Chapter 2

The next morning arrived with a sense of uncertainty, and I found myself staring at Camila's contact on my phone, contemplating whether to break free from my homebody routine and venture out to make friends. A deep breath, and I tapped her contact, my heart pounding as I pressed the speaker button. I hoped, almost secretly, that her busy schedule would divert me to voicemail, but on the fourth ring, a voice pierced through the silence of my living room.

"Hi, Camila. It's Myra. We met yesterday in the elevator," I stammered, a nervous giggle escaping my lips. Camila's voice, on the other end, sounded somewhat relieved, but I pushed those thoughts aside.

"Oh, hey! Yes, how are you?" she replied.

"I'm great. I was just wondering if you're free for lunch—or maybe brunch?" I stuttered, glancing at the digital clock, which read 1:26 PM.

"Of course, sure. Give me five minutes, and I'll meet you by the elevators," she responded, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm.

"Okay," I managed to say before we hung up.

Walking over to my full-length mirror, I examined my choice of attire: blue wash boyfriend jeans, a cropped white tee, and a brown plaid funnel shirt tied around my waist. Don't ask me why I added the funnel shirt in Miami's sweltering weather, but I was hedging my bets against the predicted rain. Grabbing my white strap purse and car keys from the new door-side table bowl, I headed out the door to wait by the elevators. As I closed my door, I noticed Camila exiting three doors to my right. My mind briefly wandered, and I zoned out until she asked if I was ready, prompting a blink and a nod.

Together, we entered the elevator, but instead of descending to the garage floor, we exited on the entrance floor. Camila led the way to a new cafe a block over, a ten-minute walk from our building. We made small talk about the weather and the cleanliness of our neighborhood compared to others, and before we knew it, we arrived at a charming little cafe with beige-tone tents outside a white building, bearing the name "Joey's Place" in elegant black cursive at the top.

As we settled in to enjoy the fresh afternoon breeze, a waiter approached us with menus. I couldn't help but admire the quaint setting and peek inside through the glass windows. Camila noticed my curiosity.

"This place is pretty cute, right? I stumbled upon it during a jog yesterday. It's Mexi-American food, and they serve the best coffee—second only to Starbucks, of course," Camila shared.

I couldn't help but notice her accent and asked, "Where are you from?"

Camila looked momentarily puzzled, so I pointed out the accent. "Oh, my parents are from Egypt, but we moved to the United States when I was a little girl," she explained.

"Nice. I'm from the Caribbean, and I transferred here after receiving a college offer," I shared. Camila seemed intrigued, especially by my escape-from-strict-parents backstory.

We continued to exchange information about each other, and we discovered that we were both enrolled in the same classes, with only our minors differing—marketing for me and photography for her. Camila's enthusiasm bubbled over as she exclaimed, "I'm so glad I met you! It's good to know someone; we're going to be best friends!"

"Yeah!" I replied, equally thrilled to have at least one person I knew at the school.

We ordered waffles, coffee, burgers, and a side of loaded fries. After finishing our meals, Camila invited me over to her apartment, which resembled mine but had Egyptian ornaments here and there. Our conversation led to our schedules, and Camila mentioned she had signed up for the FIU Geology program. This semester, they were going on a trip to Mexico to explore the Ciudad Prehispánica de Teotihuacán pyramids. I had seen the ad but dismissed it, assuming I wouldn't have the time. However, for some unknown reason, I agreed to join her.

By 7:30 PM, I bid Camila farewell, and we made plans to meet the next morning to drive to school together.

Closing my apartment door behind me, I couldn't have anticipated the unexpected awaiting me on the other side. As I turned around, thrust into a vision, I immediately recognized that it wasn't my open-space studio welcoming me; instead, it was a dense forest. My senses were overwhelmed as I took in the image before me—the air was damp, and rain was falling. A heavy breath escaped my lips, condensing into fog. I shivered in the cold, and then I heard the voice: "He's coming." I turned abruptly towards the voice on my right, jolting back to reality inside my apartment, facing the full-length mirror. My reflection stared back at me, eyes wide, chest heaving, and arms crossed defensively. I breathed a sigh of relief, but a headache began to claw its way into my consciousness.

Walking into the kitchen, I reached for a bottle of water and guzzled it down, surprised by my thirst. I prayed that whatever this was would soon come to a halt, then made my way to the bathroom to prepare for bed, hoping that no strange dream would disturb my night's rest.

The next day arrived, and I decided on black cargo pants paired with a blue skintight bodysuit and white Nike sneakers. I quickly applied a natural makeup look, slicked back my medium-curly hair into a messy bun, fixed my edges, and grabbed the book bag I had packed the night before. Heading to the fridge, I took my pre-made smoothie and left my apartment. I spotted Cam locking her door at the same time and complimented her on her outfit. Together, we headed to our respective cars—Camila to her white BMW and me to my Civic. Following each other, we managed to find a parking spot close enough to our first class and rushed in, just as the day had begun to echo the visions of yesterday, with rain pouring down.

The first period seemed to fly by, and soon Camila and I decided it was time for lunch. The rain had stopped, so we mutually agreed to walk across campus to our next class. We were almost at the door of the next building when a voice called out, "Hey! Wait up!"

Turning towards the voice, Camila and I saw a strapping young man, his dark hair slightly tousled, making him look effortlessly attractive. He jogged up to us, catching his breath, and offered a friendly smile.

"Hey there, sorry for the chase. I'm Ronnie," he introduced himself, extending his hand. Camila and I exchanged glances and returned the gesture.

"Myra, nice to meet you," I replied.

"Camila," she added with a warm smile.

"Mind if I walk with you guys? I've been trying to navigate this campus maze on my own," Ronnie said, his grin never fading.

We agreed, and the three of us ventured into the building together. Ronnie told us he was a Computer Science major and was new to Miami as well. As we chatted, it became apparent that Ronnie was particularly interested in getting to know Camila better. He seemed to be drawn to her light-hearted charm and couldn't help but ask questions about her life and hobbies.

"Hey, would you guys be interested in grabbing lunch together later?" Ronnie suggested as we entered our classroom. We exchanged glances again, and Camila and I shared a quiet laugh.

"Sure, Ronnie. We're going to the campus cafeteria after this class, you're welcome to join us," I offered.

As the day unfolded, it became clear that Ronnie was developing a crush on Camila, and it added an unexpected twist to our newfound friendship. Despite the rain-soaked start to our day, it seemed like the clouds had lifted to reveal unexpected opportunities and connections.

Little did we know that our paths were leading us into a world of mystery and intrigue, where dreams and reality would blur, and where the unexplainable would become our everyday reality.