AUTHOR'S NOTE : This is the updated 2022 version of Chapter 07. If you are re-reading this part, you may observe some changes from the previous version.
CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING : This chapter contains depictions of kidnapping and references to trauma that may be upsetting for some readers. Please be mindful of these sensitive themes and other possible triggers. Remember to practice self-care before, during and after reading.
LORELEI
For the next few days, Loki and I didn't talk to each other. We returned to the way things were during my first week here in the apartment. We existed in the same place, but at the same time, we did not. He acted as if I were an invisible entity wandering around the unit. Not even once did he spare me a glance. I was willing to apologize and reconcile with him, but he refused to give me a chance.
If he didn't want to talk, then fine. I wouldn't force myself on a person or a situation that didn't want to accept me. I could exist without him, the same way he could exist without me.
At the very least, there was a consolation for our falling out. I learned a few personal details about him. After weeks of knowing almost nothing about him—except for his name, his affiliation with the club, his crooked tricks, and his twisted views on life—I finally got an exclusive scoop on Loki. But it came with a price. Was it worth it? I could not say yet.
Was it okay for me to say that we were even now? During the secret admirer case, he unlocked the vault of unwanted memories in my mind. I even almost had nightmares because of it. Now, I was the one who opened the vault of his tragic memory. Mine was completely unintentional. If I had known that would be his reaction, I wouldn't have done it.
"Loki considers Rhiannon, or Rhea, as his only friend. Unfortunately, she died because she got too close to him. He's a magnet for tragedies. If I were you, I would keep my distance," Margarette told me back in the girls' comfort room the other day. "Singing that Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star song will compel him to spill the beans. Just be prepared to see his reaction."
Behind the stoic facade he was used to wearing, I saw a fragility in his seemingly wicked character. Instead of feeling angry at his outburst, I found myself feeling sorry for him. I understood more clearly why he had never considered anyone a friend since Rhea's passing. He didn't want to be vulnerable again, so he pushed people away. If he had no friends, then no one could be used against him.
That must have been what he meant by the cost of friendship for him. Being his friend had become synonymous with being in danger. He was— in Margarette's own words— a magnet for tragedies. That was why he chose to repel anyone who might get too close.
To think that he was just a teenager, it must have been heartbreaking for him to believe that he deserved to be alone.
I sighed. Guilt crept over me. I didn't want to add more to what he was already going through. Yes, he had wronged me, and it would have been justified if I stayed stubborn. But I was willing to let that go and make peace with him, just to ease the pain he was feeling.
I tried talking to him yesterday to see if we could finally reconcile or if he was still harboring anger because I meddled with his past. I couldn't believe I was trying to fix the mess I started. We felt like a couple stuck in a lovers' quarrel.
"Hey, Loki?" I approached the couch where he was sitting. He was busy with his laptop, typing relentlessly on the keyboard. The only thing I could hear was the dramatic way he pressed the keys. It seemed like he was doing it on purpose, making them louder. "I want to apologize for what I did the other day. That was insensitive of me. In my defense, I wasn't fully aware of it."
Before, he was the one who apologized, even if it was forced. Now, it was my turn. But mine wasn't forced. I genuinely tried to smooth out the tension between us. The tables had indeed turned.
He lifted his head and let his eyes wander around the living room. I thought he was finally going to look at me. "Maybe my ex-roommates were right. There might be a real ghost here, calling my name and making that strange noise. Or maybe it's just the sound of the wind."
Then he continued typing without acknowledging my apology or even my presence right in front of him.
I rolled my eyes before returning to my room. Any attempt at reconciliation would probably be futile for now. Maybe I needed to let things cool down first before talking to him again.
I couldn't understand myself either. I said I wouldn't force what I wanted to happen. But now it seemed like I was the one chasing his attention. If my conscience hadn't been knocking on my door, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths.
Even in the clubroom, it was the same scene. We didn't greet each other, and we didn't acknowledge each other either. Whenever I dragged a monobloc chair to sit down, he would suddenly comment out of the blue.
"Is there a ghost in the clubroom as well? Maybe that apartment spirit followed me all the way here. I should probably call a priest and ask him to bless this place. It's getting creepy."
Good thing I never ran into anyone else whenever I went there. Knowing him, he would intentionally ignore my presence and my insights. Then he would make the same comment that someone else was in the room right in front of a client. He had no filter with others, what more with me?
