A/N: Third update for the week! We're on a roll!

LORELEI

"Since M is fond of chess terminology, think of me as one of his important pieces: the Queen."

THAT LEFT me speechless. No, not only me, but also my three companions on the rooftop. Rosetta took a pause and stared at us for a minute. You could insert a cricket sound to emphasize how awkward the next minute was.

Nagkapalitan kami ng tingin ng mga kasama ko. They didn't also see that coming, did they? It's fairly obvious that she's part of M's organization. What we didn't expect was her "value" in their group. She said the "queen," right? I'm not an expert in chess, but almost everyone who has heard of the game knows that the queen piece has more mobility, thus making it the most powerful piece.

Exactly how powerful was Rosetta? She's a happy-go-lucky girl. She's a member of a useless club. She holds no influential position in the student body. What makes her think that she has power here?

Was she telling us the truth or was she only inflating her worth in their organization? Even if that's true, why would she tell us outright? She's like one of the suspects who's screaming "I am the mastermind" and wanted to be caught by the police.

"Medyo awkward," she commented, showing us her gritted teeth. "Wala ba kayong comment diyan o kung ano? Nawalan ba kayo ng boses o napipi?"

Lumingon ako kay Jamie na nakadikit kay Loki. I gave her a look that begged the question, "Did you know about this?" She shrugged her shoulders and showed me the "I didn't know" face. It's convenient that we could communicate via facial expressions now.

"We're still processing what you've said," I replied. She dropped that bomb unexpectedly, so we needed to gather ourselves. Parang mga video kami na nagba-buffer.

"So if Stein is the King of your organization, you are his Queen," Alistair started, squinting his eyes while pointing his finger at Rosetta. "Tama ba ang pagkakaintindi namin?"

"I didn't know that Stein is interested in women. What I suspect is that he's not interested in anything but plotting crimes," Loki quipped. "Are you two a couple? Since when did your relationship start? Why aren't there any pictures of you together? Have you been hiding your relationship from the public? Who else knows about it? Who made the first move: you or him? Have you two been in a date? Did you already do stuff that most couples do—"

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Sa sunod-sunod at bilis na magsalita ni Loki, napataas ang dalawang kamay ni Rosetta. Pumreno naman ang kasama namin nang makita ang hand signal niya. "Bago pa kayo magkaroon ng maling idea, I'm not his girlfriend, okay? We're not in a relationship. We don't share powers or anything. This isn't your usual definition of queen."

"But you said it yourself—"

"I said, you can think of me as the queen piece in this game," Rosetta explained. Napakamot tuloy siya ng ulo at napasuklay ng buhok.

"You've made it more confusing," I replied. Bakit ba kasi gumamit siya ng gano'ng comparison? Mas pinakomplikado niya lang ang interpretation namin. "Are you the queen or not?"

"I'm the queen piece in the sense that I can move freely on the board. I can cover more ground. Get it?" she clarified as she spoke slowly. "But I'm not the queen in the traditional definition of the word, which is the wife of the monarch. Pasensya na kung medyo naguluhan kayo. Maybe I shouldn't have used queen as an analogy."

Medyo nakukuha ko na kung ano ang ipinupunto niya, pero may ilang parts pa rin na nakakalito sa akin. Jamie used the term "social butterfly" to describe Rosetta, so I guess her being friendly to almost everyone in the campus supports what she said that she can "move freely" and "cover more ground." Kung iisipin, that's an asset, especially in an organization that uses people's secrets to extort from them.

"Did you know that the queen used to be one of the weakest pieces in chess? The queen back then wasn't the queen that we know today," Rosetta blurted. I didn't expect that sort of trivia from her. "But thanks to female monarchs rising to power during the medieval times, the queen piece was greatly influenced and thus given more power."

Wait a minute. That sounds familiar. Saan ko nga ba nabasa 'yan? Ah! Noong wala ang instructor namin sa World History tapos binigyan kami ng babasahin sa period niya. I read about Queen Isabella of Castile I being the inspiration for the figure of the queen in modern chess. Naalala ko pa, habang nagbabasa ako noon, inistorbo ako ni Rosetta para i-consult ang natanggap niyang email mula sa isang anonymous sender.

"I've also read that the queen was originally an advisor and it could only move one square diagonally," Alistair added, to which Rosetta nodded. "But history took some turns during the 15th century, changing the way see the game of chess today."

"Talaga?" pabulong na tanong ni Jamie. "'I've never read about that."

