Everyone is witness to the death of Damon Dominic, except for that one person who might have murdered him. After a "person of interest" is identified, three campus journalists will launch their own investigation to prove her innocence... or guilt.
K...
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TONY
"C-Cleo?!"
I HAD to rub my eyes not only twice, but thrice to make sure that I wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. No matter how many times I blinked or squeezed my eyes shut, Cleo's still standing in front of me. 'Di gaya sa usual hairdo niya, naka-ponytail siya ngayon.
"Bakit parang nakakita ka ng multo?" tanong niya.
The girl, who was the topic of our brief debate just a moment ago, appeared before me. The girl, who was about to become a person of interest by the university police, was just standing a meter away. Daig pa nito ang makakita ng multo.
Kumurap ang mga mata ko sabay iling ng aking ulo. "A-Ano'ng ginagawa mo rito? Nakausap ka na ba ng university police?"
"I'm willing to answer your questions but..." Cleo looked to her right, on the empty hallway. "...can we do it inside? I don't feel comfortable talking here. Baka may makapansin sa akin."
Where were my manners? I swung the door fully open and stepped aside. Tumuloy siya sa living room ng aming unit, iginagala ang mga mata sa paligid. I motioned to the couch where she could sit and take a rest or catch her breath. Inilapag niya sa tabi ang dala-dala niyang bag.
"Aba! Bakit 'di mo sinabing may bisita ka, Ton—"
Halos malaglag ang panga ni Emilio nang kumaway sa kanya si Cleo. Muntik na nga niyang mabitawan ang hawak niyang plato. Even Octavio froze as he was scooping some rice from the platter. Nahulog pa ang kanin na nasandok niya.
"Good evening," may pagka-awkward na bati ni Cleo sa kanila.
Nagkapalitan kaming tatlo ng tingin. If we had telepathic powers, we would be asking ourselves, "What the hell was she doing here?" Even I didn't know the answer.
Mabilis kong binalikan ang pinto, ini-lock at ibinalik ang mga bolt nito. Inayos ko rin ang mga kurtina para masigurong walang makasisilip na bisita namin si Cleo.
"Ka-Kain?" imbita ni Emilio kasama ng isang pilit na ngiti.
"Salamat, pero hindi pa ako gutom."
The next moment was awkward. I could hear the buzzing and clicking noises of the cicadas outside. Nagpapalitan kami ng tingin, pasulyap-sulyap sa hindi naming inaasahang bisita. It wasn't unusual for us to receive guests in our unit, but given the circumstances, we didn't know how to deal with Cleo.
I cleared my throat as my head turned to our visitor. Ayaw ko nang tumagal pa ang awkward moments sa pagitan namin. Walang gustong mag-start ng conversation, kaya ako na. Nakatayo ako sa tapat niya. "Kumusta ka naman? Dalawang araw ka nang hindi nag-a-attend ng classes, ah?"
Cleo's eyes looked down. Sadness was reflected in her pupils. "Heto, dinaramdam ko pa rin ang pagkawala ni Damon."
Maybe it's not a good idea to ask her how she was feeling.
