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2024-10-29 19:42:56IBIM
We went home first and I got out of my uniform, changed into a dress. It was easier to get out of a gown when I get to the hospital.
"Toku!", Mom yells from the downstairs living room. Her voice bouncing off the walls.
"Yes, Mommy". I replied. She asked me to bring my uniform downstairs for Mr. Abu, our laundry man to wash it. I could hear her telling him to use the ariel for ankara for the uniform because she doesn't want my clothes worn out. I greeted Mr. Abu while my Mother took the uniform from my hands.
"Lizzy, carry the food go motor", Mom told Ms. Lizzy, the cleaning lady.
"Toku, let me go and change, you can be eating your own food but fast oh".
I nodded. I hadn't asked of Daa. He must be away on one of his many trips interstate or international. I hardly grew up with my Dad. I mean, I remember his face from when I was able to see, he was there on birthdays and school events but he wasn't there on e
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Pandemonium SEVENTEEN
RHEMA "It's raining Mom, why are you wearing sunshades?", I asked the moment we had left the school block. She ignored me. We walked to the car in silence, she gripped her hand bag and patted her silk scarf around her neck. "Mommy", I said again. Silence. The beeping of our G wagon and she climbed in. I look around and then climbed in with her, threw my bag to the backseat and did my seatbelts. "Mommy, remove the glasses", I said. "mba" I kissed my teeth, releasing a nauseating sound. "Tochi, what is it? I said I'm not removing the glasses is that your problem?" "But it is raining, why are you wearing sunshades?". Silence. "Unless, you're hiding something". She sighed and took the sunshades off. My eyes dilated at the sight of her left eye, a black eye had formed. The bruise was red-rimmed and had an ugly purple colour. She looked at me and I touched her face softly then let my hand drop.
Pandemonium EIGHTEEN
18 CHAPTERS AND 18K WORDS AND COUNTING!!! WE CELEBRATE THE SMALL WINS. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT! REALLY APPRECIATE IT.IBIMIf I tasted carrot again, I might as well crawl into a pit and just die! This was carrot flavoured crème brûlèe and carrot smoothie. No shit! The smoothie would originally taste good, if that hasn't been what I have been having for two weeks."I give up!". I screamed at Mofe on the phone. She can't hear me of course but I hear the clicking sounds my phone made when it turned my voice messages to notes and sent to her. "Who knew carrots could be a torture device?""Have you told your mother?""That one has gone completely wild since they said I might be able to gain my sight again"."Hmm... is she not at home, won't she hear you?", Mofe's voice strings out of my phone speakers as I dump the thick mix of carrots and milk into the toilet bowl, then I flush, the sound drownin
Pandemonium NINETEEN
RHEMA Two weeks had past so quickly. Mid-terms were over and now, I had to come back to Ogan with a subpoena and a lead role in the school's play. Drama week was in three weeks, everyone was looking forward to it mostly because; classes were going to be cut extremely short and then because we were going to be watching entertainment. "Rhema", Chidimma called, she ran and hugged me in the middle of the hallway, took me seconds to hug her back because I thought she was going to be more distant. "Sorry, I couldn't text back, our wifi went down and my Dad wasn't in town". "No problem. How was the party after I left". I asked. We're walking. "It was hectic, I was the only sober person there. My brother and Chioma got drunk."Her voice chirpy and excited. "I had to call my Dad but he wasn't taking his calls and guess what?". Dramatic pause. "What?". "I had to call my Mother?! I didn't expect he
Pandemonium TWENTY
IBIMOne perk of being blind is you don't see the stares, you know they are there but you don't have actual confirmation. Mofe had rushed to my side the second, I had walked into the school, she started reading out of a zine."Someone made a zine", Tochi said, a gossip zine. "I like the code name sha Abroko".I laughed at how he pronounced the word. "It's a nice name, Tochi.""Here, she says Ibim: What if she wasn't asleep".Tochi laughed a bit. "I don't think that has to do with anything, she's just overdramatic"."Why do you guys, think its a she. It could be a he for all we know".Tochi snapped back quickly. "Pretty sure, it's a he. Boys don't have the time for all this gossip nonsense". I push my locker door shut and try to look for a come back but couldn't so I succumbed to the fact that starting a gossip zine is something a girl would do. A very bored press club member. Floxy."No, it's not F
Pandemonium TWENTY-ONE
