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Dangerous Game

---

AS ANN tried her best to compose herself, napatalon ito nang biglang tumunog ang cellphone na nasa bulsa ng kaniyang pantalon.

Clutching her chest with a hand, she then quickly pulled herself together before taking a video of the messages found inside the burner phone by scrolling slowly and tediously.

Habang ginagawa ito ng dalaga ay patuloy pa-rin ang pag-vibrate ng cellphone ni Queenie sa kaniyang pantalon.

"I get it Jarrell, I get it." She muttered through gritted teeth, trying to be as quick as possible with her scrolling, but not so much that the video will make the conversations unreadable.

It was a heart-numbing five minutes when Ann finally reached the last of the digital conversation, her knees slightly shaking as she heard a few voices from outside.

Agad rin niyang binalik ang burner phone sa shoe box nito, once again plcing the box into its hiding spot using only the tip of her two index fingers - careful not to leave a mark, and careful not to leave any trace that she had unearthed Tyra's secrets - her very own Pandora's box.

Placing her phone into her other pants' pocket, she pulled out Queenie's phone and saw Jarrell's tracker still red and vibrating - an alarm that meant Ann had to leave. Now.

Turning around, the young Lobris heir scrutinized the room one last time - making sure that there wasn't a pillow or furniture left unturned. She had to leave the place just as she had entered.

Without another word, she then slowly crept to the door of the room, opening it slightly to peek out into the hallway.

Wala na ang mga boses na kaniyang naririnig kanina, pero wala na rin si Jarrell na nagbabantay sa hallway - something that they had both agreed that Jarrell would do once he had alerted Ann.

Quietly, the young girl locked the door of Room 311 once more, straightening her back and walking away as if nothing had happened.

As she exited the girls' dormitory building, she quickly checked the time on her phone. It was 11:27 a.m. - just enough time for her to return to the classroom.

With a deep breath, Ann walked cautiously - her mind spinning with the revelations that she had just discovered.

"This changes everything." She muttered to herself, wondering how they were going to go about the investigation now that she had discovered the true mastermind behind the crime.

But why? She thought, returning towards the Junior High School building with a rather worried expression. What would be his motive? Why would Maye-

"Ann!" A familiar voice called out, causing Ann to freeze and look up.

"Mayer," she greeted - trying to hide her surprised tone as she slowly walked towards the young man who had just exited from the *Insert Mayer's org's office.

"You okay?" Mayer frowned as she neared. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Oh I'm fine-I'm fine!" She laughed, waving a hand in the air. "Just had a lot in my mind... That's all."

"Hm." Mayer nodded, a serious expression on his face. Ann wondered for a moment if he knew that she knew - the exasperation killing her as she tried her best not to crack under his gaze.

"Anyway, I was heading back to the classroom since malapit na mag 11:30. Sabay na tayo." Ann said, changing the topic as she started walking once again.

"Wow that's a first," Mayer grinned, walking side by side with Ann. "Is the Ann Lobris actually seriously accepting me in her life now?"

Walang magawa ang dalaga kundi ngumiti na lamang - her smile turning into an awkward one as she clenched one fist.

The thought of being courted by someone as two-faced as Mayer, brought chills down her back as they walked. Hindi magawang tumingin ng dalaga rito.

He disgusted her, and Ann knew better than to fall for his traps now that she knew the truth.

"Uy, just in time." Alyssa Malino greeted the two as they turned the hallway, seeing their classmates waiting impatiently by the corridor.

"Malapit na tayong papasukin ni Rein. They're almost done with the inspection na rin." The small girl told them as they approached the group.

"Ano nga palang meron sa inyo ha?" Kat Ferdez interjected, raising an eyebrow at the two.

Ann, who had realized everyone now had their eyes on both of them, did her best not to shudder at Kat's implying statement.

"Anong anong meron?" Mayer laughed, playing dumb.

"Ay wag niyo nga kaming gawing tanga." Kat laughed, wiggling her eyebrows. "There's something between you two - I just know it. Kayo na ba??"

Ann let out a loud, awkward laugh, waving her hands into the air as she shook her head - the mere thought of being lovers with a perverted creep visibly made her uncomfortable.

