I memorized her schedule. 

And before you jump into any shitty conclusions: I just did this to keep track of her---to make sure Sadako doesn't scare the entire student population.

Wala namang masama sa ginagawa ko.

Pero ang nakakapagtaka, bigla na lang siyang naglaho noong lunch time. Wala siya sa main cafeteria ng kanilang college at wala rin siya mga kainan sa Area 13. I walked around the campus and glanced inside several cafés, but that freak is nowhere to be found! Damn. Saan naman kaya pupunta ang isang 'yon?

I sighed.

'Nagsayang pa ako ng oras sa paghahanap.'

Naupo na lang ako sa bleachers na katapat ng malawak na field ng Eastwood Central University. From here, I got a good glimpse at those pretty cheerleaders who kept giggling since they spotted me. I knew they were trying to catch my attention with how they swayed their hips and angle their bodies to show their lovely curves.

Napangisi na lang ako at kinindatan sila.

One of them blew me a flying kiss.

"It's nice to know that my charms still work." Sumandal ako at nakangiting pinanood ang kanilang practice. Ah, now this is relaxing! Dapat pala kanina pa ako nagpunta ri---

"Kasama ba sa kapangyarihan mo ang akitin ang mga babae o ipinaglihi ka ng nanay mo sa magnet?"

"Shit!"

Kamuntikan na akong mahulog sa kinauupuan ko. Bakit ba bigla na pang sumusulpot sa pagitan ng mga binti ko si Sadako?! And no, you green-minded humans, it's not what you think.

She literally popped out of nowhere!

"D-Damn it, Sadako! Anong ginagawa mo diyan?!"

Wala na pala roon ang kausap ko.

Ilang sandali pa, doon ko napagtantong may siwang nga pala ang bleachers na 'to; gawa sa kahoy at butas ang ilalim. I peaked through the gaps and saw she was sitting under me. May nakalatag pang itim na picnic blanket at nakatitig sa'kin ang kanyang manika.

'Dito siya nagpupunta tuwing lunch break?'

Confused, I jumped down, walked around, and stared at her with my hands shoved into my pockets. Nakakapanibagong hindi ko suot ang trench coat ko tuwing magpapanggap akong propesor sa unibersidad nila.

"Mind if I join you?"

Kleo looked up at me, and silently shook her head.

Naupo ako sa tabi ni Roberta na may platitong walang-laman sa kanyang harapan. I ignored the creepy doll and turned my attention to the weird girl nibbling on a sandwich.

I smirked. "So, are you eating the flesh of your enemies?"

"No, I'm eating a tuna sandwich. Want some?"

"Sure."

Base sa kanyang mga kilos, alam kong hindi siya sanay na may sumasabay sa kanya sa pagkain. Hindi na nakakapagtaka. From what I know of her so far, she doesn't seem like a sociable person. Mukhang wala rin siyang kaibigan. Kung naging consequence na lang ito ng pagiging "weird" niya---or if it's the other way around---I have no idea. Hindi ko maiwasang maawa sa mortal na 'to.

Kleo has been isolating herself from everyone, and she seems perfectly okay with it...

"About the corpse in your---"

Agad na naputol ang sasabihin ko nang umalingawngaw sa katahimikan ang kanyang ringtone. It was the song from that Tim Burton movie, "The Corpse's Bride". Hindi na ako nagtaka rito.

Ang ipinagtataka ko na lang ay noong walang pagdadalawang-isip niyang pinatay ang tawag, tinanggal ang battery ng kanyang cellphone, at itinago ito sa kanyang bag.

Napasimangot na lang ako. "You didn't even check who's calling you! Baka mamaya importante pala."

"I-I don't think so. It's just Kesa."

Naningkit ang mga mata ko sa pamilyar na pangalan. Fuck. Is that who I think it is...?

"Kesa?"

"Marquessa Legazpi. Kanina niya pa ako tinatawagan. She's inviting me to one of her performances this week. May project kasi sila sa College of Music."

My jaw clenched at the name, confirming my suspicions.

Oh, who would ever forget about Marquessa Legazpi?

