16: White Mask 4

Emy needed to recuperate her strength and healed her sprained ankle. Okay lang yung mga sugat niya dahil maitatago ng damit niya ang mga iyon. Pero hindi ang iika-ika niyang paa.

Mabuti na lamang at weekend kaya naman may dalawang araw siya para makapagpagaling at makapagpahinga.

She just asked her maidservants na ipaalam kanila Lie Feng, Francis at Franco that she caught a flu kaya hindi siya makakalabas sa kwarto niya during weekends. Naniwala naman agad ang mga ito dahil namumutla pa rin hanggang ngayon ang dalaga.

Bukod sa gamot na binigay sa kanya nung S, kinailangan niya ring uminom ng gamot para sa dugo. Lia concocted her herbal medicine which could help her fill her blood lost.

She focused in healing herself. Alam kasi niya that it would be suspicious kung bigla na lang siyang aabsent. At mas lalo naman kung iika ika siyang papasok. She needed to be in perfect condition by Monday.

Kaya naman wala siyang ginawa buong weekend kundi ang magpahinga at uminom ng mga gamot niya.

It paid off naman dahil kinagabihan pa lang ng linggo ay nakasabay na siya sa hapunan kanila Feng. Tuwid na rin ulit siyang maglakad.

Kaya by Monday morning, pinaghandaan na niya ang pagpasok sa Grey Academy.

***

As usual, Sebastian's first off pagkarating niya ng Academy ay sa office muna. He was always an hour early para kung sakali mang maraming updates ang subordinates niya ay may sapat silang oras para makapagusap.

Nasa may pinto pa lamang siya ay napuna na niya na may kakaiba sa mga ito ngayon. Agad rin niyang napuna na hindi lang sila ang naroroon ngayon. Some teachers and board members were there.

Nagdiretso siya sa may pinakakabisera ng mesa and looked at them.

"I didn't know na may meeting tayo."

"Your highness, we have decided to have an emergency meeting now. We have a situation after all."

"And that is?"

***

"Big news, guys!" Bungad ng isang classmate ni Emy na hinihingal pa papunta sa unahan.

Almost half pa lang silang naroroon at lahat sila ay napatingin sa bagong dating.

"May natagpuang patay na mga estudyante sa isang corridor ng school. Ngayong umaga lang."

"Totoo ba yan?"

"Oo. The authorities just took their bodies. Malamang iimbestigahan nila ang mga iyon."

Emy's classmates took their breaths. Some of them ay lumabas pa para makita nila mismo ang sinasabi ng kaklase nila.

Like a wildfire, samu't sari ng haka haka at espikulasyon ang kumalat sa buong campus. Maaga pa lang pero hindi na mapakali ang mga estudyante. Some were panicking. Some were overly curious.

Lumipas na rin ang umpisa ng klase nila pero walang teachers ang pumasok para magturo sa kanila. Kaya mas lalong nabahala ang karamihan.

"The situation must be that extreme."

"Oo nga eh. Look! Even the Fifth Prince is not yet here. Malamang he is busy in Supreme."

Emy, on the other hand, calmly tapped her fingers on her table. She was curious too about the outcome of this. Kaya naman she waited patiently.

Maya maya lang din naman ay dumating na ang teacher nila. Kasunod nito si Sebastian na agad naupo sa pwesto niya.

Everyone looked at their teacher expectantly. Habang si Sebastian naman ay napatingin kay Emy. He had this foreboding feeling it was her doing.

"Sir, totoo po ba yung balita?"

"It is."

The students gasped.

"Eh hindi po ba delikado? Bakit hindi niyo pa po kami pauwiin?"

"There's no need for that. Those seven students were seen in one of the dead-end corridors of our school."

Nagkatinginan sila. Seven students were killed. Hindi ba at enough na ang bilang nun to cause panic?

"I advise that you prevent walking around unfamiliar places in the campus for the mean time. Lalo na kung may mga miyembro pa ng Black Council dito."

Natigilan naman ang mga estudyante dahil doon.

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Those who were killed are all Black Council members. And two of them are your classmates."

Agad na napatingin sila sa mga bakanteng upuan. There were several vacant chairs kaya hindi sila sure kung sino sa mga iyon yung dalawang napatay.

"The Emperor already decreed na sampu ng pamilya ng mga namatay na miyembro ng Black Council ay ieexecute. So if there are more members of the Black Council in here you better think about this event carefully."

Yun lang at nag-umpisa na sa pagtuturo ang teacher nila.

Hindi rin inaasahan ni Emy ang kinalabasan ng nangyari. Hindi niya inexpect that the Emperor would move that fast. But then again, Black Council members had already lots of records. Grabbing this opportunity was a wise decision.

Unconsciously ay napatingin siya sa kanan niya. Only to find Sebastian looking at her.

She tilted her head and acted as if she was curious why he was looking at her intently pero nagpatuloy lang ito sa pagtitig sa kanya. She shrugged at siya na ang unang nagbaba ng paningin niya.

