/33/
Twisted Discoveries

---

THE SKY was already clearing with sunlight by the time Sera was slowly following Mr. Ignatio a few cars away, navigating carefully to ensure that she wouldn't lose sight of their suspect.

Habang nakahawak sa manibela ay napatingin ang dalaga sa kaniyang phone na nakalagay sa phone stand. It was already six in the morning, streaks of yellow mixed with the sky's blue as the sun rose steadily from the east - which in fact, was the direction to which they were going.

"Where are you going this early on a Saturday?" Yamot na sabi ni Sera, almost missing the turn when the Porsche car she was following, immediately swerved to the right.

Hindi pa naman praktisado masyado sa pagda-drive ang dalaga kaya ingat na ingat ito, especially since she was only borrowing Jarrell's car.

Halos twenty minutes na ring sinusundan ni Sera ang kotse, confused and a bit lost. She wasn't really good with directions, and she was clearly far away from Castillo High now.

"Where are we??" She murmured, frowning as she looked around her surroundings, not familiar with the streets. Bigla tuloy itong kinabahan, wondering how she would get back to the academy.

Sera gritted her teeth. She would have to solve that problem later.

As she followed Mr. Ignatio, Sera took note of a few landmarks that they were passing, trying to reassure herself that they were still in Ylando City as she saw a few establishments with the name "Ylando" next to their names.

At last, the white Porsche car had come to a stop, and Sera almost wanted to bang her head out of stupidity.

"Of course!" She exclaimed, as a small, sleek building with tall, glass windows and white exterior tiles came to view. It was none other than Avant-Garde Technologies, the very company that Mr. Ignatio worked for.

"Saturdays must still be work days for him." Sambit ng dalaga as she stopped Jarrell's car in front of a fancy salon called "Cuts & Snips", watching Mr. Ignatio enter the parking lot of Avant-Garde Technologies.

"It's better to be a few metres apart to avoid suspicion." She thought, turning off the ignition and waiting for their suspect to re-emerge.

Sitting still in the driver's seat, she watched Mr. Ignatio walk through the front doors of the building, holding a cellphone in one hand, and a briefcase in the other.

Slowly, the young lady then stepped out of the car with a determined expression, putting on the shades that Ann.

She was going to enter the building whether by hook or by crook.

Tinitigan ni Sera ang kompanya. It was a modern building, but the young Madrigal noted that it was rather small and mediocre compared to other numerous buildings and establishments found in Ylando city.

For a moment, bumili muna ng dyaryo ito mula sa isang babaeng nagtitinda ng Ylando Bulletin sa may sidewalk. Sera used the newspaper to cover her face, peering atop it to survey the building as the place soon became more lively.

Mas maingay na rin ang paligid at rumarami na ang mga sasakyan sa kalsada.

"Soledad Street." She frowned, noting the sign of the street name next to a street light. The name was unfamiliar to her, which made the young girl believe she was at the other side of the city.

Sera then pursed her lips as she scrutinized the building once more from across the street.

"How do I get there?" She muttered, eyeing anyone else who was entering the building. It seemed that most that were entering seemed to be employees of the company, all wearing corporate attire.

Sera considered three options. The most obvious was stealing someone's ID and entering as an employee - a risky idea of course. And then there was the thought of entering as a client, which Sera immediately debunked. She had no idea about technology, which might earn suspicion from anyone working inside the company.

And so she was left with no other choice.

"Here we go," she muttered, folding the newspaper and tossing her hair before walking towards the building -- more thrilled than she was nervous.

"Hi," Sera greeted charmingly to the woman in the front desk that was situated in the building's center hall. She was sure to make her voice more high-pitched than usual as part of her disguise.

Napataas ng kilay ang babae, peering at Sera through her glasses. "Yes?" She asked curiously. "May I help you."

"Oh, I was wondering if I could inquire about any you know..." She shrugged. "...open job positions?"