'And now she's friends with Kleo. How interesting...'

Pinilit kong ngumiti. Alam ko namang walang kamalay-malay si Kleo sa nangyari sa babaeng 'yon. At bilang respeto na lang sa siraulo kong kapatid, I don't plan on retelling their tragedy to anyone.

It's best not to open old wounds.

"Ah. Kung ganon bakit pinapatayan mo siya ng tawag? You must be a dear friend to her if she wanted to invite you to her performance," I casually said.

Doon na nagbago ang mood ni Kleo. Sandali siyang natahimik, at tuluyan nang ibinaba ang kanyang kinakain. Napayuko na lang siya, para bang umiiwas ng tingin. Not that it makes any difference, of course. Her bangs were still covering her eyes.

But I instantly knew that something was bothering her.

"You don't want to make friends, huh?"

Sadako nodded.

"It's just...strange. Mas sanay akong nilalayuan ako ng mga tao. Nakakapanibago. I-I have no human friends..."

"Obviously."

Sabay sulyap ko sa kanyang manika. Yup, definitely not human. Huminga na lang ako nang malalim at humiga sa picnic blanket, arms crossed beneath my head. "Kaya ba tinataboy mo si Kesa?"

At the back of my mind, the connection was already forming. Magmula noong namatay ang bestfriend ni Marquessa, she was left with that longing. At kahit pa nawalan siya ng mga alaala, hindi na ako magtataka kung naroon pa rin ang pangungulila niya kay Faye. Kaya siguro gusto niyang kaibiganin si Kleo. It's cruel, but it makes sense. That's another interesting thing about humans.

They tend to subconsciously fill in the gaps in their existence.

"Marquessa seems nice, and that's the problem. I don't know how to make mortal friends, let alone, 'keep' them. Baka ako ang ipagtabuyan niya. Paano na lang kung matakot siya sa kawirduhan ko?"

Kamuntikan na akong natawa. 'Kung alam lang sana niya,' naaaliw kong isip. Sa huli, napangisi na lang ako. "Kung talagang natatakot siya sa'yo, hindi ka niya tatawagan. Besides, I think this Marquessa Legazpi has a soft spot for insanity."

"You think so?"

"Never doubt life advice from a Neverwood, sweetheart."

With that, Kleo finally smiled.

"Okay."

Noong mga sandaling 'yon, hindi ko naiwasang titigan siya. Hindi ko alam kung alam na ni Sadako, but beyond her creepy antics and dead appearance, she actually looks kinda cute---err, for mortal standards, of course! Hindi ko sinasabing para sa'kin.

Damn it.

Just forget I said that, okay?

Tumikhim ako at iniba ang usapan. Ito rin ang rason kung bakit ko siya gustong kausapin. "How many days do you think you'll need to recover your energy?"

I don't want to rush her or anything, but the sooner we track down the boss of the Elite Killing Tournament, the better. Lalo na't mukhang may balak na naman silang magbalik-operasyon.

Sadako tapped finger on her chin, as if thinking of the situation. "I'm actually feeling a lot better now. Buhayin na natin mamaya."

"Sigurado ka?"

"Oo naman! At saka, feeling ko, hindi rin magtatagal at mahahanap na rin ni Tita Elvie 'yong pinangagalingan 'nong amoy. We should revive that man before my aunt calls the cemetery to retrieve their missing customer," Sadako stated and tool another bite out of her sandwich.

She acts like this whole situation is normal.

'She's an interesting girl, indeed.'

Hindi ko namalayang lumalapit na pala ako sa kanya. Mahina akong napamura, pero hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili ko. I found it harder to resist the temptation to sweep her bangs away to look at her eyes---her entire face. Napansin kong natuod sa kanyang kinauupuan si Kleo, pero hindi niya ako tinulak papalayo.

And just when I was about to brush off those godforsaken bangs---

"QUACK! QUACK! LANDIAN ALERT! HAHAHAHA!"

I balled my hands into fists.

Tangina.

Anong ginagawa ng baliw na 'to rito?!

