CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains 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

WHO DARED to open that forbidden box? 'Yan malamang ang tanong na tumatakbo ngayon sa isip ng mga kasama ko. Malaking iskandalo kapag na-leak ang mga laman n'on. At gaya ng sinabi ni Luthor kanina, there would be chaos.

Bumalik si Loki sa swivel chair niya sa kabilang dulo ng mesa. Ipinatong niya ang mga nakadikit niyang daliri sa hapag. His attitude took a hundred and eighty-degree turn as Venus' case piqued his interest. "Tell us more about your case."

Muling pinunasan ng client namin ang mga luha niya. Nag-ipon muna siya ng lakas ng loob bago itinuloy ang kuwento. "Do you know Adonis Abellana?"

Marahan akong umiling at saka bumaling sa mga kasama ko. The name probably did not ring a bell in Loki since he would always forget about the people whom he deemed irrelevant. Alistair might not also be familiar with it dahil kaka-transfer pa lang niya rito a few weeks ago. But there was a hint of recognition on Jamie's face.

"Is he a varsity player in our school's basketball team?" Naningkit ang kaniyang mga mata. "'Yong tinatawag nilang golden boy dahil blond ang buhok niya? He's quite a heartthrob."

Mariing tumango si Venus. "I loved him more than anyone on this campus."

"Loved? Past tense?" pansin ni Alistair. "You no longer have feelings for him?"

"Not until recently, no'ng nalaman kong hindi lang pala bola ang kaya niyang laruin." Pasinghot-singhot pa ang client namin. "Ang buong akala ko, ako lang ang babae sa buhay niya. He told me he loves only me. Pero isa pala 'yong malaking kasinungalingan."

"May third party?"

Venus bit her lower lip as she endured the pain welling up in her heart. "At ang mas masakit, hindi lang isa kundi tatlo ang ibang babae niya."

The four of us exchanged glances. Paano nagawa ng lalaking 'yon na pagsabay-sabayin ang apat na babae?

"Your boyfriend's not just a basketball player. He's also a juggler," pabirong hirit ni Loki. "He's been tossing and catching many hearts at the same time. Quite a skill to have."

"Ayaw kong may kahati sa kaniya kaya I decided to break up with him. Pero no'ng sinabi ko sa kaniya, bigla niya akong pinagbantaan at ipinakita ang private photos ko. Hindi ko alam kung saan niya nakuha ang mga 'yon. Ngayon, wala akong magawa kundi sumunod sa gusto niya."

"So you want us to retrieve those photos from him and make sure they're deleted?'

"Hindi lang 'yong akin. Kung nagawa niyang kunin ang private photos ko, baka may hawak din siyang pam-blackmail sa ibang babaeng pinagsasabay niya."

Déjà vu. Her request reminded me of the Charles Meliton case where Luthor asked us to retrieve the device containing the compromising photos of a student council officer. Hindi pa namin alam kung hawak ni Adonis ang Pandora's Box o kung konektado siya kay Moriarty. But we would find out soon enough.

"You two are obviously close," Loki said. "We'd like to know what his everyday schedule is, where he goes on campus, where he stays, and anything else that can help us in the investigation."

"Ibibigay ko sa inyo kahit ano, basta makalaya ako sa kaniya at sa pamba-blackmail niya."

"Consider this case solved. We'll get retrieve your private photos as soon as possible."

"Thank you."

Matapos magpaalam sa amin, lumabas na ng clubroom si Venus at iniwan kaming tahimik at malalim ang iniisip. Ini-lock ko ang pinto para walang bigla-biglang makaistorbo sa pag-uusapan namin.

"Whoever's in possession of the Pandora's Box is no longer a mystery." Loki looked up at the ceiling as if the answer was written there. "The question is, how can we get our hands on those files again?"

"So Adonis Abellana is Charles Meliton 2.0 and we're facing the same problem we've had before." Sinalubong ako ng kunot-noong tingin nina Alistair at Jamie pagbalik ko sa aking upuan.

"Who's Charles?"

"He's a serial blackmailer who extorted money from students," our club president took the liberty to answer. "He was the original owner of the Pandora's Box until we stole it from him."

Yes, with the help of the hostel's fire alarm and his pickpocketing skills. If Loki did not keep any copies, we would not have to deal with almost the same case. I thought of bringing this up, but I kept my mouth shut. Wala rin kaming mapapala sa pakikipagtalo sa isa't isa.

