A/N: Fourth update for the week! 

LORELEI

WHAT HAPPENED this morning was shook the entire Clark High student body to the core. We watched as Luthor was escorted by the very own chief of the campus police Inspector Morgan Morales. He wasn't arrested yet, but to the eyes of the public, it felt like he's being judged already.

"'Di talaga ako makapaniwala. Mismong VP natin, connected doon sa M?"

"Sayang, ang pogi-pogi pa naman niya."

"Ibinoto ko pa lang 'yan noong last student council election, eh."

"Teka, kapatid niya 'yong taga-QED Club na naghahanap kay M, 'di ba?"

"Grabeng plot twist 'yan, ah?"

Nagsimula na ang mga bulong-bulungan at tsismisan sa campus. Ni hindi man naging discreet ang ibang estudyante sa kanilang pagkadismaya kay Luthor.

The Clarion's article only alleged the connection between the vice president and M. That's the operative word: alleged. Umano. Walang nabanggit na conclusive proof na totoo ang isinulat sa article. But everyone's treating it as if the words in the article were already true.

Nabaling ang tingin ko kay Loki na kanina pa nakamasid sa pag-alis ng kanyang kuya. He only stood there and watched as the inspector walked away with his brother. He didn't bother to step in. Kung sigurong ibang tao ang nasa posisyon niya, hinarangan na nila ang inspector at sinubukang pigilan ito mula sa pag-alis.

But Loki still has ill feelings toward his brother. Lalo na kagabi. Hindi basta-basta mawawala 'yon. He'd rather watch his brother drown in the sea than throw a lifesaver at him.

"Are you okay, Loki dear?" tanong ni Jamie sabay haplos ng kanyang likuran. Kung hindi ganito kaseryoso ang atmosphere, iisipin kong nagte-take advantage siya sa sitwasyon.

"He had it coming. He brought it upon himself," Loki said with a straight face. Wala akong marinig na kahit ano'ng hint ng pagkalungkot sa kanya. "If the allegations were true."

If Luthor did not confess last night about his connection with M, Loki might have reacted differently. Baka nga dito pa niya mismo sinuntok ang kanyang kuya, sa harap ng maraming tao. Imagine how painful the scene would have been. Thankfully, Luthor managed to avert that scenario through him being forthcoming.

"Do you believe what's written in the article?" Alistair cast a sideward glance at him. "Sa tingin mo ba, kayang gawin 'yon ng kuya mo?"

"The jury's still out." Loki shrugged. "What the Clarion wrote in their article were only excerpts from Augustus' journal. He only made allegations. No evidence or whatever. Are we to believe the words of the student publication that tried to destroy our reputation months ago?"

I like how he approached the subject. That perfectly justified how he could still be calm amidst this revelation (which we both knew was true). Given the Clarion's reputation, even if Loki didn't know the truth, I doubt he'd easily believe anything written by them.

"And Augustus isn't exactly the bastion of truth in Clark High," he went on. "He knew how to spin the narrative to make someone look good or bad. Maybe he didn't like my brother the same way that I do."

"Right." Alistair nodded. Nagbato siya sa akin ng tingin na may kahulugan. He arrived at the same conclusion when we read the contents of Augustus' journal. Maybe Augustus was trying to mislead us. Maybe Augustus wanted to destroy Luthor's image. "But the students seem to be buying the story."

Patuloy pa rin ang bulungan ng ilang estudyante sa aming tabi. May ilang pailing-iling. May ilang napapabuntong-hininga.

"'Yan ang problema sa atin, eh!" Jamie sighed. "Ang daling magpapaniwala sa fake news. Porke't nabasa sa page ng Clarion, maniniwala na agad! Hindi ba pwedeng i-verify muna?"

"In their eyes, Luthor's already guilty until proven innocent." Alistair shook his head slowly. "Ano ba'ng pwede nating gawin para matama ito?"

"If the allegation is true, my brother will probably die before the sun sets today," Loki spoke in a serious tone. "That's what happens to those who are associated with M. They die once they have been exposed."

I hope that he was just kidding, but his tone said otherwise. Bumilis na naman ang tibok ng puso ko, halos malaglag na yata. Tama kasi ang sinabi niya. Whenever we managed to capture one of M's minions, something bad happened to them. John Bautista got poisoned in the interrogation room of the campus police station. Bastien Montreal shot himself when he was being placed under police custody.

Alam naming dalawa na totoo ang connection nina Luthor at M, at hindi malayong mangyari ang sinabi niya. Luthor could be killed! It doesn't matter kung nasa campus police station siya. The walls of that place couldn't stop a murder from happening.

