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Chapter 7- Sonia & Pictru
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The sun peeked over the rooftops as Sonia and Pictru moved through their morning routine—tidying their modest home, sweeping the front yard, pulling out stubborn weeds from wild grass, and preparing the day's only meal. Breakfast wasn't a luxury they could afford; two meals a day was already stretching things thin.
Outside, their mother, Meda, was arranging the handful of vegetables she grew and the handmade sweets she sold at a small wooden stand near the house. It wasn't much—but it was something.
"Has your father woken up yet?" Meda asked, stacking a basket of herbs.
"Don't ask," Pictru muttered, her expression darkening. "He smells like something that's been rotting for days."
She'd tried waking him, only to be hit with the putrid stench of stale alcohol. Disgusted, she stormed off.
Meda sighed, a deep, weary breath. "When those who should carry shame become shameless... what's left for us to do?"
Just then, Sonia stepped out, already dressed. Her eyes widened as she glanced at the broken wall clock.
"Oh no! Sis—it's already seven! We'll be late!"
"So what?" Pictru replied with a grunt. "I'm not going to school today."
"Don't say that! You know how high the fine is if we skip!" Sonia's voice quivered with panic.
Pictru's voice sharpened like a knife. "And don't call me 'sis' at school. I swear, if anyone hears that again, I'll knock you."
"But... I've always called you that. Since we were little," Sonia said softly, her tone stung with hurt.
"Whatever," Pictru muttered. "Just tell them I'm sick and being hospitalized."
Sonia blinked. "Huh? What kind of illness?"
"Say I haven't eaten in days. Been crying nonstop. If they dig deeper, hit them with: 'Sir, what exactly did you say to my sister yesterday? She's been acting strange ever since.' Got it?"
Sonia nodded slowly, her fingers clutching her book bag. Not wanting to be late, she mounted the bicycle and pedaled off.
Inside the School
Whispers buzzed through the corridors like bees on alert. Yesterday's incident had birthed a wildfire of rumors—each one louder and more dramatic than the last.
Some said Pictru had been expelled. Others claimed she was suspended indefinitely. Students placed bets on whether she'd ever return.
In the 3rd-year classroom, Sonia entered alone.
"Did that bitch seriously not come today?" Newton asked, leaning back lazily.
"How would I know?" Johny shrugged.
"What did you say?" Newton squinted at him.
"I SAID I DON'T KNOW!" Johny shouted right into his ear.
"Oh," Newton nodded slowly, blinking.
From the side, Johny sighed and whispered to Leo, "I think his eardrum's still busted from that slap yesterday."
Leo winced. "Yeah..." Then, turning to Newton, he leaned in with concern.
"Bro, maybe go get your ears checked. For real."
Newton jumped back. "NO WAY. What do I tell my parents—'Oh, a first-year girl slapped the sound out of me'? Hell no."
Even the Principal had caught wind of the gossip—let alone James, who'd been eerily quiet all morning. He hadn't gone to class. Instead, he lounged in the principal's chair, twirling a pen like a general pondering a strategy.
He finally looked up.
"I want to understand what really happened," James said, eyes narrowing, "and why you were involved."
The principal gulped.
He remembered scolding Pictru, and while he didn't think he'd been too harsh, the rumors gnawed at his confidence. Was the girl really that fragile?
But he couldn't lie. Not to this particular nephew—not to that unpredictable force wrapped in a lazy smile. So he told the truth.
Flashback: What Really Happened Yesterday
Newton, Johny, and Leo were lounging under a tree near the schoolyard, rating passing girls like it was some sort of sport.
Then Pictru and Sonia walked by.
"She's still hot," Johny muttered.
Leo nodded. "Older sister pass the vibe check."
Newton grinned. "Fine, you two fight over the elder one. Give the little one to me."
Leo frowned. "She's in first year, man."
"So?" Newton shrugged. "It's just a love letter."
He scribbled something—cringe-worthy poetry mixed with his Instagram handle—and passed it to Leo. "Go."
Leo hesitated, then awkwardly approached Sonia.
"Uh... this is for your sister."
Sonia blinked in confusion but handed it over.
Pictru read the note silently. Then she folded it, walked over to Leo, and with a voice calm enough to unsettle:
"Tell your friend thank you," she said. "But I'm not interested."
Leo nodded—half amused, half impressed.
But Newton didn't take rejection well.
"What's her problem?" he muttered loud enough to echo. "Thinks she's too good? Bitch needs to be taught some manners."
From there, he began harassing Sonia—pulling her braid in class, mocking her voice, whispering cruel things when teachers weren't looking.
When Pictru found out, she didn't yell. She didn't threaten.
She walked into Newton's classroom.
Eyes storm-dark.
Smack.
A slap loud enough to silence every whisper.
