The Plume Before His Lenses (Campus Journalism Series #1)

Have you ever wished just to have someone see you in the midst of the bustling crowds?

For Claudia Lois Joie Monreal, that had been her greatest wish since she was a child. Growing up in a family that expected her to carry their burden, she had been put under the constant eyes of everyone. Waking up felt like a test she had to perfectly ace to avoid the heartless insults thrown at her. She never felt like she belonged. In their church ministry, she always felt the tension with her seniors. In her class, she had always felt they hated her. In her family, she felt like dust they would wipe off a crystal frame to make it seem perfect when displayed. Even in her friend groups, she felt like she was always distant from them.

Araw-araw na yatang pinaparamdam ng mundo na wala siyang halaga sa kahit kanino. She felt like a feather being blown by the wind, anywhere that nobody was able to see. Claudia felt like a plume with its ink dried out on the tip. She almost crumbled the paper that held her fading presence.

Not until she met the man wearing their usual uniform with his brown hair flowing in the wind. Melchizedek Lovero stood tall in the bustling crowds, holding only his camera. Everything about him calmed Claudia. She knew she had found her home by how he hummed the hymns and how his beautiful smile matched the hues of the silver sky.

Everyone didn't expect that she would gain back her passion for writing. Hindi nila inaasahan na posible pala nilang makitang nakangiting muli si Claudia.

But just as she thought she found someone who could spot her in the midst of the bustling crowds, the lenses of their camera blurred.

Once again, Claudia felt like a plume with its tip unable to bleed more ink, fading into smithereens before his broken lenses.