Hi, there 🤗

So this chapter was kind of hard to write  but I'm sure most of you will like it because we are finally about to learn some things about Peter.

And they are not happy things 😢.

This chapter might not totally clear your confusions about him but it should be on the way to clearing it.

This chapter is not edited.

Happy reading!!!

***

Chapter Fifty

CYNTHIA

Seeing someone as calm and collected as Peter coming so undone like this makes me so sad that I have to blink back the tears in my eyes.

What could have happened to him?

I let him continue to cry in my arms for as long as he wants and I rub his back soothingly, letting him know that I'm still here with him.

When he is no longer crying but sniffling, he releases me then raises his head from my body to look at me. He quickly looks away, cleaning his tears with his hands.

"I'm so sorry that you saw me that way. That wasn't meant to happen." He says, turning his back to me.

"Are you embarrassed because you were crying like a baby in front of a girl?" I ask in the hope of making him laugh and smile satisfactorily when he snickers.

"Maybe." He replies and turns to me.

His eyes are now swollen and red rimmed but there aren't tears there any longer.

"Do I look like I just cried?" He asks and I smile before nodding.

"Can I use your bathroom?" He asks again and I nod and point him towards it. He hurries into it and I go back to sitting on my bed. Soon, he comes outside and I notice that he has splashed water on his face to make himself look less weary or whatever reason he might have thought of.

"I know you are wondering why I broke down in front of you." He mentions when he is sitting in front of me again.

"Yes, I am. I know it's probably bad and you might not want to tell me what it's about, but a problem shared is half-solved." I give him a reassuring smile.

"You know, I think I know why I just really wanted to see you all of a sudden. I needed the tears. I needed to cry." He replies, smiling sadly.

"Well, I'm honoured that you thought of me."

"Would it be too much if I asked you to follow me somewhere?" He asks, his voice hopeful.

I raise an eyebrow, "Why are we going somewhere?"

"Because the place has to do with why I'm sad and bothered right now."

I glance at the door, knowing Grace is going to enter at any minute, followed closely by Michael, and they are both going to demand I follow them to school. But I'm sure they will understand if I tell them that Peter needs me.

I guess I'm not going to the sport's competition today after all. As relieved as I am, I can't help feeling anxious too. Following Peter somewhere alone for the first time sounds a bit unnerving.

"I could really use a friend." He adds quietly in persuasion when he notices my hesitation.

I find myself nodding before I reply, "Sure, I would be your friend in this time of need."

He gives me a grateful smile, "Thank you."

"But I will need to freshen up first." I gesture towards my body and he nods with understanding.

"I'll excuse you then." He stands and heads towards the door. When he gets there, he turns towards me again.

I look at him expectantly, wondering if he still has something to say.

"Are you sure I don't look like I just finished crying?" He asks, dragging his hand across his face to make sure.

I burst out into giggles, finding the fact that he doesn't want others to know that he just cried funny.

"No, not really." I finally reply.

He nods and takes a deep breath, "Alright." He then opens the door and steps out.

I watch the door close after him and let out a sigh.

Honestly, watching Peter come apart like that is so disheartening. Wherever he wants me to come to with him must matter a lot to him. And the fact that he allowed himself break down in front of me and even asked me to accompany him seems like a privilege.

I gather my crutches and start to get up when the door the opens and Grace and Michael walk inside just like I had predicted.

Michael hurries towards me and surveys me from up to toe, "Are you alright? Did he try anything?" He asks.

"No! What happened is very far from that." I reply, appalled on Peter's behalf. "And why are you so convinced that he will try something with me. Is there something more to it?"

He looks a bit surprised but quickly regains composure and shakes his head, "I'm not so convinced that he will try something with you. It's just that you can never know. You are pretty and he is a guy who-

"Who is your friend." I complete for him, not hiding my disappointment. "And you should have more faith in your friend. Now I'm not surprised he chose to do that in front of me instead of his actual friends."

His face is a mixture of guilt and confusion as he processes my words and he looks like he wants to ask questions but I don't want to answer them.

Grace asks instead, "What exactly did he do in front of you and what did you talk about? I would have asked him but he just walked out of the house and into his car."

