CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter may contain content that might be troubling to some readers, including, but not limited to, depictions of and references to death, self-harm and suicide, graphic violence, sexual assault, strong language and more.

Please be mindful of these sensitive themes and other possible triggers. Remember to practice self-care before, during and after reading.

LORELEI

THE FIREFIGHTERS immediately responded to the explosion. They managed to put out the fire before it spread to nearby rooms. Unfortunately, one student was severely wounded while nine others were slightly injured. If this was the game that Moriarty had mentioned earlier, it literally started with a boom. Malakas ang kutob ko na ito pa lang ang umpisa ng party na inihanda niya para sa amin.

Ayaw naming basta-basta tumunganga rito kaya nagtungo kami malapit sa scene ng pagsabog. Kinordonan ng mga police officer ang paligid ng lab at hinarangan kami. Hindi pa raw cleared kung ligtas nang pumasok. Pinalipat din muna ang mga nagkaklase sa wing na ito sa mga vacant room sa kabilang wing.

"It must be a homemade bomb designed to cause an explosion enough to blow up an entire room," Loki said, staring at one of the bomb disposal experts inside the burnt lab.

"How did you know?" tanong ko. Wala pa siyang kinakausap ni isa sa mga awtoridad na nasa loob. Hinanap ko kung sino ang posibleng source niya, pero walang malapit sa paligid namin. "Sino'ng nakausap mo?"

"I read the lips of the bomb specialist. Lip reading is an essential skill in situations where you can't directly talk to authorities or eavesdrop on their conversation."

"Is that it?" Alistair asked. "He has already said 'hi' to us and 'I'm back' to the entire school."

"No, this is just the first act." Loki shook his head. "There's more to come."

"More what?"

"Boom!"

"If that's true, we don't know where to start." Inilibot ng kababata ko ang mga mata niya sa paligid. "We don't know where to find the next bomb . . . or bombs."

"If Moriarty wanna play this game with us, he'll definitely set up the board and invite us." Napaturo si Loki sa pinasabog na chemistry lab sa likod niya. "The explosion here is a warning that he is serious."

"Kung may iba pang bomba, shouldn't we evacuate the students in the building first?" may pangambang tanong ni Jamie. "Baka mas marami pang masaktan kapag nagpatuloy ang mga pagsabog."

"That won't be necessary if we can defuse the bomb." Our club president got an air of confidence about him, as if he was such an expert in bomb disposal.

"You know how to defuse one?" I asked. Hindi ako masyadong nagulat kung marunong siyang mag-lock pick at magbasa ng mga labi. Pero pagdating sa bomba? Parang imposible.

"No, but this is a good opportunity to learn a new skill. I taught myself how to pick locks when my brother intentionally locked me out of our house."

"Loki, there are lives at stake here!" I scolded him, my hands on my waist. "Hindi mo puwedeng gawing test subject ang sitwasyon na 'to."

"And we can't take chances with people's lives," Alistair said in my defense. "We need to do something to avoid having more casualties."

"Lorelei!"

We turned around to see Sir Jim Morayta running in our direction. A grave look was etched on his face as if something bad happened. Nang nagawi ang tingin niya kay Loki, walang bahid ng pagkagulat na makita siya rito. This was their first meeting since the café confrontation. Loki suspected him to be the face and name behind the criminal mastermind. It turned out that he was wrong.

"Hinahanap ko kayo sa clubroom pero wala kayo roon." Inayos muna ni Sir Morayta ang pagkakalagay ng salamin niya bago inilabas ang kaniyang phone. There was some sense of urgency in his tone. "What I'm about to tell you shouldn't be leaked to other students. Otherwise, magkakaroon ng panic at baka maraming masaktan."

Nagawi ang tingin niya sa dalawa pa naming kasama. His facial expression told me that he was skeptical of sharing it in the presence of Alistair and Jamie. Na-meet na niya ang childhood friend ko sa General Mathematics classes namin, pero si Jamie ay mukhang hindi pa.

"Don't worry, sir," I assured him. "Members din sila ng QED Club kaya puwede n'yo ring sabihin sa kanila ang gusto n'yong sabihin sa amin."

