"Tell me exactly what happened," Akatua asks after swallowing her food as we sit in a couch in the living room. Kwamé convinced me to come over here; it took about three days for him to convince me to leave the house, but eventually he used his boyish charm to get me out. I'm surprisingly glad to be here. The fright of making the short trip from my house to hers was worth it, considering how safe I feel around them both. Akatua doesn't look surprised by what Kwamé just told her, at all. She looks as if she knew that it happened, and she probably did.
"She was rushed by some ol' higues. I killed them." The way that he announces that he killed them, nonchalant as ever, is both frightening and impressive. Kwamé has always seemed to be a kind, caring person, and to see him declare that he killed them with such ease is weird. "Why do you think they came?"
Akatua raises one eyebrow before taking a large bite out of her Jr. Whopper with chase, bacon and everything else. I look at the sandwich longingly as I realise that I haven't eaten any breakfast today, and it's now about 3:30 in the afternoon. As if my hunger weren't bad enough, my stomach growls as I watch her eat. She narrows her eyes as she looks at me, before swallowing and speaking.
"Kwamé, fix something for Nya, please."
Kwamé gets up without a second thought and disappears around the corner to enter the kitchen.
"I think that Lu'lu sent them," she tells me. "I was with Cecile, and I felt it when they came, but I knew that Kwamé could handle it. I never came over, because I didn't know if you wanted me over there." I start to wonder how it is that she knows me so well. I don't know if I would have wanted her over there, at my house. I typically don't like letting people in, although in Kwamé's case, it's kind of different. Either way, it would have been hard having the both of them over here at the same time.
"The problem with ol' higues," Akatua continues, "is that they are drawn to power. You appear as a big battery to them, but they know that you're experienced. They would never have tried that stuff with me." She sakes her head with disgust before putting the last bit of sandwich in her mouth as my stomach growls in envy.
"So you think that although this started as a Lu'lu thing, it will end up as a serious issue with ol' higues?"
Akatua nods her head before we sit in silence. It's uncomfortable, acknowledging just how deep in we are, but I have nothing left to say.
"Nya, we won't let anything happen to you," she says to me, and the seriousness in her voice is truly touching. "Kwamé and I will do everything that we can to protect you. We've been doing it since before you were born."
I feel kinda grossed out, thinking of Kwamé being there for me when I was a foetus. I brush off the uncomfortable feeling, just in time for him to turn the corner with a tray of food. Chinese food. Something that I complained about not having when I was hiding in the house for three days. He never forgets anything, does he?
"Kwamé told me to buy it for you before you came," Akatua says before wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. I can smell the heated food from across the room and my mouth begins to water. Some of it actually makes its way down my chin, but I wipe it away aggressively. He smiles a bit, but doesn't acknowledge it otherwise as he set the tray down in my lap before taking a seat beside me. He looks up at Akatua, as if daring her to say something.
"I have nothing to say," she says to the both of us, raising her eyebrows then pursing her lips to hide her smile. Usually, I'd be embarrassed by the acknowledgement of my feelings for Kwamé, but I'm too hungry to care. I'd usually eat slowly, savour the food as it goes down, but I don't have time for that. I cut and swallow the food, ignoring the burning sensation inside of my body, as Kwamé repeatedly winces beside me.
"If I had known that you were going to do that, I wouldn't have heated it up that much."
"It's fine," I reassure him, "I can still taste it." It tastes like the best thing I've ever eaten, more than likely because it is satisfying my overwhelming hunger.
"I think I should stay with Nya for the time being," Kwamé says to Akatua and I.
"That's fine. I have to go to school tomorrow, though." I haven't been present this week, and tomorrow is Friday. I refuse to allow an entire week pass without going to school.
Kwamé must be made to annoy me, though, because in a declarative voice, he simply says,"No." It's a statement, no question at all in his voice. It ticks me off.
"Don't tell me what u can and can't do, Kwamé," I tell him. I look him in the eye as he sits beside me, and what does he do? He smirks. He smirks at me as if I'm an infant about to throw a bitch fit, and it's demeaning. I clench my fist and sit on it in an attempt to not slap him.
