1- Homecoming

It was nearing dusk when we drove into the village. At every house we passed, the villagers took a moment to stare us down. I tried to smile at them, but after the third sour expression I received, I shifted back to looking forward. I wondered if they recognised me. Perhaps it was because my hair was tidier that they turned up their noses. My childhood hair had the roar of a mane, but I had tamed it since. That must be it. My hair was too tame for them to recognise me.

I could feel the blood pump at the back of my skull as we pulled up to the cream-coloured house. It was still crooked like it was unevenly balanced on its foundations. Time saw the bite-sized house of my girlhood memories mature into an elephant with a full breast of windows and extravagant wooden window panes. It was a house fit for a king, in this case, a Chief.

"You've got one week! One week then I'm picking you up," Lucas said in a serious voice, as he looked up at the formidable house. I ran my hand through his floppy blonde hair. He was well-groomed, with fine tailored clothing that (covered) his frame like the feathers over the chest of a broad-chested eagle. I followed his gaze to the house. It was far too big to fit into my memories.

"I know. I know. But I have to do this. I'll regret it if I don't see him," I reiterated. He sighed but relented. I knew his overprotectiveness was well-intended. Looking out for my well-being has become second nature to him over the years.

"I get it, Tam-sun. But I've still got half a tank. So just say the word and I'll Tokyo Drift our asses outta here," he reminded me for the fifteenth time since we'd hopped into his tuna can on wheels. He looked at me with a cheeky smile. I nudged him, chuckling. I knew it was a mistake to watch that movie with him. There was no point in delaying my dramatic return. I busted open the antique door and ducked out of the vintage Beatle. Lucas's taste in automobiles was not helping me today.

I looked at the house again before turning back to my nervous best friend. From the way the village folks stared us down as we drove in, I was not optimistic about how they would react to a ghost in their midst.

"Do me a favour, Luke," I stared into his crystal grey eyes and tried to convey my concern to him. "Stay in the car." I knew that he understood. I reckon that my serious tine was rare enough to carry weight.

"Thanks for everything, bro," I said with a soft smile. He looked at me with his signature charming smile.

I turned and made my way up the gravel pathway to my childhood home. He made sure to wait until I reached the door before he started us his engine.

I wonder if Zeeny was still pudgy. When I heard about my baby brother's upcoming wedding, I took the first portal home. I needed to be there on his big day and see the man he had become. I heard rustling and hurried movements by the windows. The door opened before I had a chance to knock, and I was pulled into a bone-crushing embrace.

"Oh, my grandbaby is home! Praise the Gods!" I tried to return her affection, but my surprisingly strong grandmother had me in a death grip. I was gasping for air as she swung me from side to side. Finally, she let my feet touch the ground.

"Is that my little adventurer I hear?" My uncle's unearthed and a full-breasted voice came barrelling over the smaller and less formidable voices in the room. He stood tall above everyone else in the room. His broad shoulders were pulled back and the once round jaw was filed down to points. He was cloaked in a proud black beard. I took long strides towards him and jumped into his huge arms. He brought me close to his chest and laughed so wholly that I felt his joy vibrate through my entire body as he, too, rocked me from side to side. Like mother like son. I smiled brightly up at him as he put me down.

"Where is the groom to be?" I asked eagerly. I was bubbling with excitement to see my brother after so long. I looked at my uncle and noticed that his iridescent smile had dimmed, and he looked almost sad. My expression soon turned to a look of confusion when I met the bright brown eyes of an unfamiliar boy to his right. He had the pre-stubble of an adolescent boy, but his broad shoulders and prominent brow gave him the look of an older man. He had square cheekbones and a large strong nose that reminded me of my father.

Razeen?

I looked at the young man I now recognised as my baby brother. Only, he was not a baby anymore. In my absence, the gap-toothed toddler had transformed into a man. A man with the promise of a beard on his chin and the body of a Zulu warrior. It was obvious that he did not know who I was. I do not blame him; he was barely old enough to spell my name when I left.

"Zeen, it's me. Tamsyn," I said with a quivering voice. I was biting back the flood of tears building in my throat. I moved to hug him, but he held his hand out to stop me.

"No one calls me that… Tam… syn." He sounded like he was testing out the weight of my name on his tongue for the very first time.

"I didn't even know I had a cousin, but this is wonderful!" I could hear the excitement in his voice.

Cousin?

Loud waves of violent white noise crashed against the inside of my skull. He smiled at me once more before excusing himself to tend to something in the village. I watched him with blazing breath and an aneurysm forming between my eyes. I nearly tore my head from my shoulders with the speed that I turn to look towards my granny for answers.

Had they really not uttered a word about me to my brother since I left? It's one thing to not speak of me but to remove our relationship completely was unthinkable.

"Don't look at your grandma like that, child. It was my decision," my uncle clarified. My uncle ushered me out of the family room, towards the back of the house.

"He was a boy and he needed to be a man. I did not want Razeen to long for a sister on the other side of the world. That would only distract him from his duty," he spoke down to me.  His voice was steady and unembellished as if describing the blueness of the sky. I was pissed beyond words. I stormed past my bellowing uncle and out the back door. I made a beeline towards my stream. It was the only place I knew no one would find me.

How could they take it upon themselves to erase me from my brother's memory?

I collapsed on the muddy soil and kicked off my shoes so I could tether myself to the soil. I tried to remember what my teachers had coached me to do in times like these. All of their lessons ricocheted and did summersaults around my mind without any clear direction. They were moving too fast for me to single out any particular piece of advice. I closed my eyes in the hope that my thoughts would transform from a tumultuous rapid to a more manageable stream. I felt the world shake beneath my feet slightly. The blood in my ears pulsed until it felt like it was vibrating at a rapid hum. My lungs were started to heat up and the air in my lungs was turning to steam. I tasted the familiar rusted flavour of fury at the base of my tongue. I knew if I opened my eyes, the world would turn to ask. So, instead, I clenched my fists and did release short shots of air from between my parched lips.

I felt my blood boil and the steam almost leave my skin. I knew it was only a few moments before I would explode and burns down everything in the vicinity! I was trying my best to control my breathing but to no avail. It was boiling and about to run over at any moment.

The icy cold water pierced my skin and extinguished all the flames seething in my veins. I shot up onto my feet and came face to face with a petite girl wearing a curious expression.