A/N: I know that some of you have been patiently waiting for the continuation of QEDU, so let's kick off with our headstrong Holmesian Harriet!

HARRIET

IT HAS been a week since the incident on the island. Dalawang araw lang ang inilagi namin doon, pero parang ang daming nangyari sa amin. Well, sa akin specifically. Una, nakagat ako ng ahas at muntikan nang mamatay. Pangalawa, hinabol kami ng dambuhalang aso at muntikan nang malapa. Pangatlo, kinailangan naming makipag-compete at matalo ang mga classmate namin.

My guardian angel must be so strong that he managed to defend me from all these dangers. But they weren't just coincidences or accidents. They were intended for us. Not even the organizers knew about the snake nor the hound that was on the loose. It's as if someone intentionally set them free to roam on the island during our activities.

Someone probably did. Our instructors have been investigating on who might be behind it. Unfortunately, days later, we still haven't heard any development from the investigation. Mukhang magaling mag-cover ng tracks kung sino man ang may kagagawan nito.

That being said, it's business as usual in the university. Wala naman akong magagawa kundi maghintay sa resulta ng imbestigasyon at magdoble ingat sa mga galaw ko. So far, there hasn't been anything strange that happened to me in recent days. It made me feel like the threat to my life was over.

But I knew it wasn't. There could be another attack. The mastermind must be taking his sweet time to plot his next move.

Why were we being attacked? I honestly did not know. Tatanungin ko ang mastermind kapag nahuli na namin siya. But my guess? It had something to do with the incident at the Sherrinford Soiree a few weeks ago. Someone who disguised as a waiter tried to kill one of the VIP guests. Fortunately, we were there to stop it and save the day. The failed assassin, who was being kept in a room, was murdered by someone. That someone could be the mastermind or a henchman of the mastermind. Kahit alin pa siya sa dalawa, kailangan namin siyang mahuli.

Maybe they saw not only me, but also my classmates from the other Houses as potential threats to whatever plans they had in mind. Frankly I didn't expect to work well with my newfound teammates: Wilhelmina Williams from House Watson, Aiden Alterra from House Adler, and Morrie Moreno from House Moriarty. I was okay with Mina, but not with the two boys—especially that Morrie.

Thanks to all the ordeals that we had to go through on the island, I saw how capable our team could be in handling a situation. And that may not be the last time we would collaborate with each other.

"Rie?"

I snapped my consciousness back to reality when someone nudged me twice on the arm. Napailing ako't luminga-linga sa paligid. The mess hall was almost jampacked by my fellow Holmesians. Nakapila pala ako at malapit na ang aking turn.

"Okay ka lang ba?" tanong ni Sherry, isa sa mga Housemate at classmate ko na may bobcut hairdo. "Parang namumutla ka? Gusto mo bang magpa-excuse muna today? We can let our instructors know about your condition."

I shook my head. Baka kulang ako sa tulog. "May sumagi lang sa isip ko kaya medyo preoccupied ako. Ako pa, magkakasakit? Healthy na healthy yata ako, 'no?" I flexed my muscles even though they weren't visible, thanks to the longsleeves of our uniform.

Each student is sorted into one of the four groups or "Houses" in the university. I already mentioned the three earlier. Each House has a prescribed uniform for their members. Para sa taga-House Holmes, nakasuot kami ng asul na inverness cape, white longsleeves at asul na skirt. As for the other Houses: yellow vest and skirt for House Watson, green sweater for House Adler, and crimson blazer for House Moriarty.

Naka-color-coded ang mga estudyante rito sa university, kaya hindi mahihirapan ang sinuman na malaman kung saang House kabilang ang isang student (unless naka-disguise sila).

"Are you sure you're clear of the snake's poison?" asked the boy next to Sherry named Locke. Some fringes of his hair almost reached past his eyes. "Baka may epekto pa rin ang lason kaya maputla ka."

"Don't worry about me, okay?" I assured them. "Malakas pa ako sa kalabaw. They had me regularly tested when I got back from the island and the results were all clear. Talagang may iniisip lang ako ngayon."

