PSYCHESTRAIN

00| Prologue

00| Prologue
 
Behind the wide mahogany desk, there was an early 60's man seated in a swivel chair while busy reviewing papers. And right across the desk was a chair occupied by another man. 

"You've been working in this institution for a decade, Cipriano, and I have known that being assigned to a faraway town was what you refrained from the most. That's why I couldn't help but question your competitiveness in robbing Theo's client from Escalante."

"It wasn't yet his client when I offered my interest, Glen," Irwan Cipriano firmly told his boss, Glenton Asuncion.

Glen lifted his head to see Irwan for the first time since he entered his office. He then sat erect, removed his reading glasses, and put them down above his desk. Irwan, who earlier busied himself in the abacus, encountered his eyes after sensing his boss's gaze.

"Hindi ko alam kung ano ang nasagi sa isip mo at kung bakit bigla-bigla ka nalang magpapakita sa trabaho matapos ang tatlong buwan mong pagkawala," Glenn smiled sarcastically, shaking his head.

"What has gotten in your mind that you dared to diss us for months and come back unbothered seems to be assuming that your unaddressed leave was not a big deal at all?"

Irwan did not reply—not that he was speechless. He's not even anxious or terrified by his boss's rhetorical remarks. He knows his return after his 3 months of absence was something his colleagues would question or laugh about—and Glen might even react the same, yet he was complacent that he wouldn't get reprobated by only that. Despite having strict rules in the company,

"You are one of the excellent agents in the institution Cipriano; you are in demand with our clients. You haven't messed up in your latter case before your disappearance. You've accomplished what is beyond great; you solved and closed cases successively. Nothing really seems wrong with you; that's why I could not help but wonder why you disappeared for months without notice."

"Nothing really seems wrong," Irwan said, looking away. "That's what I used to believe, but like what you've said, I was solving and closing cases successively—now that was what seemed wrong." He turned to face back at Glen. "There's a dilemma, an issue of myself—of my occupation—that I just figured out lately."

Glen sat erect before leaning his back against the rest of his swivel chair and letting it sway for a bit.

"I've got open ears," he said after making himself comfortable.

"Look—I just realized that I'm no longer doing the job I oath to do. The majority of the cases that I have handled have been quite successful, but in my past years in the service, I realized that it doesn't seem to be the same as before. The success was there, but it seemed I wasn't really winning at all."

"A personal issue, as it seems."

"It is—but it's still about my job in the institution, Glen, as an agent." He released a frustrated sigh. "I've been closing and solving cases, but I was no longer saving my patients, Glen."

Irwan's latter remark was instantly interpreted by his mind, and he just then had a fixed conclusion on his agent's issue. He has thought of the probable epitome of his dilemma. Glen knows how committed and principled Irwan was in his job; the way he perceives and gives importance to one's psychopathy is beyond what other people could interpret or apply. And that's what makes him a top-tier agent of Psychestrain.

He is as well aware of how his principles, which he has been holding onto even these days, have been wholesomely yet positively influenced by a significant other.

"Charlotte," Glen uttered, ringing a bell in Irwan's mind yet managing to be pretentious and remaining emotionless after hearing her name. "She should have something to do with whatever you've been up to these days."

"I would not deny that, malaki ang naging impluwensya niya sa kung ano ako ngayon. But it is not like I am blaming her with what's currently happening to me. Marami akong napagtanto dahil sa kaniya, I am able to edify myself properly—as a man and as an agent—because of her. Pero kung ano man ang negatibong nangyayari sa akin ngayon, labas siya doon."

"Perhaps Charlotte herself has nothing to do with it. But don't you think, ang pagkawala niya rito ay may kinalamam diyan?" Irwan left his question unanswered, and Glen waited for minutes before starting again.

"Malaki ang impluwensya niya sa halos lahat sa'tin, she influenced a lot in the office back when she's still here and that when the institution lost her, everything went black and white. There have been numbers of agents who either resigned or were referred, kung tutuusin ay malaki talaga ang nabawas sa mga ahente na katrabaho niya mula ng mawala siya. I mean, I know it was normal to a workplace to have a worker resigned from time to time and year by year, but that doesn't really happen if you're an agent here in Psychestrain. Masasabi ko talagang may nabawas sa pagkatao ng bawat isa sa inyo na nakatrabaho niya mula ng mawala si Charlotte."

Silence prevailed between the both of them for minutes, not until Irwan spoke. "I don't want to talk about this anymore," he sighed. "Pasensya na sa inaasal ko, I know my issues aren't enough to justify my actions. I also don't think I deserve or that I am even ready to handle another case; I would understand if you'd not be giving me—" Irwan was halted after seeing the folder that Glen slid on the surface of the desk, shoving it nearer to him. He lifted his head, meeting Glen's gaze.

"That's just a simple case of a teenage girl named Allysa Trevejo, and I'm pretty sure you can handle it."

"What do you mean by simple case?" Irwan questioned.

Being aware of the fact that the institution only accepts serious cases involving heinous and indeed damaging crimes done by individuals, specifically young individuals. The institution's very aim is to alleviate crime all over the country. Restrain a potential criminal from growing monstrous using their mind and even soul.

Manipulate them—and that's what makes Psychestrain entirely different from any sort of mental institution. They have different ways of handling patients. That's also what makes them dissociate from the government. Nevertheless, they are still permitted to participate in legal investigations and court proceedings.

"Well, this one's a simple case of a troubled girl. Involved in compulsive self-destruction, hallucinations," Irwan's brow's still knitted even hearing that. "It's just a simple case, not until when..." Glen pulled the drawer beneath his desk and took out a notebook, stretched his arms, and put it down right beside the folder. "This was sent."

Irwan glanced downward at the notebook. He touched the covers, and Glen gave him a nod, seemingly permitting him to get into the pages of the notebook. Irwan pulled the notebook to himself, opened it only to find the first page empty, and then turned to the next page to see the reckless scribble of words that he had sooner begun reading.

He learned that it was a journal of a young girl, expectedly Allysa's, but her name was not written nor yet mentioned to at least advocate one's possession, and what's more, not advocating it was the very content of each entry.

After learning about the situation, Irwan made an immediate decision. As soon as he put the notebook above the folder, Glen already knew that he was ready to take good care of the case.

"That was sent by her father, who is bewildered as to what to conclude regarding her daughter. Now, you have to figure out whether Allysa is responsible for those crimes or if she at least took a fair part in conducting them."

"And?"

"Just that, you won't be involved in any case-solving; you just have to make her confess."

"And if she doesn't really have anything to confess?"

"Then it's done." Glenn groped something in his pockets and also placed it on the table. It was a card, and written there was the address and contact number of the said client. "I'd only be giving you a couple of months or three. If you don't get to squeeze anything from her all through those months, you can leave it."

"Would I still get paid?"

"Of course," he scoffed.