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LORELEI

"SO THAT's what he wanted."

Alistair and I slumped against the railings outside our classroom. It's already ten in the morning, oras na para sa resumption ng aming morning classes. Ayaw ko ring bumalik sa execom office. They would surely bombard me with questions and I don't know at this moment what to say to them. I can't tell them exactly what Augustus and I talked about.

Mabuti't wala pa ang aming instructor kaya nakakapagtambay pa kami ni Alistair sa labas. Our classmates were minding their own businesses, they wouldn't notice the two of us discussing something so serious.

Alistair knew the dilemma that I was in. He doesn't the know the entire truth, but we share a burden when we chose to lie about what we really saw in Augustus' notebook. Kahit sinuman sa amin ni Augustus ang magsabi kay Loki ng totoo, he would surely be affected by the consequences of our action last Friday.

"Have you talked to Luthor about this?" he asked. He leaned his back against the railings habang ako nama'y nakapangalumbaba roon.

I slowly shook my head. Of course, I did. But I can't complicate matters more. Kapag inamin kong sinabi ko na kay Luthor, he'd definitely ask kung kinonfirm o dineny ng kuya ni Loki ang mga nakasulat sa notebook.

"I'm planning to talk to him this afternoon," sagot ko. "Uunahin ko muna 'yong pagpunta naming dalawa ni Jamie sa printing press mamayang lunch time.

Given that Augustus has threatened me to tell Loki about the notebook's contents, talagang kailangan ko nang kausapin si Luthor. It's his secret after all. Kung may dapat magsabi kay Loki ng katotohanan, siya 'yon. He mentioned to me back in the island that he's only waiting for the right opportunity.

Ang kaso, naiipit ako sa sitwasyon. Alam ko rin ang sikreto at alam naming dalawa ni Alistair kung ano ang "accusation" ni Augustus sa kanya. Kung sanang hindi ako aware tungkol doon, mas magaan sana ang pasanin ko.

"I might ask permission from him to tell Loki about what we saw," I added. I wanted it to make it sound like na hindi ko alam kung totoo ba o hindi ang nakasulat sa notebook. That should be my position in front of Alistair. He also couldn't know that I already knew about it.

Sometimes, knowing things can also be a burden.

Napatingin ako sa mga estudyante sa campus square. Mabuti pa sila, busy sa pagbabasa ng kanilang notes, pakikipagkwentuhan, at pakikipaglaro. Kaming dalawa na nandito sa third floor, parang may sinasagutang all-or-nothing na million peso question.

Alistair looked at me sideways as he folded his arms. "Augustus wants to widen the rift between Loki and Luthor. He also wants to test your friendship with Loki. Hmmm... Sa tingin ko, what he really wants is for us to be distracted in our own drama instead of investigating him."

"So should we give him that satisfaction?" Napatingin din ako sa kanya. "Should we play according to his layout?"

Pareho kaming natahimik ni Alistair at napaisip. Every move that we make has a consequence. Augustus managed to drive me to a corner and he left me with no choice but to make a decision that would greatly benefit him.

Bumuntong-hininga na lang ako. Whoever makes the decision shall carry its burden. At this very moment, nasa akin ang responsibility na 'yon. Anuman ang mapagdesisyunan ko, kahit ano pa man ang consequences, kailangan kong akuin at panindigan.

It's either I tell Loki or Augustus will tell him. Kagaya nga ng sinabi sa akin ni Luthor, the editor-in-chief was going for a checkmate. Ang mananalo lang sa game na 'to ay walang iba kundi siya.

If only there's a third option...

"Lorelei," Alistair whispered my name. Humarap siya sa akin at tinitigan ako. Umayos ako ng tayo at ibinalik ang kanyang tingin. "I don't know if you'll agree with me, but we need to play according to Augustus' layout.

He then went on telling me what we're supposed to do. Hininaan niya ang kanyang boses para siguradong walang iba na makakarinig. May mga estudyante pa kasing dumaraan sa hallway.

"A-Are you sure about that?" tanong ko matapos ang ilang segundo kong pagpa-process sa sinabi niya. Pakurap-kurap pa ang mga nanlaki kong mata sa kanya. "Do you think that's the best solution to this problem?"

