What if they're actually a group of serial killers? Newt even said he's the prince of devils!
"Cassien?"
Natigilan ako nang ma-realized kong nakasabunot na pala ako sa buhok ko at nakatingin sa babae. They must be thinking na parang ako 'yung baliw na character sa Noli Me Tangere. Who was that woman again? 'Yung sumisigaw ng Crispin, Basilio!
Inayos ako ang aking tindig at ngumiting parang okay lang ang lahat. Hehe, nakakahiya pala kapag nakikita ng ibang tao ang kabaliwang ginagawa ko. I used to express my thoughts through open actions whenever I'm with Maisie. But being with these guys is a different story!
Napansin ko ring napatingin silang dalawa sa kamay kong nakahawak sa aking tiyan dahil pinipigilan kong tawanan ang sarili ko sa kahihiyan.
"Is something wrong, Princess?" tanong ni Newt.
I've got to think of an excuse!
"Uhm, iniisip ko lang kung pwedeng makitae sa ospital."
What did I just say?
Nang i-flush ko ang toilet, napabuntong-hininga na lang ako at tinitigan ang mga tubig na dahan-dahang nilalamon ng mahiwahang upuan. I couldn't believe that I called this thing "bowl" back in my childhood. Sino bang hampas-lupang nilalang ang nagturo sa 'kin no'n? They made me realize how idiotic I've been!
"Ate, matagal ka pa po ba d'yan? Pangatlo mo nang flush 'yan, e. Taeng-tae na 'ko dito—"
"Okay na 'ko!" Agad akong lumabas ng cubicle at nginitian ang babaeng sumalubong sa 'kin. "S-Sorry. Medyo lutang lang, hehe."
Totoong lutang ako. E, kasi nagpapanggap lang naman akong dumudumi nang hindi ko napansing thrice ko na pa lang na-flush ang toilet.
She rolled her eyes at me and bumped my shoulder as she enters the cubicle I once occupied.
Attitude?
Nang mapatingin ako sa iba pang cubicle, they were all occupied at may kaunting pila rin sa mga ito.
What am I doing in this hospital? Why did I come with a pair of strangers to pay a visit to someone I didn't even know?
Nakarating ako sa room kung saan na mahimbing na natutulog ang victim sa hit-and-run na nangyari kahapon. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Maisie standing next to the bed where the sleeping beauty was rested. Sleeping beauty? Wow, naimpluwensyahan na ata ako kay Newt.
Teka, si Maisie?
"Now I know why," she said with a bored facet, gazing intently at me.
"To sum it up," Newt interfered before I could even asked what the bloody hell was going on. "Maisie was the ear witness in the accident."
Huh? I tapped my right ear a couple of times to confirm whether I heard Newt accurately. "Seryoso? My god, sino kaya sa inyo ang magsasabi ng it's a prank?"
"It's true, Cassien. Wala talaga akong balak sabihin sa 'yo. I don't want you to know and worry about it. Little did I know," — she looked at Conan — "Lavio will accompany you here to ask me about Ava's terrible accident."
I felt a little prick on my chest. Why didn't she want to tell me? Is she truly a friend? I forced a smile and closed the door behind me. Maybe I was just over thinking again. Tumingin ako kina Newt at Conan. "Natanong niyo na ba siya tungkol sa mga gusto niyong malaman? I want to listen as well."
"Fortunately, not yet. You just arrived in time," Newt responded. Nakasandal siya sa pader sa gilid at nasa loob ng bulsa ng kanyang itik na overcoat ang dalawang kamay. Hindi niya inaalis ang kanyang mata kay Maisie. Kahit na isang mata lang ang nakikita ko sa kanya, I could feel a blazing rage in his eye. Why?
Conan was sitting on a chair and his legs were crossed, bestowing me some royal vibes. "Maisie Beja. Dahil walang ibang nakakita sa nangyari, what have you two been talking about that time?"
That was rather an unordinary question. Kahit hindi ako masyadong maalam sa mga detective stuffs, the first thing I'd ask — if I were a detective — is what Maisie have heard through the phone.
Malay mo may eye witness naman talaga at natatakot lang na magbigay ng testigo. Baka may narinig si Maisie na sumigaw or something.
