A/N: We're now in the fifth and final arc of PTQ: Act One! It's gonna be one hell of a ride!

CASTIEL

REYNARD WAS right to declare check on me. I did not know how he figured things out, but he found an opening to my King and went for it. Was it a game over already? Not really. Isa lamang itong check, hindi pa checkmate. Makagagalaw pa ako at magkakaroon ng tsansang makalusot sa pag-atake niya.

The fact that he declared check instead of checkmate meant that he did not have all the pieces yet to drive me into a corner and end the game once and for all. Malapit na siya. Nasa kanya na ang karamihan ng mga piyesa, ngunit may kulang pa. 'Yon ang hinahanap niya ngayon. Kung magkakamali ng galaw ako o ang ibang piyesa, baka ma-mate na ako sa susunod niyang tira.

I had to make the right move. Otherwise, it would be a game over not just for me, but for the entire University Student Council. Even Fabienne might get into trouble. And I could not let them be dragged into the mess caused by my oversight. No matter how good I was at strategies, I could have some blind spots that I failed to notice.

My left hand held the compound bow in front of me as my right pulled an arrow from the quiver. I nocked it before my fingers drew the string back slowly. My sight was deadset on the bullseye on the board. I took a deep breath before letting it loose. It flew until it hit the area outside the target board.

I clicked my tongue and lowered my bow. Sa limang palaso, wala ni isa ang tumama sa bullseye. Was it because of my stance? I had to rest my left knee on a chair just so I could stand without the help of my walking cane. My grip was steady and my aim was okay. Before the accident that damaged my left leg, I could easily hit the bullseye. But ever since that day, I had been struggling.

Kapag masyadong clouded ang isipan ko, pumupunta ako sa archery range dito sa campus para i-clear ang mga bumabagabag sa akin. Playing something so primal could help me relax my mind and focus my thoughts. Ngunit lalo yata akong na-stress dahil sa mga nagmintis na palaso.

This only proved one thing: my mind was too preoccupied, it could not focus on the current task at hand. Nothing had shaken me as much as this one before.

I grabbed my cane and walked toward the target board. Kinuha ko ang limang palaso na hindi man nakapasok sa bilog. I tried to pull them out with so much force, but I had a hard time collecting them all. Napapalatak akong bumalik sa shooting line. Saktong pagbalik ko roon ay ang pagpasok ng isang babae't lalaki. Priam had his maroon blazer off while Fabienne was in her white longsleeved shirt. They had their arm guards and shooting gloves on.

"Priam! Fabienne!" I greeted them with a forced smile. "I'm kinda glad na late kayong dalawa. Baka nakita n'yo ang disappointing performance ko."

"How many bullseyes so far?" Priam asked, placing his hands on his waist.

"None." I shook my head slowly with a frown. "The wind must have something to do with it." And that was me trying to shift the blame on something else instead of myself. Gano'n naman talaga minsan. Kapag pumalpak tayo, minsan sa iba natin isisisi ang ating kapalpakan.

"Talaga bang hilig mo ang archery?" nakangiting tanong ni Fabienne. "Naikuwento kasi sa 'kin ni Priam na lagi ka raw pumupunta rito bago kayo naging USC officers. Sumasali ka rin ba sa competitions?"

"I find pleasure in hitting the bullseye." I stared at the red circle on the board. "But I have no intention of competing with other archers."

It had been two days since Reynard submitted his FOI request for the list of USC scholars. Alam na nina Priam, Fabienne at ng buong council ang tungkol doon kaya naalarma rin sila gaya ko. But I calmed them down and told them that they got nothing to worry about. Walang mabuting maidudulot kung lahat kami ay natataranta dahil sa recent developments. We had to relax our mind so we could think clearly.

The truth? There was a reason for us to be nervous. We could not simply slither our way out of this situation. Like a serpent, Reynard had almost completely wrapped himself around us that in just one squeeze, he could end us. Again, it would only take one wrong move for this game to be over.

That was why I called our two fake love birds here, to discuss what we should expect and what we should do next. Hindi na kami pwedeng ma-caught off guard ulit.

"So what are we going to talk about exactly?" Priam roamed his eyes around the almost empty archery range. Sinakto ko talaga sa araw at oras na walang nagpa-practice dito ang meeting namin. "Why did it have to be here instead of the student council office?"

