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A Reopened Case?

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QUINN STOOD as stiff as a statue under the afternoon sun as he stared at the newspaper in his hands. The young man felt as if there was a significant pause in his surroundings as he tried to read the article below the headline.

WRITERS' SCHISM: FROM STOLEN ENTRIES TO HACKED NOVELS
by Kyle Digmaan

There has been a new revelation in the unsolved mystery behind the stolen novel entries of those participating in this year's Writers' Schism, Castillo High's most prestigious writing event that would earn the winners not only in terms of compensation, but in academic benefits. Apart from claims of missing flashdrives, journals, and other materials significantly related to the process of writing their entries, participants are now clamoring that their digital copies have been also mysteriously hacked! Drafts and early works of most participants have been either erased or replaced with nonsensical files. This is reminiscent of Faith Lorenzo and Angelique Rosmeña's earlier case, where their drive's Writer's Schism related-files were hacked and replaced by photos of corpses and murdered bodies; as interviewed by Elysia Arcedes, feature writer for the Castillian Gazette.

The reason and culprit behind these accuses are still unknown, and the board of the Writers' Schism has yet to comment on this latest development after the successful interview of its participants last Thursday; October 20, 2016. It is unsure whether or not this will affect the future of the prestigious Writers' Schism, as participants are now contemplating to withdraw from the said competition.

"Withdraw...??" Bulong ng binata, stunned that the case's development had drastically led to something as serious as this. 

Napakurap ang binata. He knew that once enough participants withdrew from the Writers' Schism, there would be less competition between those who'll remain, which would make it easier for the culprit to win — if that was the culprit's goal anyway. 

Dahil dito ay binasa muli ni Quinn ang article, wondering who in Castillo High could be so arrogantly desperate enough to sabotage the Writers' Schism. Before he could even think of a suspect, two consecutive beeps snapped him out of his engrossment over the school paper's newest issue.

Beep! Beep!

Blinking rapidly, agad na napalingon ang binata sa pinanggalingan ng tunog at nagulat nang makita si Jarrell, parking his car in one of the campus grounds' vacant parking slots — a few meters from where he was.

"Jarrell!" Quinn spluttered in surprise, folding the newspaper.

Mukhang lumabas 'to ng campus. The spectacled boy thought to himself as he approached the vehicle. Habang papalapit si Quinn ay nagmamadali ring bumaba sa kotse si Jarrell na para bang tuliro. There was a strange look in his face that made Quinn's stomach turn. Galit pa rin ba ito? Quinn asked himself anxiously. Nevertheless, the words of apology soon flew out of Quinn's mouth as soon as the two were in close proximity.

"Jarrell, I'm sorr—"

"Quinn, alam ko na kung sino—"

There was a pause — the two boys looking at one another in genuine surprise. 

"Ha?" They both asked at the same time, stunned at each other's sentence.

There was a pause before two started laughing heartily. Eventually, both boys then embraced one another in a warm, brotherly hug.

"Sabi ko sorry." Quinn laughed as he patted Jarrell's back, his tone apologetic and sincere.

"Wala 'yon Quinston. Sorry rin." Jarrell chuckled in relief as the two broke the hug. "Sorry kung... Kung sa tingin mo 'di ka namin pinapakinggan."

The two then fell into a halt of silence, with Jarrell looking up at the red-stricken sky, and Quinn looking down at the bristled ground. 

"Ang taas nga ng tingin namin sa'yo ni Rein eh." Jarrell laughed quietly. "Ako lang naman 'yung..."

"Ops." Quinn tutted, finally looking up to grin at his best friend. "Kung ano man 'yang sasabihin mo, 'di yan totoo." He said, shaking his head. "You discredit yourself too much, Jarrell. At saka 'yung nangyari sa Friday? Kalimutan mo na 'yon. I was a dickhead." 

He then grinned at the young Marquez heir.

"I'm just glad you're finally talking to me." 

Natawa naman muli si Jarrell at saka inakbayan ang kaniyang kaibigan, ruffling Quinn's hair until the two were punching each other by the arm like the good old days.  

