WILHELMINA

I WOULD always refuse to do anything illegal to achieve a certain end. But the situation was complicated, we had to resort to an extreme method. Medyo mabigat at mahirap para sa akin ang sumang-ayon sa ganitong desisyon.

Forcing entry into a House's territory is extremely prohibited. One needed to acquire a visitation pass before they could enter the premises. Kung idaraan namin sa legal na proseso, posibleng hindi pabigyan ng House Moriarty ang request namin. Magiging kahina-hinala kung bigla kaming hihingi ng pass at mababantayan din ang bawat galaw namin kapag nasa loob na kami. We did not want them to suspect anything.

Morrie's illegal detention was also a difficult move to agree upon. We had no reason to detain him in the basement of Holmes Hall. Wala siyang nagawang krimen o paglabag na magwa-warrant sa gano'ng aksyon. But Harriet said that if we let him go, we would risk our plans being exposed to his House. With so much at stake, we had to make the most logical choice.

Every action that we had made so far needed to be rationalized. We were doing it for a purpose. It was not for us, but for some of our Housemates who were targeted by a blackmailing scheme. If it were a normal case, I would not have agreed to any of these actions. Ako mismo ang tututol sa ideya nina Harriet at Aiden.

We waited until Morrie's fellow Housemate, Andrei, dropped the package at the place Aiden had indicated in his message. He pretended to be Morrie and asked for three sets of crimson uniforms—two for girls and one for a boy. Kaagad siyang lumakad palayo matapos iwan doon ang isang paper bag. He did not look around or wonder where his Housemate was.

Aiden, using his ability to steathily sneak into the scene, picked up the package and showed us the folded crimson uniforms. Nagpalit kami ng damit at bahagyang inayos ang aming mga sarili. Some Moriartians might recognize us if we retained our normal looks. Harriet had her long hair on pig tails instead of ponytail. I braided my hair which hung over my right shoulder. Aiden combed his bangs upwards and exposed his forehead.

We might still resemble our original looks, but if these Moriartians would not look any closer, they would not notice any resemblance at all.

Then the time came to execute our plan.

From afar, the Moriarty Manor looked like a spooky Western-style haunted house. The lights were dim, the path to the mansion was narrow, and the eerie silence was deafening. Dahil wala kaming kasabay na ibang Moriartian, hindi kami nagkaroon ng problema sa pagtapak sa kanilang teritoryo. Mas magiging komplikado ang sitwasyon namin kung may sasabay sa amin.

We reached the steps leading to the entrance. A gatekeeper was stationed before their large, oak doors. Nakatinginan muna kaming tatlo bago umabante ang isa sa amin.

"Good evening!" bati ni Harriet sa bantay. The gatekeeper did not return the greeting nor reacted to it.

Nang huminto kami sa harapan ng malaking pinto, isang biometric device ang kailangang lampasan. This one required two prints. Meron din kaming ganito sa House Watson, ngunit iris pattern ang ini-scan.

"Lagot . . ." bulong ni Harriet. She glanced at the gatekeeper behind us. "I did not know that they have this biometrics system. Paano na tayo makapapasok niyan?"

"Baka pwede tayong maghanap ng ibang pwedeng pasukan?" tanong ni Aiden. His eyes roamed around the darkness. Maging ako'y inilibot ang aking tingin sa paligid namin. "Hindi talaga tayo makalalampas sa security na 'to."

"Darn, I should have cut off Morrie's fingers!" Harriet whined. "Hindi tayo pwedeng basta-basta umurong. The gatekeeper has already taken note of our faces. He might alert the people inside. Mabubulilyaso ang plano natin!"

"May problema ba?" Lumapit ang gatekeeper sa amin. Kasing talim ng mga mata ng agila ang tingin niya—mas bagay ang uwak na panlarawan sa kanya. "I-scan n'yo na ang mga daliri n'yo para makapasok kayo."

