Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I WAS DOWN WITH FEVER the next morning, unable to close my eyes a wink as the unseen watcher who had been giving me fitful nights for the past weeks took new faces in my mind. First it was Lara, later it was Ebiye and the three other girls, and then a smattering of the students I saw during the confrontation—the unseen eyes making my skin crawl as I expected its owner to materialize from the shadows at any moment and fall upon me.

My whole body hurt like I carried heavy metal weights over the night, with my head banging in an irregular pattern and my body shivering with cold. I was coiled fatally on the bed as any sprightly movement sent spikes of pain arcing through me and increased the staccato beat in my head.

The rain was pattering heavily outside, starting since dawn, and I had been too weak to stand up and shut the blinds, making the room as cold as a refrigerator. It was until the others were set and ready for school that Kenny, the younger of the twin, came to my door to call me down.

“Ca- call f- fe- Felicia,” I stuttered. I doubted if he heard me as it took about another fifteen minutes for Felicia to come up to my room.

Felicia knocked once and came inside. “Toke why are you still in bed?” she asked from the door, shock and anger evident in her voice as she noticed I was still under the covers. “Your siblings are—” She then tapered off when she saw how hard I was shivering.

“What is wrong with you?” she rushed to my side on the bed.

“Co- coldddd,” I chattered, unable to stop the tremors running through my body.

“Your body is burning!” Felicia exclaimed as she felt my neck and chest.

The family doctor, Dr. Sam arrived minutes later to check on me after my siblings had left to school.

“It’s fever, probably from stress. She just needs rest, good food and to take the drugs I’ll prescribe,” I heard the doctor tell Felicia.

“Are you sure she doesn’t need to be admitted to the hospital?” Felicia asked.

“I’ve taken her blood samples and I’ll get the lab to run tests on it as soon as I get to the hospital. If there is anything, I’ll call you in the hour.”

“Okay.”

The fever worsened by evening. I was weak, vomiting, and unable to eat. I vaguely sensed Dr. Sam and a nurse in my room setting me up to a drip and father speaking with them. From there I drifted in between sleep and wakefulness, with the rain which shifted from a heavy downpour to a faint drizzle each time I came awake as my regular companion.

I was a little better the next day. Lara came to visit since it was Saturday, spending a few hours with me before she left. No conversation went between us other than her ‘hello’ when she came in and her goodbyes when she left. By Monday, the drips were already off and I was better, tired of lying down on the bed and ready to get back to school. But Felicia forced me take another day of bed rest, restricting me from even stepping out of my room.

I sat on my bed, staring out the window as the rain fell heavily as it had for four days now, my mind running through the events of the past days; the owls, the watcher, Mr Oni’s death, Ebiye, and Lara.

The more I tried to comprehend them, the more lost and scared I found myself.

Magic was real! Witches were real! But where did I stand in this equation? How had I wished the death meant for Ms. Smith upon Mr. Oni? And how do I explain all the strange things that have been happening to me growing up?

“Toke.” Felicia came in the room without warning, jolting me from my thoughts. She brought a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice which she dropped on my bedside table and sat on the bed. She had stayed back from work today again to care for me.

I sat up on the bed, feeling a little tingling pain in my buttocks and arms where I took injections during the fever.

“How are you?”

“Fine.”

“Good.” She nodded. The silence drew for a few seconds before she continued. “So what’s up with you? I mean you seem more withdrawn these days, and melancholic.”

“I’m okay.” I looked down.

“No you’re not,” Felicia said. She moved up on the bed and took my hands into hers. “I’ve been watching you for two weeks now and I know something is up with you.” She looked into my face, holding my gaze. “You know you can tell me anything right?”

I nodded.

“Is it a boy?”

“What? No. There is no boy.” I scoffed, raising my hackles sharply. “I think it is just stress from the increased workload in school as WAEC exams is in few weeks.”

Felicia sighed, her eyes twinkling. “Okay, but I want you to take it easy, pace yourself. The exam is not that serious that you must hurt yourself over it.” She stared into my eyes with so much worry and love I nearly broke then, nearly spilled the beans and told her all that had been happening to me the past months. I stopped myself at the last moment.

 “I’ve heard,” I replied, looking down, away from her face.