"But this Adolin is different," he added. "He's using the private photos not to extort money, but to collect people, particularly girls. And that might be his weakness."

"By the way, Jamie," tawag ko sa aking kaharap, "gaano mo kakilala si Adonis?"

"Not that much. Binigyan niya ako ng isang bouquet pagkatapos ng play namin last theater season. He seemed so interested in me back then."

"Hindi mo siya in-entertain?"

"He's not my type." Sumulyap siya sa club president namin. "I like brains, not brawn."

"The ideal solution is to tell the authorities that a minor is being blackmailed," Alistair suggested. "They can search his home and seize the device containing the private photos."

"That won't do." Loki shook his head. "If Adolin is clever enough to play his cards, he would have placed a fail-safe in the event that one of his victims decides to tell the police about it. We can't take that chance."

"So how are we going to confront that guy?" tanong ko pagkasandal sa aking upuan.

Nagkaroon ng biglaang katahimikan habang kami'y nag-iisip kung paano malulutas ang kasong ito. Loki repeatedly tapped his finger on the wooden table, the sound growing louder as seconds passed by. We got no codes to crack nor a murderer to catch. Ang kailangan naming gawin ay makuha ang isang storage device para hindi na 'yon magamit sa kasamaan.

"Bakit hindi natin gamitin ulit ang trick noon kay Charles?" tanong ko, dahilan para mapatingin ang tatlong kasama ko sa akin. "Gumawa tayo ng sitwasyon para mapuwersa si Adonis na dalhin ang device na pinaglalagyan ng compromising files. 'Tapos doon natin nakawin sa kaniya?"

"How original, Lorelei. But you know very well that I never use the same trick twice." Loki made a dismissive gesture. "Besides, Adolin may not be the same as Charlie who could be easily fooled. We need a plan that guarantees a hundred percent success."

Muli kaming natahimik. Ang tanging narinig namin ay ang ingay na gawa ng daliri ni Loki. Umangat ang mga balikat namin nang bigla siyang tumayo. Magkadikit ang mga daliri na tila nagdarasal.

"This is gonna be a battle of leverage!" sabi niya habang naglalakad-lakad sa palibot ng mesa. Sinundan ko siya ng tingin hanggang sa nakaramdam ako ng pagkahilo. "Adolin has a leverage on Venus and his other girlfriends, so they can't move against him. But he got nothing on us, thus we can freely make our move."

Naningkit ang mga mata kong nakatitig sa kaniya. His words made some sense, but at the same time, they did not. "Can you be more specific?"

He halted from pacing and raised his forefinger while staring at the blank space in front of him. "We need to gain something that we can use against him. Something that will force him to hand over the storage device to us."

"Balak mong i-blackmail ang blackmailer?" kunot-noong tanong ni Alistair. "But how exactly?"

"He likes to collect people. If we throw him a bait, we can lure him into a trap."

"Bait?" Ayaw kong naririnig ang salitang 'yon. "Do you mean Venus? But she's—"

"No, not Venus or his other prized possessions. Someone who he might be interested in collecting. Someone who he can't easily resist."

"And that person is?" Umangat ang isang kilay ni Jamie.

Nagawi sa kaniya ang tingin ni Loki kaya napatingin din ako sa direksiyon niya. Wala siyang kamalay-malay na siya ang tinutukoy ng club president namin. Palipat-lipat ang tingin niya sa akin at kay Alistair bago sa lalaking nakatayo sa likuran namin.

"A-Are you serious?" Pilit niya kaming nginitian, pero nanginginig ang mga labi niya. "You want me to be the bait?"

"You are the Jamie Santiago, formerly of the Theater Club. And he was interested in you," paliwanag ni Loki. "If you show Adolin that you're also interested in him, that may give us the opportunity to get something concrete. For instance, a video of his attempt to take advantage of you."

"Hey, that's too much!" bulalas ko. My fists clenched so tight that my nails dug deep into my skin. Kahit may hindi kami pagkakaunawaan ni Jamie at kahit naiirita siya kapag kasama ako, ayaw kong malagay siya sa gano'ng posisyon.

