Chapter six~ Queen witch

Everyday I look at myself in the transparent frame and I say today is gonna be different.  but then, I forget who I am and nothing is ever different in my world.

_Yara Williams

πππ

The interior of the largely spaced building was painted white. So white that you could already imagine heaven's abode in the building except the smell of disinfectants and drugs wafting through your nostrils to draw you back from your dreamy imaginations. 

Doctors on white coating paraded the hallway either talking to their colleagues or with their patients, while nurses on scrubs trailed behind the doctors either taking down notes while listening in rapt attention to whatever the doctor was saying or attending to a patient.

Toby wadded his feet which was claded in a black well polished shoe through the hallway. His left hand laid hidden in his uniformed ash trousers that matched the white tee and an ash tie and a black bag slung over his shoulders. He threw his glance around. Eyelids twitched in irritation at the smell of disinfectants, drugs, pain and suffering nauseated him so much.

He drew his feet to a halt infront of the ward which had the indication: 'Oncology' hanging over the door. Leaning his spine on the wall, he could feel his whole insides twisting at the sight of some random patients who gazed into oblivion with an anxious crease fixed on their expression.

An elderly man whose face was squeezed in a tight grimace held a young girl in a close hug. The girl already had a tear stained face and bloodshot eyes which was way puffy from crying. She rested her head on the man's shoulders, sniffing, sobbing and muttering silent praying at the same time while the ultrasound machine beeped rapidly, following the frantic yells from the doctors trying to resuscitate the patient which turned futile immediately the beeping sound came to an abrupt end.

For a second, his whole head whirred in uncertainty. Fear seeping into his nerves at the panicky tones of the doctors. The younger girl wailed loudly and as though in a flash, everything seemed to go on a halt. There were no shouts, no beeping sounds, no wails but only the presence of a dreaded silence enveloping the air.

The door flew open revealing a dark skinned man in his late forties who was flanked by a nurse wearing a heavy look. Toby tightened his grip to his school bag strap in, gulping anxiously as he watched the girl and the older man run to the doctor with pleading gaze.

"Tell me she's alive!" the girl screamed into the doctor's forlorn expression,  "please tell me my mum is alive!"

"I'm sorry, we tried our best to save her but..." the doctors shook his head in pain which caused the younger girl to immediately fly up into the arms of the doctor, shaking him in violent despair as she wailed uncontrollably while the older man tried looked on with a lifeless stare.

Toby let out a weary sigh, holding his hands in his face, he muttered a small inaudible prayer. He had gone blank, not knowing what else to feel. He hated hospitals, they creeped a sick fear into him.

The sound of his ringtone jolted him off back from his oblivion, he glanced at the caller ID which had the name '𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒉♥'. A curved his lips into a lazy smile, swiping the green button on the phone.

"Yeah Sarah?"

"Don't Sarah me, Mr man!" A lively peachy tone yelled at the ends, he withdrew the phone off his ear.

"You left the house so early in the morning and you couldn't even call to tell me where the hell you were going to considering this is the first term of school and we always go together. Infact, throughout this holiday, I'm pretty sure you must have tossed my contact aside since you never call...Toby Adewale James-thompson I'm sooooooooo disappointed at you!" She yelled into the speaker, making sure she drawled the last part for emphasis.

He groaned, rubbing his temples with his index finger. Sarah had been his best friend and neighbor ever since he came to Nigeria. She was always the happy-go -lucky fellow, mostly playful abit arrogant yet the most humane person he had ever known.

"Take a deep breath Sarah, Take a huge deep breath! " he drew his lungs in for a second before pulling out again, urging sarah to do tbe same.

"Inhale, exhale and then what?" She snapped.

"Geez lady, will you calm down for real? Okay! I'm sorry I didn't call throughout long vac. I was just kinda occupied with a lot of things." he explained, or more like hoping she'd buy that excuse.

"Alot of things like what?" She probed. He could have thought better, Sarah hardly bought an excuse.

"Just...some things." he gulped, feeling an unnerving discomfort settle in the pits of his stomach. No one else apart from his mum knew about his illness. He just didn't want more people wearing pitiful looks on their faces but sarah was just 'someone' still, he didn't want her to worry about him, "listen, I really can't talk about it, it's just...alot.”

"Hmm...woah! alot?" She asked with uncertainty flicking at the edge of her voice which quickly tuned back to the lively notch as she added.

"Sha I won't be surprised if I see you flirting around as part of the 'alot of things' you had to do."

A small smile stretched on his lips as he choked on his breath. He could imagine the playful sneer creeping up to her face already.

