"You live in me, as the sky lives in the sea, like obvious telepathy."

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A very beautiful cover made by theonlylamegirl!

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ONE: NIGHT ENDEAVORS & BROKEN TEETH.

THE GIRL'S STARE was bold and exuded power. She was dressed in an attire which left more for imagination and less for vision. Her forehead was broad and eyebrows met strategically at the beginning of the nose. Round almond-shaped eyes with hazel brown irises. High cheekbones accentuated her square angular jawline. Her nose slightly crooked at the end (broken in an accident) and her chin was pointed. Her signature devious smirk was adorning her thin confined lips causing the skin in the cheek to dip in, forming a slight dimple. And she looked unstoppable and strong.

The girl was me.

Gripping the rim of the porcelain sink, I steadied my breath.

"Let's do it," I whispered to myself.

Twisting the doorknob of my apartment once again to double-check, I galloped down the stairs rather than hailing the elevator. Not a single soul was out in any of the floors apart from a faint vibe of a void. A high-pitched sound of a lady could be heard at a distance between loud thuds of things clattering against the floor or even the walls, who knows?

Well, were people supposed to be out at this hour of the night? Maybe not, but why was I then? You might be wondering.

Well, let's say I don't let time zones dictate my covert endeavors. In other words, the night was when I was myself, the unstoppable and unbreakable me. And like every person has many shades and layers, so do I. The brightest moonlight unravels the darkest petals of me, the extreme ones.

Inserting the key into the respective spot, I turned the throttle of my motorcycle. I sucked in a breath when the engine came to life, roaring and filling me with excitement. It was the same excitement which made goosebumps rent my body, making my eyes glitter with moisture, my breath uneven and a faint smile adorning my lips. It made me happy and lively. And I thrived on it. I relied on it.

I turned it a few more times, holding the brakes firm before I raced off towards the isolated roads with just a few headlights guiding me to the 'Domicile of Racers'-the center of illegal bike racing.

"THREE," came the high-pitched sound from the large speakers just a few feet behind me. My heart reverberated at the advancing vibrations. I put on my helmet and began adjusting the few tendrils which must have escaped from my neatly braided hair. You see, hair was the only thing you cannot tame or control. They demand to be let free.

"Two."

I sucked in a deep breath.

"ONE, Go," exhaling not so fully, I revved up the engine and took off as adrenaline rose up my body till my cheeks and my eyes squinted to adjust to the velocity.

I twisted the throttle a bit more, not yet satisfied with the speed and overtook a few other contestants from the sides, making sharp turns and jumping over the speed breakers.

When I realized I was far away from any living soul, the wind kissing my face, finally made sense. And it made me feel like I was where I belong.

The few traitorous tendrils came across my eyes, disturbing them, and my eyes watered as the breeze hit them roughly. But to say I was mesmerized, would be an understatement. Speed and risk had always been my things.

Catching sight of another shadow following me closely, I rolled the handle to its fullest, maintaining my balance as my eyes focused on the finishing line, which was coming closer and closer.

And finally crossing the white marked line with red flags, the enthusiasm of a thousand people gathered there hit my ears. Most of them were screaming - they must have bet in my favor. And they didn't need rocket science to figure It out. It has been happening for years on end now. My heart swelled with pride.

Parking my bike at the usual spot, I waited for other fellow racers to cross the finish line so I could collect my pay-cheque and go home. I quickly glanced at my digital watch, which showed that it was nearly one-thirty at night.

Once all the contestants reached the destination, which took more time than my expectations, the announcement made its way to fill the thick cold air.

"We are happy to announce that this race was won by none other than AURELLIA HARGRAVE, just like the other fifty-two times and with her highest record of twenty-six in just a year. We congratulate you and appeal to you to collect your pay-cheque from Mr. Lincoln. Wishing you all good luck, we sign off."

Finally!

I made my way towards Mr. Lincoln and the team as other people which basically consisted of college students and friends of fellow contestants, continued their chatting and discussions, not even bothered to go and sleep. But now again, tomorrow is Saturday, a weekend day and a holiday.

"You were really fantastic. Congo" said a guy with a friendly smile and outgoing aura.

I nodded at him, shooting a smile which is between genuine and fake.

Genuine because I have been known to be someone who is hard to approach since my teenage days and if someone takes an initiative to talk to me, being ready to face the consequences which could be either being ignored or being nodded at then I would appreciate their act of taking risks. Just like me.

And fake because it was transitory, neither do I know his name, address, phone number, Facebook username (not that I even want to) nor was I gonna see him in future. So there is no use to pull up the act of being goody two shoes and being fake. That wasn't me, not at all.

Collecting my cash, I rode back home in the dark peaceful streets which no longer scare me like before, rather they have become homely and familiar.

The crescent-shaped moon shone in all its dominant glory and flirted with the stars, while they winked back. I stopped my vehicle just for a while to look at them and feel the peaceful air surrounding me as my mind started weaving lines after lines till it became a stanza.

I stood in the middle of nowhere,

And yet it made all the sense in the world...

