Chapter 1
I woke up at five with nauseated feeling ,I felt a slight pain in my forehead, which reminds me that I needed to sent my article to Buzz about some random crappy topic, whole evening I was preparing the draft of the article and it finally needed to be sent to the editor. I sat on my chair, took out my Mac and started adding some more intellectual fact on that article, I saw my mom online on , and I quickly went offline. Although she's downstairs yet I did not wanted her to nag about it as I was sleep deprived for few days. I sat down, I couldn't stop gazing outside but it was too foggy outside, it was a winter dawn. I brushed, and bathed. The warm water soothed and eased all my muscles, I untangled my hair ,brushed it firmly and dressed in a random hooded jacket and track pants I sat for a while then off I went for a walk. The wind outside blew my wet yet pony-tailed hair; I could feel a frozen feeling in my skull and on my nape. I walked towards the deserted road which led me to the woods, that was the place I was really fond of I stood there, it was near a serene lake, it was slightly raised like a hill. I could see the greenish like algae tint of the lake. The place was too green as the only color made was GREEN. The dew on the grass appeared to me like shiny pearls which were gleaming as the sun was appearing. After few hours the sun might be seen shining brightly in the azure sky. I sat there on a rock which was covered with moss, I closed my eyes and pretend to forget the world and just be what I really was. There were no sound, sitting beside the quiet and calm lake I tried to listen the voice of nature which seemed to be unheard by the people. It's something different about the stillness of morning, the soon to be appearing chirping of birds were more mystical to me, the strange smell of damp earth speaks that it rained yesterday. The remains of the smell of damp earth were lingering all over the lake. I sat there and imagined myself in Venice, the city I always adored. I imagined be sitting on one of the gondolas and rowing towards nowhere. I felt much calmer and relieved after spending few minutes over there. I returned home. My mother went to work.
I went upstairs, took my Mac again and started wondering what should I publish in my next column, how glad I am to be having a column in a daily weekly besides, I took up my courage to write various articles for few sites, I never talked about it to mom neither she knows about it so well as she's into her work 24/7. I had no school today. I went to the kitchen ate some sandwiches and came back to my room.
I sat down, did my homework for while. The weather outside was quiet pleasant, I always liked winters, there was something special about it. Summers were the seasons I disliked, the blaring sun shone here so brightly that I'd rather be in my house till it was dusk. I could see my yard from my room's window, standing beside the windowsill I stared down the yard where stood a chinaberry tree, I looked at the neighboring houses, the one at the front was empty and desolated for several years, it looked very deserted from outside, foxgloves hanging on the wall which would soil the house in few years, the place was bushy and dark from coldest winters to shedding autumn, no change could be noticed. Only a strange looking colonial sort of a house from outside, I quickly looked away as that house made me shiver. I wore my canvas and again went to have a short trip to the buffalo boulevard, I'd no idea where I was heading to, I was walking and my mind was at some different state. All my life I'd doubted that my life might be having some interesting stuff or incident but sadly none of my preconceptions were actually true. I had this emptiness that isn't that lucid as it seems. I don't even know about it still I can feel the remnants of something unusual. I was really ambivalent about my life. I stopped at somewhere I'd no idea of. I saw Brie, my good friend along with Claire, his brother. Brie was an extrovert, always impatient though kind from heart. Claire was also my classmate though last year we fought for some thing since he had some hatred feeling for me but I'd never realized that I'd some sort of soft corner for him. I always sat in front , behind or beside him never leaving space more than two seats, whenever I glanced at him, he looked at me viscously I wondered why I'd some sort of attraction towards him. He was a sober person; neither talked much, nor much interacted with anyone. I was fond of his sobriety but hated his guts; he strutted along with his hands like he was marching. I never had much attention from him or any guy from my class and neither had I wanted it.
Brie came towards me hopping as usual merrily, I loved her vibrant nature and envied that wish I'd be so gay and bright like her, although I was subdued most of the time, I loved being around with Brie.
"Hey Sumatra, Howdy?"
"Nothing brie I…hm. can you come along with me I'm going to main street?
"Sure. I was damned the whole day I hate weekends." She said impatiently
I saw Claire from corner of my eye, he was staring me, I looked down and nodded for what all she said even though I'd not understood a word.
Claire clenched his hand and stomped away, I looked at him with that meek look as I'd never understood why he hated me.
I remember that day when we fought in the library for some reason which I clearly don't remember. I was in the state where I was about to cry, I gulped down everything and ran away from that battle ground. Claire was an arrogant chap, though he had the sense of kindness and pettiness which ambushed his bravura persona. He was not conceited like other fellow students in our school. Edythe, a girl who was a class in herself, people termed her as a "petit bourgeois." No one dared to sit with her for reason even I'm not clear of. Edythe was pretty nice, despite of her oyster skinned face, long pointed nose and bushy hair. Claire was her lab partner in chemistry, once Josh, brie's lab partner was sitting behind Edythe; he had some perverted plan after the chemistry class. Poor Edythe didn't have a clue about what people were intended to do with her, Claire got to know about it and off he went to punch Josh, he had that masculinity so of course Josh had a good one; Claire is somewhat protective and respects girls. Brie and Claire being twins had a contradicting character. After walking till Main Street we had cups of eggnog then reached back home.