She nodded, her face splitting into a smile. “Make sure you drink up that juice, everything. I need to check what I’m cooking in the kitchen and I’ll be back in a jiffy.” She stood up and left the room. 

The atmosphere soon became rowdy some hours later when Shola and the twins returned from school and they all trooped to my room to cheer me up. We all held steaming mugs of tea as the rain continued intensely outside, with Taiwo who stood on my bed massaging my scalp with her soft tender fingers while we cracked jokes, throwing everyone including Felicia into bouts of laughter.

“You have a new student in your class Toks,” Shola said after a while. While I was the eldest child, Shola was younger than me by a year, and the twins with three, and we all attended St’ Josephs Secondary school.

“That’s not possible.” I shook my head. With school leaving exams few weeks away and registration closed there was no way the school could take in new students, it was already too late.

“It’s the truth. I heard about him and even saw his car,” Kenny added, a dreamy look on his face. “It was beautiful.”

“He drives a Ferrari,” Taiwo said in a singsong tone.

“Wow!” I blurted in surprise. “A Ferrari?”

“Two infact,” Shola replied. “He brought one to school on Friday and a different one today.

“That’s crazy!” My eyes widened.

“Right?” Taiwo chuckled. “You should see the girls trailing after him like ants after sugar.”

“His parents must be a crazy rich politician or something,” Felicia added.

Yes, that could only be the case; I agreed in my mind, they must be one very crazy rich politician. No other students drove themselves to school at St’ Josephs, it was unacceptable by the board and the best anyone could do if they chose not to follow the school bus was to get chauffeured to school which most people opted for. I wondered how this new student got permission to go against the rule.

“I don’t know if his parents are politicians or not, but he seems friendly with everyone even juniors. He bought food for some junior students at the cafeteria today,” Shola replied.

“I guess I’ll see him for myself tomorrow,” I muttered as my curiosity got the better of me.

“It will be great if you can make him fall for you, at least we might get to ride in his Ferrari sometime,” Kenny said teasingly.

“You will give out your own sister for a ride in a Ferrari?” Felicia cut as I moved to respond.

“Sure, why not?” Kenny shrugged, smiling wide. “She is not getting any younger and needs to experience dating at least once before high school ends, so it’s a win-win situation.”

Everyone burst into laughter as color rushed to my cheeks.

“Talking about dating, Stephen asked after you,” Taiwo said as the laughter lulled. “He came by our car at the school parking lot today.”

“That jerk…” Shola hissed distastefully.

I shifted my gaze to Taiwo behind me. “What does he want?”

“Love maybe.” Taiwo shrugged, her eyes glinting amusedly. “He asked why you were not in school, and that you should call him. Apparently he has been trying your number and was not getting through.”

I scoffed, shaking my head. Stephen was the captain of the school’s soccer team hitting on me for about a month now, and although I would not say I was not intrigued, but I wanted lesser complications for my already complicated life. Stephen had been dating Ann the school’s beauty queen on and off for the past three years, and anytime they were off he would find a girl to fill the slot till he got back together with her. I was not ready to be that girl this time.

“Don’t mind him, he is only after one thing I’m sure you know,” Shola warned.

I smiled and nodded at Shola’s strong reaction. Stephen and his gang had bullied Shola once, and he hated them to a fault ever since.

“What’s this about?” Felicia asked.

“It is nothing.” I waved dismissively.

The rest of the day went relatively fun and we even took our dinner in my room since father did not come home due to work, with Felicia regaling us interesting stories from her youth to our enjoyment. Later that night when everyone had retired to their rooms, I thought I heard feral snarls and scuffles going on outside, but we had no dogs and it was just for two minutes or so I couldn’t be sure I wasn’t hearing things.

The rains started very early again in the morning. I woke up late, and by extension made the others arrive late to school since I was determined they wouldn’t leave without me. Felicia made me wear a thick blue sweater over my clothes, and then a coat and an umbrella so as not to risk the cold, so that by the time I got down from the car and ran to the school block, I felt like an astronaut with the bulky clothes.  