My turn finally came. The lady on the counter handed me a tray with omelette, a cup of rice, two slices of mango and one hot cup of chocolate. Hinintay ko munang bigyan din ang dalawa kong kasama bago kami umupo sa isang bakanteng table. The entire hall was flooded with a sea of blue.

I'd be surprised if I saw someone with a different color here. Why? Because every House has their own residence. Kaming Holmesians ay naka-stay sa Holmesian Hall. May tatlo pang residence halls sa ibang parte ng campus kung saan naninirahan ang mga estudyante sa university. Think of them as our version of dormitories.

"Rie..." Sherry whispered my name before looking behind her. Parang may sikreto siyang sasabihin sa akin. Kauupo pa lang namin. "Ang nasa isip mo ba ngayon ay ang Quadetective Tournament?"

Muntik ko nang maibuga ang iniinom kong tsokolate. "What?!"

"Baka pinag-iisipan mong sumali kaya 'yon ang nagbo-bother sa 'yo?"

I gulped down some water before wiping my mouth clean. "To tell you honestly, that thing hasn't crossed my mind yet. And hello? Second year pa lang ako. Let's leave it to the seniors. They know better than us."

"But there are rumors, you know," Locke also whispered.

I squinted my eyes at him. "Rumors about what? At kailan ka pa naging interesado sa tsismis, ha?" Muli na naman akong napainom ng tubig. Why were we discussing about this early in the morning?

"I think you're being considered to be our House's champion in the tournament."

Naibuga ko ang tubig na nasa aking bibig. I immediately said sorry when I sprayed water on Locke's face. Hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili ko na mapabuga.

Locke began wiping his face with a handkerchief. I offered to do it, but he refused. "I just had my shower this morning."

"Saan mo naman narinig ang tsismis na 'yan, ha?" Kung totoo man ang sinabi niya, hindi ako aware na pinag-uusapan na pala ako ng iba rito.

"I have a friend in the House Council," Locke explained. "Ang sabi sa akin, they're including you in the shortlist. It's not yet final, but your name must be there."

"You serious?" I snorted. Napasubo muna ako ng kanin at nagsalita habang ngumunguya. "And why is a second year student like me being considered to represent our House in that tournament? Wala ako sa kalingkingan ng senior Holmesians."

"Baka dahil sa island incidents?" sabi ni Sherry, napaturo sa akin ang kanyang kutsara. "Mabilis kumalat ang tsismis na hindi successful ang activity natin doon. Alam mo naman dito sa university, information is currency kaya madali ang pasahan."

"Sherry's right. It had something to do with our island trip," Locke said, nodding. Nawala na ang pagkabasa ng mukha niya. "Surviving a snake attack. Fending off a gigantic hound. Beating the other teams. The Council took note of your accomplishments."

"But I didn't do them alone. I had some help from my teammates."

"Yet you're integral in these victories."

"So what do you think, Rie?" Sherry asked, leaning forward. "Interested ka bang sumali sa tournament? It's a great honor for anyone to represent our House."

I let out a long sigh as I put down my spoon and fork. "Never pa talagang sumagi sa isip ko na sumali riyan—"

"But if they offer it to you—"

"I might have to turn it down," I cut her words short. "The truth is, I want to focus on my academics and earn more points so we can beat House Moriarty or anyone who's at the top."

"You do know that whoever wins the tournament will earn more points to be added to the total tally?"

I nodded. I was fully aware of the benefits of winning. "But it's too much of a responsibility for me to carry the name of our House. Hindi naman sa natatakot akong makaharap ang ibang representatives, but if someone can do it better, then they should have the honor of waving our banners."

Also, if I join the tournament on behalf of our House and I lose, imagine the shame that I'd be carrying with me. Our Housemates would surely have expectations. They'd expect me to put up a good fight and win. But what if I failed them? Ayaw ko ng gano'n.

Wait, what is the Quadetective Tournament? It's a competition among the four Houses of QED University that is always held every four years. Each House would send one person who would represent them in the games. Dito masusubukan ang skills namin sa pagiging detective.