"No, no, we're just frien-"

"Well," Mayer interjected, clearing his throat. Ann wanted to pull her hair out. "I am courting her."

Silence fell upon the whole group before a hoot of cheer and teasing shrieks erupted.

"AYUN NAMAN PALAAA!"

"I THINK TAMA!"

"Oh please, another decent man courting Ann Lobris. Of fucking course."

"Hoy, invited kami sa kasal ha?!"

Samu't-saring mga reaksiyon ng kanilang mga kaklase ang lumabas - yung iba kinikilig, yung iba halatang nagseselos.

Mayer was chuckling in a deep tone, while Ann's face heated up in both embarrassment and anger.

Ngunit wala itong magawa - she couldn't just straight up say that she hated Mayer - it would cause suspicion. Plus, Mayer would automatically know that she knew, and that would be the end for the six of them.

And so she shut her mouth, smiling faintly and quietly through the uncomfortable situation.

"Hoy Ann, kala ko ba tayong dalawa ang endgame?!" Javier bellowed in fake tears, causing the others to laugh.

Ann scoffed in annoyance, not even bothering to laugh at Javier's antics. Just in time, Rein and Quinn had then exited the room - causing the class to fall silent.

"Courting, huh?" Rein remarked quietly as soon as he came out of the door, prompting Ann's eyes to widen in surprise.

"'Di mo naman sinabi na mga good boy pala ang taste mo sa lalaki, Lobris?" The young Maccio boy remarked dryly, glancing at Mayer. He had a small, playful smile, but the longer that Ann stared at him, he could see that Rein had something else in his expression - something that she couldn't quite understand.

"Bakit Rein, selos ka ba?" Javier said teasingly, earning another reaction from the whole class.

Rein let out a loud, obnoxious, dry laugh that pained Ann to hear.

He then scoffed, shaking his head. "Over my dead body." Rein grinned, and Ann stood there quietly, a sinking feeling washing her like a tide.

"Anyway, anyway, tama na ang drama. Wala tayo sa teleserye." Rein chuckled before turning to the whole class.

"Good news, Quinn found his wallet in the broom's closet. The thief stole the thousand bills, but somehow left the cards. Which is interesting of course." He explained, Rein's playful tone earlier now becoming dead-set serious.

"Mabuti at iniwan ng magnanakaw ang mga importanteng cards, but mind you Fortitude - stealing money is still a crime. Makakarating pa rin 'to kay Professor Airyn at sa O.C.P." He warned the class who now had become silent under his tone. "I don't know who's the thief behind this, but if you're in this class, well I've got a word for you."

He then crossed his arms across his chest and scrutinized each and every classmate of his.

"I don't know why you didn't steal the cards, but this is your first and last warning." Sambit ng binata gamit ang kaniyang malalim na boses. "The next time this happens again, hindi lang inspection ang aabutin ng klase natin, Fortitude. Imbestigasyon na. Am I clear?"

Everyone nodded their heads quietly, causing Rein to nod his own as well.

"Alright, that's all for today. Pwede na kayong umalis." He announced, ushering their classmates back into their homeroom to get their things.

"Hey Ann," Mayer said softly to the young, Lobris girl who was now staring into space.

"Yes?" She muttered absent-mindedly.

"S'an ba kayo magkikita-kita ng mga kagrupo mo? Tara, ihatid na kita." Mayer offered, giving her a sweet, charming smile.

This question alone was enough to snap Ann back to reality.

"Ah, hindi, okay na 'ko." Mabilis na sagot nito sabay iling at ngiti. "D'on naman kami magkikita-kita sa dorm ko." She explained further, just in case Mayer didn't buy it.

"Alright then," Kibit-balikat ng binata bago ngumiti muli at hinawakan ang dalawang kamay ni Ann.

Ann tried her best not shiver then and there.

"I'll see you around? Tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Ann replied in a breathless tone, and Mayer finally left with a cheerful goodbye.

Nang tuluyan nang nakaalis si Mayer ay napahawak ang dalaga sa kaniyang noo, clearly in a disarray as she tried to sort out both her thoughts and feelings.

"Psst," Jarrell hissed, causing Ann to jump in surprise.

"What?!" Ann asked in annoyance, looking at the young boy who was peering at her from inside their classroom.

