Project LOKI ③

Chapter 45: The Scarlet Thread IX (Cerise Solution)

A/N: Fourth update for this week! We're nearing the end of Chapter 45! Brace yourselves because two to three parts left before we move to Chapter 46.

LORELEI

THIS WAS one of the most awkward minutes of silence in my lives. Nagpalitan kaming apat ng tingin habang nakatutok ang mga mata ni Maggie sa amin. Her spectacles shone as the light above struck upon them.

I understood where she's coming from. She felt that they're being kept out of the loop. I also felt that way when Loki hid what he suspected about Jamie all along. Hay. Sumagi na naman sa isip ko ang confrontation namin noon sa hotel. Kaya I couldn't say that she's demanding or she's overreacting about our decision to not tell them what we knew so far.

If there's one thing that I learned the hard way in my high school years, ito ay kung gaano kahirap magtiwala. Not only to the people that you don't know that well, but also to people you know the best. Giving your trust to someone is like exposing your bare neck to that person, hoping that he wouldn't slit your throat at any chance that he might have.

Again, to be fair, we really intend to tell Maggie about what we found it. But we had to confirm everything. Hindi kami pwedeng basta-basta magsabi ng impormasyon dahil posibleng may mali o may sinasadyang linlangin kami.

"Rye and I are waiting for your answer," Maggie said, tapping her fingers impatiently on the table. "Oh, bakit biglang umurong ang dila n'yo? Did someone cut your tongues off?"

Lumingon ako sa aking mga kasama. Whoever's gonna tell them what they wanna know would carry a heavy burden. Gaya nga ng naisip ko kanina, it's either we tell them the entire truth or only some parts of it.

"Who shall have the honor?" tanong ko. I don't wanna volunteer. I don't want that burden on me. I have lied and omitted some truths a couple of times before. Ayaw ko nang dagdagan pa ang kasalanan ko.

Surprisingly, Loki raised his hand. I was honestly expecting Alistair. I would be confident kung siya ang magsasabi. He probably had the same thought as me on thinking whether to tell the truth or just some bits.

"Go ahead, Loki." Maggie reclined in her seat, turning to the person who volunteered to brief her. Napatingin din si Rye sa kanyang direksyon. "Tell us what we need to know."

"We're looking at the angle where Augustus had been already poisoned before he got inside the board room." Loki's reply was straightforward. "We found out through a source that strychnine was found in his body. That's what your spies heard in the cafeteria."

"Kaya ba sinubukan n'yong i-check ang mga security footage sa Office of Campus Security?" tanong ni Rye. Feeling ko'y ini-interrogate kami ngayon. Napakaseryoso kasi ng boses siya. Rye looked and sounded serious all of the time, pero iba ang aura niya ngayon. "'Yon din ba ang rason kung bakit kinausap nina Lorelei at Jamie ang mga classmate ni Augustus at ang editorial staff ng Clarion kanina?"