I kick a pebble down the street, my red Converse skidding the pavement. I'm leisurely walking along Raintree Drive on my way to my high school, but I'm not in a hurry. I hate my first hour class because of the teacher and the students alike. A cool wind blows against my back, making my dark brown hair tangle. I shiver. The days are getting colder, now that school has started and the calmness of summer break is over. I reach the end of Raintree and turn left onto Adams Road, careful to avoid the traffic caused by one of the busiest intersections in the neighborhood. I can see my school up ahead now, teeming with students who have just arrived. To the right of me I hear car horns honking so I turn to see what all the comotion is about. Several cars have stopped abruptly, creating a gap between them and the cars in front. At first I'm confused why, but then I see it. A huge male lion is standing in the middle of the road, his golden mane flowing in the wind. I let out a shriek and start to run away, but then I stop. Why weren't the drivers freaking out? They just seemed annoyed. I walk back and notice one guy with his head out of the window.
"Get out of the road, you stupid deer! My son's going to be late for school," he grunts. What? Deer? I look back at the lion and then realize it looks slightly odd. There is a shimmering aura around it and it doesn't look fazed by the shouting citizens around it. The lion turns to face me and I notice its eyes are the color of solid gold. It begins to slink towards me and I back away slowly, scared that any sudden movements will startle it. I can feel my muscles tensing and my heart rate rising. I hear the cars continue driving and the lion is standing right in front of me now, staring me down with its eerie golden eyes. I should be more scared, but my body isn't processing the lion as a threat. It walks past me and into someone's back yard, all the while maintaining eye contact. Right as it is about to disappear behind a house, it's image flickers a bit and is replaced by a white-tailed deer. I blink a couple of times, thinking I might have imagined it, but the deer is still there. It turns its head toward me and a shudder goes through my body. It's eyes look like solid gold.
~ ~ ~
I walk into my first hour history class right as the bell rings, feeling a little faint.
"Amira, are you okay? It looks like you've seen a ghost!" one of my classmates says.
"Haha I don't believe in ghosts," I reply, forcing a small laugh and sitting down at my seat next to my best friend Autumn. She looks at me worriedly and I give her a reassuring smile. My teacher begins the lesson, but my mind is somewhere else. The only thing that I'm thinking about for the next four hours is my early morning encounter.
When lunch time finally arrives, I'm nearly bursting with the anticipation of telling Autumn and the rest of my friends what happened. I sit down at the lunch table with my tray of soggy pizza and apple juice. I know I'm not going to end up eating any of this crap, though.
"Guys you have to listen to what happened to me this morning," I exclaim and start retelling my strange experience. I leave out the part about the lion being shimmery because that would make my story seem even more like a hallucination.
When I finish explaining, both Autumn and my other friend Elliot have concerned looks on their faces.
"Ummm, are you sure you're feeling alright?" Autumn looks at me like I'm delusional.
"I don't know! I'm probably going crazy." I put my head between my hands and sigh.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you, but if the Detroit Zoo had somehow let a lion escape, I'm sure we would've heard about it by now," Elliot says, "I'm going to head to the bathroom so I'll see you guys in sixth hour."
Autumn is still looking at me like I'm crazy so I try to change the subject.
"So... has Elliot fallen madly in love with you yet?" I say with a teasing smirk. Autumn's pale face turns almost as red as her hair, hiding her freckles.
"Oh shut up!" she smacks my arm and giggles. "What about you? No love life yet?"
"You know my parents would disown me if I so much as shook hands with a member of the male population," I joke. The bell rings, I throw away my disgusting lunch, and walk over to my locker. I look at myself in my small locker mirror, making sure I look okay. My dark brown eyes have a wild look to them, and I notice that my jaw is clenched, making me seem hostile. Calm down. Nothing is wrong. I take a deep breath and close my locker. Just as I turn around and begin heading to class, I see a flash of blue out of the corner of my eye. I turn to the left and gasp. The wall in front of me is no longer the dull beige it usually is, but instead a rich blue and gold mosaic glitters in the dim light. I stumble backwards and trip on a textbook lying on the ground. My binders and books fly everywhere and I hit the ground with a yelp.
"Hey, watch it," a boy behind me says. I crawl along the ground picking up my stuff and when I turn to look back at the wall, it's normal again. My head is spinning and I feel nauseous, but I have to act normal so I don't raise suspicion. I take a shaky breath and walk to my next class, avoiding eye contact with anyone because I am sure my eyes show that I'm going crazy.
~~~
Yaaayyyyy!!! You've completed the first chapter! I know Amira needs some more character development, but we're working on it. @Amber_Quell is still very confused about how to use Wattpad and it's hilarious. Y'all should follow her.
~Cas💙
We will be continually working on this story, but it'll be hard with homework and school so sorry if we don't update regularly. You guys are awesome! Also you should follow my friend @Cas_Jason .
*Amber
YOU ARE READING
The Battle at Babylon
AdventureAmira Al-Nasir is your average teenage girl, but when she starts seeing things that she can't explain she find out that she is part of a world that she didn't even know existed.
