A/N: This is the finale part of Chapter 47. I'm begging you not to post any SPOILERS. Reaction posts, memes, and GIFs are okay, as long as they do not give away the context.

Let's not ruin other people's reading experience. Thank you!

LORELEI

SIR FRIEDRICH Rivera, the new English instructor and adviser of the Clarion in Clark High, stood before us. As my widened eyes lingered their gaze on him, Alistair's voice began ringing in my ears again. Everything he said about the person in front of me. Normally I would not feel slightly uncomfortable when facing him. But due to what I heard recently, naapektuhan na yata ang tingin ko sa kanya.

And that's making this unexpected encounter worse.

"Miss Rios? Are you okay?" tanong ni Sir Rich. "Why do you look pale?"

Nakatitig lang ako sa kanya habang pinapanood ko ang pagbukas at pagsara ng kanyang bibig.

May isang bagay sa Clark High na naging dahilan upang mag-resort siya sa karahasan.

He's on our side. That's why he gave you the hard drive as a gift... Because he wanted to help you.

Why couldn't I get Alistair's voice off my head?

"Gutom lang ho siya kaya ganyan ang itsura niya," natatawang palusot ni Jamie sabay siko sa akin. She showed her white teeth awkwardly. "Lori, kinakausap ka ni sir. Are you still with us?"

I repeatedly shook my head to shrug the thoughts pestering me right now. "Pasensya na, sir. Hindi kasi ako nakapag-breakfast kaya medyo mahina ang concentration ko ngayon."

Nakisakay na ako sa palusot ni Jamie para hindi siya mapahiya. Pero totoo namang hindi ako nakapag-almusal. I woke up a bit late this morning and I didn't have time to prepare food.

"Gano'n ba? Hindi ka dapat nagpapalipas ng gutom," tugon ni Sir Rich. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

Ngumiti ako sa kanya. I'm well aware of that fact. Lagi ko nga 'yong sinasabi kay Loki kapag ayaw niyang kumain ng almusal na ipinrepare ko o ni Tita Martha. Pero matigas ang ulo niya kaya hindi niya ginagalaw minsan. "The brain works better in an empty," he always quotes Sherlock Holmes.

"May sasabihin ho ba kayo, sir?" tanong ko. I don't want to prolong this awkward moment.

"Yes!" He nodded. Humakbang pa siya palapit sa akin. Napaangat ang aking heel, akmang hahakbang ako paurong mula sa kanya. Mabuti't nakontrol ko ang sarili ko. He might find it strange. Why was my body reacting this way? Ganito ba ang epekto ng theory ni Alistair sa amin?

"I told you yesterday that I won't bug you about the publishing offer, right?" Sir Rich recalled. "But the editor-in-chief of BEYOND Publishing is going to visit Pampanga this week. I thought that you might want to meet him in person and ask him if you have any questions."

Given the circumstances, particularly him being allegedly involved in the third party case, parang hindi pa ngayon ang tamang oras upang pag-usapan ang publishing deal. Maliban kasi sa theory ni Alistair tungkol sa kanya, hindi ko pa talaga napag-iisipan kung tatanggapin ko ang kanyang offer. I know that I've been stalling from making any decision, but I do not want to rush it. As they say, it's better to be safe than sorry. I do not want to decide on something that I would regret later on.

But this might present an opportunity, not for my potential publishing career, but for observing Sir Rich. Maybe I would know more about him, confirm if my impression of him was correct... or not. Hayan, unti-unti na akong naiimpluwensiyahan ni Alistair.

"Kasama ho ba kayo sa meeting?"

"Of course, I will be there to support you." Sir Rich beamed at me. "I'm the one who recommended your work to the EIC after all. Think of me as your literary agent. Ayaw kong iwan ka sa ere."

"I'll make myself available," sagot ko nang may kasamang pagtango. Naramdaman ko ang pagbaling ng tingin sa akin ni Jamie. She probably did not expect me to agree. "Sabihan n'yo lang po ako tungkol sa details."