"What?! flirting? "

"Yes flirting...you know like trying to woe unsuspecting sweet women with those flashy smiles of yours and saying sweet nonsense to the innocent young and gentle lady at heart." She added dramatically.

Toby broke into fits of laughter, throwing his head backwards and with his eyes closed off. Again, that was Sarah being the big time goofy ass who had made being a jerk her life mission.

"Okay first of all Sarah, no one says the word 'woeoing' anymore. We aren't in the 80's lady. "

"I get it, so you're not wooing but you're toasting one innocent girl abi?"

He bubbled up in laughter, "Jesus, Sarah. Toasting sounds worse and besides I'm not doing any of such thing."

She gave a playful sigh, "fine, let me pretend to believe you sha. Just be quick and come to school alright?" he shook his head at her even though she wouldn't see that.

"Sorry I didn't call throughout long vac, i'll make it up okay?" He said apologetically. The both had formed a tradition of going to school together.

"It's alright. I'll just add it to the top list of what you owe me anyways, besides..." this time she lowered her voice into the speaker

"I rode with George Samuels in his car to school." She announced with a small squeal causing him to smile wider at her excitement. Sarah always had a crush on george and according to her, she always liked him since they were kids so she called it a lifetime crush.

Yep, she was such a hopeless romantic.

"Oh wow! Looks like you had the time of your life." he replied sacarstically to which she was oblivious to since she had already started rambling about how the ride was.

"You can't even imagine what i felt throughout, it was as though butterflies kept fluttering inside my stomach and damn it! I'm pretty sure I smiled like a creep cause I just realized that everything george said made me smile wider and wider and I'm like God, is this how you bless people in the morning cause.... AHHH SEUN!! " she growled at the last part.

"What's up now?" Toby mused still grinning widely and silently thanking God that seun had interrupted her rambling.

"That guy is too clumsy I swear. How could he just bump into me on a monday morning just to ruin my white shirt? God knows that guy needs glasses. I'll have sticks shoved in his eyes next time if he bumps into me so he could properly get glasses,  how dare he ruin my white!!" She cried out.

He bit his lips to stop himself from laughing loudly, he knew already that she was shooting daggers at wherever Seun was.

"Umm...it's that why you're shouting?" he chortled.

"Bia! Toby wale gerroutta of my phone.”

He laughed harder, "you were the one who called."

She snorted, "I hate you! And don't think of coming to this school after taking that clumsy guy's side. No infact, better do and come to school I sha need to teach you a lesson.” 

"Mr Toby, doctor Lewis would like to see you now." a nurse called, interrupting their session. He nodded at her in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to the speaker.

"Okay Sarah, gotta go! See you in school.”

"Don't forget to buy me airtime though, bye!" She added.

He smirked, "I thought you hated me?"

"I still do. Just do fast and come to school jhare." She replied quickly disconnecting the call. Toby gave a light chuckle, shaking his head and making his way towards the nurse with a small smile.

The nurse in turn had courteously returned the smile as both of them walked towards the doctors office, halting in front of the glass door, he pulled it open, gesturing to the nurse to get in. She beamed at his chivalrous self to which he returned with a wink causing her to get all flushed up in her cheeks before scurrying out of the office, the wide smile never leaving his expression.

Tsk tsk..Sarah's flirting conspiracies must have rubbed off him.

••••

Yara stared at her slender figure donning a white uniformed t-shirt and an ash pleated skirt which accentuated her round bums and fairly shaped hips. She pursued her lips in satisfaction, spurning around in front of the mirror at her appearance.

Her long white socks was pulled over the black shiny flats which she wore on her feets.she let her straightened hair fall by the sides of her shoulders before palming her lips one last time with a nude berry lip gloss. Then she skipped through her closet, pulling off a black school bag before heading to her reading table to pick her school essentials

Two books

A bottle of pills

A pack of cigarettes

A lighter

Phone

Headsets

Bubble gum and 

A phone charger.

She gave a contented sigh, she was good to go. School wasn't something she was excited about especially when she had been indefinitely suspended and had gotten the whole school viewing her like a dreadful nightmare. She was used to it, people avoiding her and such. It was nothing new but no matter what, she had made up her mind not to care less.

Taking another deep breath, she pushed open the door of her room, stepping out in silent gaits. A deep gruff voice coughed from behind making her to snap her head so fast to meet who it was. Her eyes flew slightly open and her lips parted in surprise as she fell her gaze on the man in his late fifties, wheeling himself on the wheelchair. Benny stood closely at his side, arms clamped behind in meek politeness while her head bowed slightly low.

The man stared at Yara plainly, looking over her dressed in her uniforms. He nodded curtly in satisfaction. 

"You seem to have changed quite abit." his gruff tone resounded through the empty house.

