Chapter 36

“Dark Room Investigation.”

The sign on the door had been placed in one of the rooms in Little Edgars after the Hidden Camera scandal that had broken out two days prior, leading to the full ceasement of operation of the whole St. Rita facility. This is the second time that such an incident had happened which had the Principal of the whole school furious since the police who investigated the first incident had failed with their pre-emptive measures to counter a repeat of such an act.

Two years ago a plethora of pictures and video's had been leaked to the public containing pictures of various St Rita students. All of the pictures contain female victims and were taken by hidden cameras inside bathrooms and changing rooms inside the different facilities around the school. The school’s management had asked the help of law enforcement to contain and destroy the leaked media of the school’s young ladies as well as to investigate the matter and bring justice for the victims. They were successful in eradicating the pictures and videos but after a full month of scouring different leads, the police had failed to identify a prime suspect as there was not enough conclusive evidence to point them towards a single lead. The source of the leaked videos had come from an anonymous source that when investigated, had been found out that the source had multiple file sources to pull from. As a silver lining to the investigation this had led the police to shut down these multiple sources as they were illegal websites in the dark web that sell these pictures to anyone who would want to acquire them. The I.T investigators who worked with the police to uncover these dark web pages tried to break down these sites after being taken over and shut them down in order to obtain any source code that links the files with the original uploader, but they found a code that erases the I.P addresses of the uploaded files upon entering their servers, which led the team to a dead end.

Several raids were conducted during these months on the facilities that house these servers but despite their efforts only 25% of the the servers that the sites use were stationed in the Philippines. The remaining 75% were scattered around the world with most being untraceable via use of a VPN. Despite this the police have considered this purge a success as they ruled that almost 82% of the illicit data pertaining to the leak have been eradicated with the remaining percentage deemed corrupted as the darknet sites that hosts the images have been dismantled and destroyed.

But the fact still remained.

No suspect was captured.

To counter another incident the police have installed signal jammers around the school to stop anyone who wants to repeat the incident from live streaming the videos from their hidden cameras. A feat that was immediately countered this second time around by uploading the video files post- capture instead of being live streamed. The police also recommended the school to remodel the size and angle of their exhaust ducts to prevent cameras from being installed inside of them. And as the investigative team are finding out during this round of investigation, the suspect had found a way to circumvent the security feature by avoiding the ducts completely and instead use other inconspicuous objects as cameras. As an example some of the light fixtures were replaced with a similar looking one with a tiny camera built in to it. This new way of installing hidden cameras has baffled the investigation team as they continue to find hauntingly creative new ways in concealing these invasive tech.

Another example the team members have discovered is that the bag hook placed near the top of each door inside the bathroom cubicles has a 4k hdr microcam installed into it. The camera was only around five millimeters in diameter and one will clearly mistake it for a screw that fastens the hook in place. Other bizarre places that they found were certain lockers that have a vault type combination padlock, the inside of a shower head, modified smoke detectors and the pen camera that they have retrieved from Nica herself.

It was becoming apparent that with these kinds of camera placement, it would be impossible for the investigation team to find all of these items within the week that they were scheduled to investigate. Bear in mind that this investigation team is only made up of fellow faculty members who are either tech enthusiasts or have a computer science background as it was requested that the school keep the scandal under wraps. As the fourth day of investigations ended the team had asked the principal to hire professional help but due to the current circumstance of the deal, the request was denied. The Principal understands that it seemed that he was being partial with a single student’s plea but he reminded the investigation team of the school’s perilous position amidst this second scandal as the first one already gave them enough of a PR nightmare that they have yet to recover from and risking sensitive info from leaking by seeking outside help would be institutional suicide for the school and many jobs would be lost if they could not keep this under wraps. Thankfully during the meeting the secretary of the student council Patricia Martinez was present to assist during the meeting and suggest she could ask around the student level if any could help as she also suspects that a student was behind this attack seeing how focused the content was on Nica. A fact that most of the teachers agree on since Nica was popular amongst the student body, particularly with the boys.

The fifth day of investigations was spent in interviewing potential candidates from the student body in joining the investigative team. There were 18 candidates in total who were called in to attend and at the end of the day they had settled with two people who seemed to have a high knowledge in cameras and filmography. These two were Casper Solas and Julian Espiraz who are both new students of St. Rita’s and coincidentally part of Nica’s circle of friends.

The sixth day was surprisingly a productive one.

