1: Saved or Not

(ZEHRA’S POV)

MOON. That's the only thing that gives light to where I am right now. The bus I rode on a while ago had already driven away which left me alone in the road intersection. There are no more vehicles waiting in that part because it's already past midnight.

I walked along the left side of the road. It was a little over half a mile to get me home and it will take me at least fifteen minutes. A long walk to others but not for me who's been sitting almost the whole day. I needed to stretch my muscles and walking will be the best way to do that.

With the help of the light from the moon, somehow, I can see the path I’m taking. For me, it's an advantage that no single vehicle was passing by the road so no one will notice that a girl is walking along. Trees are on both sides of the road that if any suspicious vehicle stops, it will somehow save me because I'll be running towards the trees.

Maybe still more than a hundred meters away from home, I can already hear commotions coming that way which made me feel like my heart's pounding out of my chest. And the sirens from police cars were not helping at all. With sweaty palms, I tightened my grip on my sling bag and walked faster, almost running to reach our house.

My heart pounded faster the moment I saw 3 police cars parked meters away in front of our house. My knees felt wobbly like jelly but I tried to manage walking closer to the commotion and find out what was happening. I’m afraid to know whether what I’m thinking was right or wrong, especially when I saw some people walking in and out of the house.

My family is safe...That's what I'd been telling myself. Nothing happened to them. I left them happily this morning. Zahra, my twin sister, even accompanied me to the intersection and watched me ride the bus.

I approached Amanda, our closest neighbor. With the way she's looking at me, I already got a hint of what's happening but my mind just doesn't want to accept it. Amanda then hugged me tight while telling me how relieved she was that I already arrived safely.

My eyes were fixed on our house without even blinking. My mind was clouded with thoughts. I wanted to go inside but my feet felt like they were glued.

Holding my arm gently, Amanda tugged me towards the house, telling one of the police that the the relative. When we got to the kitchen's entrance, I stopped on my track as my jaw dropped upon seeing the scenario; my father was lying on the table with blood all over his body while my mother was sitting on the floor near the sink and just like my father, blood was all over her also. I roamed my eyes around the place to find my twin, Zahra. And when I saw her, that's when my knees finally went weak.

I fell to knees as tears began to fall. My heart was pounding fast and I was having trouble breathing. I want to approach her but I can't find the strength to do so. I can't believe what I’m seeing right now. They are not dead. This is not true. It's just a dream. It's just a bad dream.

I was about to stand up when someone suddenly grabbed my shoulder. And that made me wake up catching my breath. I sat on my bed with knees up. I hugged my legs then leaned my forehead on my knees to calm myself.

I bit my lip hard and massaged my temples. I turned to my bedside table to check the time and it's already almost five. I took a deep breath before leaving my bed and doing my usual morning routine. I knew that I couldn't go back to sleep. It has always been like that ever since that night happened.

Those nightmares again. They kept hunting me almost every night, waking me in the middle of the night catching my breath and with heart beating fast. Sometimes, I can't help but cry out of helplessness.

I cooked a simple breakfast and ate before doing some household chores. My class will start exactly at nine so I had lots of time to do some other things. I’m still sleepy but I chose not to go back to bed, afraid that those nightmares will hunt me again.

When the clock struck 8, I had already taken a bath and was ready to leave my apartment and go to the university—Farnsworth University. Just thinking about the place, my heart already started beating fast as shivers ran through my spine. Another day, another challenge for me.

I knew that it was too early to go to the University but I wanted silence even just for a moment. During my entire stay at the University, I had never once been able to appreciate the place. How can I do it if every time I enter, my day was already ruined.

I went straight to my locker first and I was not surprised to see that there were many post-it notes stuck to it. I put my books inside the locker before removing the sticky notes. I didn't even bother to read what was written and threw it directly into the nearest trash can. The words were all the same―despiteful words. They hate me but I don’t care. I also hate them more than they hate me.

The first thing on my list to visit was the garden near the library. And I was right that it was beautiful, almost magical. I suddenly remembered something as my eyes focused on a type of flower but I just shrugged it off. I didn't want to ruin my day and the magical ambiance of the place.

I found myself sitting on one of the benches while waiting for my class. I was so focused on reading one of our topics that I didn't notice the group of students approaching me. If I had known that they’re approaching me, I should have runaway already.

"Look who's here," someone spitefully said.

I stiffened in my seat and felt nervous. Even without looking, I already knew who it was. I had mastered the voice of each one of them. Why would I forget if I hear them almost every day, right?

"Don't pretend as if you didn't hear me, Heyerdahl." It was Viara again who talked.

I slowly closed my book, took a deep breath, mentally telling myself that the best thing to do is to stay away from them, before standing up. I was about to walk away when someone grabbed my arm, followed by Mier's irritating voice.

"And where do you think you're going, little wolfie? We're just here to talk to you." Her tone was full of sarcasm. "Don't you want to have a chitchat with us?"

The look I gave her was pleading to let me go, even though all I wanted to do was hit her. "Let me go, Mier. I don't want trouble."

I heard them laugh amusingly. The things I like to do just to stop them from laughing. I tried my best not to hit them just for them to stop laughing.

Viara was the first to stop laughing but she still had an annoying smile on her lips. "You don't want trouble? Are you kidding me? You're a walking trouble."

"You have an invisible placard on your forehead and behind you that says you are a big trouble, Heyerdahl." Arya seconded.

"I need to go." I said so that the conversation doesn't get too long. But again, someone stopped me and this time, it was Caira who did it. Her grip on my arm made me gritted my teeth. Caira's sharp claws almost dug into my skin.

I tried to get out of her grip but she only tightened it. I looked at her other three companions, particularly at Arya because she was a bit kinder, to ask for help but she only smirked at me. I knew it was impossible for them to help me but I still took the risk.

I felt a pain in my arm so I looked at the arm Caira is holding. I wasn't even surprised to see blood flowing because Caira's nails were already buried. "Let me go, Caira." I pleaded.

Caira, instead of listening to my request, just sneered at me and dug her nails in even deeper. My eyes started to water because of the pain but I couldn't do anything. The only thing I wished for at that time was that at least one person come to save me. It's impossible because if anyone wanted to care about me, it would have been long ago, the first time they bullied me.

I was ready to beg again to be released when suddenly someone spoke, not far from where we were. I didn't know what happened but Caira suddenly let go of me before desperately running after her companions as if they were running away from death.

And when I looked where the voice came from, I wanted to run away just like the four of them.