The knock on the door repeated itself again, except it was louder this time, jolting Buji out of his sleep haze. Buji reluctantly rolled out of bed, rubbing his eyes to get off the sleep it still harbored. He further stretched his body with the intent to make his muscles which were stiff from the restless night, free.
"Coming," he muttered, wondering how long it had taken him to sleep. Virtually to his reality, he thought he slept for a few minutes. He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep so deeply.
Upon opening the door, Emra stood dressed in her sports outfit, a sleek combination of blue leggings and a fitted tank top. Her appearance this morning was staking with attraction. With her natural aura of confidence, she was just going to serve as a perfect… friend.
"You're not ready yet?" Emra asked, looking really shocked.
"Sorry. I wouldn't have known it was morning if you hadn't banged at the door. Thanks for waking me up."
"Bang? Emra smirked. "I knocked severally but you ignored me. So, I had to increase the force I used to knock on the door. I didn't bang."
"Sorry," Buji muttered.
"Don't tell me sorry. I am still fit and healthy, you know," Emra blotted. "Get prepared now, we are jogging today."
That was Emra for you.
Anytime she returned home, Buji was bound to take part in one exercise or the other. If they weren't sparring, they would be taking on endurance drills, among others. Today, they were going to be jogging.
"Give me a minute," Buji requested, darting to his wardrobe. He pulled out a hoodie and a pair of black joggers.
Emra waited by the door, giving Buji a chance to dress up. She fiddled with her ear pods trying to ensure its balance. At the same time, Buji laced up his sneakers and made for the door.
"Let's go," Buji retorted, as he, with Emra, dashed out of the room together.
Creeping into the crisping morning air, they noticed the streets were still quiet. The atmosphere was doing its job, ushering the soft light of a waking sun.
'She really woke me up so early,' Buji cursed with his thoughts.
***
Buji and Emra jogged side by side, their footsteps formed a steady rhythm that could plunge a puppet to dance. For a while, the only sound they heard was that of their sneakers, sharing contact with the road's pavement and the occasional chirping of birds.
"So," Emra decided to break the silence. "Did you think about it?"
Buji hesitated. Although, he figured out what she asked about but decided to play dumb.
"Think about what?"
"About the invitation…" Emra answered.
"Yeah. I thought about it," Buji said, finally.
"And?"
"I was going to give it a try," he replied, but noticing the response was satisfying from Emra's look, he added. "I will join the academy."
Emra reduced her pace, shifting her gaze to Buji who jogged by her side.
"You are sure about this, right?"
"Yes," Buji said, his stare fixed on nothingness ahead. "I have thought about it. I need to stop living in uncertainty, but instead, explore this uncertainty."
Then mellowing his voice, Buji said, "If the academy was where I will find my answers, then I am going."
For a moment, Emra didn't retort with any action. She was rather, fused with her thoughts. If Buji thought like this, it meant one thing – he had read the book. She decided she was going to collect it this time, without returning it.
Noticing the sudden silence from Emra, Buji had to ignore it but stated instead, "It wasn't easy if I must say. I had to think through a lot of things. But the more thought, the more I fell into the realization that I couldn't keep running away. Maybe this is an opportunity to know my worth and capabilities, if so, I'm not letting it go."
He read the book, no doubt.
She forced a small smile to tug at the corners of her lips as she said, "I didn't think you would agree so quickly."
They turned to a corner, heading to a stretch road lined with descending trees. The scent of the tree lingered in the air, adding to the morning's serene environment.
"I'm so glad you accepted," Emra said. "In that case, you will be going with me."
"With you?"
"Don't worry. I'm not going tomorrow. The awakening ceremony is in five-day time and I will be staying home until then," Emra explained.
"So, prepare," Emra softened her expression.
They continued jogging in silence and after a while, Buji got distracted by the questions that swirled in his mind. For some reason, there's more to Emra convincing him to join. No matter how hard he tried to reason it, nothing came. So, he gave in to thoughts and asked the questions.
"Why did you push so hard for me to join?"
Emra hesitated before she answered.
"Because I see something in you, Buji. Something… different."
"Something different?" Buji repeated, unsure whether to feel flattered or wary.
"Yes. I don't know what it is yet, and I'm not yet sure. Guessing you were just going to be different."
The puzzling nature of her words gnawed at him, but he chose not to press further. Instead, he kept his focus on the path ahead.
When they became extremely tired, Emra stopped. She leaned against a tree to help her catch her breath. Buji followed suit, he was exhausted not just tired.
"Will you be there at the ceremony?" Buji asked with a different tone.
"I will be there," she replied.
Buji hadn't expected Emra to say less. He hoped she would have told him a few other things he might need to do. Before Buji could open his mouth to utter anything, Emra had already made hers.
"Let's finish the jogging," she said.
As they headed back home, the silence between them was scarified by their thoughts. With no exception, they thought about nothing in particular that might be best known to them.
When they reached the front porch of the mansion, Emra's expression changed but she managed to hide it.
"Get some rest. You need it," Emra urged Buji and vanished into the building.
Buji stood there for a moment, enjoying the cool morning breeze as it brushed against his skin.
He had finally made his decision but still had doubts left within him. He felt the path ahead was going to be more daunting than ever. Whichever way, he had to give it a try.
'In five days, I will be on my way to give what I consider mystery a try.' He shrugged at this thought and suddenly remembered.
The book.
---