A/N: I apologize for the lack of updates last December. I had to finish a story offline and was tempted to write "Future of the QED Club."

HARRIET

WHENEVER I have a lot of stuff on my mind, I always go to the gym. Nakatutulong ang pagwo-work out para mabawasan ang stress. It also makes me feel good after every session. So much have happened in the past weeks. Feeling ko'y sasabog ako kung kikimkimin ko at hindi ilalabas ang mga 'to sa pamamagitan ng exercise.

If I wanted to be a physically fit detective, I had to maintain my figure. I always hit the treadmill para mag-improve ang cardio ko. It's not enough that I can identify who culprit is in a case. Kailangang ready rin akong makipaghabulan sakaling subukan niyang tumakas. Ayaw kong magaya kay Morrie na ilang takbo pa lang sa stairs ang ginagawa, hinihingal na agad. He's such a weakling to get tired at something so short and simple.

Nakaugalian ko na ring makinig ng music habang nagte-treadmill. I ignored my surroundings and kept on jogging and running alternately. Nang may maaninag akong anino sa aking kanan, my head quickly turned to that direction. A man wearing an inverness cape appeared, with a black cat following him.

I pressed a button to reduce the speed of the machine. Tinanggal ko rin ang aking wireless earbuds kahit hindi pa tapos ang pinakikinggan ko. I was sure he wasn't here to watch me walk, jog and run. May balak siguro siyang sabihin sa akin.

"Is there anything that I can help you with?" I asked. If I were just starting out here, baka hiningal na agad ako pagtanong sa kanya. Thanks to my weekly training, I could keep on talking and chatting while I was on the treadmill. Pinabagal ko pa ang machine dahil patapos na rin ang workout ko.

"You're already preparing for the competition, huh?" Roanoke Roswell commented.

"Competition?" I pressed the stop button and slowed down as the machine was put to a halt. Nang tuluyan na itong tumigil, I jumped off it and grabbed the nearby towel. Pinunasan ko ang pawis sa buong katawan ko. Parang naligo na nga ako. Ininom ko na rin ang nakatabing energy drink. Mahirap na kung ma-dehydrate ako.

"The Quadetective Tournament," Roanoke replied. Naningkit ang mga mata ko sa kanya habang patuloy siyang nakatitig sa akin. He didn't seem like he was staring at me in a sexualizing way. I was only wearing my sports bra and shorts after all. "Oh, you haven't heard of it yet? I'm sorry to be such a spoiler."

Lalo pang naningkit ang mga mata ko. I wasn't sure kung naalog ba ang utak ko sa katatakbo kaya hindi ko siya maintindihan o sadyang cryptic siyang magsalita. "What do you mean?" Binuksan ko ulit ang bottle ng energy drink at muling uminom.

"You'll find it out anyway so I might tell you now. You've been chosen as the representative of House Holmes."

Muntik ko nang maibuga sa mukha niya ang iniinom ko. I wiped my lips with the back of my hand as I maintained eye contact with him. I stared at him to see if his face would change and for him to say he's just kidding. "Are you serious?"

"You can ask your House leader if you want. She will tell you exactly the same thing."

I averted my gaze and looked out the window kung saan kita ang ibang buildings sa campus. The setting sun casted an orange hue across the sky.

It didn't come as a total surprise to me dahil may nag-hint na sa akin na isa ako sa mga pinagpipilian. But I didn't expect that I would be the chosen one. Of all the candidates, I couldn't help but ask, "why me?"

"You're the paragon of Holmesian virtues," Roanoke said as if he had read the question on my mind. Muli akong lumingon sa kanya. He was petting his cat who stood on his right shoulder. "There's no better candidate than you."

"May seniors ako na mas experienced at mas suited sa role na 'to," depensa ko matapos muling mapainom ng energy drink. Hindi ko alam kung uhaw ba talaga 'to o ito ang way ko para matanggap ang balita. "Surely I can decline the nomination? Wala namang pilitan sa pagiging representative, 'di ba?"

"Of course, you can," Roanoke replied with a slow nod. "But if you do, our House will lose the chance to win the prestigious title this year."

Our House? Oh, yeah. He's an alumnus and the past representative of our House who unfortunately lost four years ago. Hindi pa ako enrolled dito noon at hindi pa ako nakapag-research sa last season ng tournament.

