CHAPTER 35

~Never acknowledge hate comments unless the creators show you a pay slip~

~Mina.

SERAPHINA'S POV

Khadija held onto Nathan for dear life, not intending to let go anytime soon. The sight was so heartbreaking but soothing at the same time. Nathan whispered something in her ear but she vigorously shook her head.

"Dude, takeoff is in two." Caleb tapped his shoulder. Nathan reluctantly pulled away from the chocolate beauty and lightly pecked her forehead.

"Love, what a disease." Severina cooed. We boarded the flight and took our seats, waiting for the pilot to take off.

"I miss Tiffany. " We only spoke once during the vacation.

"She's certainly enjoying her life without nagging siblings. Have you seen her Instagram posts lately?" Severina went to Tiffany's account and tapped on her highlights. Series of pictures popped up, all of Tiffany in two-piece bikinis. Most were of her and friends, while the rest were with aunt Caroline and our cousins. The swimsuits accentuated her sun-tanned skin well.

"As much as it hurts to admit, she's the hottest Del Varia." Severina pouted. I chuckled and shook my head, going back to my MacBook. After an hour into Grown-ish, I got bored and resorted to napping.

"Sss Sss."

"Ssss sss sss." What's that? I searched around for the source of the annoying sound but was met with pin-drop silence.

"Ssssss." I felt movement under my feet and momentarily froze. My eyes widened and slowly travelled down to the floor. The sight I was met with, emanated a shrill from my throat.

"What the fuck!"

"It's a snake!" Maya yelled.

I was frozen on spot, immobile, having a face-off with the reptile.

"Seraphina, move from there!" Asher barked. My legs felt numb, so does every other part of my body as the beast menacingly crawled towards me.

"Seraphina, jump!" Leila cried.

"No! that's a wrong move. This isn't any ordinary snake. It's a saw-scaled viper. One wrong move and you're dead, so stay put." Enrique warned, slowly advancing towards me.

"Du...

"Shh, I know what I'm doing." He took careful steps towards my seat.

"It's hypnotizing you, babe. Look at me instead."

"Good, now I want you to carefully step around it and give me your hand." I shook my head, my heart loudly pounding against my chest. I was scared to the point of airlock.

"No, no, don't look down. Continue looking at me and slowly step around that corner. Its speed slows down at sharp edges and that'll give you enough time to jump over, while Tyler shoots at it," Enrique instructed.

Knowing I was optionless, I cautiously stepped around the corner. The sound of the snake drew nearer with every step I took.

"It's following me." I whimpered.

"Just maintain your stare. You're almost there."

"Right there. Just two more steps."

"Excuse my manners, but Enrique's taking my mind back to some porn I watched weeks back."

If not for the situation I was in, Miskha's mouth would've connected with my shoe, but somebody already beat me to it. I felt my soles hit a corner and exhaled a breath of relief. The beast was still slithering behind, although the noise had subsided by a notch.

"You're already a reasonable distance from it, now jump!"

"Jump Seraphina!" Enrique's booming voice pumped adrenaline in my veins, and without a breath of hesitation, I jumped over the threshold and into his arms with a strong force, the impact of my collision sending our bodies crashing to the ground.

"It's over, you're safe." He gently rubbed my back. I pulled away and turned to my seat, finding the snake lying limp on the floor, decapitated. A throat cleared, and I got off Enrique. We were in a rather compromising position.

"Meredith!" Enrique barked, and a horrified-looking young air hostess appeared before even his chest could heave.

"Sir."

"How did that snake get on board?"

"Wha...I...I don't know what you're talking about." She stuttered.

"What the hell do you mean you don't know what I'm talking about? How the hell did the fucking snake that almost killed my girlfriend get here Meredith?" The poor girl jumped back in fear from Enrique's roar.

"I..I...th.

"I didn't call you to test your stuttering abilities, woman!"

My goodness, give her a break already dude. It's not like she packaged the snake and put it inside the compartments.

"Sir, I swear I'm just knowing this now." She defended, her voice trembling.

"You might as well know now that you're fired!"

Meredith shook her head, her lips quivering.

"Please, sir, I promise I'm not lying." My heart broke for the poor girl. Innocence was etched all over her face. She definitely had no hand in this.

"Say no more. Call it quits the instant we land. I'll pay you for the entire year, even the months you haven't worked yet. Plus a separate allowance for your personal use."

"Babe, it doesn't need to go this far. She's clearly innocent. " She's only an air hostess and she must attend to our needs, not to surveil the entire flight.

"Stay out of this Seraphina. My decision, my employees. " He dismissed in a monotone.

"That's uncalled for man." Tyler rebuked.

