ERALD

MAY DAPAT ba akong ikatuwa ngayong araw?

Wala.

Wala naman kasi itong ipinagbago sa mga nagdaang araw. Gigisingin ka ng alarm clock, pipilitin mong maligo kahit sobrang lamig ng tubig, makikipagplastikan ka sa mga classmate mo at magpapanggap na nakikinig sa mga teacher mo na boring ang subject na itinuturo.

Isipin mo, halos kalahati ng iyong araw, para kang robot na sumusunod sa naka-program na sa utak mo. Dinidiktahan ka ng iba kung ano ang dapat mong gawin. Kaya hindi ko rin masisi ang ibang kabataan kung bakit nagrerebelde sila.

Teka, bakit ba napunta diyan ang usapan? No particular reason. Nabo-bore lang kasi ako sa bagong lesson namin sa Math. Magpapaturo na lang ako mamaya o bukas sa ace student ng class namin para mas maintindihan ko ang pinagsasabi ni Sir Lising. The formulas written on the board looked like hieroglyphics to me.

Teka, si Clyde nga pala ang top one sa amin. Nevermind.

The only thing that I look forward every day in Clark High is the QED Club. Kahit naging matumal ang dating ng mga client, mas pipiliin ko pang matulog dito kaysa makinig sa mga discussion o sumali sa mga school activity. Our clubroom has been my safe haven ever since I got accepted in this club.

Speaking of the club, our club president was still missing-in-action since the leadership seminar. Ayaw ko namang ipagtanong sa mga classmate o teacher niya kung bakit hindi pa siya pumapasok. Baka isipin pa nilang stalker niya ako.

Hindi pa rin tuluyang nagsi-sink-in sa akin si Charlotte ang batang babaeng iniligtas ko apat na taon na ang nakalilipas. When I met her in this very club, I only viewed her as a bubbly yet talentless airhead who just happened to revive this detective group from the grave. Little did I know that I almost gave my life for her when she almost got hit by a car.

Kaya siguro kapag malungkot siya, may kakaiba akong nararamdaman. Normally, I would rejoice on other people's sufferings. But when it came to her, it was an entirely different subject. I somehow empathize with her. Parang nalulungkot ako kapag nahihirapan siya.

Now I know where these feelings were coming from.

Why didn't I notice her resemblance to the little girl from four years ago? Sa lakas ba ng pagkakabagok ng ulo ko, hindi ko na maalala ang itsura niya? Well, I was too young back then and for a face that I saw only once, memory recall was hard to come by.

And thanks to my heroic act, Charlotte has suffered from memory loss. Because of me, she has to photos of some moments of her life just in case they disappear from her consciousness. She has to take down notes in her journal just so she wouldn't forget.

I shouldn't be blaming myself anyway. Wala naman sa intensyon ko na bigyan siya ng problema sa memorya noong itinulak ko siya noon. I only wanted to save her. I only had good intention in my heart.

But what's past is past. Kahit anong pag-analyze pa ang gawin ko sa nangyari sa nakaraan, hindi na nito maibabalik ang normal na kondisyon ni Charlotte. And that's a burden that I have to bear.

Nang makalaya na kami mula sa nakakabagot na morning period, I went straight not to my fortress, but to the vending machine on the fifth floor. Kung tutuusin, may vendo rin sa floor na kinatatayuan ko ngayon. But I was not after the available drinks. I was after someone who would buy a can.

Upon reaching the large, red machine, sumandal ako sa gilid nito, nakahalukipkip ang mga kamay at nakatingala ang aking ulo sa kisame. My target would be coming from the other wing so I did not have to worry about being spotted. Naghintay pa siguro ako ng sampung minuto bago ako may narinig na mga papalapit na yabag.

The footsteps stopped and I noticed a man's shadow on the floor. Hassle ang pag-akyat dito para lang makabili ng canned drinks kaya kataka-taka kung bakit dito pa pipiliin ng isang estudyante na bumili. I don't know the reason, but this was a perfect opportunity to corner that person.

Nang marinig ko ang pagkalansing ng mga barya sa machine, lumabas na ako sa pinagtataguan ko at humarap sa lalaking nakasalamin. He grabbed his chest and his heart probably stopped for a second or two.

"My God! Do you want me to die of a heart attack?" the so-called K-OS Club supreme leader Torry asked, sighing. Kinuha niya sa dispenser ang piniling canned drink at binuksan ito. "If you tried to pull a prank on me, you almost had me. Almost. By the way, how did you know that I would be here?"

"I have been observing your activities the past two days," sagot ko. "You have a strange habit of buying a canned coffee here than in any vending machines in this building. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang trip mo, pero salamat sa pattern na na-observe ko, na-ambush kita rito."

"Stalking, huh? Scary!" Torry sipped from his cold coffee. "I guess I have to give you credit since I did not notice you following me. Quite a feat for a detective wannabe."