"You're the first choice of the council," he went on, "which means they believe that the House has the best chance at winning if you will carry the eagle banner in the competition. If not you, we will have to settle with the second choice, who's obviously not the best choice."

"Teka, nangongonsensya ka ba?" I grabbed my duffel bag on the floor and walked past him going to the women's shower room. Kailangan ko na ring magpalit ng damit bago ako bumalik sa Holmesian Hall. Baka sabihin pa ng mga makasalubong ko na amoy-pawis na ako. "Sinasabi mo bang kasalanan ko kapag natalo kami sa tournament?"

"Wala namang sisihan dito," tugon niya. His voice was still clear kahit na nasa labas siya. "Honestly I thought you'd be automatically on board with becoming the representative."

Pumasok na ako sa isang cubicle, tinanggal ang damit ko at binuksan ang shower. The cold water began to pour down my head and wash my body. "And why will I be interested?"

"Because you want to beat our long-time rivals and prove to them that we're not a House to be underestimated despite being beaten last semester?"

I clicked my tongue. The last part kinda stung. Sandali kong pinatay ang shower. "You do know how to get my attention." Muli ko na naman 'yong binuksan.

"You and I share the same passion of defeating House Moriarty," Roanoke said, his voice echoed in the shower room. "I failed in my attempt. Now it's your turn. I'll be frank: if you're not going to be the representative, House Holmes may want to raise the white flag as early as now."

"I didn't know that you have so much faith in me. Baka ma-disappoint kita sa bandang huli?"

"Don't worry, I'll be there to guide you," he said. "I'll be your mentor if you choose to accept the nomination."

I turned off the shower and pulled the towel on my side. Sinimulan ko nang punasan ang basa kong katawan. "Sure win na ba tayo niyan dahil ikaw ang magiging mentor ko?"

He let out a sigh. That was obviously not an easy yes. "This tournament's going to be challenging. Arturius will be mentoring the representative of House Moriarty. If he hasn't lost his touch yet, he'd be a formidable support to whoever's their chosen one."

"Teka, aren't you supposed to be investigating the soiree incident?" I asked as I got out of the cubicle with my blue jacket and pants on. Nakasakbit na rin ang duffel bag sa kanang balikat ko. "Shouldn't you focus on that thing instead of this game?"

"Have you heard of multi-tasking?" Nakasandal si Roanoke sa pader sa may pintuan ng shower room. He didn't seem like he took a peek while I was inside showering. "I can do two things at the same time. And who knows? I might stumble upon a clue while mentoring you. Might as well hit two birds with one stone."

I greeted him with a squinted look. May kakaiba akong feeling sa sinabi niya. Parang may itinatago siya sa akin. My Holmesian instinct was telling me such.

"So what will be your decision?" Roanoke asked. Nagtagpo ang tingin namin. "Yes or no?"

"I still need some time to think about it," I replied. It's not a question that I could instantly answer in the blink of an eye. Marami pa akong factors na kailangang i-consider sakaling sumali talaga ako.

"The council wouldn't want to rush you in your decision, but I'm sure they'll be relieved to know that you're considering it."

"Pwede pang maging no ang sagot ko kaya huwag muna kayong mag-expect," tugon ko. Kaya nga humingi pa ako ng panahon para lubos kong mapag-isipan ito. This wasn't the kind of decision that I would want to rush. The weight of the title and the burden of the responsibility might be too much for me if I just said yes.

"Oh, by the way," Roanoke said, making me turn to him, "I have a strong hunch that the representative of House Moriarty will be Arturius' younger brother."

My eyes blinked at him. "Are you serious?"

He shrugged. "Just a hunch. Knowing Arturius, he probably conditioned his brother to prepare for this moment. The younger Moreno seems to be popular in the House and is quite skilled. I won't be surprised if they pick him—"

"Ha-ha-ha!"

Roanoke gazed at me as I threw my head back in laughter. Sa lakas ng tawa ko, nag-echo tuloy ito sa loob ng gym. Pasensya na, hindi ko napigilang matawa sa sinabi niya. It's as if he cracked a joke that I found so funny.

