This isn't the first time the mysterious woman has been following the trio, or in particular, Mayu…
~SOME WEEKS AGO~
She was seen gazing in front of the school gates, in awe of its structure
"This is where she studies now, where has time gone…"
By the time the school bell rang, signaling lunch time; she entered the premises and strolled around the school grounds for a brief moment to avoid suspicion
"Wonder where her locker is"
Then she saw several students passing by; Mayu being one of them
"There she is…"
Seeing her laugh with her friends brings a smile to her face
"Just gonna put a few things in my locker; I'll meet you two at our usual eating spot"
"Alright"
"See ya there!"
She immediately went for her locker and placed a few of her belongings inside it.
The woman observes from a distance "So that's where her locker is"
She silently approaches her locker immediately the moment she left on her way to the canteen
"Here it is…" Placing her hand on one of the metal hinges
"You sure have grown…my dear Mayu"
The woman then surveyed the area so that the coast is clear
While everyone is having lunch, she slips something inside Mayu's locker
"Oh Mayu, I hope you get to see this" By chance, it fell inside one of her notebooks.
She immediately left the school premises…not without being not without being seen by the school janitor from a short distance; the very same janitor that almost threw away Mayu's drawing some time later.
~FRIDAY AFTERNOON ~
Classes were cancelled in order to make way for renovations, much to the delight of the student body.
The announcement came early morning…
Now taking advantage of the 3 day weekend, Mayu and her friends decided to meet up in a nearby park not too far from where their school is located.
Her 2 friends already went on ahead since they're neighbors and live near the area, leaving Mayu to catch up.
"Man not again, next time I have to be earlier than this" Mayu grunted as she makes her way to meet up with her friends.
"What's the name of that park again…" struggling to remember as she struts through the sidewalk, in front of a crowded street.
"At this rate, I'll always be late whenever my friends and I have plans!"
She tried to call her friends while at the same time thinking of a clever alibi…
Dialed several times but no answer "Great…"
"I'm almost there but I don't know exactly where it is"
Mayu continues to strut walk when…
"Mayu?"
*turns around*
"Who's calling me?"
Again, the voice called out her name
"Mayu!"
"That can't be my friends, unless they're playing a prank on me or something" she assumed
But the voice gets closer
"Mayu!" again the voice called
She turned to see who's been calling her… it the mysterious woman who's been spying on Mayu and her friends
"Hello Mayu! It's been a long time!" Her tone jubilant
"Can I help you, ma'am?" confusion written in her face
"You don't know how much I miss you!"
Mayu starts to feel uneasy, as everyone knows not to talk to strangers
"Have we met before? I think you mistook me for someone else" she begins backing away
"I never make a mistake when I recognize my own daughter"
"Daughter? What do you mean?"
"Mayu, I'm your…mother!"
"My…my mother…"
She begins having horrible flashbacks of her family life.
"Mayu, say hi to your new daddy"
"Nice to meet you, Mayu…that's my girl" *smirks*
"Alright, take off your clothes; Good girl; Now, you know what to do"
"Mom, I can't stand it anymore; I can't stand him anymore"
"Oh? Why is that?"
"You see, when you're not around-"
*Mayu gets slapped in the face by her own mother*
"It is you who isn't wanted! Because you're here, because you're here…he's paying less attention to me!"
"What's wrong? Take it all off"'
"I…"
"Huh?"
"I won't do this anymore!"
~END OF FLASHBACK~
Anxiety then turned to understandable anger
"What are you doing here?!"
"Huh? What do you mean? I want to re-connect with my only child"
"Re-connect with me?!"
"Mayu dear, please listen-"
"NO! You listen to me! Ever since you married that horrible excuse of a man, my life has never been the same!"
"He treated me like a sex slave! I cried for help towards you but what did you do? YOU SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE!"
