A/N: We're halfway through this chapter! November rush continues!

LORELEI

"For the record, I'm Margarette Fernandez from the student executive committee. This conversation is being recorded. Is that okay with you?"

THIS FELT like a deja vu. You get that feeling sometimes? It's like replaying an episode of a series that I didn't want to watch again. Not because the episode was badly written, but because the episode was too painful. Going over it again would be a torture.

May kirot pa rin sa puso ko kapag naririnig ko ang boses ni Margarette. Isang linggo na ang nakalilipas mula nang maaksidente siya at mawala sa piling namin, pero nami-miss ko na siya. Her presence. Her eyeglasses. Her banters with Loki. Hearing her voice slapped me with the undeniable reality that we would no longer hear her speak again. And that's something we have to confront. We're still coping with this loss.

Dahil kumpleto na ulit kaming apat sa execom office, sinimulan na namin ang pagre-review sa mga audio clip na iniwan ni Maggie. That was Rye Rubio's order as the acting execom chairman. After taking our lunch, dumiretso na kami roon upang simulan ang review.

Thanks to the search for my biological dad, I got the Jaime Santiago mystery off my mind for a while. Sa sobrang busy ko sa pag-iisip kung si Sir Friedrich Rivera na nga ba ang sagot sa matagal ko nang tanong, nasapawan na tuloy ang iba pang bagay. Well, I'm a human too. I couldn't juggle many things at the same time.

The four of us with Rye gathered around the mahogany table, with a white laptop in front of us. Walang video na mapapanood, pero naka-flash sa screen ang isang audio player. Medyo basag na ang speaker nito, pero audible pa naman ang tunog.

Last time Rye asked me about the clips, I pretended to not have listened to them. Mas mabuti na kung sabay naming madi-discover ang na-discover ko noong nakaraang linggo. Walang mag-aakusa sa akin na nagsinungaling ako o itinatago ko ang katotohanan.

Nagawi ang tingin ko kay Jamie na halos masubsob na sa mesa para malapitang marinig ang sinasabi sa clip. I wonder if she'd realize that her brother was the brains behind the incidents that Maggie was reviewing. Listening to these clips was a step closer to that truth. Paano kaya siya magre-react?

That made me think of something. Halos pareho kami ng sitwasyon. There were parallels. We believe that someone we hold to a certain regard may not be capable of wrongdoing. Yes, there were hints that suggest otherwise, but we still try to find some loopholes. We have the tendency to defend these people from the accusations.

How about Alistair? He was touching his chin with his eyes squinted at the laptop screen. He's undoubtedly sharp. He's easily notice if something's off. Would he arrive at the same conclusion that I did?

Well, I doubt that they'd be sharing the same conclusion as mine. Una sa lahat, hindi sila aware sa ibinulgar ni Luthor sa amin na si Jaime Santiago ang founder ng organisasyon na pinapalakad ngayon ni Stein. That could put things in the proper perspective. I had the benefit of knowing that piece of information kaya naging madali sa akin ang pagtagpian ang mga piraso ng puzzle.

The only ones who knew about that info were me, Loki, and Luthor.

Speaking of Luthor, we haven't heard from him since Tita Frigette's last update to me. Mukhang hindi pa rin siya pumapasok sa ngayon. We would have noticed him since the student council office is next door. We still had no idea how he's coping with Maggie's death.

Speaking of Loki, he had his eyes shut with his head bowing. He must be feeling slightly uncomfortable by hearing Maggie's voice. But I admire his bravery. Hindi niya naisipang mag-walk out sa labas ng office upang takasan 'to. He faced it head on, though he seemed to be struggling with it.

Maggie's last words must be bothering him.

Rye, who sat in our late chairwoman's old seat, put his hand on top of the other as he also listened to the audio clips. He was there when they conducted these interviews. Napansin din kaya niya ang napansin ko? Meron bang shinare na insight sa kanya ni Maggie matapos nilang magtanong-tanong?

"...do you have any person in mind who could have wanted him dead?"

"Person? Try people. Sa dami ba naman ng binully niya, marami na sigurong nag-wish na may mangyaring masama sa kanya."

"...may tao bang pumapasok sa isip mo na gusto siyang masaktan o mamatay?"