"Talaga bang nililigawan ka ni Mayer?" Kunot-noong tanong nito, dahilan para mapamasahe si Ann sa kaniyang sentido.

"Yes," she frowned whilst massaging her temples.

Mas lalong napasimangot ang binata. "Pero gusto mo ba siy-"

"No Jarrell! Okay?!" Ann snapped quietly, hushing her tone to make sure that no one would hear.

At this answer, Jarrell's face immediately lit up from a frown, to a full-on grin that made him look like a mischievous monkey. Napasulyap ang binata sa loob, dahilan para sundan ni Ann ang tingin nito.

Jarrell was grinning right at Rein who was packing his own things as well.

"Good." The young boy said happily. This time, it was Ann's turn to frown.

"What??" Inis na tanong nito.

But before she could ask Jarrell further, the Marquez boy had slipped back inside the classroom, leaving a dumbfounded Ann all alone by the hallway, interpreting a plethora of mixed signals.

---

The November air was cold and bitter that Sunday evening as Ann walked by the sidewalk, her hands deep in the pockets of her coat.

Street lamps lit up the cobblestones as cars zoomed right past her, the sound of the city very much full of warmth and life despite the cold atmosphere.

Despite the lovely ambience, Ann couldn't bear to enjoy the night walk. Dire-diretso lamang itong naglalakad as she thought of her predicament with Mayer - wanting to expose him and his crimes as soon as possible to get him out of his life.

Ann let out an exhale as she finally reached her destination, looking up at the abandoned Court Mall of Ylando - the first mall that was built in this city in the 1950s.

The exterior of the mall was withered and decaying - the signage "Ylando City's Court Mall" was missing a few letters here and there, and the once bright, painted, retro colors were now faded and bleak. Underneath the dark, it seemed almost gray, even.

The parking area surrounding the buildings of the mall were also deserted - dried leaves flying and scattering throughout the place.

Wala ring malapit na street lamp sa bandang area nito, making the mall look even more dark and lonely then the rest of Ylando City.

From what Ann remembered, Mayor Marquez was going to either demolish this building and build an even larger mall than StarMall — the mall that the city has right now. Or if all else fails, the mayor would resort to renovating and preserving the place to make it a historical treasure of the city.

Eitherway, this might be the last time Ann might step in its abandoned features.

As she stood there greeting the mall, light rain started to fall down in small droplets, prompting Ann to glance up to sky.

Dahil dito ay agad na tumulo ang mga patak ng ulan sa kaniyang pisngi. In the far distance, thunder could be faintly heard.

"It's been raining in this damn city every other day since November arrived." Ann grumbled to herself as she ran towards the mall, fumbling for her phone's flashlight as she took shelter in the abandoned place.

"Antagal naman nila, as'an na ba kasi yung mga 'yun?" Iritadong tanong ng dalaga pagkapasok sa main building ng mall, na napag-usapan nilang anim bilang kanilang meeting spot.

Delikado na kasi para sa kanila na mag-meet sa Castillo High ngayong pati si Professor Zaldiga ay binigyan na rin sila ng last na warning. The diligent shepherd, Enzo, the rest of the student council, Calista, and of course, their parents, were all keeping a close eye on the six; making it harder and harder for them to meet up and talk about their plans.

So Sera had suggested the abandoned Court Mall as their meeting place, to which they all agreed.

However, it seemed that Ann was the first to arrive at the dilapidated place, which looked much more better in the inside than in the outside.

Kinilatis ni Ann ang kaniyang paligid, noting that the inside of the mall was just as deserted as the outside. There was a pile of dust and little bits of debris here and there scattered around, with squeaking rats running across the tiles. But despite this, Ann also noticed that everything was kept and left untouched.

Lahat ng mga stalls ay nakabukas rin kaya kita sa loob ng mga ito.

"They must've forgotten to close the metal doors of the stores." She whispered, eyeing the place.

As she looked around, Ann's eyes fell upon an old-looking jukebox that sat in the middle of the mall's center.

It had brown, white and red colors patterned in its exterior, and a thin slit on one side.

Napalapit ang dalaga rito, curiously stroking the top of the vintage device.