Hinawakan ako ni Alistair sa magkabilang-balikat at inilapit nang kaunti ang mukha niya sa akin. "You have to talk to Loki this afternoon, after your meeting with Luthor. Then tomorrow, all hell will break loose in Clark High."

I closed my eyes and took a deep sigh. Gets ko kung ano ang gusto niyang ma-achieve. I agree with what he told me and I'm ready to do it, but the consequences!

"This is the only way we can survive," Alistair said, letting go of my shoulders. "I wish there's a better solution, pero ito lang ang magagawa natin sa ngayon. We will let Augustus win this round."

"If you say so—"

"Miss Rios? Mister Ravena?"

My shoulders jerked nang may marinig na boses sa likuran ko. Sabay kaming napatingin ni Alistair sa direksyon ng pinanggalingan nito. The voice was familiar, but I couldn't recall kung kanino 'yon.

"Sir Rich?" sambit ni Alistair.

Oh, yeah! That teacher who almost caught us breaking into the Clarion office! What was his name again? Friedrich Rivera?

Ngayong nasa mas maliwanag na kaming lugar, I could see his facial features better. The creases on his forehead. His swept-back hair. His hazelbrown eyes.

"Mukhang wala pa ang instructor n'yo, ah?" tanong niya sabay silip sa classroom namin. "May meeting yata si Ma'am Miranda kaya baka ma-late siya ng dating."

He knew who our instructor was at this time? Suspicious.

Oo nga pala. He's the new adviser of the Clark Clarion. Since we got into trouble with them some weeks ago, I began to treat every staffer as a potential enemy. I mean, mga galamay sila ni Augustus. Baka ipinadala sila ng kanilang EIC para mag-espiya sa amin.

"Papasok na ho kami," sabi ko sabay tango kay Alistair bilang cue. If he's allied with Augustus, he might try to get information from us. Sorry, but we're already on guard.

"Ah, teka!" Sir Rich exclaimed. Dalawang hakbang na lang at nasa loob na kami ng classroom. Out of respect, we halted from walking and turned to face him.

"Ano 'yon, sir? May maitutulong ba kami?"

May hinugot siyang envelope mula sa mga dala niyang gamit at iniabot sa akin. Alistair and I stared at it for a few seconds before raising our gaze at the strange instructor.

"Para saan ho 'to, sir?" tanong ko. Kinuha ko ang envelope dahil baka mangawit ang kamay niya.

Sir Rich looked around before moving closer to us. Parang may tsismis siyang ipapakalat sa amin. "When I saw you last Friday in front of the Clarion office, I had a feeling that you two are investigating our student publication."

Sandaling nagkapalitan ang tingin namin ni Alistair. We didn't confirm anything to him when he asked that time, but he's right.

"Don't worry. As I promised, I told no one about what I saw," Sir Rich explained. "Na-curious lang ako kung bakit n'yo iniimbestigahan ang Clarion. There must be a compelling reason for the members of the QED Club to do that."

"Our club has been dissolved, sir," pagtatama ni Alistair.

"In status, yes. But the spirit of the club still lives on its members." Sir Rich smiled, then it faded. "This morning, I dug into the reports of the Clarion. Napansin kong masyadong mataas ang numbers na nakalagay sa quotation. If I were to be honest, I'd say that the cost was overpriced."

Now this is interesting. "Paano n'yo ho nalamang overpriced?"

"I'm friends with a number of publishers in the country," sagot ni Sir Rich. "I reached out to them and asked for quotations of the Clarion's issues. Same details. And guess what? My hunch was right. Mas mababa ang pricing sa ibang publishing houses compared sa printing press na partner ng Clarion. You will find those quotations in that envelope."

Napatingin ako sa hawak kong envelope. If what he said was true, he handed us an ammunition against Augustus on a silver platter. But why would he do this?

"I don't know kung ano ang iniimbestigahan n'yo sa Clarion, but I hope those documents can help," Sir Rich said. "I haven't told anyone in the publication that I reached out to other printing presses so rest assured na tayong tatlo lang ang nakakaalam nito. So, good luck?"

He smiled at us and went on his way.

"Teka lang, sir!" tawag ko sa kanya.

Huminto siya sa paglalakad at lumingon sa akin.

"Bakit n'yo ho kami tinutulungan?" tanong ko.

Sir Rich looked the other way for a second then returned his gaze at me. "It's nice to be a Samaritan once in a while. Have a great morning, Miss Rios and Mister Ravena."