"I really have no idea who. But he got what he deserved."

Hearing those lines a second time made me feel nothing short of disgust. I couldn't believe there were people who would be openly grateful about the tragedy that befell the victims. They believed they had every reason to be angry and to rejoice the good riddance. Wala ako sa kanilang posisyon kaya 'di ko alam kung ano ang naramdaman nila noon. But it's too much to feel that way.

The last audio clipped went silent. We all reclined in our seats as our shoulders relaxed. Nagkaroon ng sandaling katahimikan habang pina-process namin ang aming pinakinggan.

"The manner by which the victims died perfectly matched the modus operandi of M's organization," Loki said, breaking the silence. "They disguised a murder as either an accident or a suicide. No one bothered looking any deeper. Well, except for one person."

Jaime Santiago, I said to myself.

"But the reactions of the people who knew the victims..." Alistair mumbled, looking down. Magkahalong disbelief at disappointment ang puminta sa kanyang mukha. "Don't you find it strange na parang natutuwa pa sila sa nangyari? Someone they knew died and they felt thankful about it."

Tama. Kulang na lang ay patayuan nila ng rebulto o 'di kaya'y gawing santo ang utak ng mga pagkamatay ng mga biktima. In this case, Jaime would be reverred as a hero or a saint. Or in Rhea's own words...

"A Samaritan," I muttered, tossing a glance at each of my colleagues. "'Yon ang huling sinabi ni Rhea kay Maggie. M might be trying to be a Samaritan. Will it be a fair assessment kung sasabihin nating ang taong nasa likod nito ay may mabuting intensyon pero maling paraan?"

Pasimpleng nagawi kay Jamie ang tingin ko. I wanted to see her reaction, but her face remained clueless. Parang hindi nga siya nakasasabay sa discussion namin. Either she's acting or she really had no idea about it.

Ugh! I hate this feeling! When her brother's case was out of my mind, nawala ang naramdaman kong pagdududa sa kanya. Ngayon na muling nabuksan, bumabalik na naman.

"Are you referring to Stein?" Rye asked, making us turn to him. "We already suspect that he's M, right? Matagal na natin siyang pinaghinalaan."

Oo nga pala. Hindi pa namin naise-share sa kanya o kahit kanino ang tungkol sa "successor" angle ng M mystery. We didn't intend to keep that discovery this long from him. Nataon na natambakan kami ng maraming isipin.

"We have a theory that there are two M's," I explained. Ako na mismo ang nag-volunteer na magpaliwanag matapos naming magpalitan ng tingin. "There's the current one, who is obviously Stein, and there's the former, who is either dead or incapacitated."

"The successor is based on what Augustus was trying to say about Stein in the board room," Loki added. Salamat sa pagsalo. "Stein is a su—. That's what he said, right? We suspect that the 'su—' is 'successor,' following Augustus' analogy that the organization is a kingdom and M is the king."

"And?" Rye pressed on, his eyes squinting. "Do we have any clue on who might be the former M?"

Mabilis kaming nagkatinginan ni Loki bago pa may makapansing iba. That exchange of glance took a split second. Only the two of us knew the answer to that question. I could be honest here, but someone might get hurt and complicate the situation.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Loki lied. Ako na sana ang sasagot. Thanks to him, I no longer had the burden of making up something. Mas kapani-paniwala pa kung sa kanya mismo galing.

"Remember? Rhea asked for the files of the cases that might be related to M," I recalled. "After reviewing them, she came to the conclusion that M might be trying to be a Samaritan. Isn't that what prompted Maggie to conduct interviews?"

Marahang tumango si Rye. "Indeed. Doon siya muling nabuhayan ng loob na balikan ang mga kakilala ng mga biktima noon."

"Rhea's last words to Maggie and Maggie's last efforts were our only clues to the Stein's predecessor," I went on. "Ngayon, clear na siguro sa atin na hindi lang pagpatay ang nasa isip nitong si former M. Meron din siyang goal na itama ang mali at bawasan ang mga masasama sa Clark High. He's like purging the school of bad people."

Once again, I glanced at Jamie who was looking more confused than earlier. I couldn't read anything from her. Kailangan ko pa sigurong pukpukin para mapuwersa siyang mag-react.

