L O R E L E I

THERE IS something weird going on today.

Nasa may gate pa lamang ako ay ramdam ko na ang kakaibang sigla ng Clark High. Mas lalong nadagdagan ang pagtataka ko nang makita ko ang dami ng estudyanteng nagkalat sa open grounds ng school. There were also a lot of couples holding each other's hands, and they have these...twinkling eyes and wide smiles plastered on their lips as they looked at each other. For a while, it was like there were star dusts floating around the campus. Some girls were holding either chocolates or flowers, or both.

I wonder what's happening.

The same scene welcomed me at our classroom. Others, whom I recognized as the class officers, (although I'm not really sure) have started placing decorations as if preparing for an activity. Hindi yata naipaalam sa akin kung anong mga gawain sa room ngayong araw, or was I not paying attention when an announcement has been made?

'This is not you, Lorelei Rios', I chastised myself.

A rowdy group of students passed by me and I heard that the classes were suspended today. Really, may mahalagang okasyon ba ang school ngayon at marahil ay nakalimutan ko lang ito?

A part of me wanted to ask one of my classmates to enlighten me, because trust me, I'm really clueless right now. But I was also the one who decided against myself, because the only classmate I can comfortably talk to—and yes, that's Rosetta, was still nowhere to be found at this time of the day.

Maybe I should just check the club room today and hope that someone brings us a case to solve. I would be much happier to answer some headache-rendering codes and do some sort of investigation rather than wasting my time here.

Wait, I'm starting to sound like Loki. Madali kong pinalis ang ganitong isipin. Being with him in school and at home probably grew up on me that our way of thinking is beginning to be alike.

Lumabas ako ng silid at nagsimulang tahakin ang direksyon patungo sa aming club room. Pagdating ko doon ay nadatnan kong nasa labas lamang ang aming feline member na si Freya. Noong makita niya ako ay dali-dali itong tumakbo at nagpabuhat sa akin, then she began hissing at the direction of our clubroom's door. Maybe Jamie's inside that's why Freya is behaving like this early in the morning?

Wala kasi akong maisip na ibang dahilan.

Pinihit ko ang doorknob at nagulat ako sa nadatnan ko.

A bashfully smiling Jamie stood in front of our ever phlegmatic club president Loki. On her hands that were hidden behind her back was a box of a branded chocolate. It was a peculiar sight to see, if you would ask me. Dahil kailan pa ba naging mahiyain ang isang Jamie Santiago, lalo na't sa harap ni Loki? Usually, she would be this overbearing and clingy girl towards him, so why act like a reserved and timid girl now?

May kakaiba talagang nangyayari sa araw na ito.

And I barely noticed that I'm being a sharp-tongued person. What was I thinking? Is this because of the indifferent vibe in the campus today?

Mukhang hindi pa ako napapansin ng dalawa. I was debating with myself if I should make myself noticed or just turn around and go out the door silently...

When a knock answered for me.

It was only then that the two took heed of another presence in the room, which was unfortunately me. Napipilitang ako na ang nagkusang magbukas ng pinto. I felt relief wash over me as the awkward air between the three of us dissipated, thanks to this person who knocked just in time.

My childhood friend's face greeted me as I opened the door. Katulad ng mga estudyanteng nakita ko sa labas kanina, may malapad na ngiting nakapagkit sa mga labi ni Alistair, but it was the kind that I found comforting and not...creepy. He was also hiding something behind his back.

Pinapasok ko na siya sa loob, at nakita naming nakatayo pa rin ang dalawa sa pwesto nila kanina, Jamie still with her head hung low, as if avoiding meeting with Loki's eyes. May napansin akong kakaiba.

...

"Are you sleeping, Loki?"

Dumaan ang ilang minutong katahimikan bago ko inulit muli ang aking tanong.

His eyes blinked several times, looking a bit annoyed as he faced me. "You disturbed my connection with the sandman, Lorelei. Tch."

For a second, I felt bad for Jamie, as the smile on her lips quickly faded away. Her lips pursed into a thin line, marahil ay napahiya sa naging asal ni Loki sa kanya, bago mabilis na nagbagong muli ang kanyang ekspresyon, at nakangiting bumalik sa pagdikit sa mga braso ni Loki habang nananatiling hawak ang chocolate.

But not so fast as I still managed to see the death glares darted to my direction. I wonder how she manages to change her facial expressions in the blink of an eye. Pwede kaya akong magpaturo sa kanya?

