Prologue

Hey beautiful humans. Welcome to The Chiseler BB4 (Blackbook 4) of the Woods series. Have you checked out BB1, BB2, and BB3 yet? If yes, congratulations🙂 if no, pls do check it out.

Love you all much much. Your Author Zagzahzlau.

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"The shade, tsk tsk, I don't like it," I said whilst punching my phone.

My friends--Marila and Bennie--had managed to pull me out of my cocoon from the comfort of my beddings tenderness on a Saturday afternoon to the Mall out of my very own wish. 

Traditional purchase was my weak bone, but lately, I hadn't been in the mood for it for reasons not worth mentioning. Not yet.

"Are you serious right now, Eloïse?" Marila scolded, resting both arms on her hourglass waist. "This is like...the twenty-third dress you are condemning without even sparing it a glance."

For the first time in an hour did I lift my orbs off of my phone to collide with a furious set of hooded amber eyes.

Marila was an exemplar of perfection; tall she was, with prominent curves and edges. I nicknamed her hourglass for a reason. Her skin was of ivory neutral undertone, soft and smooth as a baby's butt.

"Don't plug my brows bald," I said. "As I said, the shade is horrible. One might take you for a beetroot in that dress."

Bennie, the beige warm undertone lass with tiny sterling grey eyes, showered a burst of hysterical laughter. "Eloïse, Jesus, that was so mean." 

"I was just..." Marila narrowed her once wide eyes and stomped into the changing compartment with a viscious strawberry facial mask on. "...being truthful." I shrugged.

Honestly, she deserved it. Somehow. I understood she was trying to lighten my mood by squeezing me out of my 'partially comfort' zone to the Shopping Mall, but she of all people should've known I didn't get easily fascinated when on my 'transition period' as they named it because Ace had left.

Yes, that mentally, physically, and emotionally got me on the verge of total derangement. Ace was that sweetest-everybody's dream older brother concealed in unnerving jerk clothing. He was also that older brother who would compliment you in public and savagely disgrace you in private. 

Our love was incomprehensible, a love which just both of us could understand. 

Now, when my parents announced to us--Myself, Beth, and Nate--about Ace's departure to Cameroon, we all became a ball of crying mess in the living room, especially Beth and I, crying at time intervals, with one of us picking up from where the latter stopped. Since then, my mood had never been the same.

I had bombarded my mom with several discouraging questions like; What if he gets seriously ill, you know him mum, he wouldn't go to the hospital and he might die or something worst-don't really know what could be worst than death but, I just had to say anything just so my brother could stay with us.

I starved myself for as long as two days, to no avail.

'Won't you eat today too? Just let me know so I don't stain an extra plate.'

I even threatened to fall from the rooftop.

'If you jump from up there, there are two things involved baby; it's either you get seriously injured or die. If you get injured, let me make it clear to you that hospitals are in existence and if you die, we going to make sure to call the coffin dancing guys for the funeral.she had said. That's just to name a few.

My mum, Zaphrina Tatiana Woods, is...a good woman in her own special way, who knows just how to deal with my tantrums, unlike my dad.

I heaved a sigh at how frustrated my life would be without Ace. From my peripheral vision, I sighted a guy in a grey Blueberry imprinted hoodie on a pair of black ripped jeans. His hair must have been long because a little mop of platinum blonde hair kissed his shoulder blade despite the hood. The distance didn't benefit any further detailed examination of him.

He had a peculiar way of staring at his surroundings as he did the expensive wristwatches concealed in a glass frame. Then, followed the rack of pretty expensive button-up shirts.

I watch him meticulously graze his fingertips from one shirt to another.

"Hey, Are you even listening to me?" 

Marila chimed. I hadn't even noticed her return, talk less of whatever thing she blabbered about.

"Urghh. I'm never trying this shit again. Your transition period won't be the death of me." She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I'm leaving the Mall with a virgin credit card." 

My eyes won't quit the hoody guy as Marila kept grumbling and whining like the drama queen she is. We walked past the cashier's to the exit door when Bennie requested we paused.

"Jesus, Bennie, This is something you shoulda done ere long," Marila complained in a duh tone. "Now you going to make me embarrass myself further by standing here like a potted plant without shopping bags."

"I didn't know I desired it until I saw it." She shrugged. "I hope tchoupi likes it." 

My vision, which had managed to divert from the mysterious lad to Bennie and Marila's little dispute made me lose track of my stalkee.