"Pa-Pasensya na." Harriet placed her forefinger and middle finger on the sensor. The scan started running. Then the screen flashed "invalid fingerprints." Lalong nagduda ang gatekeeper na nasa likuran namin. He reached for something in his pants pocket.

"Nagma-malfunction na naman yata ang system!" Harriet laughed nervously. She tried to lighten the mood. But the gatekeeper's piercing stares began to make me feel uncomfortable. Ramdam kong nasa panganib na kami. Sinubukan niya ulit ipatong ang kanyang mga daliri. But the outcome was still the same: invalid fingerprints.

"Teka, maayos pa naman 'yan kanina, ah?" Aiden went along with the system-is-malfunctioning skit. Humarap siya sa gatekeeper at itinuro ang sensor gamit ang hinlalaki niya. "Pwede n'yo bang i-check kung gumagana nang maayos ang sensor? Napeperwisyo kaming mga estudyante, eh!"

"May mga kapapasok lang kanina," sagot ng gatekeeper. "Hindi naman nagkaproblema sa fingerprint detection. Posibleng may glitch ngayon sa system. O kaya . . . posible ring hindi talaga kayo tagarito."

"Ano ka ba naman, Chief?" natatawang tanong ni Aiden. "Nakita mong naka-uniform kami na pang-Moriartian tapos sasabihin mong baka 'di kami belong sa House na 'to? Baka nga nag-malfunction lang ang machine kaya ayaw i-recognize ang fingerprints namin."

"Pwedeng nakawin ang uniform," tugon ng gatekeeper. Tiningnan niya kami mula ulo hanggang sapatos. "Ang hindi basta-basta mananakaw ay ang fingerprints at access sa pintong 'yan. Hindi rin pamilyar ang mga mukha n'yo. Umamin nga kayo sa akin. Moriartian ba talaga kayo?"

The longer we stayed, the deeper the trouble we got into. If the gatekeeper called for the House council and one of them recognized us, it would be a game over for our plan. Paniguradong iimbestigahan nila kami at malalaman nila kung ano ang ginawa namin sa kanilang Housemate.

"May problema ba tayo, Chief?" tanong ng boses ng lalaki mula sa likuran namin. Nanlaki ang mga mata nina Harriet at Aiden nang marinig 'yon.

"Sir Arturius!" Umayos ng tindig ang gatekeeper. "Hindi nire-recognize ng system ang fingerprints nila. Nanghihinala ako kung talagang tagarito sila sa House Moriarty. Wala namang problema kanina sa sensor."

Our luck was already running out and here came the nail in the coffin. Morrie's brother appeared on the steps of manor. He looked curiously at our faces. Nagkita na kami noong isang araw at kung matalas ang memory niya, malamang ay natatandaan niya ang mga itsura namin.

This was what they called a checkmate. Harriet looked away while I looked down. I hoped that he would not recognize our faces.

"Hindi mo ba sila namumukhaan, Chief?" tanong ni Arturius. "My younger brother knows these three fellows!"

And that was it. Our mission failed.

"Freshmen pa kasi sila kaya hindi n'yo siguro namumukhaan."

I was surprised to hear those words come out of the Moriartian alumnus' mouth. I trust that he had a sharp memory. I also swore that he recognized us the moment his eyes laid on our faces. Was he trying to cover up for us?

"I assure you na pula ang dugo ng mga 'to." Arturius crossed his middle finger over his forefinger and gently pressed the fingertips on the sensor. The screen flashed the words access granted. "Baka may glitch ang system sa fingerprints ng freshmen kaya nagkaproblema sila. I can vouch for their identity. Can they come in now?"

"As you say, sir!"

Pagbukas ng malaking pinto, pinauna na kami ng kuya ni Morrie. We shot him questioning stares. But he merely ignored them while we were within the earshot of the gatekeeper. Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit hindi niya kami isinumbong. Ngunit baka meron siyang dahilan para hayaan kaming makapasok.

