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Just like the moon
We must go through an empty phase
To become full again
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>>>>>>>

There was nothing beautiful about the life she lived. Her life was a haiku of ugly changes and she had lost hope at the time she needed it more. There was nothing to cheer her on and no shoulders to cry on. It wouldn't be much of a suprise if one could rip out her heart and see the river of tears and pain it withheld since the day she lost her sister.

She had automatically shut everyone from her life. Not crying. Not speaking. Not eating. Not doing anything.  It was so alarming that some people thought she'd commit suicide soon and till this day, it marveled her, how she had been able to survive till this very moment.

Could it be that somehow, somewhere deep down in her being. In the secrecy of her heart, she was living by hope. The hopes of things going back to how it was before and maybe with the hopes that there was really something called time travelling and if there was, she'd go back to her twelve year old self and fix back the pieces of her broken self and then,

Josie will never have died neither would Eliakim be in the asylum and she won't have had alot of riff with April , the students at school wouldn't hate her so much, her dad wouldn't have had to use a wheelchair and her mum wouldn't hate her so much.

Someone had once told her that in life, there was a supernatural force which controlled the movement of the cosmos and as much as she didn't believe in supernatural beings, she couldn't help ask herself mentally if such supernatural being had contributed in making her come across the guy with whom she was seated on his motorbike

Toby Adewale.

To her, he was a mystery. One she couldn't decipher no matter how hard she tried reading into his soul. He was all fun and full of life to the extent that she felt the genuine gleaming his coffee black eyes held. To her, there was nothing like heaven on earth but she had seen it in his eyes and in his smile.

His oddly peaceful aura, the way he talked about life like he had lived before. His persistence and patience. It  scared her self-consciousness. She wasn't used to people hanging around her ever since she withdrew into her shell. No one wanted to have a thing to do with her except they had nasty comments to say. But he came around,  talking to her like he had known her all his life and when he gazed at  her,  It seened like he was looking at  some unfathomable miracle. Like he was trying to tear down her defences, pulling her walls like they were mere shafts
And truthfully, It scared her to pieces

It scared her because she wasn't used to people like him.  He didn't know anything about her just like how no one in school knew much about her yet they loathed her existence and stared at her in disdain except him and maybe a few from school but that didn't make her less scared because she knew that sometime later, it'd come to an end and she would be all alone. Why?

Because she's always been alone.

>>>>>>

"What are you thinking about? " the soft tone of his voice veered her out of her reverie. she quickly let go of his torso which she gripped throughout the drive. Looking up at him and taking note of his helmet in one arm while he used the other to ruffle his curls before reaching out to her to help her get off the bike

Yara ignored his help, dismounting from the motor bike. She took off the mini helmet which she wore. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere peaceful. Come with me" he replied leading the way to an open pathway. She took in their environment slowly noticing the huge almond trees standing tall at each side of the road, creating a pathway that led to the full sea glass of water in front of them

The night was moon-ridden in darkness. The yellow ball of the moon threw its streaks of golden reflection to the empty ocean, making it shimmer brightly.  A few stars shone on the sky giving it this celestial illumination. It was beautiful. Star strucking. Quiet except for the sound of leaves and cool breeze whisper soothingly past her.

The place was serene. Peaceful. Like the vast ocean infont of them. She reflexively turned her face to Toby.  He held his camera in his hands like he wanted to take a shot hesitantly. His lips were morphed into a smile. A smile filled with adoration. Of admiration. Of astonishment. His smile seemed to blend with the reflection of the sea. It was beautiful

He turned to her apparently catching her stare at him. He grinned, his eyes fixed on her like he was saying I think you're as beautiful as this night.

"You like it?"

She twitched her lips into a smile "it's beautiful"

"I know"

"Take a picture if you want "she urged glancing at his camera

"I think it's too beautiful to be framed " he replied— you're too beautiful be framed

She nodded like she understood his statement, averting her gaze to the sea

"The sky is beautiful. It's peaceful around here. Heaven looks beautiful. Why is the earth so different" she mused

" i think the earth's beautiful too. We just take a lot of time finding those beautiful things around us" he replied casually

"How did you find this place?"

