🎶🎶🎶 "I'm only 18, and I feel like I'm dying..." 🎶🎶🎶

🎶🎶 "I'm zoning out too soon, I know that..." Slipped.

Suddenly, in an eerily slow mo., his two legs were airborne, and his vision were upside down, he could see the sun saying hi directly on his face, warming his cheeks, and like a snap of a finger "thud'.

A passer-by lunged towards him to save the fall but it was too late.

Cracks! "Yeeeeh!"...

Dusts bursting everywhere like birds escaping a hunter's cage.

A sharp bellow of air forced out of his lungs, as he shrilled and cried.

A taste of tan and iron on his tongue, hissing as he felt his own blood on his taste bud, like his own body rejecting his own blood..

"What the f*ck is this?" He asked no one in particular, as if the ground he walked on was the villain. He observed his ribs to check if he had fractured a rib bone. None, "whew!" a breath of relief.

Passers-by who in a moment were frozen about the unplanned show of failed acrobatic they just witnessed, went about their stroll and treks like people dispersing after a clown show with an unfunny ending.

Embarrassed to walk, Orion stood up like a defeated soldier, dusted his bag, which swept some dusts into his nostrils, 'coughs', 'sneeze', he continued dusting his clothes till he became tired and started walking.

Orion plugged one of his earbuds back to his left ear, and was about to put the other when...

"Orion Lace"...."Orion, without a knotted shoe lace".

That was the reason for the fall. His shoe lace was loose and sweeping the floor when he stepped on a leave.

'Who is calling me'? He said to himself, turning to look towards the direction of the call, right on the pedestrian crossover bridge, he saw his female neighbour running, trying to catch up with him. It seems she has been calling him for a while, but he couldn't hear because you know, he was about to lose a rib bone.

He smirked, indecisive whether to wait for his goofy petite neighbour or keep walking.

Indigo snow, 'what a weird combination of names', Orion thought, grunting away the absurd thought he had. Indigo Snow was a 17 years old blonde teen, a 5"7, moon-faced, jovial neighbour of Orion Lace.

They lived on the mountain side nestled in South Africa's Western Cape, Franschhoek is a picturesque town cradled by the Drakenstein Mountains. Rolling hills, lush farmland, and sun-kissed meadows stretch towards the horizon, while a crystal-clear spring bubbles gently. Summer brings vibrant blooms and cauliflower fields. The town's quaint main street features Cape Dutch architecture, art galleries, boutique shops, and world-class restaurants. With its rich Huguenot heritage, tranquil atmosphere, and breath-taking natural beauty, Franschhoek is an ideal retreat for those seeking serenity and charm.

Despite being in Franschhoek, the mountain side where Orion and Indigo lived seemed like the eclipsed area of the town, a little decent and peasant living on this part of the world. Farmers, stone mason, hawkers, bakers, were the type of people you'd find here.

While Orion Lace was from a pretty decent Clerk officer's family, Indigo Snow came from a family of the middle class citizens, her father was a journalist and her mother owned a shop where she sold Jewelleries and beauty ornaments. Indigo was a third generation child, from a British grandfather and a South African grandmother. Indigo's mom, who was the third daughter of her grandparents married her Father, a British man from Durham, England who has spent his entire 5 decades of life in South Africa. Liam Snow, Indigo's Father was a British man by nationality, and also a South-African by birth. Liam Snow who spent his entire life in South Africa only know his way to Durham by description, not that he had stepped in Durham all his life.

Orion Lace, a first child and son to a family of 4, with two kids, Orion and his 14 years old brother, Logan, were birthed to a White Cardiff Man from Wales, seeking asylum in South Africa, and a half-caste South African mom.

"I have been calling you for the last 4 minutes and you decided not to answer me", Indigo said, panting, as she was glad to have caught up with Orion in time before he moves and ignore her.

Orion looking at her with a disinterested stare pointed to his ears, "You can see I'm on ear buds".

'Smh!' Indigo taking a step forward to indicate movement suddenly swerved back and planted a quick kiss on Orion red lips. "Hmm, your lips is bleeding", "What if I turned into a vampire, 'cause your blood tastes sweet".

Orion who was shocked by the sudden move, "Yo! Why would you do that?", cleaning his dusted and bloodied lips with the helm of his black round neck shirt.

"You better don't dwell on my kiss too much and let's start moving 'cause we're already late for History Class." While giving Orion a wink.

"Ewww!", Orion exclaimed as he wiped her lips off his mouth and started walking with her to meet up with History class.

Orion couldn't help but notice how delicately shaped Indigo was, average height, blonde, moon-faced, and a soft jiggly southy-made backside rested and been supported by her thin legs.

A delicate balance of white features on South African heritage, he couldn't help but notice the side ways movement of her behind, like water in a balloon type effect. "Damn!" he let out a rispy whistle which caught the ears of Indigo, "what?".