Napatitig ang babae sa kaniya before opening her drawer and handing her a flyer.

"There," masungit na sambit nito before returning to whatever files she was working on in front of a monitor.

"Oh, so I should call first before applying?" Sera stalled, glancing around the place. The hall was spotless and empty except for the front desk, and a few potted plants here and there in a bad attempt to decorate the place.

Yikes. She thought. This building needs an interior designer.

"Yes." The girl responded in annoyance. "And then we'll get back to you soon. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm a busy woman."

Sera wanted to scoff and reply in a snarky manner. But she knew she had to be smarter and more discreet than that. And so, the young girl gave the woman a sweet smile.

"Thank you very much," She was then about to walk away before pausing and turning once more.

"Um, is there a comfort room anywhere here? Meron kasi ako." Sera asked innocently. The woman merely pointed to the left hallway without looking up, and Sera sashayed her way to that direction.

Pagkapasok sa comfort room ay agad na tumingin sa taas ang dalaga. She could somehow sneak up onto one of the vents to try and find Mr. Ignatio's office-

Napatigil ang dalaga nang bigla itong nakarinig ng ubo, making her glance towards the stalls. One of it was closed, and Sera could see a shadow moving around.

She then noticed that there was a bag left on the sink of the comfort room, making Sera's eyes glint as she thought of a brilliant idea.

"Bingo." She murmured, hurriedly stepping towards the bag and opening the zipper. Mabilis na tinignan ng dalaga ang laman na ito, digging past women's accessories before finally finding a familiar lace connected to a rectangular frame. It was an I.D. of a woman named Francine Dominguez who was currently an I.T. intern.

Agad na kinuwha ito ng dalaga, zipping the bag up. She then hid in the next stall just in time the woman from one of the stalls opened the door.

Pinakinggan muna ni Sera na lumabas ito before finally exiting the stall. With a smirk, itinaas niya ang I.D. at saka sinuot ito sa kaniyang leeg, making sure na nakatalikod ang I.D. at hindi nakikita ang mukha ni Francine Dominguez. She then scrutinized herself in the mirror, smacking her lips in satisfaction.

Without a hint of hesitation, she stepped out of the comfort room. And instead of heading out the building, Sera confidently walked towards the elevator, not as a student in disguise, but as a new young I.T. intern of Avant-Garde Technologies.

---

While Sera perused a company with her charm, Ann did not expect their plans back in Castillo High to be delayed when, the Lobris family's butler and driver, unexpectedly picked Ann up according to her father's wishes - a variable that frustrated Ann as they were straying from the day's supposed schedule and plan.

"Kuya, s'an daw tayo pupunta?" Ann asked anxiously, trying to think of a way she could communicate to the boys that they have to delay their "plan" due to this unforeseeable event.

"He told me to bring you to Gracía's Grill, madame." The butler responded earnestly, with Ann letting out a heavy breath.

"Sinabi ba niya kung para saan kuya?"

"No, Ma'am."

Ann leaned back on her seat in frustration, wondering what on earth could her father be up to.

When the limousine finally entered through the lot of a fancy-looking grill and resto, Ann was almost restless as she looked out of the car window.

Mayroong garden at maliit na park sa loob ng restaurant, with waiters situated at every corner.

One of the waiters waiting did not need to ask the name of Ann, merely guiding her inside the restaurant which had a warm, cozy ambience - people dining with hearty conversations.

"Ah, Annaliese!" Sambit ng ama ni Ann as soon as the waiter led her to one of the bigger and fancier tables inside the place.

"Dad, anong meron??" Kunot-noong tanong ni Ann, glancing at the man seated next to her father. She then quickly noticed that there were four seats, one of which was unoccupied.

"Annaliese, meet Mr. Marcuz," Her dad proudly introduced her to the man next to him, a man with a clean-cut face, intimidating posture, and a charming smile.

