A/N: As promised, I will post an update and start the next chapter before July ends.

Previously on Project LOKI...

"Maybe Sir Ephraim changed his mind? Maybe he realized that messing around with people's secrets was a bad thing?"

"We found him dead. Someone killed him and framed it as suicide. Meron pa ngang suicide note na iniwan."

"So someone is still in possession of the box, huh?"

"If Stein or anyone in his organization stole it, I bet they'd use the materials to extort money."

"But what if it's someone else?"

***

"Is this the part where you say you've won? That you found Augustus' box first?"

"I'd say that our match is a draw, to put it mildly. If you ask me, we both lost... There's a third party involved here. A wild card in play."

***

"Check your locker."

"I t-think I found the box!"

BIP! BOP! BIP! BOP! BIP! BOP!

"Found it."

"A-Ano'ng ginagawa mo rito?"

"I don't want anyone to get hurt, Lorelei. So why don't you give that thing to me?"

"Here. Take it."

Bzzt!

"I knew you would pull that stunt. Sorry, Lorelei. I have to do this. I hope you understand."

LORELEI

WAS IT just a dream? Or a nightmare?

Iminulat ko ang aking mga mata at iginala ang tingin ko sa taas. Nakahiga ako sa isang malambot na kama. Where was I? This place doesn't look like my room. Masyadong maliwanag at malinis. Walang kadeko-dekorasyon ang mga dingding. It was eeriely quiet here, tanging ang tunog ng aircon ang naririnig ko. The smell was also different.

"Lori?"

Nagawi sa aking kaliwa ang tingin ko. There I saw Alistair rising to his feet while Loki remained seated, both wearing a concerned look in their faces.

"Where am I?" tanong ko. Sinubukan kong bumangon at umayos ng upo. Nakaramdam ako ng kaunting kirot sa bandang ulo ko. Parang nauntog ako sa matigas na bagay.

"Clinic," Alistair answered. That explained this strange atmosphere. "I brought you here after I found you lying unconscious in the locker area."

"Locker area?" Naningkit ang mga mata 'to. Medyo wala pa ako sa tamang wisyo kaya pilit kong inaalala ang mga nangyari bago ako napadpad sa kuwartong 'to. What happened back there?

"Nang tinawagan mo ako kanina at sinabi mong nakita mo na ang box, agad akong lumabas ng classroom at bumaba," Alistair narrated. "Medyo kinutuban kasi ako at hindi mapakali. Pagkarating ko roon, nakita kitang walang malay na nakahiga sa sahig."

Yes, I lost consciousness there when—

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. Mabilis na nag-flashback sa isip ko ang mga nangyari bago ako nawalan ng malay.

Someone texted me to check my locker. I hurriedly went down the locker area to check what's in it. May nakita akong external hard drive sa loob na may itim at pulang casing. I called Alistair to cnfirm kung pareho ba ang casing ng hard drive na nasa locker ko at ang nakita nila sa apartment ni Sir Ephraim. And then...

And then...

I heard the eerie keypad tone of the nursery rhyme "Mary Had A Little Lamb." Pagsara ko sa pintuan ng aking locker, nakita kong nakangiti sa akin ang isang babae.

Rosetta.

Hindi ako pwedeng makamali. Hindi rin ako namalikmata. Sa malapad na noo, at sa haba at straight na buhok pa lang niya, alam kong siya na 'yon. She then asked me to hand over the hard drive to her. I didn't want to, so I tried to trick her by stabbing her with my stun pen. But my plan backfired when she wrestled with my arm and I was struck by the pen instead.

Ang huling nasilayan ko bago ako nawalan ng malay ay ang nakangiti niyang mukha at ang sinabi niyang sana'y maintindihan ko raw ang ginawa niya.

"Where's the hard drive?" I asked. Madali kong kinapa ang paligid ng aking kama, pero wala akong makapa. "Did you find a hard drive when you found me unconscious?"

Alistair shook his head slowly, looking confused. "Nakita lang kitang may hawak na stun pen. 'Yon ba ang hard drive na nabanggit mo sa akin sa call?"

I nodded. "That might be Augustus' box! Someone put it in my locker! I don't know who, but I'm pretty sure someone did!"

"Calm down, Lori." Alistair's voice was soothing. Tatayo na sana ako, pero pinaupo niya ulit ako sa kama. "Take a deep breath and relax. Huwag mo munang puwersahin ang sarili mo."

