***617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKXjqLvfIx
Kwamé has been MIA for over a week now, and I'm beginning to wonder if he'll ever talk to me again. As I replay the scene of the last time we spoke, I begin to wonder if I really pissed him off, more than he let on. The truth is that I miss him; life seems so boring without him. I hate it. I'm sitting on the floor, staring at the tiny TV without registering whatever is being shown on it. That has been my life of late; eat, bathe, sit in front of the television for most of the day, eat again, bathe again, sleep. It is so odd for me to be emotionally dependent on someone I barely know. Actually, it's odd for me to be emotionally dependent on anyone. My mother and I exchanged numbers, and I do talk to her; not every day, but often enough. Every time we speak, Kwamé is brought up in conversation, usually by her. I figure it has something to do with her sixth sense. Every time he is brought up, she says things like "He'll come around," and even though she has a strange ability to know things like this, I am beginning to doubt her words. If he wanted to be a part of my life, wouldn't he have made some sort of contact by now? 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5zBfXs1h5
Silver comes over to me and rests her head on my side and closes her eyes, letting me know that she wants me to pet her. She is the only thing to really keep me from spiraling into depression. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrq0D1WpvVF
The shrill, loud ringing of the house phone is what pulls me out of my trance. I pull myself clumsily to my feet, almost falling over, to reach it on the other side of the room.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyC6UCV4HI
"Hello?"617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLIdKfcdko
"Hello, Nya," says a smooth, silky voice. It's the voice of a woman, more specifically, a woman who I do not know.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTH7cTdsoqe
"Good afternoon?" It comes out sounding like a question. I sound absolutely unsure of myself. I am absolutely unsure of myself. She, on the other hand, answered the phone as if she has known me my whole life. An uncomfortably long pause stretches after I say those words as I wait for her to reply.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXt2BuEyHy
"Um, miss?" I say when the silence becomes unbearably awkward.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXDJAqAPCI
"Yes, Nya. I'm calling to see how you are." It's nothing but sultry, seductive, as if it's trying to pull me through the phone. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkNh4xrWzq
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I ask her. I don't want to seem rude but I feel immensely uncomfortable talking to a stranger on the phone, pretending that I know them.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlTWZZ2uSU
"No, you don't. But I know about you."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevaZqNaBc4
I don't know why, but these words sound damning, as if they have a deeper more sinister meaning than what is presented on the surface.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXFzAgWwKn
"Um... Okay. Well, would you like to introduce yourself?"617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukI9kdwWHl
"No, Nya," she responds. "However, I do believe that I will be meeting you soon, and that encounter should be... exciting."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93ZijhaFQA
When the words leave her mouth, I am sure that I've never heard anything so sinister in my entire life. Before I can say or do anything else, she hangs up, leaving me in my living room, shivers running up and down my spine.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81InG1SePL
***617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AWeM0fbyg
"I need to know where he is."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmh9mzweqE
Akatua sits on the couch opposite to me, holding a mug of warm ginger tea in one hand and rubbing her chin with the other. She likes "hot" beverages warm, as if it is too hot, it will scorch her tongue. That's something that we have in common. Probably hereditary.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQLURuYUIH
"I told you to wait-"617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNLT1yAKdL
"Well, mi tiad a wait, chuh rass!" I shout, kissing my teeth. I never speak patois, unless I am extremely angry. When I do, it's usually frightening. "A more dan one bomboclaat week, an' mi nuh see ar 'ear fram 'im!" I snarl. I'm boiling with anger... and she laughs.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfR7vnywUf
"Mi mummaclaat," she says, grinning. "Mi neva' know seh yuh chat patois."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeejIgJAAT4
"When mi get real bex," I hiss, then try calming myself down. I let out a deep sigh of frustration. "My point is," I begin, switching back to standard English, "I miss him. A lot. I don't know why I've grown attached." The more I speak about it, the angrier I get. "I don't remember ever growing attached to anyone except for my bird. Tell 'im fi," I start, before taking a deep breath. "Tell him that I want to see him. That I need to see him. That I..." I take a deep breath again. I seem to be doing that a lot. "Tell him that I miss him."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEDWkqgBFe
"Yuh gwaan guh ketch feelings fi 'im," she states. I shake my head in denial, but she ignores me. "Well, he doesn't really come here much anymore. But I know he'll come back. He's done this before-" 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0uTDyP5j0
"Where does he stay?" I don't have time for this anymore. "And no, I haven't caught feelings for him. I just miss the only friend that I've ever had."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhy0bKpRAAH
"Right," she says dubiously. She shakes her head and continues. "Well, there's a cotton tree near here, but no one goes there. He stays around it, he's usually under it. But he'll sense you coming long before you reach."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9pl9gr3Gw
"He'll run from me?"617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfUhcemmN7
"I don't know. Maybe."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpDPYaTC2D