"Did I ask you a question, Nya?" he asks.
"F*ck off," I tell him, and his grin broadens. He must enjoy pissing me off, but I must appreciate that his mood is better than that evening with Zuhrah.
"No, honey, I won't. You're not going anywhere tomorrow. I thought you were terrified to leave your house."
"I am," I tell him, "but I have to get over it. My exams won't write themselves."
"Can't you ask someone in one of your WhatsApp groups to send you the information?"
"I need to be there myself," I tell him. "I have a lab tomorrow."
"Can't you put the degree on hold? Isn't that a thing?"
"I don't know if you can do it for this degree, and if I could, I wouldn't." Who does he think he is, telling me how to live like that?
"You know what? You're staying with Akatua tonight."
"Silver--"
"I'll get her--"
"-- she gets nervous when she goes to new places. I'm not doing that to her."
We stare each other down, as if we're both trying to figure out how far to take this. I've already made up my mind, and to my surprise, Kwamé sighs in resignation. He must have realised that this isn't worth fighting over.
"Fine," he mumbles looking at me through narrowed eyes, "but you don't want to get on my bad side, Nya. Don't disobey me."
"Fine," I grumble, but there is a small part of my that likes being protected by him. I never had a father figure, only Suzanne Williamson. She wasn't much as a mother to me, but she served as something. Kwamé is the first male to show this much interest in my wellbeing, and in a strange way, I'm grateful for it.
"Whatever," I grumble, rolling my eyes at him.
"Don't do that, hun," he says with mock hurt. "I have feelings too, ya know."
"Nice to know."
"Just listen to me this time," he says as the tone in his voice does a 180° turn, now completely serious.
"Okay, I will," I tell him. He smiles again at the sound of me conceding.
***
Kwamé's need -- or desire -- to sleep has been a real advantage. I bathed last night right before I went to sleep so that I wouldn't have to bathe this morning. Even though my bath was at 11:30 p.m., I don't like the feeling of not bathing. It feels nasty. However, I'm desperate. I'm nothing if not prepared, though. I wiped my self down with concentrated salt water this morning, since salt burns them, and I put rice in my jacket pockets, my pants pockets, the pockets of my shirt (I specifically chose one that had them) even in my brassiere. I'm well prepared.
Being back to school is somewhat refreshing and liberating. I might be shivering with fright the whole day, but I feel a certain sense of freedom. I wonder to myself what Kwamé will do when he finds out that I ran off. I chuckle at the thought, realising that he can't do shit. I'm in a school full of unsuspecting humans, and from what I know, he wouldn't want to make a scene. It's early, and I wanted to go to the library, start reading "An Echo in the Bone" before my first class, which is a lab. Hours and hours of pure, unadulterated fun. There's one up side to that, though. I'll be in a laboratory, one that you can't enter without a lab coat. I didn't bother to go to the library, though, because it would be way too much hassle. Instead, I've been waiting in the Sci Tech faculty office with an oversized black hoodie -- as if that will disguise me from Kwamé -- my lab coat in my hand, and a notebook, pen and pencil in the oversized lab coat pocket, and two thousand rice covered dollars in my left bra cup. This way, I have less weight, so I can move around more easily. I wait until 9:55 to leave, so that I'll get to the class just in time. I crack open the glass door and wait for some of my classmates to pass so that I can blend in. I probably look like an idiot, because it's only three people -- a girl in a camisole and shorts, and two girls in short sleeves jeans. When I reach outside of the lab, I sigh in relief and take off the ridiculous "disguise" and swap it for my lab coat. I stand there lamely, not knowing what to do with the hoodie, realising that I did not properly think this through, because I need my "disguise" on me, just in case of anything. I know logically that it doesn't work, but it makes me feel safe. Sighing, I put the jacket back on, and put the lab coat over it, making me feel as if I'm in a sauna. Scratching my armpits and wiping my forehead with the back of my hand, I pull myself together and get to work.
