The World Outside Home

Now that the key belongs to me,  I  consider myself facing reality since I`d be mixing up with the outside world dreamers.  

“Are you ready to take that step though?” asked the mystery voice.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?”

My lastborn brother came into my room.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing to worry about and what do you want in my room?”

“There is much we need to talk about." he said, "Once upon a time in a village, there were these two brothers; one was older than the other one. This day came, they both got the same type of work and started working the same day but the young one had to report to the old one. You know why?”

“What’s your point exactly?”

“You are in grade6 and you may say you are turning twelve but it doesn’t mean you are old. Even though mom gave you freedom, I bet you will never get a lead towards your dream until the right time.”

“The story doesn’t end there, ten years later, one had to be promoted between the two, and guess who got the promotion? The young one; experience at a young age.”

“You don’t get it.” said my brother, furiously.

“Please leave my room before we fight.”

“I’m trying to help you here.”

“I don’t need it and I never will.”

He left laughing, “You will need me one day, let`s hope I`d be around.”

One day I went to the park and as I was walking I came across this group of boys, my age group. I went to introduce myself to them and we became friends at that moment.

Later, they surprised me when one took out a bag of marijuana; they are weed smokers. As they were smoking I became a passive smoker and got high without realizing nor smoking.

As I got to know them I realized that there was this one guy who would just command and everything would happen. You may say he took them as his slaves. After they were done smoking, that guy asked me to tell them about myself.

i had nothing to say!

“I am a homeboy that is passionate about its dream and studies, rather than that I’m good in technical stuff; you can call me an IT specialist,” I said it as a joke- laughing.

They all laughed and gave me a handshake one by one at the same time introducing themselves to me.

It`s funny the names they told me weren’t one to find in their identity documents-  that was weird!

“You’ve heard our names and since you volunteered to be our hacker, your new name is Mastermind.” said the Group- leader.

“Is it how you do it in this group?”

“One more thing, from now on, whatever you do pass through me first.”

Is this guy for real? I asked myself as I stepped back a bit.

I am good at hacking or IT stuff but I never thought of doing it as a hobby or something like that. However, if I join them I might as well make myself some money to buy the lab equipment and start inventing the pill.

I told them I’m in and they said there were some initiations to do before been the real member of the group. I didn’t mind since I was so convinced to the idea of making my own money from my own sweat.

I started hanging with them more often and the streets knew me as their group member. People in the society started to distance themselves from me all claiming that I was a bad person. How was that even possible? I’m new to this outside home world and when did they see me do wrong unto them?

As days went by, I met this guy at the corner store. My family and his had a bad history from way back but he got that nerve to talk to me.

He only spoke trash, claiming how notorious my friends were and that I should distance myself from them before it’s too late. I laughed and left him to speak alone.

Only if I was a lawyer, I would have charged him with defamation of character.

Later that day as we were chilling at the park with my friends, they were doping themselves as always but this time one took out a bag with a cream-white powder stone in it; they called it cocaine.

After they all sniffed their lines they got extremely energized and were even sweating. They wanted to gallivant so they then took me to their club-house for the first time ever and when we got there, hell happened!

They took me to this room full of gadgets; it was familiar to mine but it's software and devices were way more developed and expensive than a hacker could imagine having.

They told me that everything in this room is going to be mine but after one thing- initiations! Members who were present that moment all beat me up.

As they were doing so, the Group leader told me that they will beat me for 3minutes so if I feel like I can’t take it anymore I should shout “I quit”.

Did he hear what he just said? I can’t just quit when I`m already in pain. I  feel like  I  have been beaten for more than an hour or so. I have to get a reward from that pain. If he thinks I’m going to quit he should think again.

It all ended after 3minutes, and I became a member of the game.

When I got home, it was a late-night but I found my family waiting for me. When mom saw bruises on my face I thought she was going to add some on top of them, but she didn’t.

“What happened to you, my child? Come here”, said mom, politely

“Nothing you should worry about, mom.”

“You come home in the middle of the night beaten and you tell me it’s nothing I should worry about! Are you for real?” mom asked.

“YES! I am for real." I said, "Only if you`d accept my dream I wouldn’t have wanted my key and this wouldn’t have happened.

“Oh! So I’m the one to be blamed, really?”

“What do you think?” I said, then took the first aid kit and went to my bedroom.

As I was treating my bruises I got thoughts about my friends. Are they really notorious? Are they the reason everyone hates me? But apart from them using drugs I think they are cool guys though.

“Then why did they beat you up and why do they want you to be their hacker?”  asked the Mystery- voice.

“I’m really not safe anymore. Do you own me or you are my curse?”

“Don’t avoid my question.”

“You too! Wait, you responded!”  I said, “I guess everything has a new beginning.”

“I remember that guy who once told me that my friends were notorious and that I should distance myself from them before it’s too late. I thought he was wrong while he was right and now it`s really too late, isn’t it?”

“Go away, what do you want from me?” I asked as I was starting to fear this mystery voice.

When my lastborn brother came into my room, I relaxed.

“What do you want now?”

“I have a deal for you. If we go back to business tomorrow morning I will haunt whoever did this to you.”

“And do what, beat them too? I’m not interested.”

“Then I will convince mom to accept your dream.”

“If that’s possible then it’s not enough.”

His phone rang and after the call, he told me that the old man scientist said I could come and use the lab and chemicals but only on weekends and during school holidays. I got over-excited and accepted the deal.

A few minutes later I got an e-mail on my laptop. It was from the group and it said that there is a meeting in the morning that no one should miss. To me, that e-mail sounded commanding and as I said, I’m not a slave. Maybe it’s about time they saw a piece of me too.

