18 Green Glitter

Nahla falls asleep in the hotel room. She always looks exhausted and passes out randomly anywhere. She kept yawning ever since we got down from the rooftop. So, I booked a hotel room. She needs some rest. I make a call to Amber. I got her number from Nahla. I don't know where Nahla resides. I invited Amber to the Sky Room. She was on her way.

There was a knock on the door. Nahla sleepily enquires "Who?" And falls on her face and sleeps again.

"Come in, Amber!" I call her inside and she literally pushes the door along with me and barges in like she owns the place.

"Sooooo, It's a girls sleepover. Yaaaaas! That's all I needed."

That's exactly when I notice she has bought several bags with her.

" Um, Amber I need to leave. I called you here just so you could pick your friend" I tell her collecting all my belongings ready to leave.

"I'm not done yet!" She holds my hand and yanks. I drop my bag.

"We are going to watch Aurora. And we are having a sleepover. I informed your parents as well as Nahla's" My jaw drops "You.. Whaaat?" I scream at her and she closes her ears.

A sleepover with friends I made days ago wasn't very convincing.

"How did you inform my parents?" I ask her.

"I have my ways" she says extending both her hands.

"Are we staying here?" I ask her.

"Hell No! I booked hotel somewhere else where it's best to watch the northern lights. I promise you'll love it. Just wait babe" she says squeezing my arms.

She pushes me to a couch and wakes up Nahla violently.

"Hey! Let me sleep peacefully." She says rolling into the blanket. Amber pulls the blanket.

"NOOOOOOOOOARGHHH" Nahla screams. I really had to shut my ears. Nahla gets to her feet and both Amber and Nahla are snatching the sheet from either side. They look like babies fighting over a trivial thing.

"What about clothes?" I ask out randomly.

"I bought some," Amber says leaving the blanket and heading towards the bags. She rummages over all the bags and pulls out 3 similar outfits in different sizes. She excitedly sways the dress back and forth. Pink skirts and peach tops. They look pretty pink. I don't usually dress so pink. She even bought brown hijabs for me and Nahla.

"How do you know where to get these?" I ask her trying out the hijab. It looks perfect.

"Um, I hang out with Nahla a lot and I know all the places around." She says and Nahla smiles.

"We can take you some time. You'll love it." Nahla says delightedly. I would love to hang out with them.

"Okay, where is that hotel exactly?" I ask unsure.

"Heard of Rovaniemi?" Amber asks.

"Ah yeah" I mumble.

"We are going there!" Amber announces stuffing all the new clothes back into the bags.

We check out of the hotel after an hour. All of us are carrying way too many bags. I wonder if clothes were the only thing she bought. We drop all the bags in the back seat. Amber inquires whether she can drive my car. I don't object and just hand her my keys.

"It's a sports car. Are you sure you can manage?" I ask. She widely smiles and just gets in. I have no explanation for that wicked smile.

10 minutes is all it takes for me to scream at her. I'm losing my composure. She disastrously drives not caring about anything ahead of her. Half the time she is cursing and honking at random people for the blunders she is making. I take control of the steering wheel for the next 10 minutes. I have never experienced such terrible driving skills before. Nahla seems to be calmly ensconced in the back seat. She is yawning as though she would snooze of any second now. She must have got used to it.

Amber somehow manages to station the car near Santa's Igloo Arctic. Snow is amassed in the roof of the tavern. Glasses surround the whole building and it is lustrous. It looks like a gold cube from a far off view. We pick our bags and trudge towards the inn.

"Reserved in the name of Amber Periwinkle." She says and fetches the key. We head to the elevator and find our glass room and enter into it.

"I need my privacy." I tell them promptly standing in the middle of the hallway.

"Then I and Amber can book another room." Nahla suggests.

"No, I was talking about the glass room. It's transparent." I say looking around.

"Don't worry! Nobody can see us from the outside. The have special covers for that." Amber assures and flops on the bed. The next second we join her. We lay in a horizontal position. And stare at the sky. The glass is crystal clear. Green lights float mid-air and it's enchanting. We all stare at the gracious green light. Sometimes, it is pleasant pink. The breathtaking view keeps each of us captivated. The lush green glints shimmer in the navy blue sky. It sways back and forth. It's like a green lantern broken and all the verdant spilled all over the sky flowing. We are lit by glitters of green.

Nahla and Amber fall asleep watching the northern lights. I wasn't getting tired of watching it. So I lay wide awake. I watch them sleep for a while. I try sneaking out. But Nahla seems to mumble something. Since her face was covered with the blanket, I can only hear a muffled voice. I slowly slip the blanket off her face. Her tears are streaming down her cheeks. There is a pang on my chest watching such a pity sight. I wonder whether she has ever slept soundly knowing that she is safe and secure. Probably not. I cover my hand with my sleeve and wipe both her cheeks. She starts snoring after that. An inaudible chuckle escapes my lips.

I trudge past the snow. It's been a few minutes since I stepped outside. It's calm and quiet. I look up to watch the Aurora. I see a lake a bit far from the inn. I start walking. Actually, I'm kicking off snow.

Someone covers my mouth from behind. I try catching the wrist and yank it off. But it's masculine and strong. I can't even hold his hand properly. I have long fingers and my grip is always firm but not at the moment. He gags my mouth with a piece of cloth.

My cheeks hurt and I'm losing consciousness. My world blacks out in a few seconds. I feel like I'm floating mid-air just like the green glitter in the sky...