Of course she would have changed but he never even noticed because he had succeeded in locking himself up in his study after the death of her sister. His daughter.

Instead, she stuttered.

"Father...I...mean...Mr Williams..." she had no idea why she was stuttering. It had been years since she saw her father and now, seeing him, she could only stutter. Well, maybe she didn't have a reply to dignify that statement.

"I heard you're starting school today?" He asked, though not waiting for a reply, "that's good. I don't want to hear about you causing any trouble. Understood?"

He wheeled his chair away before she could even give a reply to that. Benny lingered a look at her direction before trailing behind Mr Williams who had retreated into his study. A small wistful smile rested on Yara's face, was she happy about seeing her dad for the first time in 5years? Yes.

But then, she couldn't help wondering why he had decided to see her today. It sure wasn't because he just wanted to remind her not to cause trouble. Or could it?

••••

Bluebells international high school was one of the most expensive schools in the whole of port-harcourt. She of course had a reputation to uphold asides the delicate beauty of the school and exquisite structures, she was known for being the best in sports, education and anything else worth competing.

The school had always held their name high so it was difficult to tolerate anything deemed as a nuisance and threat to the good name of the school as seen in Yara's past record which the principal, mrs Meyers, a chubby fair lady skimmed through rimmed glasses.

"I must say, I am very glad to see you back to school,Yara Williams." Mrs Meyers began, resting her elbows on the large mahogany table placed in front of her.

Yara sat beside her mother, who gave the principal a wide smile in regards to that statement.

"Are you?"

"Oh yes! Very well." principal Meyers replied with conviction,  "you know, Yara was one our most intelligent students and we were so proud of her..but..err..due to unplanned circumstances, we had to do the needful..."

"I'm sorry about that, Mrs Meyer. I believe she was just being abit overworked and..." her mum trailed off.

"I understand, I really do. Considering that she must have learnt her lesson and reflected on her actions to become more repentant that's why we decided, I mean the school board of directors," she paused, peering at them through her rimmed glasses.

"decided to give her a second chance with the hopes that she had become a new leaf.”

Mrs Dera, gasped lightly, throwing her palms to her chest in a pleased and grateful expression,  "We're so happy about that Mrs Meyer, thank you so much and I assure you that she's changed..."

"You don't assure someone something you're not even sure of yourself." Yara's bored tone cut interrupted the woman who gave her a disapproving glare before turning back to the principal with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry about that Mrs Meyer..."

"No, she's right.”  principal Meyers shook her head, giving yara a pointed look,  " you are right young lady that's more reason for us to watch your character improvement more carefully from now on."

She gave a small scoff, "very entertaining."

Her mum glared at her whilst flashing a cheeky smile at principal Meyers. She had thrown a huge amount of money to the school so just so her daughter wouldn't be expelled. She had even volunteered to sponsor one of the school's excursions to some foreign country so she couldn't let Yara ruin everything because of her sassy attitude.

"Here is the form of the bluebells special services, this would help in character development too, you could take a good look at it and decide which one will be fit you most, i'll have Sarah brief you more on the BSS activity.”  she said, sliding a folder at yara who stared at it still with an unimpressed expression.

After some seconds of glaring at the paper, she had slided it back at principal Meyers.

"I don't need it."

Her mum seethed, trying her best to keep her smile in check, "are you sure you're not interested in any of this? They look really helpful and fun.”  she said in an overly pitched tone.

Yara rolled her eyes,  "that's exactly why I don't need them."

Principal Meyers let out a deep sigh, starting off in a rather calm tone,  "We're trying to watch out for you, young miss. We all want to take responsibility for your upbringing and I know you going to a juvenile prison was the last place you wished to be, but it was for the best. And I hope you understand our decisions."

Yara stared at the woman plainly, biting the corners of her lips in seething anger and leaning back on the chair which she sat..she threw her stare at her mum who gave her a pleading smile. She scoffed, crossing her thighs over each other with her hands folded around her bosom.

"Okay"

••••

There was something about being looked at like a dreadful person, it was the fact that no one dared mess with her in school. No one including teachers. They all talked behind her, all scowling and giving her terrifying looks but could do nothing else asides that.  Except they wanted to spend their blissful teen years in hell.

She strode through the crowded hallway filled up with students chattering excitedly, each pausing whatever it was they talked about as she walked past them with her chins held high. She walked with particularly nowhere in mind but she was certain of being far away from people.

Soft tones emitting from the sides of the hallway halted her steps. She threw her eyes to where the sound drew from, trailing her eyes to read the big sign on the door which had boldly displayed the words '𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐂 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌'. Pushing the door open to take a proper look, she came in contact with the large room which was pitch black though dim lights shone in it.

