They say that when you know someone well enough, you know when something is wrong, right? Well, that's what I've heard, and it has shown itself to be true to me.606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocg9C0PwHX
Yesterday, when Kwamé left at about 6 p.m. - after being fed, and beating me at chess seven times before deciding to watch Criminal Minds with me on my computer - Silver came to climb into my lap, something she does frequently, but her movements seemed... off balance. She almost fell over as she tried to settle into my lap. Me being me, I kinda freaked out, worrying that she was going to die on me or something. It's no surprise that I reacted that way, because I love her like my child. She means everything to me. She's all I have besides Kwamé and Akatua. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjxZ0UmPG6
It didn't take much digging or research to find out. Once I looked it up, I found out what it was, something that was pretty much my fault. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotKmtC6LNL
Hypocalcaemia. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2LDecKHZ0
It's caused by calcium deficiency in African Greys, and since I've been forgetting to buy calcium blocks for her, it's only natural that she falls ill. The part of the article that frightened me the most was the part where it talks about seizures. Last night, I went to a 24/7 vet clinic to check, only to hear that I was right. The vet on duty looked at me with a level of judgement in his eyes. Or maybe it's just my guilt getting to me. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6M0tv1rNXs
"You need to ensure that your bird's calcium levels are high," he said to me. He smiled as he handled Silver, his passion evident in his eyes. He was - they were - very helpful. They even gave me a small calcium block. Unfortunately, I doubt that will be enough to sustain Silver for very long. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZirBiCIql
Because of her illness, there's no way I'm leaving her alone today. I even called Mr. Andrews to tell him that I'm not coming in. Kwamé has agreed to stay human for the time being, even giving me his phone number and buying a car, the same one he took me home in yesterday. He got a driver's license, since the last one he had is about 50 years old. I always wonder how he and Akatua have their legal papers and such together without looking suspicious. Either way, I've decided to take advantage of Kwamé's decision to stay human. About 20 minutes ago, I called him and asked him to stop by the pet store and pick up some calcium blocks - three, to be exact - and in the mean time, I've been trying to feed her cheese. Ridiculous, I know, but worth a try, right? I just want to see if she'd be open to other options, should we run out of calcium blocks again. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5V8gmvn4r
"I'm sorry, baby," I whisper to her as she pecks at the cheese, "I'm not being a good mama, and it's partially because I'm stressed. You understand that, right?" 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQcQCQVzSC
Silver just stares at me curiously with a piece of cheese wedged in her beak. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3yjcg9HDo
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I rub her head, and she closes her eyes, as if she enjoys it. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhZaZcp76N
"I'm not used to this, you know," I complain. "I'm not used to any of this. Family, I mean. Just then, I hear a knocking on the door, a loud knocking that I can recognise almost instantly. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB19TQBYhGt
"Coming, Kwamé!" I yell as I get up from the living room floor to open the door. What I don't expect is for him to look so... vibrant. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcpiSF0X9e
His brown hair is damp, looking darker due to the water, which causes his hair to curl. The curls almost reach his shoulders. His eyes seem to have a vibrant, lively energy, something that I've never seen before in him. Not to this extent. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkUsuWOE1L
"I got everything you asked," he says eagerly, lifting a white plastic bag to show me, before stepping into the house. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjP87aUeGdt
"Why are you so excited?" I ask him. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39bw33A7T3
"Nya, does my life seem very interesting?" he asks me. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnWiJ774kg
"No, not really," I admit. Sounds bad, but it's the truth. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMJMHNKkeS
"Therefore, I'd rather help you look after your bird than sit and stare at Akatua's walls all day." When he enters the living room after me, it's almost as if a bright energy fills it to capacity. I know that it has everything to do with Kwamé's presence, spewing his excitement all over the place. Silver definitely perks up. She raises her head and squawks when she sees Kwamé. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mVjaiober
"Hello," she greets him, in a voice sounding a lot like mine. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJo6jWPU4dS
