Detective of Mischief

CHAPTER ONE

LORELEI

THE DAY THAT I MET LOKI MENDEZ WAS THE DAY MY HIGH SCHOOL LIFE CHANGED IN A WAY THAT I had not expected.

It all started when my dad sent me to Pampanga to continue my studies there. After lunchtime, our family driver picked me up and stuffed my luggage in the car's trunk. We left Manila at around two in the afternoon.

What's supposed to be a two-hour drive turned into a three-hour trip. Sobrang bagal ng usad sa EDSA 'tapos may naaksidente pang sasakyan sa northbound lane. We had no choice but to endure the slow-moving traffic and waste our precious time on the road.

At five in the afternoon, we finally reached Angeles City. Compared to the busy streets of Metro Manila, this city did not have towering buildings left and right. The road was not as wide as EDSA, and there were no long queues of vehicles stuck in traffic.

The car pulled up on the side of a three-story apartment. I looked out the window to see the whole place.

"Nandito na tayo, Ma'am," sabi ng driver pagkapatay niya sa engine ng kotse. May pinindot siyang button sa side door panel at may mahinang click akong narinig mula sa pinto.

Halos sabay kaming lumabas ng sasakyan. He opened the car trunk and pulled up my pink luggage. Laging 'yon ang ginagamit kong suitcase kapag nag-a-out-of-town kami. May tatlong tags na nakadikit sa may bitbitan na hindi ko pa tinatanggal. Nagsilbing remembrance ang mga 'yon para sa mga lugar na napuntahan na namin. Kukunin ko na sana 'yon mula sa kanya, pero nag-insist siya na bubuhatin niya. He carefully placed it in front of the black gate.

"Thank you, Manong," I told him with a smile.

"Walang anuman, Ma'am," tugon niyang may pilit na ngiti. Ilang oras din ang biyahe kaya siguradong napagod na siya. 'Tapos magda-drive pa siya pabalik sa Manila. "Mag-iingat po kayo rito."

Muli siyang pumasok sa kotse at ini-start ang engine. I watched as the car drove away until it disappeared from my eyeshot. Mukhang matagal-tagal pa bago ko muling makikita ang sasakyan na 'yon.

I turned on my heel and stared at the apartment before me. May pagkaluma na ang exterior design nito at mukhang ilang beses nang ni-renovate.

So this is going to be my new home now, huh?

Seconds after I pressed the doorbell, the gate was opened. Bumati sa akin ang isang middle-aged na babaeng abot hanggang balikat ang kulot na buhok. May ilang gray hair strands na siya at may wrinkles na rin sa noo. She beamed at me.

Meet my aunt, Martha Henson, the landlady of the apartment where I would be staying for the next couple of months.

"Oh, Lori! Kanina pa kita hinihintay!" Nakipagbeso muna siya sa akin bago niya ako niyakap nang sobrang higpit, halos hindi na nga ako makahinga. I missed her warm embrace. It had been a while since we last saw each other. "Kumusta ang biyahe?"

"Traffic pa rin po sa EDSA kaya medyo na-late ako ng dating dito." Idinaan ko sa ngiti ang pagkayamot ko sa biyahe kanina. "Kayo ho, Tita? Kumusta na kayo?"

"Heto, feeling young pa rin!" natatawang sagot niya bago iginala ang tingin sa paligid. Parang may hinahanap siya. "Hinatid ka ba ng papa mo? Gusto ko sana siyang kumustahin. Matagal ko na ring hindi nakikita si Walter sa personal."

Pinilit kong panatilihin ang ngiti sa mga labi ko. Parang hindi niya kilala kung anong klaseng tao si Papa. Ni hindi man lang nga siya nagpaalam sa akin.

"May afternoon meeting kasi siya kanina kaya hindi na niya ako naihatid. Gusto nga niya kayong makita," pagsisinungaling ko. Wala namang sinabing gano'n si Papa kasi hindi naman niya ako kinausap bago ako umalis.

"Ah, gano'n ba?" Sandaling napasimangot si Tita bago siya muling tumingin sa akin. "Malamang napagod ka sa biyahe. Halika, ituturo ko na sa 'yo kung saan ka magsi-stay. Nilinis ko kanina ang kuwartong tutuluyan mo." Bibitbitin na sana niya ang luggage ko, pero sinabihan ko siyang kaya ko na 'yon. Pinauna niya muna akong pumasok bago niya isinara ang gate.

