Chapter V: Orientation Day

The next day, Emma met with George at the Main Gate. Amy told them that she'd be a little late for the Orientation. Though Emma was still a good distance away from the rendezvous point, she could clearly pinpoint George's location amidst the crowd. He was wearing a bright yellow shirt, with "P.E." dark against the background. He was also a black sidebag slung on his right shoulder.

Upon arriving, Emma inquired. "Have you brought the goods?"

"Sure I did." George answered, hands on pockets. "Nice shirt, by the way."

Emma, who was wearing a white t-shirt with the words "I THINK, THEREFORE I AM…" printed on it in bold black letters, replied with a grin. "Thanks. Bright shirt."

"Yeah, right. Here, check if this is enough for later," George said, opening the bag. It contained a black portfolio, a red notebook, a ballpoint pen, two bottles of water, and not-so-few food items.

"That should do it," Emma said. "Come on. Let's get inside."

This was a practice they developed during High School. Almost before every school event, Emma would hand George some cash. Then, George would add to the amount and would buy snacks for the two of them. Of course, others could share of it. Between the two of them, Emma would usually be the first one to partake of the foodstuff.

Upon entering the gymnasium, they settled at a corner of the bleachers, just in front of the emergency exit door. They were about half an hour early. While waiting, the two friends traded stories about their vacation. They also shared their enrolment woes. Emma had a relatively smooth time during enrolment. George unfortunately experienced the opposite. It took him practically two whole days to complete the process. George blamed the slowness to the unexpected power loss on the first day of enrolment.

As they were conversing, the venue started to fill-up with students. The more came in, the noisier the Gym became until the two had to talk directly to each other's ear. Sometime later, Emma sighed and yawned.

"I'm bored," she complained.

At that, George brought out the black portfolio from his bag. "I knew you'd say that," he said, handing the portfolio to Emma. "Here, read this. This should hold you for at least thirty minutes."

"What's inside?" Emma asked.

"Check it out for yourself," George replied. "Just don't let anyone else see its contents."

What Emma saw surprised her. Inside the portfolio were the profiles of the Slasher's victims, complete with witnesses' testimonies, comments and speculations, and of course, photos.

The first file belonged to the Slasher's first victim, Chloe Jimenez. The front page went this way:

SUMMARY

NAME: Chloe Ariza Jimenez BIRTHDATE: May 30, 1989

AGE: 18 BIRTHPLACE: Tadian, Mt. Province

SEX: Female AFFILIATION: Celestine College, Student

FATHER'S NAME: Francis Pan Jimenez AFFILIATION: FPJ Farms and Trucking, Owner

MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME: Demi Rosario Ariza AFFILIATION: Asuncion Medical Center, Lab Technician

LAST SEEN: July 11, 2007 DATE/TIME FOUND: July 12, 2007/Around 6:30 AM

FOUND BY: Ayiko Cruz, Celestine College Student FOUND AT: City Park, inside Herbal Garden

CAUSE OF DEATH: Multiple Punctures and Lacerations caused by a blade approx. 6inches in length (Details Inside)

OTHER SIGNIFICANT DETAILS:

- Rope marks around wrists and ankles

- Bruises on forearms

- Body was identified through school ID and other personal effects and was confirmed by family members

ITEMS FOUND:

- Tattered clothing (black jacket, white shirt, jeans, red undergarments)

- Pink Handbag (Inside are 1 wallet, 1 Nokia N95 cellular phone, 1 binder, 1 make-up kit, 4 ballpoint pens, and victim's school ID)

- Nylon rope (tied loosely on victim's left leg)

The next few pages showed detailed description of Chloe Jimenez's wounds with graphic crime scene photographs.

The victims were all students from CC, though not all of the victims were found in the city where the College was situated. One of them was located in a nearby province.

Sure enough, the portfolio did hold Emma for at least thirty minutes. Actually, it held her attention for an hour. She went through the pages while the program went on, careful not to show the documents to nearby individuals. The only times she paused were during the Invocation and Flag Ceremony and when she reached for an occasional munch from their food stash. Around them, some of the students started to leave the Gym out of boredom, leaving the two friends free to converse out of other's earshot.

At last, Emma finished going through the files just after someone from the Administrative Office was finished discussing about Celestine College's grading system.

"Done?" George teased.

Emma gave him the portfolio, which he promptly returned to his bag.

"I don't think so," she replied, still dazed by what she saw. "George, how in the world did you get your hands on those data?"

"Well, I have my ways. I summarized them for easier reading."

"Oh, come on!"

"Fine…" George reluctantly gave in. He lowered his voice. "I got bored, so I scoured the Internet. I got so much from just a few clicks."

"You're crazy!" Emma almost yelled. Some students looked their way, so she also lowered her voice. "Shouldn't you be the rational one between us?"

George shrugged. "What? I'm also curious about the Slasher case, so I read about him. Or her."

"I can't believe I'm saying this but you better take care. Curiosity killed the cat and all." Emma's eyes didn't hide her concern for her best friend.

