23. Another Persona.

[Emily]

"Hi, mother, father." I greeted my parents warmly as I walked into the house.

Emilia was great. I couldn't believe the progress I'd made with Ace as her, I would have never been that bold. Even how she talked to that ride waitress Jenna, it was great and I felt great within me.

"Emilia, we were beginning to worry." My parents looked at me strangely.

"Where have you been?" My father asked. "You know I'm leaving tomorrow and I like to have an early dinner before I go."

"I'm sorry father, I ran into a friend and he kept me out," I said.

"He?" My father stood up from the couch, his face redder than a tomato.

"Calm down, dear, it's Emilia, she's probably talking rubbish." My mother tried to calm him down while I just looked on without any emotion on my face.

"This guy, where did you meet him?" My father asked, calming down a bit.

"He's a friend from school, he called me and we met a few meters away from the church," I explained and he frowned.

"From your school, which church does he attend?" He asked.

"I wouldn't know that, father." I smiled and took a seat on the sofa. "I'm rather tired after our dinner."

"Emilia Isabella Chesterfield!" My father roared and I stood up from the couch immediately.

"Calm down, dear, she probably doesn't know what she's talking about." My mother intervened, trying to pacify my father.

"Don't you try to cover up for her, woman" He yelled at her and she frowned at him.

"Don't you yell at me either." She screamed at him and he cooled down for a minute.

He loved my mother to pieces.

"I just want what's best for her." He said and my mother agreed with him.

"I know, but why don't we pick up this conversation when she's okay, I don't want to risk her going into shock, she's probably really confused right now." She said,

And she was right, I had no idea why the man had snapped so quickly, I was really confused and my head was beginning to hurt.

I started to sway on my feet and my father rushed to me immediately.

"What's wrong with you, Emilia?" He asked, tapping my face and then he groaned. "She has a fever." He said and picked me up from the floor.

"I'll get the towels and a bowl." My mother responded immediately.

"Where's the thermometer?" He asked her and I didn't hear her response but he did because he began to march upstairs to my room.

My mother was a nurse and my father a medical practitioner even though he was now a professor, so it wasn't hard for them to get my temperature under control.

"Seems like she has a cold." My father frowned as I sneezed repeatedly.

"Oh, she's been leaving her windows open." My mother shook her head and closed them. "I always tell you to lock your window, Emilia, if not for your health then your security."

"Yes, mother." I croaked out.

"Why don't you get some rest, honey, I'll sit with her for a while till she falls asleep, and then I'll join you in bed." He said and she nodded, she understood that he wanted to have some time with me.

"Goodnight Mi Hija (my daughter)." She pecked me on the forehead and tapped my father on his shoulders before leaving.

After my mother left and the hall went silent, I looked at my father expectantly, awaiting his harsh words and rebuke.

"Close your eyes and sleep, you'll feel better in the morning, besides you have school." He said and reached over my head to turn off the light.

I wanted to ask him if he wasn't going to scold me, but he pecked me on the forehead and left immediately.

***

"Emily, Hija, wake up and say your prayers." My mother's scream woke me up.

I'd been so exhausted last night, I didn't even wake up when my alarm rang.

"Mama, I'm up just saying my prayers," I yelled back and groaned as I rolled over in bed, got on my knees, put my two hands together, and mumbled out a few words in prayer.

"You should be done by now, get in the bathroom, I have an early shift today." She yelled again.

"Okay, coming mama." I rushed into the bathroom and in a few minutes I was done and I rushed downstairs.

"You look nice." My mother looked up from the morning paper she was reading.

"Good morning, mama." I hugged her, smiling widely. "Ah, my favorite." I beamed as I took a seat and dug into my breakfast.

"Emily."

"Yes, Mama."

"I'm glad you're okay, my child."

I nodded and went on eating my food. I did not understand what my mother meant but I didn't ask because both my parents were kind of mysterious and I'd learned to just go with their flow.

***

"Goodbye, mama." I pecked her on the cheek as she pulled up in front of my school.

"Hiya—" she started but I interrupted her.

"I understand mama, you don't have to feel sad about it, I'll come home with Jenna after school." I smiled at her.

"Thank you for understanding, my child, Dios sea Contigo (God be with you)." She pecked me on the forehead and did the sign of the cross as was her routine every morning when she dropped me off at school and I waved till she left.

"What's up, girl." Jenny rushed over to me after my mother drove off.

"Hey, you're early today." I teased her and she laughed.

"We have English first period." She said and I groaned.

"Why not math," I complained.

"Hey, don't ruin my morning, I get to see Mr. Ivan for forty-five minutes, my morning can't get any better." She smiled.

I was about to ask her what she meant because she'd never spoken about a teacher that way before, sure she'd talked about how handsome Mr. Ivan was but not this way.

"Wait." I stopped her and turned to her with a dead serious look. "What's up with you and Mr. Ivan."

"W-what d-do you mean?" She stuttered and laughed nervously. "What could be there, he's just a handsome teacher is all."

"Jenny."

"Emily, even if I did like him, do you think he'd even look my way." She shook her head.

That made sense to me, I'd seen very popular girls like Olivia and her minions flirt with him, even seniors but he never gave the time of day.

Once, Olivia and her minions had even spread rumors that he was gay.

"Okay, let's go." I agreed and we walked to class together.

When we got to class, Jenny was very upset because Mr. Ivan was absent from school and we ended up with a substitute stuck-up female teacher.

"Why do you think Mr. Ivan isn't in school today?" She whispered to me.

"I don't know, you should stop talking, don't get in trouble with the teacher," I whispered back to her.

"Ah, who cares, this class is boring anyway." She said the last part of her sentence a lot louder and the teacher heard.

"Two of you, take your things and get out of my class." She glared at us angrily.

"Teacher please, I can explain, I wasn't—"

"Did you hear what I said, out!"

"Didn't you hear virgin, or has your inability to get laid affected your hearing." Olivia snickered from the back of the class and the whole class erupted into laughter.

"Shut up you whore." Jenny shot back at her.

"I said get out of my class, and you at the back, follow them." The teacher screamed and sent three of us out of the class, but of course, Olivia's minions could not stay without her and they followed her out of the class after rudely addressing the teacher.

"What is wrong with you, you've gotten us into trouble." I scolded Jenny as we left the class.

"I'm sorry, I know you don't like to get into trouble." Jenny apologized.

"Are you going to cry, virgin?" Olivia asked rudely.

"If you don't shut up, Liv, I will shit you up." Jenny glared at her and showed her her fist. "Have you forgotten the last beating I gave you?"

"How could I, you brute, you nearly tore my face off, are you even a girl, with such hands you could easily be a boy." Olivia laughed and her minions joined her.

"Do you ever shut up?" I turned to her and asked, my hands began to tremble as everywhere turned quiet, I didn't even know why I said, it wasn't like me to speak up against my bullies.

"What did you say, you bitch."

"I didn't say anything, I just asked you a question, do you ever shut up?" I turned and faced her head on.

"Emily—" she started but I cut her off immediately.

"It's Emilia to you," I said and smirked.