The darkness crept in, like a thief in the night, as I slowly opened my eyes. The clock glared at me, its red numbers taunting me - 7:00 AM. I sprang out of bed, my heart racing like a runaway train.
I ran to the bathroom, took my toothbrush, and brushed my teeth at the same time. Don't judge me. In my world, you didn't have time for niceties. I didn't spend less than two minutes before I rushed back to my room, wore my uniform, put my stuff inside my bag, and double-checked twice that I had put my hospitality book in. One mistake could be fatal.
I rushed downstairs. "I'm up, I'm up!" I shouted, accidentally tripping on my foot. I rolled down a few stairs and quickly collected myself
"Oh my goodness, Testimony, are you okay?" Mrs. Broncos asked as I walked to the breakfast table. I nodded, my eyes locked on hers. "I'm good," I said. "What happened to your hair?" Zikhona looked at me. God, I forgot to tie my hair up.
"I'll tie it on my way to school," I said. "Okay, guys, let's go!" Dad said as he walked downstairs.
"Testimony, what about breakfast?" Mrs. Broncos asked. "I'm good, thanks," I smiled at her and closed the door. The ride to school was brief, the tension palpable. He stopped where he usually stopped. "Have a great day, guys," Dad said, giving us a hundred rand each for lunch money. I rolled my eyes
"Thanks," I uttered and got out of the car. The bell rang, and I ran inside. I don't want to be a second late in Mrs. Stave's class at all. "Testimony, wait for me!" Zikhona shouted. "See you at break time," I shouted.
I opened the door, and I was the first to arrive. A few seconds later, more students joined in. I kept staring at the door, even for just two minutes. Why hasn't he arrived yet? Is he running late?
Sky and the girls walked in, followed by Mrs. Stave, who had a serious face. It's Monday morning, and she's already moody. "I hope your work is finished. If you didn't do it, don't waste my time; get out of my class." She shouted. A warning, perhaps?
"Give me your book," she said, looking at me, and I handed her my book. She paged through it. I made sure I updated all her work. "Mmm," she said, giving me back my book, and a small smile formed on my face. A small victory.
The lesson started, and I kept staring at the door. "Mrs. Broncos, care to tell us what's so interesting at the door that you're not hearing my lesson?" she asked, and everyone's eyes were on me. "Sorry, ma'am," I mumbled, and she rolled her eyes and carried on with the lesson.
The bell rang for English class and Zulu class, and he still didn't show up. Maybe he's at the principal's office... maybe he beat up another child, and that's why he's running late. I hope. Or mayb he ain't coming
The bell rang for lunchtime, and I packed my bag, heading out to the cafeteria, where I usually met the girls, when Paris and her friends stopped me. "Well, well, well, isn't it the ratty girl everyone talks about?" Sky said, and I rolled my eyes.
Suddenly getting some sort of confidence.
I won't lie; I was scared of her at first, not until I saw how frightened she was when Trinity scared her. "What do you want?" I said, annoyed. "Looks like the rat finally has the nerves to speak," she spoke, and her minions laughed.
"I know for a fact you were waiting on Slavvy, okay? And just for your information, I was with him the entire night, so please, if you think you mean something to him, you're wrong, okay?" she snapped and walked off.
With him, the whole night,I packed my bag, trying to shake off the feeling of being watched. As I walked out of the cafeteria, Haze Brown approached me, a charming smile on his face.
"Hey, Testimony," he said, his voice low and smooth. "What's up?"
I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Just trying to survive the day," I said, smiling back at him.
He chuckled. "I know the feeling. This school can be tough, especially for newbies like me."
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You're new here?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I transferred here a few weeks ago. I'm still trying to get used to the... atmosphere."
I smiled, sensing a kindred spirit. "I know what you mean. This school can be pretty intense."
As we talked, I found myself feeling more and more at ease with Haze. He was charming, witty, and seemed to genuinely care about what I had to say.
"I'll see you around, Haze," I said, smiling at him.
He grinned back. "Definitely, Testimony. I'll be looking forward to it."
As I walked away, I couldn't shake off the feeling that Haze Brown was more than just a charming smile and a witty sense of humor. There was something about him that seemed... off.
I made my way to my next class, my mind racing with thoughts of Haze, Slavvy, and the mysterious Mr. Domikov. Who were they, really? And what did they want from me?
As I walked into class, I noticed a piece of paper on my desk. I picked it up, my heart racing as I read the message scrawled on it.
"Meet me in the old warehouse at 5 pm. Come alone."
Old warehouse
Which old warehouse
I don't know any old warehouse!!!!
My heart skipped a beat as I realized who must have written the note. Slavvy. But why was he being so secretive? And what did he want from me?
Didn't he have enough time with sky. He didnt even call me last night to check if not I was okay or not.
...