Last tournament, our House ended up in the second place. The champion back then was the representative of House Moriarty. What was his name again? Arthur or something. I didn't care so much since it's in the past already.

Kaya kung gusto naming makabawi, this would be the perfect opportunity. As much as I wanted to get back at that House for beating us in the tournament four years ago and last semester, I wouldn't want to be carrying that burden. Someone might do it better than me.

AFTER TAKING our breakfast, we finally headed to Baker Building. Everyone coming from my direction wore blue. Mula sa taas, mukha siguro kaming alon ng tubig. From a far, we spotted students from the three other Houses coming from three different directions. We all met at the circular intersection in front of the building. Doon na naghalo-halo ang mga kulay—asul, dilaw, berde at pula.

"Guys, mauna na muna ako sa inyo," paalam ko kina Sherry at Locke na kasabay ko sanang papasok sa klase. They both nodded at me while I waved my hand at them.

I squeezed myself into the crowd of varying colors until I caught up with a girl in yellow vest and skirt. Nakayakap siya sa kanyang tablet habang naglalakad paakyat sa front steps ng gusali.

"Mina!" I called her twice. Marami kasing nagbubulungan kaya hindi siguro narinig nang malinaw ang boses ko. She halted and made an about-face turn to me. She greeted me with a sweet smile.

Wilhelmina Williams—or Mina, as I fondly call her—is my classmate and also my teammate. She pushed the bridge of her thick-framed eyeglasses back as her gaze landed on me. She had fringes that covered most of her forehead, and her jetblack hair almost reached her waist. Sa unang tingin, mukha siyang maamo at mabait. Well, gano'n naman talaga siya.

"Good morning!" I greeted her. Thank God that I was always working out kaya hindi ako agad napagod sa paghabol sa kanya.

She turned on her tablet and was about to draw some dots and dashes.

Mina is—how should I put it?—strange in her own way. Hindi naman siya isang weirdo. Unlike almost everyone in this university, she doesn't speak. I had no clear idea why, but it might be safe to assume that it was due to a childhood trauma or something. Hindi naman niya gagawin 'to para lang magmukhang iba o cool sa amin.

So how could she communicate with us? Through Morse code. The reason why she's always bringing a tablet with her was so she could draw dots and dashes on it. Hindi naman kami nahirapang intindihin siya dahil pinag-aaralan namin ang iba't ibang codes at ciphers sa Cryptography class namin—Morse code being among them.

She was halfway in completing her message, but her hand suddenly froze for a minute. Mukhang napaisip siya habang pakurap-kurap ang mga mata niya. Then she turned off her tablet and lifted her head to look at me in the eye.

"G-Good mo-morning," she struggled to speak.

One could say that this was a miracle. That the Wilhelmina Williams was finally able to speak. But this wasn't the first time that I heard her cute voice. Narinig ko na 'to last week, noong nasa isla kami.

What happened back there? Habang ginagawa namin ang first task, na-lowbat ang tablet niya. Without it, she couldn't communicate with us. She could draw dots and dashes on the sand, but that would be too much of a hassle. That's the time she opened her mouth and let her voice be heard by only four people. Gano'n lang pala ang makapagpapasalita sa kanya. Kailangan na ma-lowbat ang tablet niya.

During our island trip, she communicated with us verbally. Noong una'y hindi ako sanay dahil tatlong boses lang ang kadalasan kong naririnig—sa akin, kay Aiden at kay Morrie. Ngayon, I was getting used to hearing her speak. But she still doesn't do this very often, especially in the presence of other people. She's like reserving her voice for our team. Since we got back in the university, bumalik na ulit siya sa pagdo-draw sa kanyang tablet. But in private conversations, she tried her best to talk to us.

"How are you feeling today?" I asked. Nagpatuloy na kami sa pag-akyat sa front steps at pagpasok sa Baker Building. My eyes roamed around to see if anyone's watching us or eavesdropping on our conversation. Simula nang may magtangka sa buhay namin, naging paranoid na ako sa aking paligid. So far, nothing suspicious.

"G-Good," she answered, gently nodding. "H-How about y-you?"

