SERINA

"What are you talking about? I didn't say you seduced Brent! I didn't even speak! Stop making accusations Rina." Kitrene shouted angrily when Serina slapped her in the face. She was stunned after receiving that slap for no reason. Well, truthfully, she did say those words but she didn't say those words loudly.

Serina looked at her and to their classmates who started to gather around them. "You didn't? Would you swear that you'd be struck by a bolt of lightning if you lied to me?"

Kitrene was fuming in anger but as much as she wants to lie, she was also afraid of karma and thought that she'd be struck by lightning if she makes an oath. "Whatever. Whether you seduced him or not, only yourself knew."

"Then, why did you tell people about it?" Serina retorted, not showing any signs of weakness at all. "Just because you are jealous, you'd have to spread rumors about me. Next time, make sure you have some proof to back up your story." Serina picked up her bag and left with her friends following behind her.

This was the first time that they saw her got angry and they never knew she has this explosive anger in her. "Serina, are you okay? You know that she likes to spout some nonsense. Just ignore her. We can't afford to offend her family." Brigette commented as they walked out of the school to go home.

"Hmp! I don't care even if she's the daughter of the President. She has a nasty attitude and she gossips about me. Do you expect me to sit and do nothing about it?" Serina argued back. In all the years that she's been living on earth, one thing that Serina won't allow to happen was for herself to get bullied. She'd rather get punished at home for fighting with her classmates but she won't back down if someone sullies her name.

"Actually, I'm meaning to ask this question." Hillary intervened and pulled Serina's wrist to a stop. "How did you know that she spread the rumor? I mean, I am not taking her side but I am just curious. I didn't see her speak to anyone about it."

"Now that you mention it, I didn't notice her talking about it, too. And I didn't notice anyone talking about you." Brigette also added to justify Hillary's curiosity.

"Forget about it." Serina waved her hand to dismiss this topic and continued to walk. Thinking that she might have been so stressed about the rumor, her two friends didn't press on her for answers.

Serina walked with her head down. She was kicking the stones and pebbles on her way while clutching her bag tightly. She thought back on the incident and she also knew that Kitrene didn't say those words loudly. She heard the voice directly in her mind and she felt so angry about it. She never thought that she'd be labeled as a flirt in her life. She didn't even want to get close to any boys and there she was, accused of seducing someone.

She's currently in 5th grade and this was also the third time that she has transferred schools. As far as she could remember, she's been able to hear voices directly in her head even though no one was talking to her. She thought that everything was normal. She thought that everyone can do the same thing as her but she found out she was abnormal when she was five years old.

FIVE YEARS AGO, during summer, Serina was playing inside her room when two of their neighbors passed by. She was several meters away from them but she clearly heard their voice.

"Ah! I feel bad for the woman in this house. She stays at home taking care of their child while the man went out taking care of someone else in his arm."

"I pity the kid here. She's got no friends and her parents will probably divorce if the woman finds out her husband is cheating on her."

Serina looked at the ladies who passed by. She could see that none of them opened their mouth to speak with each other but she heard their voices in her head.

From her room, she ran downstairs to look for her mother who was busy cooking their food for lunch. She still looked pretty with her hair tied messily into a bun and with the apron tied around her waist.

"Mommy, are you divorcing daddy?"

Serina didn't know why but her mother looked horrified as she stared at her. "Where did you get that scary idea? I love your dad so much. There's no way I'd divorce him." Her mother responded and turned off the stove to face her daughter properly. "Do you even know what the word divorce means?"

"Nope. I just heard it earlier. The ladies said that I'm pitiful because I have no friends and that you and daddy will probably divorce if you ever knew that he's cheating on you."

"What?! What did you say?"

Serina felt something was wrong with the words she said because her mother's grip on her shoulders has tightened and it hurts her. "Mommy, Rina's shoulders feel painful." Her mother let go of her immediately and stood up straight.

"What did you hear from the ladies earlier?" Her mother asked once again with a smile but her smile looked creepy and for the very first time, Serina felt scared of her mother. Even so, she recalled what she heard and told her mother everything.

When night came, her father came home from work and found the house was eerily quiet. He turned on the lights and found his wife sitting on a couch in the living room. "Honey, why didn't you turn on the lights?"

"Why are you back so late?"

"I worked overtime."

"Overtime? Really?" her mother's tone was mocking which shocked her father so much. "Did you work overtime in the office or in some woman's home? Tell me! Are you cheating on me?!" She yelled in anger, ignoring the fact that it was already nighttime.

"Where did you get that nonsense? How dare I cheat on you?"

"Michael, I trusted your words. I chose to marry you even though my parents were against it. If you ever cheat on me, forget about seeing your child in the future."

"Wait! How did you get this silly idea in your head? Who told you that I'm cheating?! There's no way I would do that. How could I?"

"If you're not, why are our neighbors talking about it? Serina even heard them! Have you ever thought of what our child will feel?"

"Irene, I don't know what they're talking about. I swear to god that I am not cheating on you." He walked to his wife and tried pulling her for a hug but she refused and walked upstairs. And on that same night, Irene slept with her daughter instead of her husband.

The next morning after that argument, her parents confront their neighbors for spreading the rumors which affected his wife. The neighbors felt aggrieved for the sudden confrontation and insisted that they know nothing about it.

Knowing that the place was no longer a good environment for their whole family, Irene and Michael decided to move out. In the past ten years, that was the first and the last time that Serina witnessed her parents in a heated argument. Thankfully, they didn't divorce.