Chapter two

Staring at the television her lips formed a deep frown.

"BREAKING NEWS, plus heart hospital burnt down yesterday evening an hour before mid night, a lighter was found by the entrance of the hospital, nurses say that a mentally challenged patient is responsible for this horrendous act".

Rejiana rolled her eyes refraining from turning the volume down, but of course she had to hear what really made her sit in front of the television at 6 in the morning.

After a few more over dramatized statements, she stared at the television enticed by the next words.

"two hundred patients died in the fire and fifty severely burnt, it's a very complicated situation but investigations are still being made-

"The remaining have one foot in the grave".

Rejiana whipped her head back, her hair flying over her shoulders. Her light brown eyes settled on her father, he was walking into the TV room a cappuccino in hand "Good morning daddy",she stood up to hug him.

Richard enveloped his daughter in his arms "Good morning sunshine", he hugged her tightly.

She pulled away, she grabbed his mug from him and tasted his coffee "no sugar".

"Your mother always said I should keep you healthy".

Rejiana groaned and infantly pulled her tongue out.

She switched the channel to CN, teen titans immediately took captive of the screen.

Richard pushed the mug to her, and she shook her head no frantically.

"Dad, if that thing doesn't have sugar then I'm not drinking it", she admonished.

Richard raised his hands in mock surrender and sipped the tea.

"It's not that bad Rejiana".

"Nope", she snapped pulling her pencil case out of her satchel so she could check if she had everything she needed.

Everything present.

Rejiana got on her tip toes and planted a kiss on her father's cheek.

"Bye daddy, I love you".

"I thought you left at seven".

"No school starts at seven", she laughed.

"So we have about 50 minutes".

"No, I have to make my self a proper cup of coffee and it's a twenty minute drive", she tossed him a toothy grin before walking to the door.

She stopped abruptly, placing a hand to her chest she turned to glare at Richard.

He arched a brow at her.

"You've got to say I love you back", she frowned.

He broke into a smile "Rejiana, I love you the most".

She nodded and walked through the north wing taking the elevator downstairs.

Rejiana dunked five sugars into her flask, and the cappuccino mixture.

She grabbed the keys from the key holder and rushed out of the front door.

Into her car and out of the house Rejiana imagined how her mother would feel if she saw her now.

"proud", she whispered.

She turned on the radio.

A conversation boomed between a couple just as she was about to change it, something caught her interest.

"He would never hurt me, he is my hero".

Rejiana scoffed and turned it off.

'Anyone can hurt you all they have to be given is the right circumstances, the words I'll never hurt you are stupid and puerile, isn't that what Jason was for wasn't he supposed to be a best friend, a wing man, but no it's all about the right circumstances and life is a deck of cards it'll play you like a toy and finally have your fate placed by a simple card '.

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Rejiana Navison sat in the front of her history class her black nails tapping along with the teachers voice.

He was pairing people for assignments.

She inhaled deeply, her name was finally called.

Mr Black lifted his squared glasses from his nose and polished them with the hem of his shirt, pushing them back on his nose he stared at the paper he held.

"Rejiana Navison", he stared at her intently "and Jamein Roxford".

Rejiana didnt bother looking for her partner.

Why would she?.

When the class dismissed she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out.

Students where piling into the cafeteria and all she did was walk the opposite direction.

Lunch was only thirty minutes, but thirty minutes was still enough to have her drive to the nearest drive through and order lunch, sit in then head back.

"Rejiana!?",a faint crisp voice asked from behind.

Rejiana sighed, she dug her fingernails deep into her palm and turned around.

"Do I know you?", she blurted.

The boy that had called her was intimidated by her, she could tell by the way his huge grey eyes fluttered around, the first thing Rejiana took note of were his eyelashes, they were far much longer than hers. He stood with his hands deep in his pockets, his hair fell slightly over his face. "Um I don't think you do, I'm Jamien".

Rejiana looked around and raised a hand "I still don't know who you are", she snapped pulling her hand down she glanced at her watch.

Jamien clearly knew he was wasting her time and she was no way interested in having their conversation.

"Jamien Roxford, we are doing our assignment together".

Rejiana narrowed her eyes at him "Why didn't you just say that?".

Jamien stood awkwardly "I was getting there, um could I have your number so that we could at least pick a topic together."

"You can't have my number, aren't you supposed to be in the cafeteria".

"I don't eat in there I eat in the library".

She nodded and looked at her watch 5 minutes already gone.

She groaned "just follow me".

Jamein wanted to ask where they were going but kept his mouth shut even as he got into her car, and as she drove away from the schools premise.

"What's it about? ", Rejiana asked.

"what's what about?".

"The assignment".

