Chapter Seven

THIRST FOR VENGEANCE

"Mercy?" She gasps. "Is she your sister? Has she called, have you seen her around?"

"Relax Hazel, breath in and out. Don't be so dramatic" I told her with a serious face.

I narrated how I ran into that girl in the streets and she mistook me for Mercy too. How she was disappointed when I told her am Alexa.

"Sheryl was Mercy's neighbour at home and she knows her family well. When Mercy disappeared, her family was so devastated and Sheryl couldn't recall anything that made her just get lost after her last exam. They said they found her things in her hostel room and none of her roommates knew where she disappeared to. Her mother was admitted in the hospital there after since she suffered stroke. The news of he daughter missing crushed her so badly she couldn't speak for a long time. Her dad became a shadow of himself. He resorted to drinking and wasting away. He had invested so much on her education and it was a heavy blow to him. Like a dagger straight to his heart."

Damn! A hell of a story. But what really happened to Mercy?

We cleared the table and went straight to bed. I couldn't sleep. I kept tossing and turning in bed until some minutes to six in the morning when I fell into a disturbed slumber.

Someone was trying to suffocate me. Hands squeezed my neck and I couldn't breath. I tried to scream but I had no way out. No air. "The bitch is back! We won't let her ruin us. She has to stay dead." Someone shouted from the background. The voice sounded so familiar but I couldn't place it anywhere.

"Alexa! Alexa! Wake up." Hazel was shaking me when I opened my eyes.

"You were screaming that someone was suffocating you, I suppose it was a nightmare," she said, clearly fear was written on her face.

"Here take this water it will calm you down" she said handing me a glass.

I took the glass with shaky hands. Hazel saw this and rubbed my back. That helped a little. I took two big gulps of water and returned the glass.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hazel asked.

"Yes but you should get ready for work you don't want to be late." I told her with a small smile. She noded and troded to her bedroom. I washed my face in the bathroom and decided to make myself busy so I rushed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for us. Scrambled eggs toast and coffee. By the time Hazel came out of her room breakfast was ready.

"Hey, about the job you wanted, do you have any papers? What did you study? Which level of education were you in?" Hazel asked.

I was taken aback. I had nothing. No papers no idea which level I was. I looked at her helplessly.

She came closer, eyes fixed on me with this serious look she asked, "Do you even know who you are?"

Then she turned and took her bag after finishing her breakfast. At the door she turned back and said, "when I come back in the evening we will talk about you".

With that she closed the door and I was left asking myself who I really am.

The day drags itself slowly. I don't feel like doing anything. So I go back to bed and sleep my sorrows off. By the time I wake up its six. Hunger pangs hit me and I remember that I didn't take anything else apart from breakfast. So I drag myself to the bathroom and had a cold shower, brushed my teeth and changed to a short and a baggy T-shirt that Hazel gave me. I walked to the kitchen to look for something to eat. I sport an apple and bit into it hungrily. I remembered I had to prepare something for Hazel before she gets back. So I settle for fish and rice.

I went out to buy the ingredients and came back to start the cooking. It was ready after one hour and the clock read half past seven. I sat down to watch some program in TV but my mind wasn't at all active. I sat there like a statue. I didn't see how fast time was flying and Hazel was already home. She tapped me on the back and that's when I noticed that she had arrived and had already changed her clothes.

"Hey, a penny for your thoughts? I have been talking to you but seems your mind was on flight mode. What's happening to you? Are you okay?" Hazel enquired.

"Yes am fine. Sorry I zoned out for a while", I smiled, "I didn't hear you coming in".

"I saw that. You sure you are okay?" She asked.

"As fine as a fiddle", I stretched myself and made a little dance and she broke into fits of laughter.

"Am sure you are hungry the food is ready just warm it in the microwave".

"Alright, got it", she replied heading to the kitchen.

Am not hungry and its weird considering that hunger woke me up. Looks like the apple worked magic. So I ask Hazel to serve herself coz am full. She looked at me suspiciously but didn't dare push. I already love this girl. I told you she is amazing didn't I?

After the meal she joins me on the couch and her posture reads the 'we need to talk' kind of silent command. I turn to face her after muting the TV.

"Now its time Alexa, tell me everything you know about yourself", she begins.

My heart literary sinks. I have no idea who I am and I want to run a way from the question, but my internal feet seem too heavy to carry me too.

"I am Alexa, former drug addict and peddler in savage streets", I finally blurted out after sighing a thousand times.

"Is that all?" Hazel asks squinting her eyes at me.

"Aparrently that's all", surprise registering on my voice.

"Damn girl! Did someone mess with your head or the drugs did a number on you?" Hazel gazes at me worry written all over her face. She knows am genuinely telling the truth.

Silence followed and I fidget uncomfortably on the couch biting on my nails nervously stealing side glances at Hazel who had zoned out on me. Am in big trouble ain't I?

"I think you need therapy", Hazel startled me. "Seems someone wiped your memories clean and am afraid of what we may find out".

"And what might that be?" I asked

"You might be our long lost Mercy", she said excitedly.