"You owe me big time for that," he whispered to us as we walked across the entrance hall. "I have no idea why you three are violating the visitation rights regulation and the uniform code, but I let you in."

"Bakit?" pabulong na tanong ni Harriet. "Pwede mo naman kaming isuplong sa gatekeeper kanina. You didn't have to help us get inside your grim manor."

"Because I know that there's a reason why you would do such a thing." Arturius glanced sidewards at us. "Hindi naman kayo basta pumunta rito para mag-ghosthunting, 'di ba? Nase-sense kong may mabigat na dahilan kung bakit kayo nandito."

Tama siya. We were not here for some sightseeing. We were here to get to the bottom of the blackmailing scheme.

Huminto kaming apat sa gitna ng bulwagan. Tanaw mula sa aming kinatatayuan ang portrait ng tao kung kanino nanggaling ang pangalan ng House na 'to: Professor James Moriarty.

"By the way, have you seen my brother?" Arturius asked with a sidelong glance. "He's been missing for more than an hour. We tried contacting him, but he wasn't answering our messages or calls."

"Nakita namin siya kanina kaso nagmamadali siya kaya hindi na namin natanong kung saan siya papunta," paliwanag ni Harriet. She was lying obviously. Arturius gave her a look that spelled doubt. He did not seem convinced.

"Sana makabalik na siya rito," may buntong-hiningang sabi nito. "I trust na kung nasaan man siya ngayon, nasa ligtas siyang sitwasyon."

"Sana nga."

Wala siyang dapat ipangamba dahil nasa ligtas na lugar ang kapatid niya.

"Dahil nandito na rin naman kayo, why don't we have a cup of tea?" Arturius offered. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to us. "I wanna hear why you three will risk breaking rules just to get inside this manor. If the House council finds out about this break-in, they would be furious."

Kahit na nagmamadali kami, wala kaming ibang choice kundi pumayag sa alok niya. We entered the nest of ravens. With just a whistle, Arturius could summon and order them to take us away.

Umakyat kami sa grand staircase ng manor upang makatuntong sa second floor. As we walked past the portrait of the "Napoleon of Crime," I could feel as if its eyes were following us. Baka guni-guni ko lamang.

Arturius led us to the east wing. The layout was similar to the common room. May mga Moriartian na nakatambay rito at nag-uusap habang umiinom ng coffee at tea. They noticed the alumnus with us, and the chit-chats instantly stopped. Without uttering any word, they left the room promptly.

This gave me a bad feeling. Hindi kaya naglalakad kami sa isang patibong?

He closed the doors and gestured to the couches. "Do you prefer a particular type of tea?"

We shook our heads. I was not in the mood for some drinks, given the situation we were in.

"Very well, chamomile tea it is." He picked up the bell and shook it. It created a clanking noise. Someone entered the room and took note of his order.

We found ourselves cornered inside this raven's nest. We looked at one another. We asked each other mentally how we could get away from this situation. He might have already graduated, but the man seated across us still held some semblance of authority in this House.

"Can one of you explain to me what's going on here?" Arturius crossed his legs and rested his forearms on the couch's armrest. "Saan n'yo galing ang mga suot n'yong uniform?"

"Sorry, but we can't tell you anything," Harriet answered with a straight face. "We appreciate your help, but we can't compromise our mission."

"Your mission to prove if House Moriarty is behind something sinister in the university?" Arturius smirked. "Oh, don't look surprised. I'm a Moriartian and I can see beyond people's motives. I can't blame you for suspecting our House. Kapag may nangyayaring gulo, kahit noong panahon ko, laging ang House namin ang sinisisi."

"Pasensya na kung na-offend ka, but we can't just deny the possibility," tugon ni Harriet. "We're willing to go through lengths to prove or disprove our theories."

"I don't wanna spoil your fun, but I think you're gonna be disappointed."