"Teka, teka, teka. Ano nga pala yung sinabi mo na alam mo na kung sino?" Quinn asked as the two of them were walking across the school grounds, returning back to the boys' dormitory building as the sun slowly set behind them. 

"Listen, Quinn." Jarrell said quietly, in the most serious manner that Quinn has ever seen him be in. "Sa tingin ko alam ko na kung sinong nakakita sa'tin nung gabi ng socialite party."

Agad namang kumunot ang noo ni Quinn as the two walked side by side. "Who do you have in mind?" Quinn whispered in a low tone, but Jarrell shook his head, eyeing their surroundings as if he was afraid of anyone — even a fly — overhearing their conversation.

"Mamaya." Jarrell replied in a hushed voice, and Quinn nodded, knowing that it was indeed unsafe for them to speaking about their discoveries out in the open.

"Well in that case, you should at least check this out." Quinn said grimly, handing over the recent copy of the Castillian Gazette in his hands, to Jarrell, who looked at him in confusion before accepting the paper.

"You don't have to worry about anyone finding out about that," Mahinang tawa ni Quinn as he gestured towards the Gazette in Jarrell's hand. "The whole school already knows. As always."

---

"Rein?" was the first thing that Jarrell said by the time he and Quinn had returned to their dormitory room. 

Nobody answered though, and as expected their dorm was as empty and as silent as a graveyard.

"Kanina pa siya wala." Quinn responded solemnly, wondering if Rein would easily accept his apology as Jarrell did.

"So this culprit... hindi lang pala siya writer." Jarrell said grimly, slapping the newspaper on a nearby table. "Writer na nga, magnanakaw pa, hacker na rin ngayon? Aba, ang rami niyang mailalagay sa curriculum vitae niya ha." 

"Tinatanong ko nga sa sarili ko kung sinong ubod ng yabang sa Castillo High ang magtatangkang gawin ito." Quinn remarked as he closed the door behind them. 

"Ubod ng kabaliwan kamo. Psychopath ata tong hinaharap natin." Jarrell scoffed, and was about to go to the kitchen to grab something to eat when he suddenly caught eye of something, causing him to halt in his tracks.

"Hindi ba flashdrive 'yan nina Ann at Rein?" Tanong ng binata at unti-unting lumapit sa dining table kung saan nakapatong ang flashdrive, with Quinn following right behind him.

"It seems so," Kunot-noong sambit ni Quinn, scrutinizing the small item on the table. "Teka diba binato yan ni Ann kay Rein nung Biyernes?" 

"Sa pagkakaalala ko, oo." Jarrell responded as he picked up the drive. " Sa pagkakatanda ko rin, 'di nasalo ni Rein eh. So kung nandito yung flashdrive, bati na ba sila?"

Napailing naman si Quinn at saka lumapit at kinuwha ang maliit na bagay mula sa kaibigan. "You're asking the wrong question, Jarrell." The bespectacled boy said grimly, raising the flashdrive in the air for both of them to marvel.

"Ang dapat na tanungin ay kung 'di 'to sinalo ni Rein nung Biyernes, at wala sa'tin ang bumalik sa classroom para kunin 'to, who would conveniently break into our dorm and place it neatly here in the center of our room where we could all see??"

Jarrell's look of confusion narrowed as he finally understood what Quinn implied.

"Sinasabi mo bang sinadyang iwan 'yan ng culprit?"

"There's only one thing to find out." Quinn said grimly before opening the door to his room widely, walking towards his trusty computer set with Jarrell following right behind him.

---

There was a stormy feeling brewing up inside Sera's stomach as she passed by the school grounds, the darkness of the evening barely setting in as the last few rays of sunset faded into the sky.

Tucking her hair behind her ears to prevent the wind from further blowing its strands, the young girl walked past the grassy fields in a daze — engrossed with the theory burning inside her head, wondering desperately if the connection she had made was true or not.

Even as another group of boys were catcalling her again, trying to grab her attention; Sera was barely grounded in reality as she raced up the stairs of the girl's dormitory, the bells of the academe chiming as the clock struck six in the evening.

Nang nakarating na ang dalaga sa dormitory room nito ay agad niyang binuksan ang pintuan — running inside as if she was being chased by someone. She then slammed the door behind her in a loud shut, breathing heavily with closed eyes as she leaned against the frame.