"Hello," he responds before chuckling to himself. It's a beautiful sound, something that I've never noticed before now. I drift off in thought, realising that I've never felt this way about anyone else. Never allowed it. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCZx55hDKY
How did I get here? 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42daEmmbUi
"She's quite a charm, isn't she," he comments as he stretches out his arm for Silver to climb on. She's hesitant, so he lifts her up and cradles her on his arms. I take particular notice as to how he does it, almost as if holding a child. The thought that this man - this kind, loving, caring man - honestly believes that he's evil is almost laughable. It would be if it weren't so depressing. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINUTBfttAA
"Why were you giving her cheese?" he asks, amusement in his voice. I look at him and notice that he has a small piece of cheese in his hand.606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImGPTVK8cX
"I wanted to see if she was open to other stuff if we ran out again," I mumble. It might have seemed a bit ridiculous when I tried it by myself earlier, but as I say the words out loud to him, I realise just how pathetic they sound. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZkozJpvzk
"It actually makes sense, somehow," he comments, probably sensing my insecurity. I simply grunt in acknowledgement. He hands the bag, and I open it expecting to see three white blocks. Instead, I see a white block, a yellow one in the shape of bananas, and a purple one in the shape of grapes. I don't notice that my eyes are tearing up until I feel one drop onto my hand. I'm not a very emotional person, but when people do little things like this, going out of their way to help me, I get emotional. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyOuEXy7Eu
"What's wrong?" Kwamé asks me. I look up, observing his sad expression. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pTQJrWIZc
"Nothing," I sniffle, "it's just that I never expected you to go this far." 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKOmRr5gci
"Go how far?" he asks sounding somewhat confused. He's so sweet, this kind of thing isn't even out of character for him. He thinks he's just doing what's normal and natural. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylwy2AYwuH
"I never expected you to go and choose flavoured calcium blocks. I didn't expect you to take it that seriously."606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vdZeUukA2
"Is that seriously what you're crying over?" he asks, a smirk appearing on his face. "It's not that deep, Nya." 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzU1fJx3XM
Maybe it really isn't that deep. Maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing. That's what happens when you have feelings for someone, isn't it? Well, it feels natural. These heightened emotions that I feel anywhere that Kwamé is concerned feels just as natural as it is hard to contain them. Perhaps the worst part is knowing that he doesn't feel the same way. Then again, the way that he told me that I'm pretty yesterday seems quite confusing now that I look at it. Was it an innocent gesture or did it have feelings behind it? 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1MzVBxS9P
"Hey, Alice? Come back."606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYboZXwoVg
"Why are you being so nice to me?" I blurt out suddenly. Unexpectedly. I wasn't even expecting me to say that. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4GTAlQzw8
"What do you mean?" 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34Rq3IcBlm
I stop and think about the best way to express myself. Nothing in particular comes to mind, so I end up just saying the first thing that comes to mind. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKdXiL8EbB
"You've been so cold recently." Five words, could be made six without the contraction. Five words, but they mean so much, perfectly phrasing what I have to say. I remember the way he treated me when we went to speak to Zuhrah, and shiver at the memory. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgqmg1ku7Z
"I'm sorry," he says, his eyes holding apology in them, and something else that I can't name. It's the same thing that I saw when he caught me by the river, the same thing that I saw when he called me pretty. "I was trying to keep you from developing further feelings, to kill whatever feelings you might have already developed. I realise now that all I did was hurt you."606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MdvAcEvtF
"I understand." That's all I say to him. Usually, I'd be pissed to some extent about his self loathing, but since I don't know if it's because he thinks he's "not good enough for me" or if it's because he actually has feelings for me, I don't know what to think. Feeling conflicted about what I should do in this situation, I have to excuse myself. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZUxWjb9Qy
"I need to take a bath," I mumble, getting up and placing the bag on the ground. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OlFbqD6J0
"Don't slip," he tells me as I walk off. It makes me smile to myself a bit. Every step that I take to the bathroom is a step away from him, and I feel the distance between us growing like a tumor.606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3artLToJLn
