MORRIE

THE SEA was calm. The weather was nice. Traveling by sea today would be wise.

Thank God that I never get seasick. I could stand at the edge of the cruise ship and stare at the large body of water that we were traversing.

We were en route to the Island of the Ibarras, owned by our very own chancellor. They called it "Maalamat na Isla ng mga Ibarra," inspired by a setting in a Rizal novel, though I believe there's nothing legendary waiting for us in there.

Following the directive from the office of the university chancellor, teams in every class shall undergo some sort of teambuilding. You know, the part where one pretends to get along with his teammates while secretly competing who's the best among them.

Considering who were on board my team, this activity wouldn't be a piece of cake. I could not imagine how we were gonna build a team if members had irreconcilable differences. My relationship with Aiden and Wilhelmina was good, but the beef between me and Harriet might be a problem.

One must remember: I am a Moriartian while she is a Holmesian. There's a slim chance that we could be friends. We have worked before, yes, but that wasn't a formal arrangement.

Harriet must be thinking the same. She's open to befriending and working with Wilhelmina, but not with me and Aiden. She may not explicitly state it, but I could read from how she interacted with our team. When the four of us were deciding on our team name, she supported Mina's suggestion — no matter how lame it was — just to oppose us.

Truth be told, I am not comfortable working with others. I am more comfortable if they are working for me. But thanks to us showing the value of teamwork, the chancellor was inspired to instill unity in diversity among students.

Disaster. One word that could perfectly describe the decision to put a student from each House in one room. Imagine cooking a meal using ingredients that do not go together. What would the taste be?

Not good? Exactly.

Unity in diversity? Unfortunately, my dear sir, I am not buying it. We may be magnets with different poles but never in a million years would there be any chance for us to be attracted to one another.

I was still trying to get used to calling ourselves Team WHAM. If only I came up with something wittier, I would have proposed a different group name.

"Morrie?"

My fellow Moriartian Andre appeared on my side, looking more anxious than usual. He has this troubled look on his face whenever he's about to tell me something that's either confidential or embarrasing. Between the two, I deduced it must be the former.

"Yes?"

He passed a folded piece of paper to me. "Mula kay House leader. Kakatapos lang mag-meeting ng council kagabi. Meron na silang desisyon."

My guess was right. It was confidential. Everything that comes from our House council should never be leaked to anyone who's not part of the conversation. I wonder what the message contained. Though I act as a consultant for them, I sometimes do not get invited in their meetings.

"Alam mo na kung ano ang gagawin pagkatapos basahin 'yan." Andre tapped my shoulder before leaving me in peace. I simply looked around to see if anyone's nearby. When the coast was clear, I unfolded the paper and saw some symbols that might be Greek to others.

For confidential messages, we encrypt the content using the "Moriarty" code. Despite its name, not everyone in our House could decode messages written in this way. One has to know on his own what characters represent certain alphabet letters.

So the game's about to begin, huh?

I crumpled the paper as soon as I finished reading it and threw it at the sea. If anyone especially from Houses Holmes and Watson found it, they might be able to crack the "Moriarty" code.

"Baka maisipan mong tumalon diyan, ah?"

Only twelve of us were aboard in this cruiser, excluding the crew. Using the process of elimination, there's only one person who would talk to me in that manner.

"Lalampasuhin pa namin kayong Moriartards kaya huwag ka munang mag-suicide," Harriet teased, smirking at me. "You better live to see that day come."

"That might take a lifetime though," I countered, wiping that smirk off her face.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, was the first step on team building: trading barbs. She started it. I followed her lead.

"Ceasefire muna tayo ngayong araw, okay?" She rested her arms on the ship's railings as she looked at my direction. "I heard from Sir Dred that we will compete against the two other teams."

She mentioned the word "ceasefire" yet she was the first to shoot an insult. I'm open to the idea. If there's a need to set aside our differences for a while to win, I would. After all, the two of us have common enemies.

"Hey! Nandito pala kayo!"

Like a ninja, Aiden appeared behind us and wrapped his arm around my neck. He did the same on Harriet who quickly flinched and slapped his arm away.