Fine. I'd take another step forward, but not too much.

"That reminds me," I muttered, turning to Jamie. "Didn't your brother ask Sir Jim a question along those lines? Would the number of bad people go down if a good man killed a bad person? Parang ganito ang nakikita kong mindset ng former M."

Jamie stared at me with widened eyes. Oops. Mukhang napasobra yata ako. We locked into a staring contest. Unti-unting nanumbalik sa dating laki ang mga mata niya. "Are you trying to say something that resembles a point, Lori?"

"Not really." I shook my head, trying to look innocent. "All I'm saying is that the former M might share the same sentiment as your brother. He had the bully hanged himself. He had the harasser poisoned by mercury in their clubroom."

"He? My brother or the former M?" she asked. Napatingin sa kanya sina Loki at Alistair.

Okay, I could feel a tension rising. She might be thinking that I was hinting at something which would offend her.

"The former M," I answered. Well, either of the two would be the correct answer. Huwag masyadong magpadalos-dalos, Lori. I would take a step back. I don't want her to get mad at me again.

"That's it for the audio clips," Loki said. His words made the tension dissipate. Nakahinga na ako nang maluwag. "We can assume that the former M had a noble goal, but his methods were evil. He's like a genie who grants the wishes of those who feel oppressed."

"Why does that sound familiar?" Alistair asked, folding his arms.

The more we know about the former M, the more it becomes an elephant in the room, especially when Jamie's around. Nakayuko siya ngayon at napahawak sa kanyang labi. I hope she reassesses her opinion of her very own brother.

"Very well," Rye spoke, slamming the laptop close. "Let's discuss more of this case soon. Kailangan ko munang mag-report kay Sir Morayta. You may return to your classes or you can stay here for a while. Just don't forget to close the door when you leave."

With the wave of a hand, Rye exited the execom office. Kami na namang apat ang naiwan dito. May kaunting awkwardness sa kuwarto. Una, dahil muli naming narinig ang boses ni Maggie. Pangalawa, dahil muntik na naman kaming magkasagutan ni Jamie. Ang okay-okay pa namin kahapon, tapos ngayon, nagka-tensyon na naman.

"Speaking of Stein, may kailangan akong sabihin sa inyo." Si Jamie na ang bumasag sa katahimikan. She spoke in a low voice. We all turned to her. "Tama ang hinala ni Lorelei. Siya nga ang nag-utos na may makialam sa car brakes ni Al."

I was not surprised anymore. And that wasn't a hinala. That was a fact.

"He apologized to me kasi hindi niya raw alam na sasabay ako kay Al," she continued, her eyes looking down. "He also admitted tht he had someone leave a chocolate in my locker para masira ang tiyan ko. His original plan was to lure Lorelei into the library, make me rush to the clinic, while Alistair would get into an accident. Hindi niya in-expect na magkasama kaming dalawa ni Al sa kotse."

I don't want to pay him any compliments, but how clever the way he set it up. "And you believed him?"

"Kinda?" Jamie replied with some hesitation. "Nasa eighty percent."

"What if he also wanted you to get into that accident?" I asked. May sumaging idea sa akin kaya ko naitanong 'yon. "What if he also anticipated na agad kang ihahatid ni Al sa bahay n'yo after class?"

"Those what if scenarios will only make sense if he wanted to get rid of her." Alistair narrowed his eyes into slits. Tumingin siya sa akin bago kay Loki. "Which means you're no longer safe from him."

"Bakit niya gagawin 'yon?" kunot-noong tanong ni Jamie. "If he had me seriously injured in an accident that he orchestrated, he'd lose his spy in our group!"

"Has it crossed your mind na baka wala ka nang pakinabang sa kanya?" tanong ko. "O kaya'y naghihinala na siya sa loyalty mo?"

Jamie's eyes looked down, making her think, probably. Stein's also smart. He could have suspected that she was no longer one hundred percent loyal to him. Or he must have thought that she had already outlived her usefulness. He's willing to discard a chesspiece that would no longer benefit him.

"How about we set aside that Stein Alberts issue for a while? We can deal with him later." Loki broke the silence. "For now, why don't we discuss our blood extraction mission?"