"I wonder..." She muttered, pulling out a coin from her pocket. Without another thought, she then slipped the coin inside the slit, waiting for something to happen.

PLAY: "Cowboy Like Me" by Taylor Swift (played in a jukebox in an empty mall on a rainy night version)

Rinig na rinig ang tunog ng bakal habang nahulog ang piso sa loob ng jukebox. This sound immediately echoed throughout the mall, which was followed by another soft rumble of thunder.

Sa gulat ni Ann ay bigla namang tumunog ang jukebox - playing an old, timey, 70s song with a slow, steady beat.

Dahil walang katao-tao sa mall ay nag-eecho rin ang tugtog sa buong building, the sounds jumping off the walls.

Ann lets out an impressed laugh as she turns around, loving the echoing sound. Dahil dito ay hindi mapigilan ng dalaga ang mapasabay sa kanta, ever so slightly swaying her hips to the sound of the music-

"AAH!" Napasigaw ang dalaga ng wala sa oras nang napaharap ito - a figure suddenly in her view.

To her irritation, it was only Rein.

"MACCIO!" She exclaimed in annoyance, one hand on her chest.

Rein, who had his hands deep into his pockets, let out a chuckle as he stared at Ann with a soft expression.

"Nice singing voice." He grinned, making Ann scowl.

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you're a creep." Ann exhaled, rubbing the center of chest in circles as she relaxed her body.

Habang ginagawa ito ay napansin niyang nakatingin pa rin si Rein sa kaniya, dahilan para mapatingin ulit ito sa binata.

"What?" Inis na tanong ng dalaga.

"What??" Rein repeated mockingly. "Tinitignan ka lang eh. Masama bang tumingin?"

Ann scowled once more before turning her back on him, facing the jukebox instead.

"So..." Rein continued, looking around the place. "Wala pa yung iba?"

"Kita mo ngang ako palang diba?" Ann replied sarcastically. "Tinatanong mo pa."

"Okay woman, chill." Rein laughed, muttering something under his breath.

"Ano 'yon?!" Pagbabantang tanong ng dalaga.

"Sabi ko buti nalang cute kang mairita." Rein frowned, turning his own body away from her as well.

Silence.

"Well," Rein cleared his throat as the two had their backs turned on one another. "Since the others aren't here yet..."

He let out a cough before turning once more and taking a step towards Ann.

"I guess I'd take this as an opportunity to dance you." Tahimik na sambit ng binata.

Agad na napatigil si Ann at dahan-dahang hinarap ito. Rein was looking at her expectantly, with a hand reaching out to her.

"What?" She said in surprise.

"I mean, it's the only time I'll get to." Rein shrugged. "If you'll allow m-"

"I'M NOT DANCING WITH YOU." Ann exclaimed horrified and even surprised that her own rival would suggest something so intimate.

"Ouch." Rein said bluntly in a dry voice. "You've hurt my feelings."

He then offered out his hand once more "Come on Lobris, this is the only time I'll ever get to offer you something other than a headache. Or would you rather I annoy you for the whole time while we wait for the others?" He grinned cheekily.

Ann squints her eyes at him before looking down on his hand.

"Dancing with you is a dangerous game, Maccio." She warns him before accepting his hand hesitantly.

As soon as their fingers touched, Rein gently pulled the young girl towards him, his other hand slinking around her waist as he started swaying slowly, guiding Ann.

Hindi magawang tignan ng dalaga ang binata sa mata.

"Who would've known? A Lobris and a Maccio dancing." Rein remarked cheekily, staring right at his rival. "I could've asked you to dance back at Jarrell's party, but the media would've gone nuts. That, and my father would have killed me by then."

Hindi sumagot si Ann - her eyes darting here and there, trying to avoid Rein's steady gaze on her. Pakiramdam nito ay lalabas na ang kaniyang puso sa bilis ng tibok nito.

"Oh ba't ka tahimik Lobris?" Pang-asar ng binata. "Am I a better dancer than Cortez?"

"Oh shut up, Maccio." Ann responded in a flustered manner, her face heating up. "If this is about what you've heard earlier, it's not what you think it is. Besides-"

"What? I was just asking." Rein muttered. "How long has he been courting you anyway? Parang ngayong year lang naman kayo naging close."

