Echoes of The Mind.

One

          I sat on the edge of my bed, resting my forehead atop the palms of my hands. I unplugged my cell phone from the charger to check the time. "6:24." I sighed deeply and built up the courage to begin the day. I slipped my painted toes into the fuzzy white slippers in front of me. I hadn't washed them in weeks but they still looked brand new. Dreadfully, I stood up and stretched my arms upward making my way to my large bedroom window, yawning as I pulled my curtains apart, the sun felt warm on my dark brown skin. But the brightness made me close my eyes. After adjusting to the change I looked out the window. The sun had just finished rising, leaving streaks of pink and orange in the sky. I smiled gently and headed into the bathroom to shower.

        In a robe and shower cap, I left the bathroom to get dressed. It was 6:50 and I was running late. Once arriving in her room I saw the time and felt my heartbeat quicken. The school bus was coming in 15 minutes. Hurriedly I removed my robe and cap, smothering cocoa butter on my arms and legs with my eyes glued to the clock on my nightstand. I can't miss the bus again, I have a project to finish. I thought to myself. On top of the project I had. My sister, Fatou, has been on my case about taking too long to get ready.

        I always wear her hair naturally. I hardly straighten it or get braids, So I need time to style it in the morning, which often takes longer than expected. In only my undergarments I went into my closet to find something to wear. My indecisive trait suddenly didn't exist. Quickly I slipped into some dark jeans and a pink sweater, then rechecked the time. 6:57, No way I took that long. Annoyed, I sat down at my vanity to inspect my hair.

        Two cornrows fell to the side of my face and the rest was in a puff. I ripped the hair tie out and aggressively sprayed my tight coils with water. I rotated my chair 180°, so my shoulder lined up with the mirror. "Seriously?" The neck of my sweater was soaked. I pulled it off and was left in a gray tank top. I took a comb out of my drawer and roughly ran it through my hair, I mixed in some mouse and did my edges sloppily. After finishing I looked in the mirror, somewhat pleased with the outcome. I leaned back in my chair to look at my alarm clock, 7:13, Shit. I thought again. I pushed myself away from the vanity and pulled the same pink sweater over my head, making sure to stretch out the neck so my hair wouldn't get messed up. Nearly running I went back into the floral-scented bathroom to apply deodorant and perfume. Then I went to get my bag and shoes, this time I ran. I put the bag over my shoulder and quickly tied my Adidas. I felt like I was forgetting something. It was my jewelry, I snatched a few necklaces and rings from my nightstand and shoved them into the front pocket of my jeans. I was planning to put it on once I was on the bus. Now I was ready. I began running out of the house as I put on my headphones. The bus was there, and it looked like it was about to leave. I ran faster waving my hands and yelling so the driver didn't go without me (again.) After a short run, I made it on the bus. I went up a few steps, breathing heavily as I spoke. "I am so sorry Ms. Lucie, I swear this is the last time." The driver only rolled her eyes and waved her off. I was relieved. I sat in the back seat and exhaled harshly. Digging into my back pocket I took out her phone and unpaused my music. That was close.

        The bus pulled into the parking lot, I hoisted my bag over one shoulder and slipped my fingers into multiple gold and silver rings while getting off. I looked up at the school's entrance, anxious to enter. There was a long banner between the two tall brick pillars in front of it. Mental health awareness week! I rolled my eyes, The government really wants to get the population up, huh? The rate of mental illness has been increasing since 2030. People were constantly being sent to institutions and asylums. Crime rates have gone up and the population has decreased, over 60% was wiped out. Seeing the sign prompted me to take my antidepressant. Still standing in front of the entrance I removed a semi-translucent orange container out of my bag, opened it, and took out a small blue pill. Before putting the pill in my mouth I circled my tongue on the roof of my mouth, gathering saliva as a replacement for water. I placed the pill onto the pool of spit on my tongue and swallowed it hard. Quickly I closed the container and put it inside back into my bag while I walked into the school. Inside, the walls were covered with posters. Don't kill yourself one read. Another said Call 999-LIVE, for help. Looking past the signs and trying to block out the chatter and sound of shoes squeaking, I scanned through the few people socializing and finally found who I was searching for. Elliot approached me with her arms wide for a hug, she always dressed so cute. She was wearing a floral shirt that kind of looked like a dress. A miniskirt and some Adidas shoes that were popular in the 2010s.

"Good morning Mina." The brunette girl said while holding her friend.

        "Hey, Ellie," I breathed out tiredly, melting into a hug. Ellie and I have been friends since we were in third grade. We bonded over the passing of family members who struggled with depression and anxiety, like both of our parents. Ellie is my only friend and vice versa. We walked to our first and easiest class. "Mindfulness and Meditation." The school made it mandatory for freshmen and sophomores to take at least one psychology course each semester. This is what we chose. On the way to class, me and Ellie talked about everything, even though we saw each other every day, there was always something to talk about. Today Ellie told me about how our classmate, Sebastian went off his medication and jumped off a bridge. It wasn't uncommon to hear things like this happening so I wasn't very phased. A week earlier a freshman girl hung herself in the custodian's closet with an extension cord.

        We entered Mrs. Z's class, where we were welcomed by the warm smell of lavender and eucalyptus. The room was set up uniquely compared to a normal class. There weren't any desks or chairs, just a dozen square cushions in a large circle; they each had different patterns and colors on them. Some were plaid with blue and green, others had polka dots and paisley, with about a yard of space between each one. I sat down on one with a zigzag pattern, setting my bag in front of my crossed legs. Ellie joined me and scooted her cushion towards me causing our knees to brush against each other. I took her hand and smiled. I'm grateful to have her in a world like our own. Ellie smiled back at me and not long after, the bell rang, and then their teacher Mrs. Z walked in. She was wearing a deep purple ankle-length skirt that made it seem like she was floating and her long dreadlocks that normally fell to her forearms were tied in a bun on top of her head. At this point almost all the cushions are taken... all except two. Mrs. Zs and Sebastian. Mrs. Z sat alongside the empty one and cleared her throat.

        "Good morning my students." She paused as if she was about to say something important. Me and Ellie already knew what was coming. "Sebastian has committed."

hey guyssss

so far this chapter has 4 views, and two of them are from me. to the other two readers, thank you for your support, and leave feedback if you can

stick around for this story, i think you'll all love it

lots of love

- i