ZARAMANNI (BOOK ONE)

Zaramanni pretty much grew up in Philadelphia and as she opened her eyes and left her sleepless state, it dawned on her that she had never explored the city she grew up in.

Heck, she didn’t even explore the house she lived in and according to her Granny, that huge house had some amazing features.

Basically, all her mind was trying to communicate to her as she stared at the ceiling was that her life has been boring.

Absolutely boring.

Zara sighed.

The next second, she wondered what she could do to make her life more interesting. She wanted to do something that would successfully take her mind off her annoying past.

Soon, she realized racking her brain for ideas wasn’t going to end well. So, she reached for her phone, glanced at Dominica who had fallen asleep the minute she stepped into the room and Zara began to consult Google for an answer to her burning question.

After going through a long list of suggestions, some of which seemed ridiculous to her, Zara finally sat up and prepared her brain ahead of the activity she had picked.

A few minutes later, she was grabbing a hoodie, reaching for her tote bag, and quietly walking out of the room.

“The hostel closes by midnight,” the porter she met at the exit said. Zara threw a nod in the direction of the woman who wore an emotionless look in a pitiful way.

As she stepped out, she noticed how bright the night was.

Zaramanni smiled. Her walk would definitely be a good one.

“The moon looks so dim today,” a student who was walking into the hostel said to the person beside her and they both took a look at the sky, the duo giving each other affirmative nods.

Zara looked up as well. But, the moon was looking as bright as ever even if it was crescent-shaped at that moment.

She smiled again.

There was one thing she liked about her strange appearance and that was her attraction to the moon and her ability to blend into the darkest of nights. Never had she failed to see properly in the dark because the moon was always there, shining brightly for her in a way other humans couldn’t see.

And, Zara loved that.

Nighttime was her time to fully enjoy the bliss of being unique. In the daylight, she finds herself being cautious of people. She never wanted people to notice how different she was, especially since her skin always shimmered in the sunlight.

So, Zaramanni liked that Google suggested that she took a walk. She knew as she started taking slow steps toward God-knows-where that she would indeed love it.

The tall girl let out a sigh as a gentle breeze passed and delightfully raced through her long hair which was a distinctive feature in the night. Sparing short glances at the buildings she walked past, she admired how detailed the sculptures designing her path were and as Zara did that, she immediately realized that she didn’t need to do something grand to have fun.

She didn’t need to do what other people considered fun either. If something as simple as walking could make her feel so relaxed, she would definitely do it a lot.

Zaramanni soon halted her steps.

Someone had uttered her name.

Perhaps she imagined it.

So, she decided to walk some more.

But, as she looked around, she realized she was not familiar with the place her lazy steps had led her to.

Thank God for technology, she further thought as she took out her phone, turned on her GPS, and pinpointed her location. As she stared hard at her phone to make sure she avoided getting lost, she heard her name again.

“Zaramanni,” the whispering voice sounded thick, masculine, and very resounding.

“Uh…” Zara scanned her surroundings with caution as she gripped her phone tightly. “If you want to rob me, I have only five dollars with me and uh… a chocolate bar.” She narrowed her eyes as nobody seemed to be peeping from a corner. “Just saying. You shouldn’t waste your time.”

The voice didn’t call again, but, without imagining it, Zara could feel heavy air being fanned down her neck.

Someone was behind her, there was no doubt.

But it would be stupid of her to suddenly turn without having a plan or a weapon. Zara stared at her hand. Only her phone was in her grasp.

Zaramanni tilted her head slightly as her system cringed at the thought of ruining her phone to get a potential robber off her path. But, anything to stay alive, right?

So, with all the strength she had, she swung her arm, and turned swiftly, ready to strike. Only for her to be stopped by the person who had been breathing down her neck with just a single hold.

Her hand still in the air as the man with piercing blue eyes stared at her with a deep frown, Zara tried to get out of the firm grasp.

“Zaramanni.” There was no mistake, as she heard the man speak, he was indeed the creep calling her earlier. The only thing that was left for her to figure out was how he managed to sneak up on her.

“Let go of me,” she firmly commanded. The man didn’t seem bothered by her struggles and his calmness annoyed her. His calmness made her realize something else.

The man she was staring so angrily at was the same person that walked out of the room with the blue light. Her eyes twitched as noticed that he was putting on the same thing as before- a very unique two-piece suit. It had flowery designs embroidered all over it in a very stylish way.

Zara looked down and noticed his shoe had a diamond-like fragment attached to the middle of the footwear.

’Who is this man?’ Zara asked herself as she looked into his eyes once more, still baffled by how her sight was altered greatly following his unexplainable presence.

“My name is Ezeman,” he replied with his thick voice which surprisingly had a certain melody attached to it.

