“Are you sure don't want me to walk you in?” Lincoln asked when he pulled up outside my house where Alex was standing at the gate while my mother was sitting at our front door.
I'm afraid, I was not as confident as I was when I grappled him into another round earlier. I shook my head as I reached for the door handle. “No, you will only make matters worse,” I said tentatively. Lincoln did not even feel the slightest of regret, me on the other hand? My stomach was as hard as clay, and I was literally shaking in my boots. It did not help that Lincoln had done me to the point of semi paralysis, I couldn't move or walk without making it obvious what exactly I'd been up to. “Hey.” He gently took my hand, and he met me with a tender kiss as soon as I turned in his direction. “You will be fine.” Thank goodness his windows were tinted, otherwise my mother would have buried us both alive. I climbed out of the car and suckedLizzy and I managed to prepare everything on time; however, I was late.It was already 6p.m. and Lizzy and the others were already welcoming guests. Samu and Lydia had just arrived and went to their separate rooms to get ready.I still needed to bathe, and I didn't even know what I was going to do with my hair. There was no way Lizzy could help me because she was busy, she might as well be working for the both of us tonight.I rushed to Samu's room to get the gift Lincoln gave me. “Azania!” I am startled by Samu's shrilling voice. “I was about to send for you. Why aren't you ready yet?” She asked and pulled me farther into the room. I let out a shaky breath, I was such a panicking mess. “Maybe I shouldn't attend your party, we are short-staffed anyway.” I blurted out.Samu's eyes widened, making the thick and long artificial lashes and dark makeup around her eyes to pop. “Where is this coming from?”“It's
“Azania!” I woke up to a strange voice calling my name. The room was dark, with a tiny flare of light peeking through a door above the staircase. Where am I? I wondered as I rose to my feet. Something didn't feel quite right, but I couldn't place my finger on it. I moved towards the door, feeling hollow, as if I were fleeting through time and space. It was so quiet, way too quiet; I couldn't even hear my footsteps against what, I assumed, was hardboard. I reached for the door, blinding light flooding in as soon as I opened it. I don't know what I was expecting to see when I opened my eyes, but I definitely did not expect to find myself in the forest. The leaves of the trees were whistling and their branches swaying with ease. Birds of different kinds, some exotic, were chirping joyfully and flying around. It was so lively and warm, like the first day of spring, there was no way this could be home. It was so strange.
The sound of beeping machines woke me from my stupor, and my eyes slowly opened to be greeted by a straining light yet again. I blinked until I adjusted to the light, and I tried to speak up, but my mouth was as dry as the desert. “You are awake!” My heart filled with joy at hearing Lincoln's voice again. “Let me call the doctor and your mom.” I heard heavy footsteps and a door opening and closing. Not more than a minute later, soft footsteps rushed into the room, and I felt the bed dip as the person sat on the bed. “Azania, my baby! You are awake, I was so worried about you.” My mother showered my face with kisses. It was comforting to hear her voice, but it also reminded me of the conversation we needed to have. “Water… I need water,” I croaked, my voice barely loud. “Water?” I shifted my head in an attempt to nod. I don't understand why my body felt so numb. The sound of cackling glasses competed with the monitor for
Exhaustion was the new order of the day, I was dosing off but kept resisting sleep in fear that I would never wake up again. Laying in this bed was not going to help anyone, I still had to find answers, and on top of that, I needed to see what was happening out there. I hadn't attempted getting out of bed since I regained consciousness, the moment my feet touched down, all the blood rushed to my head, and I sat back down for a minute before my second attempt. I made my way to the bathroom and showered. Thankfully, my mother had brought me a toiletry bag and some clothes when I was admitted. I changed into pitch joggers and matching sweater, paired with sneakers. I wasn't sure whether to leave the bag behind or take it with me, but it was not as though I planned on coming back here. My mother would probably take it with her when she returned later, but still, I wasn't comfortable with leaving my things behind, unattended. I managed to sneak out of the hospital without running into
“Alex?” I called out while impatiently tapping my foot on the littered ground. I didn't even make it home yet, but at least I'd changed into a white puff-sleeved mini frill dress that thankfully did not hug my body. Still, I wondered where it came from since it was brand new and my mother would never allow me to wear something like this. I appreciated the loose material of the skirt because it did not control or restrict my movements and I did not have to constantly pull it down to cover more skin. It was perfect. The only thing I did not appreciate was having to walk around with the duffel bag full of clothes and the mini blankets Lincoln brought along last night. If only I could go home first, but I couldn't because my mother would never let me out of her sight, moreover, Alex made this meeting sound urgent on the phone. I wonder why he could not meet me at home like we usually did. When I arrived I’d expected to find him already here, he knew more than anyone how I hate being s
My legs could barely hold my weight, I sank to my knees, litter on the ground digging into my bare skin. I was trembling like a wimp as tears obscured my eyes, giving me a blurry and yet horrifying view of Alex's limp body on the ground. "He... help me." I almost thought I was starting to hear things again, but he made another weak attempt at speaking, "Help... me." That was like a morning alarm reminding me that I was late after countless snoozing. I quickly straightened up like a gear finally put in its place and I smeared my tears away with the back of my hands before I crawled to where he was at the speed of baby that has finally mastered the skill of racing on their knees. Alex could barely move a muscle, his scrubs were covered in blood, he was literally bleeding to his death. He could not even speak, and tears were rolling down the sides of his face. "He...he-help me," he forced out, taking a huge gulp as if to buy himself more time. How was I supposed to help him? He was
My mother was in mortal danger, and I was to blame for it. Why did I not see this coming? Apparently, my mother’s farm was the only one unaffected by whatever was happening, if anything, it looked like manna. She says the growth there is something she has never experienced because she cannot get anywhere near farm. The farm has already been broken into several times and rampaged, and each day it looked better than it did the previous day, like no grain of soil had been violated and nothing had been stolen. It has sparked rage throughout the kingdoms and they were now in search of the witch that owned the farm. I should have known something was wrong the day I went to inspect the farm along with the royal farm, I should have reported back to my mother and Queen Shekinah. I scoffed at the mere thought of her name. Queen Shekinah said I should not say anything and that she would take care of it, but she ran off the first chance she got. She was supposed to be here for my mother, she
The walk down the white carpet flowing along the stairs felt like walking through the valley of death. The open hall had been turned into a wedding venue with little attempt or effort put into it. The entire staff, except for Mandy, was present alongside my mother and Queen Gladys, and standing right there at the bottom of the stairwell was the devil himself dressed in a blue traditional shirt matching my traditional wedding dress. It bugged me how he could have managed to get these at such a short notice, but I was not surprised considering the fact that he had previously gotten me a dress for Samu’s party. My feet felt numb the moment we reached the last stair and the king handed me over, there were no words of encouragement exchanged, nor was there any hint of protest, and we had all the guards armed and standing around as if waiting for Lincoln to snap his fingers. All there was, was deafening silence and an unmatched fear amongst the guests. Lincoln was too quick to hold me,