Isang tikhim ni Al at bumaling ang tingin naming lahat sa kanya. "Flowers and chocolates for you, Lori."

Nagtataka namang tinanggap ko ang mga bigay ni Al. Ramdam ko ang bahagyang pamumula ng mga pisngi ko sa ginawa niya. "Thank you Al, but why are you giving me these?"

Mula sa likod ay narinig ko ang pagak na tawa ni Jamie. "Seriously, Lorelei, you don't know what day it is today?"

Agad ko naman siyang sinagot. "Tuesday ngayon, hindi ba?"Jamie just laughed more at my answer. "No, I mean the date."

"February 14."

Alistair chose this time to interject. "Happy Valentine's Day, Lori."

Oh.

---

"That explains everything: the cancellation of classes, the flowers and chocolates, and the students wearing stupid smiles and gleaming eyes. I'm sure this is just a stupid idea of the Student Council."

Loki mentioning the word 'stupid' twice in his statement made me cringe.

Hindi ko na napigilan si Loki at ang kanyang no-filter mouth. Tiningnan ko ang dalawa naming kasamahan at medyo napangiwi din sila sa mga salitang binitiwan ni Loki.

"So that's why I felt weird today."

Hindi ko sinasadyang makalimutan ang petsa at kung anong meron sa araw na ito. Nevertheless, I thanked Alistair for his gifts. "Happy Valentine's Day, Al." Binati ko na rin ang dalawa pa naming kasama, though I don't really celebrate this kind of things.

The four of us sat on our respective seats and remained silent. No one bothered to speak.

I don't know what came to us, pero pare-pareho lang kaming nagpapakiramdaman kung may magsasalita ba o kung sino ang unang kikilos. Well...alright, let's spare Loki because all of us know how he doesn't care about what happens to his environment, unless it's something case-related or if Moriarty is involved.

For long, there was dead silence.

Until a series of door taps broke the room's stillness.

Before Alistair could open the door, the person invited herself inside. Our to-be client, I supposed, was probably a Grade 10 student, judging the ID lace she was wearing. The girl was short-haired, reaching just her chin. It was styled as to complement the soft and angelic features of her face. She was holding a manila envelope.

"This is the Q.E.D Club, right?"

"Did you not read—"

Before Loki could finish firing away his sardonic remarks, I stood up from my chair and ushered her to sit on one of the monobloc chairs inside, a welcoming smile plastered on my lips. Bahagya pa itong napatawa sa pagkakatingin kay Loki bago tuluyang umupo.

Kaya naman pala. Loki was wearing his infamous stoic expression while Freya was sitting comfortably at the top of his head, and she was taking her sweet, sweet nap. Yet, Loki made no move to remove the furry little creature and ignored the younger student.

The girl cleared her throat first. "Right. By the way, I'm Angele Yfel, class president of 10-B. Isa akong masugid na reader ng blog mo, Miss Lorelei, and so I hope I'm right that I give this case to you." Angele wasted no time in sharing her problem.

She pulled out a ziplock bag, and inside was a folded yet wrinkled red paper adorned with designs of hearts and other girly stuffs.

"That's a love letter." Al voiced out my thoughts, just as I was about to say them. She flashed us a weak smile. "How we wished it was."

"We?" Takang tanong ni Jamie, which Angele returned with a nod.

"Last week, Friday to be exact, a friend of mine received this letter. Naisip namin na baka galing sa isa sa mga fangirls niya ang sulat dahil isa siyang sikat na varsity player at gwapo, kaya hindi na rin kami nagtaka." The latter statement almost made me laugh. Right, Jamie had underlings in her own furniture shop. I re-focused at our client telling her tale.

"We were confused when Leo, the one I was talking about, suddenly rushed to the trash bin, crumpled the piece of paper and threw it away. Medyo kakaiba ang naging kilos niyang iyon kasi he always keeps each and every letter he receives. Magtatanong na sana kami kung anong nangyari, and then something happened."

This time, she took out photographs from the envelope. Inilahad niya ito sa harap naming apat at natigilan kami sa nakita namin.

On the masculine arms of Leo was a bunch of blisters, and they weren't looking pretty well. All of them were big and swollen, definitely not a beautiful sight to see. "Noong umpisa ay paunti-unti lamang na nagkakamot sa mga braso niya si Leo, na 'di kalaunan ay naging madalas hanggang sa naging ganyan na."

