Lorelei X Loki

Loreki #5: Poor Lorelei

Lorelei's POV

It is a typical day for me whenever I see Jamie clinging to Loki's arms, Loki being bored, and Al doing his assignments or something to ease boredom. That is why to my surprise, I came to the clubroom seeing only Loki, sitting on his spot and scribbling something on a piece of paper. Nilibot ko ang paningin ko para hanapin ang gamit no'ng dalawa, pero ang gamit lang ni Al ang nakita ko.

"Jamie and Al are not here. Jamie is sick and Al is in the gym." I nodded before sitting on the chair. Hindi na ako nagtaka nang sabihin niya 'yon without me asking. Hobby na niya yata ang pagbabasa sa akin. Minsan ng napapaisip ako kung mukha ba akong libro.

Al is probably helping other students set up the venue for later. May assembly kasi mamayang alas dos y media and it's currently 1 PM right now. Kinansela na rin nila ang klase para maghanda.

"Do we have a client today?" Tanong ko. Kanina pa siya busy sa pagsusulat ng kung ano-ano sa papel.

"Nope." He answered, popping the 'p'sound, without glancing at me.

"Then what is that for?"

"I found this in front of our clubroom five minutes ago. It's a threat. The sender wants us to solve this." Pinakita niya sa akin ang papel na may drawing ng ilong ng baboy sa corner. Nakakapagtaka lang dahil sa amin lang ni Loki pinapa-solve ito. Hindi ba niya kilala si Al at Jamie?

Nanlaki ang mata ko nang mabasang involved si Tita Martha. Loki is right. This is a threat.

Dear Lorelei and Loki,

Wanna play a game? How about I give you a cipher and you decipher it? Easy, right? However, let's give it a little bit of spice. How about your landlady's life? Exciting, isn't it? I wish you could find where she is right now. 😏 Bye~ 🐽

.eeglay ithway erh illkay illway Iway orway entytway otway eforebay erhay escueray .ieday erhay eesay andway atelay omecay .arriveway Iway eforebay erhay avesay .apartmentway ethay inway isway andladylay ouryay

Pinilit kong intindihin ang cipher pero sumakit lang ang ulo ko. There are so many a's and y's. Binigay ko ito kay Loki at nagpatuloy siya sa pagsagot. I can't help to feel nervous. Triny kong tawagan si Tita Martha pero busy ang line niya. Pinatay siguro ng sender 'yong phone niya.

"No worries. I already know the cipher that the sender used." I don't need to ask what it is. He probably saw how worried and confused I was.

"Are you familiar with Pig Latin?"

"No. But is that the reason why there's a pig's nose at the corner and at the end of the letter?"

"Nice observation, Lorelei." Tumayo ito at naglakad-lakad na para bang magtuturo. "It is just a play in the English words to, of course, hide a message. Just move the consonant and add '-ay' at the end of the word the you want to encrypt. However, if the word that you want to encrypt starts with a vowel, no need to arrange. Just add '-way' at the end. For an instance, you want to encrypt you name. Ilagay mo lang 'yong 'L' sa dulo at idugtong ang '-ay'. So from Lorelei, the encrypted word will be 'oreleilay'." Pinakita niya ang pangalan ko at ang encrypted version na nakasulat sa papel. Hindi ko maiwasang mapangiti. I learned another cipher for today.

"That's easy. So, have you deciphered it yet?" Tanong ko at lumapit sa kaniya para mas makita ang sagot na nakuha niya.

He nodded but he looked frustrated. Nakakunot kasi ang noo nito. Akala ko ba na-decipher na niya? "I did. But it doesn't make sense." He sat and leaned on his chair after he dropped the pen on the table. He closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. I have never seen him became this frustrated. He probably got a lot on his plate right now. Tinanong ko nga kung may sakit siya pero umiling lang ito.