Around 90% of the suspected hiding places of the hidden cameras were exposed and taken away. One of the main reasons why the investigative team had chosen the duo was because of a secret that they had chosen to reveal during the interviews. It turns out that the duo have their own youtube channel that they have been running for the past five years. Although their channel isn’t as popular as the other’s in the platform, as they only post a video once every month, the content that they put out rivals some of the best in the business and as per Julian’s statement, the only reason they haven’t blown in popularity was because the algorithm punishes lazy uploaders. Nonetheless the team saw value in their skills and thought that their insight might help them spot the camera locations with ease, and so far their decision was working well.

Too well.

Neilsen Paras. The vice president of the student council had noticed this and requested that he shadow the investigation on his own just to have a pair of eyes watching over them and seal off all suspicion. Yukino Loran, The President of the student council had agreed on the deal and secretly informed the investigative team of the plan. It was agreed that for the last day of camera hunting Neil would be watching the team from a distance to see if there were any side dealings happening outside of the teams peripherals. With those being in place the sixth and penultimate day of investigation had ended.

The night that followed was a noisy one as notifications left and right were being fired from all of the social media platforms about school resuming and their fears of it being back too soon. Some reasoned that they were still feeling lazy and were just starting to enjoy the impromptu vacation while the others voiced their real concern on the matter, feeling that investigations were too quick for any real progress to be made, fearing that they’re going back to a school still plagued with perverts who want to take advantage of them and their bodies. But regardless of the noise the investigation will continue as planned as the night slowly turns into day.

The seventh day.

Last day of the scheduled investigation.

Neil was correct, something was indeed happening behind the scenes. He noticed that Casper was missing during lunch breaks even though Julian was present and eating with the team. Neil asked the team in secret and they said that it was the routine ever since he and Julian joined. Julian reasoned that it’s because Casper is a bit anti-social but it only sparked Neil’s interest even more.

He checked all of the bathroom stalls and changing rooms to see if Casper was up to something, but he was not present in those areas. Finally though sheer coincidence he spots him talking to someone by the school gate and handing the person some sort of contraband inside a plastic bag. Quickly he takes his phone and snaps a picture of them exchanging hands as he watches them say their goodbyes to each other.

Neil could only wonder what was in the bag as the rest of the day went on normally with them finding the rest of the hidden cameras inside of the campus with some of them being inside the bathroom of the teachers lounge, a fact that surprised Neil as he watched them from the sidelines.

Also Neil was keen enough to see Casper touching his ear often while he thinks. Not knowing whether it was a mannerism of his or not but it was strange how he would constantly do the action everytime they found another camera, making him suspect that he might have a listening device on his ear telling him where to get the next camera. Though it was something he can’t prove without blowing his cover, he felt that it was worth noting.

The seventh day ended unspectacularly for Neil. He expected to corner Casper and expose his actions but he just doesn't have enough dirt on him to make his move. He felt frustrated that he could only make speculative reports towards Yukino after that day but Yukino seemed content with his work, which was strange for a person who always expects perfection, but she seemed fine with his findings so he just lets it be, even if deep inside his mind he knew he had to come up with something to expose him.

…

…

-A day after St.Rita’s reopening.-

This morning was the big welcome for the student body’s new figurehead.

Nica Robbie.

It was supposed to be a gloomy day for most of the students who attended as they still feared the perverted cameras around the campus but when Nica arrived, for some reason hope had filled the air.

She was the talk of the town in everybody’s socials alongside everyone’s concern about the investigation. It was because of her actions during her leaked livestream that made her a beacon of hope to everyone who still felt fear upon the reopening of classes that week. And when she arrived at the gates to attend school despite how much of her had been exposed through the net, it just gave every girl fearing for their dignity, a boost of courage.

In short, she became an instant celebrity.

But her new found fame came at a cost and she spent the rest of the day in hiding. The number of people who wanted to see her had gotten large enough that almost the whole school was asking around for her. And for the people who were still in the middle of an investigation, this would be an annoyance as the students continued to crowd the school grounds even after school hours had ended.

But in this case, it was a good thing.

Neil had called at the last minute saying he’s gotten a lead and was going to follow it right after school ended. Meanwhile he advised the investigative team to watch for any suspicious people using the commotion to reinstall new cameras in the school as the students would be busy roaming around the campus instead of spending time in the locker rooms for extracurriculars.