Kinuha ni Loki ang mga pictures at mariing sinuri ang mga ito. "Did you already have the letter checked for the substance that may have caused these blisters?"

Agad namang umiling si Angele. "We didn't bother, honestly. Akala kasi namin, may gusto lang mang-inis kay Leo kaya siya pinadalhan ng ganyang sulat, so hindi na namin masyado pinansin. Kaya lang, naulit ang ganitong insidente kahapon, at ngayong araw din. Dalawa pa sa mga kaibigan ko ang nakatanggap ng ganitong sulat."

Inabot ko ang supot na kinalalagyan ng nasabing letter. Written using bits and pieces of letters taken from glossy magazines was this short message.

With your sinful mouth and rotten ideals

Preposterous you are, your soul shall burn in hell!

At lahat ng napiling letter ay may kulay na bloody red. Kakaibang love letter ito, if you can ever call this as one. The words were very menacing, I must say. At talagang walang magdududa na isa itong threat at hindi isang love letter.

"Mga anong oras ninyo natanggap ang sulat?"

"Actually, it was more like Leo just found it in his belongings. We were about to head to the cafeteria for lunch when the paper fell from his bag."

Loki swiveled his chair and did his signature thinking pose, smirk included in the package. "With the notion that only you and your classmates were in the room the whole time, unless a teacher did this, we can assume that one of your classmates was the culprit."

Angele nodded. "Iyon din ang hinala namin, pero wala kaming ideya kung sino ang maaaring gumawa nito at kung bakit."

"How true can it be that you really have no idea?" He tilted his head, as if urging Angele to spill something.

The girl, instead of answering his question, shot back her own query while fiddling with her ID lace. "So, are you taking the case or not?" Way to go with such arrogance, little lady. She has this...smug look on her face and seriously, I wanted to wipe it off so bad. Now I'm not really sure if we can trust her or not. Ang mga tao ngayon, sila na ang nanghihingi ng tulong, sila pa ang mayabang.

"Very well." Loki stood up from his seat, and so did we. Alistair gathered the evidences presented as we went out of the room.

"A case of poison pen letter is better than nothing."

---

We trudged along the hallways quietly. Jamie was on her usual business of being Loki's resident arm-hugger, Al was walking beside me, Angele leading the way to her classroom. Hindi na namin pinansin ang mga kaguluhan sa paligid na dulot ng Valentine's Day celebration. Ang aming club cat na si Freya ay hinayaan na naming ipagpatuloy ang kanyang pagtulog sa club room.

Agad na tumahimik ang klase ng 10-B nang makapasok kami sa loob. "Guys, I would like you to meet Clark High's famous detective organization, the Q.E.D club. May ilan lamang silang katanungan para sa ating lahat."

Binati naman kami ng ilang estudyante, bagaman mayroon pa ring illan na tila walang pakialam sa mundo.

"Angelica." Baling ni Loki sa class president. That's Angele, pero hinayaan ko na lang din. Loki would never change, that I suppose.

"What did the doctor say about the blisters? Did they tell you what caused such irritation?" Umiling naman si Angele at inilabas ang kanyang cellphone. "Hindi na namin naitanong kay Leo, but I can call him right now. Nagpapahinga lang naman siya sa kanyang bahay." She went back to the farther part of the room, sa bandang medyo tahimik.

"I actually have initial theories formed regarding this poison pen letter case, what caused such blisters on the victims' skin, but I still have further inquiries." Loki spoke as he looked around the room, placing each student under his scrutinizing gaze.

Sakto namang natapos na si Angele sa kanyang pakikipag-usap sa telepono. "According to Leo, the doctor said he was diagnosed of irritation by poison ivy."

Cue in Loki's signature smirk again. "My first theory was totally right." As he sat on the teacher's table in front, he flexed his fingers together and leaned forward. "Now, the remaining mysteries would be the identity of the culprit and the reason for him or her to do such foolish act. As I've said, I can already end this case now, but we still need concrete evidence. Our club wants to avoid randomly pointing fingers."

Iginala ko ang aking paningin and I saw a student hanging his head low, his knuckles almost white because of the way he enclosed his fist so hard. It was like he wasn't paying attention to the current commotion inside his classroom and at the same time, he does.

Napaangat ako ng tingin nang si Al naman ang magsimulang magtanong. "Sigurado ba kayong wala kayong idea kung bakit kayo papadalhan ng ganoong sulat, Angele? And you said that all three victims were your friends, right?"

