A/N: Intense ba 'yong last update? Sige, chill na muna ngayon. Rewind tayo nang kaunti.

LORELEI

LET ME go back a few days before things got complicated. When we were all still okay. Before things broke down between the four of us.

On the Monday following my dad's death, I went back to school. Ilang araw din akong um-absent para bigyan ang sarili ko ng panahon upang magdalamhati at bumangon mula sa pagpanaw ng papa ko. If he could only talk to me, I was sure he'd tell me to not miss any of my classes. He wouldn't want my grades to be affected by being emotional.

I couldn't really say that I missed the campus. Mabilis na lumipas ang mga araw kaya 'di ko ramdam na para bang matagal akong nawala rito. Clark High was still the same, except for one thing: the high school instructor known as "Friedrich Rivera" is nowhere to be found.

For everyone at school who knew me, they must have been thinking that my last week's grief was all about my dad's death. Little did they know that I also lost an uncle. He could have been a father figure to me, but he took some drastic actions which led him to being incarcerated.

Do I feel sorry for what happened to him? I couldn't say. I was still angry at him for intervening in my peaceful life. Kung sanang hindi niya ginawa ang mga ginawa niya, mag-iiba siguro ang tingin ko sa kanya.

If there's one good thing about my uncle's disappearance from the school, it's definitely the third party case. The fog of mystery that clouded us the past few weeks since Augustus' death has already dispersed. Questions were answered. Obstacles were surpassed. Now we can go back to solving the case that has eluded us since the beginning: the Moriarty case.

"Miss Lorelei, pasensya na kung lagi kitang iniistorbo. I know that you are busy with your school, but I have to get your approval for these matters."

Every now and then, since I was proclaimed the sole heir to my dad's fortune, his devoted secretary Nancy has been calling me. Medyo considerate naman siya dahil tumatawag lang siya kapag break namin sa umaga, tuwing lunch time o after class. But I was not used to this kind of set up.

After giving her my response, I hung up the call and slid the phone back in my pocket. Wala akong nagawa kundi mapabuntong-hininga. I only had to give a yes or no answer, but I still felt tired right after replying to her questions. I was not prepared for this job. If people thought that I was lucky to have everything from my father, they don't know anything at all. It's both a gift and a curse.

I was about to turn around and walk back to the execom office. But I came to a halt when I saw a group of five students coming my way. Nakaramdam ako ng kakaibang lamig nang magtagpo ang tingin ko at ang tingin ng isa sa mga estudyanteng paparating.

Here it went again. That eerie feeling.

There's only one person in the campus who could make me feel this way: Luthor Mendez. He was walking with the other student council officers, with Emeraude on the lead. He stood tallest than the rest of them.

"Luthor..." I mouthed. He cut his gaze away from me and continued his march to the student council office. Well, I wasn't expecting him to say "hello!" or anything to me.

Halos dalawang linggo kaming hindi nagkita rito sa campus, but it already felt like ages. The last time we had a serious talk was on the day that Maggie met her tragic fate at the hospital. Doon ko nalamang sinadya niyang lasunin ang sarili niya upang maiwas ang suspicion sa kanya at ma-lure ang third party. It turned out that he did not have to go through that trouble at all.

Since then, nawalan na kami ng contact sa kanya. Tanging si Tita Frigette ang nagbibigay ng update sa amin kung kumusta na siya. Ni ayaw niya nga kaming dumalaw sa ospital. But I understood why. He must be grieving for Maggie's death and he must be trying to avoid suspicion from Stein.

I was expecting him to attend Maggie's burial, but he did not show up. Safety reasons or something. But he went to my dad Walter's wake along with his parents. He offered me his condolences, and that's it. Wala ako sa mood noon. Wala rin ako sa tamang katinuan. I would have wanted to ask him how he's doing, but I didn't get the chance.

Mukhang marami kaming dapat pag-usapan. Tungkol sa sarili niya. Tungkol sa pag-cope niya sa pagkamatay ni Maggie. At tungkol sa plano niya laban kay Stein.

