Star's breath caught in her throat as she quietly slipped out of the house, her belongings carefully packed in a small bag. Her mind raced with the decision she had made, but as she peered through the sitting room window, her heart shattered at the sight of her mother, broken and hurt. Star's tears fell freely, but she wiped them away quickly, making sure Tomas was no longer in sight before she began her escape.
She had made up her mind. Tonight, she would sleep outside. Wrapping herself in several layers of clothes from her bag, she braced herself against the cold, setting an alarm for 5:00 AM. It was the only way to ensure Tomas wouldn't find her when he left for work. As she lay on the ground beneath the dim light of the stars, she whispered a prayer, begging God to protect her from the evening wizards and the world's harshness. She could no longer rely on anyone else.
The morning light crept into the sky as the alarm echoed in the stillness. Star woke with a start, grabbing her staff and heading for the cab she had called earlier. The college was still asleep, save for the security guards and janitors who had already begun their routines.
She made her way to the engineering building, the sound of her footsteps the only thing to fill the quiet air. Finding a corner on the second floor, she sat down, her mind swirling with uncertainty.
"Where do I go now? Where will I stay?" she muttered under her breath. "Star, you need to be strong. You promised your mom, and now Steffy is growing in your womb. This isn't the time to ask questions where no one will care to answer. I have to stay at college… somewhere. There has to be a place no one visits often… wait… a storeroom… that's it. A place where no one would think to look for me."
With newfound resolve, Star packed her belongings once again and ventured behind the engineering building, searching for that dusty, forgotten place. She found it—an old storeroom, dirty and reeking of neglect. Mice scurried across the floor, cockroaches crawled in the shadows. Star grimaced, but she had no choice.
"Oh, goodness… is this what I deserve for getting pregnant?" she whispered to herself as she stepped on a pile of cockroaches. But her tone shifted quickly as she knelt and began clearing a small spot for her belongings. "Steffy, my child, we'll have to manage this for now. Don't worry, your mom is strong. Things will be alright. They always say nothing comes easy… you'll have to sacrifice and suffer. But the weapon to beat all of this is faith and hope. The stronger we get, the lighter life will be. And today… we'll have to stay here."
The hours passed as she made herself as comfortable as she could in the dirt and gloom. Classes began, and Star attended, but her heart weighed heavy. She couldn't bring herself to visit her usual spot at the campus sweet stand. Instead, she buried herself in her studies, trying to catch up on lessons she had missed.
But then, as she sat in the library, the restlessness crept in. Her heart pounded faster than usual, and her mind went to Mandume. She could feel him, even when he wasn't nearby. Every time he was around, every time he was in danger, Star's body reacted instinctively.
"Mendu?" she murmured, glancing around the room. But she didn't see him.
It wasn't until she stood up and scanned the other side of the library that her eyes fell on him. Mandume was sitting with Tiffanie, his supposed girlfriend, though Star could sense the discomfort between them. She didn't know the full story behind their relationship, but she could see the truth beneath the surface. Mandume didn't truly love Tiffanie—he was only with her because of his sister Bonita's influence.
Star's heart sank, but she forced herself to turn away, knowing that she had no place in that drama. Her path was already set. She had to be strong—for herself, for her mother, and for the child growing inside her.