I wasn't a chess enthusiast so I didn't care that much about the game. Sana'y may koneksyon itong queen piece sa sasabihin ni Rosetta kaya niya nabanggit sa amin.

"I appreciate the trivia," Loki said impatiently. "But I highly doubt that you agreed to meet us here, in a place where no one could overhear us, to talk about chess fun facts. Please go on with your point."

"Like the original queen, I didn't have the power and influence. Mas malakas ang bishops, knights at rooks kaysa sa akin," Rosetta continued. "But as time went by, I gained more influence. How? By meeting people, talking to them, knowing what they want, and learning about their secrets."

"Now you're a big deal in your cabal?" Loki asked.

"Well... sort of," she answered with a bit of hesitation. "Siguro mas accurate ang analogy kung sasabihin kong nagsimula ako sa pagiging isang pawn. Habang tumatagal, palapit ako nang palapit sa kabilang side. When I reached the other end of the board, I kinda got promoted. Gano'n naman sa chess, 'di ba? A pawn can be promoted into any piece, except the king. Since mas appropriate sa 'kin ang queen dahil babae ako, I chose that piece."

So she called herself "queen" because it's the only piece identifiable as female? I thought she outranked the others.

"Tell me, how did someone like you become a pawn?" I asked. That's really what I wanted to know. "How could an easygoing student like you become part of a group that brought nothing but tragedy in our school?"

"You still can't believe it, can you?" she smiled.

"That's why I'm asking," I replied. In order for me to fully form an opinion about a person, I needed to know their background, motivations, aspirations, et cetera. I could judge Rosetta right now as a monster wearing a human's skin, but I would do her a great disservice if I don't get to hear her side of story. I prefer ask questions before I shoot her with my bullet of judgment.

Tumalikod siya sa amin at tumingala sa asul na kalangitan. She seemed to be reminiscing about something. The past, maybe? When she was younger and innocent. Loki was about to remind her about the time, but Alistair stopped him. We had less than ten minutes before the school bell rang, but we let her collect her thoughts.

"I didn't expect myself to be part of that group," Rosetta spoke again, turning to face us. Nawala ang ngiti na nakapinta sa kanyang labi. "I didn't even want to be in that group. Pero wala akong choice. Kapag may hawak silang bagay laban sa 'yo, mapipilitan kang gawin kung ano'ng gusto nila. That's how they demanded loyalty from some of the members."

"You were blackmailed?" Loki asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

Rosetta took a deep breath. She then frowned. "They found some dirt on me. 'Yon ang kanilang ginamit para mapilit akong gawan sila ng pabor. It started with one favor, followed by another one, then another one, until it became my job. Clarify ko lang, ha? Wala akong sinaktan o pinatay. 'Di ko kayang gawin 'yon. Luckily, may ibang trabaho sila para sa akin."

"Get close to people and find out their secrets?" Loki chuckled. "Is that your contribution to the group? You do know that still makes you an accomplice to the extortion schemes that they carried out."

"Better than killing someone, right?" Rosetta replied. "I take pride in my social skills kaya 'yon ang ginamit ko sa mga assignment na ibinigay sa akin. They give me a name—strangers mostly—and they ask me to befriend that person. Within a week, I can already build rapport with him or her. Hihintayin ko na lang na mag-open siya sa 'kin at malaman kung ano ang pwedeng gamitin laban sa kanya. You've already seen my skills first hand, haven't you, Lori?"

I nodded. Sa unang linggo pa lang ng pag-transfer ko rito sa Clark High, siya ang pinakaunang nag-approach sa 'kin. She easily got my attention when she started acting friendly around me. I then reciprocated the warmth of friendship she was offering because she seemed like a good person. Siya ang unang tumawag na "Lori" sa 'kin dito sa school, though she also suggested calling me "Lei-Lei."

"Was I one of your targets?" diretso kong tanong. She mentioned about being given the name of a person to befriend. The thought crossed my mind that I might be one of them dahil agad niya akong kinaibigan. "Did someone from your group ask you to befriend me so you can find some dirt on me to be used in the future?"

Sandali siyang natahimik at hinayaang dumaan muna ang malakas na bugso ng hangin. Our long hairs danced with the wind's rhythm. "I really wanted to be friends with you because I felt that you're lonely. Days after we became kinda close, I received instructions na panatilihin ang closeness sa 'yo... at subukang mas gawin kayong close dalawa."

"Why?" I asked, my eyes narrowed into slits. "What did you want from me?"

"Nothing really." Rosetta shook her head. "I doubt that you had any skeletons in your closet. But your closeness with Loki here was the reason why. You know how obsessed M is with him, right? Maybe we can treat you as his weak spot, just in case he becomes a serious threat in the future."