For a second, Zara wondered if he had read her mind, but she shook that thought away.

“How do you know my name?” she asked the man who had a serious look on his face despite how awkward the entire situation was.

“I have come to take you with me,” he answered.

Zara closed her eyes for a second, then she released a deep sigh before opening her eyes again. Then, she stared deeply into the man’s eyes, hoping that she looked as threatening as she thought.

“Are you from a cult?” she asked.

The tall man blinked. He failed to show his willingness to drop her hand which was still in his grasp. “I am from Amarxona.”

”What’s my business with Amazon? I didn’t order anything from them. Or, is this some sick game?” The man didn’t reply to her. Zaramanni sighed as she suddenly decided to go along with the man’s talk, hoping that it would be over before she knew it. Hoping that within a few minutes, she would be back in her room. “Okay… What does Amazon want from me?”

”Amarxona,” the man corrected.

“What is Amarxona?” Zara asked, dragging the question. At the same time, she wondered what the deal was with the strange name.

“I need you to come with me.” He refused to answer her question.

”I don’t want to. Will you force me?”

”No.”

”Oh.” Zara didn’t expect that. She had a feeling that man was going to become violent, it seemed that feeling was wrong.

“You don’t have a choice.”

”Huh? What’s that supposed to-” She felt his palm slap her forehead as soon as he released her hand.

Zara instantly felt tamed. The fighting spirit that was growing inside her died and she felt willing to do whatever the man says without asking questions.

She hated that. She wanted to slap him on the forehead as well, walk out of that place and go back to bed. But, she couldn’t do anything, she couldn’t throw a punch as she wished.

But she didn’t give up. She had no idea what the man did to her but she had a feeling it wouldn’t last long. So, she decided to patiently wait.

As Zara waited, her eyes followed the movements of the man who was now taking off the clothing that covered his upper body, an action that made Zara frown and even more confused.

“Are you trying to seduce me?” she asked as confusion clouded her mind some more. “Is this some kind of erotic show? Are there hidden cameras around?”

The man ignored her and successfully took off his suit top.

Zara felt he had a nice body… well-toned and attractive. But she still saw no sense in him taking off his top, so she had a sneer on her face as she stood still and watched him do some stretches.

“Holy shit!” Her sneer soon turned to a look of shock as his back shot out wings. She was still unable to move freely but her body shifted with great discomfort as she tried to make sense of the sudden evolution of the man’s body. “What are you?” she asked as her bulged sight stayed glued on his wings which were butterfly-shaped, slightly huger than his back, and painted with streaks of different colours that made it a pretty thing to look at.

As it was when she first saw the man, she was seeing colours she was not used to seeing.

Ezeman turned his back to her, startling her once again. His hands in the air, he began to mutter some words. Suddenly, a bright blue light stared at her as it formed a big circle. As she stared at the strange thing happening in front of her, Zara began to feel freedom in her stiffened limbs.

It was time to run, that much she knew amid the great confusion around her.

So, Zaramanni summoned all the strength within her to make sure her attack on Ezeman was impactful enough to disable him temporarily.

A grunt left her lips as she braced herself. Zaramanni raced toward the strange being and the bright circle he was summoning, ready to hit him in the back of his head with the strength in her arm.

But, unfortunately, Ezeman swiftly shifted his body to the left and Zara found herself jumping into the circle, unable to stop herself from doing so.

Something enveloped Zaramanni as she tried to swim out of the unfamiliar space she was in. Her struggles were effortless as everything she had in her possession began to leave her desperate hold.

With a frown, she persisted in her willingness to leave the space which was beginning to feel chilly. Zara tried to reach for her scattered belongings at the same time.

While she struggled, Ezeman stepped into the space, his usual calmness on his smooth-looking face that looked manlier as seconds passed. That composure he carried strongly annoyed her.

Ezeman reached for her phone and the dollar bills that were flying in the space, as well as her bag, and flew toward her, his wings flapping in a way that bothered her seriously.

As she watched him with a strongly troubled mind, Zara started to wonder what she had gotten herself into.

“Zaramanni…” Ezeman held her shoulders firmly and she felt a shudder, her fright growing as she realized she could not feel her legs anymore. “Look at me. Stop fighting it.” Zara shook her head and tears clouded her eyes as all she wanted to do was get out of that strange place.

“Zaramanni, if you keep fighting it, you could get torn apart.”

Her eyes bulged instantly at his words.

“Just stay calm and follow my lead,” he said and even though she stayed reluctant for a second, she accepted his hand and allowed him to lead her out of the chilly space toward wherever it was they were going.

As Ezeman flew further into the light and pulled her with him, Zara hoped that whatever was at the end of the journey wouldn’t be the death of her.