"We didn't really talk but he wants me to come somewhere with him." I tell her and begin to stand from the bed again.

"Wait, so you aren't coming with us to the competition?" She asks as I approach the bathroom, looking sad. "I wanted you to watch me jump."

"I'm sorry but Peter needs me more." I give her an apologetic smile.

"Why exactly does he need you?" Michael comes to stand in front of me, looking annoyed. "And where is he taking you to?"

I look him dead in the eyes, "He needs me and I don't know where he is taking me to but I'm going with him. And I don't know what issue it is that you have with him but I don't like the way you are acting right now."

He must have finally noticed that I find his behaviour right now annoying because he apologises and takes a step back, "I'm sorry. I was just looking out for you."

"Thanks. But I can take care of myself."

He nods and says nothing else before turning towards the entrance and walking out of the room.

Now, I feel bad for talking to him like that.

I exhale heavily into my palm.

Ugh! Seriously!

Today is just beginning and a lot has already happened.

"I'm staying back to help you out." Grace says and sits on my bed.

"It's okay. I can dress up for myself." I assure her.

She shrugs, "Maybe. But I still want to help out."

"Alright. Suit yourself." I tell her before heading into the bathroom.

***

After dressing up with Grace's help - even though it was unwanted - both of us walk down the stairs rather slowly because of me and my crutches.

We enter into the living room and I was definitely not expecting the sight in front of me.

Femi, Wole and Sam seems to be playing the roles of the characters in PJ masks while Michael is participating from the sides half-heartedly, looking preoccupied. He is not even standing like the rest of them.

But from the little I've just seen, Sam is Gecko, Michael is Catboy, Femi is Owlette and Wole is Romeo.

"What power does Owlette have again?" Femi asks Wole.

"It's Owl wind-wind or something like that." Wole replies and I smile in amusement.

Don't tell me Wole watches PJ masks?

"What does that even do?" Femi asks and Wole shrugs.

"It causes a tornado probably." Michael replies and Femi lets out an exaggerated gasp. "What? It's obvious from the name." Michael adds.

"Catboy, you should be attacking Romeo. He is destroying the city." Sam tells Michael and goes to pull him from where he's sitting until he has no choice but to join them. And that seems to remind Wole of his role because he lets out an evil laugh and starts running around.

"Owl wind-wind!" Femi calls out in a horrible female voice and runs after him.

I couldn't help it anymore, I burst into loud laughter. Grace is also laughing beside me and that's when they finally notice our presence.

"Hi, Cynthia. I'm Owlette." Femi greets in the same female voice and I smile.

"You sound terrible." Grace chides him.

"That's sad." He replies with a pout in his normal voice.

Sam who is still immersed in his PJ masks character suddenly screams, "Super gecko muscle!"

We all look at him as he grabs Wole's leg and tries to lift it.

Wait, is he trying to carry Wole

"It's supposed to be this way." Michael lifts him up then shouts, "Super gecko muscle!"

Sam giggles and taps Michael on his hands so he can put him down but Michael carries him in his arms instead.

"Who started this whole thing?" I ask and Femi points to Sam.

"And you all know about PJ masks?" Grace asks, looking curious.

"No, Wole does." Michael replies and I raise an eyebrow at him.

"It's because of my sister, she is always screaming PJ Masks! PJ Masks!" He sings the last part making me smile but this is the first time I'm hearing he has a sister.

"I never knew you have a sister." I comment and he shrugs.

"I do have a sister and she is four years old."

"That's nice." I reply, glancing at Sam. They can become good friends if they end up meeting.

I look around, noticing that I haven't seen Peter anywhere then remembering he is already in his car.

"Thank God Cynthia is finally ready. Let's get going. We've wasted a lot of time already." Nanny says as she walks out of her room.

"Nanny, actually I won't be attending the competition. I am following Peter somewhere."

I notice Wole's face morph into a scowl and Femi's astonished face.

Seriously, why are they reacting this way?

"Who is Peter?" She glances around, wondering who it is amongst them. She only seem able to identify Michael and Femi. "I thought you were four."

"Yeah, Peter is already in his car." Femi tells her.

"Where are you following him to?" She asks me.

"I have no idea."

