Dedicated to Toinpre💗

Zarinna struggled to take another step, releasing a long, weary sigh as her eyes finally caught sight of Principal Dawayen striking the ground with the white flag he held—an unmistakable signal of their arrival.

"So," Zarinna exhaled shakily, "this... is the hiking you were talking about?"

Gina chuckled beside her, a bright, teasing sound. "Oh, Zarinna... no. This isn't even a real hike yet!"

"Really? It's not? Then what does a real hike look like? We've been trudging uphill for, what... forty minutes?"

Gina shook her head, laughing. "This is why I always tell you to eat more! You're way too thin—that's probably why your energy disappears after ten steps."

"Or maybe I'm just not cut out for this," Zarinna countered, sinking down onto a large rock beside Gina.

"Whatever," Gina rolled her eyes playfully. "But I'll make it my personal mission starting today to fatten you up!"

Zarinna laughed, still trying to catch her breath, as they watched the other faculty members trickle into the camping venue.

"Okie dokie, then!" Zarinna beamed. "I must say, though... this place is breathtaking! Actually—literally breath-taking. I'm still trying to catch mine," she muttered, fanning her shirt against her skin.

"What, do you have asthma or something?" Ma'am Mel's warm voice cut in as she joined them on the rock.

"Oh, no! Just... a little tired, Ma'am Mel," Zarinna replied.

"You sure? You look like you need medical attention," Gina teased.

"Oh, you two stop," Zarinna groaned, shaking her head. "Why do you always have to make fun of me? Are you that sporty?"

"Calm down, dear!" Ma'am Mel chuckled. "Though I have to agree—this place is stunning. Even better than last year's venue."

Zarinna nodded, watching as the two teachers recounted past camping trips, their voices a mix of nostalgia and warning. Excitement mingled with trepidation in her chest as she wondered what physical feats awaited them.

Her gaze wandered to the wide clearing surrounding them. The ground was a lush carpet of grass, glowing in vibrant green beneath the dimming sky. Scattered rocks punctuated the landscape, and the trees surrounding the clearing stood like silent guardians—majestic pillars holding up the sky.

They had left the school at exactly 4:30 p.m., riding for about twenty minutes to the foot of the hill. After less than an hour of climbing, they had finally arrived, just as the sun began its descent behind the horizon.

"Alright, kakadwa!" Principal Dawayen's voice carried through the clearing, deep and commanding. "I assume you've rested from the walk. Let's start setting up our tents!" The faculty responded in chorus, bustling with activity, laughter, and the rustle of canvas.

"See you later, Rinna," Gina called as she headed to join her fellow math teachers.

"Okay, see ya!" Zarinna waved as she walked with Ma'am Mel toward their designated spot. David, Luke, and Sir Maurice trailed behind, carrying the tent that the men in their department would use.

"Do you need any help setting up?" David offered politely.

"Oh, that's fine. We've got it," Ma'am Mylene replied with a gentle smile.

"Alright then! We'll start prepping the stoves for dinner," David said, flashing Zarinna a charming smile before moving off.

"That man's just... so darn charming, isn't he?" Ma'am Mel whispered.

"Oh..." Zarinna's gaze flickered to him. "Y-yeah. Definitely." Her eyes dropped to the ground as an unfamiliar fluttering filled her chest. What in the world, Rinna? she chastised herself.

"So," Zarinna said, turning back to the two female teachers beside her, "how do we set up a tent?"

"Wait," Ma'am Mylene arched an eyebrow, "you don't know how to set up a tent?"

"I-I've never gone camping before," Zarinna admitted, cheeks tinged with embarrassment.

"Seriously?" Ma'am Mel echoed. Zarinna nodded.

"Gosh," Ma'am Mylene muttered, planting a tent pole into the ground. "Maybe instead of praying all the time, you should get out more and experience reality."

Zarinna blinked, taken aback. She had known kind atheists, but Mylene seemed different.

"Ha!" Ma'am Mel forced a laugh, hoping to ease the tension. "Your humor never fails to amaze me."

Mylene scoffed. "I'm serious."

"Okay... let's just get on with it, shall we?" Mel said, mouthing a silent don't mind her to Zarinna.

ZARINNA stepped out from their half-set tent, immediately greeted by the cool evening breeze. Surprisingly, sleep had not yet claimed her, despite the exhausting trek earlier. She wandered a few steps and sat on the soft grass, gazing upward. The sky was a canvas of streaked lights, the moon bright enough to trace the silhouettes of the surrounding trees.

"No matter what they say, Lord," she whispered, "I will pray... even if it costs my life." She closed her eyes, letting the calm of the night wrap around her. Tomorrow, I won't have time like this. Might as well savor it.

"Why are you still awake, Ma'am?"

Zarinna startled, turning to see a familiar face.

"Oh... Sir Luke," she breathed. "Nothing... I just couldn't sleep."

"I see." He approached, his raven-dark eyes catching hers.

"What about you? Why are you awake, Sir?" she asked, looking away as he settled beside her.

"I wasn't sure," he admitted, "but now I think I know."

Zarinna furrowed her brow. "Know what?"

"I've been meaning to talk to you for a while," he began, voice low, deliberate. "From the first day, I was fascinated by your beauty... but now..."

Her heart skipped. "B-but?"

"Now... I think I like you, Zarinna."

THE NEXT MORNING, Zarinna was the first to rise, preparing breakfast for her department. Though tents defeated her, she could at least nourish them. The sky was still a deep navy when a familiar voice whispered behind her.

"Hey, Rinna."

"Oh... Gina, you're up early," she said, turning.

Gina stepped closer, eyes assessing her face. "Woah... what happened? Did you even sleep? You look like a panda!"

