~Kamsi~

_ Then came everybody, acting like they cared. Acting like such goddamn hypocrites cause they all thought the story had already ended and they'd won the game before it even started. I only wish they knew that this was only just the beginning _
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Well, school was pretty much hell by the way. Couldn't concentrate on anything the Chemistry teacher was saying about Organic Chemistry, and neither could I concentrate on anything else that was being discussed in class. Pretty much everyone in class avoided me like a plague, and I was darn happy and ever grateful for that. Even the twat of a girl from earlier, who I'd yelled at, was looking anywhere else but at me. She still appeared to be petrified, and I couldn't give a damn if she thought I was a monster. Thing is, Heaven knows I was really refraining myself from smashing her head against a pole or something. But yeah, I couldn't do that. And no matter how tempting that was getting by the moment, I just couldn't.

After a terrible, horrible day at school, my grandparents made sure to leave me alone cause I guessed they must've noticed my foul mood. Wondered what gave that away. The fact that I stormed up the stairs, angrily? Or the fact that I broke a figurine in the process? I guessed both.

I'd been pretty much un-bothered cause I had my headphones plugged in and NF's Outcast blasted out of the speakers at just about the right amount of loud I wanted. At the moment, that was exactly what I needed. So the irritation that filled me when my grandpa finally barged into my room to call me downstairs, was totally understandable and highly expected.

And that was where I'd been sitting ever since; just waiting to know the real reason why they'd decided to call me downstairs. I stared at the both of them, and they stared back. They looked like they were contemplating which one of them would tell me what was so brutal and terrifying that could possibly lead me to punching someone in the face. Again.

Nah, but I'd never punch my grandparents. Hell'd freeze over before that'd happen. Although, I'd punch my father in the face as many times as I deemed fit.

Long story short, I was anxious. I knew their behavior only meant one thing. And that was: that they had bad news. My gut instincts told me it had to do with my dad or maybe something way worse than that. I felt that unless it was news that my father had died from a fatal car accident that destroyed all his remains and left nothing for recognition, then it wasn't bad news to me. I was loosing patience. I wanted to speak up and simply demand the reason for this rather awkward meeting, but I couldn't.

My grandma would feel it'd be disrespectful. "Don't speak before your elders do when you're not asked to." She'd say.

"Your father came over earlier." Grandpa finally said and I tried by best to not act like the piece of information didn't just make a cell in my brain pop. "He really wants you back home." Grandpa slowly added.

I didn't say anything. I simply stared at my fingers like they were the prettiest pieces of bling. Although, deep down, I was mentally having a mini-rant on why the devil was trying to make my day even worse.

When my grandparents noticed I wasn't going to say anything, "You're not saying anything, Kamsi. Involve yourself in this conversation, please." My grandma said. I wanted to shrug and tell her that I didn't care if he came or if he dragged his lazy arse over here to get me back to that possessed house, but then I figured she'd have a heart attack or something if I did say that to her. I didn't want her dying, hell no.

"Kamsi." My grandma called softly and I heaved a really long sigh.

"Grandma, please. I don't want to talk about this. Could it please wait till tomorrow?" I said and grandma shook her head, no.

"Mbanu. This conversation is happening now."
["No"].

I sighed. "You guys are already tired of me?" I wanted to guilt-ride them into letting the topic dissolve into the nothingness of the air.

"Not that, Kamsiyochukwu." By the way, I hated that she called me by my full name. Christ! It felt like some kind of chieftaincy title or something of the sort. "Your father has been really worried. Even Kambili too. And with all that has been going on there at your house, he really feels the need for you to be back home. It's not like we are tired of having you here. Don't think that, okay?" Grandmothers usually had this kind of soft spot for their male grandchildren, that I noticed. And my grandma, well she'd freeze the seven seas if I'd get hurt. I loved her way too much to hurt her either.

"Don't you think you should head back home? It's not right for you to be angry up to this moment." Grandpa said, and I tried my best to not roll my eyes.

I didn't want a lecture from them. Please, no. I sure-as-hell didn't want that, but, I also didn't want to not argue my reasons out to them. I figured it was pointless anyway.

"Fine." Their jaws almost reached the ground.

"Eh?" Disbelief smacked it's way onto grandma's face.

I tired to smile, but Heaven knows I wasn't happy about any of this so my lips remained as stiff as a board. "Yes, grandma. I'm going back home." Even I couldn't believe I was heading back home. I couldn't believed my lips just moved and my mouth just opened and words like that just spilled through.

I guessed it was cause I was already getting fed up of constantly being told to head back home. That, and the fact that I really missed my twin sister.

They smiled at me. And it almost freaked me out because their smile was really contagious. "I'm so happy, Kamsi. You've made the right choice. Kambili will be very happy to know this."

I nodded. I was too tired to even feign enthusiasm. "Can I go now?" Grandpa smiled at me, and nodded his head in approval. A part of me felt like I'd just made a huge mistake, but a larger part of me felt like I'd done the right thing. Maybe it wasn't best if I kept running. Maybe I simply had to face my fears, look the devil in the eye and get rid of those many paranoia.

