The knife was sharp. Incredibly sharp. Bars of light glinted off its surface, showcasing its refined edges. Even though she was more than a good foot away from the reach of the blade, Ugegbe could interpret the crudeness of the situation. Could comprehend the danger that lay pulsing, loaded and coiled in the arm that was to slice through the air.

Her scream had startled both men, but the one with the weapon in his possession did not seem to have his mind fixed on keeping the peace. He spared her a hard glance, a contrast to her father's pleading one, and was back to gaining on his victim immediately after.

Ugegbe had seen the man before even though she had never made conversation with him. He was a trader, one who dealt with the sales of imported goods from the foreign, white men; every single item he sold cost an arm and a leg and was so bought only by those who were of nobility. Without having knowledge that he had a mighty title, Ugegbe could have guessed so by his Ichi—scarification—which had been chased down to the bottom of his chin.

But no matter how she pondered on this issue, she could not dig up an excuse for the man's presence here at her father's house. Why is he here? She wondered as she gradually shuffled closer to the heart of the commotion. Had Papa borrowed money from another man again? Had he forgotten so soon what happened the last time that he did so? Had he not learnt his lesson?

The man was waving his extended arm back and forth now, still with a knife clutched in his fist. With each wild swing, Ugegbe's heart hammered painfully, its beating heavy. She wanted to run over to the man and tackle him down, but she could not take such a risk. Not when her father was so vulnerable, close up to the weapon that could cut short an otherwise long life.

"Please," she begged, rubbing her palms against each other and pushing each one up, so her fingertips pointed towards the sky each time she did so. "Please let my father go." She knew she should be more careful and accord the man the full respect he supposedly deserved by using his title, but she did not want to. She could not see the need to kiss the feet of the one who had his knife pointed at her father's neck. With the determined look on his face, she could tell that he would draw blood if he was provoked.

Despite all her pleadings, he did not and had no plans of budging from what she'd garnered. If anything, the louder and more fervently she begged, the bolder he was and bent on achieving whatever he had done for. It was clear that he deemed her irrelevant and not of any threat to him as a woman since he had not once switched the target of his weaponry since her arrival. If only he knew how sorely mistaken he was.

With each plea she made, she drew nearer to him. He did not notice as he was swearing at her father, cursing his generations. Her father, on the other hand, was strangely—disturbingly, actually—quiet. He had not pleaded his case once, except for his expression to her. Ugegbe expected him to. The man was accusing him of killing his daughter.

That was not an accusation that should just be let go. Murder was serious. Ugegbe could tell more than any other person she knew because...well, she had killed a man herself. If she were in her father's shoes and she knew she was in the clear, having not killed the man's daughter, she would have stood for herself. She would not have let herself be accused and trodden over like he was now.

Unless...

She hated to think of it. Did not want to pay it more consideration than she'd already done lest the scenario be true and her fear come to pass. She wasn't sure how she'd react. What she would say or do. Really, what would one who believed she had killed a man do if she found out that her father had taken the life of another?

It was an inconceivable situation. One she was certain would not come to pass but at the same time gnawed a yearning hole of worry and anxiousness into her. She wondered if she would be able to accept the news if it were of reality. Of course, she would always be on her father's side, and that was a fact that would never change. But the truth was she had no right to judge anyone else for their sins except hers. Not even her father.

Nonetheless, that was a bridge she would have to cross when she got to it. For now, she had to worry about her papa's safety. Even from her position, which was reasonably far from him, she could see his limbs tremble like leaves shaking in the winds of the rainy season. Her heart ached for him. He did not deserve to be treated the way he presently was.

It was bad for his health. His bouts could overcome him anytime now, and she was scared for the outcomes that could result. It indeed called for alarm, as whenever it descended on him, he forgot his surroundings and could fall or drop into anything as he shook to the cruel hands of the seizure.

Other times, it was almost as if he lost his mind and grip on reality. He forgot he was. Who she was also. Gibberish was all his tongue put forth in those moments. Sometimes, they were angry. In other cases, they were sad. Ugegbe hated both equally.

