Death Trap Vendetta

Chapter Forty-Two

SCENE 42

Setting the Stage

March 10, 2016; Thursday

College of Arts and Letters Building

9:24 am

Cess could already feel that she was going to get another headache—which was not even caused by lack of sleep or fatigue—as she listened to the twins talking to each other. Nakatambay sila atrium ng CAL building dahil free period nila pagkatapos ng 7 am class niya kasama si Ailee. At dahil masyadong maaga pumunta sa campus si Shalee para sa rehearsal mamayang tanghali, napilit nila itong samahan na lang muna sila habang hinihintay na magkaroon ng free time ang ibang miyembro ng 8teen. A decision that Cess was slowly regretting.

"I don't know what you're talking about because unlike you, I didn't fall off a building, so I have a perfectly clear memory," Shalee was saying in Spanish, making Cess choke on a laugh.

Hindi maiwasan ni Cess na mapabusangot nang sa halip sagutin ang kapatid nito sa parehong lenggwahe, nagsimulang magsalita ang kanyang kaibigan sa wika ng isa pa nilang magulang. Kung tutuusin, sanay na si Cess na marinig si Ailee magsalita sa Russian dahil halatang ito ang mas pinapaboran ng dalaga sa mga wikang mula sa mga magulang nito.

However, the two of them did sometimes speak to each other in Spanish—much to 8teen's endless complaints at being left out. Not that they ever stopped, because it became sort of their own language with Chloe. At bagamat masaya si Cess na lumawak ang kanilang munting trio sa pagdating ni Shalee, hindi pa rin niya maiwasang mairita nang muling magsalita ang dalaga sa wikang naiintindihan niya.

"What proof are you even asking for? Hello? I literally remembered everything you told me about your life in this school when I was studying in Azulan," she replied to whatever Ailee had said.

Cess heaved a deep sigh when Ailee once again spoke in Russian. It wasn't even that she wished to stop the twins from their personal way of speaking to each other. It was just kind of frustrating to understand only half of the conversation while she still had to hear the other half.

"Can we talk about this later," Shalee said after Cess heard another series of Russian from Ailee. "Don't think I don't notice that you have been avoiding a certain someone."

Sinubukan ni Cess na mag-focus sa trabahong ibinigay sa kanya ni Joy bilang isa sa mga team leader ng wardrobe and makeup. She also needed to find some back up dancers but since she's still waiting to hear from her contacts in the university's dance troupe, she decided to focus on her other tasks instead. Said task is one she shared with Erza, which involved trying to discreetly investigate where the killers got their robes while using their work on the play's costumes as cover.

Ite-text na sana ni Cess si Erza upang humingi ng update mula sa kanyang end ngunit muli siyang na-distract sa biglang asik ni Ailee sa Russian. Mas mabilis ito kumpara sa naunang pagsasalita nito kaya higit na walang naintindihan si Cess. Naningkit na lamang ang kanyang mga mata ng tila nahagip ng kanyang pandinig ang pagkakabanggit sa pangalan ni JC.

"Please, don't bother lying to me," Shalee responded, rolling her eyes. "We both know that whatever it is that that Ashanti girl said affected you. And it's the reason why JC is suddenly staring at you like a kicked puppy because you won't even look at him."

Mukhang kokontrahin na naman ni Ailee ang kambal nito kaya hindi na napigilan ni Cess na sumabat na rin.

"How is she not gonna be affected when Ashanti basically told her that history is gonna repeat itself and JC will abandon her again after the summer?"