CLOUDED REALIZATION OF A LIFETIME

A Few Weeks After

'This is good. What's the flavour?'

'Strawberry with vanillised mango.'

Trying not to laugh, I managed to say.

'Couldn't it just be vanilla and mango?'

'Nope, then it won't have the flavor but it is called 'vanialised mango', then that's the real deal.'

Most times after classes, I spend time with Adams. He is kinda fun. My instincts about him the first day were kinda awkward but these few weeks, he's been nothing but a sweet gentleman. However my instincts are never wrong but it's about time they are, I guess. Adventure all the way. I wasn't sure if he was the one who chatted me up. That still remains a mystery to myself and I thought of asking no one as it might not mean anything.

Jemzy clears her throat after seeing me tiptoe into the sitting room.

'Madam fresh legs, you're back. Have you seen the time?'

I glanced at the clock and it surprised me. "Adam's getting the best of me."

'So what's going on? You and this guy a thing? '

'Nope, just friends' I answered abruptly giving a blank expression.

'You stay out late with a male "friend"...K.' Jemzy concludes while she returned to dishes scrubbing them as if her life depended on it.

'I'm tired okay, morrow. ' I say as I walk past her to my room. Zainab wasn't in sight. I still tiptoed anyway seeing as my mini skirt gave away my legs.

One late night, I was out with Adams as usual. Not knowing that night was going to be a game-changer.

'Jas, he says. I have...well you're someone I'd like to know more. These past few weeks have been a blessing to me. You've made me smile. I can't even remember the last time that happened. To cut the chase...I like you and would want you to be my girlfriend.'

My lips pressed against each other with my eyes wide open. I take two steps back.

'The thing is...well...I'll think about it.'

'You don't feel the same way about me?'

'No, it's not that. I'm not ready for a relationship but I promise you I'd think about it.'

His lips make no movement so no words were uttered and in that moment of silence we both observed, I asked myself if I said the right thing.

Then he says 'ok' breaking away the silence.

'Ok?'

'Ok.'

He just said a damn 'ok' after what I said. No 'take your time, 'can we still be friends?'. None of that.

'Is that all?'

'Yeah, or do you want me to say something else?'

'No. Nah. I'll just be going.'

As I turned to walk away, different questions came to my head. 'Should I have said that?' 'Should I turn back and say "yes"? "I didn't make the wrong choice?"

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize it was getting darker. The cold was so abrupt, it gave me shivers. Goosebumps all over!

It was getting creepy as if I was starred in a horror movie. 'How did I pass this place before?' I find myself talking to the wind and and tall evergreen trees.

'Is this the right direction? The campus isn't supposed to be far from here, is it?' Bats stared at me as they hang upside down from the trees.

I remembered Mrs. Olaletan's, the school's vice-chancellor, article: 'One day at work, you look across the streets to see a hooded figure in a black coat pointing directly at you. What do they want? What do you do?'. She based it on the recent mishaps by the hood, a brotherhood.

But in this scenario, I'm not at work. I'm on the streets.

I took in a deep breath releasing out more air than I took in. I was getting short of breath. "I need to calm down."

'Yeah, yes'. I say telling myself I am on the right path.

'No, no'. But I could not. The thoughts of it all terrified me as I repetitively thought about it.

I was on the streets, but now I'm here, this bushy pathway nobody dares passes. Should I even call it a bush? It's more like a forest.

I was panicking. I wasn't thinking straight anymore. My chest start to squeeze slowly rubbing me of my breath. I suddenly felt dizzy but I still stand.

'I'm cold, I'm cold.' I say shivering as I forgot to wear a hoodie.

'Who's there? Show yourselves. I'm armed and if you come any closer, you'd be dead meat'. Trying to get a hold of myself, speaking to the unknown if there's someone there. I needed something to keep me sane so I assumed someone was there. Until I saw something, someone?

I see a figure in a hood, dressed in black, I can't make out its gender. It slowly starts to move towards me and slowly I make out what's in its hand. It looks sharp. Silver coated, I think. Sharp-edged. It looks thin and it's of metal. It's a knife. It's a knife.

My subconscious made me know this was it. I was already surrounded by trees. I can't make a path out. I can barely see anything. The figure moves closer and closer. I just froze. I stayed there until its finger grabbed a hold of my mouth. It felt thick, manly.

He made me stop. My whole entity stopped and then he hit me hard on my head.

I'm unconscious, finally.

"Ah, it hurts. Where am I? Why is it dark?" I get up from where I was laid on a rather hard substance. I stand making myself aware of where I have been put. Amidst rottenness.

'He..lp.' I struggled to say a word battling my thoughts whether it's safe to say that or not." The kidnapper might be near."

"What am I even doing? No one can aid me. I must get out of here first before I figure out what is going on."

And just then, when I figured out my first step, I heard voices. I couldn't really make out the words so I leaned closer putting my face through the burglary.

'We use the girl.'

'I just suggest we kill her.'

'Quiet both of you, I'll suggest what we do to her.'

I continued to eavesdrop on their chatters.

'The boss says to keep her alive.'

'But he didn't say, we couldn't cut her. I mean like a small piece of her, a tiny itsy bit.'

I show some sign of relief. ''Zainab."

'Oh my God, it's Zainab. I didn't think she'll come to my rescue.' I came to my senses that I had to lower my voice. But another thought came in." She just said... "

'Bring her!'

" They're coming. People are coming." They barge in, drag me up, well after I was being tied. 'What do you want with me, please.' I say with a more feminine voice while putting on the pretty face, hoping they would show mercy.

'Han, the lady of the day is here.'

"Isn't that? Han? what the?"

'Adams?'

'Hey, babe. I apologize for the rough handling. I do. It just had to be done, you get.'

'You're sick. Hen, what a psychopath! I say no and you're...han...you are crazy!'

'I tell him that all the time but he doesn't believe me. Now an outsider has told him.'

'Zainab?'

'Sweetheart.'

'Are you...no...no! It can't be...I refuse it to be! I'm dreaming, it cannot happen.'

'Keep dreaming babe.'

'All these years, everything!'

'Hola, Jasmine. Quite a while.'

'Jemzy?...I must be dead. Probably gone. I can't take this! I can't accept this! The hood...you guys are the hood. I...I.'

I fainted. That was it. Jasmine has been living a lie. I have been living a lie. So was I right about the guy being shady seeming that all of this has happened? But my friends, why have they chosen to do this to me?