CHAPTER 26

Niki’s POV

We followed Ifa’s directions and were led to a hut deep in a wooded area. It was far from town by almost 50 kilometers. The sun had risen almost 6 hours ago and we were hungry and tired. I got down from the car to stretch my aching limbs with the boys. My dad looked dead tired and I felt a bit sorry for him, he has been driving non-stop close to about 14 hours. I felt oily and sticky and was a hundred percent sure I looked and smelled awful.

After my sore limbs were a bit stretched, I took a good look at the place and concluded that there had to be a mistake. The hut looked like it could barely house one person, and there were 4 of us and a rodent just ran out of there.

“Are you sure this is what Ifa said?” Mike asked.

“Yes” Dad looked as confused as Mike did but Neil did not look confused at all, he just walked straight into the hut.

“Are you crazy? Anything could be in there!” Neil popped out his head from the doorway and winked at me, memory of my outburst seemingly forgotten.

“Come in and see for yourself”

Not wanting to look like a coward, I did, and nothing in my 14 years of living prepared me for this.

The inside looked nothing like the outside. Not only were the walls not made of caked mud, it was also much bigger. From the stairs it seemed that this building was more than one story high.

“How is this possible?” Mike sighed in awe. I was too dumbstruck to speak. It seemed that we walked straight into the living room of the hut, but it didn’t seem like we were in the hut. It was like we had been transported to a different house altogether. The place was decorated with different types of furniture in different shades of white, yellow and red. It had everything you could imagine a fully furbished living room would be except a television and sculptures and paintings of animals and people in African style.

“Classic illusion spell” Neil said proud with himself. Dad was beaming from ear to ear, looking like there was no place he’d rather be.

“Not bad for a stuck-up god, eh?” I said to Mike. Mike laughed and said,

“Not bad at all”

“I thought I was the only one who thought Ifa to be a pest” a beautiful baritone voice called out from on top of us. He seemed to be climbing down the stairs. He was tall, so tall he made my dad look short, and my dad was 6 feet. He was well built, muscular and big with skin dark and smooth. He wore a smock and khaki shorts and sandals which showed his elongated toes. He looked weather beaten, like he had seen a lot of days, mostly bad days. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one”

We all blinked at him, not knowing what to do.

“My manners! I am so sorry, I own this place and Ifa is my teacher as well,” he winked at Mike “Ifa told me you would be coming soon, please sit”

We did, huddled together on a particularly huge cream-colored sofa, Neil at the edge of the sofa and beside me, Mike on my right and my father on his. My tiredness made me almost forget my beef with Neil but I couldn’t get up and move, that would be weird, even for angry me so I stomached it. Neil’s knees were touching mine and were unbelievably hot. As I wondered whether he had a fever, he looked at me and I felt like I was being drawn in. I quickly looked away, my heart suddenly beating faster.

“Thank you so much sir” my Dad said warmly.

“Please call me Kafui” he had a beautiful wide smile with unusually white teeth “Can I get you anything? Some food will do you good I presume”

“And rest” My dad added quickly, punctuated with a yawn.

“Exactly. I will be your waiter for today” he said light heartedly making us laugh “What would you like to eat?”

“Oh, just bring us anything available. I’m so hungry I’ll eat anything” we all nodded in agreement.

“I have everything, just tell me what you want”

If so then I wanted everything.

“Alright then, Akpele with okra stew, lots of crab please and salmon with goat meat” Kafui and my dad roared with laughter.

“You are my friend now!” Kafui said to my father. He then turned to Mike, “Now young initiate, what would you like?”

“A box of pizza and a giant coke”

“Ohh, going Italian, aren’t we?”

From what was going on, it was obvious that he would turn to me to ask me what I liked, then I would say I wanted which Mike want then react then go to Neil but something about me did not allow him to continue. He had not really looked at me properly since I came in, and when I did, my very countenance stopped him in his tracks. His smile died away and then he just stood staring at me in surprise, like he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Kafui is everything alright?” my dad said but still he still did not move. Mike had to touch him to shake him out of his reverie.

“I uh...” he looked confused, like he did not know where he was “I’ll get your food right away”

Then he rushed into the kitchen, like he was running from me.

“He didn’t even ask me what I want” Neil lamented. Mike and my dad gave him a look.

“What did I do?” I asked. Mike shrugged and dad didn’t say anything.

Within minutes he brought Neil’s food. A plate of jollof rice with fried goat meat. Neil looked so surprised I thought his jaw would drop. Neil said thank you several times before digging into his meal. He then brought my dad’s food and then two boxes of pizza and a single giant coke for Mike and I.

“I figured you would want your brother’s choice” he said looking directly at me.

“I do, thank you” Mike said thank you as well but Kafui did not acknowledge it.

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He moved to sit opposite us, but his eyes were still on me. It was getting irritating but I couldn’t speak, not yet. I was too hungry and the food tasted amazing.

“What?” Mike said after a while.

“What?” Kafui repeated, in surprise.

“Yes what? Why are you looking at my sister like that?” Only then did he look away from me.

“I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable, but you are the spitting image of someone I used to know”

“Who?” I asked.

“It doesn’t matter. That was a long time ago” From his behavior, I could tell that it still bothered him.

“Who was she to you?” My dad asked. Kafui smiled sadly and then said,

“I would say she was my friend, but she was a lot more than that”

I began to feel sorry for Kafui. He lived in this hut all alone with present hurt from old wounds. I wondered if he would ever heal. I looked at my dad and saw that he had stopped eating and was just looking at his okra covered hands with a sad expression. I was so caught up in how I was feeling that I did not once think about how dad was feelings, or even Mike. I wondered if dad had a broken heart, I wondered whether even though is wife might’ve had questionable characteristics, he still loved her. He had to choose between his wife and his child and he choose his child, I wondered whether he regretted it, or hoped he didn’t have to choose at all.