Nanny immediately looks like she has a lot to say but is holding back because of the presence of others.

"I want to speak with him." She says instead and begins to walk outside.

"Nanny, can I have a word with you?" Femi asks just as Nanny takes two steps and then both of them move aside so we are unable to hear what they are saying to each other.

"Is something wrong with Peter?" Grace asks Wole who looks like there's a lot he is processing in his mind.

"I can't really say but I feel like I'm forgetting something important."

Femi and Nanny finishes their discussion and the first thing I notice is the sad expression on Nanny's face.

She holds my hand, patting it, "Go and be there for him Cynthia. He needs you."

I glance from her to Femi, "What's going on?"

"Peter will tell you himself." Femi replies with a sad smile causing me to be even more wary.

Nanny lets go of my hand and collects Sam from Michael's hand, "We should head to your school now if we want to get the good seat."

Michael is already walking out of the house, and Wole soon follows after.

Grace grabs me by the arms and we slowly head towards the door too.

"Don't worry. I will make sure to give you updates of the interesting things that happens at the competition."

"I'm sorry that I'm missing your jump." I look at her guiltily.

She giggles, "You didn't even want to come to school today." She waves it off. "But judging from how Femi was easily able to convince Nanny to let you go, it must be something serious. I already promise to give you updates about the sports so don't worry."

I pull her into a hug, thanking her without words for understanding.

When we finally get to Peter's white jeep, she leaves my hand. "I'm riding with Nanny and Sam."

"Alright."

She heads towards our car and enters, waiting patiently for Nanny who is still locking the front door.

They must have come in two cars because I notice that the only other car in the compound is the one with Wole behind the wheels. Femi is sitting next to him and Michael is sitting behind him. I'm unable to see his face so I can't even take a guess on his thoughts.

I hope he's not hurt by my words from earlier.

The sound of a car door unlocking brings me back to the present and I look at Peter who is leaning from the driver's seat to open the door for me.

"Do you need help?" His voice sounds scratchy like he might have cried again but it's hard to tell from just looking at his face.

"Don't worry, I will manage." I tell him but he puts his hand out, gesturing for me to grab it. I take his hand and with his help, I'm able to get into the car.

We are the first ones to leave the compound and we drive in silence. After driving for like ten more minutes, he finally packs his car in front of a large gate.

He gets out of the car and I try to get out of it without his help but failed because of my crutches. He ends up helping me out of the car anyways.

When I'm out of the car, he locks it and then approaches the gate before knocking on it. A middle-aged man in security uniform comes from inside the compound and then looks at me before looking at Peter. When he finally registers who it is, his expression softens and he gestures for Peter to come inside.

I follow Peter inside and that's when I discover with a pause that we are at a cemetery.

I give Peter a questioning look when I realize where we are but he says nothing and just gestures for me to lean against him. He holds both of my crutches in one hand and put his other hand around my waist. He then takes me around different burials until we get to four graves that are beside each other.

The security man suddenly appears behind us and gives Peter a basket of flower. Peter gives the man a smile of gratitude and begin to place the flowers on the burials one by one.

When he is done, he sits down on the floor in front of them and I do the same, sitting down beside him. My phone vibrates with some messages, momentarily distracting me and I quickly bring it out, wondering if they are messages from Michael but it's actually just from Grace.

Grace: This is the official updates channel on the 20xx Sports Competition. Actually, we are just arriving and it's yet to begin but I can't wait to type interesting things that are happening to you. I think I've found my new calling. A reporter.

I roll my eyes at her message and put the phone on silence to avoid more distractions then I look up to Peter and found him looking at me.

I instantly feel the need to apologize, "I'm sorry. I just thought the messages could be-

"-from Michael?" He finishes for me.

"-very important." I correct him and then raise an eyebrow in question.

Although I can't deny that he is correct, because I actually thought those messages were from Michael but why was he able to figure that out.

Am I that easy to read?

I look forward, deciding to say nothing else and then remembering that we are actually sitting in a cemetery. This is the first time I am in a cemetery and although it is giving me goosebumps, I resolve to let go of how I'm feeling and all distractions so I can focus on Peter.

He is staring at them with a distant look in his eyes and he looks like he is about to cry again.