"Huwag mo nga akong mahawakan!" Harriet fumed with disgust. She spoke as if our teammate had a contagious disease. "Hindi pa tayo gano'n ka-close, okay? Kaya keep your hands off me."

"Parang akbay lang!" Aiden's voice trailed off and his face showed the slightest hint of disappointment. "Mabuti pa itong si Morrie, hindi nagrereklamo."

I would have asked him to remove his arm but I would let my cold stare do the trick.

"By the way, where's Mina?" Harriet asked as her head slowly panned, looking for our Watsonian teammate.

"Nahihilo siya kaya pinagpahinga siya sa loob." Aiden jerked his thumb to the direction of the cabins. "Uminom na siya ng gamot kontra seasickness. Don't worry! Magiging maayos din siya pagdating natin sa isla."

Our Holmesian companion sighed. What's with the long face? "I hope so. Ayaw ko kasing kayong dalawa lang ang makatrabaho ko mamaya."

"Grabe ka naman, Rie! Kailangan na nating i-set aside ang mga pagkakaiba natin at mag-focus sa pagkakatulad natin para manalo tayo!"

Since when did the Adlerian become the preacher of teamwork? It's all for nothing. His words would fall on deaf ears.

Annoyed, Harriet grabbed him by the wrist. I could see on his face that he was in pain.

"Ouch! Ouch!"

"When did I give you the permission to call me by my nickname, huh? Isang beses pang marinig kong tinawag mo akong Rie, babaliin ko ang buto mo. Maliwanag?"

"Ma-Maliwanag! Kaya please, bitawan mo na ang braso ko, Ri—Harriet!"

She let go of Aiden's left arm and walked away. "Kausapin ko si Mina. Mas may sense pa siyang kausap kaysa sa inyong dalawa."

Good luck decoding Mina's thoughts. I'd rather enjoy the seabreeze and watch the crushing waves as we got closer to the island.

"Kailangan ko na rin sigurong bumalik sa loob," the Adlerian beside me muttered.

Before he could take a step away from me, I called him. "Aiden."

"Yes?" he turned around.

We stood face to face, my dull eyes staring at his curious ones. His eyebrows furrowed.

"How's your assignment?" I asked.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and beads of sweat trickled down his face. Relax, that was just a question.

"Napansin mo na sigurong ayaw ni Harriet sa akin," he lowered his voice and glanced at the door. "Lagi niya akong tinataboy o pinagbabantaang babalian ng buto kapag gumagawa ako ng move."

"Do you wanna give up?"

He shook his head. Of course, he couldn't. "Hindi gano'n ang ibig kong sabihin! Hindi ako basta-basta makakalapit sa kanya. Parang apoy kasi si Harriet. Kapag lalo akong lumalapit, lalo akong nasusunog."

That did not sound good, not now that I have received orders from my higher ups. "Our time is running out. I need something that I can use against her."

"Do you mind me asking kung ano ba talagang binabalak mo?" he asked. "Bakit gusto mong malaman ang kahinaan ni Harriet?"

My sharp eyes looked at him with their coldest gaze, enough to make him back down. "Need not to know. Do what I tell you to do and I shall honor our agreement."

I made an about-turn, focusing my sight on the island that was gradually emerging from the horizon. Aiden no longer replied. He probably found it useless to dig deeper about my motive.

Something must be done.

Our cruise ship docked at the island's harbor by eight in the morning. Everyone seemed to be excited by the two-day teambuilding activities, except me. Participating in activities was synonymous to doing legwork. If only I had a choice, I would have stayed in our Manor.

"Welcome sa Maalamat na Isla ng mga Ibarra!" Sir Dred, enthusiastic as ever, greeted us as we got off the ship. From where I stood, the green landscape of the island welcomed my eyes. I could hear the birds chirping and the tree leaves rustling from afar.

We grouped ourselves into our own teams. Aiden and I went ahead while Harriet helped Mina walk across the gangway. The latter did not look well. The Adlerian volunteered to bring the Watsonian's luggage for her and put them down on the dock.