So it's time to change the topic, huh? Great. I'm really looking forward to that operation.

"Are you ready, Lorelei?" Alistair asked, looking at me with concern.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. May choice pa ba ako? Sa aming apat, ako lang ang makagagawa nito. We're basically relying on the assumption that me hurting Sir Rich wouldn't have any serious repercussions for me. A father wouldn't send his daughter to the principal's office, right? So we thought.

"Make sure you wipe his blood here." May iniabot si Loki na isang strip ng papel sa akin. I looked at it with squinted eyes. Napansin ko rin ang isang daliri niyang nakabalot ng plaster. I couldn't help but feel sorry about that.

"What's this?"

"Filter paper," he answered. "Once you make him bleed, you quickly wipe the fresh cut with this thing. We can use tissue paper, but we can yield the best result if we put his blood sample on this strip."

Ilang beses akong kumurap sa ibinigay niyang strip ng papel. Wouldn't it look suspicious kung basta-basta ko pupunasan ang sugat gamit ito? He might find it odd—Oh, wait. An idea popped into my head. Hindi niya mapapansin kung papatungan ko 'to ng panyo. He'd still feel the texture of the paper but at least he wouldn't see it.

"We still have fifteen minutes before the bell rings," paalala ni Loki sabay tingin sa orasan. "By now, a faculty member like Friedrich must be done eating his lunch and brushing his teeth. He'd be comfortably taking a rest in the faculty room."

"Naka-ready na ba ang props mo?" tanong ni Alistair.

Ipinakita ko sa kanila ang isang folder na may lamang papel. "All ready. I'm not sure kung magiging effective ba ang naisip kong paraan upang masugatan siya. It might be an epic fail."

"A small cut is all you need," Loki said. Kung makapagsalita siya, parang napakadaling gawin. "Just a few drops of blood will suffice."

"Kapag hindi 'yan gagana, tuluyan mo nang sugatan!" dagdag ni Jamie. Nanumbalik na ang sigla niya. "Pero pasimple lang dapat, ha? Baka makahalata siya sa 'yo."

Muli akong napalunok ng laway. Ang daling sabihin para sa kanya kasi wala siya sa posisyon ko.

Chineck ko ang clock display sa aking phone. It's fourteen minutes before one in the afternoon. The clock's ticking. Kailangan ko nang kumilos habang malaki ang window of opportunity ngayon.

"Wish me luck," I muttered.

Alistair wished me "good luck," Jamie gave me two thumbs up, and Loki nodded at me. Thanks for the support. Now I'd be on my own.

Lumabas na ako ng execom office at nilakad ang kahabaan ng hallway hanggang sa marating ang faculty room. Habang papalapit ako nang papalapit sa pintuan, lalong lumakas ang pagkabog ng dibdib ko. I could hear it ringing in my ears.

Relax, Lorelei. This was the best way we could discreetly get a DNA sample from Sir Rich. Sa akin na nakadepende ang lahat. I hope everything would go well. Sana'y hindi mabulilyaso ang plano ko.

Huminga ako nang malalim paghinto ko sa tapat ng pinto. When I mustered enough courage, I peeked through the glass door to check if my target was already inside. Nahagilap ko siya sa kanyang puwesto, nakasandal na nakaupo sa kanyang swivel chair at may kausap sa phone.

"Lorelei?"

My shoulders jerked up when I heard a familiar voice behind me. Agad akong lumingon sa aking likuran.

Sir Jim Morayta stood there, with a Moleskine notebook in his hand placed close to his chest. His eyeglasses gleamed, I couldn't see his eyes clearly.

"S-Sir," I muttered, gulping. Hindi ako dapat kabahan. Wala naman akong ginawa o gagawing mali. "Good afternoon po."

Looking at his spectacles reminded me of my encounter with Stein Alberts in the library two days ago. I was lured there by a text message that came from his phone. For a second, I thought that he's one of them. Kung kasama talaga siya sa organisasyon, napaka-careless kung gagamitin niya ang kanyang sariling number. That's not a smart move. Also, Stein revealed how he cleverly managed to use the Math instructor's number for his trap.

"Sino ang hinahanap mo?" tanong niya.

