Walking into the very lit and beautiful house my cousin resided, I was welcomed with a hug and a knock on the head by Anna's mum who queried me of not coming to see her often.

The woman liked me too much. Sha it was because me I was a good child.

Sending my apologies, I went up to Anna's room and met her door locked. Of course the girl was not clean and that was why her door was always locked.

I knocked and walked in without asking for permission and met our dear Anna Williams in her study chair. She was clad in a light brown pullover and her eyes were closed.

Her physics note was held loosely in her hand and her head was leaning against the top of the wooden chair she was on.

Tiptoeing close to her, I gently tried to pull the book out of her hand after taking a picture of her in that position.

As my hand touched the top of the book, I gently pulled and she grabbed back, her eyes flying open.

Busted.

"Hello." I offered a smile as she just stared at me for a few seconds, her brain booting and trying to process what she was seeing.

Her booting and processing process was quite fast, as she got up and pulled on her pullover sleeves, making it to cover her palms. I looked at her closely. She was not Ok at all. She looked very sick and tired.

Without even looking at me, she dropped on her soft bed, and shut her eyes. I gently kicked her leg and she hissed. "Lois what do you want?"

"I came for you to teach me maths oo. I've not done my own test. I'm doing it tomorrow. " I sat down on the chair she got up from as she sighed.

"I'm tired, like very tired just give me some minutes to rest my head please." She turned away from me on the bed. "Ok." I said picking up her phone.

"Don't touch my phone." She grabbed her blanket and pulled it over herself. "Abeg keep shut." I unlocked her phone and a smile reached my face when I saw her home screen that had a picture of me and her.

Going through her pictures, I sent some pictures I needed to my phone and kept a timer for the next 30 minutes. I was going to wake Anna up before my mum started calling to know where I was even if she knew I was at my cousin's place.

For the next 30 minutes, I flooded her phone with my face and my selfies, resisting the temptation to check her messages. She checked mine forcefully, every time she could lay her hands on my phone but I just couldn't do it back.

Right after the timer went off, I shook Anna gently and she turned, her eyes pulling open. They were red like she was drunk and she looked more worse than when she slept 30 minutes ago.

I didn't need a second look to know that I was going to teach myself maths in preparation for my test the next day. Releasing air from her mouth, she blinked twice at me and then shut her eyes again.

I stood up and felt her temperature with the back of my hand. Her body was hot, very hot and I was scared. She looked sick yes, but I didn't think she was this sick. Shaking my head, I put my hand around her making her stand up and walked her to her bathroom.

As I reached the door, she stopped shaking my hands off her and turned back, "I feel cold... like very cold."

As I followed her back to her bed, I covered her with her blanket and went down stairs to inform her mum. When I reached the kitchen, her mum was sitted on a stool, deep in thought.

Coughing, I pulled her out of her thoughts and she sighed and then smiled, standing up. "Lois dear what do you want?"

"Uhm... ma, Anna doesn't feel too well." I balanced on my left leg as she turned to me, dropping the frying pan she had picked up earlier.

"Her body is very hot and she is feeling cold." I shoved my hands into the pocket of my jeans skirt and she sighed. " I'm coming."

"Ok ma." I turned around, finding my way back to her room. It was 5pm already and I had not even started my revision for the maths test. I was almost angry at Anna for being sick but again I couldn't blame her.

Nobody could just decide to get sick on their own, so I let it go and hoped she got well soon. lo When I got to the room, she was using her phone and smiling at her screen.

Sitting on the bed, I let my brain think on how to start the conversation about what happened in school today. Why did she look scared when Ituah just 'hmmed'?

Her eyes were closed and I pressed her hand gently. They were hot. "So... Anna, - I started, - is there anything I'm meant to know about?... like why where you scared today when ituah - " she cut me off with a hiss, pulling her hand away. "See abeg don't mind that one as you see me like this, I'm not in the mood."

And just like that, it was case closed. No more additions no more questions. Typical Anna Williams. No one could force her to talk, when she didn't want to. Not even her parents.

I wanted to push it but she wasn't in a right state as she had said, so I decided to let it lie. When she felt more better, there was no way she was going to escape it. No freaking way.

Her mum walked in with some drugs in her hands and a bottle of water. "How are you feeling?" She dropped the water on the table and I stood up collecting the drugs from her as she walked to the side of Anna's bed.

"Is your head aching?" She pressed the back of her hand to Anna's forehead and she just laid there saying nothing. "Anna." I shoved her shoulder gently and she turned to look at me. "What?"

"Your mum was asking you something." I folded my legs on her bed and she scoffed lightly, " I'm not deaf." Then I knew, that something big was up. Anna and her mum were fighting. It was always like this every time.

"Anna, do you have aunty Busayo's number?" Aunty Funmi, Anna's mum asked as I smiled. Of course. How could I forget that the next person who would be receiving a call was our very own and dear Oluwabusayo Williams. The family doctor and only sister of my dad.