"Great!" Sir Rich's smile grew wider. He looked delighted by my decision. "Will it be okay if we set the meeting after class? Para hindi rin masyadong abala sa schedule mo. Don't worry. It will only take an hour or less. He still has other commitments here anyway."

"Sure, sir." I nodded. I could spare an hour or two for this meeting.

"See you then!" Sir Rich waved his hand. Tumuloy na siya sa paglalakad sa kabilang direksyon. "Don't forget to eat something while the morning period is on break. It will help you concentrate better on your subjects."

Jamie and I bade him farewell. I watched him intently as he walked away from us. He sounded like a how a caring teacher should.

Until now, I couldn't imagine how a man like him could be the third party. Yes, he seemed to be pushing me to take the deal, but maybe he doesn't want my potential to be put to waste. Yes, he seemed to have a particular liking for me, but maybe he doesn't have any ulterior motive or whatsoever. Should we really suspect anyone who shows us a hint of kindness? Can't their kindness be considered as genuine?

"You want to observe him, don't you?" pabulong na tanong ni Jamie. Sir Rich was still within earshot. "Kaya ba pumayag kang makipag-meet sa EIC ng publishing house?"

"Wala namang mawawala, 'di ba?" sagot ko paglingon sa kanya. "At saka baka makatulong sa akin ang meeting para makapag-decide kung tatanggapin ko ang publishing deal. Eventually I have to make a decision."

"Really?" Naningkit ang mga mata ni Jamie. "Does that mean you're starting to consider if Al's theory is making any sense?"

I shrugged my shoulders. Nagpatuloy na ako sa paglalakad palabas ng school building. Sumunod siya sa akin.

Even I couldn't say if that's the case or not. Alistair trusted his gut feeling. I should trust mine too.

The conversation at the rooftop during the morning break really made things awkwawrd between me and Alistair. Nang muli kaming magkita sa classroom, parang nagkakahiyaan kaming dalawa na mag-usap. Sa panig ko, nahihiya talaga ako dahil parang pinagmukha kong wala akong tiwala sa kanya. I know what he's capable of, and I feel like I'm doing him a disservice by doubting him.

While I couldn't speak for him or what he felt, maybe I made him feel that he's pushing his theory too much to me kaya minabuti niyang palamigin muna ang sitwasyon. Baka tinatantiya niya kung okay na ba akong kausapin o hindi.

I really hate it when I make people around me feel bad about themselves. Of all the people, Alistair did not deserve it. We might have disagreements about his theory, but he only spoke what's on his mind after thinking about it thoroughly. I could not and should not fault him for that.

The awkward situation began to return to normal after our class dismissal. Nagsitayuan na kaming lahat para ayusin ang aming mga gamit.

"Lori," he called me after stuffing his books inside his sling bag. "I'm sorry about what happened this morning. Medyo napasobra yata ako kanina. I realized that you have a good opinion about Sir Rich and I shouldn't have insistently dismissed it. I should have taken your thoughts about him into consideration."

Parang nakahinga ako nang maluwag. I was thinking of talking to him first, but he beat me to the punch. I could not stand the uneasy situation between us. We've been through so much before. This shouldn't be a big issue.

"Ano ka ba? Wala 'yon." Ngumiti ako sa kanya sabay sara ng notebook ko. I wanted whatever misunderstandings we might have had to be shut closed, just like the thing in my hand. "Gusto ko ring mag-sorry dahil parang kinuwestiyon ko ang isang bagay na matagal mong pinag-isipan. I know for a fact that you won't say something without thinking about it twice or thrice."

"I understand why you had some doubts about it. In fact, I have to thank you for trying to point out the flaws in my deductions and for challenging my theory. While I'm convinced by it, baka may anggulo akong hindi napansin sa pagiging preoccupied ko. For that, I thank you."

I'm really glad that we understood each other. He had a point, but I had mine too. It's perfectly okay to agree to disagree. Sa ngayon, hindi pa namin masasabi kung sino ang tama sa amin. If he's right, then I'd accept it. If I'm right, I know that he's going to accept it too. Ayaw ko ring pahabain pa ang maiksing tampuhan namin—kung matatawag ko mang gano'n ang nangyari.