Students crowded the corridor and classes had not yet begun due to the rain. A feeling of claustrophobia descended upon me as I walked down the corridor with heavy leaden steps, and I nearly missed Stephen who was standing outside the classroom door with two of his gang, cuddling against a girl who was giggling shyly. I ignored him and entered into the classroom which was a little rowdy as a group of them stood in a circle around one of the desks at the center of the class, laughing and giggling wildly. To my surprise, Ann was also amongst the group, reclined against a desk and giggling sweetly.

The whole class descended into silence as I entered, making me stop awkwardly at the entrance for a moment.

“Toke! Is it really you?” someone exclaimed.

I looked towards the owner of the voice who was also the center of attraction for the group, and the breath went out of me.

“You—” I pointed at him, my eyes widening.

“Wow! Yes me.” He stood up swiftly and arrived before me in seconds.

How can it be him? Color rushed to my cheeks as my mind travelled to three Sundays back when we first met. I could never forget, infact I had never forgotten him since then, seeing his face even in my dreams.

“Wh- Why are you here?” Could he be the new student Shola and the others were speaking about yesterday? This boy, Kudaisi? Mortification covered my face as I remembered the circumstances we met those three Sunday evenings ago.

That night I had followed father to a dinner party hosted by a client he was hoping to win a multi–billion naira building contract from because his secretary was unavailable due to him getting the invitation late, and the dinner party had been boring to say the least, filled with pretentious old men and their overeager female personal assistants who probably doubled as mistresses. I soon found myself heading out back on the wide estate grounds for a dose of fresh air under the dark night sky.

The scent of flowers carried over by a draft of wind hit me as soon I stepped out, making me close my eyes to bask in its heady scents for a moment. A tall long hedge screened off the garden down a path lined with soft lamps and glowing bulbs, and I found myself drawn towards the scents of flowers, following the path till I entered through the entrance and paused, swept off my feet by the sight before me.

It felt like heaven!

Inside the hedge was wider than I anticipated, and flowers went as far as the eyes could see, planted in neat and well planned ridges and batches, with different colors and types, glowing under the illumination of the multicolored string lights. A mammoth tree stood at the center with green string lights wrapped around it, making it glow beautifully like an elven tree, there was a pond down by a side, fountains, carved garden chairs, and then a swing.

I ran first to the swing pushing myself upon it, only to get off in less than ten swings, restless and at the same time as peaceful as I have ever been to be standing in such a breathtaking place. On an unusual urge, I dropped my purse and began to dance, twirling wildly like in the movies, from one side of the garden to another. I felt as free as air, leaping wildly and moving without care or worry as the scents and ambience serenaded me. I could go on and on for hours—or so I thought—but the dance finally came to an end with me resting against one of the carved garden chairs, breathing heavily.

“Wow! That was so amazing!” A voice said, clapping.

“Aiiii…” I turned around fast towards the direction of the voice, scared. It had caught me so unaware, and I had not seen anyone around when I entered. “Who is there?”

“Just me, just me.” A shadow detached itself from a dark corner of the garden to my far right, dusting its bottoms as it walked forward gracefully. It arrived under a string of tiny light bulbs to show a boy about my own age. I wondered how I missed him when I came in, I was so sure I had passed by that corner where he sat.

“You scared me!” I challenged, glaring hard at him.

“Well—” he began.

I gave him no chance to defend himself. “What are you, a pervert or something? Why are you hiding within the flowers so late in the night?” I continued in the heat of anger.

“Okay, I'm sorry,” he said. But his face showed otherwise, he was definitely not sorry.

“Whatever.” I waved him away.

“Hey, I said I'm sorry.”

“Okay.” I slowly got my breath even, evading his eyes.

The silence drew between us for some long seconds.

“So what are you doing out here?” he asked.

“I came out for air.”

“Oh?” he smiled with an amused look.

I studied the boy carefully under the soft glow of light. His dark ebony skin shone like he used Shea butter to oil it to perfection, he wore a black turtle neck T-shirt with long sleeves and black pants, and a necklace made of white cowries laid on his neck over the shirt.

But beneath all that was a certain aura about him. He carried himself with a kind of confidence and self assuredness I've never seen in someone so young, like someone that was already so used to being in control, and he had an easy air about like he had no care or fear in the world. And strangely, he held a book in his right hand.

“What are you doing out here hiding amongst flowers and dressed like an assassin?” I asked, still angry at been caught unawares.

