My Little Moon - 𝗂𝗋𝖾𝗇𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗋𝖼𝗈𝗌

30. genesis of sorrow

Wakened by instinct, Catrina stirred and slowly sat up from her bed. She squeezed her eyes shut, groaning before getting up and thought about getting ready for school.

She doesn't even remember last night's events. . .except for new people arriving and her, apparently being sad.

As always, she didn't dilly-dally her mornings with useless quirks, she actually tried to make it productive. And in no time, she was all dressed in uniform, carrying her school bag on one shoulder, and mentally prepared to face her day.

Today was no different than yesterday, or the day before that. In fact, she planned nothing special. Despite it being her birthday, Catrina sees it as nothing but the countdown of her getting old yet still not in the care of her own real parents. For her, birthdays are just as bad as funerals.

Bumaba na siya galing sa kwarto na walang kaalam-alam sa kung anong mangaari n'yang makita. Her nose got a whiff of fresh, hot breakfast, making her tummy growl but she shrugged it away as she quickened her pace towards the front door.

"Catrina?" That voice, gentle in tone, stopped her from her tracks. She didn't plan for anyone other than the helpers, to be awake, so this was truly a small surprise.

She turned around, seeing Irene by the entrance of the kitchen; the woman was smiling widely.

"Goodmorning tita!" Catrina greeted, sheepishly standing right beside the front door, itching to leave so she won't catch traffic. She kept pulling the straps of her bag, biting her lip and exchanging glances with the clock on her phone. It is still too early to worry about being late, but that's besides the point for Catrina.

"Goodmorning. . ." Bati ni Irene,
"—wait, are you leaving na ba? You're not eating breakfast?"

"Uh, hindi na po tita. Busog pa naman po ako—"

"Hay nako, Catrina. If you think you've convinced me with that, you're wrong. Halika na dito, sumabay ka na sa amin mag-breakfast."

Napaisip tuloy si Catrina kung sino-sino ba ang tinutukoy ni Irene na 'sila'. With great hesitation, Catrina could only send her a forced smile before following her to the dining room. Many faces ran through her mind, but she had an inkling as to who Irene mentioned.

And she was right.

Who else would Irene accompany for breakfast than her very own daughter?

Suddenly, Catrina felt her blood run cold. It got even worse when Irene motioned for her to sit beside the woman and her child.

She could feel the bitter stare against her skin from someone she's afraid of bumping into, alone.

"Come on. Sit, sit. . .let's not keep the food waiting." Irene's whole new jovial mood certainly frazzled Catrina. I mean, she was almost always like this, but not to the point that she was grinning at everything her eyes landed on.

Catrina mentally shook it off and began placing food on her plate, intentionally grabbing small amounts so she could leave quickly.

"Cat, that's too little. Kumain ka pa nang marami, look! You're close to becoming relatives with the twigs!"

Sting. That's what she felt hearing that. She gets it though, people are so comfortable at commenting about anything that it has truly been normalized. Napayuko ng konti si Catrina at hindi umiimik ng kung ano-ano. She ate with drained interests, always staring into oblivion while Irene and her daughter shared loving gestures with one another. 

Eating wasn't exactly a slow process but it was a sluggish morning and everything just screams unfit. Not to mention her place in the table, her place here overall.