AFTER 168 HOURS [BOOK 2,168 HOURS SERIES]

Prologue

Life they say is like a school. It has its ups and downs, but all we have to do is to struggle no matter what. Some days in school, we laugh. Other days we cry. Sometimes in school, we make new friends. Other times, we fight because they end up betraying us. So is life for every one of us. We don't know what would come next or what to expect... We just move, trying to survive alone.

To be beautiful means to be yourself. Life is the result of the examinations and your struggles are the questions you need to answer. There's no cheating anybody in this one because, in any situation, there's a sacred solution.

In life, you do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do. To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you someone else- is the greatest accomplishment.

Whether poor or wealthy, a male or a female; in everybody's life, there's a point where you can't go forward anymore. And when you reach that point, all you do is quietly accept the fact... That's how you survive.

The morning began on the other side of desire; the huge auditorium was well-decorated with colorful flowers and balloons which added beauty to the bright day.

All the graduating students marched to their seats when a set of drummers arrived. It was a delightful sight, indeed. The students sat alphabetically in ascending order of their names, all graduates, as well as their family members, friends, the school rector, the Vice Chancellor, the Dean of studies, the guidance counselors, and most of the lecturers, were present along with guest speakers and well-wishers. There were about 4 to 5 guest speakers at the event.

Among the 30,000 graduates of Ahmad Bello University, Zaria-Humaira was just one of them. Wearing the Navy blue with horse-blood stips at its tip, the satin was more than an honor for Humaira. The graduation cap was a crown, but there wasn't just a little difference in Humaira, there was a big change. Her skin glowed like royalty with a spark in her eyes. Humaira was gisting with some of her colleagues on the seated roll, though she wasn't comfortable. She stretched her neck here and there, looking for someone she'd been expecting…. Zainab.

"Where's she? Where could she be?" She kept on muttering to herself as her eyes searched the crowd.

Meanwhile, Zainab just entered the auditorium, confused and worked up. Yes, she was just coming from Abuja that very hour, and what she wanted to see was the perfect view of her beloved sister; Her hope and joy. Glancing for where to sit, stab looked to the left. There I saw a huge crowd sitting on the bleachers, so she quietly joined them.

Humaira's eyes x-rayed the place again. It was hard to spot Zainab but Star, Gift, and Theodora had also promised to be there. However, they had graduated a year earlier but the four of them were still very close friends; especially now that Humaira seems to be the leader of the group.

At first, It was hard to find those three but after squinting her eyes and telling one of her classmates, Fredrick Daniel (a guy who used to be their course rep) to move his noggin, she found them on the fifth row.