A deep vibrant laughter split the air so suddenly I was taken aback. I frowned, eyeing him and wondering what he found so funny.

“An assassin? Wow, that's a new one. Nobody has ever called me an assassin before," he declared and burst into another round of laughter.

"I can't see what's so funny here."

The laughter stopped after a moment, but he was still smiling wide. “You won't understand, it’s a personal joke.” He shook his head and sighed. “I also only came here for the air when a certain Cinderella walked in and took out the little air I’ve been able to gather out of me.”

I blushed, hard. All I wanted to do at that moment was to run away and go find somewhere to hide. “It’s not funny,” I muttered.

“Hey, the dance was beautiful. I could watch you go all day.” He seemed to be having fun teasing me and watching me lose my composure, so much fun.

“I guess this is where we say good night.” I stood up from the bench and began to look around for the purse I had dropped to dance.

"Looking for this?"

I looked up and there was my purse in his hands.

I sighed in frustration, seeing the teasing smile on his face. "Just give it to me and let me get going."

“Sure.” he shrugged. “But after you introduce yourself to me.”

“And why do you want to know who I am? So you can make more fun of me?”

“No, I think I like you.”

I stopped, taken aback. His reply caught me unawares; I definitely wasn't expecting something like that.

“Don’t get me wrong. What I meant is that you look like you would be fun to be around, and God knows I need fun in my life right now.”

“I'm not funny,” I glared at him. “It’s not like I’m a comedian or anything.”

"Maybe to you, but to me you are funny."

I sighed. I just had to do this and get it over with. "My name is Toke, Omotoke Ilori," I said, pasting a fake smile on my face. "Can I have my purse now?" I stretched my hand for it.

"I’m Kudaisi." He walked towards me and stretched his right hand for a handshake.

I took his hand, hoping to make it short, get my purse and be on my way.

An electric current ran through me as our hands met, his seeming delicate hands was as strong as steel and yet still warm. I gasped and looked up into his face, seeing his eyes fully for the first time, and gasped again.

His eyes were Amber, a very dark shade, making me lost within it for a mini second as the combined scent of spring and winter hit me—a scent of newness which seemed somewhat sour. A hot burning feeling washed over me so heavy that it took my breath away. I wanted to jump into his arms, to let my body melt into his.

Everything stopped just as suddenly as it started, and it only took less than a minute. When I looked back at Kudaisi he was already meters away from me, watching me intently. His amber eyes glowed brightly, but I only saw it for the barest second I could not be too sure it was not a trick of light.

“Who are you?” He asked gruffly.

“Do you have the brain of a goldfish or something? I told you my name is Toke,” I voiced in frustration.

He shook his head still holding my gaze and suddenly looked up over the distance.

“Hey, I don’t—”

“Leave.” His tone was very cold and brooked no argument. It was worlds apart from the jovial youth from seconds ago.

“What?”

“Leave this place. Go.” He shooed me with his hands.

My phone began to ring inside my purse at the same moment. I brought it out to see it was Father, I really had to go. I looked back at Kudaisi and he was gone. No traces, nothing.

I left the party that night thinking about him all the way home.

“It’s been while,” Kudaisi said, his voice bringing me back to the present. He suddenly opened his arms and drew me into his embrace, catching me by surprise as he took out whatever little air remained in my system. He felt warm, effusing a feeling of safety and security, and it seemed like I was in another of my instantaneous daydreams as a tingling sensation ran through me, and in this one I was flying amongst the stars.

The feeling was broken as Kudaisi released me, but there was still a lingering effect to it. It was like a hot burning coal fire which had gone down but would ignite with intensity at the merest passage of breeze.

 “Do you know Toke is actually a very close friend?” Kudaisi turned to his new group of friends. “I mean we’ve gone through some very private and secret moments you can even call us best friends.”

What a drama king, I rolled my eyes. What secrets moments? I blushed again at the thought of awkward dance that night as everyone in the classroom stared at us wide-eyed, some even having their mouths open with surprise as they forgot themselves—but I was strangely at ease with Kudaisi beside me. There were no thoughts of hiding or whatever. I guess I was still in shock at seeing him here.

“Let’s go seat, we have a lot of catching up to do.” Kudaisi took my hand and began to pull me to the back of the class. “I’ll continue the story later,” he said to the group who were still staring at us. I caught Ann’s reaction as he dragged me away, and if looks could kill I would already be dead and done under her gaze.

