Snowed under
~

The previous days had been a nightmare. It was no surprise Zen found herself absentmindedly watering the plants in her garden at her house after voluntarily taking a two-day leave from campus.

"Hey, sis. Dad wants to talk to you at the shop."

"Okay," Zen replied in a daze, putting the sprinkling jar down on the ground before doing a robotic U-turn.

Zen walked into the shop a minute later and then looked around in search of her father. A sense of familiarity consumed her being as she looked around the place, at the empty shelves that had once overflowed with bottles of luxury-scented perfumes. Only moulded wooden fittings, dirtied glass panes and stained porcelain floor tiles provided clear evidence of the passage of time, reminding her of those days when the deteriorated space of the room flourished in business and fame.

"Dad?" she called when the back door creaked open and her father walked in.

"Zen. Come. Sit here," he said, bringing out a stool.

"Elliott said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes. I'm planning to restore our shop. What do you think?" Her father went straight to the point.

"Dad, you know you can't. Your heart condition-"

"Is recovering fairly well and pretty soon, I can live a normal life, do normal things like any fifty-eight-year-old man," her father finished for her.

"But Dad, we're talking about the perfume business. You can't concoct formulas and then experiment with the ingredients like you used to. If it interferes with your heart again-"

"Who said I'm doing it? I'm only going to observe. I'm hiring people for it."

"How? And with what money?"

Her father merely smiled innocently without saying a word. Two seconds set in, and then her eyes widened in horror.

"You sold off our farm?" she accused.

"Nobody has the time to raise chickens!" her father defended. "We can survive without them. So I sold the farm to hire some workers and rebuild the shop."

"I can't believe it. Dad, you are so irresponsible, ughh." Zen groaned.

"Zen," her father began with a quiver in his voice. As his moist eyes glistened, he continued, "This business, your mother initiated it. You know this well. She was a gifted perfumer, a natural talent. I, on the other hand, struggled to even reach half her expertise after working alongside her for years before her sudden passing. My health declined, and I couldn't sustain the business or her legacy."

"Dad, it's not your fault."

"No. But I must rebuild it. I want to honour her memory."

"I agree, but please don't overextend yourself. Let the experts handle it," Zen said after thoughtful consideration. "But Dad, replicating Mom's unique products won't be easy. Her creations were exceptional, and I have no knowledge of perfumery. Remember when you scolded me for making poison instead of perfume?"

"Yes, I remember," her father chuckled. "Your mom had faith in you and spoiled you rotten. But I knew you didn't inherit her talents. You were never meant to be a perfumer."

"Yeah, right. Real comforting to hear, Dad," Zen said sarcastically. If it was ten years ago, she would've been very offended, but things were different now. There was one thing she learnt growing up, and that was accepting all her shortcomings with open arms, and knowing she was worth more than what was expected of her. Her father had never forced her, only made her realise on her own what her strengths and weaknesses were. He had always given her the freedom to make her own decisions despite the brutality of it all, and that was what made her who she was today: indestructible and always true to herself.

"Haha, still so sensitive," her father teased. "Despite the strong personality, my daughter has some insecurities inside."

"Shut up, Dad. Now tell me how your going-to-be-hired-soon crew is going to continue Mom's work."

"Oh, I have something that'll blow your mind," her father said and took out a small pink vial from his pocket. "Take a whiff and tell me."

"This is..." Zen looked at the small vial in her hand, studying it in fascination. "When did mom make this? How come you never told me she left something like this?"

"It wasn't your mom who made this, Zen."

"Then who?"

"Elliott."

"Elliott?"

"Yes, Elliott." Her father's eyes gleamed in excitement.

"But how did he know? Mom didn't give him this perfume."

"You're siblings, you both stay in the same house and you still ask that," her father shook his head with a click of his tongue.

"Right..."

"Elliott, he's inherited your mother's fine genes. The boy has natural talent. He says he wants to fulfil his mother's dreams after he completes college. And I'm sure if he's determined enough, he will surpass your mom one day."

"Good for him," Zen said boredly, but her eyes told otherwise. She would never admit it out loud, especially in front of Elliott, but deep down she was truly happy for him. Guess her useless brother wasn't so useless after all.

"Didn't Mom leave you that custom-made perfume? I noticed you don't wear it anymore. Is it because of me?"

"I'm saving it for special occasions," Zen replied, sparing her father's guilt. "I don't want it to run out. It's the only one I have."

"If you cherish it that much, then keep it. Eliott and I will try making a new replica for you soon. It's your favourite, after all," assured her father.