"An unknown number texted every faculty member saying that there are bombs on campus," kuwento ni Sir Morayta habang nagta-tap sa screen ng phone niya. "Inako niya ang pagsabog sa chemistry lab at sinabing may tatlo pang pagsabog na dapat asahan."

"T-Tatlo?" magkasabay na pagulat na tanong namin ni Jamie. There was no reaction on Loki's face while a look of concern flashed on Alistair's.

"Kailangan na nating i-evacuate ang mga estudyante bago pa sumabog ang mga 'yon!" sabi ni Jamie. "Hindi na tayo dapat mag-aksaya ng oras, sir!"

Marahang umiling si Sir Morayta. "'Yan din ang unang solusyon na naisip namin, pero hindi puwedeng gawin. Kapag may napansing kakaibang kilos ang bomber sa mga estudyante, pasasabugin niya kaagad ang mga bomba. Mukhang gusto niyang i-defuse natin sila o isama tayo sa pagsabog."

Ipinakita niya sa amin ang text message mula sa isang unregistered number. Gaya ng sinabi niya, malabo ngang magsagawa kami ng mass evacuation. That must be why he was so discreet earlier. Kapag nalaman ng mga estudyanteng may bomba, magpa-panic ang lahat. That was the last thing we wanted to happen.

The three bombs will explode in three different locations simultaneously.

When the clock strikes twelve, there will be boom! Boom! boom!

P.S. I left a gift for you in the first scene of explosion.

Sabay-sabay kaming lumingon sa likuran kung saan lumabas ang isang bomb disposal expert na may hawak-hawak na brown envelope. Ipinakita niya 'yon sa mga kasamahan niya at nagsimula silang magbulungan.

"That must be it!" bulalas ni Loki sabay takbo sa kanila. Sumunod kaming mga member niya kasama si Sir Morayta.

"Nakita namin 'to sa sahig. Weird nga kasi buong-buo pa 'to," kuwento ng bomb disposal expert. "Dapat nagkapira-piraso na nang sumabog ang bomba sa loob. May nakasulat sa likod na FOR THE QED CLUB at LOVE LOTS FROM M."

"We're from the QED Club to whom that gift is addressed." Hinawi ni Loki ang kordon para makalapit. Sinubukan siyang pigilan ng dalawang campus police officer na naka-istasyon doon. "Can we take a look?"

"Teka, hindi pa kayo puwedeng lumapit dito," babala ng isang pulis. Pinagtinginan nila kami, may halong pagdududa sa kanilang mukha.

"Excuse me?" Lumapit si Sir Morayta sa kanila at ipinakita ang kaniyang ID card. "I'm a faculty member. This is the QED Club, our distinguished detective group here. Iniimbestigahan din nila ang nangyaring pagsabog dito. Dahil nakapangalan sa kanila ang package, wala naman sigurong issue kung iha-hand over n'yo sa kanila 'yan, tama?"

Nagkatinginan ang bomb disposal expert at ang mga pulis. "Hindi naman boobytrapped ang package na 'yan kaya walang panganib kung bubuksan."

"Thank you." Tinanggap ng math instructor namin ang envelope at ipinasa sa aming kasama. "Posible bang ang tinatawag n'yong Moriarty ang may kagagawan nito?"

"It's not a possibility. It's a certainty."

"Then I shall leave this case to your capable hands." Muling napahawak si Sir Morayta sa bridge ng salamin niya, nag-reflect sa mga lente nito ang liwanag sa labas. I could not tell whether there was a hint of surprise in his eyes or not. "In the meantime, I will meet with the student council and the executive committee so we can prepare a response just in case the worse comes to worst."

"Yes, sir! Makaaasa kayo sa amin."

"By the way . . ." Hindi pa man siya nakalalayo sa kinatatayuan namin, muli siyang lumingon sa amin. "I hope we can discuss the Moriarty case one of these days."

Isang thumbs up ang isinagot sa kaniya ni Loki habang abala siya sa pagbukas ng selyadong envelope. Tuluyan nang nakalayo si Sir Morayta at iniwan kaming apat sa tapat ng chemistry lab.

"Mabuti't buo pa rin 'yan?" Halos dumikit na si Jamie kay Loki sa sobrang lapit ng dalawa. "Bakit 'di 'yan nadamay sa pagsabog kanina?"

