A/N: NEW YEAR'S EVE UPDATE! Enjoy reading!

LORELEI

IF THERE'S one lesson that I learned in the past few weeks, it's about keeping secrets. Some truths must be kept from other people. Even if we trust them. Even if they trust us. What's terrifying is not the truth, but what one does after learning about it.

If my dad told me sooner that he wasn't my real father, would I have grown much colder to him? Would the image of my mother as a loving and faithful wife be tarnished by the truth?

If I told Loki that his beloved brother is part of the organization that we've been chasing, would he have condemned him to death?

Kaya nga sa imbestigasyon kay Augustus, pinili naming maglihim ng ilang detalye mula kina Margarette, such as Jamie being a spy of the so-called Moriarty in the QED Club. We did not want to raise more questions while we were seeking for more answers. Maybe once this was over, we would disclose to them the secret that we kept.

Nanggalaiti ako sa galit noon kay Loki dahil hindi niya kaagad sinabi sa akin ang mga hinala niya tungkol kay Jamie. I felt stabbed in the back not by one, but by a hundred knives. I trusted him almost a hundred percent because I knew he wouldn't do anything that might ruin it. But he did. Nagkalamat tuloy ang relasyon naming dalawa.

Halos sakalin ko na rin si Jamie gamit ang kanyang naka-braid na buhok dahil sa pagsisinungaling niya sa akin. I was still convincing myself that she did what she had to do because of a legit reason: exacting revenge on the person who allegedly plotted his brother's death.

If there's any consolation to these revelations, it must be the fact that they kept the truth from me for a reason, not because they just wanted to mess with me.

Look at me now, tolerating this behavior that I abhorred. I began to support what I hate. Keeping secrets. Lying. Well, technically we did not lie to the executive committee. We only refused to tell them some parts of what we know.

And not to mention, I was also keeping a secret from Loki. His brother's involvement in this complicated case. Natatakot ako sa kung anong pwedeng mangyari sakaling malaman niya ang totoo. Things would get much, much worse, and I would be caught in the middle because I already knew the truth, but shut my mouth.

"Pizza's here!" sigaw ni Jamie pagpasok niya sa aming apartment unit. She laid the box on the center table and opened it. Nalanghap namin ang masarap na amoy ng pizza. Saktong-sakto, hindi pa kami nagmemeryenda.

"Meow!" Freya cried, walking toward the food, but Jamie blocked her path. As much as I hate them bicker against each other, human versus animal, I miss these little moments that usually happened in our clubroom.

"Shuuu! Ang taba-taba mo na tapos makikikain ka pa ng pizza? May ambag ka ba? Doon ka nga!"

"Hiss!" Freya whipped her tail rapidly like a whip.

Right after our classes, the four of us agreed to go to our apartment. Matapos kasi naming makahanap ng link na lalong nagkokonekta kina Gus at Moriarty, napagdesisyunan namin na dito na pag-usapan ang kaso. While Margarette was blabbering about not making a move until we have clearance, Loki sent a message to us, secretly texting while his hand was inside his pocket.

Some details couldn't be discussed with the execom around. We already risked telling them that we had received a tip from an insider. Jamie is our resource person. Ayaw rin ni Loki na madamay siya. Though she had told us some things about Gus in the Black Dahlia hotel, she might know more about how deep the editor-in-chief was involved in the organization. Details that she hasn't shared to us yet.

Habang busy si Jamie sa pambu-bully sa aming club cat, naglapag naman ng apat na baso si Alistair sa mesa. He also prepared a pitcher of house blend tea. Tinulungan ko na siyang magbuhos ng inumin sa mga baso.

I'd like to consider this small gathering as a celebration of his return. He missed a lot of our adventures while he was in a coma and he had a lot of catching up to do.

How about Loki? He was standing next to his magnum opus, the "spider's web of conspiracy," adding photocopies of the newspaper cutouts that we saw in the files. Idinikit niya ito malapit sa picture ni Gus kung saan dumami ang mga naka-link na kulay pulang sinulid dito.

At first glance, it looked like we would be doing group study or thesis for our class. Kulang na lang ay mag-overnight kami hanggang sa matapos namin ang assignment. If my memory serves right, this was the second time that the four of us convened in our apartment unit.

Funny. The first we gathered here was when we were planning on how to deliver a counterattack against Zoey Bernales' defaming article against our club. Months later, nandito ulit kami para kalabanin ang isang tao na galing sa parehong student organization.

