JACOB IN THE END, even without my permission, Tere gave the information of the case to Samael, who, in return, defended our suspect. âI thought you were some sort of a spy that this second-rate President sent us,â he remarked at Tere whose eyes now held a shivering gaze. âWe found you during the Black and White Mystery. You werenât a good spy.â âEnough of this,â I sighed and held Tereâs hand; âweâre going. Unlike you two, The Forensic Club still has two suspects to interrogate.â Samael crossed his arms and gave his final words, âWhatever you have to do, you canât come to our younger cousins without passing through us.â Eligor swung his arm around the younger one. Their domineering aura has somehow faded, making me feel a bit better. âSamael and I are their eldest relatives who are within their reach. The others are already out there in the busy world. Only we can watch over them so, do bear with us if we are overprotective.â He smiled and then added, âAlso, Iâm graduating this ye
JACOBOUR THIRD SUSPECT and most probably the one who hired the sniper to kill Magnus Mightymenâs Luciano Nacario lay dead in front of our eyes. Gladly, no one approached the body when I told them not to by shouting from the window.The police that Tere called arrived while I was examining the body. âDidnât anyone tell you not to tamper with the crime scene?â A police officer warned me.I stood up and faced him. âApologies, Officer. As you can see, we are not from this school and I am wearing my gloves. You can be sure that I did not tamper with any of the possible evidences.ââAlright,â another police officer remarked. âStep aside now.ââBut Officer,â I smirked; âI may have some information that could help you in your official investigation.ââOh, Jacob!â A voice called from behind.âConstable!â I waved at Det. Con. Joaquin Perez with a cheerful smile. He is the older brother of my best friend, making me acquainted with the CID.Recalling my first meeting with the meddlesome youngste
LUKE MATTHEWâSo, thatâs their two cases?âI COMPLETELY NARRATED what happened on my trip to CSD and thatâs the question Toto threw at me.âItâs just one case,â said the Detective, scrolling through their newest post on the TFC Case Files page.The doctors told us that recovery times for a second-degree burn vary widely, but if the damage is not very severe, it can take fifteen to twenty days for the wound to heal. Her first-degree burns have almost completely recovered while the rest are still under observation. They also said that she may be discharged around two weeks from now.For twenty days, Toto and I come over here after school and stay during weekends. We tell her what happened at school; we give her the lessons, details on the several homework, and the projects; and we update her about our current active case: âGathering Evidence against Indigoâ.I remember her saying she already knew that Indigo is a CAT Officer. Of course, I got mad at her for not telling me such informati
HIBARA AFTER THE CHAOTIC atmosphere died down, I opened up an important topic to discuss. âNow that you joined the game, I hope you know all the risks that this entails.â I saw their faces become serious matching mine. âSince, at this moment, in this very room, we are of one class, Iâm sure you know how each game we played with them almost brought us to a game over. Although we obviously won against them most of the time, we canât deny the fact that because of them, Matthew here received a bullet for the first time in his life; Toto learned that the person he trusts is part of the Blite Community, and you see me lying here with first and second-degree burns.â âPhysically, mentally, and emotionally, we are damaged by this bloody game theyâre putting us in.â The Major gave his insight. âSo, girls, as early as now, if you want to back out, please do so.â âNo, I will stay! Iâm officially your fourth member!â Cara replied with conviction. Somehow, her attitude appeals to my good side.
HIBARA ITâS BEEN A while since I walked through the large golden gates of Colegio de Santo Domingo. As soon as I stepped foot on the premises alongside my former clubmate, Devin Purge, and their Young Master Samael Salcedo, cameras began to click. At this rate, we surely will be the next headline on their school paper. Hopefully, the event wonât reach the national newspaper. Toto and Cara who were walking behind us may have probably been overwhelmed by all the eyes fixed on us, so, I turned my head back. Surprisingly, I found our newest member acting like sheâs an artist on the red carpet, smiling and waving to her fans and the paparazzi. The Science geek, on the other hand, covered his face with his Earth & Life Science book. They are the two sides of one coin. âPresident Hibara!â The combined voices of two girls echoed through the northeast side of the crowd. I immediately spotted them as I saw them jumping up and down while waving their arms. I pointed them to Devin and he nodd