"Yes. The truth is, we belong to the same circle of friends. And we are really clueless as to who sent those letters and why. Wala naman kaming ginagawang masama."

Isang nakabibinging katahimikan ang sumalubong sa amin bago isang pagak at nang-uuyam na tawa ang bumasag dito. "Wala kayong ginagawang masama? Sigurado ka ba diyan, Miss President, ha?" isang lalaki ang tumayo sa kanyang kinauupuan, na katabi lamang ng lalaking nakita ko kanina na nakakuyom ang kamao. His words were loaded with sarcasm as he sneered towards Angele's direction, who was with two more other girls.

"Kung makapagsalita ka, akala mo kasing-bait ka ng pangalan mo, gayundin ang mga kaibigan mo. Eh mas masahol pa kayo sa imburnal sa sobrang iitim ng ugali ninyo!" Hindi na napigilan ng lalaki ang sumigaw sa tindi ng galit niya. Halos mapatid na ang mga litid sa leeg nito, ang mga mata'y matalim pa ring nakatitig sa mga babaeng ngayon ay pawang mga nakatungo na at namumutla. Ang class president naman nila ay nanatiling hindi natitinag at matapang na hinarap ang pang-aakusa ng kanyang kaklase.

Ang iba ay halatang naguguluhan sa naging asal ng lalaki. "John, huwag mo namang kausapin ng ganyan si Angele. Respetuhin mo naman siya bilang babae at class president natin. Tsaka hindi tamang basta ka na lamang nambibintang." Mahinahong pagsabat ng isang babaeng nasa bandang likuran.

"Nasasabi mo iyan kasi best friend mo siya, Mai. Hindi mo pa yata kilala kung anong mapanlinlang na ugali ang nasa likod ng sinasamba ninyo at akala niyong santa-santitang class president. Pwe!"

We watched in silence as the drama unfolded in front of us, each club member taking note of the behavior of both parties involved.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Tanggi ni Angele, ngayo'y mailap na ang mga mata.

Sinubukan naman siyang pakalmahin ng katabi niya. He was probably a transferee, a black American maybe. "John, cool down. There's no need to shout."

Mabilis na iwinaksi ni John ang kamay nito. "I don't understand you, Paul. These guys are bullies! I would have reported them to the student council if it wasn't for you stopping me!"

Isang buntong-hininga lamang ang iginanti sa kanya ni Paul. "It's not something serious, believe me. I can handle myself."

Mas lalo lamang tumalim ang mga mata ni John, and he was looking at Paul like he had grown three heads.

"Akala ko, sa mga drama lamang nangyayari iyong mga estudyanteng spoiled brats na mahilig mang-bully ng kapwa nila estudyante na sa tingin nilaý mahina. I don't understand what it's for. Is it for power, or the feeling of being strong and superior? Dahil sa totoo lang, ang mga taong nagkakayan-kayanan na katulad niyo ang mga pinakaduwag na tao."

Angele interjected. "Huwag kang magbitaw ng kung anu-anong mga bagay na walang basehan, John. That's libel." Mariing sambit ni Angele, the steely mask on her face back on.

Agad namang inilabas ni John ang kanyang cellphone at kinalikot iyon bago nagsimulang humarap sa amin. "Ayan ang ebidensyang hinahanap mo." A video started playing on the screen. Inilapag ni John ang gadget sa table kung nasaan si Loki. We all huddled up against his back and watched the recording.

And there was Angele, acting up like the leader of a group, standing in front of a cowering and curling Paul. Nasa paligid niya ang lima pang ibang tao: ang dalawang babaeng nasa tabi niya sa kasalukuyan at tatlo pang lalaki, one which I recognized as the first victim, Leo. They were smirking evilly as they stared down at their poor classmate. May iilan akong nakitang mga bakas ng dugo sa uniform ni Paul and he was whimpering as if in pain.

The voices were faint as the video was taken a few good feet away from the scene, but it was still audible and comprehensible enough to understand. Angele's group kept on throwing insulting remarks to Paul about his race and color, how he doesn't belong to their section...and even to the point of swearing, all along while kicking and punching him from time to time.

Napa-iling ako sa kanilang naging ugali. They were horrible students, and to think that Angele was supposed to be a good example to her classmates.