"Sure, Dad."

"Just watch, Zen. In three, four years, our business will be booming," he expressed with stars in his eyes and a pumped fist in the air. "Anyway," he said, going back to stone face and serious tone. "Why are you back at home and not at university?"

"I don't feel well," she lied. "Did you, by chance, receive a call from uni?"

"What for? Did something happen?"

"No, not at all," Zen replied nervously.

"I remember two days ago, I was fetching water to water the plants and my phone fell in the bucket. Now I can't use it anymore. I've been using Elliott's phone to make calls for the time being."

"Really? Why didn't you say so?" Zen asked, suddenly feeling overjoyed at the news. That meant the university wasn't able to get in touch with her father to inform him of their little road mishap. Thank you, God. And now that it was all over, she could finally put her worries to rest. "I'll go fix it for you this afternoon."

"Yes, you do that."

~-~

"That's precisely why I'm annoyed, Madilyn. It's been two days, and not a single word. I called her, and she said she'll talk when she feels like it. Who are we, anyway? Clearly not her friends. Zen needs to stop keeping everything to herself," Nadia vented as she walked into the cafeteria with a tray of food, while Madilyn followed behind, seemingly distracted.

"Or perhaps you're just dying to hear all the juicy details. I can assure you I can hear you just fine. No need to shout and make a scene," Madilyn retorted.

"Well, if you didn't have the grace of a sloth, you wouldn't be dragging yourself along, making me yell to ensure you catch what I'm saying."

"Don't aim your frustration at me. I'm not the target of your wrath."

"Speak of the devil..." Nadia abruptly halted. "The target of my wrath," she growled low.

Madilyn rolled her dull eyes, then quickened her steps in hopes of catching up to the poisonous tarantula hunting her prey.

"Zen, you selfish little-" Nadia began, slamming her tray onto the table with a loud clatter. The floor screeched as she pulled out a chair and sat down firmly, fixing Zen with an intense and unforgiving glare. "Where have you been?" she demanded.

"At home," Zen replied swiftly, her gaze shifting to Madilyn, who calmly took the seat beside Nadia and gently placed her tray on the table.

"Home? Home?! I was getting worried when I didn't see you for two days, Zen! I asked Kate, and she told me you were..." Nadia leaned in closer to Zen, lowering her voice to a whisper for the last word, "...stranded."

"Nadia wants you to spill all the details," Madilyn chimed in, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"There's nothing to tell," Zen stated.

"Of course there is," Nadia insisted. "You shared a room with those two... You know who I mean," she said, leaning even closer.

"Look, if you're thinking something happened, nothing did," Zen replied.

"I don't believe you, Zen."

"If you're really curious, how about we meet up later, and I'll tell you everything. The cafeteria isn't the best place," Zen suggested, looking around suspiciously.

"Everyone already knows, Zen," Nadia corrected.

"But no one knows that the three of us shared a room," Zen whispered.

"True, true," Madilyn acknowledged, more interested in her food than the conversation they were having. "Nadia is just being overly sensitive. I know you, Zen. Even if you come across a heavy bag of gold, let's say two heavy bags of gold, lying in the middle of the road, you wouldn't pick up even one. You'll just hop over them. That's the kind of person you are."

"What does that mean?" Zen asked, clearly confused, but Madilyn simply ignored her and turned to Nadia.

"Believe me, Nadia, nothing significant happened between her and those guys on the trip," Madilyn concluded.

"Oh really." Nadia raised a quizzical brow. "Then who is that I see entering the cafeteria, looking all smoking hot and irresistible?" Nadia said, biting at her lower lip to accentuate her interpretation.

"Who are you talking about?" Zen asked, trailing Nadia's line of vision to see who she was blabbering about. R-Raine? Zen choked on the piece of meat she had chewed just moments ago. "What is he doing here?" Madilyn voiced out her thoughts.

"Slow down. Have some juice," Nadia said worriedly as she handed Zen a glass to drink.

Since he's here, maybe I should leave, Zen thought, clearing her throat after taking a few sips of Nadia's orange juice. The coughing was gone, and so was her appetite. "I'm full," she said. "You guys still staying? I'm gonna go."

"No. Sit," Nadia ordered, pulling her down by the arm even before she got up. "I want to see what happens next."

"How odd," Madilyn pondered from the side. "Raine never comes here. I wonder who he's looking for. Great, now more girls are filling in our cafeteria."

"Oh look. He's brought a friend. And there, I see Kai just walking through the cafeteria. He's going over to them. They're taking a table. They're sitting so far away from us, but oh well. Now, they're starting a conversation," Nadia narrated as she kept stealing glances at Raine's table.

