"Okay class representives, please collect your assignments and bring it to the faculty. Class dismissed" Ms. Gonzales announced and left the room...
"Finally! " her bestfriend Lili exclaimed as she turns to Mia.
"You were dozing off the whole time" Mia told Lili as she packs her things.
"I can't help it, manager asked me to work overtime last night as it was a rush evening at the family restaurant due to payday. "Lili said while pouting at her.
"You should've slept as soon as you got home, I saw your lights are still open late last night when I opened the door for father. Knowing you, you still stayed up late playing online games." she told Lili as they walked out of the classroom.
Lili just grinned at her slyly. "I can't not play, I will lose the daily rewards. You know me too well."
She can't help but just sighed at the stubborness of her childhood friend.
They've been together since elementary days. They also live close together. Although their personality contradicts, they still get along very well.
"Will you come with me to the supermarket today or will you head home first?" she asked as they reached the school gate. The supermarket is on the opposite way to their home and she can see that her friend is very sleepy.
"I'd love to come with you but the power of sleepiness is taking over me" Lili told her as she yawned.
"I can see that. Anyway, take care on the way. Careful not to fall asleep as you walk home." She told Lili, which made her laugh.
"I will haha. Laters."
She proceeds on walking to the supermarket. She checked her phone for any new message from her father.
Her father works as an editor at a publishing company. Being a single father, Mia understood the burden to her father as she witnessed when she was still young. So she make sure that she took care of all the household chores and to never worry her father. Her mother died giving birth to her. So her father devoted all his attention and love to her. Becausenof this it became her goal to take care of his father in return. This made her matured faster as the neighborhood aunties had told her.
She lists down on her mind all the things she needed to buy. She messaged her father what he'd like to have for dinner. In which he immediately replied, a beef stew. She messaged back an okay.
As she absently thought of the ingredients, she didn't noticed the person in front of her and bumped into him.
"I'm so sorry!" she immediately said as she bowede her apologies.
As she looked up, she froze when she saw the man in front of her. He was wearing black all over,hat to shoes. But what made her froze is the eyes of the man.
it's no man eyes.
She know that for sure.
The man smiled that sent shivers to her skin.
"Careful, my lady. Watch where you're going or it'll get you killed." his voice cold as he whispered the last word for her to hear. And the man walked on.
She stood there for a while.. frozen.
She can't explain what happen but she suddenly felt weak all of a sudden and an unexplainable feeling was left as fhe man vanished into the crowd.
She felt like she knew the man. And for an unknown reason, she can feel that the man no human with certainty and dangerous.
What is this ominous feeling?
......
Eversince she was a child, she has felt this empty feeling inside her. Like there's something missing. And there's this unexplainable sorrow. She thought it maybe because shewasn't able to grow up with her mother, and her father made it up to her by always telling her stories about her mom. This somehow fills her up and warms her heart.
However, when she met the man awhile ago, that emptiness came back.
She heard the door open, and that wake her from the blank stare at the wall as she stirs the beef stew.
"I'm home!" She heard her father says from the front door.
"Welcome home, Dad." She answered as she turned off the stove.
"Hmm.. I can smell the beef stew. I'm famished." her father said as he put his bag down.
"Just in time, Dad. Let's eat."
She brought the casserole to the table and arranged the plates.
They started eating and her father told her stories of his coworkers and the novel he is currently working on. She knew all of his coworkers as he always brings her at his workplace when she was still a child.
"Our supervisor also mentioned that we will have a seminar at the provincial area for reference purposes. It will be for 2 weeks."
She immediately understood.
"You should go Dad. I'll be fine. Plus, it will be a good time for you to relax." she assures her father.
"I still haven't said it and you already knew.. you're really becoming like your mom. " ashe said this a loving look can be seen on her father's eyes. Everytime they talks about her mother, she likes how her father looks, just shows how much he loves her mother.
"I'm definitely sure that mom will choose you to go too." she smiled at him
" You do know that it's for work that we'll go there right?" her father chuckles as he said this.
Het father always refuse going to overseas trips when she was still a child. But when she turned to highschool, she pushes him to take a vacation once in a while. At first, he always bring her with him, but after some time of persuasion, he has no choice but to go alone.
Her father is such a worrywart. That's why she works hard to show him that everythings fine.
When she settled down to her bedroom, she thought of what happened on the way to the supermarket. She can still feel those eyes bore on her. Those knowing eyes. She kept it in her mind as she fell asleep..