"Okay ka lang?" Our concerned instructor asked Mina, to which the Watsonian nodded. But I don't think she's okay. She was unusually pale and weak, she might collapse anytime. Was it due to her seasickness or something else?

When everyone's on the harbor, Sir Dred cleared his throat and put his hands behind him. He looked like a military officer about to give mission to his unit.

"Today, in accordance to the memorandum issued by the chancellor, shall be the start of your teambuilding activities. The following challenges will test your wits, your strength and more importantly, your ability to cooperate with people who do not belong in the same House."

Harriet was secretly letting out a sigh, I assume. Smiling from ear to ear, Aiden appeared to be looking forward to the so-called inter-House cooperation. Mina and I were as blank as brick.

"At ang pinakauna n'yong challenge ay makapunta sa wooden cabins kung saan kayo mag-i-stay nang dalawang araw dito," Sir Dred raised his voice so those who weren't paying attention would hear him. "Hindi ko kayo bibigyan ng mapa, pero may ibibigay akong clue para malaman n'yo kung saan kayo dapat pumunta."

He gave out small envelopes to each team. Acting as our team leader, Harriet received our copy and tore it apart, revealing a card. We leaned a little closer to her to see what's written.

GO TO THE BEGINNING OF NEWS

"The first team to reach the cabins will be awarded ten points, the second will get seven while the last will receive five," Sir Dred panned his head, looking at the face of every participant. "Do you have any questions? None? Go!"

Each team separated way from one another. Now that the competition has officially begun, it was best not to let others know what we were planning. This time, however, we would be pitting against our peers who belong to the same House.

"Any idea on what this clue means?" Harriet roamed her eyes over us, showing the card that contained the hint.

Aiden crossed his arms across his chest while touching his clean-shaven chin. "Kung ita-translate sa Filipino, 'pumunta sa simula ng balita.' Which doesn't make sense, does it?"

"And it doesn't particularly point us to anywhere," I added. "No map was provided so how can that card serve as a clue?"

"Maybe it isn't the 'news' that we know," Harriet mumbled, her eyes fixated on the printed words. "Maybe the word stands for something else?"

"Bakit hindi natin itanong kay pareng Google? Wala namang sinabi si Sir Dred na bawal mag-search sa internet, 'di ba?" After proudly showing his phone, Aiden started typing on the screen. "Pwede nating i-search sa Google maps kung nasaan tayo at bibigyan niya pa tayo ng ideya sa layout ng isla."

"Okay, Mr. Genius, paano mo magagamit ang ating current location kung hindi natin alam saan tayo pupunta?" Harriet sneered. She was trying hard to make this team work, but she couldn't resist insulting the Adlerian. "Oo, malalaman mo nga ang layout ng islang 'to, pero 'di mo naman alam kung anong direksyon ang dapat mong puntahan."

"Just wait and see Harr—Oops!" Aiden repeatedly tapped on the phonescreen. The page that he visited refused to load its contents.

"What's wrong?"

"No service ang mobile data ko," he said, clicking his tongue. "Hindi ko tuloy ma-browse sa Google maps kung nasaan tayo."

"Talaga?" Curious, Harriet also took out her phone and checked the display screen. Her brows furrowed. "Teka, kanina may signal pa tayo, ah. Hindi rin naman malayo ang islang ito sa city."

"There might be some inexplicable forces at play here," I commented, glancing at the towering trees meters in front of us. "They wouldn't call this place Maalamat na Gubat ng mga Ibarra for nothing."

"-- -•-- ••• •• --• -• •- •-•• •• ••• •- •-•• ••• --- -•• --- •-- -•," Mina wrote on her iPad.

Harriet checked the card once more. Whoever arranged the first task must have anticipated that we would try to cheat by connecting to the internet. "This 'news...' Malakas ang kutob kong may ibang meaning ito. It may not mean balita o bago."

What else could the word "news" stand for? If that wasn't a word, then—

My lips curved as an idea popped into my head. "I agree with you, Harriet. The word 'news' in the clue has an entirely different meaning."

She raised her left eyebrow. "How?"

I picked it up a thin stick lying around and scribbled the four letters on the sand. "What if 'news' isn't a word that we thought it was? What if it's an acronym?"