RhemaThe drama room was empty, I was alone with Ibim and she was sat quietly playing with her fingers."You have to talk to me"."I have nothing to tell you, Rhema. Imagine what happens when I tell you about it, about what you believe I heard. You become an accomplice for staying silent".She had a point. I was desperate for information. "There's so much I want to add up, aren't you surprised the others who got subpoena. Why is Mustafa have a subpoena?""I don't know how to answer that""He was sleeping with Lola. Did you know that?"I waited for a nod, a response."I should go", she said and stood."Why don't you want to help me?" She stopped and turned to face me."Lola was a sweet girl, she told me it was okay one time when I was crying in the bathroom". She said. "She was likeable, she was very pretty too and small and nosey. She was nosey, she wanted to know th
Pandemonium TWENTY-TWO
IBIMThe beeping sound of the machine made my heart lurch in its place. I could die when it was time for the surgery. It was laser in my eyes for a whole minute or so. I was asked to keep my eyes wide open and I did."Is she okay", I heardDaa'svoice."She is", a feline voice said and I could hear the muffled sound of Dr. Balewa's baritone voice. I couldn't make out what he was saying, the beeping of the machine was louder now and there was heat on my face. I groaned, I felt like I was in tight corner. I moved my hands in anxiety and waited for the nurse to tell me to keep still but she didn't so I told myself to keep still. I could obey everyone but never myself."Her health is so prime now, her eyes are looking good, we will observe her for another two weeks and then she will be qualified to come in for surgery", Dr. Balewa said. I tried to imagine the face he would do when he'd said this. I had not had
Pandemonium TWENTY-THREE
RHEMAI walked into the library and went straight to the place where Chidimma was waiting for me, I sat on the table with her in the lonely area and pulled out the food, I had bought out from the canteen."Thank you", she said taking her plate and started eating from it.I start eating mine in silence and scroll through my phone,abrokohad made a facebook group and everyone was joining in, the group even had more members than the amount of students in Ogan, the extras would be siblings of students, parents, alumni and people from facebook who are just there for kicks and giggles. Not everyone was a fan ofabroko,some people really hated her and called her a gossip. But the truth is we were all on the group for gossip. Ogan thrived on gossip."Why is nobody reporting this group?", Chidimma said with her mouth full of food."Because everyone is lowkey thriving off the gossi
Pandemonium TWENTY-FOUR
My room had a sickly sweet scent to it, I walked to my closet got out my perfume and started spraying my room. "Ohmmmm!", I said angrily and I heard the door open. "What happened?", Nurse Evelyn said. "I told you, I didn't like this air freshner nau". I replied her. "Your Mom said I should use it". I kept spraying the room with my perfume and I heard Nurse Evelyn opening the windows up. I sat on my bed and took out my phone. I could see the light of the screen, it was blurred out but it was there. It was there!!! I rub my eyes and lay down staring at the blurred out light bulb in my ceiling, there was a light in my ceiling.I can't believe it. My surgery was still two weeks away but Mom had gone nuts with the restrictions, my eyedrops had doubled and Daa kept buying carrot milk like that will make a blind see again. "I bought Suya, ask the chef to make it hot", Daa told Ms.
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Pandemonium THIRTY-SIX
Let's visit our main guy Rhema. RHEMA I kept zooming into the video on my phone pleading the image to change from Malik to someone else, I didn't want to believe he had killed her or had a hand in killing her. We were like siblings, he was always around us and now all of a sudden he killed her? My insides were doing flips. I want to be anywhere but here right now, Chidimma and Sarima are talking on and on about the video giving their theories and I just seated here in denial. "Are you okay?", Sarima asked and that's when I realise them staring at me. "Why?".
Pandemonium THIRTY FIVE
IBIMMofe and I were sitting in one corner of the prep hall in the hostel that afternoon. She was busy copying the notes she had missed when she was away in surgery and well, I just didn't copy notes."Floxy, she said something so weird. I think she's abroko, ask Tochi. Guy she was weird...really weird".Mofe dug into her bag of plantain chips and chewed noisily while listening to me talk."I always suspected her but what's her connection with the whole thing sef. See at this point I just want to graduate from Ogan and never step my feet back here", she said."I swear ba... the school is tiring". I said and ran my hand over my face."So what did she say exactly?"."She said that Mina and Malik deserved the cloak and she somehow expected me to know why they deserved it".Our phones buzzed.Mofe looked into her screen, it was a screenshot of a message between two people. Abroko has struck again.