This had to stop. After scaring me in the apartment, guilt-tripping me into joining his club, and dragging me into a crime scene, was he really just going to ignore me like this?
Right after my afternoon class that Friday, I headed straight to the clubroom. For the sake of easing my conscience and fixing our relationship, or partnership, I decided to confront Loki. As I walked along the third floor, I passed a housekeeper pushing a trolley. A large box rested on top of it. Compared to the other housekeepers I often saw cleaning, he looked quite young. He smiled at me, so I smiled back.
"It looks like you're having a problem, ma'am," he greeted as we got closer. "Are you still not talking until now?"
"I don't know. He refuses to acknowledge me," I replied. I didn't usually talk to other people, especially those I didn't know. Don't talk to strangers, they said. But Kuya seemed friendly and in a good mood, so I answered his question.
When we had already passed each other, that was when I realized something felt wrong. Something was off. First, did he know me? Second, he hadn't mentioned any names, so how did he know that we still weren't talking? Did he read it from the troubled look on my face, or did he just assume I wasn't on good terms with someone?
"Kuya, wait—"
Just as I turned back to him, a white handkerchief was pressed over my nose and mouth. I tried to scream, but my voice came out muffled. I struggled to break free, but his arms were too strong. On top of that, there was a dizzying smell coming from the cloth.
It felt like I was being rocked and lulled to sleep. Everything around me slowed down. The housekeeper doubled in my vision, and both versions of him moved their lips at the same time. He was saying something to me, but I could no longer hear it clearly. It was as if my head were submerged in water. It felt like my ears were plugged, or that I had gone completely deaf.
My eyes slowly closed, and I gradually lost my balance. All I saw was darkness.
"Lorelei, we're here again."
"Did you think the distraction you discovered was enough to drive us away?"
"She really thought she could escape us through blogging!"
"We will never leave you alone no matter where you go."
"We're always in your imagination."
"Do you want us to remind you what happened back then?"
"You tried to delete the scenes, but you never truly erased them from your mind."
"Do you want us to let you hear their voices?"
"We still have an audio recording here."
"You tried to delete those too, but they're still saved in the cache of your mind."
"You can't escape us, Lorelei."
"You can run, but we'll always be right behind you."
I jolted upright from lying on the hard floor. Each breath came out deep and shaky, and a cold sweat covered my skin. My head throbbed as if it were being hammered. I tried to hold my forehead to massage it, but I couldn't. My hands were taped together behind my back. I attempted to stand, only to realize my feet were bound as well. I could only crawl from where I was.
Where was I? How did I get here?
My eyes wandered around the dimly lit room. I was in a space lined with clothes racks. Some were filled with colorful outfits, while most looked strangely familiar. There was a police uniform, a priest's robe, a prince's cape, and other costumes that could be worn for roleplay.
Even with the air conditioner on, I felt hot. My body still felt sticky and humid. I didn't have a fever, and I couldn't even scratch the itch at my neck.
Wait… something was wrong. Why did my clothes feel so heavy?
I looked down at my outfit. My eyes widened when I realized I wasn't wearing my school uniform anymore. I was wearing a silk gown, the kind princesses wore! No wonder I felt so uncomfortable. Someone had changed my clothes without my permission!
I tried to recall what had happened before I woke up here. I remembered passing a housekeeper… he asked me something… then he pressed a handkerchief over my nose and mouth.
That was it! The housekeeper with the friendly face had abducted me! He probably shoved me into his large box and wheeled me to this place using the trolley. That way, no one would notice I had been kidnapped. Anyone who saw him would just think the box was full of trash or supplies.
What puzzled me was why he even changed my clothes. It was like he was making me cosplay. Was this even necessary? Wait… did he see my undergarments?
The door in front of me slowly creaked open, and light spilled in from outside. I caught sight of a woman's figure. I saw her shining eyeglasses, which somehow felt sinister to me. I couldn't make out her face fully because her body was backlit, facing me.
"You're finally awake. Did you have a good afternoon nap?" The moment I heard her voice, I immediately recognized who was speaking, none other than Margarette Fernandez, the weird woman I had met just the other day. Her again?
"Can we now start the game?"
"Game? What game? Wait—are you the one who abducted me?" I tried to stand, but I collapsed onto the floor. For a moment, I forgot that my feet were tied. "Hey, what is this? Why are you doing this? Are you out of your mind?"
