Depression Plutus (Curse #4)

CHAPTER 32 The Ritual Case

OTTILIE VIRSES POV



Matapos naming mag-agahan, dumiretso na kami sa arcane room para pag-usapan ang activity na gagawin namin. Occupied ng bawat group members ang kada isang mahabang lamesa habang may isang malaking white board naman ang makikita sa harapan namin.

"Excited na ako sa group activity natin! Galingan natin guys!" Masiglang turan ni Jenna.

"I wanted to ace this activity," dagdag naman ni Dylan na napa-ayos pa sa salamin nito.

Napapagitnaan kami ni Jenna ng dalawang boys, si Plutus sa right side ko habang si Dylan nasa kabilang dulo. Pasimple kong siniko si Plutus kaya agad na napatingin ito sa'kin.

"Okay ka lang sa kama mo?" Mahinang tanong ko sa kan'ya na ikinabusangot ng mukha niya.

"That bed is infested with germs," he muttered. "Do you know how many people have probably slept there? No way it's clean. I'm pretty sure it's harboring some prehistoric bacteria."

Mahina akong napahalakhak dahil kaartehan ng prinsipeng ito. Kailangan ko pa takpan ang bibig ko para lang hindi kami mahalata ng teacher namin.

"Napaka-oa mo naman," mahinang saad ko. "It's just a bed, not a science experiment."

Plutus rolled his eyes still looking utterly disgusted. "I might as well have slept in a petri dish. I'd rather have camped outside."

I leaned closer, giving Plutus a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I came prepared," I whispered. "I actually bought a disinfectant spray in the city before the trip. Figured you'd have a meltdown over the bed situation."

Plutus blinked at me, completely stunned. "Wait... there's such a thing as... a cleaning spray?" he asked, his voice full of genuine wonder, like I'd just shown him magic.

I giggled, nodding. "Yep, a lifesaver, especially for neat freaks like you."

He looked at me, a little amazed, as if I'd just solved a mystery he'd been trying to crack his whole life. Nakakatawa talaga ang isang 'to, marunong siya sa hair essentials pero sa disinfectant spray, hindi?

"Alright, everyone!" Mr. Armstrong's voice boomed over the microphone, calling for our attention.

Magf-focus na sana ako sa unahan ng pa-simpleng bumulong si Plutus na ikinatayo ng mga balahibo ko sa katawan.

"Hope you're not trippin' me, evil witch, or I'll make your body a cadaver," Plutus whispered. "I'd hate to see you on a slab in the morgue. You'd rather stay in one piece, wouldn't you?"

I gulped, trying to look calm, but deep inside, my chest is pounding painfully at his harsh threat. Diyan siya magaling eh, sa pananakot! Pasalamat nga siya, binilhan ko pa siya.

"Class before we start, I'll like you to meet Ms. Rutherford, she will assist me on our 4-day camp here. She's one of the senior forensic pathologists in this institution." Mr. Armstrong introduced a beautiful girl, probably in her mid 20's.

"Now, we will proceed on our discussion," he started. "Our victim," he said, gesturing to the large enchanted screen behind him, where an image of a woman appeared, "is Lysandra Aurel. Thirty-four years old, a well-known practitioner of magic and a researcher with an interest in occult practices. As you can see, she looks like this when authority found her. She has pale skin and tangled black hair. Her face is locked in an expression of shock, mouth slightly parted as if caught in mid-breath, and her wide eyes staring into the distance, almost unseeing."

Napasinghap ang buong klase sa picture ni Lysandra. Sa kaso ko naman, tila bumalik sa ala-ala ko ang bangkay ng mga biktimang nasaksihan ko sa school. Nag-aalala ako na baka may panibagong kaso na naman ng patayan. Lubos ko talagang ipinagdadasal na sana ay wala munang kaso sa CA habang wala ako.

"Lysandra was last seen about two weeks ago, acting quite strangely. She was observed purchasing rare spell components from a magical apothecary, and witnesses reported she seemed paranoid, as though she believed someone was watching her. Her body was discovered in a chamber within an old, abandoned mansion that she used for her experiments. By all accounts, Lysandra was someone who pushed the boundaries of magic, especially the forbidden kind."

"Your primary task over these next three days is to figure out how she died. Was it a spell gone wrong? Or was there something darker at work?" His gaze moved around the room, meeting each student's eyes.

"At the third day of our stay here, each group will present their findings, so teamwork is essential. Today, we'll start by examining Lysandra's body in the lab. Each group will be given thirty minutes to study the body up close, looking for anything that might tell us what happened to her. Take notes, ask questions, and pay attention to the details. Every clue could be important."