We have to do something! Luthor needs to be safe and secured. Inilabas ko ang aking phone at may itinext na phone number. There could only be one person who has the power to get him out of that situation.

"Nakakainis na talaga ang mga 'to, ah?" reklamo ni Jamie na nakatingin sa isang lupong ng mga estudyante na nagbubulungan. Wala mang pakialam sa Loki sa mga pinagsasabi nila, ako naman ang nasasaktan para sa kanyang kuya. "Mapagsabihan nga sila na huwag basta-basta magpapaniwala sa fake news!"

Lalapitan na sana niya ang mga estudyante dala-dala ang kanyang smiling face—she can't be bitchy to them, given her image and reputation—nang may nauna na sa kanya.

"Instead of gossiping around, why don't you go back to your classes?" Margarette almost shouted at the students. They quickly dispersed at the motion of her hand. "Kung may time kayong magpapaniwala sa isang unverified report, sana'y may time din kayong mag-aral! Go back to your classes. Now!"

Rye also helped out in dispersing the crowd of bystanders who had nothing better to do than talk about the allegation.

Sa loob lamang ng ilang segundo, na-clear na ang hallway malapit sa execom office.

If there's one person who would also be hurt by the revelation, it would have been Maggie. She is Luthor's most trusted person, though he didn't want her to know the truth. Alam na siguro niyang posibleng masaktan si Maggie kapag nalaman nitong konektado siya kay M.

I could see her fists clenching and shaking na parang gusto niyang manuntok ng pader. She was also letting out sharp breaths. The article must have shaken her as well.

"Hanggang kailan ba magpapakalat ng mga tsismis ang Clarion?" paghihimutok niya. "How dare they accuse our vice president of being connected with M?! Luthor wouldn't do such a thing! All of this is nonsense! Augustus may be gone but his tricks for sensational reporting is still alive in the publication."

Hinayaan namin siyang maglabas ng kanyang saloobin. She couldn't stop shaking her head and her hands. Her eyes had that furious glint. If she could only hurt someone through her gaze, she would have already.

Napalunok ako ng laway habang tinitingnan siya. I've been mostly worried about how Loki would react once he found out the truth about Luthor, I almost forgot that Maggie would have been hurt as well. M had her best friend killed. Luthor, who's already part of the organization during Rhea's death, didn't do anything to stop it, like what Loki argued last night.

Ngayong alam na ni Loki ang katotohanan, si Maggie naman ang iniisip ko. I can't speak on how she might react about the truth. But I bet she'd feel betrayed by the man that she trusted.

"Hindi ka naman siguro basta-basta naniwala sa sinulat ng Clarion, 'no?" nakapamewang tanong ni Maggie kay Loki. "I know you have your own issues with your brother, but I'd be disappointed if you'd fall for that malicious article."

"Of course, I'm not as stupid as most students here," he answered, casting a glance at an innocent student who happened to pass by.

"Good." Maggie sighed. "I wonder kung ano ang hawak ng campus police laban sa kanya? They said they received a package from an anonymous sender."

"Hindi sapat ang article ng Clarion para imbitahan nila ang VP sa station," sabi ni Rye. "They must have something concrete against him."

"Or circumstantial," Loki added. "The fact that they haven't arrested my brother yet means they've got nothing solid. Inspector Morales is smart enough to assess whatever evidence was sent to them. He knew he needed to verify them yet, hence the friendly chat with my brother."

The more important question right now, I think, is who leaked this information?

Sa pagkakatanda ko kasi, ibinigay ko kay Luthor ang kopya ng notebook na natagpuan namin sa desk ni Augustus. The points raised in the article matched the contents of the notebook.

Wait a minute. According sa article, "The Clarion received photos of the journal's pages through an anonymous source." Photos of the journal's pages. Posible kayang kinuhanan ng picture ni Augustus ang bawat page at isinave ito sa kanyang hard drive? O baka naman may isa pang kopya ng notebook na itinago ang kanilang EIC? Knowing that person, he might have expected that we'd take the notebook hidden under his desk.

Why can't Augustus just rest in peace and stop bothering us in the real world? I could imagine him smiling wherever he was—whether in heaven or hell—as he's taking a sip from his teacup. "You thought you've seen the last of me," he must be thinking.

Kung naka-save sa hard drive ng picture ng bawat page ng journal, I could only think of two persons who might be behind this leak: Rosetta and the third party.