"Wow, there's something that you don't know," I reply, sarcasm thick in my voice.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyhaYjRS9X
"Well, I'm not omniscient," she says with a smirk. "But in all honesty," she begins, "Kwamé isn't the most predictable person. He is always changing his mind, so it's hard to really predict his future. My inference that he will come back is solely based on my acquired knowledge of him."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9iyRlA7g7
"Ah. I see. Well, thanks for the information."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0y0Lf8cKHB
"Yes, anytime dear," she replies, tapping her fingers against her mug. She puts it to her head, and finishes it, before placing it on the ground. "Well, is there anything else that has happened with you recently? I don't know why, but I sense something dark. As if someone has bad intentions for you," she murmurs in concern.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QHqNO7vCj
"No..." I murmur, thinking back. She stays silent while I recount the week's events. "Oh, this lady that I don't know called. I'm not sure why, but she gave me major creeps." Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. Akatua narrows her eyes, as she regards what I told her.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LEVfYGNhf
"What did she sound like?"617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAntD50J22x
I bite my lip before answering. "It was sultry, sensual... and she said that she would see me soon, and that it would be "exciting", I tell her, using air quotations. She looks genuinely frightened now, as if she knows something that I don't. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmlDTK2nUy
"Listen, Nya, if an unknown number calls again, don't pick up. Please. I'm going to cast a protective spell on you, okay?"617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wnXYoFozg
"Okay." Her concern is frightening, even though I have no idea what exactly I am afraid of. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iGtoC6aqT
"I'm going to need something of yours, a picture, or something with your DNA."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uLNSIqIbL
I sigh, and pull some strands of hair from my head before giving them to her. She holds the sample in her hand, assessing it.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTTfR1vjyW
"Do you want to follow me—"617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigM4YEwJpD
"No," I answer immediately. Watching someone cast a spell on me is way too strange for me. I mean, I am relieved to see that she is taking steps to protect me, but watching her actually cast the spell is a bit unnerving. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2MehiOC5z
"Okay," she says, letting out a sigh. "I'll be downstairs, in the basement. When I'm done, I'm going to go find Kwamé."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZyaycVm9S
"Why?" I ask her. I'm confused as to why she has a sudden renewed interest in Kwamé.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrydMIXzca0
"Because, Nya, in times like this, that I like to keep my loved ones closer than ever, so that I can protect them." After speaking this words, she goes in the direction of the basement. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYZ5Aacwtg
***617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoj4YVwpv8R
I want to sleep. We've been driving for at least an hour, with me paying keen attention to every turn the car makes, despite my feeling of being on the verge of hibernation. Yes, I want to sleep, but at the same time I don't want to, if that makes any sense. I don't want to miss anything, since I was going to see pretty much my only friend again. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHWPEfcxxj
Nya, you idiot, how can he be your friend? You barely know him. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0E6eTze9On
I ignore my inner voice even though a part of me knows that she's right. I'm probably closer to him than he is to me. Strange considering that he was the one who came to me, who would stay outside my house. I remember the way that I would want nothing to do with him before, and now I don't know if I've missed anyone this much in my life. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmpMGIA3qr
Yuh gwaanguh ketch feelings fi 'im. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eNxbcajXe
This sentence bounces around in my head as I think about the ridiculousness of it. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLw2GaWyzbi
Me? Catch feelings? The idea is almost laughable. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcgZjaQsc2
"What are you thinking?" Akatua asks from the driver's seat. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZLszRgk8L
"Nothing," I grumble. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtJMSU0b3v
"You're lying."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiH7QsSlZo
I sigh. "Listen, I really do not want to talk about this right now. Okay?" 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yuZ8KXqBl
"Ah. Okay." There is silence after that, and I find myself falling asleep. My head bucks and hits the window. I curse silently, just in time to hear her say "We're here." 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRyInDH07k
I look up, and see that we're in the middle of nowhere. A dusty road is beneath us, with fields of vegetation bordering each side. She unbuckles herself and opens the door. I move to unbuckle my seat belt, only to hear her say "don't he'll smell you and run." 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44FeviEa6c
"I can still smell her," I hear a familiar voice state. My heart jumps and I almost pee because its just so... unexpected. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjH1gXL8JF
"Kwamé," I breathe, without looking up. My eyes stare blankly at the dashboard. I feel a million emotions burn through me, but anger wins. I am angry. Angry that he won't try to forgive himself. Angry that he won't let anyone in. Angry that he left me. I step out of the car and look up at him. I realise that I am facing his tail, which enrage me. He doesn't need to be disrespectful. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriHHroakls
"Why did you leave?" I ask in a quiet voice. Quiet, but by no means small. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCAvJhrwxT
He keeps his back firmly turned from me, as if to prove some kind of point. All this serves to do is to piss me the hell off.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Dg3OGufsp
"I know that you can hear me," I growl. I hear him sigh in response.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUvniENwnf
"Nya, please leave." He says the words in such a motonous voice, it's frightening. He isn't looking at me, but I know his eyes are burning.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffexyV2yM4
"I'm not going anywhere," I respond stubbornly. Angrily. He simply sighs, but in aggression, annoyance, and as if he's trying to keep his inner emotions at bay.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEdMJfRkpr
"Nya," he begins, "I know that despite your bravery, you're terrified. I can feel it... smell it... I can sense your emotions your desires. They're dangerous," he continues when I shut up. I feel as if something grand will occur, something that is not necessarily good.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnIqBQqnas
"Kwamé," I say my voice wobbling. "Do you want to know why I'm terrified?" I ask. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciZgT8j7dN
"I know why," he grumbles. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhIjbgbt7TX
"What do you mean?" What could he possibly mean? As far as I've seen, he's not like Akatua in that sense.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKK8s4pqhC
Suddenly, he's facing me, nostrils flared, eyes ablaze.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIL2JlCW67
"Nya, let me explain something to you," he starts. "I'm dangerous. For someone's soul," he clarifies, when I look at him with confused eyes. "So, understand that I'm trying to help you, and I'm serious, when I say stay. Away. From. Me. I mean it, Nya."617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ubt0lYvtt
I look down at my shoes, suddenly overwhelmed with depression. For some reason, my heart breaks from hearing these words from him.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFobwp1LsM
"I am terrified, Kwamé," I tell him. "I'm terrified of—" 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddW8lUP6fn
"Losing me," he finishes. "You're terrified of losing me because you've developed some sort of attachment to me." 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ckjTAqlPE
"You're the first friend that I've ever had. Of course I'm attached." 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNio9Zk9gI
He laughs, actually snorting loudly, the sound spreading throughout the large, empty field before returning to his serious tone. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN47E6AwPdT
"You really think that that's what's happening?" he asks me, and even as an animal, I can see his left eyebrow raising with incredulity. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQKFDmfYjh
I remember being told as a child not to lie, that it went against God. Funny of me to remember that now, at this moment. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHdTbww7cu
"I'm not lying," I mumble. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrE4ChH8LK
"That's not what I asked," he grunts. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0OHviTe5u
"What do you want me to—" 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLk2yKK0yFZ
"Oi! Lovebirds," Akatua calls, arms resting atop the car as she leans on it standing between the car and the open door. I actually forgot that she was there. "If I remember correctly, this," she says, gesturing wildly at us with her hands, "was not a part of our plan." Kwamé sighs, and the fires in his eyes subside to leave them with a reddish glow, similar to that of hot metal. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAGXp0xSws
"What's up?" he asks, the irritation in his voice still very clear, while my mind is anything but. All kinds of ideas are bouncing around in my head. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXult7YLXV1
"We have a problem," Akatua says with stress in her voice, rubbing her forehead with her fingers, eyes closed. She takes a deep breath, and although I'm not looking at Kwamé, I can sense that his energy has changed. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iow39zLy6
"She called Nya," she says. "On the phone," she qualifies. There is a beat of absolute silence, save for the rustling of the long, straw-like grass in the wind. Then, I see movement in my peripheral vision. When I turn to look, I see Kwamé in human form, naked as the day he was born, with a look of fear in his eyes. Fear and anger. I stand there and wonder what significance this woman has, why the idea of her is enough to get such a reaction out of Kwamé, and out of Akatua as well.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtmusaCgRb
"I'm driving home with you," he says to Akatua, no question in his voice. It is a statement, and the sound of his voice makes all other thoughts and issues cease to exist. He opens the trunk and to my surprise, he takes out a shirt and a pair of pants. No underwear. I can't even think about anything else, apart from the fact that he's coming with us. I won't be alone anymore. I watch with affection as he drags the clothes onto his body. He pulls out a pair of black flip flops and throws them onto the ground, his biceps flexing with the motion, before pushing his feet into them, swiftly but gracefully.617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAWz73x87l
"You really think that that's what's happening?" 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqjFUUSBnF
His words come back to me in this moment, and I can't shake the hidden message in his voice. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJOBMmDzuz
"Get into the car, Nya," he says to me. I look down and realise that Akatua is sitting in the front seat, waiting on us to join her. I sigh, and sit beside her, the denial slowly leaving me with a feeling of dread. Kwamé joins us, and as he shuts the door, the words actually rush through my mind:617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡox2VaOvQUa
I'm falling in love with Kwamé. 617Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAP9KC1Zwy
Shit.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
