Chasing Justice #1

CHAPTER THREE: DEFENSE LAWYER

CHAPTER THREE: 

DEFENSE LAWYER

 

"Good day, everyone. My name is Sunset Huxley."

I rested my back on my chair. First day of classes since 1A started on online class for one semester due to health risk around the school. Parang di na ako sanay nang hindi naka-upo sa laptop ko at yakap ang unan ko samantalang 'yung professor ko ay gigil na gigil sa reporters.

"Good day, everyone! My name is Midnight Huxley. Nice to meet you. I'm 18." Sunod na nagpakilala ang nasa harap. Napakunot ang noo ko at tumingin sa babaeng nangngangalang Sunset. Well, actually, kilala ko naman siya dahil siya ang vice president ng ONE-A. It's just too awkward every time I looked at her—and our eyes met.

Siya kasi iyong naka-match ko sa bumble bago mag-open ang 1st semester. Ka-chat ko siya hanggang pasukan, we just stopped—she just stopped chatting me a week before online class. Study first daw.

Then later on, we found out that we are classmates. Nangibabaw ang pagiging makulit niya, first day pa lang kaya nakilala ko na agad siya. I was just silent during class. Di ako makarelate but then, actually, alam ko naman na siya iyon dahil nakita ko ang name niya sa master list, akala ko rin alam niya. Akala ko lang pala.

"Ms. Huxley, and you Mr. Midnight, are you twins?"

"Yuck!" gagad ni Sunset. The whole ONE-A laughed, at kahit ako ay natawa rin. "Napulot lang iyan sa kanal ma'am! Inabandona kasi pangit!"

Our professor smiled. "Who's older then?"

"Si ate po..." Midnight answered, embarrassed because of Sunset.

I met Sunset eyes. I smiled at her but she ignored me.

Napangiti ako.

Why do you have to be this far away?

***

Bait?

What bait did I took, Sunset?

I placed the papers on my coffee table before palming my face. I don't know anymore where should I start and where should I stay on place to gather the right and exact evidences. It will only be few more days before the first trial yet here we are—here I am, still empty handed with the truth.

The prosecution team had already finalized it, and even I don't want to agree with the evidences that we gather, I can't do anything to oppose the team. All of it are legible evidences. Kayang-kayang patunayan sa kung sino mang hindi maniniwala.

I want to oppose—but the only thing I have is the words that Sunset has told to me when everything was still at peace. I don't know if it was true or it's just part of something she planned from the very start. I've been too busy as one of the government's prosecution team, and Sunset being a senator to the point that we didn't give a fact of checking each other's work. We just tell stories to each other...and I don't know any more if that was true enough...if everything that Sunset has told me was true.

I went inside my study room in my condo unit holding the pile of papers, tapes, markers, and like what Christine did, I wrote what I have discovered on the wall. Inilagay ko lahat ng natuklasan ng ONE-A and my own interpretation as well. I crossed the first thing I found out—that Sunset told me was a bait...yet I didn't remove it as it is still connected to her.

The properties that she brought may not be under her name... but it was under a different person that she had a contact with.

I smiled as soon as I was finished. I took a step backward as I stared at the wall where I made to connect everything. I can't see any path yet. Masyado pang buhol-buhol...but I know—the messy path that Sunset has provided for us just to block us from knowing the truth will soon unravel itself.