"A change of pace, a breath of fresh air." I took a deep breath and shut my eyes for a few seconds. Dama ko ang sariwang hangin galing sa mga punong nakapaligid sa amin. "The blue skies and the green scenery can calm our minds in these troubled times."

"Talaga bang ibibigay n'yo kay Rey ang lahat ng hinihingi niya?" Napahawak ang kamay ni Fabienne sa dibdib niya. "As in, lahat talaga?"

Calling that person by his nickname, huh? Gano'n na ba sila ka-close o nasanay na siya sa kanilang previous interviews? Anyway, it would not matter.

"We have no choice but to grant all of his requests." Priam crossed his arms as he turned to his First Lady. "If we deny it or redact any part, it will reflect badly on us. We cannot preach about transparency and expect transparency from all student organizations if we are not transparent ourselves."

"I had Sabrina review everything. The document itself is harmless." I put the arrows back in my quiver. "We didn't include the conditions of your scholarship in there, so there's no way for him to know that we offered you that grant in exchange for playing the president's pretend girlfriend. Ang tanong ay kung kailan namin ilalabas 'yon."

"Won't it look suspicious that one of our scholars and I, the president, are in a quote-unquote relationship?" Priam turned to me next. "Given how easy it is for some students to misinterpret a situation, they might think that I'm taking advantage of my authority and Fabienne's status as a scholar."

"Sadly, we can't control how they'll think." With a frown, I shook my head. "Posibleng atakihin ng gossip media sa ganyang anggulo ang story na 'to sakaling i-share ni Reynard ang mga document. The good news is, on paper, they have nothing on us. They can't prove it, but they can speculate all they want."

"Then there's nothing to worry about—"

"There is," I cut Fabienne's words short. I went back to the shooting line and rested my left knee on the chair to maintain my balance. My left hand raised the bow while my right pulled an arrow. "Reynard is putting together the puzzle pieces that he's been collecting since your relationship piqued his curiosity. Bubuo siya ng malaking picture gamit ang mga 'yon. Mukhang nasa kanya na ang lahat, maliban sa isang piraso." My fingers slowly pulled the string back.

"Ano 'yon?" kunot-noong tanong ni Fabienne.

"Confirmation." I let go of the arrow. Tumama siya sa labas ng target kaya napapalatak ako at napayuko. Malas talaga ako ngayong araw. I turned to them. "He needs someone who will corroborate with the pieces of information that he's collected so far. That someone must have personal knowledge of our plan."

"A whistleblower," Priam muttered.

I nodded. "It can be any of the student council officers privy to the plan. It can be any of you two, which will be more damning. Kaya sakaling umaligid si Reynard sa paligid n'yo at paulit-ulit kayong tanungin, alam n'yo na kung ano ang gusto niyang makuha."

"Speaking of umaligid, nagpunta kami ng bestfriend kong si Belle sa cafe na pinagtrabauhan ko no'ng working student pa ako," nahihiyang kuwento ni Fabienne. "Nandoon pa 'yong manager na nakatrabaho ko no'n at nabanggit niyang may isang student daw na nagtanong sa kanya kung do'n ako nag-part time job."

My eyes squinted. "And then?"

"C-in-onfirm niya na dati akong nagtrabaho ro'n. Tapos . . ." Her voice slightly trailed off. "Nabanggit din ng manager ko sa kanya na may nakuha na akong scholarship. Noong last time kasi na pumunta ako ro'n, natanong niya kung naghahanap pa ako ng part-time job. Ang sabi ko, hindi na kailangan kasi nga . . . alam n'yo na. Pero hindi ko sinabing USC scholarship, ah?"

Napabuntonghininga ulit ako. This only showed Reynard's determination to find a needle in a haystack. Talagang susuyurin niya yata ang lahat ng pwedeng mapagkunan ng impormasyon para lamang makuha ang gusto niya. Well, it was my fault too. I did not expect that someone like him would take interest in a fake couple. If I had only known, I would have put up proper defenses.

"Maybe I shouldn't have talked too much during the interview," Fabienne muttered. "Kung hindi ko siguro naikuwento 'yon, baka walang lead na nakuha si Rey. I didn't know na mapapahamak pala tayo dahil do'n."

