Depression Plutus (Curse #4)

CHAPTER 11 Red Room

OTTILIE VIRSES POV 
 
 
Kanina ko pa pinipigilan ang sarili ko na lumabas ng classroom at puntahan ang crime scene pero baka bigla na lang dumating ang teacher namin. Kaya naman pilit kong kinalma ang sarili ko, mamaya na lang ako kikilos kapag hawak ko na ang oras ko.
 
Habang hinihintay namin na dumating ang teacher, nakita kong kinalabit ni Jenna si Dylan at inutusan ito na ikutin ang mga upuan nila para iharap ito sa'kin. 
 
"Have you heard about the urban legend?" Jenna asked, her eyes gleaming with a mix of curiosity and fear.
 
Mukhang may ikukwento na naman siya sa amin. Napangiwi na lang ako dahil hindi talaga matahimik ang bibig nitong si Jenna sa kakadaldal. 
 
"Jenna, anong trip ba 'yan?" Tanong ni Dylan. "Can't you see I'm mourning?" 
 
"No, seriously," Jenna pressed, leaning in as if someone might overhear. "This might explain the murders."
 
That caught my attention. "Explain. How?"
 
Jenna took a deep breath, her voice was almost a whisper. "There’s a legend… about the Red Room."
 
Napaupo ng maayos si Dylan at mukhang naging interesado na din sa ikukwento ni Jenna. "Yeah, I’ve heard about it," he muttered, glancing nervously around us.
 
"According to the legend, there’s a famous Red Room hidden somewhere deep within the academy. They says that inside the red room you can see a mirror, an enchanted mirror," Jenna continued.
 
"Salamin?" Naw-weirduhan kong tanong sa kan'ya.
 
Jenna nodded earnestly. "Yeah, a powerful one. The legend says that whoever finds the Red Room and gazes into the mirror can make a wish. Any wish they want. It could be power, wealth, even love. Anything."
 
"But there’s always a catch, right?" I asked as I folded my arms. 
 
Jenna’s expression darkened. "Of course. The mirror comes with a deadly price. They say there’s a dark entity trapped inside the mirror, watching anyone who dares to look into it."
 
"How does this tie into the murders?" I asked again.

This is just an urban legend, and I'm still pretty sure there's a killer behind these murders. 
 
"Students who have heard the legend whisper that if you make a wish, the mirror takes a part of you, sometimes a body part, like your eye, your hand, or even a piece of your soul as a payment. Some say that the mirror won't collect payments right away. It could be days, weeks, or even years before the entity collects its payment," Jenna added, with seriousness in her face while Dylan's brows furrowed.
 
I'm sure Jenna was pretty convinced that it was the enchanted mirror's doing. Kung sabagay, nagtutugma nga naman ang kwento sa mga nangyayaring patayan ngayon sa school na 'to. Ngunit kung totoo man ang legend, ibig sabihin may kahilingan si Elena na desperado siyang makuha? Pero ano? Sa pagkakakilala ko sa kan'ya, kontento na ito sa buhay niya at tanging gusto niya lang gawin sa buhay ay maging isang magaling na manggagamot.
 
"You really think students are seeking out this room, knowing what might happen?" I asked, my voice tight.
 
Jenna nodded,"Ottilie, you know how ambitious everyone here is. We’re all witches and wizards, trying to prove ourselves or gain more power. For some of them, the promise of having their deepest desire fulfilled is worth the risk."
 
Dylan sniffed, wiping his eyes. "Lucas was one of those people. He… he wanted to be the best soccer player. Maybe he..." His voice cracked as he couldn’t finish the sentence.
 
Parang may parte sa'kin na naniniwala na sa urban legend na ito dahil nasagot nito ang iba sa mga katanungan ko. Napabuntong-hininga ako at saka hinilot ang sintido ko, ngunit may parte pa din sa pagkatao ko ang sumisigaw na tama pa din ang unang hinala ko. 
 