"Wala ka namang ibang pupuntahan after class, 'no?" tanong niya at saka isinara ang kanyang bag.

I shook my head as I stuffed my notebook inside my bag. "Hindi rin nagpatawag ng meeting si Rye sa execom, 'di ba? I'm free to go."

He slung his bag over his right shoulder. "Let's go?"

Isinakbit ko na rin ang aking bag sa balikat. Sabay na kaming lumabas ng classroom. We were talking about the assignment due tomorrow when someone jumped in front of us. Sumalubong sa amin si Jamie na nakahawak sa kanyang tiyan. Her face was twitching. Mukhang nanghihina rin siya at wala siya sa mood.

"Bakit ganyan ang itsura mo?" kunot-noo kong tanong. Sinuri siya ng mga mata ko mula mukha hanggang tiyan.

"Pasensya na. Medyo masama ang pakiramdam ko," nanghihinang sagot ni Jamie. Napapayuko pa siya at hindi mapakali sa kanyang kinatatayuan. "Dahil yata 'to sa nakain ko kanina. Someone left chocolate in my locker. Uuwi na ba kayo? As usual, sasabay ako sa inyo. 'Di ko kayang mag-commute nang ganito ang feels ko."

"Gusto mo bang dumaan tayo sa clinic para mabigyan ka ng gamot?" may concern na tanong ni Alistair. "Kahit temporary relief lang para bumuti ang pakiramdam mo."

Jamie's face twitched uncomfortable. Namumutla na siya at patuloy na namimilipit sa sakit. It's rare to see her not in the mood. "Dumaan na ako kani-kanina lang, kaso hindi gano'n ka-effective ýong meds na ibinigay sa akin. Baka kailangan kong magpahinga para mawala ang sakit."

"Tara na para agad ka naming maihatid sa inyo," may pagtangong sabi ni Alistair. I nodded back at him.

Inalalayan niya si Jamie sa paglalakad lalo na noong makarating kami sa hagdan. While we're walking down the stairs, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I took it out as an alert flashed on my screen. Someone sent me a text message.

"Good afternoon, Lorelei! I remember you asking me yesterday about Jaime Santiago. May naalala kasi ako tungkol sa kanya. Do you mind if you drop by this afternoon sa Archives section ng school library? There's something that you might want to see."

Napatigil ako sa gitna ng hagdan at muling binasa ang message mula kay Sir Jim Morayta. Our conversation was interrupted yesterday when Stein Alberts appeared out of nowhere. Well, I wanted to know more about Jamie's brother. He's the biggest piece of mystery after all, and it's best to gather as much information as I could.

Wait a minute. The Archives section? I remember meeting Luthor there last week. Doon ko siya hiningan ng pabor para i-confirm kung may ibinigay bang assignment si Stein kay Rosetta. We considered he possibility that she might be messing with us. It turned out that she did not. Doon din niya ibinigay sa akin ang autopsy at toxicology report na nagbigay sa amin ng hint sa ikinamatay ni Augustus.

If I remember correctly, nasa Archives section ang mga lumang issue ng Clarion at iba pang publications ng Clark High. I saw a bunch of old newspapers, magazines and yearbooks there. Did he find something there na pwedeng makatulong sa akin? For a second, I felt excited.

I quickly replied, "On my way, sir" bago ko muling ibinulsa ang aking phone. Hindi ko namalayang nakatitig na pala sa akin ang dalawa kong kasama. "Sorry, may biglaang lakad ako ngayon lang. Gusto raw akong kausapin ni Sir Jim sa library. If you want, pwede na kayong mauna sa akin. This might take a while."

"Gusto mo bang samahan ka namin?" tanong ni Alistair.

I almost agreed to his suggestion, but my eyes noticed how our other companion was writhing in pain. "Hindi maganda ang pakiramdam ni Jamie. Baka kailangang ihatid mo na siya agad sa kanila. Don't worry about me. I can handle myself. Basta kapag hindi ako nakapag-reply sa chat n'yo mamaya o kapag hindi ako nakapasok bukas, remember na pinapunta ako sa archives section ng library at si Sir Jim ang nakipagkita sa akin."