She was the middle-aged bachelorette and only doctor in the family, a nice and sweet light skinned lady who made everyone in the family including her friends wonder why she was still not married. She was the modernized definition of beauty. If that was a correct word.

Her beauty was natural, and she was not to fat and not to skinny. She was moderate in body size, not to tall and definitely not short, average heighted.

She worked with a private hospital and was paid a fine amount and also was the person who could be called at anytime and any moment of the day by the Williams family, if there was a small problem in the health aspect of a family member.

I pitied her sometimes, when she is woken up by some minutes after 2 in the early hours of the morning because one person in the family is throwing up and complaining of stomach ache and all other symptoms of a fever.

But one thing was certain, after all those rigorious work, the alert from her bank, never stopped sounding. Her bank account was getting fat and fatter each day.

I dialed her number hoping she would pick up. She closed from office by 6pm or some minutes after and barely picked her phone while at work. I was shocked when she picked on the third ring, and I could picture her holding the phone with her shoulder and cheek.

Greeting her I couldn't hold a smile as she ignored my greeting and asked who was sick immediately. "Or did the person break the hand or the leg which one." she was saying as I laughed, walking up to Anna's mum and putting the phone on speaker.

"Hello bubu sorry jare it's Anna she's running temperature... can you stop by on your way and buy malaria drugs when coming o." Anna's mum walked to the door and laughed after saying 'you no serious.' (You are not serious. )

As she ended the call, I collected my phone and she left me and Anna alone. As she left, Anna opened her eyes and demanded for her phone. I gave it to her.

As I wanted to plug in my headphones, she gave a small yell and I almost dropped my phone in fear. "What?" I turned to the child and met her trying to sit up, smiling widely.

"Daddy." She waved at her screen and I ran towards her. Her dad? my dad's younger brother? My uncle?!!

He was wearing a camo shirt or vest kinda and had a beanie on his head. He was smiling and I couldn't help but give a small yell just like Anna when I saw him.  It has been almost 3 years since we saw last.

"Hi." I waved at the screen and he waved back. Anna moved on the bed and gave me space to sit so we could video chat together. "How is my darling doing?" He said smiling at Anna as the child pouted, "I'm sick."

"Aww why?... my princess never gets sick at all, what happened, malaria?" He rested back in his chair, folding his arms, revealing his biceps that were mesmerizing. They looked so strong and I pitied the person that was going to receive a punch from him.

Anna's Dad, uncle T as I called him was a soldier, based in Canada. He fought with the army, and barely had the chance to speak with his family. He only did that when he was less busy.

He promised to come back to take Anna and her mum; his whole family, with him, but since they were not complete, I thought he was stalling, probably waiting for the time his only run away son, Iyanu, Anna's brother would come back, so they could all go together.

Quietly leaving the room, I went down to the sitting room and sat there, patiently waiting. In 10 to 15 minutes, Anna would be done with talking to her dad and I did not want to interfere.

It was a sacred time for her, as she barely spoke to him at all and joining the conversation would not be good enough, as she would want to enjoy every moment with him.

I switched on the Tv. Anna's mum was in her room speaking to a friend and so it was just me. Flicking through the channels, looking for what to watch, I received a text message from Laura and I dropped the remote.

O Lord! Laura texted me!!! Laura Williams texted me!!!

I could almost kneel down and thank God for that miracle. My older sister, ever since she went to uni never texted me once or called, I always did that and then she'd tell me how busy she had been and all those scrap I wasn't interested in.

Hey... fat face.😋

Smiling, I replied.

Hello... slim face.

How are you doing, it's been a while o.

So, she knew?

Oh... so you know. Sha (anyways) how are you?

I'm fine you?

The timer I set went off and I went upstairs to Anna's room. As I pulled the door open, I met her sitting on the ground, cross-legged, crying.

I put my phone in my pocket, Laura had to wait, and walked towards her. Sitting on the ground, I put my arm around her hugging her as she cried hard into my shoulder. I decided not to say anything as she didn't say anything also but just kept on crying.

It wasn't easy for her, having to deal with firstly her mum who never accepted or even cared about what she did. They were always not on the same page at all. A runaway brother, a father who wasn't always around.

A nice dad who she would want to see every time, want to spend time with, but who was in another country entirely, fighting with the army. Someone who was part of her family yet was also in another world.

She cried harder and it seemed like her temperature rose to a higher degree. Anna never cried. Like never. I could count the times she'd cried and that was only when she couldn't hold herself anymore, when it was too much for her to bear.

I held in my own tears, I couldn't cry now, I had to be strong for her, and gently rubbing her back, I said, "it's going to be ok." Even if we both knew it wasn't.

Don't forget to vote people 💖

Love always 💖

Seun. 🔥