He hung his helmet on his bike, taking gentle strides forward "I guess I needed a safe space. People hardly knew here existed. Port Harcourt has alot of water around it but only a few used this pathway to travel 'cos of the tress around it "

"Why would you need a safe space? You look like you basically have your life perfect"

He shook his head "no one has a perfect life Teqs"

"I think you do." She objected.

he wanted to tell her she was wrong. Very wrong. He wished he wouldn't have to live everyday thinking about the day he's going to be away from loved ones. The day he'd be no more. The pains his mum would feel or even Sarah who he'd grown used to so much and who knew nothing about it.

But he didn't. She was so convinced about him. And frankly he knew nothing of why she had drawn that conclusion

"Why do you say that?" He inquired

She sat on the granite spread around the floors of the pathway facing the waters" cause you act like you do. Everything you say, even your perception about life…it's different. Like you've lived. Like you've seen hell. The beautiful part of hell and you have no problem embracing it "

He gazed at her incredulously. Speechlessly. This was the first time he ever heard something like this. It sounded so bizarre that he was trying so much to wrap his head around what she just said

"We never signed up for the good part of life Teqs. Maybe I'm learning to embrace the hell in living 'cos I'm only human in the end." he said

She was silent for a moment, pulling her jackets closer  "on friday- " she started in a quiet tone

"I sat in CRS class and while I listened to the teacher talk about the Noah, about how God promised never to destroy the earth again, I felt cheated..." she paused

He stared at her placid expression. Her black silky hair swept past her face. Her hands tucked into her pocket jacket which hugged her frame. The ocean framed her.

"My life fell apart when I was much younger.  I felt cheated because God never kept his promise.. that's why I never believed in God. I don't think I'll ever will"

Pain sheeted through him—poor Yara! What bad things must have happened to her

She wasn't done yet.

"I guess bad things just  happen to good people except I'm a bad person who in the end is only human tryna live like everyone else is"  she said quietly muttering the last part to herself.

"God would never cheat you Teqs." He replied, sitting beside her, watching the waves push the ocean current

She laughed humorlessly "I was only twelve when my life crashed right in front of me. I never did bad things except if stealing cookie from the jar when I was six was counted" she said in a question like tone

He fake- gasped "you stole cookies from a jar too?"

She rolled her eyes at him holding back a chuckle at how horrifying he looked "kids do that duh! "

Toby laughed "I'm kidding alright" he said,  putting up a more serious look "everyone goes through shit in life bad things just happen to people and it isn't God's fault. The we're alive today is because He's  with us. And he wants us to believe in Him. To trust him. He's just and he's true so i believe everything will work out fine someday "

He was speaking with so much conviction that made her think he had actually seen God and heard HIM say that to Toby.

She picked up a pebble, tossing it into the sea

" did you know why I wanted to learn the piano?" she asked slowly, allowing the waves sweep her hair to her face

He shook his head "I always wondered why. You seemed like you were not interested in anything else"

"'Cause I don't want to get attached to anything else"

"Except the piano?"

"I never for one day tried learning it. "

"Was that why you never showed up at school?" He asked

She gave him a sad smile, looking into his black eyes that seemed akin to the ocean before them. She could see the reflection of the stars in them making them twinkle

"It had been six years since she died. " she started saying  "I went because I wanted to play her her favorite song so i didn' t show up at school…"

she paused. Averting her eyes away from him to put up this closed off countenance

Toby brought his gaze down to her hands. She had them clasped together yet they trembled between each other. He gently placed his hands over hers which got her to glance at him for a second and back at his hands holding hers.