He opted to go alone as he wanted to minimize being spotted by his suspect but the team challenged his proposal, offering to have one of the team come with him for backup. Thankfully Yukino overruled their offer and showed him support, trusting in his abilities to make good on his leads as she knows his involvement in the Carbine saga and his contribution to that team.

He reports that his sources said that Casper was about to meet with someone in downtown Manila, along with a sample of the camera that was pulled from one of the crime scenes. The area that he was being led to was the electronics shopping center in Raon, Manila’s version of Akihabara.

…

...

‘Oh Casper, oh Casper’

He whispers under his breath as he watches his target walk into the streets of the shopping center.

‘You’re making this too easy for me…’ He muttered, taking a step away from his hiding spot to give chase to his target.

Neil had been camping in a spot near the entrance of the shopping center for the last hour waiting for his mark to appear. At first he had his doubts about this source as it was only an anonymous text from a darknet site he visits but when he saw Casper enter the area, he could finally put his doubts to rest.

He follows him from a safe distance and after a few minutes of walking around, Casper leads him into a small stall squished in between two giant electronics stores that flank both sides of its walls. For anyone easily distracted with fancy signs, it would be easy to miss but Casper seems to know the stalls around the area well as he goes straight into the stall to make a “purchase”.

Neil pulls out his phone and puts Yukino on the line to give her an update.

‘I found him. It’s Casper. He’s surrendering the equipment in a stall here where my source was telling me. Turns out he was right.’

‘Are you sure? Wait for him to leave and ask the clerk that runs the place. We need more clues.’ Yukino replies.

‘Yeah I will and also, can I take out a loan from the council fund? He might’ve sold it. I wanna procure the equipment he sold and compare it with what we have, just for extra confirmation.’ Neil adds.

‘Yeah, g-oo-d id--ea. I’ll b-- wait--ng fo--ur results.’

‘What? Sorry Keeno you’re a bit choppy…’

…

‘Keeno?’

....

‘Keeno?... You out now?’ He asked, feeling confused about the situation. ‘I’m hanging up no--’

‘Wait! P-t me on sp-e-ker!’

For some reason it was clear enough for Neil to understand her message and placed the call on speaker. Miraculously it seemed to work.

‘Can you hear me?’

‘Loud and clear. You on a trip or something?’ He asked curiously.

‘No I just went out to get some air. My back’s killing me being hunched on a desk. But I’m inside now. Anyways I got your message, use the funds however you can, just turn over the receipts afterwards.’

‘Copy that, see yah in Little Edgars.’ He replies and ends the call, but for some reason he had an inkling of suspicion that the line was being plagued with unnecessary white noise. Although it was a given since he was in an area filled with electronics, he was confused as to why he was hearing the interference from Yukino’s side since he was supposed to be the one who was choppy to her side of the line and not him. Nonetheless he shrugs it off as he thought he was starting to overthink things due to stress.

He looks over to the store where Casper had made his purchase and sees that he had gone away in the midst of his call. Quickly Neil tries to scan around for any trace of Casper and where he might’ve gone, but despite his trying Casper had already vanished.

Annoyed that he didn’t get to take photographic evidence to pin him on the scene, the only thing that was left to do now to salvage his case was the material evidence. With this in mind he begrudgingly walks back towards the small hidden stall, and then passes it, going further towards the shadows, as he goes to fetch the evidence he sorely needed.

…

…

Meanwhile, whilst the student body was busy trying to get an autograph, the two girls were headed down to the secret tunnels underneath the school to hide from it all. Aida holds Nica’s hand as they descend the steps down towards the basement tunnel of Little Edgar’s, trying to comfort her as she pulls her down an area that she has never seen before in her life. She can tell that Nica was feeling nervous as her tears have stopped and her sobbing has calmed. Aida can also feel a slight resistance from her as they make their way down the stairs trying her best to ease her mood.

‘Nica it’s okay as I said you can trust me. We’re just gonna hide here okay?’ She said, with a bit of nerves jotting out from her tone. She hopes Nica didn’t pick up on it but in truth she herself was nervous.

Nervous on how things will turn out after all three of them meet.

They finally reached the bottom of the steps and already they could hear the noise coming from the storage room, as they rounded the corner from the stairs, Aida spotted why they could hear it from the offices above.

Because Denzo had left the door wide open.

‘Goddammit Denzo…’ She mutters as she felt annoyed for a moment.