"Don't blame yourself," Priam told her. "The interview was probably a trap by Reynard to get more details and find some breadcrumbs that may lead him to the info he needs. You were careful. But he was just way ahead of us."

"Still . . . Hindi sana tayo malalagay sa sitwasyon na 'to kung hindi ako naging madaldal sa interview at sa cafe manager ko no'n."

I could not help but admire Fabienne's honesty. She could have kept the information to herself, but she shared it with us so we would know where our blindspots were. She even blamed herself for it.

I wished I could be as honest as her. If I had an ounce of her honesty, I would have already told her the truth about the fake rumor incident. But I could not. I should not. It was too risky at this point. So much at stake here. Hindi ko rin matantiya kung paano siya magre-react. Would she go ballistic? Would she be forgiving? Mahirap tumaya kaya mas mainam kung huwag na muna.

Maybe one day, I would. But not now.

"You two shouldn't just stand there," I told them. Ngumuso ako sa bows at arrows na nasa rack. "Grab your bows and start shooting. Baka may makakita sa atin at magtaka kung bakit ako lang ang pumapana habang kayo'y nakatayo riyan at nakikipagkuwentuhan sa 'kin."

They did exactly what I told them. Si Priam na ang namili ng bow para kay Fabienne. Choosing a bow depends on one's arm span and weight of drawback. While waiting for them, I went for another shot. Kaso mintis pa rin. Kaunti na lamang talaga, maibabato ko na itong bow.

On my left, Priam and Fabienne stood at the shooting line. They both raised their bows and nocked the arrows. Ang pagkakaiba, mas steady ang hawak ni Priam sa bow habang medyo tabingi at nanginginig ang hawak ni Fabienne.

"Is this your first time?" Priam asked, lowering his bow.

Ibinaba rin ni Fabienne ang bow niya at lumingon sa kaliwa. "Yup! Pero nakapanood na ako ng archery competitions sa YouTube. Bilib na bilib nga ako kasi bullseye lagi ang tinatamaan. Feeling ko nga, mas madali 'to kaysa sa ibang sports. Kaso ngayong nahawakan ko na, parang hindi."

"Let me teach you." Priam came closer to her and stood just right behind. "First, your stance. Your body must be sideways and your feet must be at a ninety degree angle to the target. Dapat tuwid ang pagkakatayo mo. Hindi dapat naka-bend ang mga tuhod mo at hindi dapat nagli-lean ang katawan mo sa kahit anong direksyon. Understood?"

"Yes, teach!"

He taught her how to properly load an arrow through a demonstration. Ginaya 'yon ni Fabienne hanggang sa kaya na niyang gawin nang walang guide.

"Next is shooting. This is how you must handle your bow." Priam straightened his left hand and showed a slight bend in his elbow. Then his right hand did some pulling motion. "And this is how you will draw your arrow back. Siguraduhin mong ka-level ng drawback hand mo ang braso mong may hawak sa pana. Kapag hinila mo na ang arrow, dapat nasa bandang bibig ang kamay mo."

"Ganito ba?"

"Oo, pero ibaba mo nang kaunti ang kamay mo, masyadong mataas."

"Heto?"

Priam nodded. "Last is aiming. Just keep a straight back. When you draw back, make sure that your eyes can stare down the length of the arrow. It must be at a straight angle, not a few degrees off. When you're ready, let it loose."

"Ganito ba?"

"Kailangan mo pang i-adjust."

"How about this?"

"Hmmm . . . May I?"

"Sure!"

Halos magdikit na sina Priam at Fabienne. I quickly drew my phone and discreetly recorded this scene. They were busy with the lesson, they forgot about me. Inalalayan ng USC president ang kanyang First Lady sa pamamagitan ng paghawak sa bow sa kung saan nakakapit ang kaliwang kamay ni Fabienne at sa paghawak sa mga daliri nito kung saan nakaipit ang dulo ng arrow. "Just pull it this way . . . aim at your target . . . then release."

Lumipad ang palaso at tumama sa pinaka-outer circle ng target board. Halos magtatalon sa tuwa si Fabienne.

"Now try it on your own." Priam took a few steps back and watched as Fabienne drew an arrow, nocked it, and aimed it at the target. The arrow struck on a spot outside the circle. "Not bad for a first timer. Just keep practicing. You will soon hit the bullseye."

