1 TOUGH NUT

"No!" 

Running away from your fears only keeps them coming. They say face them, conquer them but is it ever that easy?

Haunted by the event of the terrible night that had caused her unforgettable grief, Keira had wished endlessly to never fall asleep but how possible in flesh and bones?

She breathed heavily, flickering her eyes and gulping down some saliva as she sat up on her bed. The rate at which her heartbeat was almost noticeable if one paid attention enough. 

She shut her eyes eventually, breathing deeply – her technique for recovering from the sting of the nightmares she couldn't overcome.

Taking the covers off her body, she turned her head to her left side bringing her eyes to rest on the closed window. 

It was morning already. She felt relieved and got out of bed. Pushing the windows open, the sun rested on her face, it felt warm and comforting and in no time she got to the bathroom hoping to have a better day than yesterday.

–––

DINING ROOM.

"Take that look off your face young lady." Miss Willow said from her seat on the left side of the table. 

She was a middle-aged woman with a high-pitched voice although while she spoke, she sounded authoritative and friendly at the same time, Keira could only roll her eyes away not wanting to let a word out. 

"Did you just roll your eyes at me, girl?" Miss Willow asked, 

"She didn't roll her eyes at you Willow, let the fresher be." 

Another woman spoke while coming from the kitchen and holding onto a jug of orange juice. She proceeded to serve Keira with a smile on her ageing face.

"Thanks, Nana," Keira said, once her glass was full.

"I can't believe you still let her call you 'Nana', this is London, Naomi, if she doesn't learn to blend in, she will have problems with socializing. You keep spoiling this young woman. She will grow up wrong I tell you." Miss. Willow told Nana.

"She will grow into a very fine woman, you'll see," Naomi said as she filled up Willow's glass.

"Tssk." Willow clicked her tongue and shook her head from side to side. 

"Keira, you don't have to worry. The first days in college are usually the worst. " Naomi said, having taken her seat just on the left side of the dining table.  

"Oh, those days will make you believe you need to quit but if you could just hold on a little bit longer, next thing you know, it's graduation day," Willow said, biting on her toast.

"Do not worry Aunties, I am settling in just fine," Keira said, 

"Oh, you should. Let the boys be your motivation or aren't they hot these days?" Willow asked, 

"Oh, no way.." Keira voiced in a tone of disgust.

"What? Don't sound like that, aside from being hot, there are some really good guys in college. It's actually where I met my late husband." Naomi said, sipping from her glass.

"Hmmm-mm? She was crazy about him back then. I watched my good girl go bad for that one." Willow said, 

Keira rolled her eyes left and right with keen interest realising some truth was about to burst out of the closet.

"No no, we are not discussing that at this table," Naomi said, 

"So we can talk about hot guys, her enduring through college and we can't talk about the one thing that would grace breakfast?" Willow said, 

Keira already had a smile on her face watching the two. She was almost done with her food as were the others. She wondered if they had forgotten they hadn't even said a prayer. 

Whatever the secret was must have been worth forgetting the table manners they preached about every other day. 

"Willow, I'm warning you," Naomi said,  with a look on her face that was quite funny to Keira who seemed to be holding in laughter.

"Hah, you don't want it coming out that bad? You don't want niecy here to know how I bumped into righteous Aunty Nana doing the reverse cowgirl on Pete?" Willow let out, ending with an evil grin.

Keira's drink went to waste as shock made her spit it all out.

"At least we ended up getting married." Naomi fired back with a smile at the corner of her lips.

Slowly, her facial expression faded into a sad one as she gradually turned her face to look at the empty seat at the end of the table.

Willow's joy suddenly dwindled while Keira could only heave a sigh and then place her right hand over Naomi's.

"Better up there than the pains he had to endure down here," Keira told her.

Naomi nodded affirmatively, brightening up her face at once. 

"What's with your eyes? You didn't get much sleep?" Naomi inquired worriedly.

Keira withdrew her hand and looked away. 

"I am fine." She replied.

"Are the nightmares still bothering you? You should see the doctor." Willow said, 

"No, I don't have nightmares anymore. I just stayed up doing some research and had no idea the time was far gone." Keira said, 

"You wouldn't be lying to us now, would you?" Naomi asked her.

"Of course not. I would miss the bus." She said, swiftly getting on her feet and hurrying outside the door.

"I worry about her. " Willow said, 

————

–––

SCHOOL,

"Well, Durr-urrh silly, the more you take the pills to stay awake, the more your body gets used to them so much that it won't work anymore," Samantha said, trying to hold her blonde hair up on her head with the help of a band. 

She had made Keira hold onto her books while she did that. 

"I'll be fine," Keira told her. 

"I am sick of hearing that. I don't want you taking those pills any longer or I swear I will get your Aunts involved." Sam threatened.

"The pills are useless now. You don't need to go that far." Keira told her, handing over the books. 