There was an ocean,

There were hills,

The cool breeze which embraced me in its loving arms.

Tranquility ran through my veins,

And I desired nothing else.

I felt complete and rare.

***

"Good morning, Ms. Hargrave."

"Morning, Mrs. Smith." I nodded at the middle-aged lady, the advisor and caretaker of CCC, aka Child Care Centre. She has been working for the NGO for the past four years and she has always put forward the most adequate and rational ideas for the development of CCC.

"So how's everything? What happened to the problem of having a lack of funds from the government and even the elites?" I asked settling on one of the chairs in front of her desk.

She lifted up her specs over her coffee brown hair, parted from the middle, and done into a very neat bun. It was her regular hairstyle.

"Well, no help could be extended by the government for the time being because they have been taking care of the refugees. The one stuck in the floods. And about the matter concerning elites," she inhaled deeply while looking at her fingers intertwined on the desk, "there has been none for three months now."

I released a defeated sigh, knowing that there was nothing she or even I could do. I hated feeling powerless.

We were having children severely sick and we don't even have enough funds to at least have them cured, left alone the medications which followed. I took out the cheque from last night and slipped it towards her. "Work with it for the time being and have Aria treated with chemotherapy at City Hospital. Don't look for any cheap rated hospitals. You know-"

"I know you will not tolerate any kind of dearth in terms of health." She completed my statement with a smile.

Making eye contact with her for a second to reassure, I nodded and stood up. "I'll check on Aria at once."

Walking through the corridors of brightly painted alleyways, I made it into the playroom. My eyes scanned through the toddlers, lips curling up as a few grinned at me through broken front teeth while a few waved frantically at me. I waved back and promised to play with them later.

I scrambled out of the playroom and made my way to the park. Instinct told me she'd definitely be there. The teachers were teaching the older children as I passed the classroom, nodding at those who smiled at me in assurance.

Spotting Aria with her best friend Bella having a serious discussion was unexpected from six-year-old toddlers. Both Aria and Bella were politically very conscious and loved watching news channels and geography programs. Their eyes were furrowed and their faces lacked joy they usually wore.

"Will I die, Bella?" Aria, the blonde with curly hair and button nose, asks with her hands knotted and placed on her lap. Her eyes trained on them intently.

"No." Her friend squeals, hugging her clumsily. Her hands were not meeting with each other on the other side. Bella had dark hair which were pulled into two pony tails with large emerald eyes.

"We have so much left to play, remember the barbies Lia gifted us. Now, we need to find a prince charming for them. There is so much and I don't wanna be alone. If you die then I'll also come with you."

By that time both of them were sobbing, still, their grip didn't loosen even a bit. I felt my breath becoming heavy as I approached them.

"Hi, little ladies." I beamed, trying to sound enthusiastic but my acting wasn't up to the mark. I knew that.

But they soon wiped their tears and glowed, showing me their genuine smiles. I too, tried to smile but it was shadowed with a thousand emotions behind it, thus they didn't reach my eyes.

They embraced my legs, each on either side as I giggled stroking their hair.

"Bella, Ron was searching for you in the playroom," I say bending down to their level and poking Bella's nose.

She giggled, making me a witness of her communicable laugh and deep-seated dimples. They both had a little talk with their eyes which consisted of Bella blinking her eyes assuringly and Aria giving a weak smile in return. It melted my heart.

They arrived in this orphanage / NGO almost at the same time and became best friends in no time. And for two years they have been inseparable. They ate together, played together, stayed together, and even slept together. And most significantly understood each other purely and truly, which was rare for children of such tender age.

Bella ran away in the other direction as I sat down on her previous seat, on the bench. I looked at her as she continued staring at her hands in front of her. This is difficult. I never knew how to talk to people. I might have understood the situation but reacting to it was something I was still struggling with.

"You know, you'll come out stronger than you are." she nodded, not convinced though. Huffing, I stood up extending my hand towards her. Patience is not my forte. She gives me a questioning look.

"Come on, let's go. I don't want to see Bella and Ron having world War three again." Aria giggled, grabbing my hand and pulled herself off the bench, stumbling a bit but regaining her balance in no time. But instinctively my grip tightened.

"They won't fight now," she informs in her timid voice, trying to maintain her pace with me but failing naturally. But I don't lessen my speed letting her have a little thrill.

"Why so? They fought so badly just a week or so ago."

"Hm... But they signed a peace pact a few days ago. And you know what, I even punched a stamp to make it official." I shot her a questioning glare so she replied quickly, "But I took permission from Mrs. Smith for the stamp." I smiled at her innocence with a raised eyebrow and nodded.

"Oh. I didn't know that," I replied, then we entered the playroom and the enthusiastic vibrations emitting from the room could be heard before we entered, making me smile internally. Little kids!

"You came after sooo many days. Where were you?" But without waiting for a reply, she jumped out of my already loose grip and rushed towards her little squad.

***

Hey, lovelies!!

So Aurellia's both sides were shown in the very first chapter as you see.

Did this chapter live up to your expectations?

Till we meet again...