Chapter 3: The Victims
1401 Words
Eren's class for today was finally ended, she's currently walking on the hallways of the girl's dormitory to find her room. Excited siyang makita kung ano ang itsura ng kuwartong pagtitirahan niya hanggang sa matapos ang imbestigasyon niya dito sa Luxeford.
Tumigil siya sa tapat ng pintuan kung saan nakasulat ang numerong 127. Inilabas niya ang kanyang key card at tinignan ang naka-print na numero dito upang siguraduhin na tama ang kuwartong papasukin niya.
She swiped her key card and the door automatically opened.
"Not bad." Ika niya. The room is fully furnished at may mini living room and kitchen. She saw two doors from right to left and tilt her head after deducing that she's going to share this room with someone.
She's pondering her head while figuring which one is hers. Then the right door opened saving her from her delimma. A lady stepped out from the door and to Eren's surprise, the girl she met earlier is her roommate.
"Maxeene?"
"Oh hey, Eren. So you're going to be my roommate! Wow, I'm stoked!" Masayang wika niya. "Let's get along."
Eren smiled at her. "Yes, let's get along."
To be honest, Secret feels kinda weird like a combination of excitement and thrill. This whole experience is new dahil never niyang naranasang pumasok sa kahit eskwelahan at unibersidad. Hindi niya naranasan ang magkaroon ng kaibigan, ang tumira sa dorm at makihalubilo sa mga estudyante. Why? Because she was homeschooled hanggang sa makatapos siya ng degree.
As soon as she entered the room, Secret immediately checked her surroundings for hidden bugs and cameras na maaaring nakatago sa mga parte na hindi masyadong napapansin. She also took a mental note to check the living room and the kitchen and Maxeene's room too for precautions. Carelessness is a sin in her line of work. If you're careless it'll cause a lot of damage and jeopardize you're mission, or worse it'll lead you to death.
After thoroughly checking the perimeters, Secret moved on checking her stuffs like her clothes and shoes, and chemicals like chloroform, shots of tranquilizer, a poison's antidote just incase she needed it, although she has a poison resistance it's still good to prepare antidotes. Ayaw niyang magbakasakali, her safety is also her priority.
Binuksan niya rin ang dalawang malita na nasa tabi ng kama niya at tumambad sa kanya ang pinakamamahal niyang laptop and memory sticks. This laptop is specially made for the members of AAO. There are also daggers, knives, and katana. Guns, bombs and gadgets like a high tech watch, pen, contact lenses and glasses. May mga accessories din like ring that's enough to electrocute a full-grown adult.
After checking all of her stuffs, Secret nodded in satisfaction. Kinuha niya ang kanyang itim na laptop at binuksan iyon. Her screen displayed a window asking for her password.
Her hands tapped the keyboard and pressed the enter key. Her device accepted it and immediately opened. Isinaksak niya ang memory stick sa gilid at katulad ng kanina may window nanaman na lumabas sa kanyang screen. This time it's asking for a code.
Enter Code
She pressed some numbers and entered it.
Welcome Secret
Analyzing/ Accessing File...
Accessing File Complete...
THE VICTIMS
Nathan Velasquez a Chemical Engineering student. Son of Mr. Ronald & Mrs. Annia Velasquez the owner of Velasquez Corporation.
Age: 23 Gender: M
Nationality: Filipino
Citizenship: Filipino-Spanish
Last Seen: Chemistry Laboratory (Room 97, Laboratory 10), 3:00pm July 5, 2016.
Reported Missing: July 7, 2016.
Maisee Rhodes a Pharmacist student. Daughter of Mr. Fredrick & Mrs. Linda Rhodes owner of the FL Pharmateutical Company.
Age: 22 Gender: F
Nationality: American
Citizenship: American
Last Seen: School ground about 4:00am. August 11, 2016
Reported Missing: August 14, 2016.
Marco Frias a Chemistry student. Son of Sen. Chris & Mrs. Emy Frias.
Age: 23 Gender: M
Nationality: Filipino
Citizenship: Filipino
Last Seen: Library about 12:00 noon. August 18, 2016.