Ann deduced that the man was in his 50s, noting that he had a few graying hair here and there. He also seemed like a dignified man with his well-pressed suit, which Ann wasn't anymore surprised.

Most of her father's friends were all the same anyway - rich and old like the man in front of him.

"Pleased to meet you Annaliese, I've heard great things about you." Ngiti ng matanda, and Ann responded with a polite smile as she seated in front of them.

She couldn't figure out why, but the man seemed so familiar to her in some way.

"You see Annaliese, me and Mr. Marcuz here have been good friends for a while, and decided that well, we want the best for both our families." The senator said, looking at his daughter with a gaze that Ann was familiar with, an expression that meant she must behave, or else.

"Hmhmm?" Ann nodded bleakly, not knowing why it was so important that her father had to introduce her to this man.

"Well, I won't be beating around the bush anymore." Sambit ng kaniyang ama, puffing his chest.

"Annaliese, Mr. Marcuz and I have been dicussing this for a while now. We've decided that it's best for both our families and businesses to unite." The man said somberly, and Ann was beginning to feel like a storm was brewing inside of her.

"And...?" She asked weakly, not liking where the conversation was going.

"And we've decided that, the best way to do that is for you to marry Mr. Marcuz's very own son, a dashing boy!" Senator Alejandro beamed. "When both of you are of age of course."

There was a pause as Annaliese stared at her father before glancing at Mr. Eme.

"Wait," Ann said slowly, smacking her lips as she tried to process the words that had just come out from her fafher's mouth.

"You want me to WHAT?!" She repeated in disbelief, her tone almost like a yell as her father looked at her sternly, as if threatening her to not speak out another words.

"We want you to marry-"

"What am I, your breeding pig?!" She spat out in aghast, blinking angrily at her father.

"Well, why don't you meet my son first?" Mr. Z said worriedly, glancing anxiously at the senator. "He's supposed to arrive here at any mome-ah, Mayer!"

Agad na napatigil ang dalaga at napatingin sa binatang kakarating lang sa lamesa, the waiter guiding him the same way she had entered the restaurant.

For Ann, it seemed as if time had suddenly stopped.

"Annaliese, meet my son, Mayer." Mr. Marcuz said proudly, and Ann's expression was borderline priceless - jaw open, eyes unblinking.

"MAYER?!" She exclaimed, with none other than Mayer Cortez staring right back at her with the same surprised expression.

---

The moment Sera stepped on the second floor, she strutted towards a young man wearing a plain, light blue polo who was refilling his mug with hot water.

"Good morning, sir." She greeted politely, even bowing her head. "I'm a new intern and I was tasked to send something to Mr. Lucas Ignatio. Pwede niyo po bang ituro kung sa'n ang office niya?" The girl asked with a smile that would make anyone stare.

"Oh, Lucas. His office is in the I.T. Department. Second door to the right." He instructed with matching hand directions.

The young girl said her thanks before walking towards the said department, a devilish grin on her face. She couldn't believe she had come this far without any suspicion.

Trying her best to compose herself, she knocked on the door with the words "I.T. Department" engraved on it before entering.

Sa kaniyang pagpasok ay makikita ang typical na opisina na mayroong divisions at kaniya-kaniyang lamesa. Some who were near the door, looked up curiously at her.

"Yes?" One man, who seemed older than the first man she had talked to, asked. Halos panot na ang lalaking ito, with an evident beer belly as well that was bulging from his polo shirt.

"Oh, I'm a new intern." She explained. "I was told to be an intern for Mr. Ignatio?"

"Ignatio?" Kunot-noong sambit ng lalaki. He then swiveled his chair, turning to one of his co-workers.

"Pre, diba kakatapos lang ng isang intern kay Lucas? Meron nanaman siya?" He asked another man, who was thinner than he was, but had graying hair.

"Malay ko kay Ma'am Monique. Baka mga OJT." Kibit-balikat ng payat na lalaki, not even looking up from the computer to which he was typing.