"He just asked to court me this morning," Ann snapped back begrudgingly. "But anyway, that's not the point-"

Napasipol ang binata. "Ngayong umaga lang? Damn, Lobris. Gusto ko yung nasasabay mo pa yung lovelife sa imbestigasyon natin." Ngisi nito, dahilan para mas lalong uminit ang ulo ng dalaga.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Ann scowled. "It's like you make it your everyday mission in life to pester me-! Oh, I see what this is," Tango ng dalaga habang patuloy pa ring sumasayaw ang dalaga. "You're trying to find my weakness as a Lobris!" She shouted accusingly, much to Rein's amusement.

"Lobris, seriously." Sambit ng binata sabay tawa ng mahina. "You need to relax. And you can't blame my own curiosity."

"Curiosity my ass." Ann snapped. "And what is it to you anyway? Whoever decides to court me shouldn't be your business."

Natawa ang binata. "You're right. But I thought you'd have a more refine taste for men. Cortez? Seriously?"

Mas lalong nang-init ang mukha ng dalaga.

"Look okay-"

"I mean yeah, he's rich, but I'd never thought he'd pass your standards." Rein continued, rambling on.

"Oh for goodness sak-"

"In fact, I'd never consider you one to actually get into a relationship. Masyado ka kasing seryoso sa buhay. But oh well, you continue to surprise me everyda-"

"REIN, HE'S THE CULPRIT!" Ann snapped, her voice louder than what she had intended - the yell echoing throughout the abandoned mall.

Agad na napatigil sa pagsasayaw ang dalawa, with Rein staring at her in surprise.

"Wait, who's the culprit??" A voice asked, at agad namang napalingon ang dalawa, only to see Sera and Jarrell walking from out of the darkness.

"Yohohown!" Jarrell bellowed in laughter as he saw the rivals holding on to each other, clapping his hands like a seal.

Naka-simpleng jeans at grey t-shirt lamang ito na para bang bibili lamang sa convenience store. Sera on the other was still wearing her business attire disguise, her heels making a hollow, tapping sound on the ground with her every step.

Dahil dito ay agad na bumitaw ang dalawa sa isa't-isa, Rein rubbing his nape in embarrassment, and Ann pursing her lips.

"Took you long enough." Ann muttered, clearing her throat as Sera tossed Ann's hat towards her whilst sharing a knowing smirk to Jarrell.

Clearly, Sera and Jarrell had saw the two dance and felt it was right to ruin their moment.

"Am I late??" Another voice asked, and this time, the four turned around to see Quinn arriving right after Sera and Jarrell, breathing heavily as if he had sprinted to get to there.

"So now you guys are here." Rein scoffed under his breath, with Ann rolling her eyes and glancing at Quinn who was alone.

"Where's Queenie?" Ann frowned at the bespectacled boy whose forehead furrowed in confusion.

"Hindi pa ba siya nakakabalik?" Nag-aalalang tanong nito.

"No, I was the first one here." Kunot-noong sambit ni Ann before turning to Jarrell and Sera. "Hindi niyo ba siya dinaanan sa Atramento?"

"Nope." Jarrell shook his head. "Ito kasing si Sera, tinawagan ako na sunduin ko daw siya sa kabilang parte pa ng siyudad." He grinned, nodding towards Sera who rolled her eyes. "The poor lady got lost in the other side of Ylando City. Buti na lang kamo, gentleman ako."

"Oh shut up." Sera snapped before turning to Ann. "The point is, we were miles away from Atramento Sea, so no, 'di na namin dinaanan si Queenie."

Before any of them could interject, Queenie's phone started beeping inside Ann's pants pocket.

Agad na natahimik ang lahat dahil dito, with Ann pulling it out from her pocket.

"Jarrell, is your car out?" Ann said grimly, starting to walk out of the abandoned mall with the others following quickly.

"Yup, it's by the sidewalk."

"C'mon, Queenie alerted her tracker for a reason." She said worriedly, and the five of them ran out of the building, the song in the jukebox finally ending.

---

PLAY: "Game of Survival" by Ruelle

It had been a long and arduous journey out of the woods, and Queenie by now, had grown tired from walking in circles.