Lara stared at me as I arrived by her side, and I nearly stopped at the empty seat beside her before I remembered I had changed my desk on Thursday when I found out she what she was, and continued with Kudaisi to my new seat at the back.

“You know when they told me my seating partner was named Toke I didn’t put any mind to it at all. The universe just works in pleasant ways,” Kudaisi said, smiling wide when we finally got to the seat.

I finally broke out of it and glared hard at him. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

“What?” he drew back, acting like he was affronted. “Do you mean to say I’m stalking you or something?”

I shrugged. “Maybe.” With all the weird things happening to me recently, that might just be the case. “The other night, you said you liked me,” I blurted before I reasoned my words.

Kudaisi burst into a long loud laughter, drawing attention to us again. “What I meant that night was that I found you very funny, interesting to be around, nothing more. I actually wrote my school leaving exams last year and failed, so I’m here to retake them this year if I really want to enter the university.”

I scoffed. “So your dad with all his wealth could not buy you a good result?” The thought that he had failed the exams was absurd, it would have been a simple thing for his father to buy a result for him or pay to have him pass in such a system as ours that was so corrupt, or so I thought, thinking of their house where the dinner had been held that night that was five times anything my father could ever afford—money should not be his issue.

“I guess he wanted me to at least work for this one myself.”

The first teacher for the day, the mathematics teacher, came in some minutes later, and classes began for the day, cutting our conversation short.

Lara came over to my new desk during lunch break, after I’ve successfully warded away Kudaisi who wanted me to follow him to the cafeteria to get some food. I pretended to be engrossed in the book on the table before me without really seeing it.

“Hey.” Lara stood awkwardly before me.

“Hey.”

There was a long moment of tensed silence between us before she continued. “I’m sorry.”

I took my eyes way from the book and stared at her. “Okay.” My reply came out colder than even I wanted, making a sad look cross her face.

“I—” she fidgeted, squeezing her fingers together. “I wanted to tell you, but I could not. I still can’t, but I want you to know that I meant you no harm.”

“You meant me no harm and yet I find myself in the middle of your witches’ war?” I retorted, angry. A small voice reminded me that that was not what really happened, but I was already so angry I couldn’t be bothered with the details. Five years now, Ife and I have know each other, shared things together and she still kept secrets from me. That was what hurt me more. “And you can’t tell me what? I already know. I saw all of you remember?”

Lara sighed, shaking her head. “It is way bigger than that, as you’ll come to understand soon.” We looked up as Kudaisi came back towards our position. “Soon, everything would be clear,” she added and walked away, ignoring Kudaisi who nodded a greeting at her.

Kudaisi simply shrugged, the smile on his face not letting up in the slightest.

The rest of the day flew so fast I couldn’t believe it when the bell rang signifying the end of classes and school for the day. Where had the time gone? Being with Kudaisi had made each period fun, with the funny snide comments he dropped while the teachers taught, nearly making me burst out in laughter numerous times.

Slowly, I have begun to breathe easy as the tension eased up within me, very nearly forgetting all that happened with the Ebiye and the others.

“Hey Kudaisi, can I talk to you for a minute?” Ann came up to Kudaisi’s side of the desk as we packed our things to leave the class, angling her body provocatively to accentuate her curves. She shifted her eyes to me, giving me a wicked glare that could only mean I should scat, but when she looked back at Kudaisi it was with a beaming otherworldly smile over her face.

Ann had somehow gotten time to apply makeup on her face with a crimson red lip gloss to match on in the less than two minutes since the closing bell rang, bringing out her sharp features.

“Wait for me,” Kudaisi said as I hurriedly hefted my bag and moved away to give them privacy.

I ignored him, half running all the way to the car where Shola and the twins thankfully came early and we left seconds later.

*

Numerous eyes and whispers followed me everywhere I went in school the next day, and Kudaisi came late, just as we reentered the class from the school yard after devotion. “I got you something,” he announced, grinning wide at me as he entered the classroom.

The attention of all our classmates became riveted on him as he spoke those words, looking hopefully to see the gift he brought that made him so animated, while I on the other hand was left wishing the ground could open up and hide me for a moment.