Then came a punch that sent Newton sliding across his desk like a rag doll.
She didn't scream. She didn't stay.
She simply said:
"Next time, act like a child I will grose out our eyes ball."
And walked away.
Back to Present Day
James leaned back in the chair, raising a brow.
"So... they were called into the office, and you gave them a lecture?"
The principal sighed. "A one-sided one, yes."
James crossed his arms. "Of course. Was it because of family influence?"
The principal lifted his palms. "What can I say? My hands were tied."
James stood, paced once, then slumped onto the couch with a dry smirk.
"Wow, Uncle. If Mom finds out, she'll sentence you to a moral prison without parole."
The principal chuckled nervously. "Only if she finds out—and I intend to keep it that way. You know your mother. She won't hasitate against her own brother too, if she thought it was right."
"I do know," James said, his tone flat. "That's why you need to fix this."
Sighing, the principal hit the intercom.
"Sonia lai 3rd year students. Please come to the principal office immediately."
As the announcement rang out, James leaned back again, arms folded behind his head—oozing lazy menace.
Outside in the Hall
Zoe leaned toward Ava. "Should we go ask sister Sonia about Pictru? This whole thing's too weird."
"No way," Ava said, nervously fidgeting. "What if Brother Newton and his gang were nearby?"
Zoe smirked. "Then we'll hand him a love letter.."
"Stop joking!" Ava blushed furiously, nudging her. But nerves aside, the two headed toward the third-year section.
Just as they reached the classroom, the intercom buzzed with Sonia's name. They spotted her hurrying out.
"Sister Sonia! Wait!" Ava called. "Do you know why Pictru didn't come?"
Sonia hesitated. "Are you her friends?"
They nodded.
"She's… sick," Sonia replied, forcing a smile. She hated lying, but to cover for her sister she needed to lie everything is for her sister. "Anyway, I'm late—the principal called me just now." Without waiting for another question, she turned and hurried down the hall.
"So she's only sick? Phew…" Zoe exhaled, relieved. Ava nodded, reassured.
But their relief didn't last long.
A cold voice echoed behind them. "Hey. Ava, right?"
They turned.
Newton stood there with his usual smug expression, arms crossed. "Tell your friend Pictru to be careful about who she picks a fight with."
Ava's face turned red—though whether from fear, anger, or something else. Without a word, she spun around and bolted down the corridor.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Zoe shouted, running after her.
Is that girl missing a screw or something?" Newton muttered to himself, still thinking about Ava's sudden reaction.
"Nah," Leo replied casually, munching on a biscuit. "I think she's got a thing for you."
"Oh?" A sly grin crept across Newton's face.
Johnny, noticing, gave him a weird look. "Hey, hey. What's with that disturbing grin? You look like you just unlocked a new villain arc."
Newton cracked his knuckles. "Let's play a little game, shall we?"
Inside the Principal's Office
Sonia stood stiffly in front of the principal's desk, her fingers anxiously fidgeting behind her back. Her eyes nervously scanned the room—that's when she noticed a man sleeping peacefully on the couch.
'Must be a relative of the principal,' she guessed, though something about him felt... different.
The principal finally spoke, breaking her focus. "You're Pictru's blood sister, right?"
"Y-Yes," Sonia replied quickly, swallowing hard.
"Then, why didn't she come to school today?" he asked, eyeing her carefully.
"Ah... she's sick!" Sonia said, trying to sound confident. "Yes, sick. She—she's been hospitalized since yesterday."
The principal raised an eyebrow. Even James, who had been feigning sleep, cracked one eye open in surprise—but quickly shut it again, pretending he hadn't heard.
"Oh?" The principal arched a brow. "What kind of illness? And how serious is it?"
Sonia's mind went blank. Her thoughts scrambled in every direction—until a lightbulb clicked. Her sister's words, wise and prepared like a battle plan, came rushing back to her.
She straightened up a bit and replied,
"Sir… she's been depressed since we returned home yesterday. She stopped eating. Her condition got worse, and then she fainted. We had to rush her to the hospital."
Hearing that, the principal felt a pang of guilt. He recalled how he scolded Pictru yesterday and sighed, "Which hospital is she staying at? After school, let's go together. Have you done all the tests—BP, sugar, etc.?"
Sonia's brain short-circuited.
She hadn't expected this to go this far. She thought it'd just be a quick Q&A—nothing serious. Now things were spiraling out of control.
"Sir, it's fine," she said, trying to defuse the situation.
"That's not right, Sonia. I'm partly responsible. So which hospital is she at?"
Realizing she was in deep trouble now, Sonia blurted out, "Sir… um… the district hospital."
"Oh? I'll get ready to visit. Or should we go together after school?"
Impossible. No way in hell!!!
The difficulty level of her sister's so-called "simple excuse" was now set on extreme mode.