What Enrique did was wrong and nobody's going to side with him. If he won't accept the truth, then so be it. He stormed out of the cabin we were in, to another one, I'm guessing the one reserved for high personnel.

"What an asshole," Maya muttered.

"You okay?" I scoffed at Severina's question and went back to my seat. If she thinks Enrique's childish antics will move a hair on my body, then she must be the biggest clown to have ever walked the earth's surface.

"These stupid online sales agents," Miskha grumbled, repeatedly hitting her laptop. The poor device.

"You've been on this laptop since yesterday Mis." Lalia pointed out.

"These sales agents are all scammers." She whined, smacking the laptop. I hope she knows that the thing's lifeless.

"You do understand that you get to lose when the device spoils right?" Severina stated more than asked.

"What are you even trying to buy?" Kabia inquired.

"Your ba...

"No thanks. I don't want to know anymore." He raised his arms in surrender.

"Thought so." Miskha rolled her eyes. She sighed and closed the laptop, before facing us.

"Do you know where melanin is sold?" What!.

"Where what is sold?" Lalia slowly asked, narrowing her eyes to slits. Even the guys suspended their chattering for a moment.

"I. said. do. you. know. where. melanin. is. sold?"

"What melanin?" Caleb asked.

"Melanin, as in the ointment that makes Gambian people black, you dimwit ah!" She snapped.

What the hell!

"Are you high?" Leila waved her hands in Miskha's face.

"Melanin isn't an ointment Miskha." She glared at Sophia and hissed.

"Since when did you study dermatology? or is it part of your many unknown dirty qualifications. " Instead of responding like I expected her to, Sophia yawned and returned to her book.

"Who told you melanin is sold?" Ace laughed.

"This stupid billboard I saw 'for Melanin- riched skin' from."

"And 'for Melanin-riched skin' apparently meant melanin is sold." I couldn't control the disbelieve underlying my question.

"And Leila is the one embarrassing Shakespeare. " Tyler snorted.

"Well, melanin is sold and I saw the lotion with my eyes." She defended, widening her eyes for emphasis. The girl needs prayers. Where could she have possibly seen that?

"Since I'm allegedly a liar. Let me prove my innocence." She switched on her laptop and tapped a few buttons before turning it in our direction.

"Look, isn't this Melanin enhancer."

Sure enough, the exact same words were written on the tube of lotion. However, Miskha was misinterpreting the entire ordeal. Maya closed the laptop and held Miskha's hands hers.

"Dear Miskha Pontero, melanin is a natural pigment possessed by only dark people. These lotions are purposely for black people. Hence, the words 'For Melanin-riched skin'. Meaning for melanated people only. As in dark skins."

Miskha continuously blinked, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"But..but..the Melanin enhancer." She blabbered looking from the laptop to Maya.

"Yes, melanin enhancer means to improve the skin tone of melanated people." Maya continued. Miskha inhaled and exhaled, glaring at the laptop.

"To think that I wasted almost hundred dollars trying to buy this shit. Fuck!" She cursed and kicked the laptop, sending it flying to Zara's seat, startling the drowsy girl.

"Well, it's good to give out charity every blue moon." Aisha shrugged. Miskha pouted and slumped in her seat.

"Melanin-riched skin is the new trend." Kabia's infectious laugh drawing everyone in.

The flight landed at eight pm sharp. We didn't go through a security check unlike in the Gambia. I don't mean to brag but, c'mon, we're the Del Varias. Our car was already waiting outside the airport. Asher took the keys from the security guard and we bid our friends goodbye before departing. An hour later, and we were was parked in the garage.

"Home sweet home." Severina drawled, spreading her arms out.

"Mom texted. They're landing tomorrow at six am." Asher informed.

"That's way too early. I'm looking forward to a back to home party. " Severina complained. Asher opened the front door and stilled, making my head collide with his hardback.

"Ash! what the." The words died in my mouth after taking in the state of the lobby." Blood trailed from the entrance all the way inside. We followed the stains to the living room and my phone dropped, air knocked out of my lungs. Everywhere and everything was trashed, from the couches to the walls. Who could have been here? but the front door was locked?

"Where's Tiffany? Tiffany! Tiffany!. "

"She's at Aunt Caroline's. " Severina affirmed to a panicked Asher.

"Thank God. " He breathed. The TV was slashed in half whereas the couches spotted a deep red colouration.

"I wonder where the blood is from," I mumbled, but not quite enough to escape Severina's hearing.

"Two cats." She pointed at the corner of the wall opposite the kitchen. The animals laid limp with their backs facing each other and blood oozing out of the slits on their throats. Asher held out his hands for us to stay put while he inspected the dead animals. He bent and picked something resembling a piece of paper, but half of which was drenched in blood.

"What does it say?".

"Tick tock?"

Déja fucking Vu