"Must I remind you again that I'm here to help you?" She stepped closer, crossing her arms so that we faced each other. "I can tell you followed my advice and sang that song to Loki. How did he react? Was his face contorted? Did the vein in his temple pulse? Did he glare at you with eyes burning with rage? Did he yell at you at the top of his lungs?"
I had no idea how she thought she was helping me in this situation. Her definition of help must be very different. I would've appreciated it more if she just let me go.
"What do you really want? Why does it have to come to this? If you have unfinished business with Loki, why are you dragging me into it? I had nothing to do with whatever beef you have with him!"
"Because you're too stubborn!" she snapped, then sat down in front of me. "I've already told you how dangerous he is, but you're still hanging around him. It's like I didn't even warn you. I thought you'd stay away from him once you knew the truth about Rhea and saw his reaction to the song. Once again, you've left me with no choice but to resort to expedient strategies."
"Sorry for being too stubborn. If you think you can force me to do something I don't want, you'd be disappointed." I stared her down to show that I wouldn't bend easily. If someone repeatedly told me to do something against my will, I would do the exact opposite. "You remind me of my dad. You think you have control over me, but you don't."
"Oh, well. I'd like to settle this problem with a game." Without warning, she pressed thick, sticky tape over my mouth. "Unfortunately, you have no choice but to agree to the conditions of our little roleplaying here. You're like a princess who needs saving. How fitting for your costume."
She really considered my situation a game? Didn't she realize that abducting me was a serious offense? Had she even read the student handbook? This was clearly illegal detention. I could report her to the Office of Student Affairs. Once I got out of here, I would make sure she paid for this.
I tried to scream and call for help, but my voice was completely muffled by the tape. All I could do was groan. Even that didn't reach outside the room.
Margarette glanced at her phone. "It's five o'clock. If Loki can find you within fifteen minutes, we'll let you stay in the club, and I promise I won't bother you about this anymore. But if he doesn't do anything to try to find you within the time limit, you should quit the club."
Her obsession with Loki and the club had clearly gone too far. It was deeply alarming, she even went as far as abducting me. She badly needed professional help. She should see a mental health professional to have her state of mind evaluated. This was not normal.
She tossed a card in my direction. "I asked one of my colleagues to deliver that code to Loki. Knowing that you two aren't on good terms, I wonder if he would respond to my challenge? While you wait, you can try to crack that code. If he fails to save you after fifteen minutes, my colleagues will pick you up. By then, I hope you'll realize that he doesn't care about you at all."
"That's enough, Maggie."
At first, I thought I heard Loki's voice. But it wasn't him. It was someone else. The male voice was low and grave, sending a chill through me. Goosebumps rose all over my body.
My gaze landed on the door. I saw a tall man standing there, also wearing a student uniform. Because he was backlit, I couldn't clearly see his face. But I noticed his hands were behind his back. When our eyes met, a shiver ran down my spine, as if icy water had been poured over me. There was something strange about his eyes.
Who is he?
"You have other duties to perform," the mysterious man added. The chill running through me lessened slightly, though I still couldn't shake off the fear. I wished I could rub the goosebumps away.
"If Loki's mind is still sharp, he would be on his way here in a matter of minutes. He better not see you loitering around."
"Sorry, I got carried away." Margarette stood up from her seat. Sitting like that must have been uncomfortable for her. From her tone, it seemed she had a lot of respect for that man. She then looked down at me. "We'll leave you here for now. Pray that your savior shows up."
She closed the door and followed the man. I could do nothing but wait for it to open again and for my designated rescuer to come in.
While waiting, I crawled over to the spot where Margarette had tossed the card earlier. Thanks to the faint light coming through the slightly open windows, I managed to read what was written. They were just a series of letters:
I E T R N C U O T O M O H S E M
My head seemed to ache even more as I stared at the letters. I absolutely had no idea how to crack this code. But if Loki had solved the victim's dying message involving atomic numbers of chemical elements the other day, maybe he could solve this too. I had to trust him. I had no one else to rely on but him.
The question now was whether he would even think to look for me. Was this code enough to pique his curiosity? Would he bother trying to find me, or would he just ignore me like he had over the past few days? Maybe he'd rather go home than come after me. We weren't friends, and we weren't close. He had no reason to waste time on me.
