Sphaera A New World's Adventure

CHAPTER ONE

'Hah! Hah! Hah!' an ebony skinned girl leaned on a tree seemingly unable to catch her breath. The sun rays blinded her slightly, her shoulder length hair stuck to her skin as perspiration was visible on her forehead. She peeked behind her hiding spot from time to time.

"This is so not an attire for the great outdoors" she whispered dusting off patches of brown dirt, although she wasn't wrong, her high waisted jeans and puffed blouse certainly contrasted the forest environment. She rested her head backwards to the tree "Damn it Riona, when I get back you are so freaking screwed. 'Not dangerous' she said, 'not dangerous' she said" the girl rolled her eyes as she slid down to the grass "How the heck do I even get out of here?"

"Moron! What do you mean you lost her?!" The voice of a man echoed in the distance.

Her heart lurched at the sound as she tried to stay calm, she searched frantically for the best escape route, thanking God she didn't wear heels today.

With every step they took, her breath quickened "Call Adam, he's going to want to hear about this"

She just needed that right moment, if she moved now, they'd see her.

"Hey Adam, we got something.."

"Tell him to.." now! She sprang from behind the tree and ran off.

"Hey!"

"Dammit that's her!"

And just like that, the chase started all over again, she thought. How the heck did she get here?

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Zizi adjusted her specks as she turned to Riona "I said no!" Her pitch was above normal, a result of her trying to overpower the loud music.

"You are literally the worst bestie" a blonde girl with freckles responded, slurring her words slightly.

"Refusing to drink tecquila at 11am makes me the worst bestie?" Zizi asked with a chuckle.

"Yes!"

"Riona you're drunk, let's go home"

"No! We just got here, we can't leave now!" Riona whined "see! Emkay isn't leaving, right?"

Another green-eyed blonde turned to the duo "Not anytime soon"

Zizi rolled her eyes as Emkay's focus shifted back to a certain sophomore "she clearly has her own priorities, you on the other hand can barely stand"

"I can stand!"

"Shots! Shots! SHOTS!" As Riona attempted walking on a straight line, the guys at the bar carried on their three man parade. Five of them had finished finals that morning and Fred; Emkay's secret crush 'ran into' them, one thing led to another and now here they all were at some random bar.

Zizi shook her head. With all the things she'd done for her friends, they'd better be ready to take care of her and her fifteen cats in the future. She look down at her table, she had had few drinks herself. As she reached into her bag to get her cell phone, a shadow fell over her.

"Zee.."

"Oh. Hey Liam.. you guys seem to having fun" she commented

A dirty blonde haired male laughed awkwardly as he continued "Uhh.. you wanna join us? We need an extra playing partner. That's! if you're up for a drinking game!"

Seeing the expectant look on his face and that of his friends, she panicked slightly "I.. uh.."

"I'll join you" Riona stepped in "I love drinking games and Zizi is horrible at them!" She said with an eye roll.

Seeing him try to protest, she continued while pulling him to the bar "oh my goodness you have to teach me that trick you do, how does it stay every.." her voice faded away as Zizi looked in her direction with gratitude.

She finally brought out her cell phone "Crap!"

"What is it?" Emkay asked

"I gotta pick Chris up from school like right now!" Just the thought of that look of disapproval from the 'oh so great' Miss Richards was enough to sober her up instantly "I'm leaving"

"What about Riona?"

"I'll make it up to her" she said hurriedly packing up her things. With one last swing at her water bottle she said "Tell her I love her!" Before dashing out of the bar.

"Weirdo" Emkay shook her head as she turned back to her 'Fred-gazing'.

Finally out of the bar and on the street, she picked up the pace. It would take roughly thirty minutes to get from the bar to the bus stop. No matter how fast she walked, she'd still be late. The bar 'The Root' had a sort of outlying distance from the major city. They'd come in Emkay's and Fred's cars. She inwardly felt like cursing Emkay, what ever happened to girl code. Right now she needed a suitable excuse for Miss Richards and day drinking was not it.

"Zizi.."

"ZIZI!"

Zizi stopped as she turned to the figure coming her way "Riona?"

"You ditched me!" Riona accused as she approached.

"No I didn't, I told Emkay to tell you I love you" she said cheekily.

"Not good enough" Riona rested on her knees to catch her breath "What's up? Why're you leaving?"

"I have to go pick Chris up from school. Miss Richards is gonna chew me up and spit me out today" Zizi said solemnly.

"Awwwn... Sweetie, I.. ughp!.. I gotta puke, like now!" Riona said as she ran off the road.

"Just puke on the street! Dammit! This is bar, people do that!" Zizi said as she saw Riona run off.

She heard hurling sounds as she walked towards Riona's puke spot.

Right in front of national property, the forest reserve. She shook her head as she held back Riona's hair, patting her back gently "there, there"

Riona took a deep breath and vomitted to her hearts content, when she was done, she sat on the ground "I am a civilized human *burp* I cannot puke on the road"

"Yeah, right... Civilized" Zizi said

"Liam likes you"

"I have to pick up my little brother from middle school, can we have this argument where I'm the bad person later?"

"Fine" Riona attempted standing up as she stretched her hands to Zizi "help".

"The things I do for you" Zizi said with narrowed eyes.

Bang!

"Did you hear that?" Riona asked.

"Yeah" Zizi said, she felt her throat closing up, her breath turned laboured "Riri, get up. Let's go"

"We should check it out, what? are you scared it's dangerous?" Riona said adjusting her dress, she didn't seem to notice Zizi's state, she sniffed as she said "it's not dangerous, not dangerous at all".

Zizi closed her eyes as she took deep breaths to calm herself "You know this is how people die in movies, let's just go" she opened her eyes "Riona?" the drunk brat had run off "dammit Riona!" Nope! She wasn't gonna follow, no matter what. That child should fend for herself sometimes.

She sighed in resignation as she texted her mom saying she wouldn't be able to take Chris home, she and Riri decided to check out a forest reserve.

And just like that she entered the reserve.

"Riona, Riona!" She called out as she inched farther into the forest.

"White people never listen! Sure let's explore the magical cave or the muffled gunshot sounds" that brat!

"FYI if I get lost, I'm suing you!" She yelled into the forest, her voice echoing back to her.

"I thought I said nobody gets shot!" As she went further, she heard voices.

"Riona?"

"You idiot! would you put that damned thing back in your pocket?!"

Zizi approached on the sight right as the man put a gun in his pants. There was a body on the ground; blood still pooling around it. As her eyes met one of the men's she felt herself get roughly pulled away.

"I think there's something out there.." the man who yelled initially spoke.

"Maybe an animal?" One suggested.

"Go check it out! And no guns" he said.

"Riona, what the heck?! Eh?! ị bụ onye nzuzu?[1] You hear sound and you run to it?!" Zizi was livid as she saw Riona.

"Now is not the time to yell at me in Igbo, ok? I messed up, I know"

"You know?!" Zizi took a deep breath "You know what? I will yell at you properly when we get out of this" Zizi said as she ran her hand down her face "How do we get out of here?"

"Let's run separately" Riona said "They won't know who to go after".

"I don't like that plan".

"See you on the other side, partner" Riona said

"Oh my goodness, chineke ekwela mo![2] She's still not sober! Heaw![3]".

Zizi dash out as well and as luck would have it, they chased after her instead.

[1] 'i bu onye nzuzu' means 'are you stupid' in igbo..

[2] 'Chineke awela mo' means 'God forbid" in Igbo".

[3] 'Heaw' is an exclamation used by Nigerians (to the best of my knowledge; I don't know about other Africans) to express shock about something.