Pumasok na ako sa execom office kung saan nakapalibot sa mesa sina Loki, Alistair, Jamie at Rye. Sabay-sabay silang lumingon sa akin bago muling ibinalik ang kanilang atensyon sa mga papel na binabasa nila. They were reading the case files that we requested from the campus police. We're kinda glad that Inspector Morgan Morales has warmed up to us. Mas cooperative na siya ngayon kaysa noon. Well, we only asked for a bunch of sheets of paper. Ibang usapan na siguro kapag kumilos kami nang walang permiso niya.

I took my seat between Loki and Alistair who were busy reading. Sinubukan kong huwag i-drag ang upuan para hindi ako makaistorbo sa kanila. Nakapuwesto si Jamie sa kaliwa ni Loki habang si Rye naman ang nasa kanan ni Alistair.

"Nancy?" bulong ni Alistair sabay sulyap sa akin.

I nodded. Alam niya siguro na walang ibang tatawag sa akin kundi ang secretary ni papa.

When our eyes met, naalala ko ang tanong niya sa akin nitong weekend. Noong magpunta kami sa apartment ng uncle Fritz ko. I could still remember that scene clearly. Loki was meters away from us, Jamie was in the comfort room, so he took that opportunity to ask a question that I didn't see coming.

"Is it true that Luthor is one of them? How long have you known?"

I remember myself swallowing the lump in my throat at that moment. Tila umurong ang dila ko at nawalan ako ng boses. He heard what my uncle and I discussed in my hospital room. Nabanggit kasi ni uncle Fritz na isa si Luthor sa mga taong kaalyado ni M. If I knew na may listening bugs doon, mas naging vague sana ang sagot ko.

Hindi ko alam kung ano ang isasagot ko noon. That was a point blank question. My silence alone could confirm his suspicions. Should I tell him the truth? Or should I lie?

There's no reason for me not to trust my childhood friend. He's been considerate long enough every time na nase-sense niyang may alam ako pero hindi ko sinasabi sa kanya. He never pestered me about the questions he had in mind. I could try to keep up with this dodgy attitude, as long as he doesn't ask the question. But he's starting to ask again.

Unfortunately, the trust between us was not the only issue here. Dawit na rin dito ang tiwala namin ni Luthor sa isa't isa. Kung sanang walang gano'n na factor dito, hindi ako mahihirapang ipagkatiwala sa kanya ang katotohanan.

Nagkakatigan kami habang namayani ang katahimikan sa pagitan namin. There's no easy way out of this one. This is the same dilemma that I had weeks ago, when Luthor was also the subject of his question. If I tell him the truth, I'd be breaking my oath to Luthor not to share the secret with anyone. If I tell him a lie, I'd be creating a crack in the trust between us. And that crack would only get bigger once he finds out that I already knew the truth.

Alam kong understanding si Alistair. Maiintindihan niya basta't may dahilan. Pero ayaw kong i-take advantage ang pagiging maunawain niya hanggang dumating sa punto na magkagulo-gulo ang lahat.

My lips parted as I was about to say something, pero inunahan niya ako.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have asked that question. Not right now. Medyo inappropriate na dito ko pa naisipang itanong. We're here to find out more about your real dad. You should be enjoying this moment to know him better."

At siya pa ang nagligtas sa akin mula sa trouble ng pagsagot sa kanyang tanong. I breathed a sigh of relief as he smiled at me and walked away from me. Hindi na niya ulit binring up hanggang sa makauwi kami sa apartment.

I dodged the bullet that day.

Masuwerte ako dahil may kaibigan akong gaya ni Alistair. Lagi niyang iniintindi ang mga taong nasa paligid niya. He wouldn't want to cross any line. He wouldn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

But everyone has a breaking point. I wonder if he'd ever reach that point when it comes to me. To us.

Well, that's another problem for another time. Now back to the present.

I pulled a folder from the pile. Pagbukas ko roon, saglit na nagawi ang aking tingin sa bakanteng upuan sa harapan ko—the swivel chair that was reserved only for the execom chairperson. Ilang araw na ring walang umuupo roon. Kahit si Rye na ang acting chairperson, hindi siya nagtangkang kunin ang puwesto ng dati naming boss.

