"Me. It's me. I'm the mother who brought her up. Why?"

As if pricked by a needle, Zen snapped back to her senses, her heart thrumming wildly inside her chest. Before her mind could catch up, her body had already turned towards the source of the new voice. The rays of the overhead sun gleamed brightly over the woman's head, creating a halo-like image, as though she exuded an aura of divine intervention. Zen had to squint her eyes to discern her appearance.

The woman had a fair complexion, with a moderate build—not too slim, not too heavy—and stood at a below-average height, which was evident from her three-inch wedge heels. Her gaze then travelled to the plain, full-sleeved white dress the woman wore, adorned with intricate lace designs around the lower skirt that extended just past her knee. And as her gaze finally settled on the woman's face, the thought that came after was complete and utter confusion.

Never in her entire life had Zen seen this woman before. She did a double take just to make sure, but nope, she didn't know the woman. What was she expecting? Zen thought bitterly. For a moment, she'd hoped for something that was too good to be true.

"Is she your daughter?" The old woman's voice rang out, tinged with disbelief. "No wonder she is. Just look at that hair," she concluded.

Zen glanced at the old woman, then turned her gaze back to the newcomer.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," the unfamiliar woman said with a sweet smile, and Zen couldn't believe her ears. The woman was defending her. "And it's Elise, for your information," the woman introduced herself.

"You..." Zen stammered, her words failing her, and she wasn't alone. Madilyn and Nadia were just as speechless. It was the first time she was seeing her friends so quiet.

Elise raised her right hand in a commanding gesture, silencing Zen instantly. Zen's gaze was once again fixed on Elise's face. Her hair had been neatly chopped into a bob, ending just between the curves of her neck. The front strands were meticulously styled into a puffy pulled-back look, revealing her forehead. Despite appearing to be in her fifties, there was an unmistakable air of boldness about Elise that deepened Zen's admiration. Although seemingly harmless and tender on the outside, Zen was convinced the woman could strangle a boar if she desired to.

"I'm sure if you had a daughter, you wouldn't want anyone speaking to her the way you just did," Elise said.

Zen instantly knew there was more to the calm-eyed woman. Her soft facial features weren't just inherited; they were bestowed upon her for all good reasons. Her voice, her words, her demeanor carried every known form of kindness but Zen could also sense an underlying storm in her dark brown eyes. Elise reminded her of those modern mothers from some two-hundred-episode-long melodrama series - those rich, sophisticated mothers with all the angelic smiles of the world and kindness of heart, but would automatically splash water on your face at the coffee shop when provoked.

"You have a problem with me, lady?" the old woman's voice crackled with intensity, her eyes narrowing as she locked onto Elise.

Elise responded with a soft chuckle as if she had anticipated this confrontation.

"If you intend to persistently belittle my daughter, to sprinkle insults like breadcrumbs to feed your own ego, all to mask your own isolation and yearning for attention, then I most certainly have an issue with you," Elise's words were calm but carried an unmistakable weight, each syllable a measured dagger.

"You tell her lady," Madilyn and Nadia cheered beside Zen.

Zen didn't know what it was about Elise that made her feel so vulnerable. In the presence of the bold-headed woman, she felt like a child again. For a brief second, she pictured her eight-year-old self hiding behind her mother's skirt with tears in her eyes, fingers clutching the hem of her mother's dress tightly when the neighbour came to scold her after a tennis ball flew in and broke their window while she was playing with the neighbourhood kids. Her mother had been there, defending her. And just like that, Elise was, too.

Zen wasn't one to dwell in the past, and she knew, without a doubt, her unrealistic expectations would never bear fruit. Her mother was gone. To even think of wanting her back - her thoughts were just that: unrealistic. All this while, it seemed as though she'd been on a quest in search of a unicorn and found a goat with a broken horn instead, but God did she adore the goat with every fibre of her being. And to think, she'd just met her too.

"Mother, you're speaking to Mrs Elise. We don't want any trouble," the daughter-in-law interjected, reappearing from behind the main door. She grasped the old woman's hand and leaned down to whisper in her ear, words that Zen couldn't decipher. "I'm sure it's a misunderstanding, Mrs. Elise. If you'll excuse us," the daughter-in-law conveyed, straightening up with a faint smile and guiding the elderly woman indoors.

