Nikita’s POV

Everything happened so fast that I did not even have time to think.

When I woke up, my parents were in a row that could be heard from the moon, Mike was kneeling beside me, his eyes red and swollen, like he’d been crying. Mike almost screamed when I opened my eyes and run to tell my dad, who was in the kitchen. Neil came into my view and I almost fainted. He smiled; it wasn’t those winning smiles that made me want to scratch him, instead it was a sad smile, an ‘I’m sorry’ smile. I hated that one as well. I was upset that he was still here, couldn’t he go home? I did not want him to see my parents fight and Mike cry and me be extremely vulnerable. These scenes were for family and close friends and I did not consider him as either.

I heard my mother from the kitchen say something like, “…it’s either her or me…” something something “…witch…” something something “…it’s ungodly! Let me send her to a prayer camp… she won’t die!” I do not know what my dad said however after he was done, he came to see me.

“Nikita are you okay?” my father knelt in front of me. I tried to get up but the world was swimming and my head felt like it was filled with lead and not brains. “Relax, relax. Lie down” I did as I was told and Neil brought me a glass of water “I will get you out of here Nikita. I promise you” I nodded then proceeded to drink my water then I lay down.

I wanted to dissociate. I did not want my life to be real, hell I would prefer to be starving in Somalia than to be Nikita Asante. I would obviously have a loving and caring mother and father who did not want to kill me. I would hug my mother in our rags and she would tell me long stories and I would sleep on her bosom and the only thing I would care about was our next meal, not when she would try to kill me. I just really wanted a mother, not a tablet, not all the books I could read, not a treehouse, just a mother.

My father, Mike and Neil were asking me questions. They wanted me to talk, to let them know I was okay. They wanted me to reach out to them and let them help me bear my pain. I did not want to do any of that. I did not want to reach out and cry on their shoulders and let them hug me. I was in pain and I did not want to share it. I did not want the reason I be close with them be pain of rejection and hate. If pain was the reason they wanted to talk to me then I did not want to talk to them. I did not want to share my pain, it was mine and it felt like they were prying, just trying to steal away my pain. I was protective of my pain, because if I wasn’t, I would just explode and break down. It felt like if I shared my pain with them, it would be real then I would have to deal with it with all of them but if I kept it within, I would find a better way to deal with it, without making it everyone’s problem so that when Daddy comes to ask me how I am it will be like he was asking if I’m hungry or sick or bored and not if I want to explode into a thousand pieces because his wife was trying to kill me.

So, I did not talk to them about it. In fact, what I had been fearing for months had finally manifested; I did not talk at all. Mike was trying to talk to me, but I did not want to talk to him. My father was shaking me, trying to get me to say something, anything but I still remained mute, my eyes still closed and my breathing erratic.

“I’m taking her to the hospital” my father’s voice sounded heavy and hollow and I felt a pang in my heart. I opened my eyes and held his hand and forced myself to speak.

“Daddy I’m fine” I saw more tears well up in his eyes and he gripped my hand so that I did not let go.

“If you need anything, please tell me okay?” I nodded “Don’t ever go quiet on me. Baby I’m here okay?” the intensity of emotions pouring from him were so strong that I began to cry. He held me, fiercely until I could not breathe. I saw my mum from the kitchen, her eyes full of vile. Neil stood in front of me to block my vision.

What exactly was he still doing here?

Dad let me go abruptly.

“Go to your room and pack your stuff” he said with a smile “we’re leaving”

“Leaving to where?”

“Just go. Mike, take her” Mike did as he was told and Neil followed us to our room.

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Why is Neil still here?

“Nikki!” Mike looked at me as if I grew a second head “Neil helped us. He helped you!”

“Mike it’s okay…” Neil begun.

“No, it’s not!” my emotions were bubbling to the edge now. “I almost died, twice! And I didn’t even do anything! I’m just here, minding my business, I don’t even have enemies. Don’t you dare try to interrupt me!” I said to Mike when he opened his mouth to speal, he crossed his arms around his chest but did not interrupt me “The two people who tried to kill me are in his house! And the way you people behave,” I pointed to the two of them “about this magic and witchcraft and and…” I ran out of words and was suddenly tired. I sat on my bed. “I am so tired. I want my old life back. I don’t want to almost die again. I’m sick of this shit.” Mike sat beside me, his arms about my neck.