"You shouldn't tell me anything if you don't want to " he said in quiet empathy_ her eyes turn glassy like a transparent mirror reflecting the bright moon beams in her honeyed eyes

"I don't even have the nerves to sing her a song when afterall I caused the accident. Maybe if I hadn't listened to her, she'd have been alive. If I hadn't left her in that fire like she wanted me to— "

she closed her eyes tightly, inhaling deep breaths as her mind traveled down that lane

"Hold my hands Josie! I'll pull you up"

"No. You need to run farther than anywhere here. I'm a bit bigger and will probably pull you in" Josie said with a smile that seemed to say she was happy to be big

The fire was rapidly catching up with them, it seemed like the day had turned dark with thick smokes filling the sky. There was a loud chaos everywhere, everyone trying to put off a fire that burned like a volcano.  Yara could feel hot tears burn her cheeks as she cried back at Josie

"I don't care if I get in there.. just hold my hands Josie"

"Yara you need to run.  The firefighters are on their way, i'll be out in no time okay?" Josie assured her stubborn sister who had her mind made up not to leave

"It's going to take them awhile before they reach here. Can you please just hold up to me " she begged feeling tears cascade down her cheeks in torrents

Josie smiled watching her sisters small frame. She could accept the help but then, she was bigger and she'd probably pull her in. There was nothing she could do…she was already trapped inside

" Trust me yara. I'll be out in no time alright. I love you " and that was the last she ever heard from her sister before the fire exploded more. Her eyes widened in fear

She was lost..one minute she found herself dashing into the flames and the next minute she was pulled away from someone watching through blinded gaze as the fire fighters tried extinguishing

She was gripping his hands so tightly now, taking in sharp breaths. Her eyes were still closed as she felt her organs slowly seem like they were shutting down on her, slowly loosing herself into oblivion. The only words she could hear was the soft tone that sounded so erratically beside her

"Hey breath! Yara take a deep breath..you're gonna be fine.  You'll be alright " he called to her, wrapping her in a hug. He felt her body still in his arms, her ragged breath gave away the fact that she was still breathing

"You'll be alright" he whispered softly to her.

Yara slowly opened her eyes, gradually letting her body release its rigidity. Her hands lay by the side

"This is probably the second time you're seeing me cry " he heard her chuckle humorlessly

It broke him

His stomach churned inside.His heart literally stung seeing her shiver visibly—she was going through alot. More than he could ever imagine. All that guilt. That sadness. That pain..it stung deeply

"It's okay.. You'll be okay " he whispered softly to her against the winds

"I don't want to cry. I'm not going to cry" she said in firm maintainance that sounded like she was trying so hard to hold back torrents.

" I know " he replied softly

"I want to be like everyone else" she revealed

"You're special Teqs"

"In a bad way"

"In the most perfect way I know." He replied. She inhaled sharply, pulling away from him to fix him a pointed stare

"Don't say that". She whispered more to herself which apparently he heard

"Say what?"

She rolled her eyes, tucking her hair behind her ears "I'm special."

"It's the truth. " he maintained

"No it's not. " she scoffed "what's special about my life that's basically empty and full of destruction?"

"Stop telling yourself that Teqs. Whatever happened that day wasn't your fault"

"I also told myself that"

"It was just an accident "

"Which could have been avoided if I didn't have that stupid birthday." She countered

There was a moment of silence enveloping them.Toby took in her posture which seemed defensive at the moment. He sighed softly— Yara! She was holding in so much guilt. So much pain. He gazed up at the round full moon. Yellow and bright  shimmering in the transparent ocean making it turn golden

The moon must have gone through an empty phase to turn this full again— this part of our lives was just a phase which we'll get past it. 

"Let's do something fun " he diverted giving her a smile. She piqued her brows at him giving him a look that said 'seriously'

He smiled at her. A smile that seemed to shine brighter than the moon.  There was nothing. No look of pity or remorse or sadness just that smile. That pretty smile.  It was relieving

"What's the fun thing you wanna do? "

"Sing." He replied casually ignoring her stunned expression

"W-what?"

"c'mon, I'd love to hear you do that " he said, staring at her warmly

"No. I'm not doing that "  she said firmly

He coughed. The kind of cough that sounded like he was struggling to breath at the same time. Yara looked at him in confusion

"Hey Toby! Are you okay?"

"No. " he replied in a heartbeat, he retrieved some pills from his pocket, drowning them in with the bottled water which he had with him

"What's wrong with you?" She  asked quite startled.  drawing closer to him use her hands to surprisingly pat his back

"I'm coughing " he replied. His breath seemed to become quite stable and the cough was slowly subsiding

She rolled her eyes "I know you're. What do i do?"