Bukod pa roon, kumukulo na rin ang tiyan ng dalaga. Hindi pa ito kumakain ng pang-hapunan. The only thing she had brought with her was a bottle of water that she had already consumed hours ago.

Queenie heaved out a heavy breath as she crawled on the ground. She had just pressed the tracker underneath her long sleeves in the hopes that Ann and the others would come and find here.

She had no idea where she was, and the looming dark sky of the night did not help to boost her morale.

Dahan-dahan ay gumapang ito papunta sa isang puno at isinandal ang kaniyang likod rito.

Ipipikit na sana ng dalaga ang kaniyang mga mata nang nakarinig ito ng pamilyar na tunog. Queenie flitted her eyes open, turning her head to the left.

She could hear the faint sounds of the city from the far distance.

With a weak sigh, the young girl removed her mask and pushed her glasses atop the bridge of her nose before crawling towards the sound, her limbs shaking as she moved.

It was only a few trees away when Queenie slowly saw a clearing, a tune of hope ringing her ears.

With one last push, the young girl forced herself to stand up, holding onto the trees and finally exiting the Netherthorne Forest. Tears of joy came running down her face as she collapsed on the side of the main road where cars could be seen passing by.

HONK! HONK!

A horn blasted, and Queenie gazed up just in time to see a flash of headlights - and a familiar vehicle slowly stopping beside her.

"QUEENIE!" Quinn shouted as the five stepped down from Jarrell's car, rushing towards Queenie. Agad na tinulungan ng mga lalaki ang dalaga na tumayo, bringing her inside the car.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Ann asked worriedly as they all re-entered the vehicle, with Queenie resting her head on the backseat.

"I followed a truck to the Netherthorne forest." Queenie explained weakly, closing her eyes as Jarrell passed a bottle of water to Quinn who helped her sister drink from it.

"Thank you," the young girl mumbled after taking a sip from the water. She then opened her eyes to see the worries gazes of the others.

"Someone was ordering the illegal harvestation of cephalopods." Mahinang sambit nito. "I saw two men fish them out and put them in a truck, which I followed to the woods. And..." She muttered, closing her eyes once more.

"...And you wouldn't believe what I saw in the middle of the forest."

"Patay na mga pusit?" Jarrell offered, trying to lighten the tone of the conversation.

Queenie let out a soft chuckle. "No. A makeshift lab." She said quietly, prompting the others to share glances.

"The lab was using the illegally fished cephalopods to make printing ink." Sambit ng dalaga. "Which means..."

"The culprit is someone with a printing background." Ann whispered, her eyes widening in realization.

"What the hell does that mean? Tyra's family isn't associated with the printing business." Sera demanded.

"No," Rein shook his head, finally understanding what Ann had meant earlier with her statement. "But Mayer is."

A low gasp erupted from the others.

"Teka, teka, anong kinalaman ni Mayer?? Akala ko ba si Tyra ang target natin??" Dire-diretsong tanong ni Quinn as he polished his eyeglasses anxiously.

"Tyra isn't the culprit. Mayer is." Ann said in a grim tone, getting straight to the point. "He's been framing Tyra all along - using her as a pawn."

She then fumbled for her phone, swiping up on her lock screen to show the pictures of the conversations between Tyra and Mayer to the others who eagerly scanned them.

"He's been blackmailing her." Ann shook her head in disgust. "Threatening to post her photos if she didn't execute his plan."

"Oh my God." Sera muttered under her breath, falling back to her seat as she held a hand on her forehead.

"This explains everything." She mumbled, looking up to meet Ann's gaze.

"I thought it wasn't an important clue," iling nito, dahilan para mas lalong kumunot ang noo ni Ann.

"What is??"

"I didn't find anything that useful about the case in Mr. Ignatio's office." Sera confessed, still placing a hand on her forehead as if she was going to be sick.

"Isa lang ang nahanap ko doon." Sambit nito. "Isang paycheck."

"Paycheck?"

Sera nodded quietly. "Galing sa Ylando Bulletin."

And then it had all clicked. Agad na napasapo sa noo si Rein, finally seeing the bigger picture of the case like the thread of strings in Quinn's mystery board all connected and lined up together.