The balding man sipped from his paper cup before nodding towards the second door right on his left.

"Pasok ka lang diyan sa loob. Hintayin mo siya. May kausap lang kasi sa telepono." The man said, and Sera glanced up to see that he was right, Mr. Ignatio was talking to someone on the phone at the far part of the room.

"Thank you, sir." She smiled gratefully, heading towards the office. But just as she stepped inside, she could faintly hear the voices of the two men conversing.

"Sayang di 'yon yung napunta sa'kin. Ganda eh."

Sera gritted her teeth, a shiver running down her spine as she shut the door behind her.

For a moment, her mind transported back to Jayson harassing her in the girls' locker room, his fingers grazing over her skin as she screamed for help.

"Stop it." She said firmly, shaking her head. "We need to get to work."

Straightening her back, the young girl then surveyed the room. It wasn't much, just a small, plain, gray office with a steel table.

There was a coffee maker in one corner, an ugly-looking plant next to the desk that seemed to have not be watered for days, and a painting of a woman hung on the wall facing the desk.

"This man seriously has no taste for design." Sera muttered in disgust before opening the file cabinets leaning against the wall adjacent to the desk.

There was nothing extraordinary that could be found there - merely paperworks that seemed to be unattended and forgotten.

Sera shut the cabinet doors with a frown before heading towards the desk.

Napatingin ito sa painting ng babae. The woman's skin was pale, but her smile was full of radiance, her hazel eyes twinkling. Simple lamang ang itsura ng babae, hindi ito kagandahan, but there was something so attractive with her smile that Sera almost felt that it was a real person instead of a painting.

"You must be his late wife." She remarked, finally looking down to see that the desk was spotless - only an unopened laptop sat on its cold surface.

Napatingin sa may pintuan si Sera, nervous that the man might enter at anytime soon.

Quickly, she opened the laptop and moved the mousepad. The young girl let out a frustrated groan when the laptop required a password.

She clenched her jaw." One of the twins really should've come with me." Bulong nito, closing the laptop and pulling the desk's drawer open.

There was a letter opener and a few pens inside the drawer, as well as a bunch of envelopes.

Agad na kinuwha ng dalaga ang mga envelope na ito, going through each one. It was mostly utility bills and company letters, until...

"What?" Sera murmured, her eyebrows furrowing as she reached the last envelope in the bunch.

Sa likod ng envelope na ito ay makikita ang logo ng Ylando Bulletin, nothing more - not even an address.

Curiously, Sera opened the envelope.

The young Madrigal observed that it was already clearly opened by Mr. Ignatio since the tip of the envelope was already torn.

Inside the envelope was a piece of paper that Sera curiously studied.

"A paycheck?" She asked out loud, confused as she scanned the paycheck's details.

"Why on earth... would Mr. Ignatio receive a paycheck from the Ylando Bulletin..?"

---

As Sera had her own adventure at the other side of Ylando City, Queenie on the other hand, was struggling with her own.

"Tama na yan. Wala na talaga masisid sa Atramento." One of the men that Queenie was spying on, uttered as they tossed another batch of squids into the truck before finally shutting its two doors and locking it up.

"Ay, talagang wag nila tayong masisi pag naghanap pa sila ng mas marami." The other man responded as he hopped onto the driver's seat, starting the ignition.

Queenie's heart raced as she overheard the conversation of the two men from the under the tree. She was going to get run over, unless of course...

"Oh, fuck it!" She muttered before holding onto the thin bars under the truck.

"'No 'yon?" Tanong nung isang lalaki, and Queenie held her breath as she hoisted herself up flat on the bottom of the truck.

"Ha? 'Di ako nagsalita." The driver said out loud before spitting on the sand, much to Queenie's disgust.

"May narinig ako na parang nagsalita." The other man insisted, and Queenie cursed herself from speaking out loud.