"Seryoso ka bang si Morrie ang sa tingin mong ipanlalaban nila?" tanong ko, nagpipigil na huwag nang matawa. "You probably don't know him at all. Some challenges will require physical strength, right? Kung may takbuhan man, siguradong mahuhuli na ang House Moriarty dahil lalampa-lampa si Morrie. Sure win na tayo!"

"It's better not to underestimate our enemies. I've learned that lesson the hard way four years ago," he said in a serious tone and with a serious face. I felt a sense of regret in his tone. "Morrie may be the representative you're going to face off—should you be the Holmes representative—but the entire House Moriarty will be behind him. He won't be alone in this fight. You won't be, too."

Naging seryoso na rin ang mukha ko. This only showed how little I knew about the tournament. Well, this wouldn't be a highly anticipated event every four years if it's not that complicated.

"Let me just learn more about this competition," I told him. "Kailangan kong malaman kung ano ang i-e-expect ko roon. I don't want to blindly charge in, you know."

"You should. But I hope you'll make a decision sooner rather than later. Mas advantageous sa atin kung maaga tayong makapag-i-strategize."

I bade him farewell before leaving him in the gym.

The Holmesian Hall was a couple of meters away from where I worked out. May mga nakasasalubong pa rin akong estudyante sa paglalakad ko sa pavement pabalik sa dorm namin. Some of them were my fellow Housemates who still had evening classes. Mostly seniors ang may gano'ng schedule.

I saluted at the guard in the entrance as I walked in. Nilakad ko ang kahabaan ng hallway hanggang sa marating ang kuwarto ko. Agad kong inihagis sa sulok ang aking duffel bag. It's been an exhausting day mentally and physically so I just threw myself into the bed and closed my eyes.

Marami na nga akong iniisip, dumagdag pa ang paparating na tournament na 'to.

BY SEVEN in the evening, I exited my room and went to the mess hall. Halos dalawang oras din akong nakatulog. Ilang messages at calls din ang na-miss ko sa aking phone. Nang makarating ako roon, nakapuwesto na sa isang table sina Sherry at Locke. They waved at me and I waved back. Pumila muna ako sa food line at kumuha ng tray. I didn't want to consume more carbs tonight, so I just took a half cup of rice and steak with mushroom sauce.

"Mukhang na-knock out ka kanina, ah?" bungad sa akin ni Sherry pagkalapit ko sa table. Paubos na niya ang kanyang pesto pasta at isang baso ng orange juice.

I put my tray on the surface and settled down. "Hindi lang schoolworks ang nakakapagod nitong nakaraan sa akin. I envy some of you who don't have to worry about any potential threats in your lives. Anyway, what did I miss? May bago bang balita?"

Locke, who had just finished his meal, wiped with mouth with a napkin. Mukhang meron siyang tsismis sa amin, ah? "Have you heard the rumors among our seniors?"

"Seniors?" tanong ko bago mapasubo. "What's with them?"

Tumingin muna sa paligid namin si Locke, tila ino-observe kung meron bang palihim na nakamasid sa amin. He leaned his face closer to me and my seatmate Sherry. "Some of our seniors received an anonymous letter. Pinagbantaan silang umurong sa Quadetective Tournament sakaling sila ang mapili."

I almost coughed out the food that I was chewing in my mouth. Agad akong binigyan ng baso ng tubig ni Sherry at ipinainom. I gulped down the water and took some deep breaths first.

Hanggang sa dinner ba naman, sinusundan pa rin ako ng tournament na 'yon? Couldn't we talk about something else? Babalik na naman ang pressure sa akin.

"Talaga?" tanong ni Sherry. "Paano kapag hindi sila umurong? Ano'ng mangyayari sa kanila?"

Locke became aware of his surroundings again as he casted a glance around. "Their secrets... will be exposed. May ilan na ngang seniors na nag-send ng letter of intent para i-decline ang nomination sakaling sila ang mapili. Namomroblema na raw ang council sa paghahanap kung sino ang ilalaban."

Wait a minute. That's not what Roanoke told me. Ang sabi niya, nakapili na ang council at ako raw ang balak nilang gawing pambato. Pero bakit sinasabi nitong si Locke na parang wala pa silang option—

My eyes narrowed as my teeth ground. That bastard! He talked to me earlier to check if I was interested in becoming the representative and tried to convince me to take the role. Baka i-volunteer niya ako sa council at sabihing ready ako na maging representative sakaling walang mapili sa mga senior namin!