Uneasiness spreads on her mother's face
"You told me that if I were to disappear, no one would care. Well, guess what? You're wrong, mom…you're dead wrong! They took care of me like what a family would normally do"
"Mayu, I-"
"SHUT UP!"
People passing by are starting to notice the debacle, much to her mother's discomfort
"None of this would've ever happened if you married that psycho!"
"I know… I made a mistake Mayu, and for that, I'm truly, truly sorry!"
"Sorry? You're sorry?! After everything I've been thru and you not helping me, all you can say is sorry?!"
Her mother's speechless at the moment
"It is only now you realize what you did was wrong?! What kind of mother are you?!" she's holding back tears right now
"I was jealous of the attention he was giving you… I was wrong Mayu"
Mayu wasn't buying her alibi
"I was selfish, I only thought of myself when I hurt you!"
"Nothing you say can ever bring us together again, mom!"
"I already divorced him years ago! We can start over again!"
"Goodbye mother…" *proceeds to walk away*
"Mayu, where are you going?"
"Away from you, forever!"
"Mayu, Mayu!"
Calling out her name, she received bad looks from onlookers who overheard and witnessed everything
She caught up to her, gripping her left hand
"Please, I'll make it up to you!"
"Why? So you can right all the wrongs you did to me?"
"I'll be a good mother this time!"
"YOU SHOULD'VE BEEN LIKE THAT TO ME YEARS AGO!"
"It's not too late dear!"
"IT'S ALREADY TOO LATE MOM!"
The tone in her voice managed to scare her as she walks away, leaving frozen in her tracks
People passing by, mostly parents, gaze at her with evil intent as she's hurled with verbal insults
Then, for a moment…
"MAYU!"
Her mother grabbed hold of her daughter's right hand, catching her off guard
"My daughter, please!" desperation in her tone
The desperate parent, now on her knees, begging desperately for a chance at redemption
"I was blinded by my own interests. Please Mayu, you're all I have-"
"Let me go!"
"Mayu please!"
"Let go of my hand, mom!"
Her mom, now teary-eyed, desperately tries to win back her daughter, tightening her grip on her only child's hand.
It's quite causing a scene among the passing people
Mayu turned around, rage written all over her face grinning her teeth
For the first time in her mother's life, she felt fear
"We can be a family again!"
"Family…"
*A LOUD SLAP OCCURED*
The impact made her mother lose her balance and fall face-first on the pavement, which shocked onlookers.
There was a slight thud…
Her mother looked at her in horror, trying to make sense of what just happened while caressing her forehead
"You remember that? DO YOU REMEMBER THAT?!"
The look in her eyes, filled with rage like never before…
"DON'T SAY YOU DIDN'T?! I STILL REMEMBER THAT VERY DAY!"
"YOU FEEL IT NOW MOM?! THE PAIN YOU INFLICTED UPON ME?! YOUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD?!"
"What I did was wrong and I know can never take it back… if only you can just give me a chance-"
"NEVER!"
~brief pause~
"What we had between us…IS GONE – GONE!"
"Mayu-"
"Farewell, mother… I DON'T WANNA SEE YOU EVER AGAIN!"
"Wait!" she tried to grab on to her hand like before, but failed.
"DON'T EVER SHOW YOUR FACE IN FRONT OF ME AGAIN!"
"Wait! Mayu!"
She tried to get up but stumbled; now on all fours, she crawled to the pavement, desperate to reach her
"Mayu!"
Her cries fell on deaf ears…
Shouting her name, pleading her to come back, which for her is now a fool's errand.
"Mayu, come back!"
"PLEASE!"
"MAYU, MAYU!"
Broken, she sees her daughter fade away from a distance…all she can do now is wail, all the while being pelted by insults from onlookers who pitied and sympathize her now estranged daughter
"Bad parent…"
"What kind of mother will do that to their own child…"
"You don't deserve to be called her parent"
"Her childhood was ruined because of your selfishness…"
The fallen parent, now broken seeing her only child disappear further away
"MAYU!"