Chapter 1.
The very substance of the ambitious
is merely the shadow of a dream.
William Shakespeare
In the abyss I sink, an endless ugly spiral. Deeper I drown. My breath suspended of bittersweet polluted breath. My heart burning wretched fire, pounding against it's cage. I stare at that abyss with a domesticated gaze. If I had not understood, if I had not seen the suffering within, my defeat would not have been welcomed. His fingers dig into the skin of my throat with the intention of ending my life. I lose my sight, my vision darkening to a murky black in the edges. This green abyss was fading away. Flickering in my vision, black spots seeping in. No! Don't go! I want to look again, to memorize this sorrowful wickedness that by his mere presence surrendered me faithful. Only because this abyss, that was endless and forever, held my reflection. I saw myself in him. I saw the ambivalence in them. And I accepted it. I accept my death with his brutal embrace.
Monday: September 13, 2027
I call my best friend Melody and she answers the phone with a smack of her lips, "Did you know Andrew Beltum broke up with Sheala?" She prattles.
I sigh and shake of my head hearing the news. I don't like Sheala, but for the sake of Melody… "I'm hearing it now," I reply all the while searching for my purse.
I usually leave it on the hook next to my door, but it's not there. I look around my bed, in the bathroom, near my window except it's nowhere to be found. At least I left my Trem-pad on the bedside table. I grab it before heading to the main hall.
"He's such a fuck boy."
"Careful of your words, someone might hear you." I warn. I can already imagine the eye roll she's got going.
"You know what? I don't care what they say! Talk about me behind my back all you want." Melody dares, raising her voice for everyone around her to hear.
I love my friend however, she's great at acting like a ditz. Which is unusual but smart. Usually, when people think others are not as sharp, they become open-lipped. Melody is wonderful at gathering gossip.
"Say what you want, Melody, just don't start anything." I walk down the hall with sure confidence. "Cause that's my job," I snicker, bemused with myself.
"Whatever, I'll start what I want. Besides, he's a fuckboy and everybody knows it including himself." She repeats which causes me to give out a sharp laugh.
"Alright, I'm not going to argue with you. Anyways, where are you? I'm heading to the main hall." I say, turning a corner and two-stepping up the stairs.
"Meet you there," Melody says and ends the call. She once again avoided my question.
Rain and Ashton meet my sides once I'm at the top of the staircase. Rain has her hair in a short bun, glowing pink since she dyed it. The color contrasts with her brown eyes. Ashton is the opposite with natural long black hair and olive toned skin.
"Hey," I greet.
They greet me with perky smiles and eagerness in their eyes. "Bobbi, would you mind telling me what's going on with Andrew? I just got a text from Sheala and apparently, he broke up with her over Anna. She was going on about how Anna had been going after him even before they got in a relationship. Honestly, if you ask my opinion, I'd just beat the shit out of her. But if Sheala wants to be a pussy, what am I supposed to do to stop it from happening?"
I can't comprehend how this girl came to that conclusion all in one breath. If she has enough time to gossip, then doesn't she have enough time to actually, oh I don't know, have a life of her own? "He broke up with her?" I gasps, feigning ignorance. "Oh my God!" internally I'm scoffing. This is all so ridiculous and I'm chopped liver because I can't stop playing the part.
"That's not important right now; we need to do something about Andrew and Anna." Ashton implies with a small grin; she ties up her hair in a bun as we walk towards the arch indicating the entrance to the main hall.
"What about them?" Melody asks, skipping towards us. Rain and Ashton immediately inform her of the ongoing rumor. Melody is Indian and African with dark almond skin and exotic golden eyes.
I hear the girls in the background, talking mischievously. I slip into the cracks, only nodding and agreeing upon my cues. As we're heading over to the couch, I think of my dream for some reason. Usually, people forget their dreams after a while, but this one strongly surfaces. I sit between them, nearly squished, in the lounge. It was as though I had this soothing moment in my life where I understood everything around me. I was sinking into my own death. As though a rope with an anchor attached to the other end was tied around my waist. I was being drugg to the bottom with no hope of surfacing. I was dying, but I was in bliss. If any one of my friends had an inkling of what I was thinking, I'd instantly be labeled as suicidal.