Well, I tried to make it sound like a joke. Medyo confident ako dahil una, dala ko ang aking stun pen. It's always been with me everywhere I go. I know, I know. There were times na hindi ko nagamit ýon bilang pandepensa. But I'm more careful now.

Pangalawa, sa library ang meeting place namin. The security cameras there would surely record who's coming in and going out. Also, students who wanted to spend the rest of their afternoon there would also be present.

"Jamie, sabihin mo agad sa amin kung um-okay na o hindi ang pakiramdam mo mamaya," paalala ko. I don't know how she's feeling right now, but I sincerely hope she'd feel better soon. "Al, ikaw na ang bahala sa kanya."

"Huwag kayo masyadong mag-alala sa akin," tugon ni Jamie. "Al, kung gusto mo siyang samahan, pwede naman. Maghihintay na lang ako sa kotse mo o sa clinic. This pain can't kill the one and only Jamie Santiago. Magpapadaig ba ako sa sakit?"

Hindi alam ni Alistair kung kanino siya titingin sa aming dalawa ni Jamie. He's torn between the two options.

Let me take that burden off him. "Don't mind me. Ihatid mo na siya ngayon para kaagad siyang makapagpahinga. Kung lumala ang pakiramdam niya habang nasa biyahe kayo, baka pwede mo na siyang dalhin sa ospital. Trust me. Kaya ko na ang sarili ko."

"You sure?"

I nodded and gave him a thumbs up. I don't want to make them worry about me.

"Very well." Alistair let out a sigh. "Mag-ingat ka, Lori."

"Mag-ingat din kayong dalawa."

"See you tomorrow, Lori," nanghihinang sagot ni Jamie, napapakindat na yata ang kaliwang mata sa sakit.

Nagkahiwalay na kaming tatlo paglabas ng school building. They went straight to the parking lot, with Alistair carefully escorting Jamie, while I walked toward the library building. Pagkapasok ko roon, sumalubong sa akin ang ilang estudyanteng nakatambay pa rito pati na ang iilang faculty members na mukhang may ginagawang research.

Tumaas ang confidence ko na walang mangyayaring masama sa akin. But I would not let my guard down just yet. Mas pumapabor lang ang sitwasyon sa akin.

I surrendered my ID to the librarian before I went to the isolated room in the library. Luthor told me that the Archives section was the least visited part of the library, mainly because no one bothers to check the old issues in Clark High.

Should I be worried? Not at all. May mga estudyanteng nasa labas kaya kampante ako. Kung may bigla mang aatake sa akin dito, may magsisilbing witness. I also had my stun pen with me, remember? Good luck to whoever's gonna attempt to attack me.

Pagbukas ko sa pinto, may naaninag na akong lalaki nakasuot ng salamin at mukhang busy na nagbabasa ng lumang diyaryo. I walked past the bookshelves and turned to the row where I saw the bespectacled figure.

"Good afternoon, sir—"

My eyes went wide and my mouth froze as I saw the face of the boy wearing eyeglasses. He had that mischievous grin stretching his lips. Bigla akong nakaramdam ng kaba. Parang nagsimulang sumikip ang dibdib ko.

"Hello, Lorelei!" Stein Alberts greeted, folding the newspaper in half. "I knew you'd come when I said the magic word."

"You're not Sir Jim," I blurted out. Napalunok ako ng laway habang pinagmamasdan ang nakangisi niyang mukha. Lalo yatang sumisikip ang paghinga ko sa presensya niya.

"Obviously. Duh!" He rolled his eyes as he tossed the folded newspaper to the shelf. "Sir Morayta won't be coming here. He's already left the campus, if you're wondering where he might be right now."

Mabilis kong inilabas ang aking phone at muling tiningnan ang message na na-receive ko kanina. The name of the contact is Sir Jim Morayta. The last two digits of the number matched the one that he used to send text messages to me about our Math class. So why the hell was Stein Alberts here instead of him?

