TCOTRB: The Case of The Red Bubble

✌️ Chapter XII: Irene

Chapter XII: Irene

[November 12th, 2050 Saturday]
Lakshmi Puja

After her parents divorced when she was six, Irene and her mom left Italy in hopes of starting a new life in the Philippines. They were among the immigrants seeking asylum, which is basically to allow them to stay in the country and flee the crisis happening in their homelands.
    Meanwhile, Irene would often bounce to different schools as she constantly got into fights with the other kids. She wasn't good at making friends and expressing herself politely.
   Instead of blaming and feeling ashamed of her daughter, Mrs. Ferrari always stood by her side while also keeping her grounded. She knew that all Irene needed was a bit of understanding and room to grow.
   Her recent fight with Jun was quite a painful memory.
   She wanted to erase it from her mind and reset everything. Now, she wasn't going to try escaping the past and instead honor Jun through her work. She hoped that he may show up at the exhibit and start to forgive her.
    Another thing that has been haunting her for a long time is that a five-million dollar prize could have gone to his mother's recovery.
    In the summer of 2048, Mrs. Liu had to undergo an open-heart surgery and it didn't help that there was a recession in their homeland of mainland China. The family-owned bank and its branches across the Philippines shut down as well. She passed away a week after the event.
    The people in Aspin had to be tough, even if that means being penurious and opportunistic on several occasions. Irene and her mom struggled to trust most people because of how folks like the Liu family had to treat them differently.
    Because they have a reputation of being impulsive Italians, their attempts to defend themselves is often seen as "defensiveness and unlikable."

She pops up her laptop to make a vent piece. She was not in the mood for answering messages or calls right now. She never went online at all.
   "Darn it! Why do they have to bring up the past? Are they trying to take advantage of me?" She growled. Her hand glided the pen across the drawing pad and kept her other hand on the keyboard.

Ctrl + Z.

Ctrl + Z.

CONTROL Z!

   Her mind kept telling her to erase and repeat, unsatisfied with the linework. She had been warned by the community online that she needs to remove the other pieces fueled by her raw emotions.
    Apparently, the conservative crowds are worried that the children might wind up the same as her.
   She immediately dropped her pen once her eyes took notice of the work she conjured. It depicted herself kneeling in a praying position, a fan of multicolored blades on her back that illuminated the pitch dark background. 
   She entitled it as "Redenzione," which is the Italian word for "redemption." Instead of sharing it online, she used it as her laptop's desktop wallpaper.
   She looked around her room for a moment. Her old Taekwondo uniform is hidden in a chest. The walls were adorned with numerous awards and trophies. She also smiled at the framed photos taken with her friends.

Then, Irene broke down into tears ...