May trust issues pa rin ako kay Rosetta, but Luthor said he had confirmed that she could be trusted. Kaya nga isinagawa nila ang kanyang fake death scheme sa hostel. Also, according sa kwento ni Jamie sa amin, Stein seemed to suspect no deception on Rosetta's death. Sa tingin nga niya, baka involved din ang third party rito.

That led me to the second suspect: the mysterious third party. We still don't know exactly why he took the hard drive from Augustus' confidant, but he could have had accessed to its contents. Ang 'di ko maintindihan ay bakit si Luthor ang tatargetin niya? It didn't make sense to me. May kinikimkim na galit ba siya kay Luthor o did he randomly pick him?

There's still a third suspect, but I can't see at this very moment why he'd do it: Luthor himself. Maybe he planned this leak by himself. Pinlano na niyang i-leak ang kanyang connection kay M ngayong araw kaya umamin na siya kay Loki kagabi. That way, he could minimize the damage to whatever relationship they have.

The only piece of the puzzle that didn't seem to fit: Why would he do something so risky that might affect his reputation in school and put him in danger? Luthor is exposed. It's up to Stein or anyone in the organization kung ano ang gagawin sa kanya. The worst they could do is kill him to shut his mouth. And that worries me.

Umagang-umaga pa lang, ganito na kagulo ang isip ko. I thought I only had to pretend grieving for Rosetta the whole day. 'Di ko in-expect na may ganitong bubungad sa amin. Could this day be any peaceful?

"Medyo kinakabahan ako kay Luthor," sabi ko sa aking mga kasama. "Pwede ba natin siyang puntahan sa campus police station?"

"Yeah, he might need some moral support from us right now," Jamie agreed. "Mukha namang hindi basta-basta nagpapa-stress ang future brother-in-law ko, pero dapat ipakita natin sa kanya na we don't believe in the lies being spread by the Clarion!"

"Wala naman tayong urgent na gagawin, 'di ba?" tanong ni Alistair sabay tingin sa aming chairwoman.

"You can go ahead and look after Luthor for us," Maggie said, adjusting her eyeglasses. "Kami na ang bahalang mag-control sa mga estudyanteng nagtsitsismisan sa labas tungkol sa kanya. Kailangan din naming mag-usap ng student council tungkol dito."

"Loki?" tawag ko sabay tingin sa kanya. Siya na lang ang hindi sumasagot kung payag siyang puntahan namin ang kanyang kuya. "Will you come with us?"

"Do you think I'd miss the opportunity to take a photo of my brother while he's being held in the interrogation room?" He waved his phone in front of us.

Napabuntong-hininga ako. He may be joking—or maybe not—but I hope that deep inside, he's worried about what might happen to Luthor. He knew the truth. He knew what could happen to exposed associates of M. No matter how much he disliked his brother, it's impossible that he couldn't feel even an iota of concern for him.

Sabay-sabay kaming apat na naglakad patungo sa campus police station. Maggie, Rye and the other execom members would deal with the rumormongers while we'd look after the safety of the vice president.

Hindi gano'n kalayo ang station kaya sa loob ng five minutes, tanaw na namin 'to. Before we could reach the crosswalk, we heard the sound of a car speeding up. What caught our attention were the tire screeches. Sa sobrang bilis magpatakbo, halos nakakangilo ang tunog.

A red SUV parked in front of the police station. Bumaba mula sa driver's side nito ang isang babaeng may crown braid at pulang labi. May bitbit pa siyang handbag sa kanyang kanang kamay.

I smiled. Luthor's rescue has arrived.

"Mom?" Loki called as we reached the other end of the crosswalk. Nagmadali siyang tumakbo patungo sa pulang sasakyan.

"That's my future mother-in-law..." Jamie muttered. Tumakbo na rin siya sunod kay Loki.

"How are you, my dear?" Tita Frigette hugged Loki so tight, he could no longer breathe. "Parang nangangayayat ka na naman, ah? Nagda-diet ka ba?"

"What are you doing here?" Loki asked after his mom let him go.

"Hello, tita!" Mabilis na nagmano si Jamie sa kanya. "Kumusta po kayo? Sana'y kasing ganda ko ang araw n'yo."

Tita Frigette smiled then sighed. "I was doing great until I heard the news."

Nang mabaling ang tingin niya sa akin, nagliwanag ang kanyang mukha. Lalapitan ko na sana siya, pero siya ang naunang nakalapit sa akin. Nakipagbeso-beso pa siya. Magmamano lang sana ako. "How are you, Lorelei? Thank you for telling me about what happened to my son."