It's been weeks since Maggie's death, but the room still felt different without her presence. Ewan kung in denial pa rin ako sa nangyari sa kanya, pero parang pakiramdam ko'y nag-absent lang siya nang ilang linggo kaya wala pa rin siya hanggang ngayon.

"Iba na talaga kapag ikaw ang heredera, 'no?" hirit ni Jamie na napaangat ang tingin sa akin. I snapped out of my thoughts. "Magiging busy ka na niyan! Who knows? Baka maging isa ka sa mga outstanding young businesswoman sa Pilipinas!"

Natawa ako sa sinabi niya. Sana'y gano'n kadali ang lahat. Wala pa nga ako sa posisyon, pero sumasakit na ang ulo ko. Jamie had virtually no idea the burden that my father's position and fortune left me. Kung siya ba ang nasa posisyon ko, mae-enjoy niya rin ang mabigat na responsibilidad na 'to? I wonder.

"I still have a lot to learn," I replied. Obviously. I know nothing about my dad's business. Umaasa lang ako sa advice ni Nancy. "I'm not sure if I'm up to the challenges ahead."

"Kaya mo 'yan! Ikaw pa?" Jamie cheered. Sana nga, kayanin ko. I don't want to disappoint my dad Walter. "Basta kapag nag-fail ang acting career ko, kunin mo ako sa company n'yo, ah? Pwede akong endorser. Besties naman tayo, 'di ba?"

"Can we focus on the case at hand?" Loki asked with a hint of politeness. Just a hint. He toned down his harshness slightly. "We need to go through these files and find out more about Moriarty's motivations. Then and now."

"Sorry, Loki dear," mahinhing sagot ni Jamie na tila nanliit sa kanyang upuan. Muli siyang nanahimik at bumalik sa pagbabasa. I also did the same.

Dahil wala nang ibang distraction, makakapag-focus na kami sa case na 'to. While we were sidetracked by other cases, we still managed to make some progress the past few weeks. I could confidently say that we got close to the center of the web. Now we have the navigate the strands around it.

Guess what's the case file that I got? It's about the missing students who got dissolved by sodium hydroxide. The culprit's name is John Bautista. Of course, I still remember him. He put me in a drum and tried to dissolve me too. If it weren't for Loki, I would have been one of the unfortunate victims. I owe him my life. John was killed while under police custody, thanks to the late officer Bastien Montreal.

I skipped the gory details and read the transcript of the police interrogation with him. Ang huling nabasa ko ay ang paghingi niya ng tubig at ang biglang pag-collapse sa sahig habang sinasabi ang pangalang "Moriya—! Moriarty!"

Matagal-tagal na rin pala simula noon. Look at how far we've come.

"So..." Rye cleared his throat to get our attention. Sabay-sabay kaming napaangat ng tingin sa kanya. He was clenching a lollipop stick between his teeth. "Base sa huling pinag-usapan natin, may mabuting intensyon pero maling paraan ang unang Moriarty, na hindi pa natin alam kung sino."

Nagbato ako ng mabilis na tingin kay Loki. Mukhang pareho kami ng iniisip dahil nahuli niya ang tingin ko.

"At ang Moriarty na kilala natin ngayon na si Stein, bilang successor, ay ipinagpatuloy ang misyon ng kanyang predecessor," pagpapatuloy ni Rye, ipinatong ang kanyang mga siko sa mesa. "Tama ba ang pagkakaintindi ko?"

Nagkatinginan muna kaming apat at may pag-aalinlangang tumango. Only Loki and I knew that Jaime Santiago, the late student council president who had a strong sense of justice, is the original Moriarty. Para kina Jamie, Alistair at Rye, the original Moriarty is still a faceless man who shared a twisted view of justice.

Well, if Jamie was lying and she knew the truth all along, there would be three of us. And I sincerely hope that's not the case.