Nagkapalitan ulit kami ng tingin ni Alistair. This development was kinda unexpected. I never thought that a third party would hand over these files to us.

"Should we trust him?" tanong ko.

Alistair shrugged. "I can't say, but my gut feeling tells me that we shouldn't trust him."

His gut feeling was somehow reliable. I remember that time when he told me that Jamie was hiding something? He was proven to be correct later on.

Now my question is: Why is Sir Rich playing the Samaritan?

***

"WHAT DO you think of my disguise skills, Lori?" Jamie asked.

Napatingin ako sa salamin ng aming apartment. Ilang beses din akong nagpaikot-ikot sa harap nito, tinitingnan kung bagay sa akin ang bago kong hairstyle at ang suot kong uniform na panlalaki.

Oh, bakit nasa apartment kaming dalawa ni Jamie? First, we needed to find a place kung saan pwede siyang mag-make-up. Kung ginawa niya 'to habang nasa Clark High kami, someone would have noticed two students wearing different school uniforms. Second, malapit ang apartment ko sa printing press na target namin.

Before we went here, nagkita muna kaming dalawa sa execom office pagsapit ng lunch time. As expected, Maggie and Loki asked me kung ano ang pinag-usapan namin ni Augustus. Mabuti't nagkaroon ako ng dalawang oras para makaisip ng palusot.

I told them that Augustus tried to blackmail me, but not about telling Loki what's inside the notebook. Ginawa kong palusot na gustong malaman ni Augustus ang location ng lahat ng hidden cameras sa kanyang office. Kapag hindi ko sinabi sa kanya, ire-report niya na nag-trespass ako roon at nagnakaw ng ilang gamit doon. His evidence? My strand of hair.

Now that's out of the way, magkakapag-focus na ako sa mission naming dalawa ni Jamie na mag-request ng quotation para sa fake publication layout na ginawa ni Hershey. This could be a good distraction. I spent the whole morning thinking about how I should approach Loki later this afternoon.

"We can't tell kung matalas ba ang memory ng general manager kaya kailangan mo ng total makeover!" sabi ni Jamie bago niya ako sinuotan ng wig na panlalaki. Nagmukha tuloy akong male K-pop artist. Ang iba naman, baka pagkamalan akong tomboy.

"Hindi na siguro ako makikilala ng general manager," sagot ko. I looked like a male student. Jamie's disguise skills was impressive. No wonder why Loki praised her for it.

Kung ako, nakapang-uniform na panlalaki, si Jamie naman, kaunting ayos lang ang ginawa niya sa sarili niya. Inilugay niya ang kanyang buhok at nagsuot ng salamin. She also put on a pair of contact lenses para mag-iba ang kulay ng kanyang mga mata.

Meet Lorenzo Reambillo and Jamaica Santino, students of Cavalier Academy. And here's our student publication: The Sentry.

"Basta kapag tapos na ang problema natin kay Augustus, mag-o-overnight tayo rito sa apartment n'yo, ah?" tanong ni Jamie na pilit binubuksan ang pinto sa kwarto ni Loki. Ano naman ang gusto niyang makita roon?

"Nasabihan ko na rin 'yong tita ko," sagot ko. I tried combing my fake hair. Maingat lang, baka biglang malagas ang mga hibla. "Oh, huwag mo nang subukang buksan ang kwarto niya. Even if you manage to pick the lock, it's still booby-trapped inside."

Mabilis na inalis ni Jamie ang kanyang kamay sa doorknob. Kahit na may experience na ako sa lockpicking, I never tried breaking into Loki's room. Who knows kung ano ang nakaabang sa 'kin sa loob?

Nag-ikot-ikot na lang si Jamie sa living room namin habang nag-aayos ako. I saw her walking toward the dartboard kung saan naka-pin ang butas-butas na picture ni Augustus.

"Do you think we can take him down?" tanong niya. Naging seryoso ang kanyang tono. "He's been elusive since the first time na sinubukan niya tayong pabagsakin."

Lumapit ako sa kanya at tumayo sa tabi niya. I also stared at Augustus' photo. "He's been lucky since our game with him started. But he's gonna run out of luck soon. Kapag naging successful ang mission natin ngayong lunch time, he's one step away from falling."