I did what he told me. Isinara ko muna ang aking mata at ilang beses na huminga nang malalim para kumalma. I tried to divert my attention to something else, but I couldn't stop thinking about the hard drive.

"Someone knocked you out with your own stun pen," Loki said, causing me to open my eyes and look at him. "You probably tried to use it on that person, but you were overpowered by him. It's safe for us to assume that the hard drive you've been talking about was stolen from you the moment you got knocked out."

"Mabuti't walang iba na nangyaring masama sa 'yo." Alistair heaved a sigh of relief. "If there was, I couldn't have forgiven myself. Dapat pala sinamahan kita noong sinabi mong bababa ka. If only I were there..."

"Don't blame yourself, Alistair," Loki told him. "You can't expect yourself to protect Lorelei or anyone from everything that might happen. The least we can do right now is be thankful that she's safe. That's what matters, right?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Thank you," I muttered.

"Once you're feeling okay, we'll hunt down whoever attacked you," Loki spoke with conviction. Bahagyang naningkit ang mga mata niya't naging seryoso ang tono ng boses. He sounded like he's suppressing his anger or something. "An attack on you is an attack on the QED Club. Now dissolved, by the way. But you get what I mean. We will teach them a lesson the hard way. Did you get a good look at his face?"

"Her, not his," I corrected Loki. My answer surprised the two of them. Maybe they didn't expect another girl to overpower me. Imagine my surprise when I saw the face of my attacker. "Al, napansin mo ba si—"

"LORI!"

As the door opened, Jamie rushed into my room and jumped onto the bed. Niyakap niya ako nang mahigpit hanggang sa halos hindi na ako makahinga. Oo, wala ngang nangyari sa 'king masama kanina, pero baka ito naman ang makamatay sa akin. I tried to release myself from her tight embrace, but she wouldn't budge.

"I was so worried about you!" bulong sa'kin ni Jamie, halos mangilid na ang mga luha sa kanyang mata. She finally let go of me. Nakahinga na rin ako sa wakas nang maluwag. "When Al texted me na dinala ka sa clinic, halos atakihin ako sa puso! As in! Nagkaklase kami kanina pero hindi ako makapag-concentrate kasi nag-aalala ako sa kondisyon mo."

"Sorry kung nakaabala pa ako sa 'yo." I felt that her concern for me was real.

Hinawakan niya ako sa magkabilang balikat at sinuri ako ng mga mapanuri niyang mata mula ulo hanggang katawan. Parang ine-X-ray niya ako. "Sinaktan ka ba nila, ha? Saan 'yong masakit sa 'yo?"

Napahawak ako sa aking ulo na sandaling sumakit. The brief pain was bearable naman. "Nauntog lang yata ako nang mawalan ako ng malay kanina.

"We can't let this go unpunished," Jamie said, shaking her head. Umalis na siya sa kama ko at tumabi kay Loki. "Whoever hurt my best buddy needs to be taught a lesson. Kilala mo ba kung sino siya? Namumukhaan mo ba siya? Kung sanang pwede kong i-share sa 'yo ang retentive memory ko para na-record mo ang itsura niya, gagawin ko."

"I know exactly who that person is," I answered. "The truth is, we all know her."

"Her?" pag-uulit ni Jamie.

Lumingon ako kay Alistair. "Nang pababa ka mula sa classroom natin, napansin mo ba si Rosetta?"

He nodded. "Nagkasalubong kami sa may hagdan. She told me that she saw you in the locker area."

"Do you think Rosie saw who attacked you?" tanong ni Jamie. "Huwag ka nang magdalawang-isip na sabihin sa amin, Lori. We need to know the truth para alam namin kung sino ang gagantihan!"

"It's Rosetta," I answered without having second thoughts. "She's the one who knocked me out using my own stun pen. She's also the one who stole the hard drive that I believe is the Augustus' box."

Halos malaglag ang panga ni Jamie habang tahimik lang na nakatitig sa akin sina Loki at Alistair. Ilang segundong nagkaroon ng katahimikan sa kuwarto ko. Parang ina-absorb pa nila ang kanilang nalaman. I only had a few seconds to process it the moment I realized Rosetta meant trouble for me in the locker area.