By the time she had opened her eyes, napansin niyang nakatingin pala sa kaniya ang kaniyang dalawang dormmate. Ann was by the kitchen brewing some coffee, and Queenie was standing right outside the door to her room, as if she's been standing there for a long time now.

Napatingin sa baba si Sera, fumbling her bag's straps. Hindi alam ng dalaga kung dapat ba niyang sabihin sa dalawa ang nakita niya kanina, especially since the three were still giving each other the cold shoulder.

With a deep breath, Sera then detached her back from the door, passing Queenie as she started walking towards her room.

You should tell them. A voice in Sera's head whispered. They have the right to know.

Sera gripped her bag tightly, practically zipping to her room and almost escaping when Queenie, who was still standing there, finally spoke up, making her stop altogether.

"I found a lead." The curly-haired, spectacled girl's voice croaked. To Sera, it seemed as if she was trying to sound mature and cold, but she ended up sounding too forced and high-pitched.

Despite the sound that Queenie had made, Sera snapped her neck, looking back at the dark-skinned girl quietly.

The three of them eyed each other in silence. Nothing but the sound of the heater could be heard from the room, until Queenie took another shaky breath.

"I finally studied the components of the bloody threat on the wall." Sambit ng dalaga, raising two test tubes that she was holding in her hands all these time. "Of course the rat's blood was the most prominent component, that's a fact. But I also discovered two more elements." She then took another deep breath, as if speaking for a long time was too much for her.

"I found out that it was mixed with soybean oil, an organic oil used for standardized printing." Queenie continued, glancing down at the test tubes. "And there was something else that I found. Strangely enough, the mixture contained cephalopod ink."

She then cleared her throat, at agad na ibinaba ang kaniyang mga kamay na hawak-hawak ang test tubes. "I guess I just, well, ought to let you know." Queenie stuttered, staring at her feet.

There was a short awkward pause that hung in the air, as Sera and Ann stared at her, blinking quietly. Ann didn't dare speak, whilst Sera shook her head, dropping her bag onto the floor. "I discovered something too." The young girl announced quietly, having the courage to speak after Queenie's initial confession. "Related to the case. I mean." She added awkwardly, clearing her throat before glancing at Queenie who's eyes widened in surprise.

"I don't know if it's helpful, but, well," she stuttered, trying to find the right words to say as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Tyra made me sign this thing — a directory I think — for our class, and I..."

Sera took another breath, closing her eyes and wondering if this was the right decision.

"I noticed a familiar handwriting while scanning the class directory... It was similar to the handwriting on our wall — the one that wrote the bloody threat." She said quietly, glancing at the bare wall where the threat's bloody letters — though now faded — was still written on its surface.

"Naturally, I checked the name beside the handwriting of course." Sera muttered, vividly remembering the scene. "And long story short... well... It was Tyra's."

There was another pause as she glanced at the test tubes in Queenie's hands.

"Well then," Sera said stiffly when Ann didn't flinch at all from her place, even when the coffee heater gave a little click as the water reached its boiling point. "Just wanted to, I guess, let you know too." The young girl added icily.

She then glanced towards Queenie before returning her gaze at Ann who now had an enigmatic look on her face.

When neither of the girls spoke, Sera cleared her throat once more, quite disappointed.

"Uh, I'll just go no—"

But before Sera could end her sentence, turn her back, and shut herself inside her room, ay biglang naglakad si Ann papunta sa dalawa.

Her steps were slow at first, until she was almost rushing towards the girls with her eyes brimming with tears.

Without another word, Ann threw her arms around the two girls, burying her face in the crevice of their shoulders.

Agad na nagulat ang dalawa, visibly taken aback by the sudden gesture.

This was the first time ever in their years in Castillo High that Sera and Queenie had seen the Annaliese Gracielle Lobris herself, be so... vulnerable. Sobrang iba sa matigas at nakakaintimidate na Lobris na kilala na nila.

Neither any of the girls spoke, but nevertheless, the gesture was enough to strip Sera and Queenie from their own masks as well — to drop their strong facades as they hugged Ann back in relief, lifting the icy tension between the group.

