Under The Sunset

Chapter One

I stay under the freezing cold water, running down my blonde hair and body, for about five minutes until I realize it won't be turning warmer. We are out of warm water again. I curse under my breath, and leave the shower to go get a warm towel and wrap it around my body. I then, instead, wrap it around my hair and get dressed quickly. I just put a random pair of leggings, that have quite a few number of holes through them, but I don't really care, and a once-white shirt that now has green paint all over it, on and run through the door of bedroom looking for my parents. I find them cosily sitting in front of the pit fire we have just outside of our house.

"We are out of hot water again." I sigh, while sitting down next to them.

"As if you're not used to it already." my father points out.

And it's true. Here in Africa, during winter is quite hard to get hot water all the time.

I then remember I still have my hair wrapped inside a towel and get up, to let it out of the towel and naturally dry. I walk inside the house and go to my room to comb through my hair and then let it do its own thing. I don't go back to the fire because when I wash my hair I don't like to get the smoke into it. It makes washing it useless.

I check the time on my phone, it lits up to show that it is already 5:30PM. The sun has already set down here. Today is Monday, which means that new volunteers have come to help us. Every second Monday, we get a new group of volunteers of around 25 people and another 15 leave. This makes the total of volunteers that we have during two weeks of about 50, because some stay for more than two to eight weeks with us.

I open my window, to ask my mom at what time dinner will be ready.

"Honey, you forgot? You will have to have dinner with the staff today. We are going to Hwange National Park today because Matthew Daniels is there and we need to talk to him about Swahili." Oh, that's right. I'm always so absently minded.

Swahili is one of our lions, and he has been showing a weird behaviour. That's why my parents need to talk to Matthew, he is one of the researchers that work with us, but he has been out of the country and has only returned for a couple days to go to Hwange.

That means that I have about one hour until dinner is served, so I decide to go say goodbye to my parents, which will be out of Victoria Falls for about four days and head to the coffee shop we have for our volunteers. I've always loved that place, right in front of the river, so peaceful.

"Lani!" my mom says strictly, looking at me with her big hazel eyes "promise me that while we are out, you will behave. Don't get yourself in trouble with Mr. Jones or Rose. And please remember that Tonga isn't a baby anymore, he may only want to play but he is very able to hurt you."

"I know, don't worry." I answer, as I kiss her cheek and then my dad's. "Have fun at Hwange." And then I take my bicycle and head to the coffee shop. I look around my back at my parents, and send them a kiss. They just laugh and shake their heads.

My parents, Samantha and Joseph, always had a passion for Africa, after spending one year traveling around here, before getting married and after finishing university. That's why my name is Lokelani, which is African, and that's why once I turned eight we moved to Zimbabwe. I am now seventeen, which means that we've been here for nine, almost ten years. We are from Australia, however I've always felt a stronger connection to Africa and that my home is here. And I've spent more time of my life here than in Australia anyways. I haven't actually been to Australia ever since we moved. I am an only child, many people think that being an only child is lonely and boring, but I never felt neither bored nor lonely, I have the company of countless animals and that's all I need.