Privileged

Prologue

November 16, 2019
The sound of chaos from the streets and towns had died down. From blood curdling screaming of injustice to screams of lost hope. I had forced myself not to look out the window, the sounds of the dying fire scared me enough. I had been siting there. Alone. To collect my thoughts, jotting them down here before a new one entered my mind and yet another escaped.

I wondered if Dad lied to me. Telling me that he was needed at Hillman to talk about refugee centers down town. That he would take me to one as soon as he knew it was safe. I sat there, silently doubting the man who has always told me the the truth. The city power was shutting down slowly. My phone was instantly blowing up with Amber Alerts cities far and near. I scurried to the small TV in our kitchen, turning it to the news to hear what chaos ensued in other parts of the world. I leaned in intriguingly listening to them warning us to go to our local refugee center. the last warning went out before the screen went to static. I clutched my seat paralyzed and glue to the screen.

Moments passed before the TV returned back to the news. A green screen was shown. Across the screen wrote:

"Please excuse our technical difficulties here at Full-man News. We will be back soon to share more information and keep you updated. Stay Tuned."

A few minutes, which felt like hours had passed, I went around the house double checking the locks and peeking outside to see how worse the city began to look. I tried calling my dad, once again, every hour, doubting that he would pick up. I began to bit my finger and paced around the hallway, impatiently waiting for the ringing to stop. Finally it did but my small feeling of relief went away, dreading to hear the automatic woman say:

"Thank you for calling Hillman Residential. We are deeply sorry we missed your call. We will call you back as soon as possible. Leave us a voice mail message, with your name and we will get back to you. If you cant reach us over the phone, don't hesitate to leave us a message on our official Hillman website. Your opinions always matter at Hillman. To leave a message press-"

I threw my phone at the floor, questioning if I will ever get to see my family again. If I was ever going to have a future. I slowly sat on the cold hardwood floors and hugged my knees as the tears rolled down my cheeks. Each drop staining my jeans.

I finally worked up the courage to stand up after hours of chaotic silence. I slowly crept towards the guest bathroom and turned the faucet on. I looked up at the distressed figure in the mirror.

Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. The mascara had stained her cheeks. Her hair was damp and messy. She wanted to scream some more or cry some more. But all she could do was wipe her face with the lukewarm water, escaping for a moment , remembering how she could escape her stressful day by taking a relaxing warm bubble bath and fully submerging her head underwater. Only to relieve her stress for a few seconds.

I suddenly snapped out of my memory, realizing that an emergency broadcast was on the TV. Demanding citizens to get to there nearest possible Refuge Center. I quickly shuffled for my shoes and keys and headed out the door. I sat in my car trying to process the current events.

As I sat there wondered if this was all a nightmare. The yelling. The fires. The loss. The I realized, it was a nightmare.... the ones you never wake up from.