Some instruments were covered with white sheets to prevent dust from crowding around it. Yara tipped forward into the room, the sound of the piano getting nearer at every step she took.the piano gradually rising to a crescendo, she halted. Taking a quick survey at her environment, she caught sight of a tall lean figure tugging slender fingers on the pads of the piano.

She stood still, watching the person run his fingers on the piano, strucking every note in expertise. Pretty unaware of anyone watching him. After a few more tunes, the music had ended.

"That was beautiful." she commented, startling whosoever that played the piano.

The figure behind the piano emerged, a tall guy in the school's ash and white uniforms. He parted his fairly plush lips with his deep shade of brown eyes widening in suprise.

"Yara..." he trailed off, she shrugged. Flipping out a stick of cigarettes and putting a light at the ends, she took a long drag at it.

"You're acting like you saw a ghost."

He gave an awkward laugh, staring at her surprise.

"You just listened to my music."

She curved her lips into a lopsided grin "it wasn't bad. Really."

"And you complimented it." he finished up, she blew a round of curly smokes to the air in silence.

"I think it was good and I'm not a music person but hearing that tune, it caught my attention. Where did you learn to play something like that?" She asked finally.

"Don't even know." He gave a half shrug, pulling his feet closer to where she sat,  "I was just trying out some classic tune I heard the music teacher play."

"Oh my gosh! Wait! That was a classic?"

"Yep. Modern classical music though." he replied, eyes fixed on her lips which was parted in awe,  "you love classics?" He asked.

She threw a scoff at him,  "classics are boring but I'm much more suprise to actually find this particular one interesting"

He grinned, "glad you liked it. So what kind of music do you like?"

"Pop, Afrobeats and anything else besides that, is a nuisance. And I'm just excluding what you played just now."

He laughed, "funny how we both have same taste in music."

"Oh really? That's interesting..." she replied, and then on, they both had talked for a long while about music. Today was the first day of school, teachers weren't so active so they had alot of break. He fixed a stare at her, watching her lips roll out the words from her mouth gracefully. Her position sat up in relaxation as she talked about her favorite pop musician who happened to be 'Lucas Graham' and how soul filing his songs were.

But then, he knew Yara or maybe he thought he knew her. She was the queen witch afterall, considering that she wasn't one to walk in randomly and start a conversation with anyone not even him. She wasn't always a closed off kind of person. Frankly, it all began during the start of their sophomore year when she came back to school and had everyone shut off from her life.

He had known her since he began studying in Bluebell's, they weren't best buddies and enemies. They had talked to each other or rather he did most of the talking, one moment it seemed like they were cool with each other and the next was she acting like she never knew he existed.

So to him, it was weird seeing her sitting comfortably in the music room, listening to him play the piano, complimenting it, talking about music with him and at the same time blowing curly smokes to the air. He took a long breath, zeroing his gaze at her as he asked when they had lapsed into a comfortable silence 

"You didn't just come here to listen to me play the piano right?"

She gave him a half shrug, swirling her gaze to meet his brown eyes which bored into her.

"I did. Why?"

"You just talked to me." he retorted quite still startled. She chortled.

"Aren't you human? It's normal to be talked to."

"It's a rare habit of yours." he pointed out.

"How fascinating. "

He sighed in exasperation, a smile playing on his lips, "Yeah whatever weirdo."

she chuckled in reply, extending her middle finger towards him.

"So do you play the piano too?"

"I can't even hold a keynote to save my ass." she muttered with a scoff accompanying her reply.

"How about I teach you?" He held his lower lips lightly in between his teeth, looking over her her titled neck and narrowed eyes.

She shrugged after much consideration, "doesn't sound like a bad idea.”

His lips stretched into a wide grin,  "great...so we'll....."

"George! " a peachy tone barged into the music room in interruption, revealing a girl with the caramel dark skin who had her hair packed in a bun, holding a bunch of folders in her arms. She stopped midway, trailing her gaze at Yara who stared at her blankly and the guy who happened to be George.

"Hey Sarah! " George waved, giving her a warm smile which she reciprocated, before letting her eyes linger on the cigarettes in between Yara's fingers.

"Umm...you both seemed busy, maybe I would just have to come back..." she said hesitantly.

"You don't have to." Yara cut in, putting the flames of the unfinished cigarettes off.

"How about the piano lessons?" George asked, she threw him a glance.

"Let's do that some other time." with that, she slammed the door shut behind her, ambling her way to class and leaving a befuddled Sarah let out a sigh she had no idea she had been holding in. She trailed her gaze behind her and back to meet George's neutral look as though she didn't just see them both talking to each other.