"Don't worry." He was confident. "It's just a passing fancy. Let's just enjoy the program, shall we?"

Emma could only relent and watch the remainder of the program. Currently, a demonstration by the CC Wushu Team was going on. It was a display of backbreaking stunts and lightning-speed movements. It was then followed by some remarks from CC's Vice President.

"Follow the rules and regulations set by the school," the Vice President said as parting words. The Vice President was a tall chubby man with a balding top. "It's for all of you to be able to enjoy your college life. Thank you!"

Then, as mentioned by the brochure handed out at the gymnasium's main entrance, a song intermission will follow before the last part of the Orientation, the President's Message.

Suddenly, Amy came out of nowhere and said. "I bet I'll be bored with this intermission, and I'm guessing you were startled by my sudden appearance."

"Yes," Emma, who was actually surprised, replied.

At the same time, George answered with a "No". After receiving curious looks, he continued. "You were standing close to the fire exit with a guy you haven't introduced to us yet."

"How'd you know? You didn't even turn around." Amy asked.

"I heard your voice in that direction." George was matter-of-factly. "You were talking to someone with a very masculine voice."

"You heard us?" Amy was incredolous. "Despite all the noice?"

The boy nodded.

"Oh," Amy was blushing. "That was… a friend."

"Uh huh," George was smirking.

"Okay, stop there," Emma butted in. "Let's give her space for now."

"Okay." George was still smirking.

Just then, the emcee finally spoke. "Sorry for the wait, ladies and gentlemen. Let me introduce to you: Spencer Chua!"

With a big smile, the crooner entered stage, holding his guitar.

"Hello, freshmen!" Spencer greeted through the microphone. The gymnasium was filled with cries, mostly from females, in response. With his looks and charms, it wasn't surprising. "My name's Spencer, a fifth-year student, and I'm here to entertain you with a song. It's my own composition. I hope you'll like it."

Silence spread like ripples in a pod as Spencer strummed his instrument. Hearts thumped as he sang. He wasn't just a good at singing; he was great at it. His melodious mezzo-tenor voice resonated throughout his rendition. Amy was strongly clutching her handbag, much to her friends' amusement.

"One more! One more!" The audience chanted after he ended his song.

"One more?" Spencer queried, to which the crowd responded to with shrieks and cheers. "Alright, but I'll asked the emcee first."

At that, he looked at the emcee, who in turn asked the President who was sitting in the front row. Dr. Santiago gave Spencer a thumbs-up as response.

"Okay, I'm cleared for one more song," Spencer went on, while adjusting the strings of his guitar. "I'll apologize in advance though. I was just prepared for just one song, so I'll just play an instrumental. Once more, I hope you enjoy."

Spencer then plucked his guitar. Everyone hushed with excitement. True to his word, Spencer didn't sing. Yet, he was able to mesmerize the crowd just the same. He held everyone's attention with his hands' dexterity and rhythm

as he played his version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. All held their breath until he finished his performance. After he let out the last notes of the song, thunderous applause and cheers filled the venue. Spencer returned the praise with a bow and a big smile. Some thanks later, the singer exited to backstage.

The Orientation ended with a jubilant tone. Perhaps because of the President's closing remarks. Since the faculty isn't complete yet that day, all classes for the rest of the day was cancelled.

After stepping out of the gymnasium, the trio headed to the canteen for a snack. As they ate, Amy's phone rang. Excusing herself, Amy stood and went out the door.

"So," George said, resting his elbows on the table. "How'd you find the program?"

"So-so," his best friend replied. She took a bite at her sandwhich. "But the intermissions were great."

"Uh huh. And Spencer?" George asked huskily.

"What about him?"

"Well, Ems, I think I should ask for a reaction after hearing a song about you?

Emma was caught off-guard. "You're not serious, are you? I mean, I didn't hear my name on it."

George sighed. Then he repeated some of the verses sung by Spencer. "T'was during rush that I met you; Oh why'd we even collide; From since then, the things about you; I could never get off my mind."

"Quite resembles your 'bumpy' meeting with him, wouldn't you agree?" George continued.

Emma was about to say something when Amy came back. "Did I miss anything?" She queried.

"Nothing much," George replied in a matter-of-factly tone. "We've just been discussing about the Orientation."

"I see," Amy replied. "Anyway, Linda called." Linda Bernardo was one of the trio's common friends. "She was asking if you wanted to join an outing in the beach, since it's Friday and all." Emma and George agreed.

Later that night, Emma decided to walk home. She just came from the Library to read some books, which she wanted to do since entering CC. She sat there until 9 PM. Her friends weren't able to accompany her since they had their own matters to attend to. As she left he school grounds, Emma contemplated on some of what happened in today's events. Was she really the subject of Spencer's song? Was Spencer really that bold? Then there's George. Normally, he just laughs at situations like this. Yet something's different this time.

"Ah!" She inwardly sighed, as she continued on walking.

Her revery was cut short when she felt that something was amiss. She looked around her but saw nothing. Remembering the contents of the folder she was holding earlier that day, the girl sped up her walk and reached home safely.