WILHELMINA

"BAT...TE...RY."

Without my iPad, I felt powerless. Pakiramdam ko, wala akong boses. I did not anticipate that my gadget would run out of battery this fast. Pagkababa namin ng barko kanina, it still had around fifty percent of battery life.

Nabaling sa akin ang mga nakadilat na tingin ng mga kasama ko. Parang hindi sila makapaniwala na may salitang lumabas sa aking bibig. Hinawakan pa ako sa magkabilang balikat ni Harriet dala ng pagkagulat niya.

"Di-Did you just speak seconds ago?" she shook me. "Sa 'yo ba ang boses na narinig ko kanina?"

I simply nodded. Maybe for them, I was like a child who uttered her very first word. Bilang sa mga daliri ko ang mga taong nakarinig na ng aking boses. Right this moment, three were added to the list.

"This is a surprise," Morrie regarded coldly. Panandalian ang bakas ng pagkasorpresa sa kanyang mukha at muling bumalik sa walang ekspresyon nitong itsura.

"Kaya mo naman palang magsalita, Mina! Bakit ba pinahihirapan mo kami?" natatawang tanong ni Aiden. "Pasalamat tayo na na-lowbat ang iPad mo. Kasi sa wakas, narinig na namin ang boses mo!"

I could have kept using Morse code through another channel. Pwede akong makipag-communicate sa kanila sa pamamagitan ng pagkurap ng mga mata ko o pagkalabit ng aking daliri. But the situation compelled me to give it up just for the time being.

Hinarap siya ni Harriet nang nakapamewang. "There's a reason why she isn't speaking, you moron! Sa tingin mo ba'y naka-trip lang si Mina kaya gumagamit siya ng Morse code tuwing nakikipag-usap sa atin?"

"So-Sorry na!" Iniharang ni Aiden ang kanyang kamay sakaling may balak ang Holmesian na saktan siya. "Nagbibiro lang ako! Ikaw naman, masyado mong sineseryoso!"

"Pa..sen..sya...na." Sa tagal ko nang hindi nagsasalita, nahirapan akong bigkasin ang bawat pantig. The words almost got stuck in my throat.

"No, no!" pailing-iling na tugon ni Harriet. "Wala kang dapat ihingi ng sorry, Mina. Naiintindihan ka namin. I know you have your own reasons and we respect whatever that may be. Huwag mong pansinin ang sinabi ng blonde na 'to, okay?"

I haven't shared it to anyone, but part of this condition was caused by a trauma when I was a child. Hindi ko sila gustong pahirapan sa pakikipag-usap sa akin. Mas nasanay rin kasi ako na ireserba ang aking enerhiya sa mas importanteng bagay. I always tell my fellow Watsonians that I do not like small talk. Nahihirapan akong magsalita nang diretso sa mga ordinaryong pag-uusap. But if there's any hint of urgency, nagiging tuwid akong magsalita.

"You said that you know how to identify which direction is North, right?" Morrie asked, returning our focus to our current dilemma. I could see that he was determined to win the first task despite our disadvantage. The two other teams were already out of sight.

Tumango ako at itinuro ang hawak niya. "Can I... borrow that... for a while?"

Without asking why, he handed the stick to me. Itinusok ko ito nang patayo sa lupa at inobserbahan ang anino. I picked up a pebble and placed it at the end of the stick's shadow.

"Ituturo ba ng shadow kung saan ang north?" Nilapitan ni Aiden ang stick at tiningnang mabuti ang anino. He placed his right hand above his eyes and looked at the direction of the sun.

My head shook slowly. "Kailangan nating... i-observe ang galaw... ng anino."

"Paano natin made-determine ang north gawin ang method na 'yan?" Umupo sa tabi ng maliit na bato si Harriet at ibinaling din ang kanyang tingin sa anino.

"The sun rises in the east... and sets in the west... Pero ang anino nito'y... gumagalaw mula kanluran patungong silangan... lalo na tuwing umaga... kapag nasa east ang araw... Magpapalipas lang tayo... ng ilang minuto at oobserbahan... ang galaw ng anino."

Madalas akong magpalipas ng oras sa Watsonian library. Salamat doon, nakapagbasa ako ng mga libro tungkol sa survival tips. As a future detective, I must be armed with the necessary knowledge to stay alive as long as I could, especially in situations where no one could help me but myself.

If we only had wristwatches, we could have tried another method of determining the direction.