"Kakausapin ko lang ho si Sir Rich," sagot ko at saka ko ipinakita ang hawak kong folder. "May ibibigay lang ho ako sa kanya."

"Sakto! Nandyan siya sa loob." Ngumuso siya sa direksyon kung saan maaaninag ang target ko. "By the way, I talked to Rye just a moment ago. Nabanggit niya sa akin ang findings n'yo roon sa audio clips na iniwan ni Maggie. About a current M and a former M?"

I nodded, taking another gulp.

"That's an interesting theory. It made me think of something..." Sir Jim held his chin as his voice trailed off. "By the way, you asked about Jaime Santiago last time, didn't you?"

Muli akong tumango sa kanya. Parang deja vu na naman. Dahil siguro ganito rin ang naging takbo ng fake message niya sa akin two days ago.

"I found something that might interest you," he went on. "Do you mind if ipakita ko muna sa 'yo bago mo puntahan si Sir Rich?"

"Sure, sir."

He opened the door and let me inside first. Sumunod ako sa kanya sa kaliwang side ng faculty room hanggang sa marating namin ang kanyang desk. He pulled his drawer and rummaged through his items. Habang naghihintay ako sa kanya, lumingon ako sa kabilang side at napansing may kausap pa rin sa phone si Sir Rich.

"Here!"

Mabilis na bumalik ang tingin ko kay Sir Jim. He held out a photo to me. I waited for him to say more about it, pero wala siyang nabanggit.

May pagdadalawang-isip kong tinanggap ang picture at sinuri kung ano ang nandoon. My eyes widened as I saw two familiar faces next to each other. This was clearly a group photo of seven students in a clubroom that I somewhat recognized. Sa Math and Physics clubroom yata kinunan 'to? Kasama roon si Sir Jim na nakatayo sa gitna. Next to him was the late Jaime Santiago.

Guess who stood on his left? Stein Alberts. Nakaakbay si Jaime sa kanya habang parehong malawak ang ngiti ng dalawa. This was the first time I saw them together.

"I was browsing through my old files when I found that photo," kuwento ni Sir Jim na napasandal sa kanyang upuan. Napaangat ang tingin ko sa kanya. "Given what we know, I'm starting to think na may koneksyon ang dalawang 'yan sa mystery na sino-solve natin. Stein is the Moriarty that we know. Jaime was the student council president who requested an investigation into the suspicious accidents and suicides possibly masterminded by Moriarty."

How I wish I could tell him that Jaime was the founder and that I believe the request for investigation was only a front. Pero hindi ko muna pwedeng sabihin sa kanya hangga't hindi pa kami nakasisiguro. We needed to find out more about the late student council president. And the photo he gave might shed some light to that mystery.

"They seem... quite close," I commented, touching the smiling face of Jaime. In a way, he looked like Loki—kung sanang mas maayos siyang mag-ayos ng buhok at manamit.

"If I remember correctly, they already knew each other before Stein transfered here," Sir Jim continued. "They went to the same elementary school. One time, Jaime told me that he met Stein when he saved him from being bullied. Doon na raw sila nagkakilala. That could explain their closeness."

Naningkit ang mga mata ko. That's something we didn't know before.

Wait a minute. If those two boys went to the same elementary school, did Jamie know about Stein before he transfered in Clark High? Sa pagkakatanda ko, nagkakilala silang dalawa sa repertory theater. She did not mention any prior encounter between them.

Lalo pang nadaragdagan ang mga tanong ko para sa kanya.

"Do you mind if I keep this photo?" I asked.

"I have an extra copy so you may have it," Sir Jim replied, motioning to the photo in my hand. "I don't know exactly how, pero sana'y makatulong 'yan kahit paano."

"Thank you, sir."

Nagpaalam na ako sa kanya at itinago ang ibinigay niyang picture. I made a beeline to Sir Rich who was still on the phone. Nakatalikod siya sa akin kaya siguro hindi niya ako agad mapapansin. He'd be greeting me quickly the moment he noticed my shadow.

Siya na nga ba talaga ang ama ko? Based on the laws of human genetics, my biological dad's blood type must be B. If we were to believe Sir Rich's medical record, his blood type is also B. Coincidence or not?