"Of course!" Rein exclaimed, chiding himself for not seeing the missing pieces in the first place. "Mayer is a CORTEZ."

"The Cortez company owns Ylando Bulletin - the biggest newspaper company in the city." Rein said in an excited, hushed tone, the others looking up from Ann's phone to look at him.

"Yung nahanap ni Queenie na lab na gumagawa ng printing ink - the Cortez family must be behind it! Because what do they need to do to sell their news??"

"Print them first." Tango ni Ann, dahan-dahan na ring naiintindihan ang kaso.

"Exactly. So the ink Queenie found in the pigment had always been a clue in the first place."

"And the newspaper articles!" Quinn exclaimed in realization. "Yung newspaper na kasama sa box ng mga gamit na ipinadala kay Ann ay newspaper ng Ylando Bulletin. That also explains the mock article left in your drive - Ann, Rein. Mayer's family has always been about news writing - something that he didn't realize he was incorporating in his schemes!"

"Quinn you are a genius!!" Ann shrieked in glee, shaking him by the shoulders, with Queenie smiling weakly beside her twin.

"Edi ibig sabihin ba nun, for show lang rin yung panliligaw ni Mayer sa'yo?" Ngisi ni Jarrell, dahilan para mapatigil si Ann. Rein glanced at his rival's direction.

"WHAT?? NILILIGAWAN NI MAYER SI ANN?" Sera exclaimed in surprise, with Queenie also sitting straight at the revelation, despite still not being strong enough.

"I've thought about that too." Ann confessed quietly.

"I knew it." Malakas na sambit ni Rein, dahilan para mapatingin yung lima sa kaniya.

"What?" He grinned, failing at hiding his sheer relief to know that there was now an added excuse to hating Mayer Cortez even more - and not just because of some, unearthed feelings. "His face is punchable."

"Punchable." Jarrell repeated with a grin, visibly teasing Rein who immediately made a face.

"Besides," Rein coughed, clearing his throat to try and hide the happiness in his tone. "It makes sense. It explains why he was all over you out of the blue Lobris. Gusto niyang makuwha ang tiwala mo para hindi mo siya pag-suspetyahan, at para na rin siguro malaman niya ang mga galaw mo - you know, so he can always be one step ahead of us."

Napaubo muli ito nang napansin nanaman ang ngiti ni Jarrell.

"And as the saying goes, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." Rein added for good measure.

"He almost succeeded though." Quinn frowned. "Kung hindi pa natin nalaman ngayong araw na si Mayer ang may sala, he would have infiltrated us."

"Don't worry," Ann gritted her teeth. "The moment we expose him is the day I'll give him hell."

"Wait, if Tyra was blackmailed into being a pawn, then the paycheck I found could only mean one thing," Sera said grimly. "Mr. Lucas Ignatio isn't an employee of the Ylando Bulletin, so receiving paychecks from the newspaper company meant that Mayer paid him to be an accomplice too."

"It's understandable." Quinn nodded. "Kinailangan ni Mayer ng isang hacker to hack the drives of the different Schism participants - thus the reason why he hired Mr. Ignatio, an I.T. It also helped that he was from a small tech company so it would make him less suspicious of being linked to someone as big as the Cortez family."

"Pero bakit??" 'Di makapaniwalang tanong ni Jarrell nga ngayon ay binabasa muli ang mga pag-uusap ni Tyra at Mayer mula sa cellphone ni Ann.

"Bakit si Mayer? Bakit siya atat na atat na manalo sa Writers' Schism? Ano namang makukuwha niya doon eh mayaman naman sila??" Kunot-noong tanong muli ng binata. "Matalino rin naman si Mayer so makakapasok rin siya sa magagandang universities sa college - 'di na niya kailangan yung benefits na makukuwha pag nanalo sa Schism."

Jarrell frowned from the driver's seat. "Medyo hindi siya nag-memake sense."

"Well, we have only one way to find out." Rein said in a serious tone, sharing a glance with Ann before looking at each one of them with a determined expression.

"We're going to corner him in his own dangerous game - properly - this time."

---

NOTE: Hi sleuths! Did you solve the case correctly before our main six did?

Kung hindi, oks lang 'yan. Bawi tayo sa Book #2 hehe. Last five chapters left! Are you ready?

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