YVES

Some people are born dramatic. It's unbecoming, to be honest. Sometimes I think they're only trying to gain sympathy from others. Many people use this method to get what they want. This guy probably thinks we can get him out of his situation, but with the evidence against him, that's unlikely to happen. At hindi ako madadala sa pagmamakaawa niya. Walang magbabago na isa siyang mamamatay tao. Was a secret more precious than someone's life? Did he push aside his conscience so he could finish his dare, even if it meant killing someone?

He was weak. He didn't want to face his truth so instead he dragged someone else to their grave.

Marami pa akong hindi naiintindihan, at isa na doon si Jade. I don't know what she's trying to gain for pretending to be weak when it's clear that she isn't. She has been through a lot, survived and yet she still thinks she's beneath everyone else.

Bakit may mga taong pinipiling maging mahina? It's disappointing.

"Who is it?" Jade asked, her voice in a surprised gasp.

Napatingin ako sa kanya at nakita ang pagbaga ng pamilyar na apoy sa kanyang mata. I only saw it once, but there is strength hiding behind the facade of her so-called 'vulnerability'.

Jade walked towards to the cell, and reached out to hold the guy's hand through the gaps between the metal bars. Nakita ko ang benda sa kamay niya na may bahid pa ng dugo. What the hell happened to her?

"Tell me, Timothy," she insisted. "Kung alam mo kung sino ang game master, sabihin mo sa'kin para mapigilan natin siya at hindi na maulit ang nangyari sainyo."

"Baka mapahamak ka lang, Jade."

Why am I still here watching this mushy scene in front of me? They looked like a couple, a husband who was wrongly accused and detained, and a wife promising to wait for his return.

Hell, what an eyesore they are.

"Timothy, kung ako sa'yo sabihin mo na kung ano ang nakita mo. Kanina ka pa namin pinipilit pero ayaw mo hanggang nandito si Jade," singit ni Carlos, at pasimpleng kinuyom ang kanyang kamao. "Malilintikan ka talaga sa'kin kung sasayangin mo pa ang oras namin."

"Did you make it your hobby to threaten people?" I asked, sarcastically. Though I know this will only provoke him.

"Ang dami pa kasing satsat eh."

Bakit hinayaan kong idala ako dito ni Carlos? To make the long story short, I crossed paths with him when I left the diner. He told me he was on his way to visit this guy who was arrested for murder. Gusto niya akong isama, kami ni Jade, dahil gusto niya makausap ang lalaki tungkol sa game master. He heard Payton's death was somehow connected to the game, so he's starting to obesess over finding the game master.

I didn't want to come, but he dragged me all the way here. At dahil wala akong gana makipag-away hinayaan kong kaladkarin niya ako.

He should be thankful I didn't feel like claiming the urge to beat him even when I'm reminded of how thick-faced, perv and digusting piece of shit he really is.

Jade is not that different, well, at least she's not trash like Carlos. What annoyed me is how she's quick to point out my flaws, ignoring the fact that she also has flaws of her own.

"Huwag ka mag-alala, walang mangyayaring masama sa'kin," Jade urged, tightening her grip on the guy's fists.

The guy in the cell then looked at me wide-eyed. Hinawi niya ang kamay ni Jade na nakahawak sa kanya pagkatapos ko siyang panliitan ng mata. Jade was startled so she took a step back. Napansin ko ang pagbaling ng ulo niya sa'kin kaya umiwas ako ng tingin.

"Don't mind them, it's just going to be you and me." I heard her say in a calm manner.

I scoffed out loud, muttering under my breath indignantly. Reminds me of the time she told me almost the exact same thing, that it's going to have to be me and her who will be solving Payton's death.

"Okay," the guy replied.

He's going to get her in trouble. Ano ngayon kung mapapahamak si Jade kapag nalaman niya kung sino ang game master? Knowing her she'd stupidly look for that madman even if it means she'll be doing it alone. How can she be strong and weak at the same time, I wonder.

The guy heaved a sigh before he behan talking. "During our club meeting, I received a notification from the app prompting me to choose Truth or Dare," he narrated, looking from left to right nervously. "Kung alam ko lang kung ano ang ipapagawa ng laro sa'kin, pinili ko na lang sana ang truth."

"Why did you do the dare, Timothy?"

"Because I don't want to end up like Yuri!" The guy exclaimed, his eyes wide and lips trembling. The guy shake his head as he put a hand over his chest. "Hindi ko man gustuhin na gawin 'yon pero kailangan. If it meant I get to live then so be it."

Dahil sa sinabi niya napatingin ako sa gawi nila.

If it means he'll get to live. That's right. What's so wrong about wanting to survive?

"You're afraid the game master might kill you if you don't do the dare," Jade said the most obvious.

