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

FREYA WAS waiting for me at the clubroom's doorstep, licking her pink paws. Teka, bakit siya nasa labas? Sinadya ba niyang hintayin ako rito? Lagi siyang nasa loob, nakahiga sa ilalim ng mesa, sa ibabaw ng bakanteng upuan, o sa taas ng bookshelf. Kapag binuksan ko na ang doorknob, bigla siyang babangon at lalapit sa akin.

Did someone lock her out?

"Meow!" she cried, rubbing her furry body against my right leg. I lifted her and cradled her in my arms. Hinaplos ko ang kaniyang chin na mukhang nagustuhan niya.

Tuluyan ko nang binuksan ang pinto. Nadatnan ko sa loob sina Loki at Jamie, magkaharap sa isa't isa, at seryosong nakatitig sa gameboard sa mesa. Obviously, that was not chess dahil hindi checkered board ang kanilang gamit at wala ang mga piyesa na familiar ang itsura sa akin.

Freya hissed when I walked past Jamie's seat. Ever since the two met, our feline friend had never liked her. Parang latigong iwinawasiwas ang buntot niya kapag sila'y nagkikita. According to what I read, cats would rapidly whip their tails back and forth as a warning for someone to stay away.

There were two possible explanations why our club cat was outside: First, she did not want to see Loki playing with the girl that she was not fond of. Second, Jamie locked her out so she and Loki could focus on their game. Which between the two was more probable?

Umupo ako sa kabilang dulo ng mesa at ipinatong si Freya sa lap ko habang pinanonood ang paggalaw ng mga metal piece sa gameboard. The moves were only limited to one square at a time.

"Impeccable timing, Lorelei!" Loki greeted as he moved a piece forward. Nakatuon pa rin ang tingin niya sa board. "We need an arbiter for this game. This is getting deliciously challenging."

I scratched the cat's chin, watching Jamie move hers. "Sorry, hindi ako familiar sa larong 'yan."

"I've told you about it before." Lumingon na sa akin ang club president namin, hawak-hawak ang piyesa na sunod niyang igagalaw. "Game of the Generals, remember?"

Oh, yeah. He mentioned it to me noong tinawagan ko siya habang nasa St. Bartholomew High ako. He said that he lost the game to Jamie. Still, wala akong ideya kung paano laruin o kung ano ang mga tawag sa mga piyesa nila. It seemed simple, yet complicated.

"This game is only for the intelligent." Jamie beamed at me. Naka-braid na ulit ang buhok niya, so she was back to being the typical Jamie. "Only those with superb foresight and strategic skills know this board game."

Ako lang ba o parang may gusto siyang ipahiwatig doon? Never mind. Once again, Freya hissed at her, baring her fangs. Hinaplos ko ang ulo niya para maging maamo ulit siya.

"You two usually play blind chess, kaya bakit iba na ang nilalaro n'yo ngayon?" tanong ko.

Loki put his piece on top of Jamie's before turning in my direction. "You may not notice it, but the Game of the Generals somehow resembles our game against Moriarty and his minions."

Halos nagdikit ang mga kilay ko. "At paano napasok ang Moriarty case sa laro n'yo?"

"In this game, you place your pieces wherever you want on your side of the board," paliwanag niya sabay ipinadaan ang kamay sa ibabaw ng mga piyesa. "The goal is to capture the enemy's flag. But here's the twist: You don't know the rank of the enemy pieces."

"Hindi rin alam ng kalaban mo kung ano'ng ranggo ng mga piyesa mo at kung saan mo ipinuwesto ang flag," dugtong ni Jamie kahit hindi siya ang tinanong ko. "You always take a risk whenever you attack an enemy piece, making the game more thrilling!"

"But what makes GG perfectly relatable to the Moriarty case are the five generals." Ipinakita ni Loki sa akin ang isang piyesa na may limang star. Sinadya niyang inilayo 'yon kay Jamie para hindi nito makita ang rank. "From the one-star brigadier general up to the five-star general of the army. However, according to the late Officer Montreal—may he rest in anything but peace—Moriarty has only four high ranking officers. We've already identified the two."