May kalakihan ang apartment na pinapaupahan nitong si Tita, siguro nasa sampung unit bawat floor. Malamang may kamahalan ang renta dahil malapit ito sa campus at ibang establishments. She mentioned that her tenants were mostly students who did not want to commute everyday going to school. Even I would have chosen to stay in a dormitory.

"Okay lang ba sa 'yo kung meron kang kasama sa unit?" Lumingon siya sa akin, napakamot sa kanang pisngi. "Halos lahat kasi ng mga unit dito, may nangungupahan na. Isang unit na lang ang may bakante pang kuwarto."

"Hindi po ba puwedeng sa unit n'yo ako mag-stay?" tanong ko.

"Gustuhin ko mang magkasama tayo, kaso masyadong maliit ang unit ko para sa ating dalawa. Doon sa studio-type unit kasi ako nagsi-stay ngayon. Dahil nag-aaral ka, mas mabuti kung may sarili kang kuwarto para makapag-concentrate ka at hindi ka masyadong maistorbo."

That's perfectly understandable, but I had a serious concern. "Babae po ba ang makakasama ko sa unit?"

Tumingin siya sa akin na parang nagdadalawang-isip na sagutin ang tanong ko. "Lalaki," tugon niya bago niya binuksan ang pinto papasok sa apartment.

I came to a sudden halt. Napatitig ako sa kanya at napalunok ng laway. I would not mind sharing the unit with anyone—as long as it's not a male.

Napahinto rin si Tita sa paglalakad. Naging seryoso ang mukha niya nang mabaling ang tingin sa direksiyon ko. "Naikuwento sa akin ni papa mo kung ano'ng nangyari sa 'yo sa dati mong school kaya aware ako sa pinagdaanan mo. Hindi ko hahayaang may mangyaring masama sa 'yo habang nandito ka. Magtiwala ka sa 'kin. Ibahin mo rin itong sinasabi kong magiging roommate mo."

She was trying to reassure me, but my trust issues with boys were stronger than any word of assurance from her. Hindi basta-basta mabubura 'yon sa akin.

"Magkikita lang kayo sa common areas gaya sa sala at kusina," dagdag ni Tita. "Hindi naman kayo required na mag-interact sa isa't isa. Magkahiwalay rin kayo ng kuwarto. Kung worried ka sa safety mo, puwede nating palagyan ng tatlo o apat na lock ang pinto. Pero sigurado akong wala kang dapat na ikabahala sa taong 'to."

If my aunt was confident that I would be safe in the company of my male roommate, then she must have known or carefully studied that person. She would not arrive at that conclusion without any basis. "Paano n'yo nasabing iba ang magiging roommate ko?"

Nauna sa pag-akyat sa hagdanan si Tita at maingat na humakbang. Inalalayan ko siya sa likuran. "Kasintahimik siya ng bato kapag kasama mo siya. Hindi siya nagsasalita kung hindi kailangan. Misteryoso. Parang may sariling mundo. Wala yata siyang interes sa mga tao. Dalawang taon na siya rito pero ni minsan, wala siyang dinala ni isang kaibigan o kaklase."

Did he prefer to be alone? "Pero may mga kasama po ba siya dati sa unit?"

"Oo, may naging roommates na siya dati. Pero makalipas ang isa o dalawang buwan, bigla silang aalis at maghahanap ng malilipatan. Ang dahilan nila, may multo raw sa unit. Kapag naliligo sila sa banyo, may nararamdaman daw silang mga matang nakatitig mula sa bintana. Kapag mag-isa sila sa kuwarto, may naririnig silang tumatawag sa pangalan nila."

Creepy. Pang-horror movie pala ang isa sa mga unit ni Tita. Whoever my roommate was going to be, I would salute him for staying this long. Either he was brave enough or he did not believe in ghosts.

"Huwag kang mag-alala. Wala naman daw multo, sabi mismo ng magiging roommate mo." Mukhang naramdaman ni Tita ang pangingilabot ko sa ikinuwento niya. But her words did little to reassure me. "Baka raw may tine-take na drugs ang mga kasama niya noon kaya nakakakita at nakakarinig sila ng mga bagay-bagay. Wala pa raw siyang naramdamang ibang elemento sa unit."