I only hoped I hadn't made a mistake.

* * *

I was going to leave my grandparents' home the following day. I'd already packed, well, kind of. I barely had anything much. Just plain jeans and tees. Nothing extra, really. Things had to change because people were just malfunctioning pieces of holograms; sometimes acted like they didn't even have a heart that really worked. But at the end, it was human nature. People change, cause even satan used to be an angel. Couldn't bang my head against my wall, whispering to myself just how much I wished things didn't have to happen this way.

I didn't want to care about what everyone would think if I'd return. I tried to ignore the ego in me which was really sprouting wings and trying to make me feel like coming back home would mean I let them defeat me. I lost. And I'd let them think that. I'd act like the idiot and the fool that they want me to be. I was tired of chasing what seemed invisible. I was going to expose my father. That, was a promise.

All through the night, I kept tossing and turning on my bed, and my head pounded with a lot of thoughts going haywire. I really wished I could shut the voices in my head, but I just couldn't. They seemed to be way louder than I'd imagined and I couldn't stand the fact that they were depriving me of a much deserved sleep.

So it was expected when I felt like literal piece of sh*t by morning. My head ached like crazy and I felt as drowsy as ever. First thing on my mind was to head home, rush up to my room, shut the door and shut everyone out in the process, and just take a nap for as long I needed to.

But when I finally got home, the exact opposite happened. I was expecting a nice welcome home, maybe not, but not a house full of chaos.

When I walked into the house, with my grandparents following closely behind me, we met a lady and a girl I guessed would be her daughter. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, I mean this lady was hitting high notes I wasn't sure Sia could. Her eyes were all bloodshot and I could spot my so-called father and Kambili really trying to calm her down. I couldn't understand half a sh*t of what was going on. Seriously, I wondered if I'd walked into the wrong house.

"I want my daughter!" She was screaming when I and my grandparents finally got close enough.

The lady fell to the floor now, really melodramatic — I must say — and began to wail like she'd just lost someone. I was getting pissed by her uncontrolled screaming and I really felt like slapping demons in and out of her, but I just couldn't. I didn't want to steal her spotlight, since she was currently grabbing all the attention with her incessant screaming and wailing.

My dad looked a mess. He looked like even he didn't know what was going on. I couldn't read what exactly I saw flash in his eyes, but I guessed it was fear. And major confusion. Although I hated to admit it, I felt the exact same way.

"Where's my daughter Mr. Ekwegh? You can't tell me she's in the hospital, just like that. Stop lying to me!" The woman, almost like she had been doused with acid, jumped up on her feet and lunged for my dad; who almost fell on his own two feet.

"You liar! Let's not forget five years ago, sir. I want my daughter back!" The woman screamed at him, and grabbed him by the collar. Kambili was quick to rush towards the duo and was trying so hard to get the woman's hands off my dad's collar.

"You took her from me! I want her back, sir. We might've been helpless but I want her back. I've searched high and low for her so you must give me back my daughter. She's mine!" That was the height of the nonsense. I'd had enough, and I was pretty sure neither of them had acknowledged mine and my grandparents' presence.

"Okay, what the f*ck is going on here?" That was all I had to say, before they all turned their heads towards me.

Kambili's eyes immediately widened in shock, and my father? Well he had always been a sh*thead so he maintained his ugly countenance. And to think he was the one who wanted me home. Pathetic!

"Kamsi!" Kambili ran towards me, and hugged me. I wanted to act chill about the hug, and probably remain as still as ice, but I just couldn't. Even my lips began to twitch cause I really wanted to smile too. But I dared not.

After hugging me, Kambili went ahead to hug my grandparents too. I, on the other hand, made sure to avoid eye contact with the devil. And by 'devil', I meant the beast in human form known as my so-called father.

"Who is she? And ma'am, why on Earth are you even here?" I looked her over. She wore simple clothes and I could tell she definitely wasn't someone from a wealthy background. "Who let you in here anyway?" I didn't give a f*ck if I sounded rude. I didn't even give a damn if I wasn't showing any manners right now.

The lady's eyes seemed to claw into my head. She almost attacked me, I supposed, but I made sure to deliver a very intimidating glare her way.

"I'm here because I want my child, and only because of that. I wouldn't step foot into this lair of lies if not for that." She said and I scoffed and eyed her.

"You're at the wrong house." I said, tired of all the crap going on. How was this me relaxing on my bed?

"No, I'm not. I'm at the right house." She shoved a document in my face. I glanced through the piece of sh*t and realized it was from the orphanage where Alisa had been adopted. After glancing through the crumbly paper, I rolled my eyes.

"So?" I arched a brow her way and she scowled.

"I'm Alisa's biological mother. And I want her back." She finally dropped the bombshell, just so she could make everything crystal clear.

I stared at her, and then at the girl who had been standing at a corner; silent all the while the ruckus was going on. She did look a little like Alisa. I could tell cause they had the same eyes. But the woman didn't have as much resemblance. I wondered if maybe they must've taken their father's physical appearance.

