Chapter 1
Preparations
One-hundred ninety-eight. One-hundred ninety-nine. Two hundred.
Kareem blew out a shaky breath as he pushed through his last push-up, sweat dripping down his face. It was barely half-past six in the morning, and he had already completed his daily exercises, going through the same routine he had done for the last few years.
Sitting up into a kneeling position, he closed his eyes and prepared himself for his morning meditation, the next step in his routine. He tried to focus on the day ahead of him, but kept getting distracted by how nice the breeze felt as it rushed through the trees and over his sweaty skin. The sound of the stream bubbled nearby, tempting him, but he needed to finish his routine. Today was one of the biggest days in his life and he couldn’t slip