I leaned against the wall, closed my eyes, and let out a deep sigh. I realized now that something strange always seemed to happen to me ever since I met Loki. First, there was the secret admirer case. Then, the chemistry lab murder case. And now? The latest: the Lorelei Rios abduction case.
Had I somehow caught Loki's unlucky streak? Or was it just a consequence of being near him? That sounded absurd. Maybe it was just a coincidence that misfortune seemed to follow me one after another.
If he didn't come for me, then maybe Margarette was right—I really should leave the club. Staying there made no sense if even my companion refused to acknowledge me. The only thing I couldn't understand was why Margarette and her colleagues would go this far just to force me out of QED Club. Their effort was insane!
She had stressed more than once that she wanted to help me, even if I didn't need it. Did they think I'd be in danger if I stayed near Loki? Was it because of his unfinished business with M? Or was it something else entirely?
Even if I turned the situation over and over in my mind, nothing made sense. I closed my eyes and waited for the minutes to pass. I had no way of knowing when the fifteen-minute limit would be up, so I counted the time mentally myself.
After a few more moments, I heard the creak of the door opening. Light from outside spilled into the room. I opened my eyes and saw the figure of a man, still panting, backlit by the glow of the setting sun. He looked like an angel to me. He hurried over and hugged me tightly.
"Lorelei, are you okay? Did they hurt you? Did they do something to you?" Loki's voice was rough and urgent as his trembling hands held my face. I had never seen him this animated before. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Ungh!" I furrowed my brow and squinted at him. How could I answer when my mouth was taped shut?
"Oh, I have to remove that first." It was as if he had read my mind. He quickly peeled off the tape, and my lips stung as if they'd been scraped raw. I couldn't help but flinch.
"Can you take it slow next time?" Instead of a thank you, my first words to him were a complaint. Next, he untied my hands and feet. I could still feel the marks where the ropes had bound my wrists and ankles.
He heaved a sigh of relief before sitting down beside me. So, I wasn't invisible to him anymore, huh? Margarette's little scheme had accidentally solved our dilemma. "I thought something had already happened to you. I was so worried."
Did I hear that right? He wasn't just concerned, he was so worried. That was not something I had expected to hear from him.
"How did you even know where I was brought?" I asked, exercising my hands. Maybe the blood flow had been cut off a little from how tightly they were tied.
He showed me the card with the same letters I had seen earlier. "Someone left this note in the clubroom, claiming they've abducted you. At first, I thought it was a joke… until I saw this symbol on the back of the card."
On the back was a blood-red letter M. Now I understood why he had been so worried about me, he probably thought I had been harmed.
Wait! If Margarette was the one who abducted me, did that mean she and the mysterious man she came with had some connection to M?
"It only took me two minutes to crack the code," Loki said, a note of pride in his voice. I wasn't surprised. "Caesar's Box is the answer."
I was familiar with Caesar salad, but this was the first time I'd heard of Caesar's Box.
Maybe noticing the confusion on my face, he continued explaining. "First, you need to count the number of characters in the code. As you can see, there are sixteen letters. Get the square root of that number. The answer is four, obviously. Now write out these characters into four rows of four letters, from left to right."
He drew a four-by-four grid directly on the card and carefully wrote the letters one by one according to the arrangement he described. Here's how it turned out:
I E T R
N C U O
T O M O
H S E M
"Start from the top left. Read it downwards, then move to the next column."
I followed his instructions and read the code that way.
"I-N-T-H-E-C-O-S-T-U-M-E-R-O-O-M. In the costume room!"
"If M's the one behind your abduction and this code, he's pretty dumb," Loki commented, clearly disappointed, before standing up. "Now I need to bring this card to the campus police and check if whoever sent this left their fingerprints on it."
"You don't need to do that," I said, lifting my gaze to him. "I know who's behind this. I even saw their face. I talked to them, and they admitted it. We can report that person to the OSA."
His eyes narrowed, a hint of doubt in his expression. "Are you sure about that? One hundred percent?"
I nodded. "Her name is Margarette Fernandez. She's the one I told you about the other day. She said she's the closest thing to a friend that you're capable of having. If she's M, or connected to M, you've got a lead."
Loki covered his face with his hands and shook his head repeatedly. "I knew it! That's why this case was so ridiculously easy! How dare he use M to trick me!"
"He? Margarette's a she," I pointed out.