The door once again opened and the waiter brought our cups of hot chamomile tea. Harriet was reluctant at first to take a sip. Aiden's cup was halfway to his lips. I stared down at my own cup.

"Huwag kayong mag-alala, walang lason ang mga 'yan," Arturius assured us as he blew the steam off his tea. "It's dishonorable to kill someone in your own house. And you three are my guests. Kahit na pinagdududahan n'yo ang House namin, I see no reason to do you any harm. I already had enough of this dirty House politics."

Hinipan namin ang aming mga tsaa at maingat na uminom. The tea smelled good and tasted nice. Nakakalma siya sa pakiramdam. Wala namang kakaiba sa lasa at wala rin akong naramdamang kakaiba.

"So what exactly are you planning to do here?" Arturius placed his teacup on the table. "You're not in a ghosthunting expedition, are you?"

"We can't tell you anything. Sorry," Harriet said before sipping her tea. She glanced at me and I replied with a nod.

"You can insist on not telling me or I can call the Moriartians waiting outside this room," Arturius warned. "Remember that you are in the territory of the ravens. There's no easy way out here. But if you tell me what you want to accomplish, baka pwede ko pa kayong matulungan. I promise that I won't inform anyone about your plan."

Nagtinginan muna kaming tatlo nina Harriet at Aiden. We were at the mercy of this alumnus. But was it worth risking our plan? Could we trust him? Would this man make true to his words? Or were they just words?

"The tea's getting cold." Arturius stared down at his drink. His tone became serious. "And I don't like my tea cold."

Huminga muna nang malalim si Harriet bago siya tumango sa direksyon namin. We nodded back as an agreement to what she was about to say. We had no choice but to trust that Arturius would not leak our plan.

"We heard from a reliable source in your House that you store blackmailing materials in what you call Pandoran Library," Harriet spoke. "Balak naming pasukin ang inyong library at kunin kung anuman ang nandoon. We have reasons to believe that your House is using whatever's inside that place to blackmail our seniors from participating in the Quadetective Tournament."

Arturius was only nodding and enjoying his tea while our colleague continued her tale. By the time Harriet was finished, the Moriartian placed his teacup back on the saucer and looked at us. "I won't deny the fact that the so-called Pandoran Library exists in this Manor. As for its contents, well, I can't tell you anything about them."

"If you honestly believe that your House is not in any way involved in the string of blackmailing incidents, you would let us inside the Pandoran Library and see for ourselves if our theory is correct," Harriet said in a respectful tone. She was careful not to offend him. "Kung mali ang hinala namin, that will prove your House's innocence."

"Kung 'yan ang gusto n'yong gawin, hindi ko kayo pipigilan," sagot ni Arturius. "Gaya nga ng sinabi mo, this is my way of showing that our hands are clean. Kung gusto n'yo, ihahatid ko kayo sa library para hindi na kayo mahirapang pumasok. But first, let's finish our tea."

Inubos muna namin ang aming tsaa bago kami nagsitayo at lumabas ng kanilang common room. Everyone in the hallway was greeting Arturius a good evening. We tried to shy away our faces, just in case someone could recognize us.

He was making our mission easy. Before coming in here, we never thought that someone from the inside would assist us. I could not help but suspect that something was up. I hoped that Harriet or Aiden sensed the same.

From the east, we went to the west wing of Moriarty Manor. We halted in front of a doubledoor. No one else was around.

"This is the Pandoran Library." Arturius' right hand motioned to the room before us. "Sana'y mahanap n'yo na rito ang sagot na gusto n'yong malaman."

"Hindi mo kami sasamahan sa loob?" tanong ni Harriet.

He shook his head. "It would be best if I don't. My presence will only attract unwanted attention inside. Can you see those girls hiding behind that pillar? They said na member sila ng fans club ko rito. You can move freely if I divert their attention."

"Thank you."

"As a Moriartian, we do not accept thank you." Arturius winked at her. "You owe me a favor now. Just be careful, okay?"