Dapat bang mapanatag ang loob ko sa sinabi ni Tita at maniwala sa sinabi ng lalaking 'yon? Sabi nga nila, "To see is to believe." Unless I experienced the same paranormal encounters that the previous tenants did, I would not think of leaving this apartment.

Dala ng pagkukuwentuhan, hindi namin namalayang nakarating na kami sa third floor, sa tapat ng Room 302. Kumatok muna si Tita bago niya ipinasok ang susi sa doorknob at binuksan ang pinto. The door creaked open.

Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself to meet my roommate.

Hindi gano'n kalaki ang unit, sakto siguro para sa maliit na pamilya. Pagpasok pa lang, bumungad na ang dalawang mahabang sectional couch at center table sa sala. Sa likod ay may dining table na may tatlong upuan at kusina na halos walang kalaman-laman ang dish rack. Sa bandang kanan, merong dalawang nakasaradong pinto para sa mga kuwarto. Meron ding pinto na bahagyang nakabukas sa likuran na malamang ay ang bathroom.

What caught my attention was the boy sitting cross-legged on the floor. He was so focused on the giant jigsaw puzzle in front of him that he did not lift his gaze at us when we walked in. The pieces were all around him. What's weird was that they had no design or color—just plain white pieces.

"Excuse me, Loki?" Tita Martha let out a forced cough to get his attention. What an odd name, by the way. He's the namesake of the trickster god in Norse mythology. "Gusto ko sanang ipakilala sa 'yo ang bago mong roommate."

He tilted his head up, his eyes surveying me from head to toe. His gaze shifted from me to the luggage on my right.

Finally, I got a full view of his face. The first thing I observed about him was his unkempt jet-black hair with fringes that almost covered his gray eyes. His facial expression was as blank as a paper upon seeing me. The corners of his mouth did not move. I could not tell if he was happy to know that he would be having a new roommate or not.

Despite him regarding me coldly, I still waved and introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Lorelei Rios. Pleased to meet you!"

"My name's Loki Mendez," he replied lazily. "I'm in the middle of solving a puzzle here. Can you not disturb me for another five minutes?"

He returned his attention to the jigsaw puzzle. What's with the cold greeting? Ang akala ko noong una, exaggerated ang description sa kanya ni Tita. Spot on pala.

Nagkatinginan muna kami ni Tita at saka siya napakibit-balikat. Sanay na siguro siya sa gano'ng kalamig na pagtanggap ni Loki tuwing may ipinakikilala siyang roommate. Was it just me, or was he giving an impression that he did not want to share this unit with anyone?

"Bale ang magiging kuwarto mo ay 'yong nasa unahan." Tita Martha led the way to my room. Habang naglalakad kami patungo roon, napansin ko ang sticky notes na nakadikit sa flatscreen TV. May mga numerong nakasulat na parang mathematical equations. May dartboard din sa pader kung saan nakatusok ang photo ng isang lalaki gamit ang darts. Halos hindi na makilala ang mukha nito sa dami ng butas.

Loki's indeed strange . . . and mysterious.

Upon entering the room, I smelled the scent of lavender air freshener. Maayos ang kama at mukhang bagong palit ang mga pillowcase at bedsheet. There's a study table on one side and a cabinet in the corner. Itinabi ko sa gilid ang aking luggage.

Iniabot na sa 'kin ni Tita Martha ang susi ng kuwarto. "Pagpasensiyahan mo na kung makiki-share ka muna ng unit kay Loki. Kung puwedeng buong unit ang ibigay ko sa 'yo, ibibigay ko talaga. Tiwala naman ako sa roommate mo na wala siyang gagawing masama sa 'yo."

As long as he would mind his own business and he would not cause me any trouble, we could share the same living space.

"Basta kapag kailangan mo ako, puntahan mo lang ako sa Room 101. Puwede mo rin akong i-message o i-call. I'll be right here."

"Salamat po, Tita." Niyakap ko siya nang ilang segundo. She also wrapped her arms around me, and it felt like my mom was hugging me back.

"Sana'y bumisita rito ang papa mo para kumustahin ka," sabi niya nang magkahiwalay kami ng yakap. Tinitigan niya ako sa mga mata habang hinahaplos ang pisngi ko. "Siguradong mami-miss niya ang kanyang unica hija."