Indeed, this was QED Club versus Clark Clarion all over again. But this time, we were the ones on the offensive.

Kumuha kami ng tig-iisang slice ng pizza, maliban kay Loki. He'd rather munch on those newspaper cutouts than on the "baked dough topped with devil's ingredients." His own words, by the way. He wasn't one of those pineapples-do-not-go-on-pizza guys (Oh, please! Don't get me started on that issue). He does not like pizza, in general.

"I refuse to eat any food that has two z's," he said when we asked why he wouldn't try even a slice. What kind of reasoning was that? Maiintindihan ko pa kung sinabi niyang "unhealthy" ang pagkain ng pizza.

"But it's a gift from the gods!" Jamie bit off the tip, slowly chewing it in her mouth. "How can you not like this food?"

"People who like pizza have underdeveloped palate," Loki snarled, staring at the remaining five slices with contempt. "While you are eating that bread with cheese and other unappetizing stuff, let me start the discussion on what we found out hours ago: Augustus might have been involved in Moriarty's organization long before we learned the codename of the criminal mastermind."

"Are we working on the assumption that those four reported cases are Moriarty's?" Al asked, sipping at his iced tea. "He was so discreet in his first set of crimes, then weeks later, he decided to be more bold and daring?"

"Criminals, such as serial killers, sometimes long for appreciation of their work." Loki put his hands behind him. He stood like a professor about to deliver the most boring lesson of our lives. "He may have grown tired that his brilliant schemes were not being properly credited, that's why in his next crimes, he chose to leave a mark. M."

"Also, he switched strategy right after the student council president, who had ordered an investigation to these suspicious deaths, died in an accident," I added. Matagal ko nang kutob na isang importanteng piece ang pagkamatay ng kuya ni Jamie para ma-solve ang Moriarty puzzle. The more we learned about him, the more we learned about the mastermind. "Sa tingin ko, mas naging maingat siya noong una dahil alam niyang posibleng may nakabuntot sa kanya."

"'Yon lang talaga ang bumabagabag sa akin." Al started scratching Freya's chin with his unoccupied hand. "Sabihin na nating may kinalaman talaga siya sa pagkamay ng kuya ni Jamie. Moriarty could have committed the succeeding crimes with the same discretion. Hindi na niya kailangang ipagmayabang at angkinin na siya ang nasa likod nito."

"Like what I said, appreciation," Loki remarked, slowly enunciating the syllables of the last word. He ripped a page from the Clarion magazine that showed Stein in his most innocent smile. "Ever heard of the zodiac killer? He was sending riddles to the newspaper companies as if he was asking to be caught. The media published the riddles and viola! He became an instant celebrity. For all we know, Moriarty might be an appreciation and attention whore. Now back to Augustus..."

"Nang makita ko ang pangalan niya sa byline, I thought that he might have been one of the organization's founding members," I shared, watching him pin the torn page to the wall. "How likely is it na sa apat na kahina-hinalang kaso, siya lahat ang sumulat ng articles tungkol doon? Was it a coincidence? Or was he already placed in that position to manipulate information?"

"But he was just a news correspondent when he wrote those articles," Al argued, feeding our cat with pepperoni bits. "If he intentionally hid some pieces of information from being shared to the campus, wouldn't the news editor ask for a thorough report with all the facts presented? Either Gus was too good in his job or his editor was incompetent."

"Or the news editor is one of them," I added. Mahirap nang makasiguro kung nasaan ang allegiance ng isang tao. "Maybe the editor-in-chief was also in this charade. Who knows how wide the web of conspiracy was two year ago?"

"I only joined the organization this year," Jamie said, wiping the grease off her hand. Tinira niya ang crust ng pizza at ibinalik sa box. "What I know-as you also know-is that Moriarty's network is well connected. They're like a fraternity in this campus."

"If my hunch is correct, unlike you, Gus was probably recruited early on, not when he was already EIC," I told her. "He's already embedded in the group."

She nodded. "That makes sense. Gus is considered as the databank of the org. Kung may kailangang i-blackmail, meron siyang material na pwedeng gamitin. Baka nakaipon na siya ng mga paraphernalia magmula pa noon at naghihintay lang ng tamang oras para ilabas ngayon."

"Is there anything else that you know about our dear editor-in-chief?" tanong ni Loki.

Jamie closed her eyes, probably recalling her exchanges with Stein that involved Gus. "I'm not sure if this is relevant, but remember when we had troubles with the Clarion?"

"Zoey Bernales?"

