Saturday January 19, 2019

"Mummy, I will go to Deji's place by ten o." Timi announced clicking his fork against his plate loudly. Francis, sitting at the head of the dinning table,gave him a pointed look that halted his movements.

"Since when?"

Rebecca shrugged, meeting his eyes from the opposite end of the table. "He told me yesterday. You weren't home."

Her husband shook his head and took a long swallow from his cup of water. "You're spoiling him."

"At least I have one to spoil." She muttered bitterly with a glance towards her daughter's direction. She sat on her left, staring expressionlessly at her food.

"Don't start." Francis cautioned and his wife glowered at him challengingly.

Tokunbo ignored the tense environment that surrounded her and focused on cutting her boiled yam into rectangular pieces. Her hands reached for the oil at the middle of the table and met with air. Timi sat beside her hogging the oil to himself like it meant his life.

"Pass the oil." She snapped.

Timi held up a piece of oil drenched yam. "Take it by yourself."

Tokunbo bit her lip to rein in the anger and irritation. She rose up from her seat, bending over to grab the oil bottle. Timilehin shoved her however causing her to lose her footing and screamed when she landed elbows deep in his plate, startling their parents out of their glaring match.

"What is this nonsense?!" Francis boomed.

Timi turned to him with tear filled eyes. "She put her body in my food!"

"He pushed me!" His sister defended, scurrying off the table.

"I did not! You just can't do ordinary things right."

"Says the idiot who's friends with people who use him!" Tokunbo spat and smiled when his eyebrows clashed and his teeth clenched. He rose up suddenly, staring up into her face.

"At least I don't cause problems for mom and dad."

"Enough!" Francis bellowed and every soul in the room quietened. A few seconds later, a baby's cry pierced the air. Rebecca glared at her husband and slammed her plate really hard against the table before running to console her baby. Francis in turn glared at the two children and rubbed a hand on his face frustratedly. "This is a mess. I hate messes. I expected better from you Tokun."

Tokunbo gasped. "He pushed me. And he's the one who screamed not me."

"People will always push you Tokunbo. You must not give in to emotions." He warned.

She parted her lips to defend herself then decided against it. He knew better. Her father always did. She grabbed a napkin and wiped her arms giving Timilehin the stink eye and strutted to her room. She grinned when realization dawned on him that he would be the one to clean up the table because he was the last child there.

"Serves you right idiot." She murmured as she stepped into her room and slammed the door close.

"Watch it!" Her mother yelled from across the house.

At least I don't cause problems for mom and dad.

There was tension between her parents. She wasn't blind to it. But she hadn't wanted to believe that she had something to do with it. That she was the sole reason why. Needing a distraction, she marched towards her bed and pulled out the stack of books underneath. Demi's diaries. Diaries she had stolen from Demi's house. She was certain Demi would come back. And she needed to be prepared.

Picking up a pen, she moved to her reading table.

"Anna with the 'A', let's see your connection with Demi." She mumured reading through the bookmarks and notes she had made while studying the diaries in the past year. She had to admit, Demi's life was awfully interesting. Tokunbo would've almost felt sorry for her. Almost. With her life filled with troubles and rather annoying moments, she could understand why the girl needed a release.

"There's no Anna here too." She grumbled, tossed the 2015 diary aside and reached for the last diary.

"What if I was wrong? Anna may not be a threat..." Her eyes fell on a weird name.

...Hi, I'm Anna with the-

"Hetch." She breathed. "There's no way it's just a coincidence." Quickly she flipped to the only page she had marked the name.

"Hetch's pretty small if you ask me. Goes all doe eyed after him like he's some freaky super hero. Sometimes I feel like tying her to a tree in the forest. That would be most pleasant to see. Would teach her a lesson too. I asked Emma if she had to come with us all the darn time and he blows up in my face. The scumbag blows up in my face. He's lucky he's useful to me."

"That's it?" Tokunbo mumbled opening the next page searchingly. "Seriously? If she's this insignificant then it can't be Anna. She's small? How small is small? Arrgh, even your honesty is a lie Demi."

Sighing frustratedly, she riveted her eyes to her blocked window. There were tiny spaces between the bars to ventilate the room. But after spending three months in a prison with no windows, she was fine. Now she wished it was open so she could talk to Eli.

No regrets.

"Right. Even if there was, it's useless anyways." She whispered and climbed into her bed trying to will herself to sleep.

But... What if I was right?

She threw the bed covers off her and reached for the door. Whatever happened, she had to warn Eli first.
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"Kill us with the moves Bets!" Benita screamed over the loud music. Typical High school party. Loud bass beats and crazy teenagers. Betty watched Benita wriggle beside her like some possessed worm, her fruit punch splashing out of her white disposable cup.

She would've danced too- the music was catchy. But she was at a Skylar's party. It didn't matter what he said, he would always remain a Skylar to her. Ugo sat on a stool at the bar surrounded by a mass of students laughing at whatever he said. She hated him. She also hated Chioma who sat beside him looking like she would fall in his lap.

Desperate little?

"Will ya loooon up?" Benita screamed again and shoved her. She stumbled into a nearby dancer. A girl with so much make up, she could pass for a Doll.

"Oh it onnnnnn. You... ink you can bea me ah dancing? I gat mouuus B." Dollie slurred.

Betty's eyes widened. She snatched the white cup in Benita's hands and sniffed. "This is alcohol!"

"O courseitis." Benita giggled.

"You were drunk all along?! I thought you were just shortening your sentences! You told me it was only fruit punch."

"Cause 'know you wulunt drink eeet."

A groan dropped from Betty lips. "I need new friends."

Dollie hiccuped and rolled her eyes. "Loo at me B. I gah moves."

She had totally forgotten about the drunk doll. The girl seemed rather serious at the pseudo dance challenge. "Uh no I'm not-"

"MA GIRL'S GON' BE YOUR ASS!" Benita bragged at the top of her voice calling the attention of everyone around.

"What no I'm not! Don't listen-"

"It onnnn! It so on. DJjjj!" Dollie shrieked and the music stopped for a while. "We bout to dance off here! Givvvit ya best shot."

"There will be no dance off!" Betty protested but her voice got lost in the uproar among the crowd.

"Dance! Dance! Dance!"

"I'm not! I can't.... Is anyone even listening to me?" She yelled powerlessly against the circling mass of people. Terrified she began looking for an escape. Her eyes found Ugo who was on his feet now looking very worried.

"Help?" He mouthed when their eyes met.

"Dance! Dance! Dance!"

She looked back at the wild crowd and turned to you nodding vigorously but he was gone!

"Crap! Where did he go?."

"Come on y'lirrile B. Show's whayougot." Dollie taunted.

"Yeah!" The crowd chorused.

"Show her Maria!" Someone cheered.

"Maria? Your name is Maria? Hilarious." Betty muttered.

"Oooh now she spurnin' m' name. DJ!"

The music began and as soon as it did, the lights went out.

Ugo?

She felt someone tug on her arm and pull her towards a solid chest. "Don't move."

It wasn't Ugo's voice. She didn't think twice. Her lips parted in a blood curling scream.

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Fiiiiiinally. Expect more updates soon.