"You still walk with your face down. I see you enjoy being bullied." Sam said, 

"Sam, really, I just don't want to be noticed by anyone. Keeping my circle small has always worked fine for me." Keira told her.

"Look who we have here." They heard. 

Three girls dressed in short skirts were majestically approaching them at the same time.  

They drew attention to themselves with just their appearance being the top girls in school. 

All eyes turned towards the two, Keira who hoped to go unnoticed then had everyone's attention.

"F*ck." She breathed under her voice.

"If it isn't Ding and Dong." One of the girls said, 

"What do you want, Zoe ?" Sam asked the girl in the middle with a straight face– their queen. 

"What are you guys even doing here? Look around you, you don't belong here. As for what I want, I want you two far from here. Your presence makes us – sick." Zoe spoke in a sassy tone. 

"Do I need to remind you this is college and not high school?" Sam asked her.

"How–dare you?" 

For some reason, Zoe didn't seem to direct her anger towards Sam, instead, she had her hand raised towards Keira in a bid to slap her face.

"That's enough." 

A masculine voice broke through the crowd that had gathered. A major distraction for Zoe as she recognised who it was. Turning towards the direction of the voice, everyone saw who– the chancellor.

Whispers sprouted from every corner.

"Mr Landon. It's Mr Landon." 

"She started it," Zoe said in a dramatic tone. 

"You act without manners. Everyone back to your business!" He said with a loud voice. 

The students scattered not wanting to get into trouble. 

Mr Landon was a known disciplinarian. He attracted respect to himself– He earned it. 

"You five, in my office. Now." He said,

–––

"Oh my God, I almost peed in my undies," Sam whispered excitedly once we stepped out of his office.

He had preached love and harmony to the girls encouraging peaceful living if they were to survive in the outside world.

"It was suffocating in there," Keira said, 

"What's your deal with men?" Sam asked her. 

"I just think he is so full of himself. That's all. I don't see why any girl should lose their senses over him. 

Talking and moving his eyes weirdly, it was more like a flirtatious conversation in there and not some– reprimand." Keira said, with a straight face.

"You – have some serious problem girl, why would any girl in their right senses not want him? Plus it's not the way he looks at people, he has beautiful eyes, admit it and I assure you, you won't die. " Sam said, shaking her head disapprovingly. 

"Whatever." Keira voiced as they both walked on.

"Seriously though, is it that– you– do girls? Even if you did, it still doesn't justify why you should hate men. Known you all my life and you have never given a guy a chance. You have never been kissed." Sam stressed her words.

"Just because I don't give men the opportunity to use me doesn't mean I am gay," Keira responded walking ahead of her. 

"You are one tough nut," Sam said, 

––

NIGHT.

Landon stepped out of the bathroom into his bedroom in a perfect walk. He slipped into his bathrobe which he had picked up from where he hung it and tightened the belt. 

The room was quite big, too exotic for a chancellor one would say. The wetness from the water that remained had gelled his hair backwards on his head and now his pointy nose became more protruding. 

Suddenly, the curtains danced to the wind that rushed into the room from the open windows. Just when he had his back turned. 

He paused, maintaining silence before heaving a sigh.

"I thought we were through." He voiced, slowly turning towards the bed. 

He met with a lady in the form of a ghost– fading. 

"I thought so too. It's good to see you again, Nephew." The lady said, 

"Why have you come?" He asked her.

"Trouble sleeps but now awakens. Your days of solace may soon be over. You must return and strengthen your hands. Lucas– breathes." She said in a whisper voice sounding like the wind.

"How is that possible? He isn't supposed to awaken for millenniums. Who was foolish enough to crawl into that cave?" He asked rather upset.

"Whoever it is doesn't matter. What matters is why? Why now? It must be important. We must figure that out and be prepared. 

You put him there for that long, he will come at you with everything he has got starting from here." She told him.

"Assemble your sisters. Build a protective shield about the school. To hurt me, he will begin his vengeance there and we know he will need the blood of a pure one to regenerate. He wouldn't mind killing everyone to get that one." He said to her,

"Do you think a pure one still exists?" She asked him.

"We can never be too prepared. I only fear the world isn't ready for what is about to happen." He responded. 

––

KEIRA'S ROOM.

Another night. She had forced herself to bed. The clock on her bedside table read midnight. 

Her lids tightened. Her head slowly began to move from side to side on her pillow as her hands grabbed the sheets unconsciously.

Naomi and Willow came barging in almost like they got the hunch. 

"Keira… Keira! Wake up. Wake up." Naomi tried waking her with taps.

She wasn't responding. 

"She could be stuck in it. Not good." Willow said to Naomi with a worried look on her face. 

"We have to get in there now," Naomi said, 

"But how do we explain it to her?" Willow asked in a low unsettled tone while maintaining eye contact with Naomi.

"We have no choice. We knew we couldn't hide forever and that someday this would happen. It's high time she knew who she really is before it's too late." Naomi said,