piece on the board to make that happen. So please?"

"I've already told you what I know!"

"But not on the record," I reminded him. "I can't reveal my sources, but their statements are quite damning. The unraveling will start soon. Don't you want to be part of it?"

"You're asking me to stab my friend in the back," he lowered his voice. "You're asking me to betray that person."

"Does he see you as a friend?" I posed a simple yet mind-boggling question. "Kasi kung oo, bakit ka niya uutusang gawin ang isang bagay na labag sa loob mo? Bakit ka niya ilalagay sa isang sitwasyon na ikapapahamak ng reputasyon mo? Isn't he the reason why you went into community service in the first place? Isn't he the reason why you suffered humiliation?"

"That was Priam's fault!"

"But why did Priam act that way?" I circled him like an interrogator, keeping an eye on his movements in case he suddenly decided to taser me again. "Because you forced them to. And why did you force them to? Because someone forced you to. Am I not right?"

Michelangelo averted his gaze, chewing his lower lip for a minute. Ano ba'ng pinakain ni Alaric sa kaniya at bakit napaka-loyal niya sa lalaking 'yon? That guy had him by the balls.

"I'm not asking you to betray a friend." I stopped dead in my tracks, turning to him. "I'm asking you to tell the truth. On the record."

He sat down on the bench, propping up his head and pulling at his hair. Just a little more push, and he'd give in.

"You hold a crucial piece of information—a bullet that can shoot down the alpha tiger of this university." I knelt before him, knowing he wanted to be wooed. "Tell me the truth and let me write about it."

"Ha! You don't know what he's capable of!" he scoffed. "Sa tingin mo ba'y mapatutumba mo si Alaric Esteban gamit ang article mo?"

"On my own, I can't take him down." I shook my head slowly. "But the truth will."

He breathed a deep sigh as he weighed his choices. If he were one hundred percent loyal to Alaric, he would have already walked out of the locker room and reported my findings about his so-called friend. But I found a crack. The day he revealed some information to me through shooting, I sensed he was having second thoughts about his loyalty and devotion to the man.

"Are you worried that he will expose your dirt once you speak out against him?" I asked. As much as I wanted to know what Alaric had on him, it's none of my business. If he felt comfortable sharing it with me, fine. If not, also fine. "Mitch, if you tell the truth and this article comes out, he can't touch you anymore. Kapag inilabas niya ang kaniyang hawak laban sa 'yo, it would only prove you're right."

He turned his head away from me. Just a few more punches, and his defenses would crumble.

"Aside from being free from his clutches, you will be able to redeem yourself," I continued, appealing to his deep desires. "Some students may finally see you in a different light after that controversy last year. Fabienne may even appreciate your bravery and honesty. Ayaw mo bang ma-rehabilitate ang image mo?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, hanging his head low as if in a prayer.

I got to my feet, sliding my hands into my pockets. "You're not a bad person, Mitch. You just happened to be in bad company."

"Fine!" He raised his head, showing me his face contorted with guilt and repentance. "I'll go on record."

I fished my phone out of my pocket and showed him the screen. A voice recorder app was waiting. I tapped the record button.

"So tell me, what really happened when you tried to defame Fabienne Lucero?"

RIE'S EYES went wide as she read my article printed on a sheet of paper. Napainom pa siya ng tubig habang gumagalaw ang tingin niya mula kaliwa papuntang kanan. I sat on the edge of her workstation with my arms crossed, waiting for her to finish. The article was over a thousand words long—much longer than my usual write-ups and almost as lengthy as my other exposé pieces.

She let out a heavy sigh after putting down the article, staring off into the distance for a moment. I'd expected that reaction from her and anticipated the same from the student body who would soon read the fruits of my months-long investigation.

"So, what do you think?" I grabbed the paper from her and folded it in half. I wouldn't usually show my exposé to anyone at The Herald except my editors, but she's an exemption since she knew about it and had helped me out before. "Is it explosive enough?"

"Super explosive!" she exclaimed, clapping a hand over her mouth as she realized she had raised her voice. "If you publish it now, it may derail Alaric's nomination as the AEGIS' presidential candidate. The ex-vice presidential candidate, the ex-campaign manager, and his friend speaking out against him? That will be quite damning!"

"I thought so." I nodded firmly. "I managed to link the tragic fate of Candice Delavin and the failed assassination attempt on Priam Torres back to him. The student body will be furious! It's gonna end his political career!"

"What did our editors say?" Rie glanced at the conference room where the Big Three of The Herald and our news editor were meeting. They had been inside for half an hour already. "Are they going to run the story?"

I shrugged. "That's what they're discussing right now. If it's as explosive as we believe it is, they're gonna ensure there are no loopholes before giving my article the go-ahead."

My previous exposés underwent the same level of scrutiny. Even with people on record, accusing a university official of conflict of interest and a college professor of indecent acts was serious. Kailangang masigurong hindi kami masasampahan ng libel kapag ipinublish na ang mga 'yon. Because of the careful steps I took to collect information and secure damning details from sources, there was little chance they'd reject it.