Nagpaalam na siya sa akin bago siya lumabas ng kuwarto. I frowned as soon as the door closed. It would not make a pennyworth difference to my dad whether I was with him or I was far away from him. He could care less about me.

I pulled my luggage close to me and started unpacking my stuff.

LATER THAT EVENING, I GOT OUT OF MY ROOM, BRINGING MY SLIM LAPTOP WITH ME, AND SAT on one of the couches. Nabuo na ni Loki ang jigsaw puzzle kaya nakaupo siya sa kabilang couch at nagbabasa ng librong may pamagat na A Study in Scarlet. I greeted him a good evening, but he did not respond. He must be too engrossed with what he's reading.

I logged in to my social media account and checked the messages in my inbox. A number of my classmates—or former classmates, rather—from St. Bartholomew High in Manila sent me personal messages. Habang tsine-check ko 'yon isa-isa, tumayo muna si Loki at dumaan sa likod ko patungo sa comfort room.

Kinumusta ako ng mga dati kong classmate at tinanong kung saan ako magta-transfer. I closed the messages without replying to them. They would be marked as seen by me. Well, I did not care. I was not in the mood to make contact with them.

Beep! Beep!

My phone lit up. A message notification crossed the screen. I thought of not checking it, but when I saw the sender's name, I was tempted to open it. So I did.

AL RAVENA:

Hi, Lori! How are you? Heard from your dad that you went to Pampanga today. Just want to know if you got there safely. I hope we can talk soon. Take care always!

I shut my eyes close as I took a deep breath. For a moment, I thought of replying to him. But no, I should not. I pressed the sleep button and threw my phone to the side.

Sorry. I could not bring myself to reply and reconnect with them—even with my closest friend. Wala akong galit sa kanya o iba ko pang classmates dati. Most of them were good people. There were only a few bad apples. Pero ayaw ko nang magkaroon ng koneksyon sa nakaraan dahil gusto ko nang makalimutan ang nangyari noon.

For me to move on quickly, I had to cut my ties with the past. It's not going to be easy, but it might be what I needed to do to soothe my mind.

Lumipas ang ilang oras, pero ni minsan, hindi kami nagkausap ni Loki. Kagaya ng sinabi ni Tita Martha, hindi siya nagsasalita kung hindi kailangan. Masyado siyang abala sa pagbabasa ng libro o pagbuo ng puzzle. Wala talaga yata siyang balak na makipagkilala sa 'kin.

THE SAME SITUATION WENT ON THE NEXT DAY. WHEN I GOT OUT OF MY ROOM, I GREETED HIM "good morning," but he did not reply. Kahit isang simpleng "hi" o "hello," wala. Nakatutok pa rin siya sa binabasa niya at nandoon pa rin siya sa puwesto kung saan ko siya huling nakita kagabi bago ako natulog. Teka, natulog na kaya ang lalaking 'to? O nag-reading marathon siya magdamag para tapusin ang binabasa niya?

When afternoon came, I sat on the same couch where I did yesterday. Si Loki? Hayun, nagsusulat ng mga numero sa papel, tila may sino-solve na mathematical problem. We kept on minding our own business, which was good. I was always on my laptop. He was always completing a puzzle, reading a book, or doodling some numbers. If this went on, I would say Tita Martha made a good call in letting me share the unit with him.

While I was watching and laughing at some funny cat videos on YouTube, I glanced at him from time to time. He's so mysterious, I got curious about what he's doing.

And then, a miracle happened.

"Your glances are starting to make me feel uncomfortable. Do you wanna ask me a question?" Loki said without lifting his gaze at me. For the first time, he initiated a conversation. Mukhang may something sa ulam na inihatid ni Tita Martha kaninang tanghalian kaya kumibo na ang kasama ko.

Tiningnan ko muna kung may kausap siya sa phone, baka kasi hindi para sa akin ang tanong niya. Nang masiguro kong ako nga ang kanyang kausap, isinara ko muna ang aking laptop.

I might be a little curious about him, but I did not want to ask him anything.

"I appreciate the silence between us, but I don't mind talking to you," I answered. He did not bother to look at me while I was speaking. He kept on writing. Was he interested or not? "We only know little about each other after all."

Tumigil siya sa pagsusulat at tumingin sa direksiyon ko. Finally, I got his attention. "Oh, I disagree."