Tumango siya. "You know that Stein likes checking up on you, Loki dear. Nang makalusot na tayo sa paninira sa atin, he asked me how we were doing. I told him that we were happy because we were vindicated. Medyo nakakapagtaka nga lang. He told me that he never gave Gus the order to start a mudslinging campaign against our club. But he let it play out dahil nasimulan na."

Why did the premise of that statement sound familiar? Saan ko ba narinig ang kaparehong-

"That act wasn't sanctioned by Moriarty himself, though he did nothing to stop Augustus. He was hell bent on bringing you down."

Marahang nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang muling nag-play ang boses ni Luthor sa isip ko. When I confronted him in the island about his affiliation with Moriarty's gang, he told me the same. Walang utos si Stein kay Gus na siraan ang reputasyon ng QED Club. He acted on his own and Moriarty, despite not giving his blessing, chose to not do anything about it.

"Not only that," Jamie added, her eyes looking sideways. "After the demolition job failed, Stein told me that Gus was extremely upset at someone in the group. Nasabi pa nga niya na baka kailangan niyang mamagitan sa dalawa."

"Did he identify who that someone is?" Loki asked curiously.

Umiling si Jamie. "Hindi niya nabanggit kung sino. I was also curious kung sino ang taong tinutukoy niya. I thought of asking him about it, but Stein might grow suspicious of me. Asking more questions would only put my cover in danger. Kaya itinikom ko na lang ang bibig ko."

She may have failed on extracting that crucial info, but I have an idea on who that person might be: the boy next door Luthor. Well, the student council office was literally next door. During the first round of QED Club versus Clarion, when we thought that all hope was lost, the vice president swooped in with his dark wings and saved his little brother from the bonfire where Gus and company intended to burn the latter.

I wish I could tell them about this piece of info, but I couldn't. Hindi ko pa pwedeng i-reveal sa kanila ang involvement ni Luthor sa buhol-buhol na kasong ito. No, the answer must come from his lips, not mine. And I promised to him that I wouldn't tell a soul about his secret.

I guess it's our secret now. A cross that I also have to bear.

Ganito rin ba ang naramdaman ni Loki noong itinago niya sa akin ang hinala niya kay Jamie? I felt the urge to reveal what I know, but it wasn't my place to speak of it, nor was it the right time for revelations. I held my tongue despite the temptation. Once the cat is out of the bag, who knows how much blood its claws would draw from people around it.

"Why am I sensing that there's a brewing conflict inside Moriarty's organization?" Al asked, letting go of Freya. Sumagi rin sa isip ko 'yon. "Remember that CAT officer who started removing loose ends just so Moriarty would notice him? Parang hindi gano'n kahigpit ang hawak niya sa mga tauhan niya."

That reminds me of our meeting with Stein at the Math and Physics Club. Siya mismo ang tumawag sa amin para humingi ng tulong na i-identify ang rogue agent niya.

"This is just a hunch, pero pakiramdam ko, may mga faction sa loob ng grupo," Jamie revealed, her brows knitting. "When Stein was in a coma, the organization became paralyzed. Nagsimulang magbulungan ang ilang members at may mga sinuggest silang papalit sa kanya. They were concerned kung sino ang nasa line of succession sakaling hindi na siya magising."

Luthor also told me the same. So far, nagko-corroborate ang kuwento ni Jamie at ng kuya ni Loki. That gave her credibility and I was tempted to trust her words.

"Who were nominated?" Loki asked.

Closing her eyes, Jamie shook her head slowly. "Gumamit sila ng codenames gaya ng Red Bishop, Black Knight, Gray Rook para itago ang identities ng mga nominee. That time, hindi pa natin alam na kasama si Gus sa kanila, pero malakas ang kutob kong isa siya sa mga ni-nominate ng mga kakilala niya."

As an old member, if not a founding one, Gus had every right to claim Moriarty's coveted throne. I never thought that there's also some sort of politics in their group.

"The fact that Moriarty let him do what he wanted during the QED v. Clarion case supports our theory that he is an important piece on the chessboard," Loki concluded. "You mentioned about the nomination. Where did these conversations happen?"

"May secret messaging app na ipina-install sa amin," sagot ni Jamie sabay wagayway ng kanyang phone. "The messages are automatically deleted fifteen seconds after they are read. I tried to screenshot some parts of the convo, but the app disabled that function."

Of course, they must try to keep their conversations confidential. One wrong move and their misdeeds would be exposed.