"We three are classmates, Beja. Kung may pag-uusapan man kayo, you two could've walked together home. Or during our classes' break times. According to our source, sinabi mong kasabay mong umuwi si Cassien. Now this is the moment of truth," paliwanag ni Conan at tumingin sa 'kin. "Cassien, totoo bang magkasabay kayong umuwi kahapon?"
Come to think of it. I slowly opened my mouth and shook my head. "No, actually . . . sabi kasi ni Maisie may gagawin pa siya kaya mauna na raw ako."
I still remembered that clearly dahil kahapon lang nangyari 'yon.
Suddenly, Conan chuckled. "Ngayon, Beja. Ano 'yang katotohanang tinatago mo?"
For some enigmatic reason, I started to frel uneasy. I guess, it wasn't for myself. I was uneasy for Maisie. Hinintay ko lang ang sandaling pagsagot niya at hindi muna kumibo.
"Wala akong oras para sa mga chismoso," she said, being as cool as she is. She said that with a straight face!
Ako lang ba or medyo nagiging intense na ang pag-uusap nila? Parang may background music na pang-thriller na movie.
"Sorry, but we weren't asking," sabi naman ni Conan at inilabas ang kanyang smartphone. "The Student Council President is."
Huh? Totoo? Involved dito ang SC?
Maisie raised a brow. "Pardon?"
Napansin naming may d-in-ial na number si Conan at nagsimula nang mag-ring ang kabilang linya. He showed us the screen of his phone. The ambient became a little awkward as we waited for the line to get connected.
Siguro mga thirty seconds pa ang lumipas bago nasagot ang tawag. From his phone, we heard a woman's voice. "Argh! Lavio! Ano bang—"
"Lavio, too, President," Conan cut her off. Huh? Ano raw?
"Che! Ano'ng kailangan mo? 'Di ba sabi ko sa 'yo huwag mo 'kong tatawagan lalo na kapag tapos na ang school hours?!"
"Whoa, whoa. Kalma, Pres — puso mo. Tumawag lang ako para iparinig kay Beja na inutusan mo kaming tanungin siya tungkol sa aksidente." Conan smiled without taking his eyes off my friend.
"What are you saying? Wala akong matandaang—"
"Hmm?" He hummed that caused the SC President's silence for a few seconds.
"Ohhh. Sige, sige. Miss Maisie Beja? Can you hear me? Please, be cooperative. Pakisagot nalang 'yung mga tanong nila Lavio, ha. Thank you for your cooperation. Sorry for the inconvenience~"
Wow, that's some kind of manipulation! I wonder what could this blonde possibly have to twist the SC President's tongue? Was it because she owed them big time? Grabe, I couldn't imagine what more this boy could do.
The call was ended.
Maisie's eyes lingered at Conan for a few while before shifting her gaze away. "Mag-isa akong umuwi. Medyo masama ang pakiramdam ko kahapon kaya gusto ko nang mapag-isa. Ava noticed that I wasn't feeling well kaya tinawagan niya ako at kinamusta. And then, it happened . . ."
That was totally tragic. It must have been tough for Maisie to carry the burden that she was the last person to communicate with the sleeping beauty. Oo, self. So you shouldn't condemn her for not telling you anything. Wah, I need to be an understanding friend!
"Tell us, Ice Woman. What exactly did you hear?" Newt finally spoke after being quiet for a long while.
Ice Woman?
"Narinig ko 'yung . . . usual na tunog ng makina ng kotse kapag humaharurot. After that, the call was ended."
"Hindi ang busina?" Conan asked.
Umuling si Maisie. The two boys smirked na parang mga sinapian ng masamang espiritu. Okay lang ba sila? Nagpabalik-balik ang tingin ko sa kanila, hinihintay na sabihin nila kung anong nasa isip nila. Kasi sa ngisi nilang 'yan, parang silang pinagbiyak na buko na iisa ang utak!
"How about Ava's phone? Nasaan 'yon?"
Maisie's eyew widened as if terror was rjght before her. That bored face finally showed some expression. Teka, teka!
Once in a lifetime lang 'to! Kailangan kong kunan ng photo 'to, hehe. I was about to take my phone out nang magsalita siya.
"Her phone . . . was nowhere to be found."
That was strange.
Newt finally moved and went to the sleeping beauty's side, across Maisie's. His one eye stared at Ava. "Could anyone testify that you were really at home?"
Tiningnan kami ni Maisie isa-isa, including me. "Are you suspecting me, na binangga ko siya?"
