The sound of birds chirping is what woke me up. That and the fact that my sister was blaring rock music so loud that it reverberated through the walls. But let's go back to the nice birds. These birds were one of the reasons I loved my flat.

The compound was situated near a park, a habitat for numerous beautiful, little winged creatures. And just beside my room was a large oak tree which served as the platform for the melodious orchestra of the birds' singing every morning.

I loved waking up to the sound of little birds chirping beside my window – as long as I wasn't deafened by my sister's music instead. Sorry, it's awfully hard to ignore such loud music that it practically rocks your soul and that too not in a good way.

Grumbling and cursing under my breath, I finally pushed myself off of the bed and marched towards my sister's room.

"Stop that nonsense before I stop your heart," I hissed after tearing open the door to her room.

"Chill, sis," came the reply from my beautiful sister, Sandra. "It's just music."

"Rock music at 8 bloody a.m.!"

Sandra held up her hands in defence and stepped back a few paces to turn off the speakers. "There," she began cautiously, "it's off now."

"Good." The deep scowl dissolved from my face but left behind a small frown.

Sandra smiled encouragingly before pushing past me and down the hallway. "Do you want some breakfast or would you rather just go and eat from that stupid café around the block?" she asked and then sourly added under her breath, "Like I even need to ask that."

"I heard that, you know."

"You were supposed to, you know," she said mimicking my voice.

I laughed in response and followed her to our little kitchen where I stood by the counter.

Our little flat was not very luxurious and neither very huge; just big enough for the two of us. It had a small living room that also served as our drawing room for whenever we had any visitors. Beside it was the open kitchen with marbled counter to the side. The place had two bedrooms with a small corridor in-between. At the end of the corridor was another room that contained all our supplies along with an ironing table and a washing machine. In the living room we had gotten a large bookshelf installed when we had first moved in here about two years back – right after my parents' death as they drowned trying to save each other after having fallen off a boat – and that bookshelf contained all the numerous books that us two sisters had collected through the years.

I watched as Sandra opened a drawer, took out various ingredients and laid them out on the counter.

"You know, one of these days I'm gonna start to believe that you secretly hate my cooking and that that's the real reason behind your early morning runs to that cafe," commented Sandra.

"Aw love, you know that's not true. I love your cooking!"

"Love it so much as to throw up out of pure bliss and admiration," she retorted.

I raised my hands in defence. "Okay that was one time, San. One time. And I've already told you that I was sick that day! Your cooking, your amazing and mouth-watering cooking, had nothing to do with it!"

Sandra muttered under her breath, "So you say."

"Okay so let us not start the day on a bad foot here," I manoeuvred my way over to her and placed a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "I'll quickly run to the cafe, grab my cocoa and eggs, and run right back to you. Then we'll have breakfast together like two dear sisters who love each other to the world's end."

"Always the dramatic one," said Sandra as she rolled her eyes, but slipped her arm round my waist nonetheless.

"Always the sarcastic one," I teased right back before engulfing her in a bone-crushing hug.

*----------*

The smell of chocolate and freshly baked muffins had always managed to brighten my day. That was the reason behind the foolish smile on my lips as I made my way through the short waiting line in the cafe. Reaching the front, I smiled up at the cashier, Ruby.

In the past two years since me and my sister first moved here, I had found myself visiting this little cafe almost every morning. As a result I had struck an unpredictable friendship with the waitress/cashier, Ruby – a girl with purple hair and more ear piercings than I had been able to count.

While she secretly scowled at most people, for some reason, she had always greeted me with a warm smile. Soon afterwards we became friends and had grown closer ever since.

"So what's it for you this fine morning? The usual or would you like to try something new?" asked Ruby happily.

I blew through my lips and offered her a smile. "No thank you. I have to run back home before my sister sets her mind to finally get rid of me; mind you that her riddance will include a lot more violence and blood than just kicking me out of the house."

