BEYOND THE DARK NIGHT

The sound of the chair scraping against the floor made me cringe. I’m half awake. But I’m too tired. I can’t find the strength to move or open my eyes. I’m just laying on my bed, listening to those unknown voices. “Responsibility and emotion coexist. No matter which one has the upper hand, the result will not change.” “Instead of jumping from one fire pit to another, it was better to run away.” “The new king has took over the Rock Fort city. She is weak and badly injured. We are here to warn you.” “Don’t worry. I have brighter eyes than you.” Someone caressing my forehead gently. Why it feels like a familiar touch? “She has an exceptional gift. The upcoming nights will be dangerous and mysterious for her too.” I’m so sleepy. This drowsiness is covering my senses. *** “Good morning, mom.” “Good morning, Mirin.” “I have prepared the breakfast. Go freshen up quickly and eat.” Mom is finishing work in hurry. How many times I have told her, I can make breakfast for myself. I got the spare time in the morning. But she doesn’t listen to me. She really gives me princess kind of treatment, but I don’t like it. I like to take my own responsibilities. “Get ready and be on the time. It’s your first day of college.” “First day of the last semester, mom. Only six months to go and then I’ll be free.” She chuckled. “Stop daydreaming now. Get up. I’m leaving to work now. Take care. Don’t be late.” She took her purse, checked herself once in the mirror and smile at me before leaving. “See you.” “See you, Mirin.” I hope these six months will flew quickly and I’ll be out of that sulky place forever. Thought of going to college drained my enthusiasm. But I have to go. I slowly walk towards the bathroom. *** I checked my watch. It’s 10.50 am. I’m ten minutes early. Anyways it will take ten minutes to walk to the classroom. I never came early or never spend more than five minutes after finishing my classes in this college. The streets of the campus were crowded with new and old faces, but some of the old faces are missing today. After six months, I’ll be one of those missing faces. But who cares? Wait.. I’ll not be here after six months. A cold wind passed across my skin, silenced my thoughts for few seconds. All of sudden, I am feeling sad? Am I going to miss this place? Yeah. Right this place. Not the people. I have spent two years of my life, of my youth here. College is a place for youth to bloom. But for a poor girl like me this place is like a golden cage. These crowded fascinating red buildings with arch’s and ivory is mind catching. One can fall in love with this beautiful structure at first sight. Just a walk on this pretty lawn and a look at these pretty blooming flowers can fill my heart with pleasure and freshness. I'm going to miss this place. I cannot stay here. I looked at the building carefully and reminisce the feeling of my very first day in this college. My mind was jumping with the joy. I was so excited. Those were the days when I was dying to join this college. And today after spending two and half years I feel I was dumb to dreamed of this college day and night. The Blue Lake College is the top most and the most expensive college of all the districts of the Rock fort city. That’s the reason it’s also disgusted as College of lads and lasses. All are rich. All are having attitude. All are having that ugly smirk of being rich lad. And the unsettled heart due to the invisible race among them. Branded clothes, expensive cars or bikes, rich accessories and the face! One face is prettier than the other one. One can not stop comparing which one is the most handsome. Youth, beauty and wealth all three things in one place. Everyone is having this combination except few numbers. Girls of this college are beauties created by god with patience and creativity. With that make-up and fashionable dresses, covering less of their bodies and revealing more of their sexy body parts. Carrying the expensive accessories and that attitude are perfect match for these boys. I always feel like an alien here. Most of the time I feel suffocated in this place. I have studied like a nerd to bit the competition of the clever brains of Rock Fort City. I was the only girl of the blue lake city, who got admission here. My friends thought I got the jackpot, which they didn’t. So by the time they cut me off. I lost my old friends and unable to make new ones here. Books are my only friends. Sometimes I feel if I would have attended some other college, I might have a different life but a better life. “Hey Natasha, just see if you got some old, ripped clothes or tired shoes.” A familiar voice made me jumped out of my thoughts. “I don’t know. What is it?” “We should start doing some charity. After Six months we’re going to complete our graduation. We never know if we’ll get this chance.” I found myself rooted on the spot for few seconds. This is not a chatting within the group, it’s a taunt for me by pressing a word “charity case”. I heard them started high-fiving and giggling. I decided to play deaf and stride away with lowered head. The bell rang and I paced up to reach the classroom quickly. “Slow.. slow young lady. Driving a car with punctured tyres is an invitation to accident. Then you will not have penny to pay your medical bills and again your mother will reach to beg my father for the orphan ILLEGITIMATE girl.” Beg for.. Beggar.. Illegitimate girl..?? She called my mother a beggar and I am an illegitimate. How dare she? How can she passed such comment on me and my mom? My Mom works as maid in Tia’s house. But working as maid doesn’t make anyone beggar. She can call me whatever she wants, but I can not take anything against my mom. I clenched my fist and about to turn to talk back. But the memory of my first and last attempt of protest stopped me. “Whose going to punish the daughter of college trustee?” said the college’s principal when I complained about her two years ago. Tia didn’t got any punishment, but after that my life in the college became hell. She and her group started mocking me wherever I go, in the classroom, in the college corridors, in the library. Sometimes her group members used to push a boy on me and burst into laugh. Sometimes I got calls from unknown numbers in the late night, talking shitty things to me. I came to know from rumours that my number is written on the wall of boy's washroom, as a call girl. Unable to face this every day’s torture, one day I burst into tears and told my mother that I am leaving this college. After enquiring for hours she found out the reason. From next day Tia and her group left me alone. I was relieved, only to found that there will be an indirect torture. And today she call my mom and me a beggar. “Choose your wars carefully Mirin. Never waste your energy on convincing people to behave with you, one day they will be ashamed of their own behaviour. Until that you should do your karma, one day you will reach to a position where you will get all the love and respect you deserve.” That’s what she said to me, when I told her that I want to complain about Tia to her father again. I have my mother’s lesson in my mind. But I am unable to take my mother’s insult. Why I can’t shut up them? Tears started rolling on my cheeks. I walk towards classroom with the heavy head, wiping my eyes clumsily, without paying attention to the entrance. Suddenly my forehead bounced badly on something strong like an iron pole. “Ouch..” I cried in pain. Black and white dots cover my vision. I heard few claps and a burst of laugh behind me.