"I also do not agree of that method," Alistair seconded. Seryoso ang tingin niya kay Loki, halata ang kaniyang pagtutol. "Using Jamie as a bait and putting her at risk? That should be automatically out of the question."

"Alistair, if this is the only solution to close this case quickly, won't we choose to go down this path?"

"Unfortunately, Loki, this isn't the only solution. We can try other methods, but definitely not this one. It's reckless, it's risky. It's one of the worst ideas out there."

"But if we can achieve the desired outcome, all will be well. The end will justify the means."

The two guys got themselves into a staring contest—Loki's eyes were cold and deep like the depths of the ocean while Alistair's were calm like the sea before a storm. They were both brilliant, but their methods differed. Mahilig si Loki sa mga unconventional at minsa'y controversial na solusyon habang si Alistair ay mas pipiliin ang solusyon na pinakaligtas o may pinakamababang risk.

"What do you say, Jamie?" Hindi pa kinakalas ni Loki ang titig niya sa kababata ko. "Are you willing to be the bait?"

Ilang segundong natahimik si Jamie bago muling bumuka ang bibig niya. "I don't mind being used as a bait as long as it will help us solve this case."

Agad na lumingon sa kaniya si Alistair, kumalas na sa titigan. "Pero alam mo ba kung gaano—"

"Jamie has already agreed." Nilakasan ni Loki ang boses niya. "We'll proceed with my plan."

I sensed the tension rising between the two guys who proposed different methods. Kaming dalawang babae tuloy ang naipit dito. Hindi ko masabi kung talagang gusto ni Jamie na maging pain o napilitan siyang umoo dahil idea 'yon ni Loki.

"Sigurado ka ba sa gagawin mo?" nag-aalalang tanong ni Alistair. "We don't know what kind of person Adonis is. Hindi rin natin alam kung ano ang kaya niyang gawin."

"I trust Loki so should you," nakangiting sagot ni Jamie. "Tiwala akong hindi niya hahayaang mapahamak ako kaya hindi ako nagdalawang-isip na maging pain. Alam ko ring nandiyan kayo para sa 'kin."

"Don't worry, Alistair. If worse comes to worst, we'll interfere and save her from the hands of that wretched blackmailer." Loki took out his phone and tapped his screen a couple of times. "Venus has sent me our target's schedule. We need to execute our plan as soon as possible before he can do something damaging."

"What's the first step then?" Kahit tutol ako sa plano, wala akong nagawa kundi sumunod. I could only hope that everyone would go well.

"You and Jamie will visit the breeding ground of our fish and cast the net there," Loki answered. "For your safety, Alistair will look after you two to make sure everything's okay. And I'll ask Hershey if he got something useful for this case."

"Where exactly can we find this fish?" tanong ko.

"At four in the afternoon, he's gonna be in the gymnasium for his daily shooting practice."

"Ano'ng dapat naming gawin do'n?" tanong naman ni Jamie.

"Shoot."

LOKI CALLED this part as setting our trap. Wala akong choice kundi samahan si Jamie sa gymnasium para maglaro ng basketball. Mabuti't may dala-dala akong PE uniform kaya mas magmumukhang legit ang pagpa-practice kuno namin.

Habang nilalakad namin ang maple floor ng gym, isang lalaking may maskuladong katawan, halos kasing-tangkad ni Alistair, at may blond na buhok ang nakatayo sa three-point line ng left-side court. Sunod-sunod niyang shino-shoot ang mga ipinapasang bola sa kaniya. May ilang babaeng nagchi-cheer sa kaniya mula sa bleachers, at isa na roon ang client naming si Venus.

"We need to get his attention, right?" Itinaas pa ni Jamie ang shorts niya para mas litaw ang mga mapuputi at makikinis niyang binti. Tumakbo siya patungo sa right-side court at kinausap ang mga naglalaro doon. Wala pang isang minuto ang kanilang pag-uusap, napaalis na niya ang mga lalaki.

"I told them na kailangan nating mag-practice para sa basketball game natin bukas." Bumalik siya sa akin na may hawak-hawak na bola. Sinubukan niyang i-dribble 'yon, pero dumulas sa kaniyang kamay. "Boys are so easy to charm. Just a wink, smile, and wave, you can make them kneel before you."

As expected, she used her other asset again (aside from her retentive memory). I wondered if her charms worked on Loki kaya pinayagan siyang sumali sa club? But it might be more due to her resemblance to our president's former member.