"Maybe the envelope wasn't there when the explosion happened," sagot ni Alistair na pinanonood ang pagbukas n'on. "Pagkatapos ng pagsabog, baka may pumasok sa loob ng chemistry lab at iniwan 'yan doon. Whoever left that thing must be a minion of that Moriarty."

Loki carefully opened the flap and slowly pulled out a thin, rectangular device—a tablet PC. He pressed the power button, and the screen lit up.

"Are you ready?" These three words flashed on the screen along with two buttons—a yes and a no. He tapped yes without thinking about it for a second.

Nakahihilong tingnan ang series ng mga letter kaya tumingin muna ako palayo. Tutok na tutok naman sina Loki at Alistair sa pagbabasa.

"Sino is Blaise?" Palipat-lipat ang tingin ni Jamie sa bawat isa sa amin. Tuluyan na siyang kumapit sa braso ni Loki. "Masyadong specific ang pag-namedrop sa kaniya, ah?"

The letters on the screen faded as another set of sentences surfaced.

Call the experts, cut off the wires and the bombs will explode!

If you want to stop the boom, here's a puzzle to decode.

There was an image of black and white pieces scattered all over the chessboard. I thought that the bomber was challenging us to a chess match. After observing that the image was static, I soon realized that that was the puzzle.

"This is what I've been missing the past two weeks." Loki smirked. Kung kanina'y matamlay at walang buhay ang mga mata niya, ngayo'y parang kumikislap na ang mga 'yon. "I can now sincerely thank Moriarty."

Naiintindihan ko ang pagkasabik niyang mag-decode ng puzzle, pero hindi basta-basta laro ang sitwasyon ngayon. Actual human lives could be lost by mid-day. That risk was something that one should not be thankful for.

After a minute, the chessboard faded. The words "Good luck!" flashed next on the screen. Loki turned on the tablet again to review the codes, but it refused to power on again. Pinagpipindot niya rin ang ibang button, pero ayaw nang sumindi.

"Shoot!" He tossed the device on the floor and started pacing back and forth. "We forgot to take photos of those series of letters and the arrangement on the chessboard!"

Jamie giggled beside him. What's funny? She started tapping on her phone. "My dear Loki, have you forgotten that I have an excellent memory?"

Ipinakita niya sa amin ang series ng mga letter na nag-flash sa tablet kanina. Muntik ko nang nakalimutan na matalas pala ang memory niya! Aside from flirting at Loki, this was one of her notable skills. None of us could confirm if those letters were correct, but I would trust her memory on this particular instance.

"Brilliant," Loki muttered. "I've been away for two weeks, I almost forgot you have a retentive memory. How about the chessboard code, can you reproduce it for us?"

"Basta para sa 'yo, Loki!" Kinuha ni Jamie ang envelope at ginuhitan 'yon ng mga linya gaya sa chessboard.

"So she's not your ordinary clingy girl," Alistair whispered to me as he watched Jamie draw an eight-by-eight grid. She began writing the names of chess pieces there.

"Did you know that she and Loki played a blind chess match weeks ago?" I whispered back. "I thought Loki would win, but she managed to beat him."

"Is that so? That makes her more intriguing."

Sunod akong humarap kay Loki na nakakunot ang noo habang nakatitig sa hiniram niyang phone kay Jamie. An invisible sign hung around his neck saying "Do not disturb, I'm thinking."

"Have you figured out how to decode those series of letters?" Tumayo sa likuran niya si Alistair at sumilip sa phone screen na kaniyang tinititigan. "Do you know who Blaise is?"

"That's a dead giveaway," sagot ni Loki. "Just so you know, Blaise isn't someone in this school who can help us with this problem. He was a French cryptographer. Have you heard of the Vigenere cipher? No? That method of encryption was earlier invented by Giovan Battista Bellaso, but it was misattributed to Blaise de Vigenere."

He bombarded us with a trivia that was too much to absorb, when all we needed to know was how to crack the codes. His other hand pulled out his phone and made some taps before showing us rows and columns of letters. Lalo akong nahilo sa sobrang dami ng mga letra doon.