Chapter 2
Next day at school was nothing fascinating same old science lectures, few math sums, language and
It goes on. I went straight to cafeteria and took my usual seat next to Brie, Todd, Stacy, Gurpreet and Mariah. They were chatting about the new math teacher Mr. Rode, I dislike him not because he was crude or such but I hate math. Claire walked behind me I could feel his constant stare on me while he was walking; he sat next to his pals, just next to our seats.
"Hey guys they'd to be an annual beach carnival next Friday what you guys have planned?" Brie exclaims
All others were murmuring something about the carnival, just then Todd asked, "you'd be coming sums?" I hated when he called me 'sums', he just ruined the whole sophistication of my name
'nope I ought to go to my aunts' place next Friday, they'd be a party over there well ya'll have fun there" I said
The day was about to get over, I took my bag from the locker, I walked towards the way to my house, I saw Claire talking to some random guy going from the other way of the street. I sighed and started walking swiftly as I wanted to avoid any incident. I reached home and saw mom was with Phelps, her business partner. She orders some Thai food; they were sitting on the couch and talking about something. I rushed to my room, closed the door and took out my books that I have to read tonight, I switched on my Mac and saw a mail from Brie; it was her vacation photographs which she went with her dad and Claire. I saw Claire with the same attire; I always wondered that he usually wore shirts and trousers, always had tousled hair with auburn hair and an olive complexion. He was very enchanting in some ways; it still confused me that he never smiled in any of his pics. He always had a very grim expression. He was poker faced; his expressions were usually life less, the expressions on his face showed that how reserved and reticent he was in spite of having such a jumpy and chirpy sister who with her soprano voice chatted endlessly everywhere. I went downstairs to see my mother, Phelps wasn't there. I ate some roasted bacon mixed with some sort of a Thai sauce. My mom was at last free from her engaging phone calls that interrupted our conversation frequently.
"So Hun how was your day? She asked quiet dizzily, it seemed she was drunk; she might had some shots with her friends earlier when coming back home.
" ," I replied while mumbling my roasted bacon with some garlic bread.
"Tomorrow you'd be going to Sarah's house with me at night; they called us for a dinner"
'Ok.' I replied weakly
I knew Brie and Claire would also be there as they were also her relatives. Sarah was mom's good friend since her university days. They usually meet up in coffee shops or in Sarah's house. Mom already ate the dinner with Phelps and she was looking at me. I looked at her face; she was middle-aged, but pretty women. She was always practical, our character always contrasted with each other but it was an oblivious thing that she adored the way I was, liked my skills and encouraged me all the time. My face half resembled like her, I had the same chestnut hair, same tiny lips, and perky eyebrows. I don't know about my dad, mom told that they were separated for some reason when I was just few months old, she hesitated all the time when I asked about him so I just stopped him referring him as I knew it might yield nothing as mom was so stubborn that she never let me get to know about the actual reason, my maternal aunt used to tell that dad left us uninformed. Once I saw a very unusual globe shaped emerald brooch which was spear shaped with some letters engraved in gold which seemed to be written in Greek. I asked her and she said that she got it from her friend. It was still suspicious as there was same strange design in my mom's nape too. It wasn't some sort of a logo, but some weird old engravings, carved in the same way. I always wondered why mom mother will have such weird tattoo on her nape too.
Chapter 3
I was walking in an alley with a man; there were many azaleas in the rear side of the alley, I looked around the whole place, I guess I have never seen it. I looked at that man; his eyes told me that I was his kind, the resemblance was really similar, it was no one but I think, my Dad. We were going hand in hand, there was a plethora of different woody scents from shrubs around the whole place, as we were going through a labyrinth, and suddenly there was massive pitch darkness all over the place, I could only hear "Sumatra, daddy's here."
Suddenly I woke up it was 6am in morning, I shook my head in an disapproval that it was just an obnoxious dream, I never wanted to meet my dad, there was no reason behind it, but it was the truth. And I knew, he'd never come I took my duffel bag, took my clothes, Mac, my diary and of course my beautiful pen, a Mont Blanc limited edition which brie gave me on my birthday. My clothes included; jean, sweatshirt, a parka. Today we'd be going to a trip to countryside, it was already too cold and I was so lazy to go anywhere but I couldn't refuse as brie called me and my mom picked it up and brie knew I wouldn't wish to come and she told my mother about it and now I was struck in this trip.
It was already sleeting, the weather was pretty harsh and unfavorable but we had no chance as after one month it'd be our tests, I was sitting with Brie as usual, Leah was sitting beside with Mariah, Stacy with Gurpreet.
Story to be continued.