"Gutom lang 'yan, Jo. 'Lika na, malapit nang gumising yung araw. Magsisidatingan na yung mga mangingisda." Sabi nung isang lalaki.

There was a pause, with Queenie holding her breath.

"Sige na nga. Tara na. Gusto ko na ng longganisa." The other man finally said, much to Queenie's relief.

She could then hear the other man board the passenger's seat, with the truck finally moving.

Queenie was no athlete of course, so it was taking all of her willpower to hold onto the truck, with her feet and arms wrapped around the bars as if she was a tarsier hanging onto a bamboo tree.

Dahil nasa ilalim rin siya ng truck ay hindi alam ng dalaga kung saan papunta ang dalawang lalaki, merely seeing the dirty gravel of road below, with the belch from the truck's engine wafting through her nose.

It was a nightmare.

To relieve herself from her anxiety, Queenie shut her eyes tightly, counting from one to ten all over again to relax herself.

Nang nakailang bilang na ang dalaga, ay napansin nito na biglang naging mas magaspang ang kalsada.

The path was becoming more bumpy, and Queenie frowned when she realized that the road was not anymore made out of cement, but rather out of dirt.

Hoping for the best, Queenie hang on tight.

Medyo matagal-tagal rin ang naging biyahe ng truck nang bigla itong huminto, much to Queenie's relief.

Her arms and feet had become both numb and jelly from her tight grip onto the bar, and she couldn't help but fall down on the ground with a grunt.

"O, pasok na natin 'to." The man with the deeper voice said, and Queenie could see his feet from where she was hiding.

Narinig ng dalaga na binuksan nila muli ang pintuan sa likuran ng truck, assuming that they were going to bring out the squids that they had illegally harvested from the sea.

"This must be their lair." She murmured, peeking out slightly to see...

"...Trees???" Kunot-noong tanong nito. She then glanced towards the other direction, hearing the men walking away until their footsteps were now inaudible.

When the coast seemed silent and clear, Queenie finally crawled out from under the truck, thanking the heavens that she could finally stretch out her limbs.

"Oh thank Go-"

Napatigil sa pagsasalita ang dalaga nang napatingin ito sa kaniyang paligid.

She was surrounded by the tallest of trees that stretched far beyond her eyes could see. Everything was green and brown, no matter which direction Queenie faced.

"We're in the Netherthorne Forest." The girl realized in alarm, turning around to see that the truck was parked next to a shabby, odd-looking shed-like cabin.

Its boards were not at all painted, and moss had started to grow in the different parts of the exterior.

"S'an tayo kakain?" Faint voices asked, and Queenie immediately ran towards the back of the cabin, making sure that no one would see her.

Hingal na hingal ang dalaga as she looked from behind her spot, seeing the two men getting onboard the truck once more.

Agad ring umalis ang truck, and Queenie soon got hit by the realization that she had no idea where she was in the Netherthorne Forest, and no idea how she was going to get out.

With a hand on her chest, she then slowly turned around to see that there was an open window of the cabin.

Mayroon rin siyang naririnig ng mga boses at kung anong ingay mula rito, making the girl curiously stand on her tiptoes as she peered through the window.

Queenie let out a small gasp.

There inside the cabin was a makeshift lab filled with people in white, long coats. There were test tubes and burners everywhere, and the freshly-harvested cephalopods that the two men had fished earlier, were sitting on a table in the corner of the cabin.

Napakurap ang dalaga-rubbing her eyes as she stared once more inside.

On one part of the cabin, there seemed to be rows and rows of jars filled with dark, heavy ink.

Queenie blinked rapidly, not believing the sight right before her eyes as she watched one of the men in coats, stamp a block of letters onto what seemed like a paper for news printing.

They were making printing ink from the illegaly-fished cephalopods.

---

NOTE: Hi sleuths! Surprise, surprise! We're coming real close to the end!

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