"Looks like Mr. Exposé is back," Rie said, punching me in the arm. "If your article gets published and takes down one of the most powerful students in the university, it will boost your chances of being the next news editor."

"Ayaw kong magsalita ng patapos." Napahaplos ako sa parte ng aking braso na tinamaan niya. Medyo masakit, ah? I tried to be humble, but she spoke nothing but facts. "We're still in the mid-game. A lot of stuff can happen. Malay mo, magkaroon ka ng exposé na higit pa ng akin."

"I hope so. But right now, it's quite unlikely."

I got to my feet, pocketing my hands into my hoodie. "I'd be remiss if I didn't thank you for your assistance. This wouldn't be possible without your help."

"Hey, don't flatter me." She rolled her eyes. "I only recorded your conversation with your source. Ang liit na bagay n'on. This is all your effort"

"But that recording pointed me in the right direction," I added. "Without it, one of my sources would have hesitated to drop some hints—"

Our conversation was interrupted by the sound of the glass door in the conference room swinging open. I turned around to see our news editor coming out of it.

"Rey?" Nolan called.

"Wish me luck," I whispered to Rie before following our boss inside.

This was the second time I had an exclusive audience with the Big Three. The first time, I begged them to punish me and reassign me to the LEXECOM beat. Nasa dulo ng conference table ang editor-in-chief namin. Nasa kanan niya ang associate editor habang nasa kaliwa ang managing editor. I took a seat at the opposite end of the table. My news editor sat beside me to provide some moral support.

"I must say I'm impressed, Rey," the editor-in-chief began. Wala nang hi or hello o good morning—deretso na sa topic. That's what I liked about him. As straightforward as a hard news article. "You outdid yourself this time."

"I only did what an investigative journalist would do." This conversation felt like a job interview. If I were a bit delusional, I would think they're already interviewing me for the news editorship. As much as I didn't want them to hand it to me on a silver platter, I thought I'd earned it.

"How long have you been working on this story?" the associate editor asked.

"Four months. The longest period among my exposés," I answered after counting in my head. "Remember when I pleaded for you to reassign me? That's when it started."

"I see," the editor-in-chief muttered, resting his chin on his propped-up hands. "That's why you asked to be put on the LEXECOM beat? So you could get closer to the majority leader and start investigating him?"

I bobbed my head slowly. "You could put it that way."

"I'm curious, Rey," the managing editor spoke. "Why didn't you tell us about it? Sa mga nauna mong exposé, binigyan mo kami ng heads-up. But this time, you didn't. Is there any reason for that?"

"Nothing in particular!" I replied. "I actually received a tip from someone, and I wasn't sure if it had any merit at all. So I decided to check it out for myself first and observed for a while. Turns out the tip is credible."

The editor-in-chief placed the sheet of paper down and pressed his hand over it on the table. "Rey, this is quite explosive. I hope you understand why we have to tread carefully with the facts you've collected."

"I understand perfectly." I nodded. "That's why I made sure to cover all the bases. I also kept copies of the audio recordings and the transcripts. I can send them to you if you need to cross-check them."

"Pero may napansin ako, Rey," muling nagsalita ang associate editor, hawak-hawak pa rin ang papel na kanina pa niya binabasa. "Alaric was name-dropped here, but I don't see any quotes from him. It's our duty to be thorough, so have you reached out to him?"

"I haven't." I shook my head. "But I plan to reach out to him as soon as I have the article run through you first. Given how sensitive the topic is, I wanna have the full support of The Herald and the commitment you will stand by me and my write-up."

The three editors exchanged meaningful glances. They shouldn't be surprised anymore. That's what I did it before asking for a statement from the CCF director or the Social Sciences instructor. They chose to back me and my story, and everything turned out fine. Now, I was asking them to do the same.

The editor-in-chief cleared his throat first. "Rey, I'm going to be honest with you. We don't think that The Herald should run this story."

Did I hear him right? The wide smile across my lips faded. "Excuse me?"

"It's all about timing, Rey," the associate editor added. "Malapit na ang student council elections. Alam nating magiging mainit ang USC presidential race. The subject of your exposé is a strong contender. He's even leading in our early and unpublished polls. If we release this article now, it may seem we're taking sides."

"The Herald must remain neutral and non-partisan," the editor-in-chief reminded me as if I had forgotten already. "This exposé might be seen as an intervention on our part, that we're trying to swing the election to one side. The AEGIS party is going to question our stance."

"But the truth doesn't care about timing!" I argue, my voice rising. Nolan patted my shoulder in an attempt to calm me down, but I couldn't. "You read the article, right? Alaric indirectly played a role in sabotaging the candicacy of his own partymate last election which led to Priam Torres getting stabbed. He also ordered someone to defame Fabienne Lucero. 'Di ba karapatan ng student body na malaman ang involvement niya, lalo na't balak niyang tumakbo bilang susunod na USC president?"