"Wala ho 'yon, tita," nahihiyang sagot ko.

"You told my mom about what happened to my brother?" tanong ni Loki. Parang tutol pa siya sa naging desisyon ko.

"Of course." I nodded. "'Yon naman ang dapat gawin, 'di ba? Luthor needed some help after all."

Remember? Tita Frigette gave me her phone number nang ihanda niya kami noon ni Loki sa apartment. I-text o tawagan ko lang daw siya kapag kailangan ko ng tulong niya. I figured that this might be the perfect opportunity to ask help from her.

"And this handsome boy must be..." Naningkit ang mga mata ni Tita Frig habang nakatitig sa lalaking katabi ko. Oh, yeah. She hasn't met Alistair yet. Kagigising pa lang kasi niya mula sa coma noong na-meet namin ang pamilya Mendez.

"Alistair Ravena," he introduced himself as he stretched out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

"Pleasure's mine!" Smiling from ear to ear, Tita Frig shook hands with him. "I'm happy to see you four together. Last time kasi, silang tatlo lang ang na-meet ko."

"What are you planning to do about Luthor, tita?" mahinhing tanong ni Jamie.

Naging seryoso ang mukha ni Tita Frig sabay buntong-hininga. "I'm here to get my son out of that station. I don't know the full story yet, but they can't lock him there."

With her chin up and straight posture, she walked toward the station building like a queen. My curiosity was killing me so I decided to follow behind her, though I kept some distance. Sumunod din sa akin ang tatlong kasama ko. Nagdalawang-isip pa nga sila noong una.

"I'm Frigette Corazon-Mendez, lawyer of the student named Luthor Mendez," she introduced herself to the police officer in the front desk. "I heard that he's invited here by the police. Where is he?"

Natakot yata ang pulis sa aura ni tita kaya napaturo siya sa isang room sa tabi. "N-Nasa interrogation room po siya kasama si Inspector Morales."

"Thank you." Tita Frig smiled at him, which instantly vanished the moment she turned to the directed she was pointed at.

Susunod na sana kami sa loob, lalo na si Loki na nakahanda ang phone para siguro kunan ng picture ang kuya niya, pero hinarangan kami ng pulis sa front desk. Pinaghintay niya kami sa may lobby.

But that's okay. Malapit lang ang interrogation room kaya dinig namin ang pinag-uusapan nila, basta't nakabukas ang pinto.

"Good morning, inspector. I'm the mother and the lawyer of this handsome boy here. Sorry to interrupt your chit-chat but he has to leave now. Come with me, Lulu. Time to go."

"Frigette! I mean, Atty. Corazon-Mendez, what a pleasure to see you again. This isn't a custodial investigation so you and your son have nothing to worry about."

"That means he doesn't have to answer any of your questions and he's free to go any time he wants."

"Tama, pero mismong anak n'yo ang pumayag na makipag-usap sa amin. Wala namang masama kung mag-uusap kami, 'di ba?"

"Wala rin namang masama kung aalis na siya ngayon, 'di ba? Because as his lawyer, that's exactly what I'm advising him to do. Come on, Lulu."

"Of course! Gaya nga ng sinabi ko, this isn't a custodial investigation. He's free to leave this room. Pero kung may gusto siyang sabihin sa amin—"

"I know that you and my husband are good friends, but the next time you wanna talk to my son, make sure I'm present as well."

"That is duly noted, Atty. Corazon-Mendez. I'll make sure to remember that."

"Thank you, inspector. Have a good day."

"Before you go, kindly send my regards to Odinaire. Tell him that—"

The door to the interrogation room was shut. Tita Frig and Luthor walked out of the room. Kumindat sa amin si tita habang sandaling nagawi ang tingin ni Luthor sa akin. I wonder kung ano ang napag-usapan nilang dalawa ni inspector?

Sabay-sabay na kaming lumabas ng police station. Loki didn't look pleased, either because of his brother's presence around or because he failed to take a picture of him while he's in the interrgation room. Si Jamie naman, todo ang papuri sa mom ng magkapatid dahil sa attitude nito sa pakikipag-usap sa nakakatakot na inspector. Alistair was also listening to their conversation.

Pasimple akong lumapit kay Luthor at tinakpan ang aking bibig. I made sure that he could still hear my voice.

"Is this part of your plan too?" I asked curiously. I had to know para ma-cross out ko na siya sa mga suspek ko na nasa likod ng leak na 'to.

Luthor shook his head slowly. "It seems to me that it's someone else's plan. Someone who wants to turn over the chessboard."

q.e.d.

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