"A blank metal piece on the board can be a weak private, a high-ranking officer, or a spy," muling singit ng kalaro niya. "Using that analogy, a happy-go-lucky student in this school can be a dangerous agent of Moriarty."

Just like Stein Alberts. We were in for a surprise when we found out that he's the young criminal mastermind. Who would have thought that a seemingly harmless math genius was at the center of the madness here?

"Right now, we don't know how to corner the flag a.k.a. Moriarty." Ibinalik ni Loki ang piyesa niya sa board. "But we can take down his generals first so we can focus on him after."

How I wished that we could close this case as soon as possible. As long as that mastermind was walking free, there would not be any peace in Clark High. The game was dragged out for so long, it had to be over soon.

I checked the time on my phone. It was quarter to nine. Patuloy pa rin sa paglalaro ang dalawa. Jamie's never fading smile was drawn across her lips while Loki's serious face was unchanging.

"Hindi ba kayo pupunta sa gymnasium? There's an assembly this morning, right?" paalala ko sa kanila.

"Not interested," sagot ni Loki, sabay patong ng piyesa niya sa kalaban. "I'd rather play GG with myself than waste my time listening to whatever they wanna say."

"Don't worry, Loki dear! I'll play with you for as long as you like." Mabilis namang hirit ni Jamie bago bumaling sa akin. "You can leave us kung gusto mong mag-attend ng event. By the way, where's Al? Lagi kayong sabay pumunta rito sa clubroom, ah?"

"He has an urgent business in Manila so he can't come today." Kung tama ang hinala ko, may kinalaman 'yon sa canceled engagement namin. Mukhang pinakinggan ako ni Papa.

Wala kaming client ngayong umaga kaya wala pang dahilan para mag-stay ako rito. Ayaw ko ring makisali sa nilalaro nila. I would rather spend my time elsewhere while we were not investigating any case.

I gently lay Freya on my seat and left my bag on the table. Our club cat stood and cried "meow," parang gusto niyang sumama sa akin. Sadly, pets are not allowed in the gymnasium so I could not bring her along. She had to wait here until my return.

Wala pa sa halos kalahati ang mga estudyanteng nasa loob na ng gym. Not everyone was looking forward to the assembly. Halos napilitan nga yata ang karamihan sa kanila na mag-attend. Mas gugustuhin pa nilang tumambay sa cafeteria o ibang lugar sa campus.

Nakasalubong ko si Rosetta na nataong naghahanap sa akin. Ikinuwento niya ang kaniyang recent ghosthunting adventure kasama ang Paranormal Club. Sa dating ng tono niya, may kailangan siya sa akin.

"Gusto ko sanang i-refer sa inyong club kaso baka i-reject ni Loki," kuwento niya habang sinusuklay ang kaniyang mahabang buhok. "Napaka-mysterious kasi ng pagkamatay nila. Maybe it's worth your time?"

"Tungkol saan ba?" tanong ko habang pinanonood ang mga CAT officer na ayusin ang pila ng mga pumapasok na estudyante. "Loki does not believe in anything that defies logic. But if someone or some people made the case look like it was caused by supernatural forces, he would be delighted to debunk it."

"We call it the 'Haunt of Bascoville' because the incidents happened in Bascoville Subdivision. Ayon sa mga residente roon, may matandang lalaki na natagpuang nakabulagta sa daan. Halos lumuwa raw ang mga mata niya at nakanganga ang bibig na parang may nakitang multo. He died of a heart attack. The night before he was found dead, may nakakita raw sa kaniyang tumatakbo na parang may tinatakasan."

"Baka may in-inject sa kaniya na magpapamukhang inatake siya sa puso?"

"Wala! Heto pa ang isa. Bumangga ang kotse ng isang lalaki sa malaking puno sa subdivision. Nadala agad siya sa ospital kaso binawian din ng buhay dahil sa mga sugat na tinamo niya sa ulo."