Nagsimulang magbulong-bulungan ang mga classmate ko, ang iba tila natatakot na makakakita ng bangkay, habang iba naman ay excited. Nang mapatingin ako kina Jenna at Dylan parehas na nakangisi ang mga ito. Obviously, sa lahat ng mga classmates ko, silang dalawa ang mas higit na nag-eenjoy sa camp na ito.

"Remember," Mr. Armstrong continued, raising his voice over the chatter, "this is a rare opportunity to apply your skills in a real-world scenario. Make the most of it, because this will be a test of everything you've learned so far. Now, if there are no questions, let's get started. Good luck."

With that, he led us down the hall to the lab, where Lysandra's body awaited, and each group was preparing for the challenging task ahead.

~~~


"Where's group two?" Ms. Rutherford asks, "You're next."

"Omg! Tayo na 'yon!" Masiglang turan ni Jenna at nauna nang pumasok sa loon ng lab.

Pagpasok namin sa loob, puting kapaligiran agad ang tumambad samin. May mga malalaking machines, shiny steel equipment, at may mga glass containers din ang makikita sa paligid. Ngunit ang isa sa naka-agaw ng pansin namin ay ang katawan ni Lysandra. She's lying still on a metal table in the center of the room, with a thin white cloth that covering half of his body. Then, there's a surgical light illuminating her to help us have a better view.

"Alright, group two, you have thirty minutes," Ms. Rutherford reminded us, stepping back to give us room. "Ask any questions if you need clarification."

I turned on my camera and snapped a few photos, zooming in to make sure I captured every detail. Habang silang tatlo naman ay may kan'ya kan'yang hawak na ballpen at notebook para isulat ang lahat ng mao-obserbahan nila.

Then, I saw Dylan leaned in to inspect her skin, kaya agad akong lumapit sa kan'ya para makuhaan ang napansin nito.

"Look at her arms and neck," Dylan muttered, "these veins... they're darker than usual. They're all over her arms, legs, and neck."

Naglapitan naman si Jenna at Plutus para tignan ang napansin ni Dylan. Mas lumapit pa nga si Jenna para suriin ito ng mabuti.

"Sa tingin niyo, dahil kaya 'to sa spell?" She looked at Dylan, and I could tell she was already trying to piece it all together.

"Could be. Dark magic does that sometimes," Dyan replied.

Jenna then shifted her gaze down to Lysandra's wrists and forearms, her face twisting slightly as she noticed something new. "Wait... there are burn marks here," she pointed out. "They look like symbols. Runes, maybe? They're faint, but you can see them on her chest too."

I took another picture, making sure to capture these symbols. "Runes would make sense," I agreed. "She probably needed them to perform her spell."

The more I looked, the more unsettling it was, especially as I zoomed in on her face, her pupils blown wide, and her white eyeballs are now stained with a strange grayish hue. Whatever she'd been doing had definitely taken its toll.

As I was taking photos, I found my attention drifting to her hands. Her fingers were curled up tightly, almost like she'd been clinging to something when she died. The nails were cracked and bloody, like she'd been fighting against something we couldn't see.

"Look at her hands, guys. They're clenched so tightly. And her nails..." I took a close-up shot and glanced over at the others. "It's like she was gripping something."

I noticed Plutus hadn't said much, he was standing quietly on the other side of the table, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Naku, huwag niyang sabihin na nadidiri siya sa bangkay na nasa harapan namin? Subukan niya lang hindi tumulong, lagot siya sa'kin.

Or maybe I was wrong.

I saw Plutus leaning forward, examining Lysandra's mouth. He frowned and touched her chin, tilting her head slightly. Don't worry, nakasoot kami ng gloves for protection na din.

"There's something strange here," he finally spoke up, pointing. "Look at her mouth. This black particles... it's all around her lips, and I can see traces of it in her throat. Maybe even her lungs. It's like she breathed something in that poisoned her."

Jenna made a face, looking from Plutus to the residue. "Baka 'yan ang dahilan kung bakit siya namatay?" she concluded.

"Could be," he replied, his tone low. "Or maybe it was just part of whatever curse she was working with."

I continued taking photos, making sure I had close-ups of everything we'd noticed.

"Okay, time's up, guys..." Ms. Rutherford called out.

"Hays salamat, natapos din." Jenna smiled. "This is so much fun!"

Napapa-iling na lang kami ni Dylan habang papalabas ng laboratory. Nakakapagtaka lang na hindi man lang makikitaan ng takot ang mag best friend na ito habang kaharap ang bangkay kanina. Para bang sanay na sanay na silang nakakakita nito, o baka masyado lang akong nag-overthink?

To be continued...