"Dapat lang!" Nginitian siya ni Fabienne. "Magaling yata ang teacher ko."

Priam cracked a smile before picking up his bow again.

I focused on my own shooting. These two got some chemistry. Sure, they had opposite auras—Priam was serious while Fabienne was light. But they understood each other. They went along with each other. They were not pretending to be this warm and friendly. It was all natural.

So what if . . . totohanin na ang relationship nila? That would nullify the premise of a pretend relationship and consequently, the negative feedback that could follow. That would also lift the burden on their conscience. They would not be deceiving anyone anymore because what they were feeling for each other was genuine. The students would be more inspired and invested in their real love story. Reynard or Alaric the Prick or anyone could no longer use it as an ammunition against us.

Tinanong ko na ang dalawang ito. Dahil walang nag-deny sa possibility na mahulog ang loob nila sa isa't isa, nag-e-exist ang chance—kahit gaano man kaliit—na mangyari 'yon. Ngunit ramdam ko ang pagdadalawang-isip sa kanila. Mukhang hangga't maaari, gusto nilang panatilihin kung ano ang meron sila ngayon.

Even if I was the chief strategist of the student council and the brains behind Oplan First Lady, I could not and should not force my will on them. I also could not force them to fall in love with each other. They had to do it themselves. Kung gusto ko talagang mangyari 'yon, ang tanging magagawa ko ay ilagay silang dalawa sa mga sitwasyon kung saan unti-unti nilang i-entertain ang posibilidad na maging sila at mapagtanto na may nararamdaman sila para sa isa't isa.

If everything would go that way, it would be totally great. We could dodge the dangers of their pretend relationship being exposed to the public. But it would surely come with a cost. Right now, Priam was too focused with his presidential duties and academics. If he would add "love life" to his list, one of those two—if not both—might get affected. What if he let up in his duties? What if he let up in his studies?

Still, this would not solve the Reynard problem. As soon as we released his requested documents, it might only take him one or two weeks to take action. He would try to finish this game as soon as possible. Kailangan muna namin siyang malagpasan bago ako mag-implement ng changes sa plano.

I was about to shoot my arrow, but I lowered my bow. Lumingon ako sa kanilang dalawa. "Going back to what I was saying earlier, I believe that none of the USC officers will cooperate with Reynard, should he try to convert them to his side. I've already talked to them in private and they've given me assurance that none of them will flip to our enemies."

Natigil din sila sa balak na pagpapana at lumingon pabalik sa akin.

"All that's left . . . are you two. Can you promise me that no matter what happens, no matter what you hear, no matter what they promise you, you won't turn against us?"

This question was only for Fabienne. Alam ko namang never na babaligtad itong si Priam, lalo't alam niya kung ano ang pinaglalaban namin. But of course, I got to show our First Lady that I was not suspecting her to be the weakest link or a potential Achilles' hell in our team.

"You can count on me," Priam answered. Short but sweet.

"Makakaasa ka rin sa 'kin," sagot ni Fabienne sabay taas ng kanang kamay.

I let out a sigh of relief. They were just words, but they were enough to assure me.

"By the way," Priam spoke again, "I will be joining Fabienne's family for dinner this weekend. I thought you should know."

"Oh, yeah!" Fabienne exclaimed. "Heto 'yong nabanggit ko sa 'yo no'ng nawalan ng malay si Priam 'tapos inuwi natin siya sa apartment n'yo."

Tandang-tanda ko pa 'yon. "I wish you good luck then! I'm sure Fabienne's family is nice because they raised a nice daughter like her. Just don't forget to take a picture, ah? We might need it in the future."

"Excited na sina Mama at Kuya na ma-meet ka. Alam nila ang history ko kay Mitch kaya baka mas strict na ang mga 'yon pagdating sa boyfriend ko."

"I better prepare myself then so I won't disappoint them."

"Mababait naman sila! Hindi sila nangangagat o nangangain ng tao. Gusto ko ring ma-meet mo ang pet cat naming si Kahel. Siya yata ang mas dapat mong i-convince. Kapag nilapitan ka niya at nagpa-pet siya sa 'yo, ibig sabihin, mabuti kang tao. Si Mitch, never niyang nilapitan. Dapat pala t-in-ake note ko na 'yon as a sign."

Napangiti ako habang nakikinig sa usapan nila. They were taking this pretend relationship seriously—as they should!—and they were even going to another level.