I gulped. Does this mean that he's one of them?

I slid my phone back to my pocket and held on to my stun pen. Mabuti't prepared ako sa ganitong sitwasyon. Humakbang din ako palayo kay Stein hanggang sa masiguro kong kita ako ng mga estudyanteng nasa labas. If he tries something funny to me, he would be either be seen by the witnesses or be collapsing on the floor, courtesy of my pen.

"I know very well what you're thinking," Stein said, pocketing his hands as he started to take a few steps toward me. "Why did Sir Morayta lure you into the least visited part of the library? Is he working with me? Am I right?"

Hindi ko na siya sinagot. I don't want him to take a peek at what's going on my mind.

"It's kinda easy to ask a teacher if you can borrow their phone so you can text, let's say, your parents so they can fetch you at school," Stein explained when I refused to give him any answer. "It's not rocket science or complicated mathematical equation. Didn't you do the same when Jamie borrowed the late Officer Montreal's phone so that she could supposedly text her parents? May he rest in peace, by the way. Instead of texting, Jamie probably searched for my number."

I still remember that scene.

"Ano'ng gusto mo?" nagmamatapang kong tanong. I could have run away right now, but I was curious as to why he pulled this stunt. "Ano'ng kailangan mo sa akin? Hindi pa ba enough na binigyan mo ako ng subtle threat kahapon?"

Muli niyang kinuha ang inihagis niyang diyaryo. He smoothened the old newspaper and showed the front page to me. "I should be the one asking that question. Ano'ng kailangan mo sa kanya?"

My eyes scanned the front page of the old Clarion newspaper. It was dated two years ago. On the banner photo was a student whose right hand was proudly raised. I saw that face before, in Jamie's house. The news was about the inauguration of the new student council officers led by the one and only Jaime Santiago.

"So you asked me to come here just to pose that question?" I chuckled, but nervously. "Pwede mo namang i-text sa akin ang tanong na 'yan. Hindi ka na dapat nag-effort pa na pumunta at papuntahin ako rito."

"Loki's fond of theatrics, isn't he? I thought of doing the same." Stein maintained his grin as he rolled the newspaper in his hand. "Pero huwag mong subukang i-change ang topic. The fact that you went here without your friends means you're conducting an investigation of your own. My question is why are you looking into him?"

I took in a deep breath as I kept eye contact with him. I steeled myself, refusing to be intimidated by his aura. "Why are you interested in what I'm interested into?"

"Oh? Answering my question with another question? Nice try dodging."

"If I ask around about other students, will you still be interested in what I'm doing?" I asked. "Or are you just focused on my inquiry about the late student council president?"

Lumawak pa ang kanyang ngiti. I wonder how wide his lips could stretch. "Ayaw mo talagang sagutin, 'no?"

"What was he for you?" lakas-loob kong tanong.

Eyes blinking, Stein looked down for a second. I thought he'd refuse to answer my question, the same way I did to his. Iniangat niya ang kanyang tingin sa akin, pero burado na ang ngiti sa kanyang mukha. He had that serious look in his face. "Jaime is a role model for every student in Clark High."

Kumurap ang mga mata ko sa kanya. I was kinda surprised that he answered with a tone of respect and adoration. Parang bayani ang tingin niya rito.

"But for you, personally? What was he?" I asked.

Nanumbalik ang ngiti sa kanyang mga labi. "I've already indulged you by answering your questions and letting you dodge mine."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not gonna give you the answers you seek," pailing-iling kong tugon. Well, he could not force me to say something that I did not want to share with him. "Mukhang nasayang ang gimik mo. Now I hope you don't mind if I excuse myself."

Tumalikod na ako sa kanya at nagsimulang maglakad patungo sa pinto. The intense atmosphere in this section as suffocating. I couldn't stand another second being trapped inside with him.

"Do you know how Jaime died?"

I came to a halt as I froze for a moment. Dahan-dahan akong lumingon sa kanya sabay bato ng kunot-noong tingin. Why was he bringing that up now?