I don't know much about him, but I know the people that are buried here must have meant so much to him.

"I know you must be wondering why I brought you here." He speaks after a while of silence. It is a rhetorical statement so I don't bother answering. "Actually, you are the first person that I would ever bring to this place." He continues, "And the people that are in these graves were my family."

My eyes widen.

His family? Like his immediate one?

"That was my father." He points to the first of the burials. "That was my mother." He continues, pointing to the burial bed beside the first one. "And the remaining two were my sisters. One of them was my elder sister and the second was-

He suddenly stops talking and I turn to see that tears are now rolling down his eyes. I place my hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently as a way of comforting him and he uses the sleeve of his shirt to wipe his tears.

When he is no longer crying, he continues. "The second was my twin sister."

He had a twin?!!

I don't know why that fact breaks my heart a little more and then I find myself wondering what a 'female Peter' would have been like.

He stares longingly at the last burial, the one his twin sister is probably buried in and I know he is trying hard not to burst into tears again.

I might not know how he is feeling because I haven't lost a loved one to death but at least I know how it feels for them to always not be around.

The only difference is that my parents can come back but his family can never come back.

"Today makes it the tenth year they died." He announces and I can't help wondering how he was able to cope. Being an orphan for ten years now surely won't have been easy.

"And I imagine a lot how it would be if they were still alive. I miss them. So much." He whispers, his voice breaking.

"I'm really sorry." I tell him, not knowing what else to say. I've never been so speechless in my entire life.

He glances at me and shakes his head, a quirky smile on his face, "You shouldn't be sorry; you weren't the one who killed them."

What the fuck?!!

"They were murdered?!" I scream, my voice so loud, I'm sure the bodies in the graves must have turned.

He chuckles a bit at my reaction and stares far ahead.

"You can't really put it that way. They weren't really murdered, they only got in an accident because of someone's reckless driving." He utters slowly and smiles sadly.. "You know, I could have died with them too that day and I should have."

I look at him with worry. Another set of tears are already brimming in his eyes.

"Don't say that. You don't deserve to die. No one deserves to die."

"You are not wrong but you are not right either." He replies, leaving me confused. If it's any other time, I would have probed him to explain what he just said but today, I feel I have to let it go because right now, he looks like someone who life has dealt sorrow cards.

"Do you want to talk about what really happened?" I ask, testing waters. It might seem like a bad idea but talking about it to someone might really help.

Tears start to flow from his cheeks again and I start to feel like I'm the reason he's crying this time. I should not have asked him to tell me what happened, maybe the memory is too much for him to handle and I just resurfaced it.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me. I shouldn't have asked you in the first place." I pull him into a side hug.

He allows me to embrace him and slowly stops crying.

When he is done wiping his tears with his sleeves, he sits straight and clears his throat, a sign that he is going to talk.

"I can remember it like it was just yesterday. It was a Sunday morning and it was a normal routine for us to wake up early in the morning to dress up for Church." He pauses and smiles, "But that particular morning, I woke up with a very strong headache and a fever. My body felt weak and I couldn't rise up from bed. I had a separate room like the rest of us so no one knew how I was feeling until my twin sister was sent to my room to check what was delaying me for breakfast."

"When she saw how I was sweating even with the air-conditioner on and touched me to see that I had a high temperature, she rushed downstairs to call my mum." He looks like he is smiling at the memory. "We were just seven years old then."

Those memories must mean a lot to him if he can still remember them.

"My mom entered my room and only shook her head when she saw me. I could remember the words she said then." He stops. He looks lost in thought and I don't want to hurry him by asking what she said since I know how hard it is for him to recall the events of that day. I wait patiently until he wants to continue.

"She told me then that it is what I get for playing in the rain when everyone was inside. I was surprised because I had actually snuck out of the house to play in the rain the previous night against her orders because I knew she would never allow me. I thought she didn't know about it but she did. Just like she used to know every other thing I was up to."

