Chapter 22

Egypt was a lot better than she had thought. She had pictured it to be a lot primitive but this was different. Children playing, the young girls helping their mothers. The night air was cool in a way and quite pleasing.

"It's pretty lively tonight, is there anything happening ?" She asked someone in the Arabic language.

"You must be a foreigner. Master Heba's second wife just gave birth to a son!" He exclaimed and she smiled.

She was going to enjoy Egypt.

She hoped.

***

"Isis! She's coming!"

"It's Iris". She hissed in English. She hadn't even spent a year here and Cordelia had found her. "Let's just make this easy for both of us, Iris", Cordelia said, holding Abubakar, her slave by the neck.

"Fuck you!" She said throwing a huge rock at her. She broke it in half. "Surrender or the slave does", she said in a rather calm tone.

"Run, Abubakar", she said and disappeared. The last thing she saw was Cordelia digging a knife into his heart… he was dead.

***

"Now, where in Nestle lake am I ?" She muttered looking around. 'WELCOME TO NSUKKA' was written on a sign board.

This was Nigeria. Children running about playing, some people at work, some cooking and others staring at her… It was lively.

"Leave the road!" Someone screamed at her not looking at her. She moved from the road and the car passed splashing her water. It had just rained and puddles of water were almost everywhere.

"I hope I'll enjoy it here", she muttered.

Her attention shifted to a particular boy, he looked frail and hungry and sat in a corner sulking. His clothes were ragged and he wasn't playing with other children. But in that weak and frail face, she saw determination and pride , this made her smile a little. She wanted to call him but found out she couldn't fluently speak their language.

Iris focused her attention on the people talking, shouting, playing and doing business, then she smiled. "That boy! Come here", she said in their language but he didn't budge. Suddenly she saw him rise and rush at an older man who was around twenty or twenty five years old. He seized the bag and ran away while the young man screamed. "Thief!".

Iris couldn't help laughing. He was sure an interesting young boy.

It's been almost a week now and nothing much has happened. The night was chilly and it seemed like it was about to rain for the fourth time that day. Iris walked down the streets, people packing to go home and closing their shops While others stayed in a bar, smoking and drinking.

She decided to follow the dark and lonely road.

***

"Give me what you have, you rascal!" Someone who was masked shrieked at the young boy hitting him on the stomach.

"I have nothing else", he said, weeping.

"I'll make you pay" . The other person said hitting the young boy on the head with a gun.

"I promise to pay before this mon…" his voice trailed as he saw one of them pull the trigger.

"Please don't", he said sniffing. "If you kill me you won't get your money back. I'll work harder sah… please just don't…"

Shoot.

The young boy screamed holding his side. Why did he get caught up with these people? He just wanted to live a good life… Where was God when he needed him.

"Fool" the man who had shot him said, pulling the trigger.

Oh God, save me and I won't live a bad life again… I promise.

Shoot. He screamed, he was going to die surely. He was losing too much blood.

Well, this is it.

He shut his eyes and the last thing his tired eyes saw was a creature, one he had never seen or read in a book before.

***

He wasn't dead. He was healthier than an average or wealthy man and his strength was something that could not be explained. He was so fond of story telling that he got a little cash from it.

Some group of children sat around him listening to him tell a very fascinating story.

"I told them I would pay before the month ran, but they wouldn't listen and one of them pulled out a gun…". The children screamed in amusement and fear. "He shot my side and I fell 'dum' on the floor", he said, adding the sound effect.

"I thought I would die and I begged God… oh please save me, I promise to be a good boy! Do you know what happened next?"

"What happened?" The children chorused.

Iris stood by a mango tree watching the young boy tell the story of his life, she chuckled, he was very amusing.

"I saw a creature look down at me and dug it's huge teeth in me and I passed out"

"Ahhhh!" The children exclaimed.

Iris looked at the young boy with a more serious face. So he was the one she had bit and he was alive… that meant one thing.

He was her slave.

***

"Hey, boy!" Iris called and he turned to look at her. He smiled broadly and she smiled back. "Can I have a minute of your time?"

"Of course, ma", he said in perfect British English. "How true is that story?" She asked and he frowned.

"You don't believe me?"

"No, love,I do. It's just that if I told you you won't believe me"

"Tell me what exactly"

Where did this boy get his courage from?

"That I bit you"

"I could believe that"

"Why do you say so?". She asked and he smirked. "You have some cute fox claws, Angel", he said and she looked at her nails.

"Oh sorry", she said and he laughed. "You saved my life and so I'm indebted to you". Iris smiled for too long that her lips began to ache.

She was going to love Nigeria. Love this boy and everything he had.

"I'm Iris by the way"

"People call me obike, that's my native name, but I'm Jayson"

"Nice to meet you, Jayson", she said, patting his cheeks.

***

Life hadn't been better. Lagos was really a place to be. They had just reached Lagos and were relaxing.

"I still don't know how to use my ability even after a hundred years, Iris", he said while drinking red wine.

"It's a matter of time, Jayson. Your ability is quite the strange one"

"I'll get dressed. We have a meeting by twelve o'clock", she said and went in.

When she came out, she sensed a strange aura and frowned though scared. That woman had to come at the wrong time.

"Cordelia", she muttered seeing her hold Jayson captive, surrounded by silver. "Finally found you", she said huskily.

"Let him go". Iris' eyes turned dark and her canines grew, her nails turning into claws.

"I'll enjoy this", she said, running towards her and dodging her hits.

"You've grown quite bold, Iris", she said dodging a blow and skillfully stabbing her with wolfsbane. "Fuck!" She screamed holding her side. She looked at Jayson and smiled.

"You're stronger than you think, obike, kill her or run…", she said and disappeared.

***

Iris found herself in a library, she tried to figure out where she was. She looked around and her eyes met with a certain stranger. She bit her lower lip.

"Awkward", she muttered.

This was China. "So, I guess I'm in China", she said to herself and shrugged.

What could go wrong?