Muli kong iniangat ang aking bow. I drew the string back and aimed my arrow at the bullseye. Just when my fingers were about to let it loose, I felt a stabbing pain in my left leg. An arrow was then shot from somewhere and hit the red circle on my board. We all turned to the direction where it came from.

"Sorry, I was just trying to see if I can hit the bullseye from this distance."

My teeth gritted as my hand clawed on my left leg.

Alaric the Prick walked to the shooting line, a compound bow on his left side. He had his chin up and he flashed his white teeth at us. There was an air of arrogance around him, as always. Ang kapal ng mukha ng lalaking ito na magpakita sa amin.

"I didn't expect to see the USC president and chief-of-staff, as well as the First Lady," he greeted us with a fake surprised expression. "How are you all doing?"

"We're okay—"

"We're doing well until you arrived," I replied. "Your presence kinda spoils the atmosphere here."

"Oh!" He held up both of his hands in the air. "I didn't come here to trade barbs. I came here to do some shooting and see if I'm still a good hunter. Lately, I've been hitting the bullseye. Figuratively too, if I may add."

I raised my bow, nocked my arrow, and pointed it at him. "What if I shoot you right now?"

Fabienne gasped while Priam told me to stand down.

Alaric the Prick just smirked at me, unfazed by my threat. "You can finally put an end to one of your problems, but that will send the wrong message. Come on. You're not really gonna shoot me, are you?"

I looked him in the eye as I held my breath. Never had I ever felt my hands to be this steady.

"You don't have what it takes to shoot me down."

I exhaled, lowering my bow. "I was checking if I could wipe that smug look off your face. Mukhang permanente na yatang nakapinta sa mukha mo 'yan."

Lumingon ako sa mga kasama ko at sinenyasan silang umalis muna. There was no need to worry about me. I would not try to shoot Alaric the Prick in a place like this.

"Let's grab some drinks," Priam said. "Come with me, Fabienne."

"S-Sure."

I waited until the First couple was out of my eyeshot. Alaric the Prick turned to the target board on my right and began playing with his bow.

"You must be having an unlucky week," he said as he nocked the arrow. "First, someone from the USC has exposed that the First couple's relationship is a sham—which you denied. Second, I heard that a Herald reporter has submitted an FOI request to your office."

I squinted my eyes at him briefly, then I turned to my own board. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had anything to do with the rumor about the USC insider. I also wouldn't be surprised if you formed an alliance with that reporter. Sounds like your style."

The thought of Alaric the Prick and Reynard working together crossed my mind, but something did not feel quite right about it, so I easily dismissed the idea. Maybe I could have a confirmation directly from the horse's mouth—or in this case, the tiger's.

He drew his arrow back then shot. It hit the space on the circle close to the red one. "Someone I know reached out to that reporter and offered a mutually beneficial arrangement. Sadly, he declined. He wanted to do it his way, without any help from any party. Nakakahanga ang prinsipyo niya."

"That's sad. He would have been a valuable ally." Ako naman ang tumira. Mintis pa rin.

"He and I may not be allies, but I still found a way to help him in his crusade against lies. All I need to do is to give him the tools. Then he'll indirectly and unknowingly help me back."

I chuckled. Ngayo'y naintindihan ko na. "Is that why you and your ilk voted in favor of the FOI bill?"

"Precisely." Alaric the Prick turned his head in my direction. "I didn't have to do anything. I can just grab a bucket of popcorn and watch him do his job."

"You think he can take us down?" I shot not an arrow, but a sideway glance at him.

He shrugged. "The only thing I'm sure of is that you'll be the cause of the USC's downfall."

My left hand's grip on the bow tightened and my right fist holding an arrow clenched.

"You're trying so hard to climb the ladder," he went on. "But in the end, you'll find yourself slipping down all the way to the bottom."

My fists were already shaking, but I still managed to control myself somehow. "I don't mind going down as long as I drag you with me."

"We'll see." Alaric the Prick smirked. "I wanna see you try."

★ ★ ★

NEXT UPDATE: Priam will finally meet the Lucero family.

If you've enjoyed this update and you have some thoughts to share, let me know by tweeting with the hashtag #PlayTheQueenWP!

Special thanks to raze_dali and imthecentralorgan for the illustrations!