"Alisa's not here." I said, and my dad shot me a look that begged that I didn't say anything else to her. He even shook his head and mouthed that I didn't, just for emphasis' sake. I ignored him. He had no right to tell me what to do.

"Then where is she?" The woman gritted her teeth, like her patience was running thin. Couldn't say I blamed her.

"She was shot just a few days ago," at the sound of my reply, the woman stumbled backwards and gasped. "And as a matter-of-fact, she's at the hospital right now. Fighting for her life." I knew I sounded way inconsiderate. But I didn't care.

At that exact moment, my grandparents decided to say something. "Miss? I really think you should leave. How are we sure you aren't making this up?" My grandpa said to her, and the lady stared at him with eyes that spat raw venom.

She immediately dug into her brown leather handbag, which looked like it'd been used only recently. Finally, she retrieved a large, brown envelope from it.

"Here." She handed the document to my grandpa, and he scrutinized it with his eyes, before taking it from her with uncertainty in his eyes. Slowly, he tore open the envelope and withdrew a few photographs and documents. After going through them all, he shared a brief look with the lady and sighed.

"She's telling the truth." He said, and I furrowed my brows in confusion. I reached for the documents and photographs and stared at them with so much urgency in my eyes.

And just after I was done doing that, I didn't know what to think anymore. Photos of Alisa, when she looked way younger; from ages five to like seven or eight, alongside the woman, and a man who looked just like Alisa, were in my hands. Although, the girl (who I presumed to be Alisa's so-called sister) was not in any of those photos. Even Alisa's birth certificate was in there too. I was shocked to say the least. It all looked genuine. Every single thing looked so true, I just couldn't argue any further.

"You believe me now?" The lady asked, her eyes fierce and brutally aggressive. I sighed.

Wow.

"And you know what's worse?" This time her eyes were rooted at my dad. She visibly gritted her teeth at him and I wondered what the actual f*ck was truly going on.

"Your darling father knew. He's always known." She said. Was I going to have to act surprised? I was not in the least surprised. I'd heard so many bad stuff my dad had done and even that no longer shook me. He was a bad person. A man with selfish goals and demonic interests.

Kambili, on the other, was in fact shocked. "Dad?" She stared at him, then at the woman. "Is all this true? Is that really Alisa's mother?" She asked, and my dad sighed and lowered his head.

How about you save the act for someone who cares?

"Yes." He finally replied, causing more and more drama to unfold. It was then that I knew that there was something about Alisa that had a hand in all the mishaps that'd been going on lately. I just had to find out what.

THE END!

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Don't get scared, loves 😂
This is just the end of book one. I was gonna tell you guys about the sequel in chapter 24, but I figured I wanted to scare someone small. Did it work?😁

Anyway, the sequel will be released in a few days. I'm talking by Friday or so. The title's going to be Oblivion, and I was going to share the cover's photo with y'all but I also decided against it cause I want it to be a surprise.

Now, the real reason I decided to make a sequel was cause I figured that I have a whole lot of ideas for this book and if I just let it be in only one book, then it'd be way too long and some of y'all might get bored. So I decided to make a sequel and add some spice to the story, which I'm hoping you'd like. The sequel will be written mostly in Kamsi's POV. I hope I'm not the only one who's excited 😄

Well, please don't forget to vote and leave as much comments as you can. Please🐰

Anyways, please ask any questions you may have and I'll try my best to reply as much as I can. Any question or curiosities you're having about the book, then please leave em here➡️
It'll really help me while I'm preparing the sequel.

Also, there's an amazing book I've been fangirling over for ages. Devil's Duo by @Vennythealien. You have got to check this book out, I'm really sure you'll love it. You can find it in my reading list as well. Categories; favorite books, mind-blown, hilarious bits, hidden beauties and so on.

It's about a girl with a messed up life. It's so crazy and super interesting too. So she talks to herself sometimes and everyone believes she's crazy. So her mom makes her take therapy sessions and I really don't wanna spoil anything for y'all. So, long story short, she kinda like has anger issues and hates her mom cause she cheated on her husband (her dad). Then she meets this guy ( in the most awkward kind of way) who's weirdly hot but she's got this big ego and she's not about to admit that. And this guy is so sweet and has his own personal issues too but mehnnn! Iono, the book is kinda complicated but very interesting. Please, please, please, pleaseee check it out. It's a really cool book and I'm hurting cause it doesn't have as much publicity as it should.

Currently she's at 1k reads (congrats, girl btw❤️) and I'd really really like for her book to have more than that cause it's hella good. And the author is equally an amazing person. Just think, for me to be promoting the book like this and being such a shameless fangirl, then it should be good. And it is. Please check it out, guys. Love you!❤️

Anyways, thanks for bringing this book this far. Y'all have been the best readers any author could've ever asked for. Thank you guys so much ❤️

I really hope to see y'all in the sequel, fingers crossed 🤞🏽

Bye!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
✌🏼