"I came here to talk about what happened at the leadership seminar," panimula ko. "Hindi ko alam kung paano mo nagawang manggulo kahit wala ka roon, pero hindi ko palalampasin ang ginawa mo sa club president namin."

"Leadership what?" Kumunot ang noo ni Torry. "Teka, ano bang pinagsasabi mo? I was busy enjoying my weekend playing with feline creatures at the cat cafe. Hindi ko alam ang tinutukoy mo. You might have mistaken me for someone else."

"Narinig ko ang boses mo, huwag ka nang magmaang-maangan diyan," pagpupumilit ako. I was a hundred percent certain na siya ang nakausap ko noon. His voice perfectly matched the voice on the phone. So why was he pretending as if he did not make the call?

After I stared at him long enough, he let out a chuckle. "Sorry, I was just messing with you. You know me. Fun is my game! Did you like the recording trick? How I managed to anticipate your thoughts?"

Admittedly, I also love fun and games. But what he did to Charlotte wasn't fun. It wasn't a game either. Nalagay sa peligro ang buhay niya at dahil sa kalokohan ng apat-na-mata-the-second na 'to, she fell ill and was unable to attend her classes. I don't want to sound too concerned on my club president's condition, but wherever one looks at it, Torry and his goons crossed the line.

"You weren't amused," Torry commented, tilting his head to his left while maintaining eye contact with me. "So what are you going to do now? Ang sabi mo nga, hindi mo ako inabangan dito para makipagpalitan ng hi at hello."

Meron na akong sagot sa kanya ngunit tila nababara sa lalamunan ko ang mga salita. I was supposed to be a character who shouldn't exhibit heroic values. Thus, speaking words that hint at heroism would be out of character for me.

"I will..." My mouth struggled to spit those few words. "I will make sure that your definition of fun won't go unpunished."

"Listen to yourself," Torry motioned his hand to my direction. "You are beginning to sound like a typical detective in a detective story. Preaching about justice and all that jazz. Making evil accountable for being evil. You are like a snail. Your shell may be tough, but you are soft on the inside."

"I'm not a snail," I retorted. Hindi ko alam kung ang comparison niya'y insulto ba sa akin o sa mga snail.

"Explain then this shred of humanity you are exhibiting the past few days," Torry taunted me further. "That weekend, you jumped into the pool to save that poor girl. Right now, you are confronting me because I almost cost you your friend's life. The reason your application to establish The Villains' Club was rejected is no longer a mystery to me. Why? Because you do not deserve the title."

This wasn't a breaking news, but I have confirmed from Torry himself that he had a spy among the seminar attendees. Straight from the horse's mouth! Kung wala, imposibleng malaman niya ang tungkol sa pagpapakabayani ko para kay Charlotte. He got to have an eye in that event.

"Let me be clear," I sighed. "Hindi kita kinokompronta ngayon dahil nagpapaka-detective ako. The truth is... the stage is too small for the two of us. Kahit wala ka sa event, inagaw mo ang spotlight mula sa 'kin. And that's a declaration of war for me."

"But for you to get rid of me, you have to act like a detective," Torry replied. "Let's say that what I did in your seminar was foul and I should be punished for it. But can you prove it? Do you have any evidence to substantiate your claim?"

"You called me that evening and you told me in detail about the tragedy awaiting our club president," I answered. "That directly implicates you in the crime. Ano kaya ang magiging reaksyon ng parents ni Charlotte kapag nalaman nilang ikaw ang muntik nang maglagay sa peligro sa buhay ng anak nila?"

Torry frowned. "Not strong enough. I can easily deny that. Even if you recorded my call, I can claim that someone tried to mimic my voice and pin the incident on me. Hindi 'yan butas ng karayom na mahirap lusutan."

I clicked my tongue. Hindi ko naisipang i-record ang pag-uusap namin noon dahil hindi ko inasahang eeksena din siya. I could have also recorded this conversation, but I did not ready my phone for secret recording.

"Better luck next time. As it appears, I am the better villain." Nagpasok ulit siya ng pera sa vending machine at um-order ng isa pang canned coffee. He took it out of the dispenser and offered it to me. "As a consolation for your effort."

Kahit labag sa loob ko, tinanggap ko ang alok niyang inumin. Libre naman at walang mawawala sa akin.

I opened the can, creating a popping sound. "Kung sa tingin mo'y lusot ka na, nagkakamali ka. You asked a person or two among the attendees to carry out your plan. If I identify them and get them to confess that you are the mastermind, your villainy will be put to an end."

But Torry smirked, still unthreatened by my words. "Good luck finding whoever you hope to find. But let me tell you that it's going to be a fool's errand. Don't say I did not warn you."

Tumalikod na siya sa akin at kumaway habang iniinom ang canned coffee niya. Napasipsip din ako sa libreng drink na inalok niya kanina habang pinapanood siya mawala sa paningin ko.

He would definitely have his day of reckoning.