Aiden pulled the door and gestured inside. Pinauna na niya kami ni Harriet. The library was almost deserted as expected. Like in my House, only a few would choose to spend their quality time in this storehouse of knowledge.

There was nothing special in this library except that the rows of bookshelvers were arranged in an arch. Tables were set at the front row and the shelves were at the back. Pinagtinginan kami ng ilang Moriartian na abala sa kung anuman ang ginagawa nila. They returned their attention to what they were doing as soon as they recognized our presence.

"Morrie mentioned that we'll notice something out of place here," Harriet whispered as we walked past rows of bookshelves. "That something must be the key to the secret chamber."

"Hindi naman siguro ito kagaya sa cabin noon, 'no?" bulong ni Aiden. "Wala namang switch na ramdomly nakalagay kung saan 'tapos kapag pinindot, bubukas bigla ang hidden door?"

Harriet shook her head. "Maingat ang mga Moriartian na 'to. They won't leave an ordinary switch unguarded in this place where almost anyone in this Manor can enter."

I looked behind to check if anyone was following us. Those students in the reading area could have suspected something was off. But thankfully, the bookshelves provided enough cover for us.

Halos nilibot namin ang buong library, naghahanap ng kakaibang bagay na posibleng susi sa secret chamber. It might be a portrait with a queer look hanging on the wall or a bookshelf that has disorganized books.

Twenty minutes passed but we were no closer to finding the switch. Harriet began to worry that Morrie might have tricked us into a fool's errand. That was something she would not forgive easily.

As I was searching a bookshelf in the rear part of the library, something caught my attention. The titles of books lined up in three rows.

FIRST ROW

Like the Summer of 2013
A Tale of Two Kingdoms
Spider-Man
He Who Brings Storm
Sits Like A Dog
Motionless in Space

SECOND ROW

The Center of the Universe
Art of Not Giving a Damn
Women in Space
Not Its Day
World Web Wide
Through the Fire

THIRD ROW

The Kind But Dangerous
Protection Against Radiation
When War Has Stopped
Inside the Web of Conspiracy
This Or That Dilemma
Blades of Thousand Sorrows

Napatingin ako sa classification ng libro na nakalagay sa taas ng bookshelf. The books here should have been about information technology. But some titles seemed out of place. I called the attention of Harriet and Aiden in a not so obvious way.

"Nakita mo na ba, Mina?" tanong ni Harriet na napatingin sa mga librong itinuro ko. "What's the matter with them?"

"Some of these titles . . . are not supposed to be here," I explained. They stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Baka naman may nagkamali ng lagay?" komento ni Aiden. Napahawak at napahaplos siya sa chin niya. "Minsan kasi tinatamad ang mga estudyanteng ibalik ang mga libro sa pinagkuhanan nila, 'di ba?"

I pointed at the empty rack on the left. "They can leave the borrowed books on that shelf. . . There's no need for anyone to go here . . . and put those books where they do not belong."

"Let me guess—You're thinking that someone put these books here in purpose?" Harriet asked. She folded her arms across her chest.

I nodded. There appeared to be no other logical explanation on why these books would be here in the first place.

"Morrie said something out of place will catch our attention," Harriet recalled. "This might be what he must have told us, if he wasn't lying."

Isa-isang tinanggal ni Aiden ang mga libro at kinapa ang base ng bawat row. But his actions yielded no result. There was no switch or button. Morrie never said that there was a switch. There might be something else.

"Wala naman yata rito ang hinahanap natin," reklamo ni Aiden habang ibinabalik ang mga libro sa shelf. "Baka sa ibang bookshelf dapat tayo maghanap."

Muli kong binasa ang title ng mga librong ibinalik niya. I sensed that there was more to these books than meets the eye. At first glance, one might think that they were randomly picked and stuffed in this part of the library. But my gut feeling told me that these books were not randomly chosen. They were here for a purpose.