"Thank you for the inside info, Jamie. You gave us a more vivid sketch of what Gus might be. Obviously, there's more to him than meets the eye," Loki said, shooting a sidelong glance at the editor-in-chief's photo on his web. "Now, it's time to set a trap for him. We may have lost our official status as the premier detective club, but we can still act as one. We need to act discreetly-"

"Wait a minute." Looking confused, Al raised his right hand. "Shouldn't we be discussing this plan with Margarette and the rest of the trusted execom members? Hindi tayo pwedeng kumilos nang hindi sila nai-involve, 'di ba? That's part of the application form that we signed earlier."

"Has anyone already told you that your strict adherence to formalities and your loyalty to your moral compass can weigh you down?" Loki said after a minute of locking stares with my childhood friend. "The reason why we joined the execom in the first place is to have legitimate access to school files and to enable us to still work on the most important case of our high school life."

"I know you, Loki," my childhood friend said, folding his arms. "You wanna act independently without informing the execom about what you want us to do. Ang sa akin lang, ayaw kong may ma-bypass tayong procedure. I know that you hate these formalities as much as you hate your brother, but the fact remains that we are under a new organization. We play by their rules."

"Oh, don't worry, Alistair." Loki's tone was reassuring, but I could sense a hint of something else. "We are going to play by their rules, but we might need to bend them a little to suit our purposes. Our priority is to pin down Augustus as one of Moriarty's agents, not to be bogged by down by these niceties."

"This is the ends justify the means all over again, isn't it?" Al scoffed. "How many times have your blatant disregard for the rules and for human feelings put any of us at risk? Ginawa mong pain noon si Jamie para lang ma-solve ang isang kaso. At kanina, gusto mo siyang gamitin na parang kasangkapan para mabago mo ang isip ni Margarette. We have faced many dangers already, but your attitude on such situations has not changed."

"I know for a fact that it wasn't my-how did you put it again?-blatant disregard for the rules and human feelings that put you in a comatosed state," Loki replied in a mocking way. "The point is I know my limits and I will not bend the rules too much to the point of breaking them. You have my word."

Maging si Jamie ay napainom na lang ng iced tea habang pinapanood ang sagutan nila. Loki saw Al's playing-by-the-rules attitude as a flaw, but knowing my childhood friend, he would see it as a good quality-the one that Loki lacks.

Ibinaba ko ang aking baso at pumwersang umubo. The tension was rising again. It's been a while mula noong huli silang magkasagutan ng ganito. "Let's make a compromise, shall we? Idi-discuss natin dito kung ano ang plano natin laban kay Gus. But we will not take any action until we have Maggie's approval."

Ilang beses na kumurap ang mga mata ni Loki, malamang ina-assess kung makatarungan ba ang sinuggest ko. That's the middle ground that I could see in this situation. Al was against us devising a plan on our own, without any direct consultation with the execom. On the other hand, Loki was against the whole bureaucracy of having his actions approved first.

"Fair enough," he sighed. "We will be the ones to come up with a plan."

"And have it approved by Margarette before acting on it," Al added. "And the execom reserves the right to amend it."

Loki sucked in a breath, his eyes squinting. "Fine, as long as they don't scrap our plan all together."

"I'm good," Al agreed, motioning his hand to the web of conspiracy. "Please proceed."

Tension diffused. Nakahinga rin ako nang maluwag.

"Our unexpected exchange of pleasantries this morning with Gus has started rattling the bars of his cage," Loki continued. "After I gave him a not so subtle threat, he would be on alert and try to cover his tracks. I told Maggie to not make an announcement about the QED Club beign absorbed by the execom. But I assume that by now, he knows that we have the execom badge pinned on our collars."

"May mga tenga siya sa buong campus kaya hindi malayong mangyari ang sinabi mo, Loki dear," dagdag ni Jamie habang nilalaro ang kanyang naka-braid na buhok. "Baka may bubwit na bumulong sa kanya."

"How about our request for the Clarion's financial reports?" I asked. "Do you think na alam na rin niya ang tungkol doon?"

"Maggie told us that only seven souls in the campus know about it," Loki answered. "But she's wrong. There are at least eight. It can be ten or twenty. She forgot to add the accounting and finance officer who will process the paper, as well as other people in that office who might have seen the request letter."

"Kung talagang well connected itong si Augustus kahit sa admin offices, imposibleng hindi niya matunugan ang ginawa natin," sabi ni Al na napahawak sa kanyang baba. "Maharap kalaban ang isang taong alam ang lahat ng nangyayari sa paligid niya. He might come up with a counterattack."