Oh, stop with the theatrics, Nya. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIz7LiknpbN
I close the bathroom door behind me, not bothering to lock it. As I strip, I wonder to myself if these feelings that I have for Kwamé will remain this way forever. If it does, will Akatua tease us forever? 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqF6B2WwSA
Akatua... I begin to think about it's familiarity, the sane thoughts that I had when I first learned her name. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCivQKx3UP
I've heard it before... but where? 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlE3EQ6vlBD
Sighing, I peal my clothes off and step into the shower, pulling the curtain behind me. The heat warms my body like sunshine breaking through clouds on an otherwise gloomily day. For a moment, Kwamé goes somewhere in the back of my mind, not completely gone but not ever-present either. In this moment, I bask in the heat of the water as the droplets cling to my warmed skin. Come to think of it... they cling in an almost unnatural manner. Pushing the thought of it aside, I continue to concentrate on the warmth.606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCMfGaNfWW
My brain decides to turn back on halfway through my shower, and surprise surprise, it went to Kwamé. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjSPEXl72j
Does he feel guilty about the way he's been treating me, about his apparent coldness? Should he feel guilty? 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlKr8heXZy
These questions plague me throughout my shower, and even afterwards, as I wrap myself up in a towel. I don't miss the way the water droplets seem to simply fall off my body, running down my arms and legs without me wiping them away. It's as if my body that was just awhile ago attracting water is now repelling it. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32PMzKfjoz
I go to my room, dropping the towel and looking at my now dried body in the mirror. This is too strange to overlook. I'll ask Akatua tomorrow. Maybe, she'll know what it means. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CtBNuscHD
Maybe Kwamé knows something. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9r2kAFINLB
Scratch that, Kwamé knows something, and so does Akatua. The only issue is getting it out of either of them. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uOxcSjGOl
Almost tripping over myself, I rush to get dressed so that I can ask him. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Sxpfb0rE8
So that you can rejoin him, a voice in my head states. I ignore it and throw on an oversized pink t-shirt which turns out being both oversized and back to front. It doesn't matter, though. I'm not trying to impress him with my dressing skills. I half run to the living room where Kwamé is playing with Silver, on the ground with legs crossed, a cup of water now in front of him. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1N5qXNWHWY
"Kwamé," I call to get his attention.606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThBpWQo5Zl
"Yes, Nya?" 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlf00inG0H7
"I need to ask you something about my powers. Water." When I make the clarification, I notice him tense up, as if he knows something that I don't. I don't like it. I should have known that it wouldn't be that easy. Still, I refuse to take no as an answer this time. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqcud8WoBt
" Kwamé, this is important."606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Hd97CsJGv
" Nya... I don't know if I'm the one to talk to about it." 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqMIW45FBJ
"But you know something that I don't!" I exclaim. "Additionally, what's Akatua going to do? Curse you?" His face looks torn. For a fraction of a second, I almost feel badly fir him. Almost. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HuCcHjtu5
"Nya..." 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1Wo49HdfY
"Stop, Kwamé!" I shout, because I know that he's making up another reason to keep me in the dark, cooking up another excuse. In that moment, my irritation with him is my focus point, at the centre of my thoughts, until it's interrupted by something else. 606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNpHDSjiUF
Just as these words are spoken, I see it in my peripheral. A rough movement with a harsh sound, matching my mood. I didn't know that water splashing could sound so... abrasive.606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUYv0EAcNO
Just as I shout, the water in Kwamé's cup splashes before falling back into the cup. When it does, the water looks as if someone shook the glass, but that did not happen.606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULN1gvC3g9
In this scary, frightening moment, as Kwamé looks at me in half-shock, half-a-face-that-seems-to-understand-the-situation, I'm sure that I was the cause of this paranormal event, and I'm also very sure that this incident in particular was not caused by obeah.606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5iAD4YCqW
***606Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuXTWsddrm
So what do you guys think? And why/how do you guys think that Nya made the water splash? Let me know 🙃
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