"Now it's just the four of us," Elise said, rummaging through her handbag and retrieving a blue umbrella. "Look at you girls, baking under this sun. Here, take this for shade," she offered, opening the umbrella and first extending it to Zen. When Zen didn't respond, she handed it to Madilyn.

"Thank you, Mrs Elise," Nadia and Madilyn expressed their gratitude. "Zen, quit standing there like a statue. Say something," Madilyn nudged Zen.

"By the way, your mom is pretty cool," Nadia mused, playfully patting Zen on the back and snapping her out of her thoughts.

"My mom?" Zen stuttered, unaware of the heat creeping up her cheeks. "Wait, I don't have..."

"Well, now you do," Nadia swiftly interjected.

"So, I hear you girls are on the hunt for a place to stay?" Elise inquired.

"Not all of us. Zen is," Nadia clarified.

"And who is Zen?" Elise questioned.

"How silly of us. I'm Nadia," Nadia introduced herself. "The one with the high ponytail is Madilyn, and this one here," Nadia pushed Zen forward, "is Zen."

"Oh, so it's you?" Elise looked at Zen, flashing a warm smile.

"Yes, it's me," Zen replied, her hands fidgeting in her pockets. "How did you know we were looking for a place?"

"I happened to overhear your conversation," Elise answered apologetically. "I hope I haven't crossed the line, declaring you as my daughter and all."

"No, not at all," Zen immediately answered.

"I just couldn't bear to see you girls bullied like that," Elise said. "No one could," she added.

"We're really lucky you passed by, Mrs Elise," Madilyn chimed in with the umbrella in hand.

"No need for formalities. Just call me Aunt Elise."

"Aunt Elise," the trio harmonized.

"Much better," Elise beamed. "Now, since Zen is in search of a room, would you girls like to check out my place?"

"Are you saying you have a room for rent?" Zen exclaimed in surprise. Like an angel in disguise, Elise appeared out of nowhere as if to bless her with all things wonderful. Such profound luck had never come her way since the day she was born. Zen pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"I might actually have one available," Elise answered.

"That's fantastic, Zen. You'll get to live with your mother," Nadia cheered, shaking Zen by the shoulders. "Do you think we can afford it?"

Elise chuckled. "I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

-~-

"So, you're moving out, huh?"

"Yes Kate, I am moving out," Zen answered half-heartedly, pacing back and forth in the room. She was too distracted at the moment to even spare her cousin a glance.

"This is why I always tell you to gather up your student supplies the night before so you won't rush like this every
morning."

"I know, Kate. Spare me the advice. I'm almost done."

"Yeah, you are. I swear the day I see you get up early in the morning without the help your alarm is the day aliens will invade Earth."

"As if covid wasn't bad enough. Better hope for it soon then."

"Zen! Stop! Look at me."

"What?" Zen paused, her fingers gripping the zipper of her backpack, as she finally turned to face Kate's irritated gaze that seemed to have immobilized her completely. One side of her backpack hung open, suspended above a slightly raised knee, while her other leg remained planted on the floor for support. The sight of Kate seated cross-legged on the bed, a pillow resting on her thighs, her glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, and her hair haphazardly tied up, left no doubt that she was displeased. It was clear – Kate wasn't exactly thrilled about her decision to move out.

"Don't go. You can stay with me for as long as you want. You know that."

"Of course, I do. It's just-"

"You don't want to be indebted, you think you're inconveniencing me, you don't want to impose," Kate continued, placing the pillow aside and then crossing her arms. "There's no way I can convince you, is there?"

"You know the answer," Zen responded, walking up to Kate, and then taking a seat beside her on the bed.

"Okay, fine. Just be careful. Always stay safe." Kate reached over and pinched Zen's cheeks with intentional hardness. She then pretended to dust off non-existent particles from Zen's white coloured T-shirt before playfully pressing her palm against Zen's chest. "Still as flat as ever," she teased, pulling away with a chuckle as Zen swatted her hands away in a mix of surprise and amusement.

"Seriously. When will you ever stop teasing me?" Zen cracked a laugh, cheeks flushing.

"Hehe... All jokes aside, how's your new place, by the way? Elise, was it? Your new mom?"

"Not you, too." Zen groaned. "She's not my mom. She's just a kind forty-eight-year-old lady."