Pandemonium THIRTY FOUR
LOLAIt all started the day I overheard Ms Angeline and Senior Daniel in her office, he was telling how they needed to stop whatever it was they were doing. I should have walked away but I stood at the door and pressed my ears to the door."I can't do this anymore Angie,if we get caught, you'll lose your job and I'll get expelled"."We won't get caught"."We could, the sex was good, the dates perfect but everything needs to end"."But Daniel, we're in love"."I'm seventeen,Angie. This doesn't go anywhere, we're just going to end this now".She let out a noise like scream. "I won't let you do this boy, I will make sure you pay""Your back again with your threats,did you smoke a blunt today,Angie." My heart was beating in my chest. I looked around and nobody was on the hallway. We were all meant to be in the assembly hall with Ms.Yakubu for a briefing on the inter-house sports. I wanted to go to the b
Pandemonium THIRTY THREE
IBIMThe hallway was quiet, teachers were in their meetings, the SS3s were having a seminar with some people from outside school. Tochi was striding easily behind me humming some tune, I recognised to be Burna Boy's but not sure what song exactly."What song is that?", I asked."You don't know this song?!", he sounded terrified.I laughed. "I recognise it but I can't remember the name"."Bank on it"."You can bank on it, you put a hundred grand pon it"., I said and he cooed."You know the vibes then", he hopped like a child waiting for
Pandemonium THIRTY TWO
IBIMOgan looked a little bit different than I remember it to have been all those years ago, the grass hedges looked a bit higher, there were more flowers outside and the uniform was better looking. One thing about seeing is the world looked new to me, everything caught my eye. The house fly on the kitchen counter, the stain in the car seat, the white spec on my uniform skirt even the dust that danced in the sunlight. I just taught I hadn't seen enough of the world yet. When I walked into the hallway, Mofe was standing at the door with a blue bag slumped on her shoulder, she had texted me the precise location, she would be and I wouldn't have recognised her if she hadn't described her location. She looked so new to me like she wasn't my best friend I had known for all these years."Ibims", she said and ran in for a hug."Mofe?""Yes", she said still holding me in her embrace."So many people are lookin
Pandemonium THIRTY-ONE
IBIM.The door creaked and Mom's perfume filled the ward, I moved in my bed and she tsked."Toku, they said you should not move oh, this is a major surgery"."I feel like I need to itch my eyes". I said with a chuckle."Madam, don't talk like that.""Mommy, I'm just joking", I said amidst chuckles. "Don't freak out. Where is Daa?""He went to get you food"."Please nothing with carrot milk, the surgery is done. I will throw up if I so much as see carrots".Mom laughed and I felt the space on the bed dip. She held my hand and was p
Pandemonium THIRTY
Ibim was not in school, the next day as she had said earlier. I stayed with Chidimma all the time, she held my hand every time we were together and that was holding my sanity. Malik was not in school either and so was Mina. Nobody knew what had happened when they were called but it seemed like Mrs. Yakubu was trying to save her son. The ground was shifting beneath us already when another video was uploaded by abroko. It was a video of Manny carrying Bevy, she looked lifeless. The caption was....the cards are beginning to flip over."What doesManny have to do with this. I'm honestly tired", Floxy said. She walked faster than us so she could stand in front of us and talk."Who do you think Abroko is?", she asked looking at me and I shrugged."No idea"."First,they were just making people listen to gossip but now they are beginning to ruin people's lives. I think shit just got real in Ogan".I looked at Floxy as sh
Pandemonium TWENTY NINE
IBIM"I don't know why she didn't tell me", Tochi said as we walked with Mofe down the hallway. He was talking about Mina's nudes and somehow they were friends or cousins or family friends."She won't tell you, genius", Mofe said and I laughed."Are you minding this one?". I asked her and he laughed."Ibim so about your surgery"."You have another surgery?", Mofe asked. I had forgotten to tell her yesterday, I didn't feel like talking to anyone after Tochi said goodnight to me."Yeah, she didn't tell you?""Shoot! I'm so sorry, best friend. I for
Pandemonium TWENTY EIGHT
IBIM"I like the way, I'm feeling now", I sang as I opened the door to my room, all day in school I couldn't wait to come back and lay down and stare at the light bulb on my ceiling because it felt good to see it just exist. Lola had gone since Tochi and I left the room, I was grateful that she had gone to wherever she disappeared to it let me feel normal again."Boo!!". I jumped and laying there was Lola."You'll kill me this girl"."So did you talk to Tochi?""About what?". I asked looking back at the light bulb. It was the only thing I could see that was in my reality."Nothing much". I said.
