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.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXAylcOIgN
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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46BVtMXp9w
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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23nOARfF0s
Hypocalcaemia. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbLvoAjSkP
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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTAhn7zczO
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnQn6s90bF
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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlReOyQ5SC
"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?" 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxpuRTu1Bm
Silver just stares at me curiously with a piece of cheese wedged in her beak. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPkbGHdIYq
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I rub her head, and she closes her eyes, as if she enjoys it. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4gdCYZiLS
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpijErXIy8
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mAamuModY
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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLeumBp8dw
"I got everything you asked," he says eagerly, lifting a white plastic bag to show me, before stepping into the house. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoThHvxBAi9
"Why are you so excited?" I ask him. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtw2Fa0btle
"Nya, does my life seem very interesting?" he asks me. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHqGb1OeUB
"No, not really," I admit. Sounds bad, but it's the truth. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QJMwttj9Z
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXWDpdJKoo
"Hello," she greets him, in a voice sounding a lot like mine. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JoMGkWHf5
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbr6gNfa4X7
How did I get here? 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4IrX7fLnh
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3qFg0WnX8
"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.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaGKGONKFF
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0SprPI11y
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpv5gM6CZz
"What's wrong?" Kwamé asks me. I look up, observing his sad expression. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3caOqHDy3
"Nothing," I sniffle, "it's just that I never expected you to go this far." 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnodD9EEAyi
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6ncTUOGFX
"I never expected you to go and choose flavoured calcium blocks. I didn't expect you to take it that seriously."603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDfSDHVbZa
"Is that seriously what you're crying over?" he asks, a smirk appearing on his face. "It's not that deep, Nya." 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYB6fNUCod
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? 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79Ccm5qvtR
"Hey, Alice? Come back."603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvb8ec968p
"Why are you being so nice to me?" I blurt out suddenly. Unexpectedly. I wasn't even expecting me to say that. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSTDpGQ3sP
"What do you mean?" 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8b0PazsEGS
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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTz9NgkUbG6
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcvFYzd7o9
"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."603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVmX8fJCZn
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xlBXzVoUW
"I need to take a bath," I mumble, getting up and placing the bag on the ground. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoylkniQKwW
"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.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdF8L79zsnF
Oh, stop with the theatrics, Nya. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhfoS1GLm5
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? 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8sH4NmcM1
Akatua... I begin to think about it's familiarity, the sane thoughts that I had when I first learned her name. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzN4z81MdLL
I've heard it before... but where? 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0xeOG99L5
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.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdwTgWEFC4
My brain decides to turn back on halfway through my shower, and surprise surprise, it went to Kwamé. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpLnF6OEQD
Does he feel guilty about the way he's been treating me, about his apparent coldness? Should he feel guilty? 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFV7623TLZY
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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCNmxu4h16
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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1SXj5v2Uv
Maybe Kwamé knows something. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTPABorgyM
Scratch that, Kwamé knows something, and so does Akatua. The only issue is getting it out of either of them. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41MbqQ2F1i
Almost tripping over myself, I rush to get dressed so that I can ask him. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMxRorCNo6
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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHmOpp5Rim
"Kwamé," I call to get his attention.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hz4tjBnsX
"Yes, Nya?" 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVzD5cZeks
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EMztL1nsQ
" Kwamé, this is important."603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0AgPbhY3J
" Nya... I don't know if I'm the one to talk to about it." 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbvKVz7UWw
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwiPPwm1DFT
"Nya..." 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjp4hUPeh4
"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. 603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1Ng0EOocr
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.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZuY0a3iS8C
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.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAokF6DF8C
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.603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡex4E0TiTyx
***603Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIeny5jq74
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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