"No, no. I'm not talking about Maggie. Someone else pulled the strings here. Trust me, Maggie's only a pawn in his schemes. By the way, the real M is not behind this conundrum. The person behind your abduction is someone who reeks of evil and relentless manipulation."
"Is he a tall guy whose voice sounds so chilling?" I remembered the man who had appeared before Margarette left me. I could still feel how my hair had stood on end. Just thinking about him gave me goosebumps.
"Did you meet him? Face to face, or from a distance?"
"I only saw his silhouette. Do you know him?"
Loki nodded firmly and held out his hand to help me stand. "I'd rather not meet him in person if I were you. If you think I'm bad, he's much, much worse."
My legs felt numb from being tied and sitting for so long. I almost lost my balance, but thankfully I caught the wall in time. "In any case, I need to report what happened to the OSA so Margarette and that person you're talking about won't cause more trouble."
Loki chuckled, as if I had just told a joke. "Trust me, your efforts will only be in vain. No matter what you tell the OSA, your complaint will not prosper. It will be outright dismissed."
"Are you saying I should just let what they did to me slide?" I raised my voice. "After they put me to sleep, tied my hands and feet, and covered my mouth with tape? I cannot just let this go."
"I'm telling you this because I don't want you to waste any time and effort on something so futile," he replied. "If you want to report this incident, I wouldn't stop you. But just so you know, Maggie holds an important position in the student government hierarchy. I have no doubt she'll get away with this faux abduction."
I couldn't help but shake my head. That was so unjust and unfair! Just because she held a position in an organization, she could do whatever she wanted—abduct and detain someone—and get away with it? Where was the justice for ordinary students like us?
"If you still plan to go to the OSA, you need to change your clothes first." Loki looked me up and down. "That dress looks perfect on you, but you might attract unwanted attention along the way."
My cheeks warmed. That was just a simple compliment, but coming from him, it felt rare and much appreciated. Was he sincere? Probably. He was always so straightforward, so it was unlikely he'd be lying.
"Oh, before I forget." I turned to him and smiled. "Thank you."
In the end, I decided not to report the incident to the Office of Student Affairs. I didn't even have the energy to fill out a complaint form. For the first time, Loki and I went home to the apartment together. I didn't care if anyone saw us.
Once we arrived, I went straight to my room and quickly changed clothes. I felt a slight itch from the gown they had made me wear, it must have been sitting in the costume room for a long time.
I lay down on my bed and rested my laptop on my lap. Even though I had been the victim today, I decided to make a blog post about what had happened. There was a code involved too, so I was sure it would make my followers think, and keep them glued to updates on my blog.
I had just started typing when someone knocked on the door. I set my laptop on the bedside table and stood up. When I opened it, Loki was outside, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Yes?" I asked.
He cleared his throat and blinked repeatedly. "First of all, I apologize for my reaction last time. That was totally uncalled for."
My eyes narrowed. "Are you just saying sorry because—"
"This time, it's a genuine apology. I'm saying sorry because I am really sorry." His tone was sincere, unlike the first time he had apologized. "I also want to apologize for my actions the past few days."
My gaze dropped to the floor for a moment before I looked back at him. How could I resist someone who sounded so apologetic? "I should apologize too. I became insensitive to your feelings that time. Instead of keeping my mouth shut, I asked all sorts of questions about your past."
"Apology accepted." He gave a genuine smile, a rare sight. I felt myself smile back, catching a bit of his sincerity.
"Now I'd like to take this opportunity to ask if you still want to stay in the club. The last member I had, Rhea, got killed because of her association with me. I feel guilty and responsible for her death. The only way I can redeem myself is to find M and bring him to justice. My hunt for him might put everyone around me in danger."
I took a deep breath.
"I've already started something with the club." I kept my eyes locked on his to show my conviction. "I don't want to turn back now. Margarette already warned me that I'm putting myself in danger. Then so be it. I will face it head-on and try to survive as long as I can. For the past few months, I've been running away from danger, problems, and the like. I don't want to run away anymore."
"If that's your decision, I'd gladly accept it." He stretched out his right hand, offering it for a handshake. "To our brand-new partnership as members of the QED Club?"
I shook his hand, smiling back. He released my hand, greeted me with a "good evening," and returned to his room. I closed the door behind me, my smile still lingering.
Today, I saw another side of Loki. I had been wrong to think he was like a robot. He was human, just like me, with struggles and emotions of his own.