“Tada.” Kudaisi stopped before me, holding a bracelet up in the air. It was one of those friendship bracelets sold cheaply in variety stores around, and it was infact two conjoined bracelets to be shared amongst friends or lovers one apiece as a kind of symbolism.

The bracelet was a dull silver color, with a two tiny butterflies at the center. Kudaisi separated it into its two halves and grabbed my hand before I could voice my refusal of his gift, wearing it over my hand.

I gasped, looking up into his eyes, my eyes boggling like it would pop off.

Something changed inside me as the clasp of the bracelet closed on my hand and the metallic sound which should have been totally silent resounded somewhere deeper in my head and mind. Although we were still meters apart, I could feel Kudaisi like he was all over me—inside me.

What is happening? I saw the same question in Kudaisi’s eyes. And the feeling went out just as quickly.

“Beautiful…” Kudaisi hissed, the intensity in his amber eyes burning through my body.

His voice broke me from my reverie and I remembered we were still inside the classroom with everyone staring at us, their eyes biting at me and making me flustered. What picture Kudaisi and I might have painted? I snatched my hand from his, glaring hard. “I don’t want.” I tried to remove the bracelet. What I wanted now was to lay low and pass my days peacefully till the school leaving exams was here and gone. There was still the encounter with Ebiye and Lara’s involvement hanging over my head, and Kudaisi with his dramatics was only bent on bringing me more troubles, especially with Ann who now seemed to have set her sights on him.

“Don’t!” Kudaisi said, frowning. “It is just a sign of friendship, nothing more. It would really hurt my feeling if you don’t take it.”

I stopped for a moment, thinking of how to reject his gift without hurting his feeling, I really wanted to keep it, but I couldn’t. The decision was taken out of my hand as a teacher walked into the class, taking the attention away from us.

And so the bracelet stayed on my wrist for the time being.

By lunch break, I soon found out how quickly I had become a topic in the whole school, as the news spread fast that I had hooked up with Kudaisi. Some of the more expressive girls who had been hoping to score with Kudaisi glared hard at me with pure dislike as I passed by to use the restroom, one even stopping me to ask if I was truly dating Kudaisi.

“Toke.” Stephen stopped me on the corridor as I went back to the classroom.

“What?” I glared at him.

He smiled wide, reaching to hold my hand. I evaded his grasp, furrowing my brows in anger.

“What do you want?”

Stephen chuckled softly. “How about what I discussed with you? I want us to be together.” He tried to catch my hand again, making me skip backwards.

Was he just daft or he couldn’t read between the lines, I had told him I was not interested time and time again that it was getting tiring to repeat myself. “When are you going to get it into that thick skull of yours that I’m not going to be one of your flings and let me be?” I retorted, my voice coming out louder than I expected, making the students standing around turn to us.

Stephen just smiled, the wicked glint in his eyes sending a spike of waning down my spine. “It’s that new boy isn’t it? Kudaisi? It’s all good, I get it.” he raised his hand in mock surrender, and then he signaled his gang and they left me standing there as everyone watched. 

I felt somewhat unsettled as I continued to the class. In the space of a few days I have become the focus of rumors, gossips, and more attention than I had ever faced in my entire life. I wanted nothing more than to return back to my shell, to being the simple unknown girl.

“Wow, sis you’re so fast,” Kenny proclaimed when I got to the highlander at the end of the school day, after successfully ditching Kudaisi who wanted to escort me to my ride.

“You hooked up with the Ferrari guy so quickly? Wow, I think I have to learn from you,” Taiwo added, the dimples on both side of her face showing vividly and brightening her face like a blush as she smiled. She got that from Felicia, her mom, my step-mom.

“Hooked who?” I blushed hard, looking away from her excited eyes. “He is just a friend.”

The three of them; Shola, Taiwo and Kenny had already gotten to the car before me—a very rare occurrence—and they only gave allowed me the chance to enter the car and close the door before attacking me, all of them currently looking at me with a mix of surprise and awe. Since it was no more news, it was expected they had also heard about I and Kudaisi.

“How did you make friends with him so quickly?” Shola asked with a look of suspicion.

“Remember the dinner I escorted father to some Sundays ago? I met him there.”

