Faces Over Walls

Chapter 1: The Meeting

"Sometimes all we need is a Listener"

The sound of the occasional thunder, the flashing of the light, and my racing heart was all that was alive in that unlighted room. I could see the sky turning darker and darker as the clock ticked on further and further. As if the sky was a bomb ready to explode and the clock ticking away the time until 'BOOM'. It felt nice in a way. The world with its endless misery coming to an end. I could hear my mum busy in the kitchen, humming an old Indian song as she worked. Her humming felt like a lullaby. The rich aroma of the pakoras wafted inside the room from under the door. The bed was feeling cozier than it ever did. The humming continued and my eyelids dropped and moments later, I was asleep.

"Won't you help me? HELP!" I woke up, breathless, cold sweat over my body, throat hurting from the dryness and the feeling of oncoming vomit. I ran straight to the washroom, barely making it in time to the sink before I puked. As I looked up, I saw someone in the mirror. A girl, eyes swollen and red, dark circles under the eyes, Black hair all over the face sticking to the sweat, color gone white and those eyes... why were those eyes looking so horror stricken? Wasn't she used to it by now? All those nightmares, all those times waking up in the middle of the night, heart pounding so hard as if to escape this shattered body and find a new one, a hopeful one, wasn't that enough that its creeping into the day now? Moments later, I was back in my room, a sour taste in my mouth which was very irritating and a headache which felt like someone was hammering my head. A feeling of uneasiness was spreading inside of me and oozing out into the room. I couldn't hear my mum's humming any longer and the sky outside was almost pitch black now. There was no sound to be heard except the distant sound of the TV. I looked over at the clock to see for how long I was asleep. "Only 15 minutes?". The smell of the pakoras had started making me feel nauseous again and I couldn't afford to throw up a second time. The room was starting to feel unbearable and the headache was getting worse by the passing second. "I.... I can't... I can't breathe. I need to get out of here."

I made my way out of my room, on light foot like a hobbit so that no one would hear me. I was too much of a wreck to answer any of their questions at the moment. I swiftly made my way to the terrace stairs. As I walked by the living room, I could hear the reporter on the TV saying "A storm has unleashed heavy rain and gusty winds as it barrels up the East Coast. Citizens are advised to stay inside their homes and not venture out unless.........". I closed the front door behind me, shutting out the voice of the reporter. The hands retreated back into the shadows and I started climbing up the stairs towards the terrace. I was aware of the fact that I'll get scolded for going out in this weather. I knew it was very foolish of me to go out as I had just heard the news telling the citizens to not go outside. But certain things are not carried out by logic and reasoning. Somethings are purely based on feelings. And it's not like I wanted to hear the news. The living room was on the way to the stairs leading to the terrace. So, hearing it was inevitable. And right now, no amount of reasoning could have stopped me from going to the terrace. It was the only way of calming my nerves. I opened the terrace door and the wind hit me so hard in the face with the smell of soil that my headache melted away into nothingness. I left the terrace door ajar so that no one closes it while I'm still out here. The wind scattered away my hair. The feeling of coldness was spreading throughout my body like the warmth of hot chocolate in winters night. It felt nice. I was no longer feeling the urge to tear away my skin. Just as I was making my way to the edge, the first drop of rain fell on the tip of my nose and moments later its brethren joined in one by one. I took out my Mp3 player and put in the earphones. I clicked the start on my mp3, and the nature began its show. The trees began to dance, a dance unlike any and so elegant, that in response the thunder cracked a cheer and the clouds began to shower its wine upon us all. The rain had finally arrived in full gusto. The fatigue, the headache, the sour taste in my mouth, the feeling of unease, everything was gone. I felt like I could run a marathon or dance in a ball till I can't anymore, right now. The sky looked as magnificent as ever. It seemed like someone had poured black paint over the clouds which got mixed up with the whiteness and gave in to this beautiful shade of darkest gray. Now everything was perfect. "I don't know for how long, but right now, everything is...... perfect."