"Rosetta," Loki repeated. Finally he got her name right. Wala nang Rosemund, Rosalinda o kung anuman. "Isn't she the one who wanted to be part of the club, but I rejected her application?"

Tumango ako sa kanya. He remembered it very well. "She's also a member of the Paranormal Club who asked us to check if there's a ghost in the abandoned building. Imbes na multo, si Stein ang nakita nating nakakulong sa isang locker doon."

How could I ever forget that scene? Doon ang unang encounter namin sa mastermind na nasa likod ng ilang kaguluhan sa campus. Quoting his own words, that was his "creative way" of introducing himself to us.

Wait a minute. Now it makes sense! Rosetta was the one who led us to meeting Stein a.k.a. Moriarty informally! Ngayong nalaman ko na ang totoo, it couldn't be a mere coincidence.

"Are you a hundred percent sure?" tanong ni Alistair, mukhang 'di pa rin siya makapaniwala. Maging ako nga'y in denial pa rin. Pero mata ko mismo ang nakakita sa kanya. Tenga ko mismo ang nakarinig nang i-dial niya ang number ni M na may "Mary Had A Little Lamb" tune. Ako mismo ang nakasaksi.

"Yes." I gave him a firm nod. "Hindi coincidence na nakasalubong mo siya sa may hagdan. Galing siya sa locker area noon at malamang hawak na niya ang hard drive nang sandali mo siyang makausap."

"I can't believe it." Marahang umiling si Alistair at sandaling natulala.

"Me too," dagdag ko. "Nang maka-receive ako ng message mula sa isang unregistered number na i-check ang locker ko, nakamasid siya sa akin. She might have seen the message and she suspected that something's up. Sinundan niya ako sa locker area at doon na niya kinuha ang hard drive na nakita ko sa loob ng aking locker."

"The hard drive that you mentioned," Jamie repeated, her eyes squinting. "'Yon ba ang Augustus' box na hinahanap natin?"

Tumango ako. "I know it raises so many questions. Who stole the hard drive from Sir Ephraim? Why was the hard drive in my locker? Why did someone choose to give me the hard drive? How did that someone get my number? Sasabog na ang ulo ko sa kaiisip."

"Remember what Rosetta said?" tanong ni Alistair. "Nakatanggap din daw siya ng email mula sa blackmailer. Maybe she's also interested in the box para hindi ma-reveal kung anuman ang itinatago niya."

Ironically, the moment she stole the box from me revealed something more sinister than whatever she's trying to hide. But Alistair got it wrong. She's interested in the box not because of her personal secret. She's interested in it because someone probably asked her to find it.

"She's working for M," I told him. For a second time, natahimik silang tatlo. I heard a gasp from Jamie. "I'm not making this up, okay? I heard her dial M's number when she was in the locker area. Siya lang ang estudyanteng nandoon sa mga oras na 'yon kaya imposibleng—"

Another realization hit me as the word "dial" echoed in my mind. Back in the Bascoville case, which Rosetta referred to us, someone in Emeraude's house also dialed M's number. Using the process of elimination, I narrowed down the possible M contact to three: Jamie, Emeraude and Rosetta. At first, I thought it was Jamie. But it could have been Rosetta as well!

"Teka, teka, teka!" Jamie raised both of her hands. "This is too much to absorb already! Rosetta is a good friend of mine. Mahirap paniwalaan ang sinasabi mong connected din siya kay M."

"That's what I saw and heard," I replied. Ganyan din ang naisip ko. Kung tutuusin nga, the same could be said to Jamie. Whatever her reasons may be, who would have thought that she's gonna get involved in the group that—she claimed—probably killed her brother? "Unless I was hallucinating back then, paninindigan ko kung ano ang nasaksihan ko. I know that this is kinda hard to process, but these are the facts at the moment."

"Looking back, I believe I made the right decision to reject her application to our club," Loki said, looking at me. In retrospect, yes. Hindi na niya kailangang ipamukha sa 'kin. Tama nga ang desisyon niya. But that would not invalidate the fact that he became rude when he tore the application form into pieces in front of the applicant. "I felt that something's off with her. Who knew that a side character would have some value after all?"

"Given everything that you've told me, maybe—just maybe—when Rosetta's application got rejected, doon na inutusan ni Stein ni Jamie na mag-consult sa club at mag-apply later on?" tanong ni Alistair, sabay tingin kay Jamie. "Did you know or suspect about her involvement in your organization?"