"So let's take him down!" Jamie exclaimed. "Teka, lalakarin ba natin o magbu-book ka ng GrabCar?"

Dahil ayaw kong malusaw ang aking make-up, I decided to hail a car using an app. The printing press was only a five-minute walk from the apartment, but we couldn't risk our disguise.

Gaya ng unang punta ko rito, pinaupo muna kami sa lobby. Meron pa raw ka-meeting ang general manager kaya kailangan naming maghintay.

Napatingin ako kay Jamie. Unlike me, she wasn't fully in disguise, but she looked like an entirely different person. Nakalugay ang kanyang buhok but I couldn't easily recognize her kung 'di ko alam na ganito ang itsura niya.

"Don't tell me na nagka-crush ka na sa 'kin, Lori?" tanong ni Jamie. "Este, Lorenz."

"Bakit hindi na lang ganyan ang hairdo mo kapag pumapasok ka sa school?" I asked. She still looked pretty, naka-braid man o hindi ang buhok niya.

"Nasanay na kasi akong naka-braid ang buhok ko," she answered, touching some strands of her hair. "At saka mas maayos kasing tingnan kaysa kapag nakalugay."

Or maybe she wants to look like Rhea para mas mapalapit siya kay Loki. Hay, naalala ko na naman ang nangyaring confrontation doon sa hotel suite.

I may be focused on Augustus, but I haven't forgotten about Jamie's affiliation to Moriarty. To her credit, she's the one who blew the whistle about the embezzlement in the Clarion's funds. Kung hindi dahil sa kanya, we wouldn't have any lead against the editor-in-chief.

Speaking of which. "Jamie—este Jamaica—may itatanong ako sa 'yo. Tungkol kay M."

She nodded. "What do you wanna know?"

"Wala ka bang naririnig na ingay o nararamdamang kakaiba magmula nang simulan natin ang investigation kay Augustus?" tanong ko.

Augustus was going after Luthor and he was willing to expose the latter kahit na nasa iisang organisasyon sila. Maybe something was happening inside their wretched group.

Jamie gently pressed her finger below her lips and looked up. "I don't know kung anong ingay 'to, but I can feel na parang may namumuong gulo sa loob. I heard from Stein that even if Augustus is a high-ranking member, many people in the group don't like him."

"Gulo?"

Tumingin siya sa akin at tumango. Hininaan niya ang kanyang boses. "Stein contacted me last Friday to ask kung ano na ang progress sa investigation natin kay Augustus. I don't know how he found out, but I swear that I told him nothing."

"Maybe Augustus reported to him," I muttered. Tinitigan ko sa mata si Jamie, halos hindi na nga ako kumurap. "Gusto kong maging honest ka sa 'kin, Jamie. Did Stein order you to derail our investigation on Augustus? Alam naman nating importante siyang piece, 'di ba? Kapag nabuking na ang embezzlement sa Clarion, malaking dagok 'yon sa grupo n'yo."

"That's the strange part," Jamie sighed. "Stein told me that we should continue our investigation. Wala siyang inutos sa akin maliban sa pagre-report sa kanya every now and then."

Eh? Why would he say that? If he does nothing to protect Augustus, it would feel like Stein wanted to throw one of his generals under the bus.

"Hindi ko alam kung nanghihinala na siya sa akin o kung may iba na siyang inutusan," Jamie said. "But given na ako ang pinakamalapit sa inyo at sa execom, it would be normal na ako ang pagkatiwalaan niya, 'di ba?"

I nodded. Maging sa loob ng organisasyon ni M, magulo rin.

"Would you know if—"

"Miss Santino? Mister Reambillo?"

Napaangat ang tingin namin sa lalaking lumapit sa amin. Tumayo kami ni Jamie para batiin siya.

"Good morning, sir!" we greeted in chorus. Sinubukan kong palalimin pa ang boses ko para magtunog lalaki. This is the challenging part. I may change my appearance, but I couldn't easily change my voice.

"Hi, I'm Arturo Miguel, general manager of the printing press," bati niya sa amin. Naka-tuck-in pa rin ang polo shirt niya at may suot pa rin siyang salamin. Nakaka-distract lang ang nunal niya malapit sa labi. "I heard na naghahanap daw kayo ng ibang publisher?"