Loki and I exchanged glances. There was one time he surprisingly showed concern about me, when his brother had me abducted and brought to the costume room. He acted so cold in the previous days kaya 'di ko in-expect na gano'n ang magiging reaksyon niya. Epekto pala 'yon ng nangyari kay Rhea. He didn't want me to suffer the same fate as his former partner in the club.

"The more you become to close to him, the more he might get attached to you," Rosetta went on, casting a glance at Loki. "And you know the thing about attachment, right? Masakit kapag nawala 'to. But don't get me wrong, okay? Ayaw kong may mangyaring masama sa 'yo. Ang gusto ko lang, maging close kayong dalawa. I already knew na sa parehong apartment kayo nakatira, kaya posibleng maging friends na kayo doon pa lang. Pero I had to make sure that you two would become really close. As in dikit talaga."

"That's when you pointed me to the QED Club," I muttered. "Remember that creepy secret admirer of mine? Ikaw ang nagsabi sa akin na i-consult 'yon sa kanya. You got lucky na nataong may nanggulo sa akin noon kaya nagkaroon ka ng opportunity na ituro ako sa club."

Rosetta bit her lower lip gently. "I wouldn't really consider it as a coincidence. Truth is... Ako ang nag-suggest sa secret admirer mo noon na mag-iwan ng teddy bear, chocolates, rose at note sa locker mo. I noticed him always staring at you during class hours. Nilapitan ko siya at tinanong kung type ka ba niya. He said yes, so I gave him tips. Like what I always do."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at halos malaglag aking panga sa ibinunyag niya. "Y-You!"

"I needed you to have a reason para pumunta sa QED Club," Rosetta went on. "I know that incident might have traumatized you, pero I was confident na walang mangyayaring masama sa 'yo. Why? Because Loki's on the case. He'd be there to protect you. And I think, he did, right?"

Biglang nanginig ang mga kamay ko. Naalala ko na naman kung paano ako hinawakan noon ni Aaron, ang classmate naming nagpakilalang secret admirer ko. I felt how he grabbed my wrist and how he breathed at me when his face was close to mine.

"But what if something happened to her?" Alistair asked. This was one of the rare moments I heard him slightly raise his voice. "Paano kung hindi umaksyon si Loki gaya ng inasahan mo? What if that secret admirer did something traumatic to her? Didn't you know that Lori already had an experience that left her traumatized?"

"Al..." Hinaplos ni Jamie ang kanyang likuran. He maintained his composure, only his tone changed.

"I-I didn't know," Rosetta admitted, her eyes looking down. She didn't bother to know because all she cared about was doing her assignment. "I'm really sorry about that. If things went wrong, I couldn't probably forgive myself. But I was right to trust Loki. He came to save her."

Still, that incident brought back the memories that I wanted to be buried. Rosetta may not have been the one who directly made me feel terrified, but she's the one who led Aaron to do those things.

I don't know exactly what to feel about her. Pilit ko na lang pinapakalma ang sarili ko.

"No matter how many 'sorry' you say, those aren't gonna be enough to wash away your sins," Loki remarked. "You realize that you are neck-deep into the pool of troubles that you yourself created?"

"Hindi ko ide-deny na I played some parts in those scenes." Rosetta showed both of her hands, as if surrendering. "I'm guilty as charged."

"So is it correct for me to assume that when you asked for our help in that stupid ghosthunting trip at the abandoned school building, you were also under orders that day?" Loki asked next. Isa rin 'yon sa mga tanong ko. I already had a hunch about it, pero mabuti nang marinig mismo mula kay Rosetta. "You know how everything went back there, right? We rescued Stein Alberts who later introduced himself as M. Your King. Now that I'm reminded of it, I wished we left him there to rot."

Rosetta nodded. I already suspected as much, but Jamie gasped while Alistair kept on staring at the girl before us.

"He decided to introduce himself informally to you," she answered. "We figured that the best way to get your attention was to present a case to your club."

"Is that also why you—"May muntik nang sabihin si Jamie, pero tumigil siya't tinakpan agad ang kanyang bibig. Balak niya sigurong sabihin ang pag-introduce sa kanya ni Rosetta sa amin noong may stalker problem siya.

"I didn't expect that you had such impact in our lives," Loki said. "You, a side character, who only pops up every now and then, brought the three of us together."

