Not Edited.

I rubbed my palms together for the umpteenth time that day and had to once again fight the urge to root my legs into the white marbled floor and not walk towards the door of the doctor's office.

"Hey... Where's mummy." I heard her voice and my breathing ceased. Laura. Who on earth told her?

I turned to see my older sister who had a squealing Mofe around her neck and a smiling Micheal hugging her and my heart sank when she stared into my eyes.

I could hold my emotions but not my sister. She was quite emotional and the tears that had pooled into her eyes were enough for me to lose it.

Anna walked to her and gave her a hug and I just stood rooted to the spot. Me touching her would make the tears I'd long managed to keep under perfect control to spill out so I just nodded her way and resumed my former position of looking at the door.

I inhaled when I felt her presence beside me and before she could speak, my dad walked out with Anna's mum who was looking at ground. My dad's appearance was the same as before and I looked at him intently trying to get something out of his expression but it was clueless.

"She has regained consciousness." Was the first thing he said when he reached us, giving me a pointed look and a wave of relief rushed over me, making me exhale, realising that I was holding my breath.

"But... I sighed. I had rejoiced too soon.  The story was never complete without a 'but.' ...she is going to be admitted and I don't Know when she is ever gonna come out." My dad finished and as if he knew I needed it, pulled me into his arms.

Here was the time to let the tears come, but I fought it, holding it in as the doctor came out and he released me. "You can come and see her now." The man that looked like he was in his early thirties smiled at my dad and added before we could even move an inch.

"3 at a time please. We don't wanna overcrowd her." He had a slight Igbo accent and we all nodded. The first set already preparing to go. My dad, Anna's mum and Mofe, the last born followed the doctor, leaving the four of us and Anna sighed.

"How did it even happen?" Laura turned to me, and I explained once again, ignoring every question Anna asked me.

"It's our turn." Micheal was already walking towards the door of the room and we all followed suit. As I entered, a lump formed in my throat when I saw my mum. She was looking pale and her eyes were swollen and red like she had been crying.

As Laura, Anna and Michael broke down in her hands, I just stood, blinking back tears fighting the urge to scream out loud and free myself from the pain in my throat, in my heart.

From the fear of losing her.

"Itu mi." She smiled and opened her hands as I walked into them, burying my face in her arms and then I knew I couldn't hold the tears anymore. I didn't even try to hold them back from falling as I sobbed quietly in her arms, not minding anything at that moment.

Finally I was done crying my eyes out and my mum was also done with her speech of how she was okay and not dying, lightening the atmosphere.

"Laura why are you dressed like this?" My mum released me and everyone turned to Laura. My eyes widened when I took in what I was seeing and I burst into laughter.

She was in a short yellow gown that looked like the ones worn for nights, more like a night gown and her hair was packed up in a very messy bun. The Dunlop (bathroom) slippers that graced her feet, completed her almost suitable asylum look.

No offence but she looked mad!

"Mummy abeg (please) leave me o it was even Micheal that woke me up and told me all that happened. Do you now expect me to dress as if I'm going for a party, wó (please) me I just came like that." She wore a careless look as we all laughed at how she looked.

"Ehen (really)?" My mum folded her arms, looking at her first born in awe and stroking Micheal's hand that had circled her not so fat ones.

"So... Lois that's how you did not go to school today ehn?" My mum looked at me like I had stolen something and I blinked, before shooting her an 'are-you-serious' look. Well...almost every one in the room gave her the look and she frowned at us before shifting her attention to a sick Anna.

Chai! African mothers and education.

"Anna dear, how is your body ehn?"

I held in an eye roll as Laura eyed me, before going to give Anna a hug. What was with Laura and hugs??!!

"She needs to rest people." My dad was back, with a small bag that held some of the things my mum would have needed for the night and we all kissed her bye, with Anna's mum offering to stay over so, Anna was stuck with us, and was going to sleep over at my place.

Groaning silently for the 3rd time, I twirled a strand of the food with the name spaghetti, around my fork. I wasn't in the mood for it, wasn't even in the mood to eat anything, but I was been forced to eat, seeing that Laura was the second mom of the house after my mum's younger sister who was staying with us for the main time.

"Look Lois, if you don't want to eat the food, just give it to someone else instead of doing it like that... It's disgusting." My eyes flicked to Anna who was shooting me a disgusted look and I sighed when she succeeded in making 5 pairs of eyes turn in my direction.

Someone has pushed the wrong buttons.

My eyes narrowed at her as I dropped my fork on the glass plate, breaking the silence that had endured. I sighed trying to hold back the words that could make her loose the appetite for the food in front of her and shut up through out the meal but I just settled for,

"If anyone here is disgusted with the way I'm eating please o you can find your level because no one is begging anyone to eat on this table."

