The next day, Gabriela arrived at school earlier than usual. To minimise her search, she headed straight to the administrative office with the firm intention of finding out more about Catherine. When she arrived, a friendly administrative officer, Mrs Mira, was tidying up some documents on her desk.
'Good morning, Mrs Mira,' Gabriela greeted her politely.
'Oh, good morning too, Gabriela. How can I help you?' replied Mrs Mira with a warm smile.
Gabriela put on a serious face, then said, 'I have an assignment from my teacher, Mum. I was told to find information about some students who have the same name. May I know, how many students in this school are named Catherine?'
Mrs Mira looked a little confused, but not suspicious. 'Oh, research assignment, huh? I'll check the database in a moment.'
Gabriela nodded, holding her breath as Mira opened her laptop and started typing. After a while, Mira looked at the screen and said, 'Here are some of Catherine's names. Class 10 has three, class 11 has two, and class 12 has one.'
Gabriela tried to remain calm, even though her heart was pounding. **Class 11, there are two people... Maybe one of them is the Catherine I'm looking for.**
'May I know their full names and in which class, Mum?' she asked cautiously.
Mrs Mira seemed to hesitate for a moment, but finally replied, 'Okay, here's the data.' She read out the names:
- Catherine Amelia, class 10B.
- Catherine Yasmine, class 10E.
- Catherine Nathania, class 10F.
- Catherine Melinda, class 11G.
- Catherine Rahayu, class 11H.
- Catherine Lavinia, class 12D.
Gabriela took careful notes. 'Thank you very much, Mrs Mira. The information is very helpful.'
'Good luck with your assignment,' said Mrs Mira before continuing her work.
Exiting the administration room, Gabriela reflected on the information she had just received. There are two Catherine's in Year 11, Catherine Melinda from 11G and Catherine Rahayu from 11H. Is one of them the spirit I met?
Gabriela decided to start her search by observing class 11G. She was sure her first step would be to confirm whether Catherine Melinda, or perhaps Catherine Rahayu, was the person she was looking for. However, she still felt anxious, as Catherine's spirit itself did not give enough clues about her identity.
Why did the spirit appear in the schoolyard? Does it have anything to do with the death of Catherine Melinda or Rahayu? Or could it be that the spirit was not one of them, but another Catherine at this school?
Question after question filled Gabriela's mind, adding to the complexity of the mystery she had to solve.
Gabriela decided to start her search in class 11H. During break time, she went to the class and asked some of the students, 'Excuse me, is Catherine Rahayu here?'
A student raised her hand and smiled kindly. 'Yes, I'm Catherine Rahayu. What's wrong?'
Gabriela was momentarily relieved. If Catherine Rahayu was here, then the spirit she had met was not her. 'Oh, it's okay,' Gabriela replied with a small smile, trying not to look awkward. 'I just wanted to confirm something for the teacher's assignment.'
After thanking her, Gabriela quickly left class 11H and walked towards class 11G. If Catherine Rahayu was still alive, then most likely the spirit she was looking for was Catherine Melinda from 11G.
With steady steps, Gabriela continued her investigation, realising that she was getting closer to the truth behind Catherine's mystery.
As soon as Gabriela arrived at the doorstep of 11G, a sight that caught her eye immediately stopped her in her tracks. On one of the desks, there was a simple arrangement of small flowers. Some of them had begun to wilt, but the scent was still faintly wafting, mixed with the typical smell of the classroom.
Gabriela stood silently in the doorway, staring at the table. It must be for Catherine, she thought. The desk seemed to be a silent memorial to those lost, proof that someone who used to sit there was no longer present. The atmosphere of the classroom was heavy, although the students seemed to be going about their usual activities - some joking, some busy reading books, and some simply pensive.
Gabriela sighed, gathering the courage to step inside. She walked slowly to the desk, staring at the name engraved on one of the small greeting cards among the flowers. Catherine Melinda.
Just as she stood in front of the desk, a female student approached her. 'Who are you? How can I help you?' the girl asked in a confused but friendly tone.
'Oh, sorry,' Gabriela quickly tried to look casual. 'I'm Gabriela, from class 10C. I just... wanted to make sure of something. This is Catherine Melinda's desk, right?'
The girl nodded. 'Yes, this is Catherine's desk. Do you know her?' she asked, her eyes flashing curiosity.
Gabriela smiled a little, trying to cover her nervousness. 'Not too close, but I've heard of her. Was she okay before...' Gabriela dangled her sentence, deliberately not finishing it.
The schoolgirl shook her head softly, her face turning sad. 'Catherine was a good girl. We don't know why she was killed. Until now, the killer hasn't been caught. There was nothing unusual about Catherine before the incident, at most she had a fight with her boyfriend,' she said, glancing at a young man sitting pensively in the corner of the classroom.
Gabriela followed the direction of the girl's gaze. A young man with slightly messy hair looked down, his fingers tapping the desk patternlessly, like someone lost in his own thoughts. 'Is that Catherine's boyfriend?' asked Gabriela, trying to sound casual.
'Yes, his name is Arvin,' replied the girl in a whisper, as if afraid of being overheard by the young man. 'They had a pretty big fight before Catherine died. But I don't know what it was about. After Catherine... well, Arvin became really quiet. Rarely talked to anyone.'
Gabriela nodded, trying to record the information in her mind without showing too much expression. 'Thank you,' she said with a faint smile.
'Why are you asking about Catherine, anyway? Do you know her?' the girl asked, looking a little suspicious.
'Ah, I don't really know her. I'm just curious. I heard about the incident, so I wanted to know more,' Gabriela replied quickly before walking out of the classroom. But her mind couldn't stop replaying the conversation. Arvin... does he know something? Or is he the one... the one who killed Catherine?
Gabriela's steps were heavy as she left 11G. Her heart was filled with questions. If Catherine really wanted her to find out something, then this could be a big clue. However, Gabriela knew that in order to approach Arvin, she had to be careful. If there's really something he's hiding, I can't be careless... the clock is ticking relentlessly... I need to get this over with and get back to my normal life... she thought to herself...