"I honestly didn't know!" Jamie shook her head slowly. "Social butterfly kasi si Rosie. She knows almost everyone and almost everything. Nang maikwento ko sa kanyang may stalker problem ako, she quickly suggested that I consult you guys."

That was our first encounter with her. Noong panahong 'yon, akala ko'y mabait at 'di makabasag pinggan itong si Jamie. Within the day, I figured out that she wasn't exactly who she's trying to portray herself to be.

"Coincidentally, kakasabi lang sa 'kin ni Stein noon na mag-apply sa inyong club to do my spy thingy, she continued. "So I did. It's like hitting two birds with one stone for me."

Now that she mentioned it, Rosetta seemed to have a convenient answer to people around her who have problems.

Nang magkaroon ako ng secret admirer na nag-iwan ng chocolates at teddy bear sa aking locker, she suggested that I should refer the incident to the QED Club, or back then, to Loki alone. If it weren't for her suggestion, baka hindi ako naging member ng club at hanggang roommates lang kami ni Loki.

Nang maka-hit kami ng dead end sa paghahanap ng discrepancy sa liquidation reports ng Clarion at sa records ng printing press, she asked me to help her decide kung saang online shop siya dapat makipag-partner para sa kanyang perfume business: sa may fixed na price o sa may adjustable price.

Her question gave me the idea that Augustus might have struck some deal with the general manager of the printing press to raise of the cost of production para may makurakot sila sa pondo. Kung hindi niya nabanggit sa 'kin ang kanyang online perfume business, I might have already given up the discrepancy angle.

But that definitely raised a question. Why would she subtly give me a hint that could lead to the downfall of Augustus, who's definitely a big deal in their group? Ako lang ba o parang may ibang agenda siya?

So many questions, yet only few got answered.

"But Rosie never gave me the evil vibes," Jamie added. "Mukha ngang hindi siya makakasakit ng ibang tao, eh. She's your typical happy-go-lucky girl who wants to make friends with everyone. She's harmless!"

That, I could agree. Siya ang unang nag-approach sa 'kin at sinubukang makipagkaibigan sa 'kin. I wasn't comfortable at first with her attempts. Pero dahil sa pagpupumilit niya, I gave up and accepted her in my circle.

"We can assume that the Augustus' box is already in the possession of Stein and his minions," Loki said, crossing his arms. "Whatever secret he's trying to hide, it's now buried and hidden—probably forever—unless we can steal it from them. Which I doubt we could."

"This might take some time to process," Alistair commented. "Sunod-sunod na ang mga nangyayari. Who killed Augustus? Who killed Sir Ephraim? Who stole the hard drive and left it in Lori's locker? Parami na nang parami ang mga tanong sa isipan natin. We might get buried alive with these mysteries."

"The good news is, we've found another thread that can lead us to M," Loki said. He didn't sound downhearted. Tunog motivated pa nga siya. "We don't know what Rosetta's role is in the organization, aside from stealing the hard drive from Lorelei, but it's good to have something to work with. As long as she doesn't get killed in the next few days."

***

Hindi naman gano'n kaseryoso ang pananakit ng isang bahagi ng ulo ko. I wanted to get out of the room, but the clinic nurse wanted me to skip my afternoon classes and take more rest. Dahil hindi ako makasasama sa kanila, pinabalik ko na sina Alistair, Loki at Jamie sa kani-kanilang klase.

Nang oras na ng class dismissal, dinala ni Alistair ang aking bag sa clinic at sinundo ako roon. Inalalayan niya pa nga ako sa paglalakad, which was totally unnecessary. Hindi naman ako nahulog sa hagdan at napilayan ang paa. But I understood and appreciate his concern for me.

He gave me and Loki a ride home habang nagpaiwan muna si Jamie sa school dahil may project pa raw silang tatapusin.

"See you in class tomorrow. Loki, ikaw na muna ang bahala sa kanya," Alistair said before driving off the car. Pumasok na kaming dalawa ni Loki sa apartment.

Dahil nakapahinga ako nitong buong maghapon, I didn't feel the need to take another hour of rest. Kumbaga sa isang battery, fully charged ako. So I decided to compose my thoughts on the notepad in my laptop. Doon ko isinulat ang lahat ng mga sitwasyon na kinasangkutan ni Rosetta at ang posibleng koneksyon nito kay M.