"Okay itunu, if you don't want to eat the food, you can cover it and take it later okay?" My aunt said, stopping Anna from whatever rubbish she wanted to let loose from her mouth.

Finally!!!

I nooded at my aunt as Laura just scoffed shaking her head. Drawing back my chair, I dropped my turkey in Micheal's plate and earned a thanks from him before proceeding to the kitchen to drop my food which I knew I was never going back to.

After dinner, everyone else found their way to their rooms leaving my aunt with the babysitting job. I left the room for Anna because the tension hung in the air, polluting it and making me uncomfortable.

I couldn't keep up being angry with someone for a long time, especially if that someone was Anna and meant a lot to me but I wasn't going to apologize first, wasn't just going to let my ego loose like that.

She was the one who had to apologize and that was final, official and stamped. Walking into Laura's room where she was just putting away her laptop and as if waiting for me to enter, she dropped on her bed leaving basically no space for me to even squeeze my tiny self on.

"How has my itu been?" She smiled sitting up as cringed at the pet name. Only my dad called me that before my mum borrowed it and now, it sounded dry and old coming from Laura's mouth.

"Me just dey o (I'm just there)" I sprawled on her bed and shut my eyes. The next she threw at me brought a smile I never knew existed to my face and I pulled my eyes open.

She just had to ask

"What's going on with you and Anna?" She sat up straighter now waiting for me to do the same thing. "Nothing much, except that she is hiding something Laura, from me." I copied Laura's position and faced her, cross-legged.

"Look itunu,..." She paused as of looking for the right words. "it's not everyone that would want anyone to know about their lives or anything going on in their lives. Like everyone and I mean if not  everyone value privacy and you should learn to respect people's privacy."

I sighed, attempting to talk as she shushed me continuing her speech, "Hold on... doesn't she tell you everything, like everything? And so..." – she continued before I could even answer the rhetorical question posed.

"If she decides not to tell you this one thing that you feel she's hiding, I think you should give her space, because at other times, people may be trying to sort out what is actually going on before even thinking of opening their mouths to tell anyone of what is going on, no matter how close the person is to them.

So, just give her space okay? Don't push her or rush her, just let her tell you herself okay?" She finished off her eyebrows raised and accompanying her question as I replied with a yes ma'am.

Now, it was gist time.

We talked and talked and talked about her university, my school, boys and all the other stuffs in our lives until midnight.

Dragging my tired body to my room, I was greeted with an exhausted sleeping Anna sprawled on my bed, leaving a very small space for me to sleep.

Walking into my bathroom, I scrubbed myself, getting rid of sweat and all other micro organisms I couldn't see and jumped into my PJ's. Plugging in my phone, I pushed all thoughts of school aside and focused on how to get rid of the cardigan that Anna was wearing.

I sighed at the sweat on her forehead and the heat her body released. Her body was hot, so hot and I started my mission of getting rid of the piece of cotton that added more to the salty waste coming out her.

Starting with the zipper, I pulled it down, and slowly pushed it off her shoulders. Now,her hands. I tugged gently on cloth, pulling it down her left hand slowly and pausing when she released a sigh.

Going back to my almost complete mission, I realised she was so going to thank me for this when I saw her soaked handless top she had inside.

Yanking the fabric free of her left hand, I proceeded to the second one and pulled that out with not so much difficulty and put on the fan. Trying to arrange her scattered body on the bed was what I tried to do next.

Gently placing her legs in the right direction and her hanging hands from the side of the bed. My phone came to life as a message entered just when I was about to finish my mission of placing her hands right.

I ignored the message, enjoying the faint light it gave me to see what I was even doing. Just as the light was about to die off, my eyes caught something on Anna's hand and I grabbed my phone, pulling it a little too hard and almost cutting my charger cord as I totally forgot that I had plugged it in.

Pressing my index finger against the power button, I ran my phone over her hand and stopped at her wrist. My eyes widening and a loud gasp escaping my lips as my hand dropped, leaving her hand.

My wide eyes didn't leave her wrist for a second and I thought it was my imagination, so I blinked then shut my eyes and, rocking back and forth before pulling them open once again.

When my eyes pulled open, what greeted my line of vision was terrifying, horrible and alarming. And then it hit me like a bullet. This was it, Anna's secret, what she was hiding from me, everyone.

Just in the inside of her wrist were 4 fresh cuts glaring back at me.

Yeah yeah...I know this chapter sucked but I'm gonna edit and make it,🌟 just had to let this one off the hook.

And that's it people, Anna's secret.

Question:what is the reason behind the cuts?

I wanna get feedbacks people!

And yeah.... school is resuming and I will not be able to update quickly again as I used to but....

If I can get feedbacks, maybe just maybe I will update before resumption, because once I resume, it'll be all exams and stuffs and so...I won't have time to be updating so... you get?

Pretty sure...I'm ranting now so... Bye.

Stay safe.

Seun💖