"She took me into the bathroom and bathed for me against my wishes, and also brushed my teeth. She said it was so I could eat and use drugs for my cold. She also said I won't be going to church with them and that caused a lot of whining and thrashing. I really liked going to the church with them, not because I liked Sunday school, but because it was bonding time for my family. My parents were only around on Sundays and after church, they went back to working on company related issues. But on our way to church, all of us would be in the car, Dad would buy whatever we wanted from street hawkers and we would chat about things that weren't even worth talking about." He smiles and I smile too at the image he just conjured with his words.

"My mum didn't even argue much with me and just tucked me in. She told me she would send the maid upstairs with my food while she would bring Paracetamol for me to use. I could remember how I frowned at the mention of Paracetamol and how she chuckled because she knows I don't like to take drugs, especially Paracetamol. She however didn't change her mind and went downstairs to bring it."

"My Dad and my elder sister then came upstairs to check on me. I could remember how she made fun of me for coming down with a cold and teased me about all the things Dad would buy for them on their way to church but not for me. Dad reprimanded her and told me not to worry because he would make sure to buy whatever was bought for them for me too and I remembered how happy that made me." He continues, still smiling. Allowing himself the temporary happiness he felt back then.

"Dad told me to be a good boy and to stay in bed after taking my drugs so I would be much better before they were back. My elder sister stuck out her tongue before going out while Dad gave me a kiss on my forehead and also headed outside. It wasn't long that the maid arrived with my food on a tray and placed it on my laps, she offered to feed me but I told her I would eat it myself since I was already feeling better after taking my bath. She then agreed and went outside telling me she would be back in five minutes to take the tray and I nodded." He stopped after saying that and blinked back tears.

I don't say anything and just rub his back in circles. He is staring at his mother's grave now, looking at it with so many grievances that I wanted to shut his eyes to prevent those feelings from showing in his eyes.

"Mum came back and gave me the drug with some other ones that I didn't know the purpose of and I didn't bother asking. When she was done, she hugged me and kissed my cheek before asking me to lie down on the bed well and tucked me in again. She went downstairs afterwards and came upstairs minutes later with the rest of the family. They were all staring at me while I was looking at them and I could see they were all dressed up and ready to go. My twin sister was the first one to hold my hand and told me to get well soon so we could go together the next Sunday. My elder sister just patted my head and told me to rest well or she would spend the rest of the day with me which I disagreed with immediately causing all of them to laugh. Dad also patted my hair and told me they would be back soon while Mum bent down to kiss my forehead and told me not to be too much trouble for the maid."

He turns to look at me then, tears swirling in his eyes and I stare back at him.

"You know, in my mind, I was wondering why they were fussing so much about me being in bed because people come down with fever all the time and it was bound to go away soon. If I had known that was the last time I would see them, I would have made them stay longer." He says and then shakes his head.

"No, I wouldn't have allowed them go in the first place. I would have insisted they stayed behind with me." He says and shakes his head again.

"No, I SHOULD have insisted they stayed at home with me. If I had done that, maybe, just maybe, they would have still been here with me." He says and glances on each of their burials one by one, lingering on his mother's and twin sister's.

"You shouldn't say that. If they were meant to die that day, nothing you could have done or said would have stopped them. So you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened, okay?"

He turns to me and looks at me for a while. And I hold his stare, reassuring him that none of this is really his fault.

"Thank you." He says to me quietly and then turns his stare on his father's grave. "But you know even if I was not involved their death directly, someone else was involved. The one who got them into an accident."

"How exactly did it happen?" I ask unsurely, afraid that I might be nearing a touchy subject again but he replies without even hesitating.

"My dad got into an accident that killed all of them not because he was driving recklessly but because someone wasn't following traffic rules. The person behind the other steering wheel killed my family."

"I wasn't there that day but from what I heard from the police and eye witnesses, My Dad was on a one-way road. And while the first part was held up in traffic, the other part was very free. In fact, it seemed like My Dad's car was the only car on that part during that moment. He probably glanced ahead and saw there was nothing and was discussing with Mom when he heard the horn of a speeding car coming straight towards them in a hurry. It came to him as a shock and he wanted to maneuver the steering wheel but he lost control. They headed straight into the woods and a tree fell on their car." He explains and I can only stare at him, mouth agape.

"My Mum and sisters died immediately from shock while Dad was rushed to the hospital. He was awake already but the news that my mum and sisters were dead killed him."