"Which is exactly what we need!" Loki lifted Freya and cradled her in his arms. He started playing with her pink nose. "The more alarmed he is, the better. The fear of getting exposed will expose him more to us."

"And your plan is?"

"Install surveillance devices in the Clarion's office and in his room." Loki turned to us, slowly swaying the cat in his arms. "I inquired about him earlier and found out that he's staying in the White Hostel. If he has ears in every corner of the campus, we shall have the ears and the eyes in places where he thinks he's safe."

"But that's illegal," Al argued. Halos magsalubong ang parehong kilay niya.

"Which is exactly why I do not want to get the execom involved here because they will tell us the same thing!"

"Let's say that Maggie approves," I cut in before they could express their difference in principles again. "Paano mo naman mai-install ang mga security camera at listening device?"

"Oh, that's pretty easy," Loki replied with an air of confidence. "We will clog the ventilation in the Clarion's office using bird feathers. Mapapansin nilang humina ang aircon kaya magpapatawag sila ng maintenance personnel. That's where we come in. We will disguise as the crew and pretend we are cleaning the ventilation while setting up our little toys."

I was more concerned on where we would get bird feathers. Tatanggalan ba namin ng mga balahibo ang ilang ibon para ma-satisfy ang requirement para sa mission na 'to? Pity for the unfortunate animals.

"How about his room?" Loki went on, gently putting down Freya on the floor. "We can activate the water sprinkler and make it appear faulty. He will surely report it to the hostel management and... we just have to repeat the maintenance thing."

The plan sounded so simple that even Grade 6 students could pull it off. Alam ko namang hindi magiging madali ang lahat. Some things might not go exactly as planned. The margin of error, I assume, was a big one.

"If we catch him hiding a suspicious document in a desk or a vault during the surveillance, will we just break in his place and retrieve the item?" Al asked.

"Yes, but the problem is the timing." Loki crossed his arms across the chest. "What if he returns earlier that we have expected and find us there trying to unlock his Pandora's box? We'll surely get into trouble."

Nanliit ang mga mata ni Al. "Are you going to suggest that we stage an accident for him? Para hindi niya tayo maistorbo? Because that's off the table-"

"NO!" Loki retorted in disbelief. "I haven't thought of that scenario, but it might be worth considering-"

"Loki!" we yelled at him. Kahit alam kong ilegal, mas okay ako sa paglalagay ng secret camera kaysa sa pagpapalabas na naaksidente si Gus. Al's right. That's definitely off the table.

"Fine, no accidents of any sort!" Loki held up both hands in the air. "Because I have a better idea. We need to know if Augustus is hiding something in our target places before Friday."

"What's the rush?"

"Remember the Case of the Mysterious Papers?" he asked with scorn. "Maggie said that there's going to be an event this Friday. A solidarity night or something, I wasn't paying attention. Clark High likes fancy parties. All students, except the party poopers, will gather in the school gymnasium. I assume that Augustus will enjoy himself there."

"Habang busy siya sa pagpa-party, doon natin papasukin ang office o kuwarto niya!" Napapalakpak si Jamie. "That's a brilliant plan, Loki dear! Habang umiinom siya ng wine o nakikipag-dance showdown, hindi niya alam na naiisahan natin siya."

"Paano kung naisipan niyang umalis kaagad ng party?" tanong ko. "It's the same problem that we were discussing a minute ago."

"Paano kung kahit gustuhin niyang umalis, hindi niya magawa?" sagot ni Loki.

"That's impossible unless you lock him there," Al said, shaking his head. "Which is something I won't approve of, by the way."

"We won't be locking him in the gymnasium," Loki smirked. That familiar curve in his lips told me that he thought of something ingenious. "We will put the whole place on lockdown. Hindi lang siya, kundi lahat ng mga estudyante, hindi pwedeng umalis. That should give us enough time to break into his territory and steal whatever he's hiding there."

"And how on earth will you do that?"

"First, we need to reconcile with the chief of campus police, Inspector Morgan Morales."

q.e.d.

A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! I know that I promised to finish Project LOKI before the end of 2018. Unfortunately, and once again, I failed to keep my promise. I wish I could tell you why I wasn't able to.

I hereby extend my sincerest apologies for building up your expectations.

Despite everything, I'm still thankful to everyone who continues to support me despite my flaws as a person and as a writer, and despite the flaws of my story. I update occasionally (pun intended) but you're still there, patiently waiting for the new chapters.

I wish for everyone to reach greater heights this coming 2019. Excelsior!