Inis kong binalingan ang lalaking bigla na lang sumulpot sa tabi namin ni Kleo. Isang mapang-asar na ngiti sa kanyang mga labi. The Joker was wearing his usual attire---white shirt, jeans, and a blue necktie with a mocking smiley face. Ngayon ko lang napansin na may suot na rin pala siyang chaleco vest. Anyway, he still looks like a lunatic.

"Knock! Knock!"

"Fuck you."

"Aw... You were suppose to ask 'who's there?' Tsk! Nahahawaan ka na rin ba ng killjoy virus ni Evil?"

"Sinawaan ka na naman ba sa pagkain nila sa asylum, Evarius?"

He sighed dramatically and sat between me and Kleo.

"Oh, those humorless creatures! They should really change the menu. Mas nakakasawa sila kaysa mabuhay. Hahaha!"

"Kaya ka ba nang-iistorbo?" Hindi ko na naitago ang inis sa boses ko.

"Nah. As a matter of fact, I have classes!" Joker eyed me knowingly, "Hindi lang naman ikaw ang nagpapanggap dito, hindi ba, 'Professor' Everick?"

Well, shit.

Nakalimutan ko nga palang ang pagiging estudyante sa ECU ang undercover (slash pampalipas oras) ng isang ito. Nang mapansin ko namang natahimik si Kleo, I mustered up the decency left in me to introduce them. "Sadako---I mean, Kleo...this idiot is Evarius Morio Neverwood, my brother. But he prefers to go by his nickname, 'Joker'."

"I know. Umm...nagkita na kami noon."

Kumunot ang noo ko.

Lumawak naman ang ngiti ni Joker.

"Hmm... So, you really did stalk Knight and eavesdrop on our conversation at the café, huh? Frabjous! Hahaha! And yes, I'm the eldest."

Hindi ko na kailangang makita ang mga mata niya para malamang nanlalaki na ang mga ito. Kleo visibly tensed and asked, "Paano mo nalaman?"

"He can read minds." I answered.

Hindi ko na rin kailangang makita ang mga mata niya para malamang nagniningning na ang mga ito.

"Wow! That's amazing! Pwede ko rin ba siyang ma-interview? Please? I've read a lot about mind-readers!"

Joker blinked at her sudden burst of enthusiasm. "Well, you're a curious one. Hahaha! But, maybe next time, Miss Creeps. Kailangan ko munang kausapin  'tong kapatid ko."

"What is it?"

Nang mapansin kong nag-aalinlangan siyang sabihin 'to habang nakikinig si Sadako, I assured him, "We can trust her.  At wala rin namang pagsasabihan si Kleo."

That was partially a lie.

Oo, mapagkakatiwalaan namin si Kleopatra. Pero kung sakaling magkagulo ang lahat, I have a hunch that Marquessa Legazpi will be involved in this mess, again. And that's the last thing I want Evarius to worry about. Marami na silang naisakripisyo at pinagdaanan.

If I can handle this situation properly, then they don't need to endure another tragic ending.

Nang magtama ang mga mata namin ni Joker, naroon ang pang-aasar sa kanyang mga mata. There's another emotion that I couldn't quite put a finger on, but it doesn't matter anymore.

"Nagkaroon ng kidnapping sa bayan. Naalarma na lang 'yong mga pulis nang mapansin nilang umabot na pala sa higit limampu 'yong nawawala sa loob lang ng isang linggo. But that's not all! Some witnesses say that they saw the victims drugged and taken into a van."

"Well, it's not like these kinds of crimes are new to mankind," I replied. Look, I don't want to sound indifferent about this, but that's a fact. Hindi na bago ang ganitong mga pangyayari. It's none of our business. "Ano naman ang kinalaman nito sa kaso natin?"

Doon na dumilim ang ekspresyon ni Joker.

"According to their statements, they spotted several freaks inside the van... Some EKT fanatics suspect that they are a new batch of serial killers."

---

Warning: don't walk the tightrope
if you can't keep your eyes up ahead;
Believe, I'd learned that lesson once,
and once was enough to keep me dead.

---Everick Neverwood