My eyes squinted at him as I observed his blank facial expression. "What do you mean?"

"You're the landlady's niece, aren't you?" he replied. "The special treatment she accorded you by cleaning the vacant bedroom and spraying air freshener in it was a hint that you two have a special bond. She's never done that before to her previous tenants."

My mouth gaped. I was not expecting him to talk too much.

"The proximity you two displayed yesterday also suggested that you aren't just her new tenant, but someone she knows very well. A relative then?" he went on, scribbling something on the paper. "Definitely not her child since your surnames aren't the same. Definitely not her grandchild since you're probably around the same age as her daughters who are in Manila now."

My eyes blinked at him in disbelief. I tried to recall if my tita introduced me as her niece, but she did not! She introduced me as the new roommate. If he managed to figure out our relationship by just observing, this Loki might be something.

"Speaking of Manila, you used to live there before you came here yesterday. The three travel tags on your luggage revealed that you always flew from and to MNL, which stands for Manila. We have a domestic and international airport in Clark. If you were a resident here, you would have flown CRK instead of MNL."

I remembered him glancing at my luggage yesterday. Gano'n ba kalinaw ang mga mata niya para mabasa kung ano ang nakasulat sa travel tags?

"Judging by the size of your luggage, you intend to stay here for quite a long time. We're probably around the same age, so I assume you're also a high school student. Clark High is the nearest academic institution from here, so it won't be surprising if you choose to enroll there."

I gulped, my eyes kept on staring at him. "H-how did you know? Did Tita Martha tell you about me?"

"The landlady didn't tell me anything except the fact that I'd have a new roommate," he answered, glancing at me for a second. "I simply observed, applied logical reasoning, and chose the most likely explanation."

He was unbelievable! There's no way he could guess everything right by mere observation!

"But that's not all," he added.

My eyebrows furrowed. Hindi pa siya tapos?

"You're trying to escape something from your past. That's why you went here, to seek refuge and solace."

My jaw almost dropped. "How did you know—"

"You ignored your friends' chat and text messages," he explained. "They sounded so concerned about you, but you didn't give them any reply."

Was he peeking at my laptop and phone? Naalala kong ilang beses siyang dumaan sa likuran ko habang nagbabasa ako ng messages sa inbox. Gano'n ba kabilis magbasa ang mga mata niya? More importantly, where's his respect for my privacy?

"By disconnecting yourself from the people of your past, you thought you would have an easier way of letting go or moving on," he added. "One might ask: What are you trying to escape from? Why did you choose to transfer here in Pampanga which is miles away from where you used to live? Judging by your high-end laptop and phone, your family is quite well-off. You can afford to study anywhere in Manila. Why not go to those prestigious schools?"

Napakapit ako sa mga tuhod ko habang patuloy na nakikinig sa kanya. It always made me uncomfortable whenever someone would bring up something from my past.

"Maybe something happened in your previous school. Maybe you were traumatized so much; just being in that city easily triggers your bad memories. That's why you have to go far away. What could that incident be? Were you a witness to a gruesome crime? Were you involved in a scandal—"

"Enough!"

My fists clenched. I could not take his nonchalant remarks anymore. Sumigaw ako para huminto na siya sa pagsasalita. He shut his mouth and stared at me. If he had already suspected that I was involved in a sensitive incident, couldn't he just keep it to himself? Did he have to show off how good he was at deducing people's life history?

"Did I say something wrong?" He was unfazed by my yell. Gusto niya pa yatang ituloy ang pag-e-enumerate ng possible scenarios.

I grabbed my gadgets and rose to my feet. Nagtungo na ako pabalik sa aking kuwarto nang hindi nagpapaalam sa kanya. Bago ko pihitin ang doorknob, muli kong hinarap si Loki.

"Alam ko na ngayon kung bakit walang nagtatagal na roommate sa 'yo. Mas masahol ka pa kaysa sa multong nanggugulo rito."

Once inside my room, I threw myself into the bed and sobbed. I squeezed my eyes shut and took deep breaths.

Whatever happened back then, I chose not to remember anymore.

That Loki . . . He might be smart, but he's insensitive. He did not care about my feelings, as long as he could show off his brilliance. Thanks to him, I almost reopened the memories that I had locked away in my mind.

Maybe it's not a good idea to be living in the same unit as him.