"Yes, sir!" masiglang sagot ni Jamie. She changed her voice slightly. Matinis na ang kanyang boses. "Lagi ho kasing pumapalpak 'yong partner naming publisher so we decided to look for a new one! Did we come to the right place?"

"Of course!" ngumiti si Sir Arturo. "We've been partners with other student publications. We've been printing the Clarion ng Clark High. I don't know if you've heard about that pub, pero laging nananalo ng awards 'yon sa press conferences."

"Tapos na ho kami sa layout ng aming issue for this month," I forced a cough before speaking. Sana hindi awkward pakinggan ang boses ko at hindi siya maghinala sa akin. I handed over a folder to the general manager. "We wanna know kung aside sa quality, reasonable din ang pricing sa printing press na 'to."

Sandaling nagawi ang tingin sa akin ni Sir Arturo, parang may hint of recognition sa mukha niya. Uh-oh! Nakilala niya ba ako kahit naka-disguise ako?

"Are you..." Sir Arturo squinted his eyes. "...her boyfriend?"

"Nililigawan ko pa lang po," natatawa kong sagot. Bigla akong tinapik sa balikat ni Jamie.

"Friends lang ho kami, sir!" sagot niya. "Hindi ko siya type, eh. Type ko 'yong matatalino."

Natawa rin si Sir Arturo. Binuksan niya ang folder at tiningnan isa-isa ang mga print-out. "Napaka-close n'yo kasing dalawa kanina noong lapitan ko kayo. Parang mag-syota nga kayo."

"Walang gano'n, sir!" Jamie's hand made a dismissive gesture. "Forever na siyang stuck sa friendzone."

I faked a laugh para makisakay sa palusot niya.

"Base sa layout, kayang-kaya naming gawin 'to," nakangiting sabi ni Sir Arturo. He closed the folder and motioned to the direction of his office. "So shall we do business?"

***

THE MISSION was a success! Nang gawan na kami ng quotation ni Sir Arturo, we compared it sa quotation na nasa report ng Clarion. As expected, we found a discrepancy. May patong na P30,000 ang cost of production ng aming student publication kumpara sa fake na ginawa ni Hershey.

Halos patayin ako sa sakal ni Jamie nang ma-confirm namin 'to. If we add the documents given by Sir Rich, lalong lumakas ang kaso namin laban kay Augustus.

However, that doesn't solve the bigger problem at hand.

Pagkatapos na afternoon period namin, dumiretso ako sa rooftop. I remove the "Do Not Enter" sign sa stairs na nagli-lead doon at hinawi ang mga barricade tape sa pintuan. Pagkabukas ko ng pinto, biglang bumungad sa akin ang isang malakas na bugso ng hangin. Kahit na maaraw pa sa labas, parang lumamig ang paligid.

Luthor was standing at the edge of the rooftop, looking down on his subjects at the campus square. He had his hands behind his back.

Maingat kong isinara ang pinto at ini-lock ito mula sa labas. I slowly approached him.

It's been two days since we last spoke. The last thing he told me was to stick to our original plan. Nabanggit din niya na he might have to get his hands dirty.

"Pinaghintay ba kita?" tanong ko nang nasa likuran niya ako. I don't want us to be seen together kaya I decided not to stand beside him. Someone from the ground might see us.

"Just a little," he said, turning to me. "Your day has been very busy, I assume?"

I nodded. Sobrang busy talaga. Magmula umaga nang magkausap kami ni Augustus hanggang lunch time nang puntahan namin ni Jamie ang printing press. Hindi pa kasama riyan ang academic responsibilities ko.

"Augustus and I had a friendly chat this morning," kuwento ko. "He knew that I stole the notebook. He gave me twenty-four hours to tell your brother about what's written in it. Kapag hindi ako ang nagsabi, siya raw ang magsasabi kay Loki. Well, almost eighteen hours na lang ang natitira sa akin."

"He's put you in checkmate," Luthor replied. "Damn if you do, damn you if you don't."

"Frankly, it's not me who's in checkmate," I said. "It's you. On or before ten o'clock tomorrow morning, Loki would know about your connection to Moriarty."

"Touche," Luthor smirked. Minsan ko lang siyang makitang ngumisi. I considered him as a man who rarely smiles. "It's me who's running out of time, not you."

"Ano'ng balak mong gawin?" tanong ko. "You told me that you might need to get your hands dirty."

