[Footnotes "Bui[1]"
"January6, 2025, | 7:39 AM" The Black stationary alarm clock reads.
Malik's face was buried deep in his pillow, his blankets tangled around him like life was being squeezed out of him. His room was dim, with light shining through the split in the curtains. The soft hum of his alarm clock sat unnoticed on his nightstand, the numbers glow at 7:42 AM in an accusing red.
He rolled over to his side lazily and turned his head toward the clock, blinking once, twice—then his heart dropped—7:42 AM.
"Shi-"
"BLAMP",
His mother slams the door open.
"MALIK GET UP AND READY FOR THAT BUS!"
"Y-yeah, yeah, I'm up!"
The frigid January air hit Malik Lambert like a slap to the face as he rushed out the front door, backpack barely hanging onto his shoulder. The sun was starting to creep over the rooftops, casting long shadows across the quiet neighborhood. His breath came out in quick, misty puffs as he sprinted down the sidewalk, shoes pounding against the concrete.
"Damn it, not today," he muttered under his breath. It was the first day back from winter break, and he was already running late.
As he turned the corner, movement caught his eye. Another figure was bolting out of a house just up the street—Jamie Wilson, his best friend, also in a full sprint.
Malik smirked. "Bro, you're late too?" he called out between breaths.
Jameis glared at him, fixing his beanie on the run. "Man, I was up all night! I overslept!"
Malik curious about the police cars lined up at the neighbor's house, asks "Hey bro what's up with all these cops?"
Jamie gives a prompt response to him "Apparently last night there was some guy on the balcony who got cut in two, but the crazy thing is that there's no one who could have done it, some scary stuff man."
Malik intrigued responds "Yeah I see what you mean, it's a crazy world we live in."
The two of them reached the bus stop at the same time, skidding to a stop just as the yellow school bus came into view down the road. The familiar morning hum of the neighborhood cars starting, those getting ready for the 9 o'clock rush, dogs barking somewhere, the familiar feeling of home.
Malik exhaled, still catching his breath. "New year, same struggle, huh?"
Jameis chuckled. "We never learn, do we?"
They laugh and catch up with each other as they go onto the 8:15 bus.
All the students in the 12th-grade classroom take their seats. It was 9 o'clock class had started.
The teacher rambles in a muttered tired voice. "Good morning class, and welcome back from winter break. I hope you all very much enjoyed yourselves I will be your 1st-period teacher for the term. I expect assignments to be turned in on time—no exceptions. If you're late to the first period, you get three strikes befo—
Malik and Jameis rushed down the narrow hallway of the school's left wing, their footsteps echoing against the tiled floor. It was already past 9:00, the classroom door loomed ahead like the entrance to a dungeon.
Malik takes a glance at Jameis. "You think he already started?"
Jameis sighed. "Man, you know our luck? Most definitely."
Malik took a deep breath, grabbed the door handle, turned it, and slowly pushed it open, trying to be as relaxed as possible. The moment they stepped inside, all eyes turned to them; some giggled, some indifferent. At the front of the room, their teacher, a tall dutch man at about 6'4 with a graying beard, a permanent frown, and an aura of misery, paused mid-sentence and turned toward them.
"Well, well, well," he grimaced, crossing his arms. "Look who decided to grace us with their appearance."
Malik swallowed hard. "Um... good morning, Mr. Jonckers."
Jameis awkwardly follows. "Morning, sir." In a polite voice.
Mr. Jonckers raised an eyebrow. "Morning? The class started five minutes ago. Please tell us all what you two were doing to be late on the first day. were you perhaps solving world peace? Or perhaps rescuing kittens from trees?"
A few students chuckled. Malik sighed, "this is going to be a long day," he thought to himself.
"No excuse, huh, boys?" Mr. Jonckers continued, tapping his shoe on the floor. "That's strike one by the way. Take your seats now."
Malik and Jameis exchanged a glance at each other before quickly sliding into their desks. As soon as they sat, Jamie leaned over and whispered, "Man, first day back and we done already catching strikes?"[2]
Malik sighed, rubbing his temple. "Teach doing too much now."
Jamie sighs, and whispers back "Yeah I know right"
Malik sighed, rubbing his temple. "Teach doing too much now."
"Yeah, I know," Jamie replies.
Malik sighed, rubbing his temple. "Teach doing too much now."
Jamie, slightly annoyed says "Bui you just said that"
Malik repeats himself again, and again, and again, and strangely, no one in the class notices. Jamie then realizes that this isn't ordinary. He's trapped in a weird time loop—he can move freely, but everyone else is stuck on a six-second repeat.
"The Gift Of Time" A voice stresses in a dried-out, raspy voice
"Wilson"
"Wilson"
"Wilson"
"I won't repeat it, boy," He said in a sassed tone. Jamie looked up at Mr. Jonkers, he realized that he was zoned out, maybe it was a dream, maybe it wasn't, this was the beginning. The Genesis.
The Dawn of a New Era.
"The Galactic Era"
[1] "Bui" is a Bahamian bastardization of the English word boy..
Bahamian: Ha’ad go bui . Proper English Translation: How is it going. 2. Bahamian: see! that’s the bui right there. Proper English Translation: look! there’s the guy right over there.
Credit
-@GolfRomeo242
Roman Dictionary
[2] Broken English will be used for each person as a heads up that idk grammar lol -AllBlek