Chapter One

Chapter One 

The full moon was brightly shining as the stars around it twinkled and danced like specs of glitters in the dark night sky. It was already 3 AM, most normal people would probably be sleeping while dreaming to their heart's content but the twenty-three-year-old Reya was still widely awake – she still needed to finish her lesson plans for tomorrow’s discussion. 

She badly wanted to leave this work undone and head to her bedroom as her eyelids were starting to feel heavy and her brain could not think of anything else other than the word 'sleep'. So to try and combat her body and brain’s desire to succumb and feel the soft mattress of her bed, she could only rely on coffee – she already had two mugs of the caffeine filled drink but it did not seem to work. 

Sleepiness is indeed one of the hardest enemies to battle – it's the only desire of the mind that you can never master to tame.

‘Stay awake, Reya! Stay awake!’ her conscience said. 

“I think I need more coffee...” She yawned as she took the empty mug and walked towards the coffee maker.  

Even just the two-meter distance of the table to the kitchen island felt like a mile for her tired body. 

“Oh, dear coffee maker... what would I do without you in my life?” she asked as she stared at the old machine.  

This was the first thing she bought when she received her first pay as a teacher. Actually, the only thing that she was able to buy before the money was sent to her family who lived in the province – she is the bread winner and the pride of their clan; the first to graduate college and land a professional job.  

A set of footsteps was heard when Kaize entered the kitchen and opened the fridge to get a bottle of water for herself. She was about to drink from the bottle of water but she flinched and almost had a heart attack when she saw Reya standing in front of her. The lights were already dim so she did not expect that someone would still be awake especially because it was almost dawn. 

“Y-you’re still up?” Kaize asked – she is one of the people who lived with Reya, in short, they are housemates.

“Do I look like someone who slept?” Reya sarcastically replied as she turned the coffee machine on and realized that it was unplugged.

“I have not gotten a decent amount of sleep for the past three days...” She sighed then connected the machine to socket.

After a while, the coffee maker beeped, hinting that her coffee was finished. Reya smiled as she inhaled the beautiful aroma of the freshly brewed coffee. 

“Caffeine...” She hummed.  

Kaize looked at her Reya – she could see the dark circles underneath Reya’s almond shaped eyes. The usual happy emotion that it displayed was replaced by weariness and a hint of hopelessness. Stressed is an understatement to describe how she looked right now. 

Then he watched her while she was trying to comfort herself. Her heart ached upon seeing her – she felt pity towards her friend. 

It’s very obvious that she’s having troubles. She wants to help her, but Reya likes keeping things to herself. She does not like to tell anyone about her problems, because she does not want them to feel the burden.   

“You should take a day off or something.” She suggested. “...a few days won’t hurt.”  

Reya looked at her and then shook her head. “I want to, Kaize. I badly want to... but the bills and everything are troubling me.” She sighed. “...I need to make enough money to pay for my sister’s tuition fee because the school’s admin won’t accept promissory notes anymore.”   

“We can lend you some if you want.” Kaize offered. “I have a few left from my allowance. I don’t think I’ll need to pay for anything soon. You can have it.”  

“It’s fine Kaize... I can manage.” Reya smiled and declined – she shook her head before walking back to the table to finish her work.  

It is obvious that she’s already tired, restless; on the verge of giving up but she still chooses to endure.

Luckily, the coffee helped her buy some time to successfully finish the plans. Then she went to her room to get some sleep, she still has an hour before her 6 AM alarm turns on.  

An hour of sleep is better than getting nothing at all.  

Reya woke up on the wrong side of the bed – she wanted to throw her phone on the wall when the alarm sounded, but she knew she couldn’t afford to buy a replacement if ever it broke. She let out a frustrated sigh as she sat up and messed her hair.  

“Just endure for a little more...” She whispered to herself, then she took a deep breath and took the towel that was hanging on the wooden rack that stood by the window before she walked her way to her own bathroom to freshen up.  

After showering, she dried her hair using a towel and dressed herself with the prescribed Friday uniform – a beige colored blouse with pink lace accents on the collar and hem part, which was paired with a beautiful dark green colored drape skirt. Then she covered the blemishes and the dark circles under her eyes with a little layer of makeup, before styling her long hair into a braided bun.  