Reported missing: August 20, 2016.
Hmm. two of them went missing on a same month, while this Nathan Velasquez went missing on July.
What is she doing so early on the school grounds? Did she meet with someone or what?
A chemistry student, then a chemical engineering student and a pharmacist. All of them has a common access to laboratory and can handle chemicals and drugs. So this is why the boss firmly said that they founded a dangerous stuff.
They're quite a genius themselves, no wonder they went missing. Oops, I shouldn't have said that.
Eren stepped out from her doom and found Maxeene watching a show on the television, dumiretso siya sa kusina at to look for ingrediets. It's been a while since she eat a homemade food. Sa mga nakalipas na buwan ay halos puro take-out or dine in ang gawain niya, sa kadahilanag hindi niya maharap ang magluto.
"Hey M-max, I'll be c-cooking dinner. What do y-you want to eat?" She asked in a low voice.
"Eren. Do you know how to cook?"
"Y-yes."
"Oh my god. I can finally eat something that isn't burned or disgusting." She laughed excitedly. "Can you cook garlic furikake chicken and miso soup?"
"Mm, Yep." Eren answered.
"Thanks Eren!"
Eren began cooking the rice first before she started prepping the ingredients for the garlic furikake chicken.
"Whoa. You're amazing Eren." Maxeene gasped as she watched her skillfully deboning the chicken. After deboning and filleting the chicken she covered it with flour and gently put it in a pot to deep fry it. As she waits for the chicken to cook, she started doing the sauce and also prepared the things she needed for the miso soup.
After a couple of hours the dish was finally done. Maxeene help her to set the table.
"I'm excited to taste it!" Max said in a singsong voice. She then took a spoonful of the furikake chicken and savoured it.
"ish shoo good." She said while chewing making Eren laughed at the sight of her. Tila ba maiiyak si Maxeene habang kumakain.
"This is heaven for a terrible cook like me. So delicious."
After their hearty meal, both of them hanged out on the living room while watching crime tv shows.
The scene shows the part where a kid got kidn*pped by a black van.
"Max. I heard a romour, totoo bang may mga estudyanteng nawala dito?" She asked matching the atmosphere the atmosphere of the show.
Max turned her gaze to her then she nods.
"Sadly, yes, it's true." Sagot nito na may bahid ng lungkot at pangamba. "One of them is my highschool friend Maisee. I last saw her during dawn, around 4 maybe. Galing ako sa kabilang building ng girl's dormitory because I pulled an all nighter with my classmate that time."
"Nakita ko siyang may kausap na lalaki pero hindi ko nakita ang mukha niya dahil nakatalikod ito saakin. Pero nasa 5'7 ang tangkad niya. Nagtataka ako kung anong ginagawa niya ng ganoon oras sa school ground, because Maisee is not a morning person." Max continued.
"That that she didn't attended her classes. Her professors assumed that she's sick but still she didn't attend her class the next day." Ika niya. "The academy felt anxious because of Nathan's disappearance. Kaya they look for her around the campus and called her paretns to asked them kung umuwi ba ito sa kanila. Unfortunetly she didn't appeared on their house."
"Agad siyang pinahanap ng parents niya through the authorities, the academy also did their search to assist them but they didn't manage to find her."
"W-what about t-the cctv footages? Did t-they check it?"
"They did. I don't know if it's coincidence or not ngunit nataong sira ang ilan sa mga ito. The other cctvs didn't pick up anything strange or suspicious." She answered.
"I didn't know that she's going to be missing that day. I should've called her that time." She said with a cracked voice.
"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I d-din't know that s-she's your friend."
Max smiled as she wiped her moistened eyes. "It's okay, Eren. I'm praying na sana mahanap na siya."
"Eren, be careful to okay? Ayokong may masamang mangayri din sayo."
"I w-will Max. Thank y-you." Eren said and gave her a reassuring smile.
A new lead. Maxeene met with a man, is he her lover? A friend? Or the kidnapper? That's guy identity will be crucial on this investigation. I need to find who is he.
- Writer