"I'm also feeling good today!" I replied with a smile. I hope I wasn't making her feel uncomfortable by initiating a small talk. Gusto ko kasing mas maging komportable at open siya sa akin. "By the way, have you heard anything about the—"

"GOOD MORNING, WHAM LADIES!"

Napahawak ako sa aking dibdib nang may biglang sumulpot sa harapan namin. My heart almost skipped a beat. Iniangat ko ang aking tingin, napansin ang itim na pants at berdeng sweater ng kung sinumang nasa harapan ko. Bumati sa akin ang nakangiting mukha ni Aiden, pinagyayabang pa ang mapuputi niyang ngipin.

Agad ko siyang hinampas ng bag sa sikmura. He groaned as he flinched back in pain. Napahawak siya sa kanyang tiyan, muntik pa yatang mapaupo sa sahig. Pinagtinginan tuloy kami ng iba pang estudyante na dumaraan.

"Paano magiging good ang morning ko kung mukha mo ang bubungad sa akin?" tanong ko. But props to him, I didn't see or feel his presence around us. Kanina ko pa tsine-check ang paligid namin ni Mina pero hindi ko naisip na bigla siyang susulpot sa harapan. Adlerians are known for their stealth. I shouldn't wonder how he did it.

"Nakabayolente mo talaga, Rie! Umagang-umaga, you chose violence—"

Muli kong hinampas sa kanya ang bag ko. This time, he used his arm as a shield. Napaaray pa rin siya nang matamaan ko ang braso niya. He deserved all the beatings that I gave him.

"Who gave you permission to call me Rie?" I asked.

Aiden Alterra is also my classmate and unfortunately another teammate. Hindi ko alam kung pinagti-trip-an talaga ako ng tadhana o malas talaga ako na magkasama kami sa team. While many female students would gush over his looks—that stupid blonde hair and that stupid handsome face— luckily, I wasn't one of them. For some reason, he's trying to slither his way into my life.

He may be flashing that smile, playing the nice guy and trying to be sweet (yuck!), but I was wary of whatever intentions he may have toward me. He might be like the Adlerian emblematic sigil: a chamelion. Posibleng nag-iiba ang kulay niya depende sa sitwasyon. Figuratively, of course.

"Hindi pa ba tayo gano'n ka-close para ma-earn ko ang right na tawagin ka sa nickname mo?" tanong niya, pahaplos-haplos sa kanyang braso.

"Only my friends can call me by that name. I don't think we're friends," I reminded him. Sinubukan na rin niyang tawagin ako sa gano'ng pangalan noon, pero binigyan ko siya ng warning.

"Nakalimutan mo na ba ang pinagsamahan natin sa isla? I saved your life, remember?"

I felt my face turning red. Naaalala ko pa. We both fell into a pit where I got bitten by a snake. He killed it and sucked the poison out of my leg. "Anong pinagsamahan ang sinasabi mo riyan? And I didn't ask you to save me, remember?"

"Hindi mo man yata ako pinasalamatan no'n. Okay lang kahit walang 'thank you,' basta maging mabait ka na sa 'kin."

Hihirit sana ako nang napansin kong natawa si Mina. She tried to suppress her laughter, but I heard her giggling beside me.

"O kita?" Napaturo si Aiden sa katabi ko. "Kahit si Mina, agree na dapat maging mabait ka sa 'kin."

"Natatawa siya sa 'yo kasi kung ano-ano ang pinagsasabi mo. Iniisip siguro niya na nagdyo-joke ka."

"Mabuti nga hindi niya isinusulat ang 'hahaha' sa Morse code."

"Y-You two look..." Mina didn't finish what she was trying to say. Pinagdikit na lang niya ang dalawang hintuturo niya.

My eyes went wide at her. Lalo pa yatang namula ang pisngi ko. Tama ba ang interpretation ko sa ibig niyang sabihin? "Mina! What are you trying say? Na kaming dalawa ay—"

"We both know what Mina's trying to imply," Aiden said, nodding. "And I agree with her—"

I stepped on his right foot para tumigil siya sa pagsabat. Si Mina ang kausap ko, hindi siya.