"You mentioned the truth, Rey," the managing editor spoke in a calmer tone. She's from CBA so I wouldn't be shocked if she'd come to their king tiger's defense. "But whose truth are we talking about here? The words of an ex-student who's been charged with frustrated murder? The words of a varsity player who was reprimanded and penalized by the grievance committee? Are we supposed to believe the words of those people who have dubious credibility?"

"I can't speak for Alaric, but he's probably going to deny everything you've written." The associate editor waved his free hand dismissively. "If I were to guess, he'd say that these sources of yours have an ax to grind. That's why they made up these stuff."

"His party is going to call this article a demolition job on his candidacy," the managing editor added. "They may even call us out and use their influence in attacking us. A major political party versus a student publication? That's not a good look."

What the hell...

"Remember, AEGIS holds the majority in the LEXECOM. Early polling shows they're also poised to win again the majority of chairpersonships in the CSCs. If we yank the tiger's tail, they might pass a motion to reduce the amount of publication fee that we collect from students every semester."

What the hell are they saying?!

"And if Alaric wins the presidency, he might bring that motion before the board as an act of retaliation against those who tried to malign him. The three of us will have graduated by that time, but are we going to let that happen to our successors?"

My eyes blinked, and my mouth gaped. A part of me couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. The Big Three editors, the supposed bastions of truth on campus, were siding with that person? The editorial board, the ones who harnessed the ultimate power of the pen, were willing to cave in to the pressure from a future that wasn't guaranteed to happen?

Is this still the same Herald I've known since I enrolled in Elysian University?

"I'm sorry, Rey, but we're killing this article," the editor-in-chief concluded. "We cannot put the Herald in such a precarious position, especially now that the student council elections are right around the corner. You said earlier you understand the need for us to tread carefully. I hope you do."

I hung my head low, my fists clenching so hard my nails almost dug deep into my skin. All along, I thought they had my back. All along, I thought they'd side with the truth no matter the circumstances. But this conversation peeled off the paint and showed me a glimpse of their true, ugly colors.

Did I think their decision was reasonable? No. If they stood with the truth and for the truth, they wouldn't care about The Herald's image. They wouldn't care about Alaric and his party's reaction and retaliation. No matter what, they'd stand by my story and the decision to publish it on all of our platforms.

They showed me they were willing to abandon their oath as truthtellers just for the sake of appearing neutral. They'd probably stand for the truth only if it's convenient for them and the publication. But once it became inconvenient, they'd drop a story like a hot brick.

Is this The Herald I wanna lead a year from now? Is this The Herald I wanna still be a part of? A publication without a spine?

I shut my eyes, taking some deep breaths. Relax, Rey. Act rationally. My fists unclenched slowly as my body relaxed.

"Of course, I understand." I stretched my lips into a forced smile. Inilabas ko ang nakatuping papel na kinuha ko mula kay Rie at ibinulsa ko kanina. I took out my pen and wrote some sentences. My editor peeked over my shoulder to see what I was writing. Once done, I put my pen back into my pocket. "I hope you also understand my decision."

"Rey..."

I slid the paper across the table so the editor-in-chief could catch it. His eyes went wide, as did those of the two beside him, after reading my short message.

"Effective today, I'm resigning from The Herald in protest of your censorship." I sprang from my seat and removed my navy blue hoodie. It had become a comfort, but now it's a symbol of defiance. "I wish you and your staff the best. May they grow some spine."

"Rey!"

I stormed out of the conference room, ignoring the calls from my editors. Tumayo si Rie para salubungin ako ng ngiti, pero malamang napansin niyang seryoso ang aking mukha. I went straight to my workstation, gathered my belongings, and packed them into my bag. Iniwan ko na ang lahat ng mga bagay na ipinahiram sa 'kin ng Herald.

"What happened, Rey?" Rie asked, standing beside me. "Bakit ang seryoso ng mukha mo?"

"They killed my article, so I resigned," I replied with a smile as I zipped up my backpack. "I can't work with people who won't stand for the truth."

"A-are you serious? Huwag kang padalos-dalos sa desisyon mo. Baka gusto mo munang pag-isipan?"

"My decision is final." I took my media ID off my neck and slammed it on my desk. "Congratulations, you're now one step away from becoming the next news editor. I hope that when you take on that role, you will stand for the truth and not give in to pressure."

"Pero Rey—"

"Goodbye, Rie. See you around campus."

I slung my bag over my shoulder and made my final walk toward the exit. The other staffers watched me intently, curious about the scene I was making.

As I stepped outside, I glanced back at the signboard of our editorial office.

Goodbye, Herald.

30

NEXT UPDATE: NINE CHAPTERS LEFT! SALVo announces their official nominee for the 2022 USC presidential election.