Project LOKI ③

Chapter 45: The Scarlet Thread V (Russet Report)

A/N: Fifth update for the week! I might take a few days break before posting the next update. Enjoy the weekend!

LORELEI

"Hello? Who's this? Hello?"

I STARED at Sir Friedrich Rivera with widened eyes. Was he the one who got my call? Was he the owner of the mysterious number?

Inilapit ko sa aking tenga ang phone habang patuloy pa ring nakatingin kay Sir Rich. Naningkit ang mga mata ko sa kanya.

"Hello?" tanong ng taong nasa kabilang linya. Kumunot ang noo ko nang marinig ang ibang boses. I observed the instructor in front of me and tried to listen to what he was saying. He kept on talking to whoever called him while the person whom I called kept silent as if he's waiting for my response.

So Sir Rich wasn't the owner of the number that texted me yesterday? What a relief. For a second, I thought he might be the third party. Nakahinga ako nang maluwag.

"Sino 'to?" tanong ng lalaking nasa kabilang linya. He sounded like a teenage student. Something didn't feel right. "Prank caller ba 'to?"

"This is Lorraine," pakilala ko. I decided to not use my real name to see if he'd notice it. "Were you the one who texted me yesterday?"

"Texted you?"

"Yeah." Hindi ko pa rin nilubayan ng tingin si Sir Rich. "You told me to check my locker."

"Check your locker?" Natawa ang lalaking nasa kabilang linya. "Wala akong matandaan na may tinext akong gano'n. Hindi rin kasi ako makakapag-text kahapon kasi nawala ang phone ko."

Nawala?

"Kakakuha ko lang ngayon sa lost and found ng school namin," paliwanag ng lalaki. "By the way, are you also from Clark High? I find your voice angelic. Do you wanna have a cup of coffee with me?"

Ibinaba ko na ang tawag. Tama ang number na tinawagan ko. 'Yon talaga ang number na nag-send ng message sa akin kahapon. Pero mukhang ibang tao na ang may hawak nito. Kung totoo ngang nawala ang phone niya kahapon, someone could have picked up his phone, sent me the "check your locker" text, and surrendered it to the lost and found section. There's no way I could trace whoever the mysterious texter was.

"Sorry about that," Sir Rich said as he pressed a key on his phone and slid it back into his pocket. "Parent of my student who can't attend his classes today. So where are we? Ah, about giving you more time to think about it."

I smiled. Medyo awkward lalo na't sandali ko siyang pinaghinalaan."Yes, sir. Marami ho talaga kasing nangyayari sa ngayon. I'm interested in the prospect of having my books published, but I need to really clear my head before I make the decision."

"That's understandable. Making rushed decisions is bad," he nodded. "I hope I'm not being nosy, but isn't the Augustus case over yet? You mentioned that you still have a lot to think about. I figured it might be one of the reasons why."