"Rich lady. You forgot the very rich part," Kate interrupted. "So how's her place? Is it nice? The room, the price, everything satisfactory?" Kate inquired, fixing her long T-shirt before walking up to the dressing table.

"It's a fantastic place, the house I mean," Zen replied. "I can't even call it a house, it's like a bungalow, aesthetic, classy. Had a yard, and a garden full of flowers too, a-and my room..." Her mouth hung open as she reminisced. "It's like I rented a room inside a five-star hotel. And the price, I thought I'd never be able to afford it, but I was wrong. Aunt Elise, she's an angel."

"Seems like your wheel of fortune is finally turning towards the right direction," Kate remarked, squatting down to rearrange her collection of differently pigmented lipsticks on the dressing table. "How far is the house from your university?"

"About a 10-15 minute walk."

"That's convenient. Let me know when you're ready to move out. I'll lend a hand if I'm on a night shift that day. You know, being a nurse in training, I hope I don't lose my mind before I hit thirty. Or worse, die from lack of sleep."

"Speaking of lack of sleep, look at those bags under your eyes. Get some rest. You have a night shift today." Zen slung her bag over her shoulder and approached the mirror above the dressing table, standing behind Kate who was still crouched. "I should head out now," Zen said, adjusting her hair in front of the mirror. "Can't afford to be late for the industrial trip, or the bus will leave without me."

Taking her gaze away from her zombie-like reflection in the mirror, Kate trailed the lines of the mirror until they settled on Zen's image. "Your hair is getting longer," Kate observed.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Keep it that way for a while. I like the messy wolf cut."

"Whatever you say."

"No wonder you break a lot of hearts, primarily girls'," Kate muttered.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"Yeah. I said you look good in those straight-fit jeans and white T-shirt."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Pair it with your old school sneakers and don't forget to take the blue jacket I bought you from Levi's. Looks like it'll rain today."

"Sure, Kate. Bye."

"Wait. Wait."

A minute later, Zen found Kate running after her as she was putting on her shoes at the doorstep. "No cologne? No perfume?"

"Why? Do I smell?" Zen asked, sniffing herself in the midst of tying her shoelaces.

"No, Zen." Kate smacked her forehead. "Gosh, you're going on a fun trip. Who knows you might run into someone who likes you. Flowers attract bees with their scent, you know."

"Please. It's just an industrial visit. It's the same as conducting class outdoors for a day with the same people I see in class every day."

"No, it's not."

"It is."

"Why does it look like you don't even want to go on this trip?" Kate raised an inquisitive brow.

"The truth is I don't. I would give anything not to go. I'm only going because my grade is hanging by a thread."

"I don't know what's gotten into you." Kate sighed. "And Zen..." Kate took a closer look. "I didn't know you had a habit of biting your lips. It's bruised in the corner."

Zen pressed her lips together, attempting to conceal the faint purple tint on the left corner of her lower lip. Raine's punch had certainly left its mark. "It's still there? I thought it healed," Zen replied, pretending to sound like it was indeed what Kate thought to be. "For someone who wears glasses, you have pretty keen eyesight. Not even my friends detected it."

"Well, it's pretty invisible but I have sharp eyes, sharper than an eagle's."

"Yeah, yeah. Save the self-gloat."

"Okay, okay." Kate giggled. "You should leave now. Talk to some guys on the way, honey. You're looking too gloom. What you need is a romantic relationship!"

"No, I don't," Zen scoffed.

"Wait just a minute." Kate jumped in excitement as if she'd just solved the world's hardest math problem. "Let me get that perfume, the one you always have with you but never use." Kate spun around to retrieve the said object but Zen quickly interrupted, causing her to freeze mid-run.

"No! You can't."

Kate turned and exhaled in relief. "You scared me for a second. "Alright, I won't."

"Thanks, Kate. And I'm sorry." Zen offered a faint smile in response. She knew Kate was just trying to help her, but she promised herself that she would never use perfume again ever since her father was diagnosed with heart disease.

"No, Zen. I'm sorry I should've known," Kate apologised, coming forward to hug her.

Zen retracted from the hug and flashed a bright smile before adjusting her shoes. She then reached for the doorknob. "Love you, Kate. See ya."

There was a soft click, and Zen was gone.