"Nothing", he answered while changing his vision to the walkway with autumn red leaves littered all over the road to avoid Indigo catching him staring at her. As they continued walking, Orion mind wasn't at peace, 'what is Indigo eating these days?', 'She's been looking decently feminine and hot these few days', 'Has she always been like this?', 'why am I just noticing?'. He pondered on these thoughts way too long he wasn't aware he was at the entrance of his classroom, SS-1A, as indicated on the door tag, a spacious classroom among the Senior secondary school blocks.

Cape Town International School, a public high school at the centre of the town, where both Junior and Senior high school goers, both black and white of decent income gap go to school. An above average high school, of good ratings and commendable feats in academic success and sports, with a population of 378 students.

"Hey, watch out for the door" Indigo tapped Orion who was already lost in his own thoughts. "Silly, Only you know what wonderland you're that you look so lost".

"Yeah, thank you", Orion said, snapping back to reality and avoided hitting his head on the door frame. Yeah, Orion is on the tall side, 6'2, decent build, sharp nose, full black hair and thick brows. With the hair and height, Orion is classified as among the top 4 most handsome in the class.

"Hey, Indigo! Come here, I have a seat for you."

"Good morning, Ashanté." Blows kiss, "Thank you very much". Indigo cut through the third row to get to her school buddy. Ashanté, Indigo's friend, 5'6, caramel skin, South-African by everything, face, body, language, with a good command of british english has been friends with Indigo since JSS-2.They became friends when Indigo was trying to use the school rest room one afternoon when she noticed someone crying in the toilet.

"Hello, who's there?"

"What's up with you?" "Why are you crying?"

Sobs continued.

"If you don't talk right now, I'll force open this door".

Silence.

Furious about not getting a response, Indigo was about to slam the toilet door open when, 'Clicked'

... nothing...

'Creaks'...The iron rusted wedge of the door anguished as Ashanté slowly opened the door to Indigo waiting for an answer.

The toilet was surprisingly clean, an unusual sight for most public schools. Graffiti, written names and a very common "(individual name) was here" tattooed the whole wall in black, blue and yellow markers and inks.

"Hello, what's your name and why are you crying?".

"I am bleeding.." Ashanté murmured in between tears.

"Did you get injured?" Indigo asked surprised.

"Yes, I think my intestines are injured"

"Oh! What?, let's me go and call the school nurse, ASAP."

Indigo ran as fast as the wind to the school clinic, "Ma, please! My friend needs help, she has internal bleeding".

"Internal bleeding?" The only school nurse in the school who just devoured a food box of Breyani (Rice-based dish with meat and vegetables) and milk tart, belched a little too loud before responding to Indigo.

Thinking it was another usual pranks of the students, the school nurse, Miriam was quite reluctant to follow Indigo, but because she was told her friend was crying in the toilet, Miriam had to stand up, feeling heavy, carried her legs one by one till she got to the toilet where Ashanté was, still crying.

After a quick scan from head to toe, Miriam asked, "Hello, what's your name and why are you here?"

"Ma, I'm having intestinal bleeding and all my under-wears are stained"

"That's not your name"

"Ashanté".

The nurse opened her first aid kit which contained a tin of glucose-D, gloves, methylated spirit, wool, bandage and a cane???. Indigo was astonished by the sight.

"Oh! The cane, yeah, it's for whipping your asses if y'all wanted to pull a prank" Miriam responded to the reaction on Indigo's face.

"Come Ashanté, let me clean you up first, you'll follow me to the clinic to get a free pad. When we get to the clinic, I'll health educate both of you on Menarche and female cycle".

After a few minutes of cleaning, the three females strolled down to the school clinic as Nurse Miriam diligently explained the female cycle to the two of them. After class that day, they both held hands while walking down the same lane on their way home till they parted ways.

Indigo had barely sat down on her seat with Ashanté when Mr Rodrygo, their History teacher came in for the first lecture of the day.

"Good morning Class!".

"Good morning, Sir!" A class which was previously noisy and chattering became ocean deep silent except for when they had to respond to Mr Rodrygo.

"Hope y'all had a good load of Breyani today, because I'll be taking you on a long ride about Nelson Mandela". Hyperbolically stressing the 'long'

"Yes, Sir!".

"So what do you know about Nelson, hey you dreamer, tell me" point towards the back seat where Orion sat alone, doing whatever no one knows.

All eyes and faces shifted towards the renowned back bencher of the class, Orion Lace, who had never missed a class day, yet, a steady back bencher that no one dared to take his seat.

"Sir?"

"You heard me right?"

'Coughs'...Tried to clear his throat, "Sir, I'm sorry, can you come again, I didn't hear you right".

"If you didn't hear me, that means you're not listening, and since you're not listening, KINDLY GET OUT OF MY..."

'POW!' Gunshot.

'Gasps'.

Slowly, with protruding bloodshot eyes, he fell on one knee to the ground, the other, then a gasp, and collapsed.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, densed with a burnt ammonia smell, like a storm rising to climax, Siphesihle, the first girl on the front seat screamed and everyone as if waiting for the call burst in all directions, the door, the windows were their escape route.

Tables and chairs danced and toppled in chaos as everyone took to their heels to escape the horror they just witnessed.

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED"?.