ECHOES

chapter 1

The echoes.

They kept going on and on in my head.

Why won't they stop? Why continue?

Almost all the time, these voices, echoes, whatever they were.They came at intervals, draining out my emotions and leaving me bare. Despite the fact that I sometimes took solace in them, I just wished it would end.

I wished the echoes would stop one day.

"Temiloluwa! You have started again abi? If I come and meet you there, you will hate yourself..." The voice of my mother snapped me out of my reverie.

I groaned in displeasure and let out a low-key hiss.

My mum was to drop me off at school before going on to her office and because she was intolerant of tardiness, her annoying yells rings out every two minutes.

In moments like the current one, I couldn't help but dislike her.
Not that I don't love her so much, but really, she's annoying.

It wasn't like she couldn't be sweet if she wanted to, she just preferred to annoy the hell out of my life every time and it didn't help that I had no one to share the receipt of her annoying tendencies with.

"Temiloluwa! Aren't you going to school?!" Mum yelled again, the pitch higher than normal this time. I knew I was in trouble.

"I'm almost done ma!" I yelled back, quickly gathered the remaining books loitering my desk and shoved them into my backpack in a haste before zipping it close and shrugging it on.

I left the room in a mess, cleaning up would have to wait till I got back from school. I'd wasted too much time processing random thoughts already.

Mum was fuming by the time I walked down the stairs. I could literally see the steam blowing out of her flaring nose and scarlet-coloured ears.

I sensed trouble.

"Just know that there's no breakfast for you, you hear? Do you know what then time is?!"

In a bid to avoid answering her question, I peered at the slim leather watch strapped to my wrist.

It read 7:01 am.

Which wasn't late at all. Morning assembly didn't start until eight and the school was just twenty minutes drive away.

"Mum is just seven—"

" _Gbenu ee soun_ before I sound you. Do you know how hectic Monday traffic is?" Mum snapped before I could finish whatever I was going to say.

I mentally added ' hectic traffic ' to my bucket list of reasons why I hated Mondays.

The complexion of her face hadn't improved, her normally pale skin maintained the deep shade of red that announced the level of anger she was displaying. It was safe to say that she was near level two.

Level two meant: don't say another word that is not an apology.

"I'm really sorry mum, it won't happen again." I murmured meekly. Looking down at my feet and sucking in the lower part of my trembling lips.

"Oya! let's go Jo, ode!" My mum finally said after she gave me a look all mothers had. And just like that, I knew I was forgiven.

I grinned inwardly and sighed in relief. Her anger didn't advance to level one or there would have been hell to pay for it.

*

No one on earth could beat my special loathe for 'School'.

I called it the devil's incarnate,hell on earth, death by fire, mental abuse to humans and so on.