"Pwede niyang utusan ang iba gamit ang game, ganoon nangyari sa'kin, inutusan niya ako..."

Tama siya, maaaring may ibang player ang makakagawa na saktan siya o patayin siya kung gano'n ang hangad ng game master para sa kanya. Mabuti nag-iisip siya hindi katulad ng isa diyan inuuna ang iba kaysa sa sarili dahil akala niya ikabubuti niya 'yon bilang isang tao.

"After I received the dare telling me to... kill Prudence, the game master sent me another message. He told me about the instructions he's going to leave in my locker." Umangat siya ng tingin sa amin. "Pumunta ako sa locker ko para sana tingnan kung naroon na, and that's when I saw him."

"The game master."

Tumango ang lalaki. "Nagtago ako sa likod ng pader habang pinapanood ko na may nilalagay siya sa locker ko. He... left after that," the guy finished.

"Did it occur to you that he might be another player tasked to do the job for the creator?" I asked, sounding bored.

The guy shake his head, then replied, "Bago siya umalis, nakita ko ang paglabas niya ng phone niya at may tinipa roon. Then I received a message telling me to check my locker."

"We can't say it's a coincidence. Masyadong timely na natanggap mo ang message," Jade surprisingly agreed to which I scoffed at. She looked at the guy. "What did he put in your locker?"

The guy shifted his weight on his other foot and leaned towards the cell bars.

"A water bottle," the guy said, his voice cracking again. "A note was attached to it saying it has poison. Along with the bottle was Prudence's schedule on it. Naka-encircle ang isa sa mga ginagawa niyo doon ang after meeting self-practice."

Jade crossed her arms. "The game master knows so much about the school and everyone in it. It's not a surprise he'd know someone's daily routine. It's like he deliberately planned all of this before starting the game."

I also think he already knows what's everyone has been doing inside and outside of that wretched school. But who's asking for my opinion?

"And he sent you, one of the drama club's members, knowing it's the perfect opportunity to get closer to her," Jade added, her eyebrows knitting together as she tried to hold back the pitiful look in her eyes. "But if you were meant to poison her, why did you..."

The guy lowered his head in shame. He couldn't even look at us. "The water bottle was identical to hers, I knew I was meant to switch it with the bottle he gave me, but Prudence saw me. Plano ko sana ipagpalit ang bottles habang nagpa-practice kami pero hindi ako nagkakaroon ng opening dahil marami kami sa room. Kaya plano kong ipagpalit ang bottles mula sa bintana. Nag-panic ako nang makita niya ako. I ended up s-stranggling her with my shoe lace, t-to finish the dare."

Hinawakan ni Jade ang nakabenda niyang kamay.

"Did you see his face?" Jade asked.

"Chase."

Umakbay sa'kin si Carlos. "Ah, finally, now we know who is the impostor among us."

I almost forgot about this idiot.

Masama kong tinapunan ng tingin si Carlos na nagawa pa akong ngisian. Last I recall, we aren't close acquaintances to have these kinds of interactions.

Hinawi ko ang braso niya mula sa pagkaakbay sa'kin.

"Isa sa mga kaibigan ko," Carlos announced, his smile disappearing. "I know Chase is fond of games but I didn't take him as someone who'd be taking it this far."

Nakita ko sa gilid ng mata ko ang pagyuko ng ulo ni Jade. Napatingin ako sa kanya at nakita ang lungkot sa mukha niya. But when she look up, her expression changed into a hard one.

"Bullying someone to such extent isn't taking it too far either," she said, bitterly. "Tama ba ako, Carlos?"

"Wow, Jade Montero," natatawang sabi ni Carlos, napapalakpak pa siya. "Saan mo nakuha ang tapang mo ngayon?"

Lumapit sa kanya si Carlos.

"Lakas ng loob mo para harapin ako ngayon porque hiningi ko tulong mo," Carlos laughed. "Baka nakakalimutan mo kung anong pwedeng gawin sa isang hayop na wala nang kinikilalang amo."

Carlos tried to intimidate her by standing upright, towering over her with his height, but Jade wasn't even fazed. Instead, she smiled at him.

A smirk found its way on my face, proud at the sight of Jade staring straight into an animal's eyes. Where did she suddenly get this new courage from?

"Is that so? You better keep your distance. I might bite."

Napangisi ako sa naguguluhan na ekspresyon sa mukha ni Carlos. He never expected her to fight back nor stand up for herself. Maybe that's also the reason why they're always picking on her, because she let's them have it their way.

Now they know they can't do that anymore.

"Anyway, I think it's not Chase. This morning, a photo of him tied into a chair circulated during the meeting. I think he's one of the players."

Mabilis na umiling ang lalaki. "He's the game master! They took my phone. I heard they were able to determine the IP address of the sender from the messages he sent to me. It was Chase."