"Just hurry up, I've basked in enough embarrassment today...Hey, What have you been looking at this whole time?" Marila, who had finally noticed my absent-mindedness wriggled her lengthy neck to succession. "Ohhhh, he's...hot?" she hesitated, stating the obvious; she didn't mean it.

The lad walked away from the shirt rack to the exit, just then did I meet amber eyes and shook my head at her disdainfully. 

I knew just where she was driving at; pretentious compliments, peer pressure, and pleads had become her national anthem.

Oh say! Can you see by the dawns early light...

Oh Eloïse! Can't you see by the dawns early light...

"For real," She proceeded, waving her fingers to a presently imaginary figure of him. Conducting, was what I called that. Something she often did when talking. "I mean, look at those sexy, dirty, faded jeans clinging to his muscled legs so perfectly and that local store cheap hoodie clutching his William Levy torso-" 

"Jesus Christ, Marila just stop already ok?" 

It was irritating. She had a tendency of performing this way whenever I set eyes on the opposite sex which could either be when I admired his outfit or when I spotted a flaw dangling somewhere on his physique.

"Oh Eloïse, can't you see? You are sixteen and still single." she rested a hand on my shoulder. "You ain't getting younger deary, life's short and you need to live it to the fullest with five very important aspects; shopping, spar visiting, boys, boys, and boys. As I speak, you aren't even close to experiencing half of life's most important aspects. I won't lie to you, sometimes, you make question your sexuality. Please, for the sake of our friendship, get you a boyfriend." she corked her head with a pretentious worried look. "I could hook-"

"No thanks," I swatted, almost immediately rolling my eyes at her. Even though none of such could ever halt her from lecturing me with the whole dick issues.

"Done," Bennie alerted as she walked to us with a ball of yarn, for her kitten, in hand while struggling to keep her credit card with her free hand in her purse. Together, we exited the mall to the penetrating radiance of the sun above our heads.

"Hey, thief! Somebody call the cops." 

A chubby old man exited an antique store. In his hand was a lengthy piece of carved mahogany polished wood, it took me a moment to realize that it was an African sculpted elephant's tusk. 

His short legs wouldn't expand more than three feet as he set on pursuing the said 'Thief' who's body was already vanishing down the street.

Something. Something about him stroke recognition as the image of the retreating grey hoodie slashed with that of the mysterious lad from the shopping mall.

"Can't believe this," I heard Bennie utter from behind me. "I thought such happen only at dusk."

"Well, you gotta stop thoughting Bennie. The world is coming to an end. I think I will need more guards when next I'm going shopping. I can't have this happen to my shopping bags. Oh God, I can't even imagine my poor designer shoes in the hold of such a malevolent creature."

"Hey," I called to the man who wasn't far enough from earshot. "Sir, please wait up."

The chubby man stopped abruptly as if sighted a green light before him from nowhere. He dropped the wooden elephant's tusk to clutch his knees while exhaling and inhaling heavily like he just ran a marathon when he barely even made five steps into the journey.

"I...I hope you have a good reason for stopping me," He managed to cough in between breaths. 

I walked to Mr. Chubby trying my best not to let my eyes wander around me at the numerous eyes staring. I only hoped among them wasn't an alert machine to have called the cops already.

From behind me, I heard my friends call and questioning my action but I ignored them for I was at the brink of doing something I hope I never regret. 

"What did he take from you?"

"You mean, what did he steal," he corrected. "The most valuable item of my shop worth a lot of thousands," he knelt onto the roughly tarred pavement with undeciphered muffles of what sounded like curses?

"That was the second out of three rarest Africa's most precious articles and that bast--"

"How much?" I cut him off immediately.

"Huh?"

"I detest repeating myself, sir,"

"Young woman, I'm not ready for any childish prank if that's what you and your friends have conspired. Now, get out of my moaning side will you?"

This man was getting my nerves all cooked up already.

"Eloïse, come on let's get out of here," Bennie said, pulling me by my arm.

I abruptly swatted her hands away before reaching for my purse.

With my checkbook and pen in hand, I shot my focus back to Mr. Chubby for him to see how serious I was about it.

"For the last time sir, how much does that article cost?" I rose my voice at him more than it's normal calm tone and immediately felt a stinging sensation; It wasn't my habit scolding at or replying back to elderly people. My mum once told me doing so was going to make me susceptible to misfortunes in future as per 'traditional beliefs' but this man right here gave me no choice

"That single he stole was three thousand."

"Here," I forwarded the cheque to him, "that's six. I'm interested in the other."

Sorry I don't feel it when writing in first person.