In the morning, instead of attending the meeting, I went back to the streets to push my brother’s business.

During mid-day, people I thought least on my mind came by- my group mates, including the Group leader.

These guys were approaching me, what if they gonna beat me up again? But my brother will come to the rescue. I’m sure of that.

When they finally reached me, they seemed surprised too. I wonder why.

“Mastermind, it’s not how it’s done. I know you are brave but be wise.”  said the Group leader.

“When the owner of this territory finds you here, you’ll go 6feet underground.”  said a member.

How notorious could my brother be?

“How well do you know him, the owner of this territory?”

“I work with…, I can say he`s a partner hated by all, that’s why we are working on killing him and since you are brave I’m making it your job to give me his head; alive!” said the Group leader.

“What! This guy is…”

“His what?”

“Notorious and untouchable as you said so how and where will I get a chance to give you his head; alive?”

“You are a Mastermind, don’t make me remind you that again.”

“For how long have you been partners?”

“Not too long. I joined the Autocratic Family when he was in matric and I don’t know much about his family.”

That gave me a relief.

As I looked around for my brother, I saw him from a distance and I think he was hiding or something. I then told my friends to leave and I gave them a bag of cocaine for free.

A few minutes later after they left my brother came to ask what was happening earlier and I said nothing.

“Really?”

“Yes, they wanted you. I was surprised to hear that my brother is a friend of people, my age group.”

“You won’t understand, you are still new in the real world.”

“One thing that confuses me is that why did they badly want you, it’s like they were ready to kill. What did you do to them?”

“It’s him not them. He's paranoid about his sister dating me, we were cool when we first met last year but everything changed when I dated his sister. He thinks I`m just using her.”

“So the guy is willing to kill you for his sister? I think you should kill him before he kills you. Or rather break up with his sister because I`m not ready to lose you too.”

“It’s my plan to kill him but the thing is that I can`t kill someone younger than me, it`s a rule.”

“What rule? The Autocratic Family rule? So what are you going to do?”

“I need someone to kill him for me." he said, "I saw you were brave towards them, you can do it?”

“Me? No, I can`t. I`m only 12, I can’t." I said, "Try someone else. You have people working for you.”

"They work for him too." he said, "I don't know who to trust and ho not to."

I gave it a thought for a moment. That kid wants to kill my brother and besides that, I don’t really like him so it wouldn’t hurt an ant if I helped my brother on this one.

“I think I have a plan. Just tell me his weaknesses and I will do the rest.”

We left.

                                   

When we got home, mom was in a good mood and even cooked lunch for us; that’s a first! She told us to go and sit in the garden and she will come to serve.

I was surprised, really.

Mom never cooks for us; not as long as she has children. That`s what she always says. I wonder want pleasure does she owe us.

“What makes you so happy today, mom?”

“You, my son." she said, "I just gave your so-called dream thoughts and came to a decision that I should let you live your dream. I mean, who am I to choose a life for you?”

“WOW! Thanks, mom!”  I said it acting surprised, “I thought you had already let me.”

“But one thing you won’t get is the equipment because we really can’t afford it.”

“At last someone got want he wanted.” said, my First-born brother.

“I told you that I will never be like you.” I said it in an attitude. 

What my brother did for me is a great thing and just for that I’m now certain to help him; I mean I would be showing great pleasure, don’t you think?

I called him to my study- room and we started with our plan of attacking before being attacked by our enemy. I thought his weaknesses would be his family but it turns out it was money.

How weird.

“I will try to crack into his bank account with your help, of cause.”

“That won’t kill him and if you didn’t know by the time you touch his money he will get a message.”

“That’s the point. His prime suspect will be you and at the same time make him suspect you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Buy him a car with his money but before you give it to him I should put a bug on it so I can easily track and control it wherever it goes.”

“Are you planning an accidental death?”

“I thought I shouldn’t literally kill him myself.”

“I’m not complaining, I just want to say you are brilliant. I might as well call you Mastermind.”

“Really? Let’s wait until my plan works.”

To me, that was nothing but a compliment so I left him to go and puzzle as I went to check on the other team.

“Don’t get too excited because your plan might not work.” said the Mystery- voice.

“Don’t worry, I can handle him.”

“He may look young but he's dangerous. What do you think made your brother fear him?” asked the Mystery- voice.

“You also sound so scared. But hey, just trust me on this one; I’m more dangerous than him.”

When I got to the clubhouse, I found no one. But I heard a voice of a girl screaming in one of the rooms.

I went to check who was there because the last time I checked our group had no female members. When I opened the door, I opened the door of the first day to a doomed life.

I found my dearest friends raping a girl. As I was trying to look at who was in the room, the Group leader saw me then told me to join or die with her.

Like any other person who had no choice, I had to put myself first and broke my virginity by rape.

After we all smashed her, she was killed and no one had to leave the warehouse until they got rid of the body.

As we were waiting for those who went to get rid of it, the group leader asked me why I was here in the first place but I ignored him.

“I’m talking to you!”

“To update you about that notorious partner of yours.”

“Do you have his head?”

“Not yet nor anytime soon.”

“Is that an update? You must be kidding.”

“Do you see me laughing? His hacker is a professional- a hundred times better than me." I said, "I did a background check on them and found out that whoever comes for them disappears into thin air- along with all evidence. So to secure your safety, I think I should bring them down away from you in case they come after me.”

“Is that the best you can think, Mastermind?” I said, "Don`t you think I know who we are dealing with?"

“That’s the only option on the table unless you have a better plan, do you?”

When those that went to bury the body came in, I left immediately.

“We never met today, never!”