HIBARAA SERIAL KILLER with mental problems, probably psychopathy and obsession, is the main character of this exhibit.We spent our day walking around the premises of Colegio de Santo Domingo until the police officers left. They are just the unwanted actors present in a stage play. The show would be better off without them.âYouâre doing it again, President Hibara!â Angelica whined as the seven of us sat down in our clubâs usual spot in the cafeteria.âDeliberately not tellinâ us about the plan so that our actions and reactions would be one âundred percent genuine, ya,â Cassandra seconded.âI missed your presence here but I certainly donât miss that,â added Devin. âIs she doing that to you?â He asked my new team members.The Major shared, âShe once told me of a plan while we were on a helicopter. But, when we landed on the container ship, that plan was thrown out to the sea. We didnât do anything and everything that was on the plan she said!âWell, I admit, that plan really failed. B
LUKE MATTHEW IâVE NEVER SEEN the Nerd holding such a look. Itâs as if he was sending poisoned darts toward the innocent young model of a clothing brandâall because Cara was blushing at his presence. Suddenly, eating the pizza in my hand was full of tension. The air around the three was obviously affecting us, except for the Detective who seemed to be enjoying the drama. âAh, h-hello?â The young lady named Angelica raised her hand slightly. âD-Donât you guys feel t-the tension? I-Itâs uncomfortableâŚâ But then, Hibara chimed with a smile, âCara!â âY-Yes!?â Cara jolted. âIâd like you to meet Jan Clark Rios, the leader of my Student Network here in CSD.â Then, she looked at the young lad. âJan, this is Lt. Col. Cara Mendez, the leader of my Student Network in AMU.â âLieutenant Colonel?â Janâs face showed amazement. âYouâre a CAT Officer? Thatâs cool!â âT-Thank you! Youâre quite well-known, so thatâs cool too!â Cara shyly smiled; her ears still red. Toto clenched his fists under t
LUKE MATTHEW A FLOOD OF hot water was flowing out of the bath with a broken-down door. Two young ladies and male inn personnel were outside. A young lady around sixteen to eighteen with waist-long black hair had her left arm soaked in the tub. âWHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU THREE DOING?â The Detectiveâs voice echoed from the bath through the hallway. âCALL THE AMBULANCE! NOW!â She pulled out the young ladyâs arm and found several cuts on her wrist. âShe just passed out. Though we barely made it,â Hibara began to explain the situation while tying her white handkerchief tightly around the young ladyâs wrist. âShe mustâve figured that sheâs tomorrowâs victim that she tried to kill herself before the culprit does by making cuts and soaking them in hot flowing water so there wouldnât be immediate clotting.â âHomeostasis,â Toto inferred as he fixed his eyeglasses. âWithin minutes or even seconds from when the skin is cut or scraped, blood cells start to clump together and clot, protecting the w
HIBARA THE NEWS REGARDING the Ammunition EICâs death shook up the entire Albertus Magnus University. Although it was reported as a mysterious murder by an unknown gunman at first, it was later reported that the occurrence was an accident caused by a stray bullet. When I heard of that on the television, I couldnât help but laugh. Violetâs death was a necessary action for the organization; to ensure that the information regarding their criminal business remains out of our reach. As soon as I stepped foot into the classroom of Grade 10 Section I, Cara approached me with a huge smile on her face. âWelcome back, Miss Detective!â My gaze shifted from her face down to her body, and then to the surroundings. I smirked and gave her a welcoming deduction show. âSince I wasnât present last Monday and yesterday, I assume you might have missed hearing the brilliance of my deductive prowess.â âOh, right! You were on the news yesterday!â Toto pointed out. âYou helped a police detective to solve
HIBARA AFTER MY MOTHER insisted I stay in our residence, I spent my three days of recovery in the library. Since Cara turned my apartment into a âDetective Agencyâ of some sort, it was actually good staying back here. The only thing I didnât like was, of course, interacting with my dearest father. I finished quite a lot of mystery books and now, Iâm skimming through Dadâs old case files. His recent case files are in his study while the old ones are stacked here in the library which I, sometimes, take a look at for studies. An incident from the year before I was born piqued my interest. I smirked as I read the words written in red ink above the title of the case: Unsolved. âSo, you have an unsolved case fifteen years ago, huh?â I grabbed the white folder and sat on the well-lit, giant egg chair in the middle of the round room of books. ăPre-School Teacher Murder Caseă Several photographs were within the folder. I checked mostly those that are focused on how the victim was found.