He explains, the anguish in them breaking his voice towards the end. I'm close to tears myself after hearing the sad tale of how they died.

If someone hadn't chosen to disregard traffic rules and had just followed his lane, his parents and sisters might still be alive now.

What is wrong with people?!

"You know I had nightmares for days of how horrified they would be seeing a speeding car out of nowhere and charging right at them. How terrified they would be, to see themselves go down the lane of trees without having any control of the steering. I had to go to years of therapy to stop hearing their screams at night." He and begins to cry again. I shift so I'm sitting in front of him and hug him properly.

I feel so sorry for the eight-year old boy that blamed himself continuously for the death of his parents and sisters. He experienced so much at a very tender age and being with him now, seeing how he is still crying so much after so many years, I wish something could be done to remove those traumatizing experiences from his life.

"Do you still have those nightmares?" I ask. He is no longer crying and I'm sitting down beside him again.

"No. Therapy helped a little and then meeting Femi. He was my friend since we were in primary school. He is the only one who knows about my past and when we became friends with Michael and Wole along the way, I made him swear to keep it a secret from all of them. He doesn't even know that today is their death anniversary since I never really told him the date they died but he must have it figured out now." He says and I know that explains why Nanny allowed me come with Peter without much disagreement.

He turns to me, "And now you also know about my past." I smile at that fact. "Including the date." He adds, making me chuckle.

"Do I have to also swear to keep it a secret?" I ask and this time, he smiles.

"No, you don't have to. I trust you enough to tell you and besides you know how Femi blurts things without thinking so I had to make him swear." He explains and I nod, understanding how Femi can be.

We sit down in comfortable silence after that. I glance at him and see that he is probably still thinking about a lot of things and although I have learnt so many things about him, I'm still yet to find out one thing.

"Can I ask you a question?" I blurt out.

"Yeah."

"Was the death of your family the reason you became so quiet?" I ask and watch as a side of his lips twitch up in a smile like he is trying to hide it.

"I was actually expecting that question especially since you already mentioned it during that football match." He tells me and I realize it is true.

"Well, I would admit their death made me build a wall against the world. I always thought if I didn't allow myself get close to people then I won't get hurt whenever they leave. I was living fine like that till I met Femi, I think that was a year later after they died. He was my seat partner in Primary school and he talked a lot. When he saw that I was hardly responding to whatever he said, he made me understand something. He told me that if I continue to behave this way then I'm not living." He continues and I raise an eyebrow.

"He said I would only be existing and the world would pass me by and I wouldn't even realize it."

"Oh." I reply, finally getting it. "Who knew Femi could be so smart when he was eight." I comment and he chuckles.

"Yeah, I know but he was actually seven." He says and I raise an eyebrow.

"So, you are a year older than him? He is seventeen and you are eighteen?" I ask and he nods.

"And you both are in the same class?"

"Well, I had to repeat my class the year my family died and I ended up having Femi as my classmate." He says and I nod thoughtfully. Taking in everything he just said.

"So, if Femi was able to get you to talk after your parents died, why are you still so quiet? Today is the first day I've seen you say so much and it still seems surreal."

"I'm guessing I would have to tell you another sad story of my life."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was going to be a sad story." I reply, mentally smacking myself.

Of course, it's going to be a sad story. He doesn't look like someone who would just decide to stay quiet about everything around him. And after he told me the story of how his family died, I'm scared to find out what it is that have made him keep quiet all this time.

"You don't have to worry. I'm willing to tell you about it but I want you to know that no one knows about what I'm about to tell you. Well, except Femi."

"It's alright. I promise to keep whatever you tell me here a secret."

"Thanks." He replies with a smile and clears his throat.

***

And... *insert story here*.

So I know lots of you are already coming up with lots of theories and I really, really want to hear it.

I know we've learnt some things about Peter but his character is still going to be a mystery until about the end of the story.

I hope you enjoyed reading.

I will try to create a schedule for updates and actually try to follow them. Emphasis on 'actually' because ehn... Lemme not talk sha.

Anyways I will try to start updating twice in a week... Wednesdays and Saturdays. So help me God.

Don't forget to vote, comment and share.

See ya on Wednesday🤗.