"Drunk driving?"

"No! Base sa autopsy report, hindi siya nakainom. Meron ding poste ng ilaw sa mga kalsada ng subdivision kaya imposibleng hindi niya nakita ang puno. Ang theory ng mga nakausap namin, baka meron siyang nakitang you-know-what habang nagda-drive siya."

If Loki were here, he would surely laugh at her story and mock the people in the subdivision. Maging ako'y duda kung talagang supernatural ang may kagagawan n'on. But if we were to take up this case, we could either prove or disprove the ghost theory.

Ikinuwento ni Rosetta ang iba pang detalye. I intently listened to her until I saw Luthor enter the gymnasium along with the student council officers and executive committee members. It had been a few weeks since I last saw him around the campus.

In-excuse ko na muna ang sarili at nagtungo sa direksiyon ng vice president.

I excused myself to Rosie and walked to the direction of the vice president. He was talking to a tall and muscular CAT officer clad in sky blue uniform.

"Excuse me, Lucian?"

Luthor turned around with just a hint of surprise on his face. His gray eyes were as dull as ever, always giving me a shudder whenever I stared right into them. His intimidating aura, however, diminished as I approached him. Dahil siguro malaki ang space sa gym at maraming tao kaya hindi ko masyadong dama. He dismissed the officer with the rank of "corps commander."

"Only four people call me by that name," bati niya sa akin. "How are you, Lorelei?"

"I'm doing and feeling great," tugon ko. "Sorry if I called you by your given name. My tongue slipped."

Our conversation gave me the feeling as if I was speaking to a version of Loki who was tenfold cold, minus the sarcasms. Parang kausap ko nga ang isang mataas na opisyal ng gobyerno kapag kaharap siya.

"I haven't thanked you personally for getting our club out of that mess." Dahil ngayon kami ulit nagkita, hindi ko pa siya napapasalamatan sa ginawa niya noon. On behalf of our president, ako na ang magpapasalamat. He would not have entertained expressing any form of gratitude to his brother anyway.

"There is no need to thank me." Nagpatuloy na siya sa paglalakad kaya sumabay ako sa kaniya. "I trust that you have not told my brother about my involvement in that case?"

Napakagat ako ng labi. "Nasabi ko sa kaniya no'ng isang araw. He wasn't too surprised."

"Loki loves his club more than he loves me." Deretso ang kaniyang tingin, mayamaya ang pagsulyap sa akin. "He may not hold me in high regard, but I would not let my brother lose something valuable to him."

Despite their strained relationship, he was still concerned about his younger brother. Loki always likened him to a despicable wizard and the apocalypse, but Luthor might not be the person he thought his brother was.

The vice president came to a halt before turning to me. He was not looking straight at my face. He was looking down at my feet. "It seems that your little friend has managed to bypass our security."

Huh? Tumingin ako sa ilalim nang may naramdaman akong malambot at mabalahibo sa binti ko. Freya?! How did she get inside the gym without anyone noticing?

"She must have gone through the comfort room window," Luthor answered as if he had read the question in my mind. His eyes were fixated on the cat as if he was trying to freeze her with his gaze. "Squeezing itself through the grills will not be much of a challenge for its size."

Freya, in return, hissed at him and started whipping her tail. Gano'n din ang kaniyang reaksiyon kapag nakikita niya si Jamie sa clubroom. Pero hindi rin nagtagal ang pagiging hostile niya. Bigla siyang umamo kahit hindi ko siya pinagsabihan. Ikiniskis niya ang kaniyang katawan sa paa ng kaharap ko. She seemed to like him as well despite her initial reacton.

"We had a dog before." Pinagmamasdan pa rin ni Luthor ang pusa. "Loki insisted to name him Fenrir, but I objected to the suggestion."

"Fenrir? Another character from Norse mythology?" Nabanggit nga ni Loki noon na kung magkakaroon kami ng aso imbes na pusa sa club, gano'n ang ipapangalan niya. Sana'y hindi nag-ugat sa pagpapangalan ng alaga ang rocky relationship nilang magkapatid.