Whoa, parang nadamay pa yata ako! Hindi ko naman sinususpetyahan ang kaibigan ko, e!
"One can't tell," Newt continued.
"My family. Alam nilang nasa bahay ako, kausap si Ava nang mangyari 'yon." My friend kept a fierce countenance, without any hint of fear.
They decided to call it a day. Medyo madilim na ang langit pero niyaya pa rin ako nina Conan na bumalik sa clubroom para raw marinig ko ang mga theories nilang tatlo. I told them na baka pagalitan ako ng mama ko dahil ginabi na ako ng uwi.
"I'm a girl," sabi ko sa kina Newt at Conan. "Hindi angkop sa isang babae na ginagabi ng uwi kasama ng mga lalaki. Hindi pa naman ako nagtatrabaho!"
They just gave me unimpressed look. Hindi siguro nila ako naiintindihan! At parang wala silang paki-alam! Palibahasa mga lalaki na detective pa! Baka mga wala ring magulang 'to?
"You have your choices, Princess. You can go home and have a sleepless night later, over thinking of what happened why the angel was stuck at pedestrian lane although got hit hard that caused the very long slumber."
After a momentary while of thinking, I decided to come back at their clubroom para malaman kung ano ba talagang nangyari. We didn't have a hard time entering the school's presmises because it still hasn't been closed at such an hour.
Conan pushed the rotating door when we arrived at the library. Nauna silang dalawa na pumasok.
Ah! Sobrang dilim!
I heard they footsteps kaya kinapa-kapa ko kung nasaan sila. Wait a minute, where are they going? Why won't they switch the lights on?
"Uh, guys? Nasaan kayo?"
I felt someone held my hand. "Let me guide you to Hell, Princess."
From that voice and choice of words, paniguradong si Newt ang humila sa 'kin nang makarinig ako ng bumubukas na pinto. The lights from that door were starting to get bigger, tossing me the spectacular corners of this heavenly room.
This must be that room na napagkamalan kong C.R.
Naamoy ko agad ang mabangong hangin ng mula sa air conditioner. The size were as big as a normal clubroom but no window was present. There were also a pair of cream-colored couches on both side of the room. Due to the extreme cleanliness of each corner, my feet were holding back themselves.
"Ah, I expect good news," bungad ni Ranpo sa 'min habang nakangiti. He was pivoting himself on the swivel chair across a table. There were tall booshelves at his back, na kasing-taas pa ng kisame. It was like screaming how small I was though I know I'm kind of blessed with heights.
Hindi na kami nagpaligoy-ligoy pa at sinabihan ako ni Newt na ikuwento ang napag-usapan namin sa hospital. I have no single idea why they chose me to explain.
"Newt, I knew you asked the doctor," wika ni Ranpo nang matapos ako. He was still slowly pivoting in the swivel chair with his feet up and his hands on his knees. "The damage was on the victim's skull, at the back of her head. Hmm-mm, who ever thought that could be possible? Pfft. Could be magic."
"Well, posible naman 'yon, 'di ba?" sagot naman ni Conan. "Kasi nabunggo siya at nadapa — oh, shoot!"
"Her stomach was on the floor. Not the back," Newt said. "Extraordinarily, the sleeping angel was still at the pedestrian lane though she was hit hard. Her phone was missing."
"Isa pa, kilala ko si Ava at alam kong hindi sa Crocus street ang karaniwan niyang dinadaanan pauwi. Unless na business siya sa street na 'yon."
"Indeed. These things were very peculiar," ika ni Ranpo habang nakangiti. Sana all laging nakangiti. Hindi ba nangangalay panga niya?
Paikot-ikot ang tingin ko sa kanila habang nagpapalitan sila ng salita. Unti-unti ko na ring naiintidihan ang ibig nilang sabihin. Even kids and my weak comprehension skills could catch them. Hindi naman ako gano'n kahina p-um-ick up — sometimes.
"It wasn't an accident," Newt muttered that made me flinch. "It was a murder."
That wasn't the only surprise waiting for me.  Mas nakakagulat pa ang sinabi ni Ranpo, — even Newt and Conan were shocked — something my head couldn't shake off and gave me a restless night.
"There was no car nor a driver in the case. In reality, they didn't exist at all. It was just a made up scheme to mislead fools."