“Wait, sir, you want me to take care of the paperworks?“ A woman with a short brown jellyfish haircut hurriedly followed a short man. “Yes. Did I stutter when I told you that, Ms. Seraphina?” The short man gred at the woman. The woman, Ms. Seraphina, looked around early to mid 20s, yet her eyes held that certain light only people with enough experience in life had.

  “Well, no, sir. But, didn't the principal say only you could handle those papers?” Ms. Seraphina emphasized the word “you”. The short man eyebrows knotted and he stopped walking and looked at Ms. Seraphina properly.

  “Why don't you just do as I say?” The man fumed, his eyebrows knitting further. Then, the man sneered, “What, just because you passed your doctorate, you're already this arrogant?”

  Ms. Seraphina, or as her first name, Lumina shook her head repeatedly. “It's not that, sir. But, if the principal finds out about this, won't we lose our jobs?” Lumina asked worriedly. The principal of the school they were working for was a very, very meticulous woman. She doesn't like it when people don't follow what she ordered. So, Lumina's worry wasn't unfounded.

  The man huffed and turned his back to Lumina, “Just get it done. No one would know if one of us doesn't snitch.” The man then walked off, leaving Lumina in the quiet hallway. After a few seconds of just standing there in a daze, Lumina snapped out of her thoughts and sighed.

  She wasn't dumb, this was bullying and abuse of power. She had experienced this many times before, it's just she didn't expect to still be the subject for this kind of matters even in adulthood.

  “Sigh... I pnned to spend my free time reading The Bible and some novels in my reading lists...” Lumina trailed off looking a bit numbed. Lumina sighed again and muttered to herself, “Oh well.” If she can't escape it, she might as well do it. She turned on her heels and went back to the faculty room.

  +-+-+-+

  After arriving in the faculty room, she was met with a series of congratutions. Lumina smiled and sincerely thanked all of them, one teacher that was close with Lumina called out to her. Lumina naturally went to her and sat down on the opposite chair. “Congratutions! When do you pn on celebrating getting your doctorate? I'm up for some booze.” The woman, Ms. Cruz, ughed heartily.

  Ms. Cruz was, in short, a person who Lumina admired and looked up to. After all, Ms. Cruz was Lumina's mother in name. Lumina snapped put of her thoughts and shook her head fondly, “I don't know yet, Ms. Cruz. However, you're the first person I'll invite if I do decide when.” Lumina said. “Good! But stop calling me ‘Ms. Cruz’! I told you long ago, it's ‘mom.’” Ms. Cruz urged Lumina with her eyes.

  Lumina sighed and looked around, luckily, no one was paying attention to them. Lumina looked at Ms. Cruz again, and in return, Ms. Cruz nodded and urged her. Lumina sighed, “Mom, stop doing this in public. I thought we agreed I won't be calling you that in public?” Lumina said as she looked around with embarrassment.

  “Wow! You're still just 24 and you're already discarding your mom?” Ms. Cruz said as she hit Lumina's thigh. Lumina winced from the pain and looked around again. “Mom, stop! What will the others think if they saw me getting hit? Do you not care for your daughter's reputation?” Lumina shout-whispered. She was just joking, but she got pinched in the thigh instead.

  “Ow, ow, ow. Mom, Mom, I'm joking! I'm just joking!” Lumina yelped in pain. Ms. Cruz let go of the pinch, gred at Lumina and handed her a bunch of snacks. “Ha... You just got here and you're already making my blood boil. Hurry, eat this. I'm sure you didn't eat earlier.”

  Lumina smiled at her mother and took the snacks, “Thanks, Mom. But I don't think I'll be able to eat this for now.” Lumina said as she pced it on her desk. Ms. Cruz quipped her eyebrows, prompting Lumina to expin. “Well, it's Mr. James. He said that I should be the one to pass the paperworks to the division.” Lumina resignedly said.

  “What? He was the one assigned by the principal to do that, why is making you do it?” Ms. Cruz asked as stared wide eyed at her daughter. Lumina sighed again, she knows this look, this is the “you better give me a good reason before I whoop your ass” look.

  Lumina shrugged and hurriedly stood up and went to Mr. James' desk. “Ah! Wait!” Lumina heard her mom yelp, but she just turned around and waved. Better escape than getting whooped in public again. She ran through the empty and quiet hallways and soon enough, she was on the first floor.

  She held the documents tightly in her hands and she walked out of the school premises. Not long after, she was waiting for a cab to drop by. She was looking down at her phone, and funnily enough, when she opened it, it was on a website called ScribbleHub.

  Lumina typed “The Novel's Extra's Extra” on the searching bar and clicked on the test chapter. Might as well pass her time through reading, instead of just waiting for the cab while doing nothing.

  Just as she was reading it, she heard a bunch of people screaming. When Lumina looked up, she was surprised... A rge truck was already in front of her going full speed. Strangely in Lumina's vision, it slowed down, but then she felt an excruciating pain from all of her body. When she realized what happened, she was already on the floor, bleeding profusely.

  There were mamy people surrounding her now, they looked like they were screaming, but Lumina couldn't hear any of it. She coughed up blood and she felt another wave of excruciating pain. Lumina instinctively knew... This was it.

  Ah... I'm so dumb, she thought bitterly. Lumina felt her eyes getting heavier and heavier and she couldn't fight it. When she closed her eyes, many happy memories fshed her eyes. Getting dropped off at the local Catholic orphanage, away from her abusive family... Getting acquaintaned with the kids in the orphanage. Getting along with the said kids... Learning theology and knowing how love she was by God... Deciding to fully commit her life to God... Getting adopted by one of the older orphans there... Calling Ms. Cruz “mom” for the very first time and then crying together... Getting used to everything... Admitting to God and to her mom she's a Lesbian... And working at the same school as her mother...

  Lumina felt her cheeks dampen. She felt sorry for her mom, even though she's now an adult, she's still making trouble for her mom. Lumina felt guilty so she prayed. ‘God, if this is what you pnned for me, I'll accept it. But please let my mom be happy even without me. I leave her to you God. Thank you, Amen.”

  With that, Lumina bcked out.