Natahimik si Jade. Napahalukipkip ako, hinihintay kung ano ang sunod niyang gagawin sa revelation na 'yon.

"Could he have pretended to kidnapped?" she asked to none other than herself.

It was a reasonable assumption though. The game master already suspected Timothy's arrest might backfire on him, so he also made himself appear as another target to avoid suspicion.

"Uhm, Jade," tawag sa kanya ng lalaking nasa selda. "The police already knew about Chase. What if he gets the wrong idea that I broke the rules and he'll come to kill me? Pero sabi ng lawyer ko, hinahanap siya ngayon ng mga pulis."

"He's on the run?" hindi makapaniwalang tanong ni Jade.

"Stupid of him to think that he could pull it off without getting the cops involved," I said, which earned all their stares on me.

Jade inhaled sharply. "Obviously he didn't want anyone else to be involved so he threatened our lives with the game's rules. He probably didn't see this coming."

That madman, the game master, knew he could pull it off without getting into the authorities' radar if and only if the players abide with his rule of silence.

Unlucky for him, he got sniffed out by someone they least expect to play a pivotal role, an outcast, Jade.

"These idiots told me you unmasked the truth behind the murder," I said out of the blue, catching everyone's attention. The idiot in the cell looked at me with furrowed eyebrows.

Carlos frowned at me, looking offended with the name I addressed them with.

Umangat ng tingin sa'kin si Jade at nakita ko sa ekspresyon niya ang pakikipagtalo sa sarili kung tutugunan niya ang sinabi ko. "Yeah, I was the one who found the culprit. To be honest, I didn't know it had to take solving a murder to sniff out the game master is." She smirks. "I didn't need your help after all."

"I bet you're happy now."

"Ecstatic," she replied, sarcastically.

Napahalukipkip ako. "So how does it feel?" Taking a step and another towards her. "May nagbago ba sa pakikitungo ng iba sa'yo pagkatapos ng ginawa mo? Do you feel less guilty over Payton's death?"

Tumigil ako sa harap niya. Umangat siya ng tingin sa'kin, kunot-noong sinalubong ang mga mata ko at napangisi. "Again, this isn't about consolation. It's about justice for Payton. If there's one thing I learned from pursuing the truth is that there's hope in finding her killer. And sooner or later, I will find who killed Payton. I'll make them pay."

She didn't sound like Jade. My eyebrows furrowed when she said she'll make them pay. How exactly does she plan to do that?

Carlos clapped his hands. "You're on a roll, Jade! Ngayon kayo naman ni Morgan ang magkaaway. I'm so glad I entrusted you with this task."

Dahil sa sinabi ni Carlos, para kaming nagkaisa ni Jade at tiningnan siya ng masama.

This thick-faced moron, how dare he imply that he's using us for this task?

"We didn't take any crap from you," I spat out, angrily.

He wagged a finger at us, shaking his head at us as if he's implying he disagrees. "Both of you wouldn't have actually thought of looking for her killer if I hadn't left those photos."

Tiningnan ko si Jade at nagkibit balikat. He does have a point though it's still sounds like crap coming from him.

"Whatever you say, moron," I hissed, rolling my eyes in disdain. "I already gave up looking anyway."

Pinagtaasan niya ako ng kilay.

Natawa siya. "Really? Sainyong dalawa ikaw ang akala kong hindi susuko sa paghahanap. I mean, you did loved her, right?"

Wala akong naging komento sa sinabi niya, umiwas na lamang ako ng tingin.

"If you had been like this, and gave up on Payton two years ago. Nasolo ko sana siya," Carlos said with a regretful sigh. "Sabi na ikaw talaga ang hadlang sa aming dalawa."

Natawa ako. "Really? I beg to differ, there was nothing going on between you and Payton. In fact she hated you."

Carlos ignored what I said.

He turned to face Jade this time who wore an unreadable expression on her face. "Ikaw, Jade. What's your next move? Kung hahabulin mo si Chase, I'll be glad to accompany you."

Nagdaan ang ilang sandali bago nagsalita si Jade. "You really think Chase did it? He's your friend."

I also think it's odd that Carlos didn't show a shred of doubt that one of his friends is the mastermind.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he secretly hated everyone. Why?"

"He's just like you. An airhead, a brawn who only knows how to handle a situation with violence," she accused, which left the guy in the cell stifle a laugh, and Carlos glaring daggers at her.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Carlos asked.

"I don't see Chase being the type who can make something so sinister, and organize a plan as wicked as the game's methods," she told us with a creased forehead.

Napatingin siya sa'kin na ikinakunot ng noo ko. What is she looking at me for? Does she want me to add to what she said? I thought I made it clear I no longer want anything to do with any of this anymore.

She continue to stare at me. "What if he had an accomplice, someone who masterminded the whole thing?"

***