Naka-todo ang volume ng video kaya malaya itong narinig ng buong klase na ngayo'y hindi makapaniwalang nakatingin sa grupo nina Angele. Ang babae nama'y walang nagawa kundi suminghap habang patuloy na nagpe-play ang video.

"I would've helped Paul that time, pero kailangan ko ng matinding ebidensya laban sa inyo. Matagal na sana kayong na-expel sa eskwelahang ito kung hindi lang ako pinigilan ni Paul. Mabait pa rin siya na hinayaan niya na lang kayo sa mga kasalanan niyo, lalong-lalo ka na Angele. Akala mong napakabait at mahinhin na babae, pero maraming sikreto na itinatago." John crossed his arms and this time, he's the one wearing a wicked grin. Bumaling ito sa babaeng nagsalita kanina, standing proud as if he knew he had the tables turned to his favor.

"Gusto mo bang malaman kung ano pa ang sikretong itinatago ng 'matalik' mong kaibigan, Mai?" Sadya nitong ipinagdiinan ang salitang matalik, tapos ay bumaling sa lalaking katabi ng kanyang kausap. "Ikaw, Oliver? Gusto mo din bang malaman?"

Halata namang naguluhan ang babaeng tinawag na Mai, lalo na nang banggitin ang pangalan ng lalaking katabi niya. But before she could ask a question, Loki sprang up from his seat and sighed very audibly, animo'y hayagang inilalahad sa lahat kung gaano na siya nababagot sa mga pangyayari.

"Too much drama is so boring. Let's cut the chase." He spoke in his monotonous voice. "The video just confirmed my second theory related to the culprit's motive as to why he or she sent those literal poison pen letters to the victims. As soon as Angela spoke earlier, I knew there's something she's hiding. Now, the last question to be answered is, 'who is the culprit?'"

Patamad na umupo sa mismong teacher's table si Loki nang matapos siyang magsalita. He's really lost the case of remembering people's names correctly.

Agad namang bumaling ang nag-aakusang tingin ni Angele kay John. "Ikaw ang may kagagawan nito, John! I know you're holding grudge against us because of what we did to Paul but this is too much! Muntik nang mamatay ang isa sa mga kaibigan ko dahil sa allergic reaction sa balat niya! You could've sent us to the guidance instead." Naiiyak na si Angele habang nagsasalita, Mai moving behind her to comfort her bestfriend. Looking at the crying girl, and yet I know I can't feel an ounce of compassion towards her.

Hindi ko rin mantindihan ang sarili ko. Was it because of the nagging feeling on the back of my mind about this girl of Class 10-B?

John fell silent for a while, taking in the words he was accused of, before laughing sarcastically. "Dapat lang sa inyo 'yan, Angele. Kung tutuusin ay kulang na kulang pa 'yan sa lahat ng ginawa niyong kasalanan." Napansin ko naman ang gulat na ekspresyon ni Paul habang nakatitig sa kaibigan niya. "Mabait na tao ang inagrabyado ninyo, siya ang walang ginagawang masama."

Akmang tatayo si Paul upang magsalita pero itinulak siya ni John paupo, nanlilisik ang mga matang tila pinipigilan ito sa kung anumang balak nitong gawin. This exchanged didn't go unnoticed by me.

Pumalakpak bigla si Jamie na nakadukwang na naman kay Loki. "Case closed! Ang galing talaga ni Loki dear. Let's go and report this to the school administration." She linked arms with Loki and began pulling him outside.

Agad naman akong nagsalita bago pa tuluyang makalabas ang dalawa. "Paul, you're coming with us."

John's eyes widened when he heard me call his friend's name. "No, I'm going with you! Paul didn't have anything to do with this!" Naramdaman kong napatigil sina Jamie at binalingan ako. "Lori, what are you doing? Umamin na si John na siya ang may kasalanan, hindi ba?"

I was about to explain my side when Paul stood from his chair and went forward, a sad smile gracing his lips as he did. Mahina pa niyang tinapik ang balikat nito. "I appreciate it bud, that you'd go far to the extent of covering up for me, but I can't let you take credit for something you didn't do." Sa akin naman tumingin si Paul, nakangiti pa rin. "I didn't know how you knew that instant that I did the poison pen letters, and it's a shame that I didn't realize there are detectives here in school beforehand, but I'm also thankful that you found me. Unconsciously, I was waiting to be found, I guess."

