Ascendancy

Chapter 2

              It's about dark when we reach Ethiopia. All day the wind has been blowing in my ears and when Natalie yells over the noise of the cycle and air, "Almost there!", I can barely hear her. Seeing a city up ahead is a huge relief, because my butt is basically numb.

          The sand blowing behind us, we arrive in town and Natalie drives us directly to a clay baked hotel. You'd think I would be in some kind of a culture shock at seeing an actual town, after living in a refugee camp for so long, but this small village looks pretty impoverished; maybe not a giant step up from a refugee camp.

          I stiffly hop off the bike, loosen my legs and open the wooden door for my red hair companion. A dark man at the desk greets us cheerfully, and while Natalie checks in, I go and lay down on the colorful couch, exhausted by this day's journey.

         I apparently dozed off, for Natalie has to shake me to wake up. "Hey, we're in room #4."

         "Oh, ok. Sorry." I say, looking around me dazedly. I drag myself off of the couch and we head towards our room. And I get a good look at the hotel on the way. It is fairly small; probably about ten rooms in all. African nicknacks sit in small crevices in the walls and everything is red and earthy. And lining the floors and hanging on the windows are bold colored fabrics, giving the space a cheerful vibes.

         The room door is similar to the front one, made of wooden sticks held together by rope in a decorative pattern. Thankfully there are two beds, and while Natalie goes and takes a shower, I flop on the one closest to the window. Listening to the sweet sound of water hitting tile, I drift away, reminded of rain. It's been so long since I've heard that sound...

         It's like I've been knocked out, my sleep is so deep. But the sun has just barely cracked over the horizon when Natalie's watch alarm bleeps out the most obnoxious sound, disrupting my bliss. Butt sore. Butt sore. Is all I can think as I drag my aching body out of bed.

         As ever, Natalie is up and spry. Even before the alarm clock had rung, she must have been down to the hotel kitchen, for Natalie sits calmly eating some kind of special rice. "Good morning." She says, looking comfortable in a pair of skinny jeans, light blue shirt, and leather jacket.

         "Good morning." I reply easily. "I'm going to take a shower."

         "Ok, but we have to leave early this morning to make it to the Ethiopian airport in time for our flight."

         "Right." Thank goodness for planes and seats that don't numb your butt.

         I jam my gritty clothes into a plastic bag, and grab a new outfit from my backpack, sitting my bag back onto the toilet. All my other stuff has been left at the camp; to be shipped by the UN volunteers when they arrive back at their headquarters.

         Toiletries are already left in the shower from Natalie's shower last night, and so I just turn the water on and hop in. I don't even care that the water is freezing; it's been so long since I've had a real shower. Even just standing, the water wetting my hair and running down my dusty body, is bliss.

         Only when Natalie yells, "Five minutes," Do I realize where I am and what I'm doing. I go through the motions quickly, then furiously rub myself dry, nearly taking my skin off in the process. Then I slip on a pair of sweatpants and a hot pink shirt, and stumble out the door, ready to cram some food into my mouth.

         "Where's the food?" I practically screech, seeing the cleared table.

         Natalie just calmly looks up, eyebrows raised, from where she is packing her backpack full of hotel water bottles, and says, "We need to go."