INVICTUS

I

The gestalt flicker

Of a dying light

Reveal our fatal rhapsodies

If you can't arrange for a solar eclipse to spark up your day there is always Salih Sarfraz. If he's not there, well, to put it simply, you're screwed. Unfortunately for me, he's all the way in Dubai on a secret mission he simply won't disclose, leaving me to bask in the absolute glory that is Doomsday, Judgement Day, Armageddon, or most famously the first day of school. He's doing a terrible job as my best friend I can tell you that.

He'll probably tell me to suck it up.

No scratch that. His sister would tell me to woman up. Trust me when I say this if Raihana tells you to woman up, she means business. Personally, I think she's a dragon stuck in the body of a woman. So I conjure an image of her in my head. Her dark eyes glare at me, disappointed. Her perfectly done metallic blue lips curl into a snarl.

"Woman up!" She hisses.

With that, I rush out of the room lest I should face her imaginary wrath. Even her phantom image could wreak havoc in an unguarded mind.

"Morning." I greet my mother, Callista, who busying herself making toast.

She stopped what she was doing and instantly pulled me into a hug. It's moments like these where I wonder whether she really understands the concept of good mornings. Nonetheless, I let her.

"Look at you" She exclaims kissing my cheek. "My little boy all grown up, School Captain and ready for his first day in year 12."

I didn't have the heart to tell her that year 12 technically started in term 4 last year. I think I responded to her. I'm not sure. Sometimes the sharp smell of her perfume (CK Eternity if you were wondering) can be overwhelming. It was then that my little git of a brother, Aaron, walks in. He sticks out his tongue in obvious mockery. Just wait until you're in year 12 little bro, just you wait.

I manage to extricate myself from her hold. I grab an Up n' Go.

"Surely that's not all you're having!" Cries mum.

"I got to go study," I tell her.

Her face fell. She's really big on the whole family thing. But this is year twelve and I cannot, to put it nicely, fuck up.

"Sorry mum," I tell her with a quick kiss on the cheek. She brightens up again and I make my way out the door slurping on the Up n' Go.

Out of pure habit, I make my way next door to Salih's house. We've been neighbors for longer than I can remember. I remember walking through these grimy streets with backpacks too big for our bodies excitedly chattering about 'big school'. Most kids cry the first time they go to preschool, but we didn't. We had each other and that was all that mattered. Years passed and filled these streets with memories of scraped knees on soiled concrete, play wrestling, broken bones, shattered car windows, sullen vendettas, and golden laughter. You could say we are best friends. But really we're a two-man gang, and Raihana is our honorable third.

But he's not here today and I have to walk this highway to hell alone. I briefly wonder if this is a bad omen. But I reprimand myself. I'm not superstitious, I have never been, why start now?

Somehow without him, the streets are strangely empty, despite the onslaught of cars and pedestrians. It's only a fifteen-minute walk but it feels like an eternity, and I'm not trying to be dramatic. That's Salih's job.