The hug was quiet and sincere, and nothing could be heard but the girls' own heaving breaths and silent sobs. Hindi alam ng mga dalaga kung bakit sila umiiyak. Maybe it was their version of an apology to each other, maybe it was the pent-up frustration of having to conform to the standards of who they should be bursting at that very moment; or maybe — maybe it was the comforting fact that despite their feud, they were still on the lookout for the most mundane clues, signifying that maybe in their own obscure ways, they were still looking out for one another.

Whatever the reason, the three young women, with their heads leaning on each other's backs and shoulders, had found solace that Monday evening.

---

As the girls made up on the other side of Castillo High, the boys on the other hand, were on the process of dismantling what the culprit had in store for them.

"Hindi ba dapat sabihin muna natin kay Rein?" Tanong ni Jarrell nang isinaksak na ni Quinn ang flashdrive sa CPU ng kaniyang desktop.

"We'll inform him as soon as possible. Sa ngayon, may pakiramdam ako na may rason kung bakit iniwan lang diyan yung flashdrive." Quinn told him as he opened the drive's files. "I have a feeling the culprit has a little something for us."

"Dahan-dahan!" Jarrell exclaimed as Quinn whizzed through the files. "Mamaya bomba pala."

"Bomba? Eh wala na ngang laman." Quinn pointed out as they navigated through the different folders — all of which were empty.

"They really deleted every damn file." Jarrell muttered, shaking his head as he peered over Quinn's shoulder. "Neither Ann or Rein's gonna like thi—"

"Wait." Quinn blurted out. "There's... one more file."

Agad na nagkatinginan ang dalawa nang bumungad sa kanila ang isang untitled MS Word file sa isa sa mga folders ng drive.

There was a sense of suspension as Quinn clicked on the file, neither of them not knowing what to expect.

"LOBRIS AND MACCIO: Caught up in Illicit Affairs?" Dahan-dahang pagbasa ni Jarrell. Agad na kumunot ang noo nito.

"For years, the Lobris and Maccio families have been caught up in a traditional feud that has been passed onto the next generations of each clan. But will this feud finally end now that an insider has witnessed Annaliese Gracielle Lobris and Reagan Iñigo Maccio in clandestine meetings?" Quinn read quickly, scanning the text and tripping over some of the words before throwing his hands in disbelief and reclining on his chair. 

"Naglagay pa ng litrato ang gago. Paka-effort ah!" Jarrell said snarkily as he pointed at the bottom of the one-page file to see a few snapshots of Ann and Rein. In the collage of photos, makikita rin ang litrato na isinend sa kanila noong Biyernes, the same photo that made them all fight in the first place. It was that one picture of Ann, Rein, Jarrell and Sera suspiciously sneaking out of the Marquez's main hall on the night of the Marquez's soiree.

"They're taunting us." Quinn murmured, rubbing his chin. "It's supposed to be another threat."

"Pwede mo bang—"

Hindi na natapos ni Jarrell ang sasabihin nang biglang bumukas ang pintuan sa kanilang dorm.

Paglingon ng dalawa ay nakita nila si Rein na papasok sa pintuan, holding a couple of books in his arms. The young man raised an eyebrow at them, surprised to see the two together inside Quinn's room whose door was wide open; with the two hovering over Quinn's desktop.

Jarrell and Quinn glanced at one another before looking at Rein who seemed to be waiting for either of them to speak.

"Rein," tahimik na sabi ni Quinn. "I... Well, we — think you need to see this."

Lalong kumunot ang noo ng binata as he gave both boys a sharp look. Despite his hesitance and his guard still clearly up, Rein headed towards them. immediately, Quinn swiveled his chair out of the way for Rein to clearly see the contents of the flashdrive flashed onto his desktop.

There was an awkward, tense silence as Jarrell and Quinn waited anxiously for Rein to speak.

"Sa'n galing 'to?" was the question that finally tumbled out of Rein's tongue after minutes of nothing but crippling silence.

"May nag-iwan ng flashdrive niyo ni Ann sa lamesa." Jarrell answered quietly as Rein straightened his back. "We think it's the culprit."