He averted his gaze and stared at a faraway distance. Hindi siya agad sumagot, parang pinag-isipan niya muna kung dapat ba niyang sabihin sa akin. "I reached out to Stein and told him about Augustus' plan to take me down."

"And?"

Marahan siyang lumingon sa akin. Nagtagpo ang aming mga mata at medyo nangilabot ako. "He said that he can't do anything about Augustus. His hands are tied."

"What?" kunot-noo kong tanong. Tama ba ang narinig ko? Walang magawa ang kanilang boss? "Stein is Moriarty! The head of your organization! How come he can't do anything against his own subordinate."

"He didn't tell me exactly why." Luthor shook his head. "I can only assume that Augustus must have something against Stein or the organization itself. That's why our dear editor-in-chief can do whatever he pleases."

The more I think about it, the more complicated M's organization becomes. I thought everyone would fall in line and follow what the leader says. But that seemed not to be the case in their group. Ano bang alam ni Augustus na ikinakatakot ni Stein?

"I already have a solution in mind, but it might take some time," Luthor added, turning to me. "Given the deadline set by Augustus, time is running short."

"Do you mind sharing what your solution is?" tanong ko.

"What makes Augustus a formidable threat is the trove of knowledge he holds. His weapon is not a knife or a gun, but a piece of information," Luthor explained. "Because of what he knows, he's made a number of enemies inside and outside the organization. If we take away those pieces of information, we can renderless him powerless. I have ordered a secret search on where he might be hiding his weapons."

"But?"

"He's good at hiding them so we haven't found anything yet." Kahit na wala pang bunga ang ginawa niya, Luthor didn't look and sound so disappointed. He's so composed. "If this goes on, I might need to use my last resort. He needs to be silenced. An accident, maybe."

"Don't!" I yelled at him. What was he thinking? Gusto niya ba talagang mabahiran ng dugo ang mga kamay niya? "Kapag ginawa mo 'yan, wala ka nang pinagkaiba kay Stein o kung sinuman sa grupo n'yo!"

"That's why I said it's my last resort," Luthor replied. "As much as I'd like, I don't want to resort to violence. But if it's the only way to prevent a disaster from happening, I can't help but entertain the idea. We only have eighteen hours before Loki finds out the truth. I don't know if he'd believe what you or Augustus would tell him, but I'd rather not take the chance."

"Luthor, I can't let you do something that you might regret later on," I said.

Humarap siya sa akin, nasa likod pa rin ang kanyang kamay. "Do you have a better solution than the ones that Augustus and I presented?"

Huminga muna ako nang malalim at ibinaba ang aking tingin. He himself told me that Augustus has put him in checkmate. Meanwhile, Alistair told me that we need let Augustus win this round.

What needs to be done is obvious.

"Luthor, you have to fall," I answered, raising my gaze at him.

Isang malakas na bugso ng hangin ang dumaan. My hair danced along with the wind. Silence ensued. He only stared at me.

***

THIS IS the moment of truth.

I stood before the door of the execom office. Ilang minutes ko ring ni-ready ang sarili ko para dito. I rehearsed my lines in the washroom. What I was about to say was so sensitive, I needed to be careful with my words.

Kumatok muna ako sa pinto bago ko binuksan 'to.

Loki was still inside, reading the quotations that I gave them this afternoon. Mabuti't siya lang ang nadatnan ko rito. I wouldn't have trouble of telling him what I had to tell him. Wala ring ibang makakarinig sa sasabihin ko.

"Is there something wrong with my face?" he asked, looking at me. "You've been staring at me for a minute."

"N-Nothing." I locked the door behind me and approached the table.

Ibinalik niya ang kanyang tingin sa mga papel. "I don't know who this Friedrich Rivera is, but the documents that he gave you are authentic. These can solidify our case against Augustu—"

"Loki," I called his name gently. Sinubukan ko siyang tingnan nang direkta sa mata, pero 'di ko yata kaya. My hands were shaking so I hid them behind my back.

Paulit-ulit akong huminga nang malalim. Lumakas din ang kabog ng dibdib ko, parang aatakihin na ako sa puso.

Relax, Lorelei. You have to do this. You need to do this.

"What is it?" Loki asked, putting down the papers. "What's with the tense atmosphere? Are you feeling well?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked at him directly in the eye.

"You need to know something. It's about your brother Luthor."

q.e.d.

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