Well, gaya ng sinabi ni Loki, hindi pa gano'n ka-conclusive ang findings na 'to. This DNA testing would clear any more lingering doubts. Wish me luck. It's time for me to execute our bloody plan.

Inilabas ko mula sa folder ang isang bundle ng mga papel. These weren't just blank sheets of paper. Thanks to the printer we have in the apartment, nag-print ako ng ilang blog entries. Dahil kailangang makapal, I adjusted the font size and the line spacing to have more pages and make it thick.

So how could a bundle of paper sheets make a person bleed?

The answer? Through paper cut.

It may sound stupid or outrageous, but some people get cuts on their skins through a piece of paper. Hindi naman madalas, pero nabibiktima rin ako nito minsan.

I dislodged one sheet from the rest. 'Yon ang magsisilbing tila razor blade na magdudulot ng cut sa balat ng kung sinumang matatamaan nito. In this case, Sir Rich would be the unfortunate victim.

Honestly, I'm not that confident na magiging successful 'to. Pwede kasing tumupi lang ang papel kapag tumama sa balat niya. All my efforts would be in vain.

But as the cliche goes, practice makes perfect. Last night, I tried the trick on Loki who had one of his fingers feel the cut. Kaya kanina, nakabalot ng plaster ang kanyang daliri. That's what I was sorry about.

Kailangang maayos ang pagkakaposisyon ng papel para makahiwa ito sa balat. Six out of ten attempts, I was successful. That means I have a sixty percent chance of success.

What if my plan doesn't work? Naisip ko rin 'yan kagabi. Kaya may naka-ready na akong Plan B. If the sheet of paper fails to make him bleed, a small razor blade would. All I needed to do was to creatively and sneakily hide it from his sight. Pwede kong ipitin ang blade sa pagitan ng aking dalawang daliri at mabilis na ipadaan ito sa balat niya. Kailangan kong mabilis na maitago ang blade para wala siyang ebidensya.

I gulped as I was only a few steps away from.

"...black? Yes, of course," he said while repeatedly nodding. "Congratulations! That's the one."

Huminto ako sa likuran niya at huminga nang malalim. Sa sobrang busy niya yata sa tawag, hindi niya ako napansin. If someone's planning to sneak up on him and stab him in the back, that person would have succeeded.

"Sir Rich?"

He turned his swivel chair to me and beamed upon seeing my face. "Miss Lorelei! How good to you see! Wait a minute." Sandaling natuon ang atensyon niya sa kanyang phone. "I'll call you back later, okay? Take care!"

The second he pressed a key on his screen, mabilis siyang humarap sa akin sabay bulsa ng kanyang phone. "What can I do for you? Have you finally decided about the publishing offer? Is it a yes? Johannes is dying to know!"

Pinilit kong ngumiti sabay lunok ng aking laway. Mabilis na nagawi ang tingin ko sa mga papel na hawak ko. This was it. This was my chance to get blood sample from him. I shouldn't mess up.

"Wala pa ho akong desisyon, pero nagle-lean ako sa yes," sagot ko. That may not be the answer he was expecting, but he did not seem disappointed. "My dad advised me to have the contract checked by a lawyer should I decide to accept the offer."

"Your dad?" Sandaling naningkit ang mga mata niya. "Of course! We want you to understand every word written in the contract. Consulting a lawyer is a smart move! May mga tao kasing basta-basta pumipirma ng kontrata kahit hindi naiintindihan ang mga nakasaad doon. If not about the offer, what brings you here?"

"Gusto ko ho sanang ipabasa ang mga bagong entry ko sa inyo." I slowly pushed the bundle toward him. I was closely watching his hand movements. "The entries that I submitted to the Clarion were old blog posts. Baka pwede ho akong makahingi ng feedback o kung may napansin kayong improvement sa writing ko?"

"Oh, you didn't have to bother printing them." Parang sinusukat niya sa tingin ang dami ng mga papel na ginamit ko. "I can read your stories online anyway."

"Mas sanay ho kasi ako kung makikita kong naka-mark sa papel ang corrections o comments," palusot ko. "Iba kasi ang feeling kapag sa screen mo binabasa compared sa actual printouts."