"Jarrell has a suspect too." Quinn added, flitting his eyes from Rein to Jarrell.

"Ite-trace rin sana namin yung hac—"

"Forget about it." Iling ni Rein at saka tumalikod. Nagsimula itong maglakad papunta sa kaniyang kwarto, his shoulders stiff and squared.

"I don't want to trouble anyone else. I-wi-withdraw ko na rin yung entry namin ni Lobris sa Schism so you can both just forget about any of this." Malamig na sambit ng binata.

At first, Quinn and Jarrell were too stunned to move — not until Quinn shook his head, prancing from his place and grabbing Rein by the arm.

"Rein. Pag natalo ka, ano nalang gagawin sa'yo ng tatay mo? Sa kapatid mo??" Diin ni Quinn, making Rein stiffen as he thought of his father beating up Noah in a fit of rage.

"Look." Quinn exhaled, trying to explain. "Gusto kong makabawi. I've said and done some shitty things, at gusto ko sanang itama 'yon. As your friend." 

He then looked up at Rein, his eyes somberly asking for an apology.

Sa puntong 'yon ay lumapit na rin si Jarrell at inilagay ang isang kamay sa balikat ni Rein. Jarrell didn't say a word, but his comforting hand on his shoulder, and Quinn's apologetic look, was enough for Rein to finally lower his stiff shoulders, remove his tough facade, and turn towards his two friends.

"Siguardo ba kayo? Gusto niyo pang ituloy yung imbestigasyon?" Rein asked quietly, not meeting their gazes. "I mean, it might all be worthless in the end. Baka masayang lang rin ang pagod niyo."

"Besides," He smiled bitterly. "Lobris doesn't want to talk to me anyway. We might as well break up the Writers' Schism partnership and withdraw from the contest."

Jarrell and Quinn exchanged glances. The two friends knew that inwardly, the thought of withdrawing from the Writers' Schism was a decision that Rein absolutely despised.

"Pre alam mo, mamaya mo na problemahin kung pa'no suyuin si Ann." Jarrell chuckled, patting his back to try lightening up his mood. "Tulungan ka pa namin eh. Sa ngayon ay tulungan muna natin si Quinn na i-trace yung hacker."

Rein looked up at his friends in disbelief. Hindi makapaniwala ang binata na sa halip ng lahat ng nangyari sa kanila dahil sa kagustuhang mahuli ang nang-sasabotahe ng Writers' Schism, ay gusto pa ring ituloy ng kaniyang dalawang kaibigan ang imbestigasyon.

"Wait what??" Diin ni Rein, his forehead creased as he frowned. "'Di niyo ba narinig 'yung sinabi ko?"

Despite this, the two merely ignored him and went on to converse as if the case was up and reopened.

"Huwag niyo nang alalahanin yung hacker, ako na ang bahala do'n." Quinn responded to Jarrell. "Ang importante ay i-fill up mo na kami patungkol sa sinasabi mong suspect mo, Jarrell." Dagdag ng binata before turning to Rein.

"Jarrell told me earlier that he thinks he knows who saw us during the Marquez's socialite party." Paliwanag ni Quinn kay Rein na nakakunot pa rin ang noo.

Nang hindi nagsalita ito ay ibinato ni Quinn sa kaibigan ang kopya ng Castillian Gazette na ipinakita niya kanina lang kay Jarrell.

Rein immediately caught the paper in his hands, confused and still in utter disbelief.

"Speaking of, kailangan rin nating i-trace kung sino 'tong suspect ko." Jarrell pointed out, to which Quinn nodded.

"We'll get to that after I trace the hacker first." The bespectacled boy replied. "In the meantime, while Jarrell fills us up with his suspicions, I suggest you read that too." Quinn told Rein with a grin, pointing at the school paper in his hands.

For a moment, Rein stared down at the latest issue of the Castillian Gazette.

Napakurap ang binata ng ilang beses before finally shaking his head, chuckling.

His friends were the most stubborn people in the world — and probably the worst at saying their apologies; but right now, as he watched the two leap into action, Rein knew that he wouldn't have any other.

---

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