"What if . . ." I muttered before pulling out a book and reading its title. "The subjects of these books are irrelevant . . . but the titles are not."

"What do you mean?" Kumuha rin ng isang libro si Harriet at mabilisang ini-skim ang laman n'on.

"There is a secret chamber in this library, as Morrie has told us," I explained. "In order to unlock the door to that place . . . we have to look for the password. What if the passcode lies in this bookshelf?"

"Right!" Harriet snapped the book shut. "We don't know exactly what we're looking for. Gaya ng sabi ko kanina, posibleng hindi simple switch ang hanap natin dito."

"Now the password must be somewhere in these rows of books." I stuffed the book back into the shelf. "If you read the first word of every book on the first row . . . the message somehow makes sense."

"Like-A-Spider-He-Sits-Motionless," Harriet read with squinted eyes. "Teka, parang familiar ang phrase na 'yan. But something's not right. Where did I hear that phrase again?"

"In one of the Sherlock Holmes books," I answered. "The keyword is spider which Sherlock used to describe his archnemesis Professor Moriarty."

She clapped her hands. "Tama! The exact phrase is, if I'm not mistaken, he sits like a spider motionless at the center of its web."

"Pero hanggang motionless lang ang mabubuong phrase sa first row," Aiden noticed. He rearranged the books based on the quote that Harriet had recited. "Nasa second row ang book title na may 'center' at 'web.' Kaso second word sila sa pamagat."

I caressed my chin. "Maybe we should make an adjustment. For the first row, the first word of every title. For the second row, the second word of every title."

"So the second phrase is at the center of its web . . ." Harriet repeated as Aiden rearranged the books. "So for the third row, the every third word shall complete the quote."

"But that thread has a thousand radiation," I finished.

Nang matapos nang mailagay ni Aiden sa pinakahuling puwesto ang Protection Against Radiation book, nakarinig kami ng mahinang pag-click malapit sa amin. We looked at the reading area if anyone noticed the sound. But the Moriartians were minding their own business.

Hinanap namin kung saan nagkaroon ng siwang o bumukas na pinto. Sa gilid ng isa pang bookshelf, parang may naaninag kaming gap. Harriet looked at me and Aiden before pushing the secret door carefully. Hindi ito gumawa ng ingay kaya hindi nakuha ang atensyon ng ibang taong nandito.

We entered a much smaller chamber. Merong mahabang mesa sa gitna at bookshelves sa tatlong direksyon. But to our surprise and disappointment, they were empty. My eyes roamed the room. There was nothing here except furniture.

"Heto na ba ang storage room ng mga blackmailing material?" Sinuri ni Harriet ang bawat shelf. Kinapa rin niya ang bawat divider nito. "Bakit walang laman ang mga 'to?"

"Baka tinanggal na nila ang mga dapat tanggalin?" Tumingin sa ilalim ng mesa si Aiden at kumapa rin doon. "Baka nagsuspetya na silang may magtatangkang pumasok dito para i-retrieve ng kung anumang tinatago nila."

Kahit saan ako tumingin, wala talaga akong makita.

"Morrie must have warned them about our planned infiltration!" Harriet paced back and forth in the room. "That message to Andrei! Baka may code siyang isiningit na hindi natin alam!"

"Ako ang nag-type ng message niya," sagot ni Aiden. "Kung sigurong magkasabwat kami ni Morrie, baka gano'n nga ang nangyari."

"Then how can this happen—"

We heard footfalls coming from outside. The three of us stared at each other before searching for an escape route. Dahil nasa enclosed space kami at isa lamang ang entrance/exit, mukhang wala na kaming matatakbuhan. In short, we were driven to a corner.

"DON'T MOVE!"

A group of students in red blazers entered the chamber and pointed what looked like electric stun guns. We held our hands in the air and made no resistance.

"You are in violation of the visitation regulations! You three have trespassed into our territory."

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

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