Totally Hooked

Chapter 21: Addicted

Lahat kami ay nagulat sa sinabi ni Denise. We all stared at her in awe trying to understand what she just said. A minute passed when Miggy finally composed himself and was the first one to talk.

"So, something is really off about her." Simula ni Miggy.

"Why didn't you say something Den?" tanong nito sa babaeng katabi niya.

"I didn't want to admit it to myself. Ayokong pagdudahan ang kaibigan ko pero yung sinabi nang receptionist kanina, it felt weird." She replied with a perplexed expression on her face.

"Ano bang sinabi nang receptionist kanina?" Tanong naman ni Shin. Denise took a deep breath and begun telling us what the receptionist told them.

"Naipon yung mga mail ko sa lobby kaya tumawag sakin yung receptionist kaninang umaga. Pagdating ko sa lobby tinanong niya ko kung bakit walang nasagot nang phone sa unit kasi dun daw siya unang tumatawag. She said that Vodka visited a couple of days ago. Kilala niya si Vodka dahil nga magkasama kami dati sa unit kaya hindi niya masyadong pinagisipan ito. It was the same night na naabutan ko na ganto ang unit ko. I told her na nagstay ako sa bahay nang kaibigan ko for the past two days and it confused her dahil according to her Vodka visited the first day na nagstay ako kay Mitch pero umalis din daw ito agad. Kaya akala daw niya ay nasa bahay ako." All of us were silently listening to every word that she was saying.

"So, malaki ang possibility na hindi coincident na andun siya kaninang umaga sa condo." Sabi ko breaking the silence that enveloped all of us.

"Pero, I don't recall her. Base sa mga nangyayari satin, it has something to do with what happened ten years ago and unless she is a very good detective there is no way she'd find out about it. Baon na baon na yung issue na yun eh. At ni hindi nga narelease kung saang school yun at kung sino ang mga invole." Litanya ni Shin sounding defeated with the loss of explanation about the matter at hand.

"Unless, she was there when it happened." Napatingin naman kaming lahat kay Miggy who's  still loss in his thoughts. He raised his head and looked at us.

"Think about it! Faculty, staff and students lang nang school natin dati ang nakakaalam kung sino-sino ang involve sa issue na yun. At dahil gusto na din natin itong ibaon sa limot, our parents choose not to correct the article about my alleged suicide, kaya hindi din alam nang media kung sino tayo. Alam lang nila ay may studyante na nalaglag." He explained to us.

"And there is no way that they would know anything about the necklace. Dahil si Denise lang ang pinagsabihan ko tungkol dito. Kahit nga kayo dalawa ni Shin hindi niyo alam." I added to Miggy's sentiment.

"Pero you guys don't recognize her in any way?" tanong ni Angel saming apat.

"Sabi ko nga sa inyo she seems familiar, pero hindi ko talaga alam kung saan ." Miggy threw his hands in exasperation and just lay in the floor from where he was sitting.

"May year book ba kayo? Just to see, kung may kakilala pa tayo na nandun that time." Dagdag na tanong pa nito sa amin.

"Wala." Sabay na sagot nang tatlo.

"I think I have one. Pero hindi ko maalala kung san ko yun nilagay." Sagot ko sa kanila thinking hard kung kelan ko huling nakita yun.

"Pano ka nagkaroon?" tanong sakin ni Shin confused.

"We still finished the school year there remember? I remember seeing it nang maideliver ito sa bahay. Kinuha ni mommy ang copy ko, hoping to help me get my memories back. Pero isang beses ko lang binuksan yun, I don't even know kung nakasama ba siya sa naempake namin nung lumipat kami nang bahay." Sagot ko naman sa kanila.