Today, we're dissecting mice. I somehow cut it up perfectly, straight down the middle as it's little intestines spill out. I put my nose under my sweaty armpit -- Jesus, I need to get stronger deodorant -- because it's better than the disgusting smell of blood. Animal blood, the blood of other mammals specifically, is worse than human blood, which is why I prefer to buy cooked meat than cook it myself. I look at my handy work, and find it shameful that I struggled with an aloe vera leaf, but was able to cut open an animal, all while being absolutely disgusted by its scent. I actually pity the small animal, eyes closed with the most innocent look on his face -- yes, it's a male -- and contemplate becoming a vegetarian. That is, until the lab tech interrupts my train of thought.
"Um, Nya?" She doesn't even have to tell me anything. One look at her face and I know I'm screwed. My main question now is how the hell he found me. Probably sniffed me out like a dog. Or checked every lab in SciTech. I remember telling him that I had a lab today, and mentally face-palm. Still, I wait on her to continue.
"Um, there's a man outside waiting to see you. He seemed angry."
"What's his name?" I ask her, just to piss him off. I know that he'll be annoyed when she goes out and asks his name. I snicker as she walks off, only to stride back in within half a minute, looking more concerned than before.
"He says that you know exactly who he is. Nya, if you want to call security--"
"No, no, it's fine," I tell her.
"It's just... his eyes," she whispers.
"What?" I almost shreak. They couldn't possibly on fire, or red... She wouldn't be this calm.
"They're red."
"Which part?" She seems thrown off by the question.
"The scleras..." she states as if it should be obvious. It should be obvious. That's the only part that would be acceptable in normal society. Kwamé is probably trying his best to not shoot fire from his eyes,which means that I have to get him off the compound. Now.
"Okay, Amanda. Thank you," I tell her, scraping my things into my lab coat and running out the door, almost going straight into the chest of an infuriated Kwamé. He glares at me, his eyes getting redder and redder.
"I have rice," I tell him, "and I wiped down with salt water--"
"I don't give a f*ck," he growls before grabbing my wrist, somehow being gentle while doing it, and leading me to the parking lot. I have a feeling that I'm in a lot of trouble. I know that he won't give me any privacy now, he'll probably follow me to the bathroom. I sigh heavily as the engine starts before pulling off the jacket.
"Do you have pads?" he asks me out of the blue.
"What?" I ask him.
"Do you have pads? Or tampons?"
"I have panty shields. Why?"
"There's a certain scent that women have when they're coming close to their period."
"But I don't feel like it's comming," I tell him, because my periods are irregular. If I were sexually active, I'd be worried about pregnancy. On top of that, my breasts usually get tender around the time of my period, before and during my period. That's how I can usually tell.
" I think it is," he tells me as we drive through the gates of the university. "I'm stopping at the pharmacy, and don't you dare come out. As a matter of fact, you're coming with me." I roll my eyes at him and huffing. "And don't give me any trouble. You're already in a lot of trouble."
I stay silent for the rest of the ride, in the pharmacy as I pick out pads and tampons, and I don't even challenge him with trying to pay, I just fade into the background. I know that I haven't slipped his mind for even a second, though, because his back is still tense under his white t-shirt. The cashier seems frightened when she looks up and sees him, and cashes and packs the things in a hurry. She crosses herself when he turns his back to look at me. I wonder to myself if this is what Kwamé means when he says that he's a monster. When he's like this, there is something distinctly not human about him. He isn't human, though, and he can look quite scary when he's angry. That doesn't make him evil.
When we get home, I notice that his eyes are almost blazing now. He moves in absolute silence. When we get inside, I know that Silver notices the difference in him, too, because she takes one look at him and perches on my shoulder her face buried in my neck.
"Nya," he rasps. His voice is angry, but it has an element that I've never heard before. That's when I realise it: he isn't simply angry, he's livid. "Nya, go beside the bookshelf, please." I do it without question, now very much worried about his next move. He shifts the furniture and bushes the coffee table out of the way. I guess I should know what comes next, but I don't. Without warning, he phases, ripping his clothes to shreds in the process. It's as if one second, a man stands before me, and the next, a gigantic bull, eyes ablaze. I'm so frightened that I drop the bag when it happens, and Silver jumps, then crouches into my neck even more, squawking in fright. I feel a twinge of guilt, because I know that he's more comfortable as a bull, and that this pushed him over the edge, and he's probably been dying to do it all day. I refuse to feel too guilty, though. He's emotionally overreacting.