Reya is a natural born beauty. She has a small oval shaped face with defined features such as a cute pointed nose, thin pinkish lips, and thin arched eyebrows which gave emphasis to her almond shaped eyes.

“Good morning, Reys,” Jiel, the other housemate, greeted the moment she stepped inside the dining area.  

“Morning,” she greeted back as she pulled a chair for herself to sit in, then she reached for the cereal box and poured some on the empty bowl that Jiel had handed her. She also took a piece of toast and munched on it.  

“What’s for breakfast?” Alliyah, the youngest housemate, asked.  

“Gerieca is still asleep so it’s either you have some cereal or eggs and toast,” Kaize answered.  

“I choose the second option.” Alliyah smiled.  

There is a total of seven people who rented the seven-bedroom residential home. The whole place was well groomed. The owner decided to have the place rented as a form of investment.  

A few minutes later Tammarah, another housemate, came in. “I don’t know what to do anymore.” She sighed as she pulled a chair for herself. “I feel so hopeless,” she added.  

Reya glanced at her and gave her a pat on the shoulder. “You still have a long way to go before you experience my dilemmas.” She smiled.   

“How do you manage to pull yourself together?” Tammarah asked.  

“I... I honestly don’t know.” Reya shrugged.  

Then they both sighed and continued to eat breakfast. The whole room was filled with the gloomy atmosphere. Every one of them, except for Alliyah, seemed to be having some troubles. This is different from the usual happy vibe that surrounded them.  

Well maybe today just does not happen to be one of their good days. After eating breakfast, Reya took her bowl and utensils to the sink. She wanted to wash the dishes but she realized that she was running late.  

“I’ll do it.” Kaize volunteered.   

“Do you not have morning classes today?” Reya hesitantly asked.  

“The professor has a meeting so I’m free for the whole morning.” Kaize nodded.  

“Thanks, Kaize.” Reya smiled.  

“It’s no biggie...” Kaize replied.  

Reya might be troubled by a lot of problems, but she’s still lucky because she has helpful friends whom will always be there when she needs a shoulder to cry and lean on.  

“Do well in school Alliyah and Tam!” Kaize cheered. “Fighting Kuys Jiel and Ate Reya!” she added.  

Reya smiled and nodded before walking her way to the bus stop. It’s already 7 AM, and if she doesn’t get on the bus that leaves at 7:10 AM, she’ll end up arriving late for work, which means another set of salary deduction.  

Luckily, she made it on time, but the seats were fully occupied so she had no choice but to stand up. The whole bus ride will take her about 40 minutes to arrive to the university premises. It’s a little longer compared to going for a taxi ride, but it’s cheaper.  

The whole bus was a little crowded, since there are a lot of commuters. Some were students and other were government employees, like her. She saw familiar face and they exchanged small nods and smiles.  

40 minutes is a long time so to relieve herself from the feeling of boredom, Reya took her earphones out from her handbag and connected it to her phone so she could listen to music – the truth is she only had one music in her playlist and it is none other than Andy Grammer’s ‘Don’t Give Up on Me’.  

I will fight  

I will fight for you  

I always do, until my heart  

Is black and blue   

It is the only song in her phone, so she probably had listened to it for a hundred times but it never fails to make her feel inspired.   

On the way to the university, the bus stopped by a big billboard. Reya smiled as she adored the beautiful Miranda Lopez’s beauty who posed with the newest addition to her cosmetic line collection. Miranda Lopez is an international model and a beauty guru who is looked up to by almost every woman including Reya, herself. Reya adored her because she is more than just a beautiful face. Miranda Lopez is an icon of empowered women. She’s best known for her outspoken personality.  

Someday it’ll be my face.  

One day it’ll be my product that people would buy.  

40 minutes later, the bus arrives at the last stop which was the university. Reya carefully got out of the bus and walked her way to the university gates. She swiped her identification card to open the little door and got in.  

She took a deep breath and smiled.   

“Let’s go Teacher Reya!” She cheered.