"Just sing" he said trying to keep his breath steady. She chuckled lightly

"Nice try..but no" she remarked, a smile formed on her face at his feigned sullen look

>>>>>>>

"The number you dialed is switched off. Please try again later. Thank you. "

The computerized voice said causing April to  groan aloud, pushing the phone roughly into her trousers. She had been trying to reach Toby's phone and well, it was switched off so she made up her mind to go to his house just when she bumped into a figure making the person's property hit the ground

"Hey are you okay?" The person who sounded like a guy asked in concern.  she ignored him,  bending down to pick up his things

Camera

Books

Pen

Wait!! Was this the paparazzi ?

She stopped picking them, glancing up at the individual. Her eyes widened in suprise before morphing into a confused frown

"Photography? " she scowled

"The name's Josh.  Nice to meet you too April " he smirked

April scoffed,  standing up straight to narrow her eyes at him "tell me you weren't stalking me"

"I wasn't"

She rolled her eyes "yeah why else would I run into you here?"

He gathered his camera and other stuffs before averting his attention to her "I'm working on a project. Aren't you supposed to like do a cover up since you're celebrity and people would most likely run into you?"

"What's your business if I don't? "

"Um..the scar on your cheeks is doesn't look good for a photo shoot right now " he teased

She cussed under her breath. Seething in anger at the guy who  always found a way to tease her. Maybe she should just put a call to her agency and tell them to fire him straight up —just then a teenage girl came running up to her

"Oh my ovaries! April is that you? you look so beautiful in person. Can I get an autograph please? " the girl gushed in admiration

Not now please_ she muttered inaudible quite confused as to whether she should walk away or just sign the so called autograph.  She decided to do the latter, watching the girl bring out her phone from her bag in excitement

She contorted her face into a plastic smile "sure."

After some scribbling on the girls books while the girl gushed about watching all her movies and interviews, fashion shows  and how she follows her on all her social media handles. April just smiled in response

"Can I get a picture too.. I'm seriously gonna brag to all my friends that I just met my favorite teen star. You're so beautiful "

"Umm…I don't think I want to…" she started saying when someone interrupted

"That's fine.. I'm a fan too we three can take a shot "

April turned to him with a glare—the Josh guy smirked at her as he held out the fan girl's phone to take a photo

"Thank you soooo much. I'm so happy to have seen you.." the girl kept saying profusely to an April who just smiled,  sidestepping her to walk away

"Hey I hope you aren't pissed off at me?" Josh called behind her when he was sure the April's fan girl was out of ear shot

She huffed, turning to fix him a glare " oh no! fan boy. Don't just try talking to me right now "

"Well, you still need to cover up though. I heard your fan tell her friends about you. They would be here anytime soon " he said pretending to check his wrist watch

She froze in her tracks, feeling color drain out of her cheeks

"What?"

He bubbled up in laughter at her expense.  "you fell for that.."

She flicked her middle finger at him, actually annoyed at the fact that he just made fun of her again.

"Oh shit!! It's real, she really told her friends about you and soon they'd spot you out" this time he sounded more serious

But there was no way she'd take him seriously, not after he had made fun of her. Just when she was going to spurn around to continue walking, she spotted the fan girl with two other friends.

She swallowed an imaginary lump, frantically doing a brain-rack as to where she'd hide just when she felt someone hold a jacket over her, holding her close by

"What are you…"

"Shh… it's me. Josh! Just stay calm alright. " he said quietly as they walked past the girls who thankfully noticed nothing in their search to take killer photos with April Waje.

××××

Meanwhile, quite a distance from April and Josh, was someone taking shots of everything. This was going to the media. This was going to ruin her and she couldn't wait to see it happen.

  >>>>>>>

Well... our guy showed up here. I didn't plan to make him a major character though but I think he will become one 'cos I like him 😁💃 💃

And April, someone's stalking her..mehn!! That person is playing with fire 😒

The night just started. Let's see how it ends for Yara and Toby😊fr I don't really know what I did in this chapter but then I hope you like it

And hey! My apologies for the late update. School is stress. stress is school. But I'll try to update quicker alright😭😭

Thanks for being patient😍😘💋
Don't forget to comment and vote😭😭

Ujurita xoxox
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