3 Chapter 1

The scent of smoke mixed with bread filled her lungs as she rushed up the tarred hill slope of the street. Her legs strained as she took large steps towards her campus. Her arms struggled as she carried her phone and dress. She hated how close she lived to the campus yet how much of struggle it was to get there. The small creative campus sat on the side of a steep hill. Whoever put the campus there sucked. She rushed up the hill making a wide circle around the dodgy homeless man that always sat a few metres down the campus. A group of students rushed down the hill. They too were late for their morning class. They narrowly avoided a truck headed down to the factories. She quickly jumped to the pavement as said truck hurried past her hooting and leaving a trail of smoke. She reached the campus entrance at the same time the group did. A metal revolving gate stood in the middle of a grey fence. A line of students taking out their student cards and scanning themselves into campus. She scrambled to pull out her student card from her phone cover. She was warned not to get a thick phone case but it was cute and in her favourite colour. She couldn't miss the chance. She took out the blue card and placed it against the scan. The gate revolved with a beep as she pushes through.

The campus security sat next to the revolving gate gave her a bright smile.

"Morning sisi." The campus security guard greeted her.

"Morning bhuti." She greeted back as she jogged to class.

"You must be fast with that card or you'll make a line."

"Askies, I will next time."

Her sandals slapped the cobblestone path through the campus. She ran past the library, stopped by the notification board by the canteen to check any missing announcements and check her reflection in the mirror next to it, ran past the canteen and turned a corner underneath a metal staircase. Her maxi dress flowing behind her as she jumped across the giant chess board. A guy she noticed from her writing class appeared out of nowhere and rushed towards the giant wooden doors across the chess board. She hiked up her dress and rushed to the same doors. He held the door open for her as they both rushed through and entered the building. They sped walked down another set of corridors before finding the metal door marked LR6. The guy slowly opened the door. A blast of sound from the speakers shook them when they entered the blacked out room. A YouTube video played on the white wall through a projector. They both sat down on the carpeted floor by the door and waited for the video to end.

A ten minute history of sci-fi movies played on screen. That was all the hint she needed to know which theme the films would be this term. She pulled up her phone and went to notes. Immediately she'd come up with sci-fi ideas for the term. A small light flashed beside her. The other late student next to her had the same thought. While the video played, she'd took down notes on common tropes and how to twist them to give her stories originality.

The video ended. The lecturer switched on the lights without a warning. Blinding half the class in the process. She and the other student got up and made their way to their seats. She climbed up a few stairs to her row of red plush seats. Her writing partner had moved the bags off their seat and placed their laptop on their lap.

"I just don't understand how you're always late. I live further than you." Sari scoffed.

"Bruh, my first outfit was not coordinating." Mbilu took her laptop out her bag.

"Why must your outfits coordinate?" the tiny person looked over their laptop screen.

"Because I'm pretty and my clothes must match my prettiness." Mbilu made a heart over her head.

"So vain."

"Say the person whose rainbow braids are being held back by a Louis Vuitton headband."

"Hey Louis Vuitton is cool."

"One day I'll coordinate your clothes."

"I like my style as is."

"You're a walking 'I'm allergic to good style and fancy things' rich person trope."

"Aye aye focus on the class." Sari said louder than usual.

"Haibo, that was so loud." Mbilu made herself smaller as the other students turned to them.

"Lady and gamer supreme, still arguing on whether Call of Duty is better than Doom?" their writing lecturer called from behind the computer.

"Personally Doom is more interesting." Sari gave their answer.

"Call of Duty has some elements to it, that's enjoyable." Mbilu put in her take on the topic too.

"All you do is shoot and guess."

"That's the fun part."

"We'll have that class discussion later. Let's focus on the hero structure." the lecturer moved on.

Sari turned to Mbilu and stuck out their tongue.

"You frustrate me." the latter rolled her eyes and started typing notes on her laptop.

**

Mbilu hid behind a chair behind Sari. While Sari was typing furiously on their laptop.

"Guys you won't believe what happened?" a high pitched voice sounded beside them. Mbilu looked up to see their friend Laylah standing above them. She waved at her to get down. She crouched beside Mbilu.

"What are you doing?" Laylah asked.

"They're trying to get into the dark web." Mbilu whispered to Laylah.

"Why are you hiding behind the seat?"

"That thing looks creepy. And they told me that those troll looking things can actually sense you." Mbilu pointed at the troll hiding behind a door on the screen of the laptop. Everytime the screen got closer the troll would look directly into the camera and the screen would freeze.

Laylah grabbed Sari's shoulder and shook them. "Bruh, please stop that. I can't have the military break down my door because I'm associated with you."

"You live on a military base." Sari replied.

"All the more reason to be scared."

"What's going on? Must be important since you broke into our class." Mbilu turned away from the screen and grabbed a fruit container from her bag.

"Your lecturer doesn't even care. But you know, Gerald. So Mesi told me that she went to Gerald's party and you know Gerald lives by the ocean right. Well they saw some things." Laylah took out her container of food.

"Aren't they always high?" Sari asked.

"Dude, not this time. It was before they even smoked. They said there was sparkling things happening on the ocean."

"You mean moonlight on the water." Mbilu commented.

"No man. Like shimmering sparkles on the water and giggling."

"On the water?" Mbilu furrowed her brows.

"Ya. They thought they saw people on the water. But they were huge and looked kinda offish."

"See this is why my parents told me not to come to Cape Town. This place is just weird." Sari sighed.

"Cape Town gets more and more snaaks the longer I'm here. Imagine not being able to afford bread, froth that looks like bubble bath moves cars and now we got sparkling water and dodgy looking people in the ocean. Kanjani?" Mbilu took a bite out of her mango slice.

"Guys I'm being serious."

"Should've known not trust anything from Cape Town ever since an entitled homeless person told me that R10 change is not enough. Like dude you're homeless take what you've got." Sari put their laptop down, took out a naartjie and started peeling.

"Bruh, we should've stayed home. At least we know Joburg." Mbilu tapped Sari on the shoulder.

"But my mom says Braam is dodgy."

"I'll take getting robbed over dying."

"Guys, what if Cape Town has mermaids?" Laylah continued.

"See this is why we don't consider Cape Town to be a part of this country." Mbilu groaned.

Sari glanced at their laptop. "Honestly, what is this nonsense? Ha! Guys, guess who's in… The Dark Web." They picked up their laptop and giggled.

"Bruh, stop it. We're dealing with mermaids leave this dark web nonsense." Mbilu moved to another seat away from the laptop's camera.

"Girl leave the dark web alone." Laylah shifted too.

"Where does Gerald stay again?"

"Clifton."

"You really wanna see these things don't you?" Mbilu didn't want to see strange things but she did want to see the shimmering water. Her photos would be so cool if the ocean shimmered behind her.

"Yes please."

"Tomorrow we all have one class for an hour. We go to V&A because Uber is expensive then walk across the beach boardwalk then we'll see." it was decided.

"Ooh yes, a trip." Sari yelled.

"Ms Smith, the 15 minute break is over. You may go back to your class." their lecturer called down from behind his computer.

"Sorry sir." She apologised to the lecturer.

"Bye guys." She grabbed her bag, rushed down the unequal stairs and out the door.

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