I should have noticed how suspicious it was na siya ang nag-deliver ng balita sa 'kin! He may be an alumnus and a special agent, but he's not part of the council. Dapat isang officer ang magre-relay sa akin ng gano'ng kaimportanteng offer.

"Ang seryoso yata ng mukha mo?" pansin ni Sherry. "May masakit ba sa 'yo, Rie?"

I shook my head to shrug off those thoughts and forced a smile. "Wala, okay lang ako! May bigla kasi akong naalala. Don't mind me."

Muling ibinalik ni Sherry ang tingin niya kay Locke. "Sino kaya ang nasa likod niyan? At totoo bang may hawak silang blackmailing materials laban sa seniors natin?"

"It's definitely one of the other Houses," I said after taking in another spoonful of rice. Mabilis akong ngumuya at lumunok. "Sino pa ba ang may interes sa tournament kundi isa sa apat na grupo rito sa campus?"

"I think so too." Tumango si Locke sa akin. "One of the Houses must be eliminating all possible competition as early as now. Kita n'yo naman, nag-back out na agad ang ilang seniors natin."

"Pero posible bang bluff lang ang mga blackmail letter na na-receive nila?"

"I doubt that," I replied after drinking from my glass. "The fact that our seniors sent a letter of intent to decline the nomination means that they did something embarrassing or controversial that they don't want to be exposed. Kung wala silang ginawa, they will ignore the letter and carry on with their lives. Unfortunately, that's not the case here."

Napatitig sa mesa ang mga naningkit na mata ni Sherry. "If it's really one of the other three Houses, which one is it? Ang usual suspect ba natin?"

I scoffed. "Sino pa ba ang pwedeng makagawa nito? Siyempre 'yong mga mauutak at matutusong maiisipan na makapandaya para manalo. If they allegedly did some magic in last semester's rankings, they can do it again in the tournament!"

Sumagi sa isip ko ang nakaiinis na mukha ni Morrie. Napabitiw tuloy ako sa hawak kong utensils. Just thinking about him and them could make me lose my appetite. That's how disgusting those Moriartians were.

"I'd say na masyadong presumptive 'yan, but there's a reason to suspect them first," Locke said. "Sa lahat ng Houses, sila ang may pinakamabigat na reason para manalo. They're the defending champion kaya it's natural to assume that they'd do everything to keep their title."

"May magagawa ba tayo para mapigilan 'to?" tanong ni Sherry, palipat-lipat sa akin at kay Locke ang kanyan tingin. "We can't just let them send out some blackmailing threats, right?"

I heaved a sigh. Kaunti na lang, ubos na sana ang pagkain ko. Nakawawalang gana talaga kapag sila na ang pinag-uusapan. "We need to prove that it's them behind those letters. But we know that's not gonna be an easy task because they're experts in covering their tracks."

"If worse comes to worst, we might need to rely on someone who hasn't done anything controversial and hasn't received a letter yet." Locke's eyes landed on me and his gaze lingered for seconds. "Remember what I said yesterday? That you're being considered as our representative?"

Sabi na nga ba. Mapupunta rin sa 'kin ang discussion. "Yes, I do."

"Wala naman siguro silang maba-blackmail sa 'yo, 'no?" tanong ni Sherry.

"Siyempre, wala!" mabilis kong sagot. "Unless they installed a hidden camera in my room and took unflattering photos of me, they have nothing to use against me."

I was one hundred percent confident that I didn't have any skeletons hidden in my closet. The only thing that they could use against me was the video where I repeatedly hit Aiden Alterra on the head. But that was leaked already a few months ago. Hindi na pwedeng gamitin ulit laban sa akin. They had to obtain new material if they wanted to blackmail me.

However, my confidence was put to the test when I went back to my room that evening. Pagka-tap ko ng card key sa sensor ng pinto, may napansin akong nakaipit na papel sa ilalim. It's a plain red envelope. With brows furrowed, I lifted the flap and pulled out what's inside.

The Tournament is coming
You better be retreating
Or we will be revealing
Secrets you've been hiding

I crumpled the paper in my right hand. Those fools had the audacity to threaten me?

♥ ♥ ♥ 

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