"Is that the reason why you placed a pebble on the shadow's tip?" Morrie asked, his eyes gazing at the stone that I used as a marker. "The starting point is approximately the west end. Whichever direction the shadow moves, that would be the east."

"Kapag nalaman na natin ang east at west, we can already identify the north and south," Harriet concluded, clapping. "Brilliant, Mina! Mabuti na lang, teammate ka namin. Baka naligaw na kami sa islang ito kung wala ka. And I don't want to imagine the scenario na ang dalawang lalaking 'to ang makakasama ko."

Harriet was no doubt vocal with how she felt against our two male teammates. She would never let an opportunity pass to trade barbs with them. Morrie wouldn't fail to return any insult hurled at him while Aiden would simply laugh it off.

An unlikely choice of companions, one could say. Sa kabila noon, nagagawa pa rin naming magtulungan para sa isang task. Isang patunay rito ay ang pagpigil namin sa pagpatay sa aming university chancellor. We could set aside what makes us different from one another. We could unite to achieve a common goal.

Bawat isa sa amin, may role na ginagampanan. At nagpapasalamat din ako na sila ang mga kagrupo ko. Somehow, I feel comfortable with having them around. Professor Dred may or may not have intentionally grouped us together, but I did not regret being part of this team.

Tinutukan nina Harriet at Aiden ang anino. Kahit anong tingin nila rito, halos hindi 'yon gumagalaw mula sa minarkahan naming starting point. Napatayo tuloy si Aiden at nagawi ang tingin sa kagubatang nasa harapan namin.

"Ano na kaya ang ginagawa ng ibang team ngayon? Ginamit din kaya nila ang method natin? Tayo na lang yata ang nandito pa malapit sa dock."

"There are only a few ways to determine which direction is north without a compass," Morrie said, looking impatient. "Some of them have wristwatches. If they know how to read the directions using that gadget, it would only take a matter of seconds before they figure out which way is north."

"Medyo risky din kung basta-basta nilang papasukin ang kagubatan," saad ni Harriet, nabaling ang tingin sa matatayog na puno. From our position, we could hear some high-pitched wails. "I can feel something strange in that forest. Kung hindi mo alam kung saan ka patungo, siguradong maliligaw ka riyan."

"Kaya siguro tinawag nilang 'maalamat' ang islang ito," dagdag ni Aiden. "Kapag pinasok natin 'yan, kailangang maging maingat. Baka may mga magambala tayong lamang-lupa na ililigaw tayo."

I have read stories about this mystical island. Dito kadalasang isinasagawa ang mga team building activity at retreat ng university. May iilang nag-document ng kanilang experiences noong nag-stay sila rito. Most of them said that lost spirits were wandering. May iilan pang nagsabi na may mga nakausap silang tao na hindi naman pala dapat nag-eexist sa islang 'to.

As a firm believer of science, I took their stories with a grain of salt. Totoong may mga bagay na hindi basta-basta maipapaliwanag ng siyensya. But for me, seeing is believing. Unless I see those strange things with my own eyes, I wouldn't entertain the thought of them being real.

Hinintay naming lumipas ang labinlimang minuto. Gumalaw ng ilang sentimetro ang anino. Pinatungan namin ng isa pang maliit na bato ang bagong posisyon nito.

"Pwede mo na bang mabasa kung saang banda ang norte?" tanong ni Aiden.

Tumango ako sabay guhit ng isang linya mula sa unang bato patungo sa pangalawa at binigyan ng arrow sa dulo. Behold our makeshift compass.

"Nasa kaliwa ang west... habang nasa kanan ang east... At ang north ay..." Nagmukhang plus sign ang ginawa kong linya. Nilagyan ko ng letrang "N" ang line na palayo sa akin.

"So we need to go straight to that direction?" tanong ni Harriet sabay turo sa isang parte ng gubat na nasa harapan namin.

"We better start moving if we don't want the other teams to get to the cabins first," Morrie suggested. He had been waiting for this moment. Nagsimula na siyang maglakad patungo sa gubat. Lumingon muna sa amin si Aiden bago sumunod sa naunang Moriartian.

"A journey of a thousand miles," Harriet whispered as she turned to me. "Let's go, Mina?"

I nodded as I started walking together with them. Whatever lies ahead, I trust that we could make it out of the forest and reach the cabins.

For one last time, I looked back at the azure horizon. Napapikit ang mga mata ko nang biglang mag-flash sa aking isip na isang mapait na alaala.

-30-