"Mina, don't ever think for a second that this Adlerian and I will ever be—"

"Do we have an emergency meeting? Why are you three gathered here?"

My words were cut short when I noticed a shadow approaching us. Nagawi ang tingin naming tatlo sa aking kanan. A boy in crimson blazer and black pants went closer to me. I raised my gaze and stared at his seemingly innocent face. I wouldn't be easily fooled by his appearance.

"Your face is red like a tomato," he commented. Hindi kumalas ang tingin niya sa mga mata ko. I also didn't avert my gaze. If this were a staring contest, I wouldn't let myself lose to him. "Are you feeling well?"

Huh? Kailan pa naging concerned ang lalaking 'to sa akin? "I didn't know you care about how I'm doing. May something ba sa breakfast na i-s-in-erve sa Manor n'yo?"

"I'm concerned that you might have an excuse just in case I beat you in class today," he replied. "You might claim the results are unfair because you're not at your one hundred percent today."

My left eye twitched. Kahit kailan talaga, hindi mapipigilan ng lalaking 'to ang magyabang.

Morrie Moreno is my rival in class and regrettably one of my teammates. Nang malaman kong magkagrupo kami, doon ko na-realize na baka tine-test ng nasa taas ang pasensya ko. I hated his bored face. I hated that judging look in his eyes. I hated how boastful he sounded sometimes.

I didn't like Aiden, but I much more didn't like Morrie. Don't get me wrong. If we were in a sinking ship and I had two lifesavers with me, I'd rather wear them both than give one to either of them.

"Is there anything that we need to talk about?" Morrie asked, shifting his glance from Mina to Aiden. "Any update on the person or people who made attempts on our lives?"

The two shook their heads. Kung meron mang update, e 'di sana alam na namin ngayon. Sir Dred, one of our instructors who supervised the island trip, told us that he would keep us posted. Ipapatawag naman siguro niya kami kung meron nang update sa kanilang imbestigasyon.

"If there's none, I'll excuse myself and go ahead," Morrie said. "I don't have any reason to waste time here."

He didn't need to announce his departure. Mabuti pa ngang mauna na siya. He shouldn't have stopped by to check what we're discussing.

"Excuse me?"

Muli na naman kaming napalingon sa aking kanan. Another man in crimson vest came to us. A Moriartian? Compared to Morrie, this one's taller. His raven hair was tied in a ponytail. What really caught my attention were his eyes. Their colors were different: yellow on the left while red on the right.

"Yes?"

"By any chance, are the three of you and that boy over there members of Team WHAM?" the Moriartian asked. Strangely, his face looked... familiar. Parang kamukha niya ang isa sa mga kakilala ko. I just couldn't remember who.

Lumingon ako kina Mina at Aiden, sandali kaming nagkatinginang tatlo. Napansin ko rin na huminto sa paglalakad si Morrie.

We had no reason to lie so I turned again to the man. "Yes, we are. May kailangan ka ba sa amin?" Wala akong nase-sense na masama sa lalaking 'to, so it must be safe to interact with him.

"Sabi ko na nga ba, kayo 'yon! I heard a great deal about the four of you."

Uhm, okay? My brows furrowed at him. Was he a fan of us or something?

"Ah, sorry! Forgive my manners," the man extended his right hand to me. "My name's Arturius Moreno, a Moriartian alumnus. Pleased to meet the three of you."

Moreno? Kinamayan niya ako, tapos kinamayan din niya sina Mina at Aiden. We all had a confused look in our faces.

Wait a minute. His surname... His face and that person's face...

My head quickly turned to Morrie who returned to our spot. He looked exactly like this Moriartian beside me!

"Ano'ng ginagawa mo rito?" tanong ni Morrie. Akala ko'y sa akin niya ibinato ang tanong. He was actually talking to someone else.

"Ganyan mo ba ako babatiin? Ang tagal nating hindi nagkita, ah?" sagot ni Arturius sabay lapit sa kapwa niya Moriartian. He put his arm around Morrie's neck and scuffled his hair. "Oh, by the way, I'm his brother."

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

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