"I heard that he lost control of his car brakes while on his way home," Stein said as he walked toward me, his hands inside his pockets. His eyeglasses gleamed, reflecting the light above us. "When I learned of his death, I promised not to own any car. So much hassle! Who wants to drive his own coffin, right?"

We stood face to face. Halos magkapantay lang ang height namin, mas lamang lang yata ako ng ilang centimeters sa kanya. I felt something strange in the way he brought that up. "Are you here to make threats again? Kaya ba nabanggit mo siya?"

"Make threats?" he chuckled as he threw his head back in laughter that echoed in the room. Napalunok ako ng laway habang hinihintay na huminto siya sa pagtawa. Sinuklay niya ang kanyang bangs gamit ang kanyang mga daliri. "I didn't call you here to make threats. I called you here to make good on my threats."

What? Napahakbang ako paurong at agad na binalingan ng tingin ang kanyang mga kamay. He might pull something off in the next second. "What are you gonna do? Hurt me in the library? Or do you wanna kill me in the presence of other students around?"

"Hurt you?" Muli na naman siyang napatawa habang umiiling-iling siya. He's getting crazier by the minute. "Do you know that I can hurt you even without touching you? Well, it's not an ability exclusive to me. Anyone who has an intention of hurting someone can easily do that. Hindi kita kailangang suntukin, sampalin o sabunutan. Do you know how?"

"What do you—"

"I can hurt you by hurting the people around you," Stein cut my words short. He lifted his chin as his eyes shot me with a piercing gaze. "You know, the people who matter in your life. The people whom you hold close in your heart."

My jaw dropped as my eyes kept their widened gaze at him. I shook my head slowly as I took a few steps backward. "No, no. You don't mean—"

"The real reason why I called you here is to teach you a lesson about kicking over rocks that you should leave undisturbed," Stein said, his voice became more menacing. His tone sent chills down my spine. "Won't it be such a shame if someone close to you suffer the same fate as Jaime Santiago?"

My fists clenched as I gritted my teeth. "You monster!"

"I know." He grinned.

Mabilis akong tumakbo palabas ng Archives section. I took my phone out and repeatedly dialled Alistair's number. That damn Stein probably tampered with something in his car! That's why he brought up how Jaime died!

Calling...

"Please answer! Please answer!" I muttered. But the phone only kept ringing. Naka-tatlong ring na ako pero wala pa ring sumasagot.

Doon na biglang bumilis ang pagtibok ng puso ko. Dinig na dinig ko ang malakas na pagkabog nito. Parang kakapusin ako ng hininga.

There's no way Alistair would not answer his phone. Pwede naman niyang sagutin nang hands off habang nagmamaneho siya. But he did not. Or he could not.

Damn that Stein!

Sunod kong idinial ang number ni Jamie, but I got no answer from my three attempts. She's always checking her phone. Alam kong masama ang pakiramdam niya ngayon, but there's no way she would ignore my call!

What's going on here?

What were they not answering my call?

Were they too busy with something?

Why wouldn't they pick up my call?

Nagmadali akong lumabas ng library, muntik ko na ngang makalimutan ang aking ID sa librarian. I put my phone close to my ear as I dialled Alistair's number again. I would not stop trying to call him until he answers my call!

Calling...

Still no answer.

Dialing...

When I got outside, I noticed a crowd of students huddled around a tree near the campus gate. Napansin ko rin si Inspector Morgan Morales na pinagsasabihan ang kanyang mga tauhan. Men in police uniform started to cordon off the area. May mga tao ring may bitbit na stretcher.

Halos malaglag ang puso ko. My phone slipped from my hand as it kept on ringing. I stared with horror at the white car that crashed into the tree.

Alistair... Jamie...

q.e.d.

Oops! There's still an epilogue part to be posted on Saturday (11/14/20).

If you've "enjoyed" reading this update, share your thoughts or theories on Twitter using the hashtag #ProjectLOKI! Please avoid directly mentioning the names of characters that can be considered spoilers. Again: Reaction posts, memes, and GIFs are okay, as long as they do not give away the context.