JACOB I WENT BACK to the university to get my motorbike and drive around the city. I need to know where Violet would be executed. I glanced at my side mirror, feeling as if someone was following me, and indeed, there was. A yellow taxi cab was about 200 meters behind me and I couldnât recognize the passengers using only my side mirror. Damn it. I turned left at the intersection and the yellow taxi appeared behind not long after. I turned another left at the next corner and a right. Even in tight spaces, the yellow taxi continued to follow me. Donât tell meâŚ?! I picked up my speed and turned another right and then left until I found an open parking basement. I quickly paid for a ticket and drove down. What I didnât expect was what I would see once the basement lights met my eyes. On both left and right sides were a total of six black 2021 Mercedes-Benz Metris Passenger Van parked side-by-side. My grip on the handlebars of my motorbike tensed as beads of sweat formed around my neck
JACOB THE GIRLS ENTERED the Ammunition Journalists Clubroom while I stayed outside on the lookout. A few minutes later, they came out with Catherine McKnight and Emmanuel Cagasaâthe first two writers whose articles were drastically edited from truth to illegitimacy. And although today is Club Day, the third writer who was supposed to be present was nowhere in sight. âWe havenât seen Evelyn Gannaban since yesterday. It was actually surprising that she has an article for todayâs distribution,â said Catherine. I looked at Emmanuel who was spinning a stylus pen with his fingers. âYesterday was when your edited article was on Ammunition.â âHold on.â Zia raised a hand and stared at the two. Her eyes were scanning every inch of their bodies. I smirked. âYou,â she pointed at Catherine; âare from the Circulation Staff. And you,â she turned to Emmanuel; âare an Editorial Cartoonist.â âOn-point deduction!â I praised her and she smiled. âWhy did they write news articles, then?â Tereâs voi
JACOB CLUB DAY SATURDAY brought the three of us here in Room 502 of the Senior High BuildingâThe Forensic Clubâs Clubroom. After reading something on her phone, Tere announced, âThe bratâs surgeries were successful.â âViolet, Indigo, Ocean, Green, and Dandelionâ we must be the first to unmask who these people are! We canât let the meddlesome youngsterâs team open the curtains before us.â I declared with a wide grin, replacing the cap of the whiteboard marker after writing. âDidnât you see todayâs Ammunition headline?â Zia asked with a straight face, throwing the school paper on the table lazily and sighing. âWeâre on the bad side again.â âI bet the sniperâs codename is Indigo. Itâs the only one that sounds manly. Oh, it could be Ocean too!â âJACOB VALLE!â Zia slammed her hand on the table. âAre you listening to me?â Tere pulled the hem of my brown coat. I looked at her and she gestured her head toward the other girl. I met with Ziaâs eyes and a shiver ran down my spine. Why is s
LUKE MATTHEW THERE WAS NOTHING. Not a single trace of the sniper was left on the rooftop of the Metropolitan Institute of Architecture and Engineering. Not even a footprint or a drop of blood could be seen. It was like he wasnât even present. After learning of the Detectiveâs bloody message on Jacobâs sleeve, we decided to perform a joint investigationââJust this onceâ, he saidâabout the sniper. I really donât understand these twoâs rivalry when we can do more if weâre all in one team. âDo you have any ideas about the fraudulent headlines on our school paper?â Cara asked the Club President, diverting the topic. âWell, aside from the Ghost Hand case, we know you wouldnât stage a crime for fame so we dug deeper,â replied Tere. âI am suspicious of the EIC,â Toto stated. âThereâs no way Catherine and Emmanuelâs articles would be edited drastically if it wasnât for the last person who handles or approves them before printing.â I agreed. Jacob smirked as he declared, âHer criminal co
LUKE MATTHEW âI will still believe.â IT WASNâT A bluff. I donât know exactly what occurred to me. At that moment, I just decided to believe in the Detectiveâs deduction about the sniper not targeting a Salcedo family member and dared to use my own body as a shield once again. As a detective, she has to protect the world from criminals. But who will protect her from them? She may think sheâs strong and clever enough to keep them off of her, but there will be times when sheâs not. Suddenly, a flash of red light pulled me from my thoughts. âSON, GET DOWN!â MamĂĄ shouted as she ran across the street, her hand reaching out to me. It was chaos. The next thing I knew was that the Club President of The Forensic Club had my head in his hand, locking me in a bent-forward position. Because I was in that form, I couldnât see what was really going on above, but I could hear the sound of the Detectiveâs pocket pistol. Then, I saw a tomato-looking ball thrown to the ground from the Nerdâs hand.
HIBARA I STOPPED AND discontentedly accepted the offer. I canât believe the sniper got away from me! âWhereâs the detective wannabe?â I asked the Major. âHe took a motorcycle from one of the flower shopâs customers and trailed the shooter,â he answered. âIt seems he lost sight of him as well.â âWhat information did he get? The last location sighted?â He shook his head. âAll he knew was that the shooter was wearing all-black.â A smirk flashed on my lips knowing I am one step ahead of that Club President. Matthewâs eyes met mine through the rearview mirror and he remarked, âI know that face. Youâve got more information than him, havenât you?â âSince when have you started doing this, Matt?â Mrs. Vargas asked her son. He simply answered, âMonday. Third week of classes.â âAND YOU NEVER TOLD ME?! Itâs been, what, two months?!â âThe Salcedos will stop me, MamĂĄ. You know that. And these sixty-one days of my life were the most un-boring.â Mistress Lilith fell silent upon hearing Matt
HIBARA âSo, you heard it too?â I CROSSED MY arms right when the three members of The Forensic Club came into our view. Their arrogant Club President Jacob Valle is a real-deal detective wannabe. Although I dropped those words earlier, I never meant to say heâs better than me. Of course, I am and always will be the greater detective. He ignored my sarcasm and pointed a finger at Matthew. âYou! Call your chauffeur and have him drive us to the crime scene!â The Major awkwardly replied, âBut my Genesis G80 only has a capacity of five passengers; six if those who will ride the backseat are four slim persons.â âCanât you borrow bigger cars?â Jacob huffed. âWell,â he smirked; âI donât think Eligor would let you ride his seven-seater Genesis GV80 after that case involving Chedipe, Rangda, and Drace.â I clapped and gave him a sinister smile. âI didnât know you have the skills to shut this detective wannabe up, Major.â âThatâs it!â Aliszia Tuazon glared at their President. âI suggest we