"We gather here today not only in mourning… but in love. In remembrance. In heartbreak."
The moment Principal Kashi's words echoed through the crowd, Giselle's parents, Mr. Nomar and his wife broke into tears. It felt unreal. They were here, standing in the front row, mourning their own daughter. Clutching each other tightly, they wept, as if holding on to one another was the only thing keeping them from falling apart.
"Today, we lay to rest a young soul whose light was stolen far too soon. A girl who was everything this school, and this village prayed for: kind, brilliant, respectful, and full of dreams."
"I knew her. We all did. She stayed after class to help others. She smiled at strangers. She said thank you even for the smallest acts. She made goodness look effortless. And that is what makes this loss so cruel."
A quiet murmur ran through the crowd. Some students exchanged uncertain glances. A few whispered about the students she had mistreated, victims of her cruelty buried under her achievements. The truth was more complicated than grief could hold.
Kashi paused, then looked out toward the restless sea, gathering his thoughts before continuing.
"To lose someone so young, so full of life, in such a cold and merciless way… it shakes the very foundation of what we believe in. But we must not let this tragedy turn us into stone. She would not want us to grow cold. She would not want us to stop loving."
"She may be gone from this world, but her soul lives on in each heart she touched. In every book she read. In every friend she encouraged. In every act of kindness we now do in her name."
Cries rose from the parents scattered among the crowd. Some shouted in pain and anger.
"Who's next?!"
"How do we send our children here now?"
"What kind of school is this?!"
"We trusted you!"
Principal Kashi stood firm, but his face twisted in sorrow. He raised one hand, as if to calm the tide of outrage, and spoke from the depth of his heart:
"To those who feel rage, confusion, or helplessness… I ask you to remember this: justice will come. But beyond justice, we must find healing."
"Let her not become a symbol of anger. Let her become a beacon of what we still hold sacred, hope, compassion, and change."
"She was a daughter of this village. And yes… we failed her."
"But we will not fail her memory."
"May God, in His infinite mercy, take her into His arms. May she know only warmth now. Only peace. And may her soul soar where cruelty can never reach her again."
"Rest, child. You are safe now."
"We will carry your name with us, always."
The ocean crashed below, the sky wept quietly above, and the village stood as one, shattered, shaken, and forever changed.
One by one, the townspeople formed a solemn line, approaching the grieving family at the cliff's edge. According to their village's tradition, each person brought a small offering, food, clothing, a blanket, even a simple carved charm. A gesture of unity. A message whispered through each gift: You are not alone. The ritual, old as the soil they stood on, was meant to wrap the grieving in a cocoon of warmth. Of shared sorrow. Of community.
As the line of people thickened, it was finally Randa's turn. Her eyes shimmered with grief, tears clinging to her lashes, and her arms trembled at her sides. But she wasn't alone, Kowa stood right behind her, gently resting a hand on her shoulder, a quiet reminder that he was there with her.
They stepped in front of Mr. and Mrs. Nomar. Randa didn't look at Giselle. She couldn't. Giselle had never liked her
"Umm… Mrs. Nomar… Mr. Nomar…"
"I'm terribly sorry for your loss. I… I won't pretend to understand the pain you're going through. It must be… So hard, unbearable even."
"But we wanted to give you this…" She turned to kowa who gave her a comfortable reassuring look.
Then she held out a small, rusted metal box. The lid didn't close all the way, it's edges were worn by time and weather. But inside, a faint shimmer of silver peeked through. It wasn't much, just a few old coins she had saved, with a little extra added by Kowa. A humble, but sincere offering.
"It may not be much… but we wanted you to know that… we're with you. You're not alone."
Then Kowa added, "If there's anything you need, Mr. Nomar, anything at all, we'd be honored to help you sir, even if it brings just a little comfort in these difficult times."
Mrs. Nomar let out a gasp, tears returning in waves as she pulled Randa into a sudden, crushing embrace. Randa's composure shattered, and together, they wept.
Mr. Nomar stood, straightening with quiet strength, placing a hand gently on kowa and randa's shoulder.
"Thank you, children," Mr. Nomar said, his voice trembling as he fought back tears. "This is a dark moment for us… all we can do is hold on to the warmth and kindness shared by villagers like you."
He broke down, weeping like a child. Kowa stepped forward and held him gently, offering silent comfort as he listened to the weight of his sorrow.
Mrs. Nomar held Randa close, her embrace soft and full of gratitude. "It's the little things," she whispered. "They mean so much in times like these, when everything feels lost."
"You are a kind child… I hope… I hope my daughter treated you well."
