♫ I woke up to see the sun, shining all around me ♫120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70ubOtfG60
♫ How could it shine down on me? ♫
Music thundered in Zhenna's earphones as the landscape drifted by. She glanced at the clock on the bus. 7:53. She was still twenty minutes from school. She was late, no two ways about it. Even if the bus never made another stop until the school, even if there was no traffic, even if the driver sped up, she was late.
"𝓦⋈๑ ⊹ഒ⊹ ๑ꕤꮺꗃǂ⋆⋆ ꕤ ✦ǂഒଘꗃ ഒ?"
"ﾘのひりの刀ｲ 乇√乇刀 ﾚﾉズ乇 ｲﾑﾚズﾉ刀ム ｲの ｲん乇ﾶ."
"๑ꕤ |ǂ⋆ ꕤ ꔛഒ⊹"
Zhenna turned the volume up. Her phone gave a beep as a warning flashed on the screen.
Loud sounds can damage your hearing.
She cancelled the warning and pushed the volume higher. Music blasted her ears, making her wince. But it was loud enough. Music echoed through her head, drowning out sound and thought.
As the green scenery gave way to more and more buildings, Zhenna relaxed in her seat. She hadn't known how tense she had been up until now. Turning her head, she stretched the muscles to ease the tension in her shoulders.
When she turned to the left, she made eye contact with the old woman in the next seat. The woman seemed to be saying something to her, so Zhenna took off the left earphone.
"Sorry?"
"Your music is too loud. You are going to damage your ears."
"Oh. No, it's fine. It just sounds that way; it's not that loud in my ears."
"I see. Still, you shouldn't have it so loud that you can't hear when someone's talking to you."
"I'm sorry, were you talking to me just now?"
"Yes—
"刀の ﾘのひ ﾶﾑり乇 ｲん乇 のﾚのﾶﾑ刀 ﾶﾑり"
—are you late for school often?"
"...No."
"I've seen you late a few times, and you're late again today."
"⋆ ꔛǂꕤ✦ ๑ ⌯ଘꕤꉂ ﹆ꕤ﹆ ꕤǂ ꕤ﹆⋆ꕤଘ⋆ ✧﹅ꕤ ꕤ ﹆ꕤ﹆."
"Oh, no. Today I had to bring in some cakes for an event." Zhenna said, raising the lid of the box on her lap.
"My, what lovely cakes! Did you bake these?"
"乇り乇刀 ム尺ﾑ刀りﾶﾑ ズ刀の丂 の刀'ｲ ｲﾑ丂ｲ乇 ムのり."
"Yeah."
"It's good to see young girls with skills. I wish my granddaughter would take a page from you."
Zhenna smiled and nodded at the elderly woman.
"๑ 𓍼ꕤ﹆⋆ ⋈ഒଘꗃ, ꔛഒ⊹."
"丂ん乇りの乇丂刀ｲﾑ刀ｲ ﾘのひ尺 ᄃ尺乇乇ｱﾘ 丂ﾶﾉﾚ乇."
"Would you like to have one?"
"Oh no, dear, I can't take away from your hard work."
"It's okay; I actually made a few extras."
"I shouldn't."
"Really, it's okay. I can give you the one I saved for my break."
"Alright."
Zhenna reached into her pack on the floor and pulled out a carefully folded paper bag, which she handed to the woman.
"Thank you, dear. You're a very nice young lady."
Again, Zhenna smiled and nodded at the elderly woman.
"๑⋆ ⋈, ꗃഒ⌗⋆ ⋈⋆ǂ 𓍼ꕤ﹆⋆ᯅഒଘꗃ ⋈ ﹆ഒꗃ⋈ ⌯ഒ﹅﹅ ⋈⋆ǂ."
"ﾑﾶり刀ﾑ尺ム 丂乇刀の乇ﾶの丂 り乇ﾚﾚﾉズ ｲ丂ひﾌ ひのﾘ"
The bus screeched to a slow stop at the school's bus stop. The old woman got up and made way for Zhenna. Grabbing her pack and sliding across the seats, Zhenna said goodbye to the woman and exited the bus. Throwing on her pack, she walked briskly up the short, steep hill to school.
The big white iron gate at the top of the stairs loomed over everyone climbing the hill. The 'gate to heaven' some called it. Though the only ones calling it that were schoolboys vying for the attention of the girls behind the gate. Even now, there was a group of boys on the stairs of the church a few feet away, watching the gate.
Behind the gate stood five girls with their notebooks and pens ready. Their hair combed into pristine buns of varying sizes. The white in their uniforms shining bright in the morning sun. Their white shoes, speckless and evenly laced. Their skirts pressed into straight, sharp lines. Their ties, tied neatly, with their pristine badges placed perfectly at the stipulated two inches from the tip. Gold and silver hugged their elegant wrists and sat snugly in their ear lobes. The sashes across their chests were a mark of their authority: 'Gate watch'.
As Zhenna got closer, she heard the boys calling out to the girls at the gate. From jests to possibly romantic declarations. But nothing the boys did or said moved the girls. They remained straight-faced and absorbed in their own conversation as they kept watch.
When she got to the foot of the stairs, Zhenna let out a stifled sigh and began her slow ascent. Her eyes had remained focused on the ground once she got close enough to make out the faces of the girls on watch duty. She knew without confirming who the five girls were most likely to be. Tracy-Ann, Cindy-Ann, Mary-Ann, Kelly-Ann, Stacy-Ann, Sally-Ann, Lou-Ann, and Betty-Ann—it could only be five out of the eight.
Zhenna pushed open the gate and stepped inside.
"Late again, Zhenna," said Stacy-Ann, tapping her pen against her notebook.
"I keep telling you, Mondays should be part of the weekend." Zhenna said playfully.
"Your hair, Zhenna. You did your bun in a rush again, didn't you?" Mary-Ann said, unravelling Zhenna's hair.
"That thing has a mind of its own. It was neat when I left the house."
"It's always something or the other wrong with you, isn't it, Zhenna." Cindy-Ann remarked.
Zhenna gave her a wide, open-mouthed, mischievous smile.
"Oh my gosh, are those cakes for the sale today?!" Lou-Ann squealed, "Can I see them?"
"Sure," Zhenna said, lifting the lid so the girls could take a peek.
While Zhenna waited for Mary-Ann to finish fixing her bun, Stacy-Ann logged her time on a late slip and slipped it into her breast pocket.
"Don't forget to give that to your mistress. Also, you've got detention tomorrow."
"Yeah."
"Right, I'm done." Mary-Ann said as she tucked the last strands into the bun.
"Thanks."
As Zhenna walked away from the group, Tracy-Ann called after her.
Oh, Zhenna, Ms. Blackwood wants to see you after school."
"Why?" Zhenna asked, confused.
"You've missed three scout meetings for the term."
"Ok."
Zhenna walked away again with her eyes on the ground. She climbed the stairway to the courtyard.
"ﾘの尺乇ﾉ刀 丂のｲ尺のひ乃乇!"
"ℬ﹅✧⌯ꉂꕤꕤ⊹ ﹅ǂ⋆ ⊹๑ ⊹ꕤ⋆𓍼ଘ'﹅ഒ⌯⋆ ๑ꕤ!"
"丂乇ﾚ乇丂!"
"Zhenna!"
Zhenna looked up, surprised at the woman in front of her.
"Good morning, Ms. Cornerstone."
"Mm."
Zhenna stepped to the side and continued to the assembly point.
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