"The world we live in today compared with that of the past".

Rejiana turned to stare at him, he was soft spoken.

Rejiana pulled into the parking lot ordered food and whatever she thought a goof like Jamien would eat and walked to the car.

She opened the door and handed him fries and a quarter chicken.

Pulling her self in she closed the door.

"Then what's there to decide on" she asked blankly.

"Thank you", he blurted.

Rejiana didn't acknowledge his gratitude, she only took a sip of her orange juice and started the car.

"I think we could make a hypothesis of how the world has changed give brief examples and the like".

Rejiana nodded the whole way back to school, she dropped him off and drove back home she would have the guard report her absent for the rest of the day.

At arriving she parked her car and walked up to the door and found a letter tucked under the door.

Picking it up she instantly recognized her father's chicken scratch handwriting.

"Meet me at my office".

____

As soon as Rejiana saw the message she was driving at an ungodly speed to her father's office.

He never left notes, he found it gibberish.

As soon as she arrived she jumped out of the car leaving the engine running.

She tossed the keys at the valet.

The keys instantly fell to the ground.

Rejiana speed up the stairs thinking the elevator would be to slow. Running across the labyrinth she exhaled when she saw the final flight of stairs that led to her father's office.

Rejiana shoved the door open catching everyone's eye.

They all stared back at her, Rejiana searched the crowd for her father and finally saw him seated directly in front of his colleague that was giving a speech. A speech about their latest furniture release and how he had managed to think of it.

Richard hadn't noticed his daughter's arrival, he tapped his fingers on the table and continued to listen.

"Dad".

Everybody turned to the door including Richard.

Richard suddenly remembered his note, joy warming his heart at the mere thought of telling her.

Richard stood abruptly, "meeting dismissed".

His colleagues looked at him like he'd grown to horns, staring back at him none of them moved.

"I said out", he yelled.

Rejiana laughed when they all fumbled for the tablets in front of them and held them under their armpits before rushing out.

A young lady that couldn't be over thirty shoved her on her way out and Rejiana shoved her back.

She strolled over to Richard.

"Is everything OK".

He laughed and pulled her into a hug.

The first seconds where awkward but Rejiana hugged him back nevertheless.

Richard pulled back and held her at arms length and enveloped her yet again.

This time Rejiana broke the hug and laughed "Dad seriously tell me".

Richard just grinned at her and shook his head.

Rejiana raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side.

"We've located Jason".

A rush of electricity shot through her, she barely even realized she was screaming at the top of her lungs and clutching onto her father, both of them bouncing up and down like maniacs.

Finally she asked "Where is he?".

"He's in Africa".

Rejiana shoulders slumped and her smile drifted away "He is in a whole continent daddy where and how are we supposed to find him".

Richard smiled softly although his daughters words hit him like a trian wreck.

Richard reached for her shoulders and drew her near "We will definitely find him, he deserves to be found, he deserves everything we are going to do to him, he deserves revenge", he planted a kiss on her forehead.

"He deserves everything we are going to do to him", she repeated.

"Yes".

Rejiana pulled away and walked over to the jug filled to the brim

with orange juice, she reached for a glass and filled it half way, taking a sip she wondered what Jason would look like, his reaction when he saw them.

"What are you thinking about?", her father asked appearing next to her and pouring his own glass of juice, only his was three quarters full.

"I don't now know, how we are going to kill Jason", she joked.

"Well I promised I'll leave that to you and I'll do just that".

Rejiana chuckled and pulled her tongue out "Liar".

"Oh of course, I'm going to land a few claps and kicks here and there but most of the job will be done by you".

They broke into laughter.

Rejiana leaned against the elongated table and inhaled.

She always wished for the puffed up life she lived in today, but she'd give it all away in a heartbeat if it meant doing to Jason what he did to her, she'd give it all away, Rejiana knew life wasn't the same no matter how much she tried to act okay, she'd always know that she once had a mother, a mother who loved her and now shes left with her father the only thing that matters to her more than exacting revenge on Jason.

Rejiana smiled at Richard "I love you daddy".

"I love you too Rejiana".

_______

Rejiana woke with a fright the next day at 9:30am, she had that dream that rueful nightmare and each night it came back more vivid, like she was expecting to find blood all over her chest, to hear herself screaming, but life just brought her back to the present.

She glanced at the clock one more time before springing up from the bed.

By 10am Rejiana had showered, applied make up and eaten half her food.

When she decided to go to school she laughed at the note her dad left on sticky paper.

It read: we are going to Africa

She rolled her eyes, when he said these letters where gibberish she didn't want to believe it till this morning.

Rejiana got into her car and drive as fast as she could to school.

She was late for literature.

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💜AIO💜