Isang nakakaunawang tingin ang isinukli ko sa kanya, bago ko naramdaman ang kamay ng kababata ko sa aking mga balikat, rubbing them as if he was comforting me. I turned back to Al and gave him a grateful look. Revenge is not really a good thing, pero hindi ko rin naman masisisi si Paul lalo na't naging biktima lang din siya.

Why can't people just treat each and everyone as their equals, not their inferiors or superiors?

"I'm not going to apologize for what I did to your friends, Angele. Let's call it quits. There's nothing wrong I did to you, so I didn't quite understand where the hate came from. But maybe when you don't look good enough, this is what you get. Ever since, all I've wanted is for me to belong, even just for once. I kept on trying, and I failed again."

Isang tikhim naman ang narinig namin kay Loki, kaya napatingin kami sa kanya. His hands were on his sides as he began walking out of the room, Jamie being pulled out in the process. Sumunod na kami sa kanya, Paul hot on our tail.

That's how the poison pen letter case ended.

---

"How did you know that Paul was the culprit, Lori?" Jamie had her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised as she questioned me. We were already stationed back in the club room, seeing that there's no other interesting place to stay at in the school as of the moment. "Hindi na ako magtataka na alam ni Loki dear na siya talaga ang may kasalanan, but you?"

Aba teka. Parang sinusubukan akong masyado ni Jamie ngayon, ah.

Kalma lang, Lorelei. Napabuntung-hininga na lang ako ng malalim. Actually, madali lang naman malaman kung magmamasid-masid ka lang. Paul had been poor in hiding his emotions that's why as early as Loki started questioning, I already had my suspicions. Hindi lang yata napansin ni Jamie because all she did the whole time was stare at Loki while he's doing his deductions. Kulang na lang siguro mag-drool siya.

Ganito ba talaga nagiging weird ang mga tao kapag Valentine's Day? If so, I wouldn't want to celebrate this day anymore.

Loki's voice snapped me out of my reverie. "It wasn't so hard to determine if only you've been paying enough attention. I'm sure even Alistair arrived at the same conclusion as Lorelei's and mine."

Kulang na lang ay kaldero at pwede nang pagsabitan ang nguso ni Jamie sa pagkaka-pout niya. "Loki dear naman eh~" She went beside Loki and hugged his arm for the nth time. Her sing-song voice just reminded me of that girl that Jamie used to hate when she asked for permission from Loki so she can call him 'Dad.' What was her name again? Nahahawa na ata ako kay Loki na hindi makaalala ng mga pangalan.

"Poison ivy is a very common herb in the United States and Canada, and is very famous for being a skin irritant. I'm sure Paulo didn't break a sweat finding the resources, as I supposed he's from there judging from his accent. Good thing that it was not a fatal amount."

Agad naman akong napatango. Kanina habang naglalakad kami patungo sa admin office ng school ay saglit ko pang nakausap si Paul at doon niya nabanggit na galing nga siyang Canada, at nakakuha siya ng halaman mula sa mga itinanim ng tiyahin niya na dinala nito sa Pilipinas mula sa huling pagbisita nito sa kanila.

"Yes, he said so."

Sandali pa lamang kaming nananatili sa club room ay may isang estudyanteng humahangos na pumasok sa loob. Sa sobrang pagmamadali siguro'y hindi na siya nag-abalang kumatok pa. "H-help, QED club..si Angele.."

The student was heavily panting, but the urgency in his voice prompted us to spring in our feet. Huwag mong sabihin na may nangyari na agad kay Angele when we were there just about half an hour ago?

Pagdating namin doon ay nagkakagulo na silang lahat sa unahan. We saw a body lying motionless on the floor, the girl named Mai along with the two other friends of the president crowded around her, trying to wake her up. Angele was clutching her chest and her eyes were wide open.

Right there and then, we knew we're already late.

Agad na lumapit si Loki at Alistair sa kinaroroonan nina Angele and started checking her, both of them ushering the others out of the crime scene. May suot na silang gloves while they examined the area carefully. "Tumawag na kayo ng ambulansiya. Inform the school police, too." Sabi ko sa isa sa mga kaklase ni Angele. Ang mga kaibigan ni Angele ay magkayakap na nag-iiyakan na habang si Mai naman ay hindi matigil ang paghagulhol habang pilit ng tinatahan ng lalaking tinawag na Oliver kanina.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story was supposed to be my entry to the Feb-ibig contest but I failed to submit within the deadline. 힝~ <3 Part 2 is coming up next!