Lumingon ako sa bleachers at naispotan si Alistair na nagbabasa ng latest issue ng Clarion. Gaya ng sinabi ni Loki, dapat lagi siyang nakabuntot sa amin para masigurong walang mangyayaring masama. He never liked Loki's idea. He got no choice but to ensure that we would not get into trouble while investigating.

Habang inililibot ko ang aking tingin sa paligid, biglang inihagis ni Jamie ang bola sa akin. Ni hindi man niya ako sinabihan na umpisa na ng practice namin. Natamaan ako sa hita kaya napaaray ako.

"Oh, sorry! Hindi ka kasi focused kaya nasaktan ka."

Tch. Bakit ba ako ang napiling isama sa babaeng ito? Nag-volunteer nga si Alistair na siya ang makalaro ni Jamie, pero sinabi ni Loki na baka isipin ng target namin na couple ang dalawa. He added that it would be much easier for the fish to take the bait if he only saw two girls playing on the court.

Muli kong ipinasa kay Jamie ang bola at sinenyasan siyang i-shoot 'yon sa ring. She tried, but her shot missed. Pinigilan kong matawa dahil sobrang layo ng bola sa board.

We needed to catch Adonis' attention who was busy shooting non-stop sa kabilang court. Kapag nakuha na namin ang atensiyon niya, kailangan naming gumawa ng senaryo para magpansinan sila ni Jamie. And that was probably the most difficult part lalo na't walang hinabilin si Loki.

Nagpatuloy sa pagshu-shoot si Jamie kahit kinakapos ang tira niya. Tumagaktak na ang kaniyang pawis at malalalim na ang mga hingal niya pero hindi pa rin siya nakaka-score. Sumigaw tuloy ang mga lalaking nanonood sa amin na "Okay lang 'yan, miss! Maganda ka naman!"

Salamat sa kanilang pagpansin, lumingon sa direksiyon namin si Adonis. Agad na nabaling ang tingin niya kay Jamie habang umiinom siya ng energy drink at nagpupunas ng pawis. His eyes sparkled with lust as if he was a predator who found another prey.

"You're doing it the wrong way!" sigaw niya mula sa kabilang court. He threw the ball that he was holding bago naglakad patungo sa amin.

"Oh, Adonis! Nandito ka rin pala?" pagulat na tanong ni Jamie, kunwari'y hindi napansin na kanina pa naglalaro ang lalaking 'yon. Agad niyang nginitian ang target namin, the same smile she used to captivate the hearts of men. "Kaya pala sunod-sunod ang pasok ng tres sa kabilang ring, ikaw pala ang nagshu-shoot!"

"What brings you here? Ang akala ko ba'y hindi ka mahilig sa sports?"

"Ah, kailangan kasi naming mag-practice para sa PE bukas. Alam mo namang hindi ako sporty na tao."

Nang nakalapit na sa kaniya si Adonis, hinabol ko ang bolang gumulong malapit sa paanan ng ring.

"JAMIE!" tawag ko.

Lumingon siya sa akin. "Yes?"

I gathered all of my strength in one hand and threw the ball at Jamie's face. Saktong pagharap niya sa akin, tumama ang bola sa kaniyang noo. With a single hit, she instantly collapsed on the floor. Ewan kung umaarte pa siya niyan. Baka sa sobrang lakas ng bato ko, talagang nahimatay siya.

She would probably curse me once she regained consciousness. But this time, kinailangang mawalan siya ng malay para matuloy ang plano namin. Adonis cradled her body to check if she was conscious. When he confirmed that she was breathing though unconscious, binuhat niya ang katawan nito at madaling idinala sa clinic.

Pretending to be her good friend, sumama ako sa kanila para obserbahan ang gagawin ni Adonis. After he and Jamie established contact, everything would probably go exactly as Loki planned. Nagpahuli ako para magkasabay kami ng kababata kong mabilis na sumunod sa amin.

"Did you have to knock her out?" agad na tanong ni Alistair. "Sana'y hindi siya napuruhan sa pagtama ng bola."

"Loki did not give us any instruction, so I improvised." Truth be told, a part of me wanted to do that to Jamie para makabawi ako sa pagmamaldita niya sa akin. "Now, we have to wait for any developments."

q.e.d.