"Am I correct in saying that Stein is only continuing his predecessor's legacy?" Alistair asked, making us turn to him. "Base kasi sa case file ng Twinkle, Twinkle Murders, pinaslang ang magkakaibigan na nam-bully sa isang estudyanteng nagngangalang Jenny Jimenez. She committed suicide last year due to bullying. Someone got in touch with M's organization and had the bullies murdered."

"Aha!" Jamie clapped once, startling us. Dala ng pagkagulat, napahawak ako sa aking dibdib. "Nakausap naming dalawa ni Lori noon 'yong classmate ni Jenny Jimenez. If I remember correctly, Jeffrey ang pangalan niya. May suot siyang salamin na may makapal na frame. Do you still remember him, Lori?"

I remember the case, but I already forgot the names of the people involved in it. Hindi ko rin maalala ang mga mukha nila. All I could recall was that Bastien Montreal murdered these female students and made the crime scenes similar to that of Rhea's.

"He seemed pleased about what happened to the Twinkle, Twinkle victims," Jamie went on. "No! Not pleased. Extremely grateful. 'Yon ang description niya sa kanyang feelings noon. He also said—and I quote—Justice waits for the perfect opportunity to strike those who have wronged others."

It must be so nice to have a retentive memory like Jamie. Madali niyang natatandaan kung ano ang nakita o narinig niya. Imagine having that memory during exams. You'd be unstoppable in academics. I wonder kung ginagamit ba niya 'yon para makakuha ng mataas na grades. Anyway, I digress.

"So that case is consistent with the intentions of the original Moriarty," Rye muttered, his eyes looking down to the document he was reading. "Their organization gives justice to the people who yearn for it."

"But they haven't been consistent at all," Loki said. Sa kanya naman kami sunod na napatingin. Itinaas niya ang hawak na folder. "Remember the serial suicide case where a cup of tea was always involved? Jamie and Alistair weren't part of the club yet, so they might have not heard of it."

"Narinig ko na ang tungkol sa case na 'yan noon," singit ni Jamie. "Napagtsismisan 'yan sa klase namin. May mga natakot pa nga, eh!"

Wala namang imik si Alistair. He wasn't in Clark High back then.

"The poor victims were chosen out of convenience," Loki went on. "There's no noble motive behind their deaths. Daniel Gutierrez, the culprit, mentioned no specific reason for killing them. It appeared to me that Moriarty only had them killed to lure me into a game he's enjoying to play."

I sighed. Ilang buwan na mula noong nangyari 'yon kaya hindi ko na rin masyadong tanda. But I surely wrote that case in my blog. That was the era na kaming dalawa pa lang ang member ng QED Club.

"Speaking of inconsistency," Jamie was next to speak. "The disappearance of Stein Alberts felt odd to me. I know, I know. Drama niya lang 'to para magkrus ang landas n'yo. Pero naningil pa rin sila ng fee mula sa kanilang client na si Monica Segundo. Parang they hit two birds with one stone. You get what I mean? Stein introduced himself to my Loki dear and he got some cash from a client."

Kung iisipin, may pagka-opportunistic nga ang approach niya noon. Well, Stein probably needed money to keep his troops in line. He needed to buy their loyalty or else his group would fall apart.

"So the organization's motivation right now is mixed?" Alistair squinted his eyes at us. "It's no longer about the original Moriarty's Samaritan intentions. Meron nang out of fun and out of financial need."

Tumingin ako sa file na aking binabasa. "That seems to be the case. Even in the missing students case, walang noble intention sa pagkawala ng mga babaeng estudyante. One of them, Madonna Bartolome, was a potential candidate for the student council next year. Wala namang nabanggit na may ginawa siyang malaking kasalanan para targetin siya."

"Bottomline: Stein is no longer following script that the original Moriarty wrote," Loki said, closing his folder. "He has taken liberties in the organization's activities. He has taken control over the group and led it to a different direction."

I can't help but wonder how Jaime Santiago would feel if he was still alive and found out that his successor was not strictly following in his noble footsteps.

q.e.d.

If you've enjoyed reading this update, share your thoughts or theories on Twitter using the hashtag #ProjectLOKI!