"Tabula recta," he explained. "Vigenere cipher consists of several Caesar ciphers in sequence with different shift values. Its concept is similar to Polybius square, but it's much more complicated."

Those two ciphers rang a bell in me. Tanda ko pa ang araw na pinalabas ni Loki na nadukot siya't nag-iwan ng double code sa clubroom para i-solve namin ni Jamie. Because we were desperate back then, we asked for Stein's help without having any clue that he was Moriarty. Siya ang nagsabi sa amin na Polybius square ang gamitin para ma-crack ang code.

"To crack a Vigenere cipher, you need this tabula recta as reference and the keyword which the bomber made too obvious: BOOM. I could go on and explain the whole process, but we don't have much time left."

"So what are the three locations?" tanong ko sabay sulyap sa kaniya. "You seem to have figured them out."

"Library. Auditorium. Gymnasium," sagot niya.

"We need to strategize first," suhestiyon ni Alistair. "We need to search those places, but we only have less than an hour left. Since there are four of us, bakit hindi natin hiwa-hiwalay na puntahan ang mga lugar na nilagyan ng bomba?"

"Okay lang sa 'kin basta kasama ko si Loki," sabi ni Jamie sabay pakita ng papel kung saan ni-reproduce niya ang arrangement ng chessboard. Her skill was impressive.

"No, you better go with Lori." Nagulat ako sa suggestion ng kababata ko kaya napatingin ako sa kaniya. I got the what-are-you-thinking question written all over my face. Hindi ko pa naikuwento sa kaniya ang status ng relasyon namin ni Jamie kaya siguro naisip niyang okay na pagsamahin kami.

"But—"

"Dividing our forces is a good idea," patango-tangong sabi ni Loki. "Alistair and I can take care of ourselves if ever Moriarty deployed some minions to guard those locations. You two can take down someone together with the help of Lorelei's stun pen."

Nagtitigan kaming dalawa ni Jamie. Sandaling nanlisik ang mga mata niya sa akin bago bumalik ang mga 'yon sa dating itsura. Lagi niyang sinisiguro na nakaanggulo siya't hindi mapapansin ni Loki ang pagme-make face niya. And by the way, the word together did not sit well with us.

"The problem is the code." Alistair touched his chin, squinting his eyes as he studied the placement of the chess pieces. "Does it have anything to do with the coordinates? O kung anong piece ang nakalagay sa particular square?"

"We have to see the bombs first." Kinuhanan ni Loki ng retrato ang drawing ni Jamie gamit ang phone niya. "The clock is ticking. We have to move. Let's keep in touch through messages and calls."

Nagpalitan kami ng phone numbers bago ibinigay ang kani-kaniyang assignments. May number na ako nina Loki at Alistair kaya kay Jamie ang sinave ko. Kaming dalawa ang na-assign sa library, si Alistair ang pupunta sa gymnasium habang si Loki ang maghahanap sa auditorium. We bade one another good luck before setting out to find the bombs. Around forty-five minutes left before they would go off.

Jamie repeatedly clicking her tongue as we were rushing down the stairs. Hindi pa kami nag-uusap mula nang humiwalay kami sa dalawa naming kasama. She must be extremely disappointed by the turn of events.

Napaisip ako kung bakit pinag-partner kaming dalawa ng kababata ko. Wala akong ill will sa kasama ko ngayon, pero baka siya'y meron sa akin. Hindi lang ako komportable kapag nasa tabi ko siya.

Then I remembered what Alistair whispered to me back in the clubroom.

"There's more to her than meets the eye."

Maybe that was his intention. Gusto niyang gamitin ko ang pagkakataong ito para alamin kung may itinatago nga si Jamie. Sa aming tatlo nina Loki at Alistair, ako ang posibleng makagawa n'on. Loki's judgment of her might be clouded due to the latter's resemblance to his late partner. Alistair was a new member so he could not just ask her questions. I was the only one in the club kung kanino ipinapakita ni Jamie ang other side niya—whether that was the real her or not. It would be such a waste if I let this chance pass.

I looked sideways at her sullen face. Kita sa mga mata at pagsimangot niya ang pagkadismaya. If Alistair's initial observation of her was true, then what was Jamie hiding?

q.e.d.