-Annoyed-

because the council had reminded him time and time again to shut the door every time he uses the room.

And -for a moment-

because she felt the resistance fade from Nica’s grasp upon hearing Denzo’s name.

And a slight pain pangs on her chest.

She might be overthinking things, and she might be letting her jealousy corrupt her thinking, but she can’t help but notice or speculate or guess or feel or think that Nica was excited.

Suddenly it felt like she was not being a burden to pull anymore and her sobbing had turned into sniffles which had now turned into silence as she saw her trying to act as normally as possible.

‘Of course it’s just natural’ She thought, trying to keep her toxic assumptions at bay, but deep inside her mind she was starting to regret pulling her down where they were, right in front of the door of the storage room.

They entered the room and it was dark. She thought of turning the lights on, but she was afraid she would just anger Denzo if she did so, a thing she -did not- want to do at this moment, but Nica flicks it open anyways.

‘Who- What?! Turn it off!!’ Denzo shouts from behind the storage shelves as two girls peek around the clutter, seeing his annoyed face while squinting his eyes as the sudden light almost blinds him.

‘Heyy…’ Aida smiles and waves at him as Nica mirrors her from behind, still cautious about showing her groggy post cry face.

Denzo just looks at them with eyes still in a slit. A single monotonous ‘hey’ was all he could utter as he continued to focus back on his driving. Although the two girls never made eye contact, at that moment they shared a feeling of annoyance at being neglected by the boy, with both of them expecting a bit more of ‘something’ from him upon seeing them and not just a plain one word greeting, like he saw his pet cat or something. They instinctively moved around the machine and behind where he sat and as if they had planned it, started physically and verbally bothering him just so he could turn his attention on them.

‘Fine!’ Denzo responds, finally giving in to the girls’ bothering, but even while he does so, he still keeps his eyes on the screen. ‘Why are you here anyways?!’

‘Oh nothing… we’re just hiding Nica here till… I dunno…’ Aida paused for a moment as she took a glance at Nica who, at this moment, looked engrossed at the game that Denzo was playing. ‘Wanna skip class and hang out down here Nica?’

‘Cool.’

‘I dunno…’

Both answered simultaneously, and Denzo’s response had stung her already doubtful heart. Nica was clearly unsure about skipping class but Denzo, Denzo’s answer was too quick for her comfort.

‘Okay then…’ She responds with a deep breath. Clearly distraught. ‘Umm… I’m gonna go get some drinks I think… What do you guys want?’

Her question had a more pepped up tone than the rest of her sentence. As far as Aida was concerned she just wanted to leave the room at that moment knowing that her heart might burst at any second. Nica might’ve driven her tears back but now she is starting to feel that Nica might’ve transferred her sorrow towards her instead.

‘Any bottle of soda would do.’ Denzo replied as Aida was barely hanging on to her tears, ready to launch out of the room, but Nica had other plans. She looks at Denzo disapprovingly and walks towards Aida’s side, putting her hands on her shoulders.

‘I’ll get it, you rest here. Thanks by the way.’ She said with a hug as she disappeared out of the room, leaving her and Denzo alone. Nica even closed the lights for them as she left, with Denzo giving her a late thanks as she climbed up the stairs.

Now it was only her and him, the lights were out and he had just crossed the finish line. His attention, who was absent ever since they arrived, has now been freed and as he sat there groaning as he stretched his limbs, her mind was in a race, trying to think of anything to say.

…

…

A few minutes had passed by and the only sounds that filled the air between them was the loud techno music that blasted through the game cabinet’s speakers. Aida stood behind the seat, biting her nails in secret while Denzo sat back with his eyes closed, seemingly trying to give his eyes a bit of a rest. The tension in the air had thickened to a degree that it became solid enough to be visible as the purple haze from the screen had begun to prominently glow brighter as the seconds tick by.

Aida had expected Denzo to be talking to her by now, so the ensuing silence only made it suffocating for her as he kept his silence while the strange toxic thoughts started to creep into her soul, trying to crush it. Amidst all of this, the internal turmoil, the self deprecating comments to herself, her own fears, doubts and possible despair, she kept her mind awake and present, and fighting, and persevering. She does not, she should not expect him to keep her entertained. She should not expect him to make the first move. As far as she was concerned, she was the one who went here. She was the one who forced an audience. She invited herself in. So it would be natural that she was the one who spoke first, and in thinking so she stresses herself in gathering all her thoughts and feelings into a single word.