"Nadia, tell me one good reason why you took Business Management. Why not journalism? Reporter Nadia suits you more." Madilyn's questions only fell on deaf ears. Zen couldn't wait to lift her butt from the chair and bid the place goodbye but she couldn't. For one, Nadia hadn't yet touched her food, if the flies swarming in one by one were any indication, and knowing Nadia would at least take half an hour to chew, she was never getting out of that place.

"Oh my god," Nadia suddenly snapped out of her daze, her ears turning a crimson hue. "Raine just glanced at our table."

"What?" Madilyn half-shouted, causing Nadia to nod her head slowly twice.

"Guys, I really want to leave," Zen pleaded.

"No, hold on. We still have a lot to discuss," Nadia insisted. "Okay, I'll stop looking." She composed herself swiftly. "Let's get down to business, shall we? Madilyn, you tell her. Tell her about who we saw."

"We ran into Cassandra the other day," Madilyn began.

"And so?" Zen continued.

"It was her. She was the one spreading rumours about you, along with some kind of bizarre religious cult-like group," Nadia pointed out.

"But why?"

"But why? Listen to yourself, Zen. She's always hated you," Madilyn explained, "Just like you, I thought it was over, your childhood rivalry thing. But I don't know what's gotten into her all of a sudden. Do you know?"

"No," Zen denied. "We belong to different departments. There's a very slim chance that we might run into each other on campus. I never saw her again after the annual function in second year. Didn't she do a runway show thing there? Besides, I've done nothing to offend her. Of course, we had some episodes when we were kids. She always thinks I beat her at everything and holds a grudge for it. We called truce so many times but she never changed. Running into her again was purely by coincidence. Does she think I came here to make her life more miserable like she always says? I know her well enough to say her assumptions can become very problematic if not addressed in time. I need to talk to her."

"Take a breath, Zen. We all know that. But I don't think that's a good idea, right now," Madilyn cautioned. "She's positioned herself as a sort of campus goddess, and with all the rumours about your identity crisis, approaching her might not be wise. She could be prepared for a confrontation, not caring if others witness it, so she can use it against you."

"I'd rather die than have people think she and I are an item," Zen expressed her disgust at the thought.

"You're not exactly fond of her, are you?" Nadia remarked.

"I can tolerate her up to an extent," Zen answered.

"Between you two, it's always been attack and retaliation, with Zen usually on the retaliation side. However, the latter is often more destructive and prone to misinterpretation. Attackers come prepared, with a backup plan in case their initial strategy fails. They can always play the victim card when they can't win outright," Madilyn explained, "So what do they do? They shed crocodile tears and take help from other sides, going so far as using the enemy of my enemy is my friend strategy. Lies, deceits, fabrications, use everything to ensure victory, don't care if some are sacrificed in the process. And that's exactly what Casandra's doing right now. If I learned anything from studying her plans and movements, I can only come up with one conclusion. She wants you expelled, Zen."

"Wow, that's Madilyn for you. She's brilliant. No wonder she's the top student in her class," Nadia said, thoroughly impressed. "So who do you think will come out on top?"

"The truth. The one who's innocent. It just takes time," Madilyn replied.

"Fair enough. I'm on Zen's side," Nadia declared. "And before we discuss our plan for the retaliation, who's shipping her with whom? Raine or, perhaps, Kai?" Nadia winked at Zen only seconds later.

"I was afraid you'd say that. Let's end the conversation here," Zen finished.

"Oh no, honey. That conversation is still far from over."

Zen never considered herself an argumentative person by nature, but Nadia was so good at pressing her buttons that soon she found herself biting back every word she was throwing her way. Just as their dispute heated up, Zen sensed someone approaching their table from behind. An unidentified person moved towards Nadia, offering a charming smile that effectively put an end to their argument. Zen silently thanked the kind stranger and contemplated a discreet exit while Nadia was distracted. Madilyn seemed more than willing to oblige, as she sat there with an expression that said, "Feel free to go."

Zen randomly looked around as she decided to get up from the table, and that was when she caught it. Her eyes weren't mistaken. Raine was watching her. But for how long had he been doing that, she didn't know.

Her body quivered, and Zen slowly rotated her head as if she had been left in a freezer for an extended period and was just thawing out. She faced Madilyn, who simply acknowledged her movement with raised eyebrows.

"Oh Zen, Madilyn," Nadia chirped happily, "I'd like you to meet my friend."