His episode only lasts for about 15 seconds, because after that, he's human again, eyes ablaze, and naked. I've seen him naked before, but this time he walks towards me, and I can't help but look down at the rest of his body. Probably because it's not as frightening as his face.
When Silver sees him approaching, she takes off and goes more than likely into my room. He continues to walk until he's right against me. I don't back away, though. I refuse to be intimidated by him.
Once he stops, he tilts his head to the side as the fires die down, and so does the red, so that I can see the grey/silver of his eyes, looking more like silver as they pierce through the sea of his scarlet scleras. He puts his right hand around my neck before squeezing, similar to the way he did it last time. As I look at him, I realise that the fire is gone and redness is fading not because he's calming down, but because he's controlling it. He wants to make this personal. He wants me to look into his beautiful silver eyes so that he can get the message across.
"Never, ever," he says, constricting his hand around my neck. He pushes back and squeezes the front, but makes sure to not squeeze the arteries going to my head. He knows what he's doing, and it makes me wonder how many women he's done this to before me.
Why am I assuming that it's women? And that it was anything sexual?
"... do that again," he says. "Do you have any idea what they can do to you? What Lu'lu can do to you? They can follow you into a secluded place, and just like that, you're gone. Do you think that the salt on your skin would stop them? Or that you'd be able to get the rice out in time? Worse, what if Lu'lu herself came for you?" I melt beneath him, I can't even say yes, or no. I just look up at him like an idiot. I see it, though, when something passes through his mind, probably from the look on my face.
"You have no idea, do you," he says, his face inching closer to mine. "How dangerous this is." I have a feeling that he isn't just talking about Lu'lu and the ol' higues anymore.
"I can't die," I remind him, his eyes completely grey now.
"You can feel pain," he points out, his face getting closer to my neck. "You want me to show you?"
Before I can respond, he sinks his teeth into my neck and sucks. Does it hurt? Hell yes, but it feels so damn good, too. I can feel the bruise beginning to form, before he pulls back and kisses me. It's not what I'd imagine to be a normal kiss, though; it's a slow kiss, but forceful all the same. He bites my bottom lip, and at one point, I end up softly pulling on his tongue with my teeth. It's nothing like I've experienced before, and when he pulls away, I smile to myself as I touch my lips. Because of my aversion to contact with other human beings, I've never kissed anyone before. He just kick-started my libido, because that was more than a kiss; he basically made love to my mouth with his. Cheesy, I know, but it's the best I can m think of. Still, I know that he's what I'll be thinking of when I'm releasing myself. Of late, it's always been him.
"I'm going to bathe," he mutters before walking away from me. He was probably too much in a hurry to bathe. As he walks away, I think of something messed up. Evil, even.
He said that my period is coming, right? Maybe I can tie* him. I know Akatua is against those stuff, but he obviously likes me already. It shouldn't be that hard.
Then I remember that 1) Kwamé isn't human, 2) he has a heightened sense of smell, so he'll know, 3) he probably has a heightened sense of taste, too, 4) I hate cooking, too, so for me to get up and cook stew peas, or curry (I hear that that can tie people, too) would be more than suspicious, and 5) I have no idea how to tie someone -- it has to me more complicated than mixing your period blood with food -- and Akatua will never teach me.
I huff in frustration, and go to my room to have a shower myself. And to relieve myself. I don't think that I've ever been this grateful for a removable shower head*, but I know that it will probably be the second and only other highlight of my shitty day, of course, after Kwamé's amazing lip skills.
***
A/N This isn't as long as the last chapter, but I'm glad I got to finish it.
*I've mentioned this before, but I don't know if all of you remember what tying is. It's when someone uses menstrual blood and mixes it with food to feed their loved ones. I'm sure that there's some ritual involved. It prevents the person from leaving them.
*As for the removable shower head... You turn it on, and point the jet stream on your cl*t to masturbate. 🙈😅
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