“How romantic,” Taiwo said dreamingly. “I had wanted to come to that dinner too.”

I huffed. “There is nothing romantic about it, we are just friends.”

“Hmm…” Kenny began, holding back whatever jab was at the tip of his tongue as I glared hard at him.

They dropped the topic seeing as I didn’t want to talk about it. And when we got home, father was there, making them unable to tease me about Kudaisi for the moment.

The following days were a bit calmer, putting asides the eyes and attention of the students anytime I passed by, but I was beginning to learn to ignore them since they never accosted me directly again. Kudaisi also became a bit more controlled after I warned him that I didn’t want any more gifts or anything that would bring attention to me, but there was never a dull moment with him in the classroom as he drew people like magnets, making jokes, dropping funny innuendoes, telling the weirdest stories and whatnot. Some of my classmates even began to take the efforts to talk to me because of him.

Soon it was Friday, another weekend in sight. The rain which had been falling heavily since morning let down by afternoon, and we all trooped to the assembly ground for briefing. Feeling pressed, I headed first to the restroom to ease myself, to meet the place totally empty. I entered into a stall and hurried with my business quickly.

My heart nearly leapt out of my chest as I opened the door and stepped out into the hands of Stephen and five other boys who were already inside the restroom. “Wha- What are you doing here?” I asked, moving backwards to put a distance between Stephen and I as he moved forward menacingly. One of the other boys brought out his phone and started recording.

“We’re just here to catch fun,” Stephen said sweetly. The boys chuckled as he spoke.

“This is the ladies toilet, you are not supposed to be here,” I said, gathering courage. “Get out or I’ll scream.”

Stephen scoffed dismissively. “Scream all you want. Everyone is on the assembly ground and no one will hear you for the next fifteen minutes or so. By then we should be about done with you.” He smiled softly, that same smile that had girls running after him, but all I saw was a monster. I couldn’t believe I had once been one of those girls who had secretly hoped he would look twice at me.

I looked frantically for a means of escape. There was none. The boys had covered every end, and there was even nothing around I could use as a weapon. I searched my body and removed my pen from my pocket and pointing it at Stephen. “Leave me alone or else…”

“Or else what?” he smirked. “I just want to play, that’s all. And we will put it on camera so you won’t be able to tell anyone.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” I growled heatedly as I finally understood their designs.

“Why not? You are not the first, and I’m sure you won’t be the last.” Stephen and the boys chuckled again.

Stephen ignored the pen I waved at him, lunging forward playfully and making me step back very to get out of his reach. He did it again and again till I found myself against the wall with nowhere else go. Stephen lunged one more time and caught my hand in his grasp, twisting hard till I groaned in pain and the pen fell off.

“I like them feisty, makes it all the more fun.” Stephen pressed his body against mine as I tried hard to fight him off, his friends laughing at my futile efforts.

A loud cough split the room just when I lost all hope, catching everyone by surprise. “Mind if I join the party?” Kudaisi said as he stepped away from the door where he was reclined. There was a look of amusement on his face, but I could sense something cold and wicked just beneath the mask on his face.

“You!” Stephen growled, his countenance taken over by anger. He released me, letting me fall listlessly to the floor.

Kudaisi raised his empty hands into the air as the other boys surrounded him threateningly. He came forward with his easy carefree air, passing through them to stop before Stephen and I. “If you let me join you then I become accessory to the crime, but if you don’t let me, I become a witness except you plan to kill me.”

“Kudaisi…” I gasped, caught by surprise at his words. I reached for the pen on the floor, holding it with a quivering hand.

“It’s okay,” Kudaisi smiled at me. The amber of his eyes seemed to shine making that smile of his more dangerous and my heart to increase its pace if it could do any more. His easy stance seemed more like that of a predator on the move.

“But you said in class that she was your friend?” Stephen asked, raising his eyebrows in suspicion.

“Yes she is, but I’m also interested in joining the fun.”

“Oh, so she wouldn’t put out to you too?” Light bloomed in Stephen’s eyes as he chuckled. “She is such a frigid bitch. You can join, no problems.” Stephen moved to take on from where he left off.

“Wait.” Kudaisi raised a hand stopping him. “When I eat meat I don’t like sharing. Since you have handed me the rights to her, I guess you might have to leave this one for me.”