"Sir, it's fine… I think she might've been discharged by now," she said quickly.
"Oh? Then call and confirm. See if they've been discharged."
Saying so, he handed her his phone.
Sonia, thinking that maybe her sister could lie once and resolve everything, took the phone and dialed the only number their family had.
"Put it on speaker," the principal added.
Sonia's eyes widened, but there was no way to back down now.
The line rang a few times, and then—
"HALLOOOO!"
A voice so wild and inhuman, it could scare a ghost.
The principal's eye twitched. "Who… was that?" he asked.
Sonia stared at the phone. Then at the principal. Then back at the phone.
"…Dad," she finally said.
From the other side, Rick's voice lit up.
"Princess? What happened?"
Sonia's mouth opened.
"Dad, our principal—"
Before she could even finish, Rick exploded:
"WHAT?! What did your principal do?! Did he say something?! I swear, I'll come there right now with the entire farmer union and beat him to pulp!"
Sonia's eyes went round.
Including The principal's whose face went pale.
James, now was biting hard into a pillow, holding back his laughter until Rick yelled again:
"Tell me clearly, my sweet daughter! Who bullied you?! Don't hide it! Papa will burn that place down!"
"DAD!!! It's not like that! Please just LISTEN first!!" Sonia shouted in a panic.
Cooling down a little, Rick asked again,
"Now explain to me, Sonia. Aren't you at school—why're you calling now? Did you do something bad?"
"No! Can you please just listen to me?" Sonia was on the brink of crying.
"Okay, okay, I'll listen. Speak, sweetheart-"
"Has pictru been discharged?"
"What discharge? Who discharged? She has been in bed the whole morning" Rick asked, confused.
"I mean… are you at home already?" she clarified.
"Of course we are! Where do you think we'd be, the zoo?"
Sonia looked at the principal, then at the phone, and gave a very awkward, unwilling smile.
"Hehe... she got discharged. OK, Dad, please give the phone to her."
Rick blinked. He had no clue what was happening but obediently he started searching.
"Pictru! Pictru! Where are you?"
From a distance came her voice," In the toilet! I'm downloading!!"
"Oh…" Rick brought the phone back to his ear.
"Sonya, your sister says she's currently… downloading something."
Sonia broke into a cold sweat.
The principal blinked, confused.
James, now hiding his face in his hands, tried desperately not to laugh again.
Sonia, younger and very aware of what her sister actually meant, panicked. She gave the principal a weak smile.
"Sir… this…"
She didn't know how to continue. Just to cover one lie, she had now told a dozen.
Still not grasping the full meaning, the principal simply nodded.
"Ah, okay. Well, ask her to pick up. I want to speak to her directly."
"…Okay."
Sonia put the phone back to her ear and said, "Dad, give the phone to Pictru."
"She's in the toilet!" Rick replied, frustrated.
But Pictru, overhearing him outside, shouted,
"Dad, is that call for me? Just push it under the door gap!"
Following her request, Rick crouched, shoved the phone under the bathroom door, and walked off—probably to go back to drinking again.
Now on the other side, clueless about who was really on the line, Pictru picked it up.
"Who is it?"
"It's me. Sonia."
"Oh. Did you tell him what I told you to say?"
Sonia's eyes darted to the principal—still listening—and she panicked.
"Uh… our principal—"
Just like her father, Pictru cut her off.
"Ugh, what do you want? Just say it quickly! I don't want to keep talking here—the smell is killing me!"
Sonia, drenched in nervous sweat, clenched the phone and hissed, "SIS! OUR PRINCIPAL IS LISTENING!"
Her voice cracked with panic, the pressure mounting. Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady herself and added more calmly, "He's asking about your condition... your health."
Before Sonia could sneak in another hint, the principal stretched out his hand, palm open, signaling that he wanted to take the call.
Trapped, Sonia hesitated for a heartbeat—then reluctantly placed the phone into his waiting hand.
"Ah, Pictru," the principal began, his tone shifting into one of concern, "it's me—your principal. How are you feeling now?"
Unaware that Sonia had already claimed she'd been discharged and was recovering, Pictru slipped into character with a shaky voice, fragile and distant. "Sir… I-I don't know what to say. The doctors mentioned… more tests. Please don't worry too much… If I can… I'll try to come to school tomorrow. But right now, I'm really, really sick, so I'll just... hang up now…"
Tud. Tud.
The line went dead.
Silence swallowed the room.
The principal exhaled, long and heavy. "Sonia, after school, wait for me. I'll visit your home."
Then, in a gentler voice, he added, "For now, you can return to class."
Wordless, Sonia turned and stepped out of the office.
Her expression was blank, her footsteps slow, robotic—like someone walking toward their own funeral.
One sentence echoed endlessly in her mind:
"I'm doomed."