AIMER

AIMER : Encounter

On an unknown street, a woman is walking down the stones-filled walk path. With her hands in the long coat pockets and a saddle bag on her left shoulder, her face was hard to make with the dimmed street lights.

Then another figure is seen walking on the other side of the streets behind the buildings, with his earphones on, strapped in leather jacket and black turtleneck, he then pause and seems to realises something and starts to fasten his pace. The woman that was walking earlier look to her left staring at the buildings, the deafening silence stares back at her. And in that moment, as if time slows down to even a drop of water from the remaining drizzling rain can even be felt, unknowingly the man on the other side of the buildings are now running, running from?

He reach an alley and walk into a large towering gate, it's locked! He try to unlock it but to no avail, so he turn around and look at his surrounding again. A frown and drip of cold sweat going down the side of his forehead. That's weird. Suddenly it feels like calm again, as if there is no one chasing him now.

The woman that was walking is now standing in the middle of the street, her brows raises as she momentarily touches her necklace pendant.

"Meow.", a purring matte pink nose grazing against her face.

Meow? She opens her eyes and a black cat with majestic fur stares at her pawing gently, now that she looks around it's a bedroom, the sun hardly just rises. She looks down at her weighted blanket.

"Right, I was dreaming." she rubs her eyes and tussles her hair aside off her face. The cat starts rolling down on her lap, affectionate this one, comes in her room just to get snuggles even before her alarm rings. She stares outside her bedroom window as she recalls that vivid dream she just had, that was.... very random. As she about to make a mental drawing of the man's face she sees in her dream, "Ouch-- Alex!!", her cat playfully bitten her fingers.

"Aimer, get up we're going early.", her mother's voice can be heard outside her bedroom door. She looks at her phone's screen, it's not even seven yet. Looking over at the luggage sitting next to her table, she sighs and gets up.

---

"Aren't you excited?", her older sister elbows her gently as they sits next to each other in a plane, putting their handbags aside and getting ready to board the flight. "I guess.", she touches her necklace's pendant, it has become a habit for her every time she is thinking or feeling anxious. "Excuse me, can I have a glass of water?", she stops a stewardess that was walking in the plane aisle. "After the flight takes off Ma'am.", the stewardess smile and nods at her.

"Why are you nervous, you're the one who wanted to go.", her sister chuckles a little bit, Aimer bites her lip as she wonders to herself as well. She was the one who suggested to go traveling abroad for a change of scenery. It is only her older sister, her mother and her going this time since her father is busy overseeing a huge project at work. What was it called again.

"Mom, where did Dad go again?", Aimer asks her mom who is sitting on the other side of the plane seats. "Ethiopia. They're building a new dam there." Their conversation got cut shortly when the pilot starts announcing over the speaker to have their seat belt on.

"The weather today is sunny so our flight is going to be breezy, so ladies and gentlemen remain in your seats as we sets to take off, and enjoy the nine hours flight--", the pilot's voice fades as Aimer stares out the plane's window, the scenery goes out to the sunny blue sky outside.

---

"Welcome to Abu Dhabi~." A middle age gentleman greets them as they arrive at the airport's arrival lounge. They were escorted to a four-wheel-drives to go to their booked hotel. "Hey I overhead mom talking to the guide, we are going to go around every two days it seems." her sister talks to her as Aimer unpack her luggage in the hotel's suite. "Wow, really maximising the whole Middle East package." she replies as they both look at each other with that knowing look.