5. Staying Up All Nights

When the darkness and the cold night's air come, I don't want to close my eyes eventhough I feel very drowsy since the past hour. I try my best to be awake, I drank two cups of black coffee so far, to fight against the drowsiness. I'm anxious to be asleep, worrying the dream I'll get when I shut my eyes, I will meet Blaze again in dream--and that is the last thing I want right now.

I got my first part-time job after my class, I work in a loundry center located at a very pertigious area. It is surrounded by high-class apartements and offices, and the loundry where I work in, is the biggest store giving loundry services in the area. It will take more time for me to go back home, because it's quite far from my home. The salary is mouthwatering for a part-timer and the owner is a very kindhearted woman, Miss Fia is a nice and warm person who accepted me working from 5 pm until 11 pm. I will start working at Sleek Laundry tomorrow after my last class.

At first, my mom didn't prohibit me to work, she didn't agree if I must go home after 11 at night and alone riding my old bicycle through the night, but I convince her, courtsy to my karate-black belt when I was in junior class. I never afraid about going home at night by my self, but there's only one reason that always terrified me lately, the devil or should I call him, Blaze my green-orb temporary lecture.

Just by thinking about him, I feel haunted. Staying up all night, it will be another daily activities for me starting from tonight. My body, I really hope my body can endure this nocturnal torture. I must stay awake in order to be safe from that evil creature's terror. 

*** 

I yawned for like a hundred times already, yes I did success for two night in a row, for the nocturnal-journey of mine a.k.a staying up all night. But the side effects really kicking in, at the second day--I can't keep my eyes open at class. 

Thankfully, I can understand the lesson taught today, because I always listen for the first hour and sleep until the class over, and it seems the main lesson always at the very beginning of the session. Right now, I have a very black circle around my eyes, and I never use a concealer or have any. 

"You must not stay up, Laila. You don't have to study until morning, this is just the beginning of the semester, take it easy!" Lidya giving me another preacher of hers while chewing her fruit salad at the cafetaria. 

She doesn't like how my face looked right now. She starts giving preacher about the side effect of staying up, starting from the dull color of hair, hairloss, dark circle, dull face, acne, dry skin, black spot and so on. Like I care! Huff she doesn't know the reason why I fight to stay not asleep. The seconds my eyes shut, his shadow is appearing, I wonder if there is a spell to block this kind of things. I did browse for that actually, they said to prevent bad dream we must hang a dreamcatcher-scoff.. I think it will take more than that to repel this evil terror. Should I call a shaman to jinxed him? Oh.. But he is the devil! Could a shaman fight againts a devil? 

I smile reluctantly and emptying my cold coffee. I would never tell her about Mr. DeVille or Blaze to her, because I can guarantee she will laugh on me or worse... call me crazy. Lidya has been stalking the new lecture all day and night. She tried to find any social media account of the guy but nut succeed. Everyday before the first class starts she wanders around the lecturer offices or the cafetaria. She often saw him drinking his first coffee at those places.

Suddenly the devil himself sit across our table, with his straight but intimidating face, he gracefully folds his hands on the table and looking into our direction. O... I really hope that Lidya is the object of his intimidating eyes, but my prayer always fail me, because its me he is looking at. My mind try to give me a positive thought, maybe he needs a coffee, it's a public area! I think again, my eyes wander at my surrounding, there are tons of empty table! Why he sit here! That was mind trying to betray me! 

He wears a white long sleeve shirt without a tie and a white trouser. So the devil want to act as an angel-scoff, his face is too sinful to be an angel. He keep his eyes on me without blinking, he makes me suffocate inside the full-conditioned cafetaria. Lidya try to fix her hair,  she display her ten thousand megawatts smile that always works to melt everyone. 

"Lidya, I will go outside for fresh air, maybe at the garden. I can't breath... now," I said, standing up and bring my backpack along, I glare back at Blaze, sending him a sign. Showing him that I can fight back, I will go outside the room running away. What a coward, but I don't care. I haven't slept for two days in a row, I am bitter.

Lidya nods her head. "I come--" her sentence stopped by the time she meets Blaze eyes giving her a sultry looks. Lidya snapped, "Oh... God... it's Mr.DeVille! I can't leave him alone, he was giving me a sign, an acceptance sign! " she whisper-yelled at me with her eyes as big as saucer, "what should I do??" Now her face reddened. There is a wanting looks in her eyes, she doesn't want to leave me, yet the opportunity is too appealing to be left. 

I gulp loudly, "Greet him! Eat him,  whatever!! We'll meet again at class. See ya!!" I leave her flushed at the cafetaria and walk away as fast as I could. " I wish Lidya could eat him alive literally, so that I could be free from the terror. I really need a good sleep, my head is drumming loud with pain. Feels like the was a carnaval in there,  a bad with a false note carnaval. I need dreamless sleep.