Any word.

As a single nonsense word is better than this suffocating silence.

She felt the desperation coming in.

She felt that time was running out.

She knew Nica was stalling. But she also knows that her stalling won’t be forever.

She thought and thought.

And thought and thought.

Until all her thoughts caved in and her heart beamed out.

And the only thing her lips could produce was a single: ‘Hey…’

It was simple but it did its job. Denzo had opened his eyes and turned around to face her. She got his attention.

‘Yeah?’

‘Denzo…

I wanna ask you something…’

‘What is it?’

‘When we talk, we always end up talking about Robbie…

Why?’

--

--

--

‘I don’t really know… I guess there’s nothing else in my life worth talking about--’

‘Liar…’

The music from the game had somehow fainted as they exchanged whispers from their lips. Denzo looked at her and she looked back, both seemingly in sync and out of sync at the same time. She could see a slight flash of guilt through Denzo’s eyes as she threw her accusation and at that moment, that quick blink of an eye moment, she got her confirmation. She wasn’t able to hold her emotions anymore and her tears started falling.

Denzo watched as the girl in front of him was on the verge of breaking down. He was confused as to why she was the way that she was in front of him and at the same time he felt a slight unexplainable guilt eating at his soul, driving him deeper into confusion.

‘Aida… what’s wrong? What did I do?’ He asked, still with a whisper. Aida shakes her head whilst trying to muffle the tears from falling even heavier, giving her all just to prevent her walls from totally crumbling down.

‘Denzo.’ Aida utters, barely managing to speak whilst holding back tears. ‘I like you, I really do.’

‘But if there’s already some--’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know. I just do.’ Aida replies as her tears start to flow into streams down her cheek.

‘You just do?

What is it about me?’ Denzo replies.

‘Do you even know me?’

Aida visibly recoils after hearing those words, as her sorrow shifts, tapping into her imprisoned jealousy.

‘And Nica knows you?!

She knows you best?

Is that why you talk about her that much?

I bet you talk to her more than you talk to me…’

‘Aida it’s not like that--’

‘Then what is it like?..

What is it like?..

How does ‘it’ feel?

Can’t I feel ‘that’ for once?

What is it like Denzo?’

‘Aida listen to me!

When was the last time we even hung out?

We never even spent time alone.’

‘I wanted to!

But you’re never even around…

I wanted to, so bad…’

--

--

--

‘Aida… I’m sorry.

You, wanting time with me. I can’t.’

‘Why?

Can’t you make time?’

‘Even if I want to… I can’t.

I couldn’t.’

‘Why?

Is it that game?

Is this why you can’t?

Denzo?

Why?’

‘No it’s not…

It’s…

--

--

--

‘I’m thankful I’ve met everyone and I’m happy that I get to hangout with you guys but--

There are things that I’m chasing.

And what I'm chasing, I need to commit to it.

It’s not just you Aida.

It’s either everyone or that.

I can’t have both.

I tried it once. It didn’t work.

It was bad.

It’s why I’m here in the first place.’

Aida’s tears kept flowing as her heart sank down to the depths of her own abyss. Her despair had turned into jealousy, into frustration and back into despair once again. This was the first time Denzo had shared something about himself. Usually Aida was the one telling stories about her life and experiences but for the first time Denzo had slipped his tongue and had given her a slight glimpse about his past.

‘Then tell me something.

If you weren’t chasing… how would it be for you?’

--

--

--

‘Well then I wouldn’t be here…

And I’d still have my old friends.

‘Then what about us then? What are we?’

--

--

‘If I somehow stopped for some reason.

If I had stopped the moment I met all of you… Then you’d find me more often after school.’ He replies with a clear expression on his face. An expression of calm, of truth. As his body relaxes into his seat, as if the thought of stopping had put him at ease.

‘And maybe…

We would’ve hung out more often.’

He follows as his eyes look straight at Aida’s crying face, smiling as he turns back around to the screen and turns the game off, feeling that he’d had his fill for the day, but forgetting that the lights were turned off as they plunge into the void of total darkness.

For a split second panic had jolted through his veins after realizing his bonkers mistake, but before he could even react he felt the gentle caress of Aida’s hands leading him to face in a certain direction. As he begins to feel her breath draw close,

He closes his eyes, in the depths of darkness.

Whilst her warmth envelops him, surrounding his lips.