Ruby guffawed, attracting attention to us from the elderly crowd amongst the audience. Barely stifling her laugh, she stated, "Well I wouldn't be surprised by that. I've known you for just about two years and already I'm sick of you. I honestly pity your poor sister who's had to mind you for years."

I feigned hurt by placing my hand over my chest. "And here I thought that we were friends." Shaking my head in disapproval I added, "You break my heart, Ruby. You really do."

"Gotta keep up the practice, hon," retorted Ruby before making a show out of flipping her hair back over her shoulder. We both broke down laughing then, attracting a number of angry and disapproving looks from the customers that forced us to sober down.

"Right," began a still giggling Ruby, "the usual then?"

"Yes, please."

Ruby smiled. "One hot chocolate and a plate of egg sandwich coming right up."

I found myself an empty seat near the back of the cafe to wait while my order got ready. Gazing around the small place, my eyes settled down on a pair of blue ones that were already looking at me. The holder of blue eyes swiftly looked away and busied himself in reading the book in his hand. However, if the flittering gaze and flushed cheeks were any indication, he was barely reading the book and more just diverting his attention.

I smiled at this and kept looking at him. He must have been in his early thirties because he had that mature and just plain old aura to him – despite whatever his current actions suggested –  but he sure as hell could've passed himself off as a mid-twenties man to other less observant eyes, what with his muscle built body and his practically glowing olive skin. He had brown hair that was currently set in a rather unruly manner, and piercing blue eyes that I had already managed to look into. Every so often his eyelids would flutter up to look at me, only to find me staring at him, and then he would urgently start concentrating on his book again.

Looking at him then made me realise that I had seen him before; sometimes near my compound and sometimes in this very same cafe. Maybe he lived nearby. Still it felt like there was something more. Like I hadn't only seen this guy before, but had known him too. However the details of it were so blurry that it might as well have been from another life time.

I felt a sudden burst of sadness and happiness, all at the same time, as I stared at the man with the blue eyes. I most certainly couldn't remember him but some part of me begged me to recognise his face. I couldn't however. No matter how much I tried to recall, I just couldn't recognise him.

A hand squeezing my shoulder is what brought me out of my haze and back into the real world. I turned around to find Ruby looking at me with a smirk on her lips.

"Know that guy?" she asked.

"Who?" I was clearly still a bit woozy from my sudden trance.

She jerked her head in the blue-eyed man's direction. "The brunet who is desperately trying to read his book; do you know him?"

I chanced one more glance at him before turning towards Ruby. "No, I don't actually." After a second's silence I added, "But it feels like I did once upon a dream."

"Right," Ruby made a funny face, but dropped the topic nonetheless.

She handed me my order and reminded me of the evident death threat from my sister that had me rushing out the door in no time.

However just before leaving, I turned around to look at the guy one more time and found him already staring at me. This time, however, he did not look away. Instead his gaze pierced through my eyes and into my soul, as if desperately searching for something. Failing to find it I guess, he suddenly looked away for a second and then back with a less piercing gaze. Finally as I left the cafe to run back home to my sister, unexpectedly he smiled at me and even more unexpectedly, I found myself smiling back.    

___________________________________________

Lyrics of song "Once upon a dream" by Lana del Rey

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream
I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam
And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem
But if I know you, I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream

Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-aah mmh
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-aah mmh, mmh-mmh, mmh-mmh

But if I know you, I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once
The way you did once upon a dream

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream
I know you, that gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam
And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem
But if I know you, I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream

___________________________________________

So this is Chapter One. YAAAYYYY

Please tell me you like it. PLEASE! I'm not kidding when I say that I'm pouring sweat and tears and smiles, and a bunch of chocolates and icecreams, into this story! So please, P L E A S E, provide me with some feedback on what you think of this. 

Song is "Once upon a dream" by Lana Del Rey

vote, comment and share, guys! :* :*

P.S Guys please watch the youtube video and listen to the song. There will be songs for all the chapters in this story and they are very carefully selected. The songs are a main part of the plot development. So please, do listen to them. :)

love,

-zainab.