CHAPTER SIX

Three years ago

It didn't matter if I died, my dad wasn't coming home.

The sky was pink with dawn, misted with chilly dews still falling onto my window pane. My vision was blurry for two reasons, the foggy window and my foggy eyes. The fever had pooled hot tears in my eyes till it overflowed, creating a path along my burning cheeks to my heavy jaw onto the oversized sweater I had curled my tiny frame into.

Steady wisps of breeze escaped into the room from the one inch space I made at the edge of the window frame. The harmattan wind caused me to shiver with goosebumps erupting under my clothes but I didn't close it all through. Inside of me must have had the blacksmith furnace burning without reserve, I wanted nothing but an ice bath even if it would kill me in this condition.

I picked my phone from where I had dropped it one second ago to check the time. Time moves slowly when you become aware of it. It was five fifteen in the morning. I had been awake for four hours now but it sur