When the countenance at play was sad, his tears broke her heart. When it happened to be angry, he tried to physically break her with his hands. If she could help it, she wanted none of both pains for him till the day he breathed his last. He'd suffered enough already. She did not want that for him, especially when it would be caused by another man and not just a product of his nature.

This gave her the courage to hurtle forward, armed with nothing but her plan and hope that she'd calculated her move rightly. It was a small window through which she had to fit. Smaller and smaller, it shrank, and she knew that if she did not do it already, her opportunity would be gone, and she would be stuck in between the ledges of the stiff opening.

With her eyes oscillating between the knife and her father, she rushed at the man with all the momentum her body could gather. He swivelled around in that same moment, but she'd already reached him, her right arm outdrawn as she connected with his shoulder. The force she carried with her jostled him, and with another shove from her, the knife was on the ground.

He was still standing. So was she. But the blade was on the floor. Ugegbe knew she had to get it away. Not minding that she could get cut, she kicked the knife far away from all their reach. It sailed past her father, who was in a daze and landed in a close-by bush. An angry roar erupted from his wide mouth stretched open like that of a lion's as he lunged for her, tightening his grasp around her throat.

She gasped sharply. Her eyes bulged out then began to water. His grip was strong despite her clawing at his arm. He meant to kill her. "No!" She cried out as his heavy hand crushed her pipes. His hold was steady.

He squeezed harder, throwing his second hand upon the first. Ugegbe thought, with her head clouded by pain, that the feeling was likened to being constricted by a boa. Her lungs were suffering, begging for the air being cut short from rushing past her windpipe. She was slowly losing consciousness.

"Let her go!" Her father yelled. Ugegbe could not see him as her eyes were tightly shut, and even if they were open, she'd only be able to see the man whose were wringing the life out of her body. She'd already decided that if she was to die by his doing, she did not want his face to be the last she would see.

"I am sorry, Papa." She murmured, her essence beginning to leave her without her consent.

Then, her captor's cry of pain forced her eyes open. What happened? She gasped, her movements frantic as he shoved her to the ground. The coughs that squeezed out of her chest, she was convinced, could be heard beyond the bounds of the village. She wheezed, breathing heavily as she lay in a supine position. Her eyes were fixed on the sky, unmoving, and her throat throbbed with pain, but she was glad she was alive.

A choked cry shook her at her line of thought. She was glad she was alive? How could she be when she'd done the unthinkable? How could she rejoice that she was not dead when she'd reduced a living body to a lifeless sack, a remnant of what he should have been? She hated that she loved life this much. And most of all, she detested the fact that there was a hidden corner of her heart that did not feel remorse for ridding the earth of a vile bastard.

What had she become? Did she even deserve to live at this point? How could she, of all people, think something so awful? Something so foul and inhumane? She could no longer recognise herself, and she hated it more than she could say. She hated who she'd become. Was she now a monster? One without a heart? She had no clue.

Who am I?

"My child," she heard his voice and his words as if it were an answer to her question. Tears seeped down, and only then did she peel her attention from the floating wisps struggling to stay afloat against the huge, less inconspicuous sky.

She attempted to tilt her head to him but stopped when she saw there was no need to. He had his arms under her and, though in a manner that spoke of the difficulty he was facing in doing so, had begun to lift her torso up. He had her seated upright, cradled against his chest.

"Uge, Uge, my dear." The tears rushed down the slopes of her cheeks with even more momentum at the pain his words were bonded to.

"Papa," she croaked like one who was testing the use of their voice box for the first time in ages. It felt the same way to her. Like nails were being scratched against her pipes. It hurt, and it took too much of her strength to utter even one word.

"Do not talk. Rest for now." He held her against his chest, and she registered the rhythm of his beating heart.

It immensely calmed her—the slow pitter-pattering song from the persistent organ within—very much enough to the extent that she could now regain her bearings. But she couldn't rest. It did not feel right to. Not when he did not know what she had done. Who she'd become.

"Papa," she shuddered, her breath escaping her now that she had to face her reality. "I killed a man."
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A/N: Hey loves, this chapter was short because I found myself struggling with writing it after being away for so long. In the end, I decided to just publish it as it is. I hope you all enjoyed reading!💛