"Bobbi, did you hear me? Pay attention, this is serious." Melody says, leaning over Rain to shake my shoulder. I look up at her, blinking into focus.
"Huh?" Instantly I'm irritated with myself by failing to be aware of my surroundings.
She sighs, "I said where were you last night? I checked your dorm and you weren't there. Then I came here, and you were nowhere to be found. So… where were you?" It was an innocent and concerned question, but my heart skips a beat.
I say the first thing that pops up in my head. "Library. Mr. Alen gave me an extra assignment." I explain because I really don't need rumors to start up about my disappearance last night.
"Okay. Oh! Hey, what time is it?" Melody's question jolts us to all check our phones. "We have five minutes until we're late." She says, despite asking.
I sit up and the rest of them do too. Eventually, we disperse to our classes. Melody sticks with me since we have first period together. We take our seats while Mr. Myers talks to the other teachers outside his door ~ Government History. After the bell rings, he comes inside. Mr. Myers is a young new teacher that only started this year. He's barely taller than Melody and always wears a button-up shirt. Everybody likes him since he's pretty friendly and really pays attention to the class.
"Hey guys, how was your weekend? Anything exciting happen?" he asked, smiling.
The class amiably chats with him about what happened during their two-day break despite being early in the morning. I stay quiet, taking in the people around me and their stories.
I set down my Trem-pad on my desk and wait until they're done. "Alright," he says, which causes everyone to quiet down. "In 2018 our government was corrupted by the twenty-three issues known as…" Mr. Myers pauses, waiting for somebody to explain the answer.
"The Cataclysmic exposure," a guy says from the back. The class as a whole turns their heads to see who spoke up. When I do, the first thing I notice is his platinum blonde hair. It's almost silver in color and his eyes are a dark green in contrast to the pale pigment of his skin.
"Correct answer, and that's what we'll be reviewing for the next two weeks. Now sir, please introduce yourself," Mr. Myers says, leaning against his desk with a curious expression. The foreigner stands from his chair, which jerks against the cloudy polished floor.
"I'm Lilak Iris." He's pronounced his name Lil-lick. Lilak pauses for an unsure moment, looking around. "I'm a new student from Hamburg, Germany." He finishes short and simple and I finally catch onto his accent.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Iris, how has your day been so far?" Mr. Alen says, smiling to encourage him.
"Good," he replies.
"Now that Mr. Iris has introduced himself, can anyone tell me the twenty-one issues?" My teacher continues.
I smirk while staring at Lilak, catching his attention. He shrinks more into his seat, turning his face away from mine. I raise my hand before turning my head back to the front of the class.
"Miss Femi," Mr. Meyers nods.
With the most sardonic tone I can summon, I say, "Do you want me to list all twenty-one?" In this case I am daring Mr. Myers to refuse me. It's not him I'm directing the challenge to, however. I raise an eyebrow at the tilt of my teacher's mouth.
"List them all in order if you can." Mr. Myers says, taking on the indirect challenge.
I pause for a second, doubting my abilities for half a second. I take a shallow, but long breath. "Perjury, graft, trading, cronyism, extortion, corruption, bribery, trafficking, cyber, restrictions, elections, patronage, contention, thievery, loans, embezzlement, laundering, secrecy, nepotism, larceny, and financial." I list out, acting self-mocking to take my time in an excusing form.
"Good job! Next time don't act like such a smart ass about it, Femi." Mr. Myers says lowering his eyebrows to be sure I received his warning. I nod my head, still smiling to show the rest of the class that I am in no way affected by him.
"We will be reviewing each of these subjects in an explicit research as to why they caused the Cataclysmic exposure. Don't leave any facts out on your reports. I will give you a brief summary of each topic to start you off for the day. I want to know the facts, guys. Facts as in dates, names, history; you know the deal." He explains and then puts on his glasses from the inside pocket of his shirt. "Put on your lenses." He says while turning on the hologram. "Oh, uh Iris, you can be excused for the time being since you haven't received your Trem-pad. Stay here or leave my room, but if you stay, you need to be productive. Make your choice now."
Without a word, he stands and leaves.