Randa's lips parted, but no words came out. She was here surrounded by grief and sorrow and she truly cared for the couple. But every time her eyes wandered to Giselle, and every time his sister's name was mentioned, something inside her twisted.
Her mind drifted back to yesterday… to that moment. The trauma was still fresh, still echoing, the pain those sisters had carved into her hadn't faded. It haunted her, even now.
Yesterday, at the school:
Randa was humming softly in the empty classroom, like a happy bird welcoming the rain.
A silky crimson ribbon slipped through her fingers as she tried to tie up her messy, mop-like short hair. But her gentle rhythm was broken by a sharp thud the door creaked open.
In stepped Giselle and Jiselle, side by side, with five looming henchmen behind them. It was like the sisters had brought their bulldogs out for a walk, holding their leashes tight.
The henchmen grinned at Randa, their eyes hungry and wild, like wolves circling prey.
"Hey, Randa!" Jiselle's loud voice echoed through the quiet room.
"Is this a new ribbon?" Giselle asked, tugging at it and slightly yanking Randa's head back, she pulled out her ribbon from her hair and held it to her sister.
Both sisters leaned in, examining the ribbon together. "Wow, it's beautiful. So even someone like you knows a thing or two about fashion, huh?" they laughed in unison.
"Umm… yeah," Randa replied quietly, reaching for the ribbon. "This was given to me by…"
"Kowa?" both sisters said at once, their tone sharp and knowing.
"He must always be bringing you things, right?" one of them asked.
Randa nodded, a small smile blooming on her face. "Yeah… I keep telling him he brings too much, but he won't stop. He says it makes him happy if I get to have new things, but I feel bad he has to go through all of this trouble for me."
She smiled brighter, like a child remembering something sweet. "Honestly, I don't even know what to do with everything he brings… my room's full of stuff he gave me."
"Hoh?" The sisters closed in around her, circling like sharks. "It makes you feel good, doesn't it, Bragging about what other men are capable of doing for you?"
"Of course it does," one of them snapped. Their smiles turned venomous. "Playing around with dirty man like him, getting him wrapped around your little finger. You're really on top of the world, aren't you, sister?"
They sneered, their words thick with mockery.
"What do you mean?" Randa asked, confused and defensive. "Kowa's a sweet boy."
"Oh, look at the princess acting all innocent," Jiselle scoffed. "You do know Kowa lives in a brothel, right? Do you even understand the things he does at that filthy place?"
Giselle laughed coldly. "Of course she knows, sister. She's just as filthy, I'm willing to bet she is trained by that prostituted dog himself."
Randa flinched, her voice shaking. "You shouldn't say that about him. Kowa's a really gentle guy… he cares about his friends and everyone in town, I'm not the only one he brings things for, he cares about the sick people and hungry children."
But the sisters only laughed at her for how she defended him.
She reached for her ribbon again, but before she could grab it, they tossed it to one of the henchmen, who caught it with a smirk and held it out of reach.
"Oops," one of the sisters said with a fake pout. "Guess it's not yours anymore."
She was trembling, scared, small but her fingers curled into fists. Kowa had asked her to wear that ribbon and show him. It wasn't just a gift; it was a thank you, a gesture of warmth from someone the world refused to see as anything but tainted. Despite where he worked, despite how others saw him, Kowa had always been gentle with Randa. He was kind because she treated him like a normal guy, not a tool or a joke. That ribbon meant something for both of them.
Determined, Randa stepped forward toward the henchman, trying to take it back. The sisters watched her struggle, snickering like jackals circling a wounded deer.
"Hey boys!" Jiselle suddenly barked, her voice sharp and cruel. "Why don't you take that silky ribbon of hers and tie up her annoying little mouth?"
She leaned back with a wicked grin. "I thought you guys were dying for her. So what are you waiting for? She's all yours."
"For real?" one of the henchmen lit up, eyes wide with twisted excitement. "We get to mess up Kowa's little bitch?"
Another hesitated. "But… what about Lardo? She's his sister."
Giselle rolled her eyes. "No one cares! Lardo doesn't even acknowledge her as a real sister so just do what we told you."
"No, stop!" Randa begged, her voice shaky and weak as the henchmen began tying her mouth with her own ribbon.
Giselle and Jiselle laughed, arms crossed, watching her with cold amusement.
"Oh please," Giselle sneered, "you act so innocent, but we know what you do. Longs, Isaac, Kowa, and so many of the other boys from your club are chasing you like flies to the honey... how many of them have you slept with to play them like faithful dogs?"
"This won't be any different," Jiselle added.
The boys closed in around her like a rising tide, grabbing her arms and pinning her in place.
