AZAN-the call (stepping out)

The cold air were like slaps to my face. My legs felt like bricks as I ran blindly away from some unknown thing. I turned again trying to see my chaser but nothing. The dark night mocked me with it's eerie silence and lack of illumination making me stumble and fall several times. The end of the chase was near, I knew it, but it was sealed when I fell with finality into the hands of my captor.

I woke up with cold sweat dripping down my face, I tried to keep my breathing steady and my heart from pounding. I needed to touch solid ground because right now I felt like I was flying.

I threw of the comforter and stumbled out of bed. I turned on the lamp switch being careful not to wake my sister. I walked over to the table and sat down with my head in my hands. This was the fourth time in a row this week I had this dream and it always started the same way.

Me walking home from work, the buildings start to fade, everyone disappears into nothing, I am left alone and then I start to run. I scream falling to my knees and then nothing with the dreadful feeling that I was in someone’s grasp. It had been etched to the back of my mind since I first had it the day, I turned seventeen. Nothing ever changed it was the same old dream, with the same scenery and the same feeling of dread.

I was eighteen now and it still hasn’t changed. For months, sometimes it won’t come then it will come successively for 2 weeks then it will abruptly stop. It fluctuated that way.

I turned to the small clock by one side of the table and it read 5:59am the alarm will go out any moment from …...

Beep beep beep!!!!

“oh, Tamar turn this alarm off” my sister shouted clutching her hands to her face” I pressed the off button but proceeded to the curtains drawing it open allowing the lights to come in full force into the room.

“oh God Tamar why why! Why!” she said screaming and bouncing her legs up and down. I chuckled.

“it’s time to wake your lazy ass up” I said grinning at her”

“why, why she said ignoring me. “why do we have to go to school, why can’t we just wake up when we want to, who invented school? Who!

“I wish I knew; well I will be in the shower when you are done throwing a fit you can start to prepare for school”, I said giving her a stern look then disappearing into the bathroom.

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The road to school was filled with cycling kids, driving kids, roller skates’ kids, kick a ball till I reach the school kids, the bus kids, some very few motorcycle kids and last but not the least the old but reliable walking kids. I was part of the walking kids and right now I was walking alone, hanging my bag lazily on one shoulder and reading my early morning book.

“Tamar, Tamar wait up for me” I turned at the sound of the familiar voice and sure enough it was George sprinting towards me.

George was my only friend. I knew him since I could remember. He was one year older than me but did not start school early, so now we are stuck together in the same class. He was a foot taller than me, with a lanky body, black hair that he hardly ever manages to style and geek glasses and I mean that literally. He was really smart and can spend a lot of hours just working on his computer on things that I can never understand.

“my house is literally next to yours and you left without me” he said glaring at me.

“I told you I was not going to wait for you again if you catch up with me fine and if you don’t then find your way to school” I said giving him a knowing look.

“just one-time Tamar one time and you can’t forgive a very remorseful brother” he replied giving me a one-sided smile.

“well that one time gave me a full month of sweeping the principal’s office every single f….”

“don’t say it Tamar” he said in a playful chiding tone

“day and might I add I am still paying for it, you you ….”

“sweet nice best friend with a heart of gold” he said giving me a puppy dog look. I scoffed and turned away from him”.

“Tamar, I have probably said these hundred times this week but I am sorry for making you wait for me and in turn causing you to show up late to English class which led to all this”.

“apology not accepted” I said stuffing my morning book into my bag.

“I will buy you lunch” he said.

“apology accepted” I said trying hard to hide the small smile that was breaking out on my lips.