Pamuya - We Meet Again

Before I describe the teaser for you, I wanted to inform you that Chapter 2 of Pamuya will come at the end of the month. I apologize for not having it ready last month. But, here’s what I wrote spring semester last year, which I may I end up cutting. In this section, we are in Ayden’s POV and he has woken up from a dream of Pamuya’s death. However, in the present, he has been searching for her reincarnation for some time. During the school assembly, he bumps into a girl and he has finally come face to face with Pamuya. Please enjoy.

Ayden POV

I woke up with tears streaming down my face and my pillow soaked. I wiped them away on the back of my arm and peered over the edge of the bed, checking for flooding. No water. It had been a while since my dreams immersed my room in water.

But this was the first time I dreamed of her death. Sure I knew she had died. We both had lived past lives, so it would stand to reason that she’d have died and reincarnated as I had. Yet my visions showed multiple lives, and there was only one life shared with her. And I was back at square one, believing she hadn’t been reborn as Amek said. Or maybe she had but Amek did something so I’d never see her again. There was a piece of the puzzle missing and I had no way of figuring out what that was.

“Argh! Why Pamuya? Why can’t I find you?” I cried out in frustration, flinging my arm over my face, ugly crying like a schoolgirl. Whomever said boys didn’t care where clearly mistaken.

My cry session was cut short by the sound of the alarm on my phone. It was a reminder that the school assembly would start at 9pm sharp. A time-honored tradition of PAA to assemble the night before classes started. The only thing was that you had to be in uniform, and it was held in the auditorium, with assigned sitting per year, so there was no mingling with people you had met and who weren’t like minded like you. A real snore fest.

I forced myself out of bed and pulled my burgundy blazer and navy slacks out of the closet. Unfortunately, we had to be in proper uniform tonight. Blazer, pressed slacks, white button down and the tie with the emblazoned crest on it.

I stripped off my jeans and blue polo and pulled up the slacks. Then the crisp button down, wrapped the tie around my neck and slip the rabbit through the hole, and slide into the blazer. Next the argyle socks and the black dress shoes. Now I was ready to go be bored to death.

Inside the auditorium, the senior band was playing soft, classical music in the background. This year’s group was better than last year’s but to my ears, it sounded all the same. Classmates were milling about, not quite ready to take their seats and I couldn’t blame them. This was going to be a half hour to forty-five minutes of droning on and on about things we already knew, even the first year high schoolers knew this stuff because they spent the past week learning it all. The middle schoolers already had their assembly and have already gone to bed. Well, they’ve at least been made to stay in their dorms due to curfew. I doubt they’d already gone to sleep.

Just as I was about to locate my seat, I felt a soft form bump into the back of me.

In no mood to make niceties, I whirled around to give the dunderhead a piece of mind when I came face to face with soft, clay colored skin, long, raven hair and one cerulean eye and the other silver.

“Pamuya,” I whispered breathlessly.

She looked taken aback, as if I had spat in her face or something. Then she shook her head for a moment, and her eyes had turned a dark amber. But I had seen them. They weren’t this color a moment ago. It was her. Finally, I had found her.

Breaking through my elation, she spoke, “Sorry, you have the wrong girl. I don’t know anyone by that name.” And she scuttled off.

What? But I thought . . .

I turned in the direction she had gone and tried to get her attention, but she was steadily looking at the stage, as if nothing were more fascinating.

“Pamu—I mean, hey you?”

Hey you? Seriously, why not cat call while you’re at it.

A few girls glared at me, apparently feeling like I’d already offended them.

I cleared my throat and tried again. “Excuse me miss?”

That sounded pervy. Why couldn’t I talk to her? I had memory upon memory of me doing a fairly good job communicating with her. I had memories of doing some other things fairly well but I needed not go there.

I was going to be bold—or stupid but here goes.

I lifted one leg over the chair in front of me and then the other. I could feel the stares in my back, but I didn’t care. I needed to talk to her. I needed to know.

Then I slid down, so as not to have the seat pop up on me or my foot fall through the hole in the back. Standing firming on the floor, I inched across the next few seats and excused myself over the people whose toes I wasn’t trying to step on. Some of my classmates looked annoyed, while others snickered at my antics. Pamuya looked petrified, like she wanted to sink into the floor. But I didn’t care. I had nothing to lose by trying.

“Mr. Smith, just what do you think you’re doing?” The principal called from the front of the auditorium.

Busted. I was hoping to have spoken with her before the assembly started. But I was sure creating a commotion in a room full of nosy teenagers didn’t help anything. Plus, the principal was standing center stage, in a fully lit room where he had the best vantage point in the room. I might as well return to my seat and accept my punishment once the assembly was over.

Or . . .

“Mr. Smith, I won’t ask you—”

Here goes nothing.

I took in a deep breath and stood as tall and firm as I ever had before, and replied, “Sir, I just need to know this girl’s name.”

I pointed at Pamuya. I was close enough now that I could see her out of my peripheral vision. She sunk down even further into her seat but I was betting it all right now. Either the principal would make her stand up and introduce herself or he’d remove me from assembly to wait in his office. Either way, I had nothing to lose.

Time seemed to stretch on and on as for Principal Riley’s next move and Pamuya’s response. If she gave one. My palms were sweating, my heart was racing, but my soul had come alive. I could feel the blood rushing through my veins, feel the cells divide and accumulate, feel the hairs on my arms and neck and head stand to attention anticipating the next move.

“Well young lady. Here at Perkland, we like to oblige. Stand up please.” Principal Riley gestured for her to stand.

Yes!

She groaned audibly but begrudgingly rose to her feet. She made no eye contact with me but I could tell she wanted to slap me. That’s a feeling my sister has shared with me on many occasions. So I knew it quite well.

“My name is Annalee Greyeyes” She said to the audience, then took her seat. But not before she cut me a scathing stare on the way down.

“Pleasure to meet you Annalee. I’m Ayden Smith.”

She whipped her head around so fast, it looked like she had whiplash. Her eyes were blue and silver again, peering, searching for something. They grew wide ever so slightly before going back to normal, in size and in color.

I couldn’t contain my grin. Oh yeah, it was definitely her and she knew it was me. We had finally found each other.

“Well then, my office Mr. Smith, after the assembly. And do please take your assigned seat.”

Reluctantly I made my way back to my seat but I still had a smile on my face. Annalee. What a pretty name.