"I feel like I'm the scarlet thread that connects you all." Rosetta smiled. Mukhang proud pa siya sa lahat ng ginawa niya. "The one that tied your fates to each other. Except Al. He's an outsider and he joined your club on his own."

Tiningnan lang siya ni Alistair nang mabanggit niya ang pangalan nito.

"Oh, do we owe you anything for bringing the three of us together?" Loki asked with a hint of sarcasm. "Do you want us to say 'thank you'? Do you think this is enough for us—especially for Lorelei—to forgive you for the treachery you committed?"

"Wala naman akong ine-expect sa inyo na kahit ano," sagot ni Rosetta sabay iling ng kanyang ulo. That's good, because she wouldn't hear any expression of gratitude from me. "You can thank me or not thank me. It's up to you! I decided to give you honest answers because you deserve them."

Who on earth does not deserve honest answers?

"Do you think you're doing us a great deal of favor by telling us what you claim to be truths?" sunod na tanong ni Loki. "Because right now, we don't feel any amount of gratitude for what you did."

"Don't I deserve some credit for helping you take down Augustus?" Rosetta asked.

"You helped us take him down?" Loki repeated. "In what parallel universe are you living?"

Tumingin sa akin si Rosetta at ngumiti. She looked at me as if I had the answers. "Bakit 'di mo tanungin si Lori?"

"Maybe she's talking about that," Alistair whispered to me.

I nodded. "When we thought that looking for discrepancies in the reports was a dead end, Rosetta said something that gave me an idea kung paano na-manipulate ni Augustus ang printing cost sa quotation."

"Siya rin ang nagbigay sa atin ng access sa kanyang school email account na ginamit ni Hershey para i-trace ang IP address ng extortionist, 'di ba?" dagdag ni Jamie. That happened after Augustus was killed and our search for the box began. Still, we couldn't deny na may ambag din siya roon.

Sandaling natahimik si Loki at napaisip. Maging siya'y hindi niya mababalewala kung anumang tulong ang naibigay ng kausap namin. "I can't recall the first but I almost forgot about the second one."

"I don't think na I deserve a 'thank you' for what I did. After all, you did all the hard work," Rosetta replied. "But I hope na you won't dismiss that I took a step to the right direction."

Right direction, huh?

"Augustus is a high-ranking officer in your organization, isn't he?" I asked. This was the question that was bugging me since I realized she's one of them. "Why would you give me a hint na posibleng magpabagsak sa isa sa mga kasamahan mo? Wasn't that bad for your group?"

She looked away as she heaved a long sigh. "I don't like Augustus. I never liked him. He's the one who dragged me into this mess."

"He's the one who blackmailed you," Alistair muttered.

Rosetta nodded. "Siya ang nagbigay ng unang assignment ko. I thought that it's a one-time thing and once done, I'm free to go. Pero may sunod na assignments siyang ibinigay sa akin. Baka na-realize niya kung gaano ka-useful ang aking socialization skills. He eventually asked me to be his eyes and ears in the campus."

"You were one of his sources?"

"Let's say that half of the contents in his box of secrets was all thanks to me." Rosetta smiled bitterly. "Pinapasa ko sa kanya kung ano ang mga nalalaman ko tapos cinompile niya roon."

"But did you know the risk that once he's taken down, his box would be opened and the secrets he kept would be finally exposed?" sunod kong tanong. "If yes, why take that risk? I assume na nandoon din kung ano ang tinatago mong sikreto."

"Let's say na sumugal ako," sagot niya. "Augustus once told me na meron siyang fail safe. Kung sakaling may mangyaring masama sa kanya, may mag-e-expose sa lahat ng sikretong kinolekta niya. Your group and our group would definitely look for the box and stop it from being opened. Kahit sino sa atin ang makakuha, it's gonna be a win-win situation for me. And I was right."

"But why?"

"I already told you why—"

"Why are you telling us all of this?" I asked. Kanina pa ako nagtataka kung bakit wala siyang alinlangan na sagutin ang mga tanong namin at sabihin ang kanyang nalalaman. "Bakit masyado kang transparent sa amin?"

"Nasa akin pa rin ang hard drive na kinuha ko sa 'yo," she said, ignoring my question. Kinuha? 'Ninakaw' is the appropriate term. "I tried to open it, pero kailangan ng password. Kapag na-access ko na 'yon, I can finally delete the thing that Augustus used to threaten me. At kapag wala na ang file, magiging malaya na ako. Well, kinda."

"Are you saying na—"

"I want a way out. I can no longer stand what they've done and what they're doing," Rosetta said with a straight face. "I want to leave M's organization."

q.e.d.

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