Sebastian's mind, however, was working furiously. He was trying to connect everything mula sa pagligtas niya sa dalaga hanggang sa pangyayari ngayong araw.

He saw the corpses earlier. Mukhang ilang araw na ang mga iyon bago natagpuan. They had blade wounds too. Ang ilan nga sa kanila ay may mga nakatarak pang blade sa katawan nila.

Those blades were common looking. But he had a feeling na ang mga iyon ay kasamahan ng mga blades sa leather pouch ni Emy the other night.

He couldn't wait for the autopsy report. Once it was out, saka pa lang niya makukumpirma kung tama nga ang hinala niya.

***

Black Council Head Quarters...

Diana pounded her hands on the table na agad namang napapitlag ang mga miyembro nila na malapit lang sa kanya at nanginig ang kanilang laman ng makita nila ang madilim na expression ng dalaga.

They had known for a while na nakakatakot ang dalaga. But seeing her now brought unspeakable shivers to them.

Kakalabas pa lamang ng balita na ang pitong miyembro nila ay napatay dahil sa lason. It seemed like someone attacked them with poisoned weapons. However, walang may alam kung sino ang may gawa noon.

Ang isa pang nakapagpainit ng dugo ni Diana ay ang announcements ng mga teachers tungkol sa pagbitay sa sampu sa pamilya ng mga identified members nila. Dahil dito, yung mga baguhan nilang miyembro had started to have swayed faith on their organization.

The fear of them getting exposed by these members were huge. At malamang sa malamang, their families wouldn’t be safe kung nagkataon.

"Kill these unfaithful people." Sabi ni Diana.

Agad namang nagkusa si Alessandra at inutusan ang mga miyembro nila kung sino sino sa mga hindi pumunta ngayon ang ididispatya nila.

Diana, on the other hand, was uncomfortable. Hindi lang dahil sa hindi inaasahang pangyayaring ito. There were more pressing and deeper matters regarding this event.

These people who were killed were deployed to guard that specific corridor. Doon nakatago ang puting maskara ni Samantha. Diana had a foreboding feeling about it. But she had no way to check kung nandoon pa nga ang maskara.

She only knew where it was. Pero hindi niya alam kung paano kunin ito. If she did, matagal na sana niyang sinira ito.

Naikuyom niya ang kanyang kamao nang maalala niya ang maskara na iyon. That damned White Mask. Kasunod ay ang unting unting pagbalot ng takot sa dibdib niya which she immediately tried to dissipate.

Samantha had long been dead. She made sure of it. She even saw it by her own eyes. There had no reason for her to be scared. None at all.

Pinagmasdan naman ni Lucy si Diana at lihim na napangiti. Whoever that person na pumatay kanila Bran deserved a clap. He or she surely shook Diana's world today.

Kampanteng kampante ito sa pagkakaupo niya sa tuktok. But now, she couldn’t even remember her composure. Sa harap ng mga miyembro niya ay samu't saring expressions na ang nagpalit palit sa mukha niya.

Bukod pa doon, alam din ni Lucy kung anong meron sa corridor na iyon. Isa siya sa mga nakakita noon kay Samantha nang itago niya doon ang puti niyang maskara at ibuko siya ni Diana sa lahat.

That caused Samantha’s expulsion as the leader of the Black Council at agad siyang pinalitan ni Prince Marco since siya ang kanang kamay ng dalaga noon.

But Diana's goal was that very seat. Hindi siya tumigil hanggang hindi niya nakukuha iyon. She even killed Samantha, Shereen and Prince Marco in the process.

Ilang buwan na rin ang nakalipas.

Who would have thought that this thing would happen?

Lucy was quite certain. This would make Diana restless. Lalo na at wala naman sa kanila ang makakapagkumpirma kung nandoon pa nga ang maskara o wala na.

"You seem happy." Diana told her spitefully.

Lahat silang naroroon ay napatingin sa dalawa. Alam lahat ng miyembro ng Black Council na hindi magkasundo ang dalawa.

Senior ni Diana si Lucy. In fact, it was her leadership ng makasali siya sa Black Council. But Diana always hated Lucy dahil mas pabor ito palagi kay Samantha.

"Why won't I? Baka ito na yung karma mo, di ba?" Lucy told her coldly.

Diana just smirked. "Karma does not exist, Lucy. This is my world. Whoever opposes me will be killed."

Ang ipinagtataka lang ng mga miyembro nila ay hindi man lang naisip ni Diana na baka si Lucy ang gumawa nito.

Someone voiced it out pero ngumisi lang si Diana.

"Lucy can't possibly do that. She's too weak and cowardly for that kind of act."

"Exactly. Don't even try to frame me. Magsasayang lang kayo ng oras. The queen won't believe you at all. Isa pa, this is not my style. I am more of a watcher, you know. I'd love to watch at the background and see fate do its return of favor to our queen." Lucy said with a smirk bago lumabas ng HQ.

"Have someone watch her." Diana commanded.