“I know Nikita, but the pain is not yours” I looked at him.

The sneaky bastard, he was in my head.

“It’s not for you. they gave it to you; Neil and Mom. But you don’t have to take it. Not all gifts must be taken”

“What about these powers?”

“They’re not gifts, they’re a part of you” he put his finger on my forehead. Something cold passed by me then I saw dazzling lights. Mike was glowing blue. His veins and his eyes had changed color and were visible glowing blue.

“What the…?” I looked to Neil, to see if he could see Mike but Neil was glowing too. His yellow and Mike’s blue melted into each other and danced about the room. There was another color too, red and it was coming from me. I looked at my arms, the veins were popped out and they were glowing neon red. I looked into the mirror. We looked like something out of this world, like we didn’t belong in the life we portrayed that we did. Mike moved to my side and touched my shoulder and the place he touched turned violet instantly. I gushed, startled. Neil did same and my other shoulder turned orange. The walls and the furniture bled the colors we emitted from our body, creating more rays of colored light and murals.

“What is this?”

“It’s our auras” Neil said and Mike nodded “Everyone with abilities has them, but not everyone can see them. Mike can see because one of his abilities are discernment.”

“And how can I see it, or you…”

“It’s all Mike”

I looked at Mike in the mirror and wondered how much he knew from Ifa.

I then remembered my vision with the goddess.

We are gods.

“I had a vision” I blurted.

“We have to leave now” Mike said zipping about with renewed energy “Tell us in the car yeah?”

I nodded and begun packing.

I left most of the clothes I owned because I did not like them and most were bought by my mother. They were mostly uncomfortable, too bright and flowery and made me look older than I was. I also left most of my shoes and all of my jewelry and make-up.

“Neil what about your stuff?” Neil and Mike gave each other a look.

“In your tree house?”

“How…” then it dawned on me “You knew” Mike nodded “Did you know about this too” Neil nodded. I sat on the bed confused “You guys knew my mo… you guys knew I was going to die and no one thought to tell me?”

“NO!” Neil and Mike said, then Mike continued “I didn’t know mum will do that to you! I just knew that something would happen that would make us leave”

“What about no secrets?” I was hurt. I felt abandoned by my own twin brother. And was all Neil’s fault.

“Nikki, I couldn’t…”

“You ready?” my dad popped into the room unannounced. I turned my back, not wanting him to see my face or else he would see that something was wrong. “You guys okay?”

“Fine” I said, picking up my suitcase and backpack “Let’s go”

We were out of the house in about 5 minutes, packing our stuff into Dad’s truck. I don’t know much about cars, but Mitsubishi was on it and there was the driver’s seat, the passenger seat, the back seats and the seats at the trunk of the car. The body of the car was black and so was the leather. My mother stood at the front of the house glaring at us.

“The house is not yours, my lawyers will deal with you” my dad said to her in a final tone, then turned his back on her.

“She’s an abomination” she called, spite still in her voice. My dad held my shoulder and pushed me towards the car.

“Do you know what an abomination is, mum?” I said, stressing on the last word. She looked at me, a bit surprised and trying very hard to look bashful “You are. A mother who tries to kill their child and a sister who watched her blood be abused” Her mouth flew open, surprised at how I knew that piece of information “You’re a disgrace and I don’t know about the people with me, but I don’t ever want to see you again” the said people nodded, agreeing with me.

The sun had begun to set, the sky was darkening and the birds had begun their migration. The evening wind blew about us peacefully, the cold air evaporating our perspiration. But we were anything but calm, a storm raged in our hearts, a storm unique but the same. I looked at the dad from the passenger seat, and even though he smiled at me assuredly and them ruffled my hair, I knew things were going to change.

“Dad what about BECE and things?” my dad laughed and Neil and Mike joined in. I had almost died because of my crazy psychopathic mother and I was talking about school. My concern was whether the educational system would care. They didn’t know about me, or abilities or auras that left murals on walls, all they knew was my certificates and that is what would get me far. A job and money were the most important things and for that we needed school and certificated, at least that what school taught us.

“For us, BECE is an option not a requirement” my dad said, a smirk on his face with his eyes, glowing green.