"In the end, I got the privilege of naming the dog and christened him as Mjolnir."

Another weird name. Baka tauhan o artifact 'yon sa Norse lore.

Bumalik sa tabi ko si Freya, muling ikiniskis ang katawan sa binti ko.

"I will pretend to not have seen her." Umiwas ng tingin ang vice president. "Just make sure that she will not catch their attention."

Just when he was about to go, we saw two housekeeping personnel drawing handguns before pointing them at the CAT officers.

"Isara n'yo ang pinto. Bilis!" sigaw ng isa sa kanila. Walang reklamong sumunod ang mga cadet sa entrance at ini-lock ang pinto ng gymnasium. Almost everyone gasped once they realized what was going on. Sunod na itinutok ng mga armadong lalaki ang kanilang baril sa mga estudyanteng nasa bleachers. "Kayong nasa taas! Bumaba kayo rito kung ayaw n'yong paputukan namin kayo!"

Nagmadaling bumaba sa bleachers ang mga estudyante at sinamahan kami. They asked us to sit on the floor while pointing their weapons at us. Everyone was terrified, except for one student who lunged at them.

Bang!

"Ugh!" Napahiyaw sa sakit ang matapang na estudyante at gumulong sa sahig. Tumulo ang dugo mula sa kaniyang kaliwang braso na mahigpit niyang hinawakan. Agad siyang nilapitan ng mga kapuwa estudyante niya at sinuri ang kaniyang sugat.

"Akala n'yo siguro fake ang mga baril namin, 'no?" mayabang na tanong ng matangkad na lalaki. "Kapag may nagtangka pa sa inyong magpakabayani, sa ulo na namin kayo patatamaan!"

Tahimik na inobserbahan ni Luthor ang galaw ng mga armadong lalaki, mukhang ina-assess kung paano namin malulusutan ito. Parang nakita ko sa kaniya si Loki, pero walang nakaiinsultong side comments.

"Wala kaming balak saktan kayo basta makipag-cooperate kayo sa amin!" sigaw ng matabang armadong lalaki.

"Nandito kami para kay Emeraude Emerson," anunsiyo ng kasama nitong matangkad sabay pakita sa isang retrato. Kita roon ang mukha ng babaeng kulot ang lagpas-balikat na buhok. "Kung ayaw n'yong masaktan, ituro n'yo siya sa amin o dalhin dito sa harapan!"

"N-No need for that!"

Lumingon kaming lahat sa babaeng biglang tumayo. Nakataas ang dalawang kamay ng student council president habang papalapit sa dalawa. May ilang humila pabalik sa kaniya, pero tumuloy pa rin siya.

"I've come to you willingly," sabi ni Emeraude. "Now, keep your word you won't hurt anyone."

"Madam President!" sigaw ng ilang estudyanteng may metal badge sa lapel.

Nakangiti siyang lumingon sa kanila, pero halatang pilit 'yon. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"Ano ba'ng kailangan ng dalawang 'yan sa kaniya?" bulong ko kay Luthor na sinundan ng tingin ang babaeng nasa harapan. "Why did they ask for her specifically?"

"You may not be privy to this fact, but Emeraude is from a wealthy family," bulong niya pabalik. "She is the daughter of one of Clark High's richest donors. I believe that they want to hold her as hostage in exchange for a ransom."

There were only two men kaya hindi kami mahihirapang pabagsakin sila. I could take down one using my stun pen while the other could be taken care by someone physically strong. Ang problema namin ngayon ay ang mga baril nila. Masyadong risky kung basta-basta kami lulusob.

Ipinasok ko ang aking kamay sa kanang bulsa ng palda ko. Sa ganitong sitwasyon makatutulong ang stun pen ko—

Teka, bakit wala? Bakit hindi ko makapa?

My goodness! I forgot the stun pen inmy bag! 

q.e.d.