Loki was also busy doing something else. Normally he'd sit on a couch and read a mystery novel as a way to enjoy the afternoon. But this time, he was... printing? I saw him pull a piece of glossy photo paper and place it in the printer's paper tray. Was he doing an art project?

Well, sort of. Para sa hapong ito, he decided to redecorate his so-called "spider's web." Dati'y natakpan ito ng mga print out ng fake publication layout na ginawa ni Hershey. Since the Augustus/Clarion case was over, he took them down.

I saw him cut a photo of Rosetta from the photo paper. He probably got the photo from her Facebook account dahil gano'n na gano'n ang profile picture niya.

"Adding a new one to your collection?" I asked. Kumuha siya ng isang push pin at idinikit ito sa corkboard. Sinakto niya ito sa pulang sinulid na nakakonekta kay Stein.

"While losing the hard drive is a very unfortunate incident, we've gained a new piece of information," Loki said, taking a few steps backward and looking at his art project. "At this very moment, we don't know how valuable this information is. It might worth more. It might worth less. We'll find out very soon."

Tumayo ako't nilapitan ang kanyang spider's web. I traced some of the threads to M's generals who were already dead: Bastien and Augustus (there's already an X mark on his photo). That reminded me of something.

"Before he killed himself, Officer Bastien told us that M has four officials. Generals, he'd like to call them," I recalled. "Posible kayang isa si Rosetta roon?"

"If that's the case, then we only have to look for the remaining one to complete the collage of evil that we're trying to create here," Loki replied, shooting a sideward glance at me. "Frankly I don't exactly know how your ex-friend fits the description of being M's general. She's a happy-go-lucky girl, as Jamie suggested. She's a member of a useless club, as we know. Unlike the late Bastien or Augustus—may God make them pay for their sins—she doesn't hold any important position in the campus."

I gulped when he mentioned "the remaining one." He may not know it yet, but I do. His brother Luthor. He's gonna complete the so-called collage of evil.

"But Jamie also mentioned that she's a social butterfly," I commented, staring at the smiling photo of Rosetta. "She knows almost everyone and everything in the campus. Baka may factor din 'yon sa rank niya sa organisasyon ni M? They don't just deal with murders. They also deal with extortion."

"We are not M so we have no idea about his hiring requirements," Loki replied. "But if she's more valuable than I initially thought, that's better for us and bad for M. That will make her an important piece to capture."

"As long as nothing bad happens to her—"

Napatigil ako sa pagsasalita nang maramdaman ang pagba-vibrate ng phone ko na nasa mesa. I quickly grabbed it from the table. My eyes widened. What I saw next caught me by surprise.

A familiar name and number was flashed on the my phone screen. Napalunok ako ng laway habang tinititigan ang pangalan niya. Iniangat ko ang aking tingin kay Loki na nakamasid sa akin. He had a curious look in his face.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Rosie," I answered.

Hindi ko in-expect na tatawagan niya ako. Given everything that happened, I doubt she'd have the guts to face or talk to me. Some would say na makapal ang mukha niya para contact-in ako.

I took a deep breath before pressing the "answer" key. Medyo rude kung ire-reject ko ang tawag niya.

"Hi, Lori!" she greeted in her enthusiastic tone. "Hindi na tayo nagkita sa room kanina kaya naisipan kong tawagan ka para kumustahin ka. I hope you're okay."

Thanks to you. Kung hindi niya ako pinatulog gamit ang stun pen ko, I would have definitely met her this afternoon.

"Gusto ko sanang mag-sorry sa nangyari," she went on when I let silence to be my response. "I hope you understand."

"Honestly, I don't understand," I replied. "Hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala hanggang ngayon. I was kinda hoping na panaginip lang 'to. Pero hindi, eh."

"I know that you have a looot of questions," Rosetta said. "I really wanna clarify some stuff with you. So why don't we talk about it tomorrow? I'll try to answer the questions bothering you."

"Sure," I answered, then I hung up. Gano'n na lang ang sinagot ko dahil hindi ko in-expect ang invitation niyang makipag-usap sa 'kin.

"Why did she want?" tanong ni Loki.

"She wants to talk," sagot ko.

I wanna hear what she had to say. As her classmate and as her friend, she owed me an explanation.

q.e.d.

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