ZOEY
"AS THE SCRIPTURE SAID IN ROMANS 8:38-39 - For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord," said the parish father. He conducts Olivia's father's eulogy before being buried on the ground. Yes, we are here for Olivia's father's funeral at the cemetery. "Kenneth, our beloved brother, is now at our father's side. There will be no pain. There will be no illness there. Dear Lord, I cry for those of us who have been left behind, for the lonely ones who have hollows in our hearts. I pray You to comfort us, give, restore hope, and lavish us with family and belonging. Meet us in the depths of our grief with Yourself. I pray for everyone's safety. We have complete faith in your methods. Amen."
ZOEY STARING at my reflection on the whole body mirror, I sighed with satisfaction at what I was seeing. I was wearing a black casual dress, above the knee, no sleeves, and slightly showing the top of her chest. My shoulder-length black hair formed in beach wavy curls. My beautiful partner nicely did my make-up. I paired the dress I was wearing with my 2 inches heels, pearls, and crystal black bow kitten. It was a new gift from my stepmother. This is the second time I will wear this kind of clothes. The first time was when my father remarried four years ago to a wonderful woman who brought the gorgeous person I have ever known in my life. Anyway, it's my graduation day today, and I was excited. Two years have quickly passed, and here we are now. I am graduating as a valedictorian despite the hardships I encountered du
"YOU ARE GOING TO STUDY IN SEOUL AFTER GRADE SCHOOL," Dad said. We're having dinner quietly right now, and then he comes in with this kind of news. "Dad? Seriously?" With a sour tone, I said. I stopped cutting the steak on my plate. "I'm serious, Con. You are not taking your studies seriously. You keep slacking. It would help if you were with your grandparents. Maybe they can tame you there," He added without looking at me. He kept eating casually. He had no idea his words were piercing my veins. It's as if someone is slowly and painfully cutting me. "Please, Dad... Mom. I will put in a lot of effort. I'm going to study very hard. I promise," I begged them. I looked at Mom, pleading for help. Mom shook h
"LEWIS," the teacher called Zoey's last name.Camila looked behind her and saw that Zoey was not in her seat.Aubrey was admiring Nova's beauty. She had no idea Zoey was missing."Lewis?" the teacher inquired once more. Everyone in the room is now staring at Zoey's seat. It was deserted. "Scott, did you see your best friend? Where has she gone?""I'm not sure, teacher. Perhaps she's in the restroom. You know, answering nature's call," Nova tried to laugh, but she was getting nervous. She has a bad feeling about Zoey's absence."Perhaps," the teacher replied. "Okay, let's go back to our previous lesson. Lewis can catch up later."The teacher continued the lecture,
THE BELL sounded, signaling the end of the lesson. Olivia, thirteen at the time, quickly stuffed her belongings into her school bag and dashed out the door. She nearly trips on the stairwell, but she regains footing and sprints back to the school gate. She couldn't wait to meet her mother, who was waiting for her outside the school. On the last day of class, she received a text from her mother saying she would come to collect her to have supper together. Olivia has been giddy with excitement ever since. Her mother is a flight attendant, and she has been busy with work for the previous few days. As a result, they rarely see each other. Olivia adores her mother. Her mother, Victoria Martin, took on t
OLIVIA TIME flies by so quickly, and before I knew it, we were at Lewis' house in Clover City. Clover City was a long way from where we had been. My mother stated that she stayed and studied here during her senior year of high school and that she lived with relatives who migrated to Canada after she completed her senior year. I thought I knew my mother well for a long time, but lately, I've been surprised by what I've discovered about her. During her senior year of high school, Zaldy was her first love and boyfriend. My Mom and Uncle Zaldy, whom I still refer to as "Uncle Zaldy" because I am not used to addressing someone as "Dad," which he says is okay with him, reconnected last year when Mom ran into him at Changi Airport in Singapore.
OLIVIA AFTER TWO YEARS... "ONE MORE TIME!" exclaimed our cheer captain, Piper, as she asked us to perform our final routine. "Come on, guys, one more time, we just need to nail it," she added. Piper, a senior and the cheerleading squad's current captain, was a stickler for detail. We know she wants us to win the cheerleading competition next week, but I thought we did well earlier. And I was utterly exhausted. I can see that my coworkers are also exhausted. The last routine was incredibly taxing. Everything seemed too good to be true. And I'm convinced that this is only the beginning of my new happily ever after. Miss Peyton butted in, "Piper, that's all right." She serves as our cheerleading team's adviser and coach. She works as a teacher
OLIVIA "KIDS, we're home!" my mother exclaimed as the front door swung open. Uncle Zaldy was following my mother into the house. Zoey and I were cuddling on the couch, watching N*****x's All of Us Are Dead. It came naturally to us. There was no malice to be found. I also enjoy cuddling Zoey. Her warm embrace envelops me in comfort. Because it's the weekend, there will be no school or practice for the time being. "Mom! Uncle!" I ran up to them as if they were children, kissing them on the cheeks one by one. Zoey silently followed me and made the same gesture to our parents as I did to her. One of the reasons I enjoy being at home is that I can express myself freely. I am a clingy, childish, and whining child. Zoey, on the other hand, was a quiet and calm kid.
OLIVIA I WAS GETTING BUSY WITH CHEERING PRACTICE AS THE COMPETITION NEARED. Zoey and I didn't have much time to hang out either these days. I noticed she was also preoccupied because her childhood friend had returned to town and transferred to Clover City. It turned out to be the girl from the Oceanarium. I'm not sure what her name was, but she introduced herself as Nora or Neri. I'm not entirely sure. I wasn't interested at all, especially since she was sitting right next to Zoey's chair. Zoey and I were in the same class. It was difficult to conceal our actual relationship, but fortunately, we are very good at it. But Zoey's childhood friend will make things more difficult for us. What if she realizes Zoey is my stepsister?