"The Red Room doesn’t have a fixed location. Sometimes it appears in the library, other times in forgotten classrooms, or behind doors that shouldn’t be there. It moves, like it has a mind of its own," Jenna whispered to us.
 
"Maybe sa gabi madalas magpakita ang red room, kaya sa gabi din nagaganap ang patayan?" Dylan asked, wiping his tears away. 
 
"That's possible," Jenna agreed. "Kasi kapag sa umaga, madami ang makakakita, and worst baka pagkaguluhan pa ito na maging sanhi ng pagka-basag ng salamin." 
 
Napakawild naman ng imagination nitong si Jenna, nakaisip agad siya ng posibleng dahilan? Hindi ata witchcraft ang nababagay sa kan'ya, baka para talaga sa kan'ya ang pagiging isang detective. 
 

~~~

 
"Uwi na po ako ma'am, ba-bye," paalam ko sa teacher na in-assist ko ngayon sa faculty. 
 
"Alright, diretso uwi sa bahay. Huwag na munang magpagala-gala sa school dahil alam mo na," pagbilin ni Mrs. Gregory. 
 
Tumango lamang ako at saka kinuha na ang mga gamit ko. Paglabas ko ng faculty, doon lamang nagseryoso ang mukha ko. Walang imik akong naglakad at tinungo ang lugar na pakay kong puntahan ngayon. It's a good thing na naging student assistant ako dahil hindi na ako nahirapan kumalap ng information tungkol sa pagkamatay ni Lucas. 
 
The teachers said that Lucas body was preserved in the morgue inside this academy. Yes, this school has a morgue, since it's a school for witches and wizards, they need a morgue and other laboratories to preserve specimens for studies and experiments. And to add it up, the school kept Lucas body to investigate what really happened to him before handling it to his family. I still have time to see the corpse before it totally escapes my grasp. 
 
Nang marating ko ang morgue, tumingin muna ako sa paligid at walang ingay na pumasok sa loob. Pagbukas ko ng ilaw, tumambad agad ang nakakakilabot na lugar, wala man lang kapintu-pintura ang morgue na 'to. Pero wala akong oras para magreklamo sa itsura ng lugar kaya nagmamadali kong hinanap ang cube ni Lucas. Nang mabasa ko ang name nito sa label na nakadikit sa isang cube, kagat-labi kong binuksan ito at saka hinila ang laman nito.
 
Mabilis na binuksan ng mga kamay ko ang bag na pinaglagyan sa katawan ni Lucas. Napapikit ako ng mariin nang makitang isa na itong malamig na bangkay ngayon, parang kahapon lang nakikipagtawanan pa ito sa mga kateammates niya, pero ngayon ganito na siya.
 
Nag-alay na muna ako ng isang munting panalangin bago sinimulan kuhaan ng litrato ang katawan nito maliban sa private part niya syempre, iniwasan ko din na tignan 'to for Lucas Privacy. Hindi ko din nakalimutan kuhaan ng litrato ang missing leg nito, lahat ng anggulo ay kinuhaan ko. Nang matapos akong kuhaan ito ng litrato, sunod ko naman na sinuri ang buong katawan nito. One thing I noticed is that masyadong malinis ang pagkakaputol sa paa nito. Kung hindi ko lang alam na estudyante ang may gawa nito, iisipin kong isang doctor ang nagputol sa paa nito.
 
Pangalawa sa napansin ko, katulad sa bangkay ng best friend ko, I sensed a familiar magic aura that resides in Lucas corpse too. For sure, the killer used some magic to immobilize the victim before he did the work. After Elena died, I thought taking her heart was something out of grudge, but when Lucas died and had a missing leg, doon ko napagtanto na baka ito ang signature ng killer sa pagpatay.
 
Nang matapos ako sa pakay ko, nag-alay muli ako ng isang dasal bilang pamamaalam. 
 
"May you rest in peace, Lucas." 
 
 

To be continued...