"What a coincidence!" he exclaimed, putting his hands together once. "We're the same, you know? I prefer the hard copy of books instead of PDF or digital versions. Nothing beats the woody smell of books."

Tila naging slow motion ang mga sumunod na nangyari. He began moving his hands to receive the sheets. Dahan-dahan ko itong iniusog sa kanya. Nang malapit na ang kanyang mga kamay, madali kong iginalaw ang mga papel at tinantiyang tatama ang nakausling sheet sa daliri niya.

His hands got hold of the sheets, but he had no reaction at all. Uh-oh. May kalyo ba siya sa hintuturo kaya hindi siya nahiwa? Was it time for Plan B?

"Thank your for giving me—Ouch! What was that?"

Ipinatong niya sa mesa ang mga papel at sinuri nang maigi ang isa niyang daliri. I couldn't see it clearly. He pinched his fingertip using his other hand. Blood started to leak out of it. Gotcha!

"Hala!" pagulat kong sabi. I clapped my hand over my mouth. Do you think I didn't learn anything from Jamie? "Na-paper cut yata kayo, sir!"

Mabilis kong inilabas ang aking panyo na may nakatagong strip ng filter paper sa ilalim. He was about to suck his finger when I grabbed him by the wrist. Nagkapalitan kami ng tingin habang hawak ko ang pulso niya. I could feel his pulse.

"Baka ma-infect ang sugat kapag sinipsip n'yo," pagpapatuloy ko sabay dampi ng aking panyo sa kanyang daliri. I gently pinched the finger to make sure that blood would ooze out of the small cut. "Alam n'yo bang exposed sa hangin at iba pang irritants ang mga nerve sa paligid ng inyong sugat kaya mas mahapdi at mas matagal n'yo 'tong nararamdaman?"

"Is that so?" natatawa niyang tugon. He looked embarrassed. Sana'y walang maka-misinterpret sa ginagawa ko sa kanya. Baka may biglang magpakalat ng tsismis.

Nang ma-satisfy na ako, pinakawalan ko na ang kanyang daliri at ibinulsa ang aking panyo. I hope I got enough blood for the test.

"Pwede n'yo nang buhusan ng disinfectant para malinis ang sugat n'yo," payo ko sa kanya. Parang doktor ako kung makapagsalita. He's more than double my age so I didn't have to remind him.

"This is gonna sting," he muttered. Binuksan niya ang kanyang desk drawer at naghanap ng alcohol. "But this is nothing compared to the pain that I felt before."

He gave me a wry smile before he poured alcohol on the cut. Napangiwi siya sa sakit pero agad din itong nawala.

"I will give you my comments this week," he said as he closed his drawer and turned to me. "I consider it a great honor to read your stories before they get published. Kaya sana, makapag-decide ka na. I'm already happy and excited for you, Lorelei."

Ngumiti ako sa kanya. "Don't worry, sir. I will tell you my decision this week. Pasensya na ho kung medyo nagpapakipot pa ako."

"Oh, don't feel sorry about that!" he replied, smiling. "I've been in your shoes when I was offered the same thing. Kinailangan kong pag-isipan nang mabuti kung tatanggapin ko ba o hindi ang deal. Mahirap ang magsabi ng oo tapos hindi mo naman pala kayang panindigan. It's like having a child. You have to be committed to raising your son or daughter all the way, no matter the circumstances. You cannot abandon them halfway through. That's bad parenting."

The smile on my face felt frozen. I didn't know how to react on his last statement. Bakit biglang nasingit ang pagkakaroon ng anak dito? Was he throwing a shade at someone?

"Mauna na ho ako."

"Take care, Lorelei."

Pagkalabas ko ng faculty room, nagmadali na akong umakyat sa hagdan, palingon-lingon sa likuran. Who knows? Baka may biglang sumulpot. I don't want to be caught off guard.

As I was climbing the stairs, I took out my handkerchief and checked the filter paper stuck on it. Halos kasing laki ng piso ang smudge ng dugo roon. I guess the mission was a success?

Beep! Beep!

Ibinulsa ko na ang aking panyo at inilabas ang phone ko. A notification appeared on my screen. A text message from my dad Walter, which made me smile.

I'll pick you at your apartment later at six.

Wear something you'd be comfortable with.

q.e.d.

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