“What?” Stephen barked. “Are you taking me for a Joke?”

Kudaisi shrugged. “Maybe.”

Stephen made the first move towards Kudaisi, aiming his fist at his face, and everything degenerated from there. Kudaisi stepped into his attacks, skillfully twisting his hands till there was a sharp snap and Stephen’s screams filled the rest room. Rolling with a Judo-like move, he turned Stephen over the floor, bending his right leg till there was another snap.

The other boys seeing Stephen in dire straits rushed Kudaisi at the same time. Kudaisi moved between them, twisting and contorting his body wildly as he evaded their attacks and struck them down. Very soon he was the only one standing and the boys lay on the floor groaning and crying out in pain.

“Wow! That was fun,” Kudaisi declared as he came to me and helped me up. He had not even broken a sweat and his breathing was even.

“What happened here?” Lara stepped inside at the same moment. She stared at the boys on the floor then at the two of us.

“Oh they came to play with Toke here and I decided to join the fun,” Kudaisi replied.

“You mean you did all this?” Lara asked Kudaisi, pointing at the six boys who were groaning in pain with their legs and a few of them having their hands bent into unusual angles. Kudaisi had hit them hard, spoiling for them any thoughts of soccer for the next few months.

Kudaisi waved his hand at her as if to say ‘it’s nothing’. “I hold a black belt in judo, and I also studied a bit of karate and taekwondo.”

“Take me away from here.” I fell listlessly into Kudaisi’s arms as a wave of lethargy hit me. I found it hard to breathe again.

“Toke…” Lara came towards me.

 “Take me away,” I repeated to Kudaisi.

Kudaisi nodded and supported me out of the restroom, briefly stopping to retrieve the phone from the boy who had been recording the whole thing. I half melted into his strong arms as he led me directly to his car at the parking lot which was empty of students and drove out, away from school.

I was surprised at Kudaisi’s perceptiveness as he drove us to the beach which was nearly empty with very few beach goers and fun seekers, parking car directly by the water’s edge.

“Let me get you something to drink,” he said, as I stepped out of the car to seat on the hood, staring at the large rolling waters.

The sun was low since it had rained all morning. I basked in the calming air, and slowly the tension eased out of me.

“Here.” Kudaisi joined me on the hood after a moment, handing me a cup of Chapman.

I received it with a smile. “Thanks.”

“Are you okay now?”

“Yea.” I nodded.

We basked in the silence for long minutes, I watching the sea and taking an occasional sip of the drink till it was all gone. The breath of fresh air and silence was so therapeutic I soon felt rejuvenated. I wished I could spend more of my days in places like this; the beach, gardens, just simply basking in the beauty of nature.

I sighed and turned to Kudaisi, only to catch him staring at me intently—gods knows for how long he had been. “What?” I asked as his smile widened, feeling strange butterflies flutter in my belly.

“You should see your face. It was like a book, with your countenance changing as different emotions ran through them. It was just so beautiful to look at.”

I scoffed and shifted my face to hide the blush which creeped up on it.

“I think you should call home now so they won’t be worried,” Kudaisi said.

Christ! I jumped down from the hood of the car in one swift motion, throwing the empty paper-cup away. If father was home then I was totally done for, dead. How do I explain not coming home with my siblings. I opened the door of the car and realized I didn’t carry my school bag. I had left it in school. And my phone was in my bag.

“Take me home,” I told Kudaisi, my heart beating with fear. This time it was fear of my father.

“Is father home?” I asked Taiwo as soon as she met my by the door. She had a teasing smile on her face and I had the feeling she had not been too far from the door since they got back from school, waiting for me and whatever gist I would bring with me.

She shook her head. “No he’s not home. Mom too,” she answered. “So how was the date with the Ferrari guy?”

“How did you—” I perked an eyebrow in surprise. I was so sure no one saw Kudaisi and I leave school together.

“Lara told us when she dropped your school bag with us.”

“Oh.” I sighed in relief.

“Big sis, you must—”

“Not now.” I gently pushed Kenny away from the door where she stood like a sentry and entered before she began to ask questions I could not answer.

I stopped in my tracks as I saw Aunty Ope, my late mother’s only sibling and younger sister, seated on the couch, staring at me.

The world came crashing down. Again.