Harriet's eyes slowly widened, Aiden's face looked more confused while Mina was silently staring at me.

"Now I get it! What the word 'news' means!" Our Holmesian teammate clapped her hands. She should thank me for giving her a clue. But that's not gonna happen.

"There's a myth that the word 'news' came from the four primary directions," I explained, pointing at every letter while saying the word that they stood for. "N for North. E for East. W for West and S for South."

"Paliwanag kasi ng ilan, kino-cover daw ng news ang mga nangyayari sa lahat ng direksyon," Harriet added, nodding. "But that isn't true."

"Okay, okay! Thanks for the trivia!" Aiden raised both of his hands. "Kung gano'n nga ang meaning ng salitang 'news' sa hint, bale ang ibig sabihin niya..."

"Letter N ang simula ng 'news' at kung tama ang explanation namin, the clue is telling us to go to the north," Harriet finished.

"Napakadali naman pala!" Aiden's eyebrows knitted when he realized something. "Teka, nasaan ang north dito?"

There was no easy way of telling by just looking around. Our instructor would not give a task that could be easily accomplished. He wanted us to exhaust our wits until we come up with an answer.

"Mina, meron ka bang compass app sa iPad mo?" Harriet turned to our quiet teammate.

The Watsonian nodded, doing some swiping and tapping gestures on her gadget. Her eyes narrowed into slits as if she saw something that she couldn't comprehend.

"What was it?" the Holmesian asked.

Wilhelmina showed us the image of a compass. But the magnetic needle, which was supposed to be always pointing to north, was rotating endlessly. Even the compass' digital version could not be trusted in these times.

"Mukhang hindi rin gumagana 'yan," Aiden sighed. "Paano natin malalaman kung saang direksyon ang north?"

"If we only have an analog watch, we might be able to find it but..." Harriet looked at the wrist of every member in the team. "...wala ni isa sa atin ang merong gano'n."

"- •••• • •-• • •• ••• •- -• --- - •••• • •-• •-- •- -•--," the Watsonian wrote on her iPad.

"How?"

"-•• • - • •-• -- •• -• • ••• ••- -• •-• •• ••• •," she continued.

I crossed my arms across my chest. Wilhelmina's suggestion might help us. Once we determine where the sun rises — which is automatically the east — then we could identify the other directions.

"Saang banda sumikat ang araw kanina?" Aiden craned his neck, trying to trace the path of the sun in the skies. "Dito sa kanan o doon sa kaliwa?"

"Parang dito yata banda?" Harriet pointed to her right. "The sun rose from the horizon on the right side of the ship. Unless we moved to another direction while en route here, sigurado akong doon banda nag-sunrise."

"Sorry but the east is there," I said, pointing to the opposite direction. "I was at the deck the whole time. I can't be mistaken."

Of course, I had no intention of confusing everyone in our team. Harriet may see this as an affront to her observation skills, but I could not let ourselves wander in this island using a not-so-sure direction.

Just before she could rebut, Wilhelmina raised her hand and showed what's written on her device.

•• -•- -• --- •-- •••• --- •--

"Really?!" Harriet grabbed her by her shoulders with an amazed expression. "As expected from you, Mina! Unlike our other teammates here, you have proven yourself to be a crucial part of the team."

"Show us how so we can tell who between me and Harriet is correct," I dared.

Wilhelmina quickly wrote something on the screen and once again showed it to us.

Strangely, we saw nothing but the black screen. She probably read the expression on our faces so she looked at her own gadget. She pressed the buttons but the iPad did not light up.

In a rare moment, we saw the despair dawning on the Watsonian's face while turning on her gadget. She appeared as if she was trying to save someone from dying.

Unfortunately, all her efforts were in vain. She only stared at the black screen with a horrified look.

"Wh-What happened?" Harriet asked with concern. The sudden change on Wilhelmina's expression might have alarmed her. This was the first time she lost her composure.

"Bat..."

"Hmm?"

"...ter..."

Our eyes widened as we watched Wilhelmina's lips moved slowly.

"...ry."

For the first time, we heard her speak.

-30-