Aster was in the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Saron. “Sari, please come eat your break fast and get the bus on time”, Aster was trying to be part of a solution instead of asking her daughter why she overslept. This would definitely be dealt in the evening.

“Mom, I cannot eat now, let me just leave now before it is too late”, Saron pleaded.

Aster didn’t want make any argument at this dead time. She just headed to her bedroom. After a minute, she came out with 20Nfa note in her hand. “Take this, do you have a lounge at your school, please eat something during your break”, she tried to insist this time.

Saron had readied her purse. She received the money from her mom in her purse and put it in her school bag. Then, she stood on her toes to kiss her mom’s expressionless cheek. “Bye, I am sorry”, she turned her back and dashed out. Saron was a bit concerned about her mom’s concern. For the first time as she can remember, her mom’s good bye smile was absent. This struck Saron’s heart, but didn’t last long in her mind. The thought disappeared as she hit the street running toward the bus stop.

She was waiting bus number 1. At the bus stop, she was the only student waiting. Some old people were standing there waiting. She didn’t know whether all were waiting for the bus number 1 or the other ones, which pass through that line. She didn’t want to yield any priority to the old people as she normally used to do. This time she thought they would waste her little time. Five minutes gone, the bus has not come. She was a bit disturbed; she had only 15 minutes to get to school. “Come on, come on …”, she mumbled as she rubbed her hands to warm herself in the early cold morning.

The red bus approached as if it was part of Saron’s school system. Red Sea High School, red uniform, and red bus, it is always a red life. Saron was able to read the number “1” clearly. This time it was not any other bus. She stepped upfront. She then gave a glance to the tall old man beside her. He was starring at her. She took it as warning not to disrespect him by getting into the bus before him. She turned her face and lined up herself behind him. The old man turned his face and told her, “I understand my daughter, you are in a hurry, come, come.”   He pulled her by the hand and indicated her to get in first. Saron smiled back thank you.

Even though she got an empty space, she didn’t want to sit. The few seats of the town buses are normally reserved for old and the disabled. In fact, the old man came in sat at the empty seat. She was happy he got a seat, for his good attitude. As the bus moved off, Saron went off in thoughts. The thoughts of the night came to her mind. She was scared the thoughts might have boarded the bus. She struggled to concentrate on what lies ahead for the day. “How many classes do we have to day?” She was trying to divert her focus. She counted, the classes. It was all good, at least her worst teacher was not going to come today. All of a sudden, “do we have sport class?” Yes, they would have. Normally, sport classes are nominal, students simply go off their classes and wander around the compound and chat all the funny school jokes. Saron just wanted to use the class as a continuation to her thoughts of the previous night- the thoughts revisited her. The bus pulled over and she stepped off. The gate of the school was almost closed, she run past the guard. He shouted at her but she didn’t even hear. She was lucky to get just on time as the students were lined up.

In class, she thought she looked odd and was trying to ease herself. She got a pat from behind, “Sari, did you answer number seven?” It was her best girlfriend. She felt her head spinning, “dammit!” She forgot her maths notebook. It was her first class. She was working on it the last night before she got swept away by the strange storm. She knew what the wrath of her maths (Mr. Semere) teacher would look like. He is the most respected one in the whole school and no one can afford to mess with him. Saron put her two hands on her head cursing and blaming herself. Her friend tried to encourage her, “ just get another exercise book and put it in front of you, he might not check today, God knows.”

Saron was waiting for the ghostly looking teacher to enter and bark at her like angry dog. Her eyes were fixed on the door. A hand emerged on the closed part of the door. She waited, again part of a head appeared. For sure, it was not Mr. Semere. The person now rushed inside the class. Saron thought her heart stopped her normal function, she sat motionless, her eyes set on the person. He looked around the class, finally walked toward the middle column and turned right walked up to where Saron sat. She then turned her face down and starred at her table. He put the book which was in his hand on her table. She looked at it; it was her own exercise book she had forgotten at home. She didn’t dare to look up and thank the boy. Things seemed much more complex than the previous night. “Your mom met me at the gate and asked me to give it to you”, he walked out fast without waiting to be thanked for his service.

Saron, then went on to turn the page where she attempted to work her homework. She remembered very well that she had not completed it. “Ah …!” Her mouth remained open in surprise. There is strange handwriting, the remaining questions are cleanly worked out and the answers put the way she put the answers the first 6 questions. This time, she felt the whole world spin around her. She struggled to remain stable against the movement of the planet. She did not even notice the teacher was in until he came over her table and started to mark her work with his usual red pen trademark. Her mind dashed out with the student who saved her from Mr. Semere’s fury. She could not wait to take her body out during break. Of course she didn’t plan what her moves thereafter would be.