Zarinna pursed her lips, unsure whether to laugh or feel embarrassed.

"Yeah... ever feel like you're asleep but also half-awake?" she admitted.

"Like a... 'half-sleep'?" Gina chuckled. "I don't think that's even a thing."

"Guess you could call it that," Zarinna smiled faintly.

"Why? Did something happen?"

Memories of last night washed over her, cheeks heating.

"Woah... you're blushing!" Gina teased.

"I... it's just... uhm..." Zarinna groaned.

"Come on, spill it."

"I really don't know how to deal with this. I didn't expect it to happen and he—"

"Get to the point, Rinna!"

"Sir Luke," she whispered.

Gina's eyes widened. "What? What about him?"

"He... he said he liked me."

Gina clapped her hands, squealing softly.

"Shh!" Zarinna warned, glancing around. "You'll wake everyone."

"So... what did you say?"

"I... told him no."

Gina froze. "WHAT? Why? He's perfect! He's charming, successful... even David can't compete!"

Zarinna couldn't speak. How could she risk love again after her past? She could never let him know.

"I can't, Gina..." she whispered.

"Rinna..." she murmured, gentle. "Can I ask why?"

Zarinna's chest tightened. She stirred the rice again, though it didn't need stirring.

"I didn't want to hurt him," she said. "Or mislead him. Or repeat something I... never want to live again."

Gina went quiet. "This... feels like fear. Not disinterest."

Zarinna's hands stilled on the wooden spoon.

The fear didn't need naming. It was already there between them.

Gina sat closer, her presence warm like the fire.

"If there's something you're carrying," she said softly, "you don't have to carry it alone. Not anymore."

Zarinna's breathing turned uneven, almost ragged. She hated that it hurt. She hated that it still owned her.

Her voice cracked when it finally broke free.

"There was someone."

The wind shifted slightly—cool, quiet.

"It was wrong," she said, barely audible. "It was sin."

Gina waited.

"He was married." Zarinna's breath broke. It was always harder to say it out loud, even now.

"We were in ministry," she said. "Leading worship. Talking about holiness. And I was living a lie. I thought... I thought loneliness was love. I thought being seen was being chosen. I was wrong. I see that now. I repented. I cut all ties. I changed." Her voice trembled. "But the shame doesn't leave. It sits with me. So when Luke said he liked me... all I could think was: I could ruin him."

Her eyes burned. She blinked hard.

"I'm terrified of deceiving myself again. Of hurting someone again. Of being that person again."

The horizon was just beginning its soft bloom of pink and gold when Gina reached out and held Zarinna's arm—her touch steady, warm, and entirely unafraid of the truth that had just been spoken. The fire crackled low between them, smoke rising in a slow curl into the still-blue morning. The dew on the grass shimmered faintly, as though the world itself had paused to listen.

Gina's expression didn't carry shock or judgment—only a deep, gentle understanding.

"Rinna," she said softly, voice thick with empathy, "I need you to hear me... really hear me."

Zarinna blinked through tears, her chest tight, shoulders drawn inward—like she was bracing for condemnation.

But it didn't come.

"You were deceived," Gina continued, her tone neither harsh nor excusing—just true. "You were vulnerable. You were longing to be loved. And the enemy twisted that longing into something that felt like affection, but was only harm. But you didn't stay there. You didn't dig your heels in and defend that sin. You walked away. You tore yourself out of it. Do you know how many people never do?"

Zarinna's breath shook.

Gina moved closer, the blanket slipping slightly off her shoulder. The growing light warmed her face, turning her expression almost earnest with compassion.

"You repented," she said. "Not just in words. In action. In suffering. In rebuilding your life from the ground up. That wasn't easy. You carried guilt when no one else saw it. You allowed God to discipline you, to reshape you, to cleanse you. That is repentance. That is the work of someone who belongs to Him."

Zarinna covered her mouth with her hand, a sob breaking loose—not loud, but deep.

Gina placed her hands on both of Zarinna's shoulders now, grounding her, holding her in place so the truth couldn't slip away.

"You are not marked by that sin anymore," she said firmly. "You are marked by your return to God. By your obedience. By your knees on the floor in the dark when no one saw you. By the way you worship now—not to impress, but because you know what mercy feels like."

Her voice softened, but didn't lose its strength.

"Do you think God forgave you halfway?" she asked. "Do you think Jesus looked at the cross and said, 'Well... maybe not that sin'? No. When He forgave you, He meant it. Completely. Fully. Forever. The blood of Christ is not fragile, Rinna. It does not break under the weight of your past."

Something inside Zarinna trembled—like a locked door shifting, or a chain loosening.

Gina brushed a tear from her cheek with her thumb—gentle as dawn itself.

"You have lived like someone trying to earn forgiveness," she whispered. "But forgiveness was already given. What God buried, you're trying to resurrect. Let it stay in the grave. Please. Let it rest there."

The morning light warmed them both now, settling over them like a blessing.

Gina's voice dropped to a tender hush—full of affection, not pity.

"I know some things are hard to believe after going through such pain, but your greatest failure," Gina reached forward and held her hand. "is your greatest testimony."

Zarinna's breath shuddered out, tears slipping freely now, not in silence but in release.

She leaned forward, forehead resting into Gina's shoulder, the weight of years softening at last.

"Will you... pray with me?" she whispered, voice raw.

Gina's arms wrapped around her, sure and unhesitating.

"Always," she said.

And as the first rays of sunlight spilled full over the campsite, warming the embers and the earth, they bowed their heads—and for the first time in a very long time, Zarinna felt something inside her cry not from shame... but from relief.