"What are you doing?!" she cried, but her voice was muffled by the ribbon. She struggled, desperately, but it only earned her a cruel kick to the ground. Tears slipping down her face, but Giselle stepped forward and spat on her face in disgust.
"You know why this is happening?" she growled. "It is because of you, You ruined Kowa! You made him what he is, a coward who betrayed our gang, lardo's gang and became a brothel dog instead, that's disgusting."
Giselle's voice cracked with anger now. "He was... really something, you know? We used to go out. He was respected, an unstoppable force in Lardo's crew. Your brother looked at him like an equal."
She kicked over a chair nearby, frustration boiling over.
"But he left us. Left me. And now... every time I see how he looks at you, how soft he is with you... it makes me sick."
Her voice dropped to a venomous whisper. "I hate you for it. So either stay away from him... or next time, we are going to make this worst."
Giselle's henchmen grabbed randa's legs, holding her down, spreading her apart as the one looming above her drooled like a rabid dog, his face twisted in sick excitement.
But then, everything shifted.
Whack!
In a blur, the henchman's world tilted. His vision went dark as a fist crashed into his face with bone-crushing force.
Longs was there, breathing hard, eyes burning with rage. He'd arrived just in time, his punch launching the attacker across the classroom, crashing into a row of chairs with a violent thud.
Isaac shouted from behind Longs, his voice shaky but loud.
"Stop this! This is sexual harassment And attempted.. R-rape! I'll tell the principal, you won't get away with this shameful act!"
He tried to sound confident, but his eyes betrayed him, darting away from the henchmen's glares. His hands trembled, and his knees threatened to buckle when one of them turned around, cracking his knuckles with a grin.
"Ohohoho, look at this one," the thug chuckled darkly. "He's got guts."
He stepped closer, towering over Isaac.
"Feels good to act manly, huh? Want to fight me instead?" He leaned in, sneering. "I'll make sure you hit the ground right in front of your bitch."
Isaac froze. Words caught in his throat. His courage, however loud, crumbled in silence.
Meanwhile, Longs was surrounded. Four guys, each as broad and tough as him, boxed him in. He was strong, sure, but not stupid. Even he took a step back.
But the girls?
They didn't come to hide behind the boys.
Lal and Shari moved first, eyes were cold, fists were tighter. They weren't scared. They had come prepared.
They had brought..
Stones.
Sharp ones! And without a word, they hurled them straight at Giselle and her sister with brutal accuracy.
One of the stones smacked jiselle right in the forehead.
She let out a high-pitched squeal, stumbling back as blood trickled down. Her loyal henchmen panicked, rushing to grab their "queen" and retreat before things got uglier.
But even as they fled, Giselle turned her angered face toward Randa, who was now trembling and sobbing quietly in the protective hold of Shari and Lal.
Her voice rang with venom.
"This isn't over," she hissed. "Remember what I told you about Kowa. If you or your saintly believes twisted him, made him believe every disgusting thing he does is somehow 'survival' I'll make sure it gets worse."
She wiped the blood from her own injury after getting hit by the stones, glaring with manic fury.
"He belongs to me and the gang. And I'll be ba—"
Thunk!
A brick whizzed past her and slammed into the wall just inches from her head.
"AAAH! Are you crazy, you bitch?!" she shrieked, ducking.
Shari stood steady, having launched the brick like she was born for it.
"Try it, lay a hand on her and we'll bring more bricks next," she said, already holding a second one, cocked and ready.
Behind her, Lal casually raised her hand and flipped Giselle the middle finger, tall and proud.
Her memory faded, kowa noticed something was wrong.
"Randa?" he said softly, leaning closer.
She blinked, snapping out of it, her eyes wide and glassy.
Giselle looked at them with disgust when he touched her.
Her parents saw it too, the way Randa flinched at their deceased daughter's name, the way their Giselle looked at her.
And they cried even more.
Because deep down, they knew.
Neither of their daughters had treated this poor girl right.
Giselle hated that Randa was the reason her parents were crying.
Her eyes, still red from crying, filled now with something else. Something bitter. She stood up sharply, her face twisting with disgust. With fury. And then—
She slapped Randa's hand away. The box flew from her grasp, hitting the ground with a dull clang. The lid sprang open. A few silver and copper coins scattered across the dirt.
"Give it up," Giselle snapped, her voice cracking like a whip. "Of course she'd turn this into her moment! You're so damn selfish, always acting like you're the one who's hurt. Playing the victim so everyone runs to coddle the poor little princess."
"So what if my sister and i scared you a little?" she sneered. "My parents are dying from grief. And the last thing they need is your pity or your fake sympathy!"
"Get out!"
To be continued.