Did my father even love my mother from the beginning? I mean my grandfather was apparently a wicked man, who suffered a terrible end incurred unto him by the gods. Knowing superstitious people, it would’ve been extremely hard on both of them getting married, probably why they moved into the city and cut contact from their families. My heart ached for my father, and even my mother, despite the fact that I hated her.

You shouldn’t even be thinking about this.

Mike I should, I’ve been extremely selfish.

It doesn’t matter, whatever has happened has happened, and I and dad understand completely. There is no use reminiscing about the past.

I was about to tell him how the past shapes the future when Kafui spoke again, this time to Neil.

“You have a weird name” Neil looked up, confused as to how the spot light was suddenly turned on to him. He quickly chewed and swallowed the rice that was in his mouth. Kafui handed him a glass of water and Neil took it with thanks.

“More than Nikita?” Mike joked and Kafui just smiled.

“Well, I named myself”

Which kind of parent allowed their child to name themselves? Maybe he really was from Benin.

“Ifa is not permitting me to know your history. Maybe he wants you to say it yourself or doesn’t think it is relevant”

Ifa knowing Neil wanted jollof was relevant? Interesting.

“Neil’s story is very relevant” Mike shot back “It’s his story, and if Ifa doesn’t wa…”

“It’s okay Mike” Neil said looking at Mike and then me “I’ll tell it” He cleared his throat and then begun,

“I did come from Benin; I was born there and sort of bred there. I lived in a small Vodun village, most of the Vodun villages are small because we want to avoid suspicion. We were attacked by raiders from the North”. When he saw my confusion, he explained that the raiders were an extremist sect of Muslims who tried to convert people into Islam, or die. They specifically targeted the Vodun people because of their special abilities to aid them in their cause. He talked as though he was talking about someone’s life, his voice devoid of emotion and his face blank, hard to read. When he saw that I was satisfied with his explanation, he continued, “They wiped us out, all of us, because we would not convert to Islam, or their version of it anyway. I was 9”

I froze in my seat, my jaw dropping. I looked to Mike, but he wasn’t surprised; he just looked sad. It was obvious that once again, he knew. While I was thinking about myself and about how my life was turned upside down, Neil literally had lost everyone and everything and was still ensuring that I was okay. I bowed my head in guilt, ensuring that I did not look into any of their eyes. I could not stand it.

“I was saved because my parents put me in the cupboard and told me not to make any noise. I listened and obeyed. I was so scared of the noises and the shouts that I remained in the cupboard for 2 days till I was found. I was sent to Wagadu and remained there ever since. I changed my name because I was suffering from memories of my past and what linked me to it was my name. I figured that if I changed my name, I would not suffer from it anymore, because nothing linked me to it.”

“So, Neil Amsterdam was the lucky name” Kafui said, smiling as though Neil had told him something pleasant, and not the genocide of his people.

“Yes,” Neil said, looking equally pleasantly “I got Neil from Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. I love the moon, it’s my favorite celestial body and to know that a man was up there, just meant that there is hope, if you believe in it”

“How about Amsterdam?” my dad asked

“It sounded exotic. It was only after that I realized that it was the name of a town” They all laughed.

I couldn’t laugh. The pizza I was eating suddenly became too spicy and left a bad taste in my mouth. My stomach felt heavy and irritated and I did not want to be there.

Everyone kept on talking over me until Mike noticed and asked me what was wrong. I then begun to feel truly uncomfortable as everyone was looking at me. I felt my stomach lurch and ran up and outside the hut.

I emptied the pizza that I had just eaten unto the bushes and felt instantly remorseful. That was amazing pizza. When I was done, I sat at the other end of the hut, not wanting to move too far from the hut let I get lost, but I felt I was too close to the hut to be left alone. For about 10 minutes, no one came after me, which both relieved and saddened me. Although I wanted to be alone, I wanted to also feel wanted. I suppose I could not have my cake and eat it.

I lay my head on my knees and hugged my legs. I do not know how long I sat there for but I was awoken by Neil. I wiped the droll off the side of my mouth and kept my head where it was. I noticed that afternoon had come and was quickly going.

“Are you okay?” I did not answer, I kept my head where it was. “Sorry I upset you”

“It wasn’t you”, I hated how I sounded defensive.

“So, then what is it?”

“I hate you”

“I know this is the second time you’ve told me that”

“No,” I said lifting my head off my knees and looked at his face “I don’t hate you like I want to hit you every day or wish you evil. I hate the concept of you and everything you represent” he looked confused “You don’t get it do you? The first time I saw you I thought you were the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and then you try to kill me. I could not talk for freaking months because of the freaking trauma and then all of a sudden Mike has powers and then I have powers. My family, though wasn’t perfect, is torn apart and as selfish as I sound, I need someone to blame.” I put my forehead back in my knees “But I can’t blame you because it’s not your fault and I hate that”

Neil kept mute for a second and then said, “Damn Mike was right”

“Yeah, everyone knows everything apart from me. I am always the last to know stuff”

“Ifa is the god of divination and Mawu is the goddess of…”

“I know! I mean Mike tells you everything and leaves me out of it”

Neil laughed out loud “Oh my God you’re jealous!”

“I am not!” I raised my head so fast my head begun to spin.

“Yes, you are!”

“Stop laughing!” A smile played on my lips even as I was trying to be serious and vindictive.

“I can’t! It’s the stupidest thing ever” I began to glare at him “I’m not trying to insult you; he talks about you all the time. I could never replace you, even if I wanted to, which I don’t” Mike always spoke about me to Neil? So, all the times I saw them talking, it was about me? “He thinks you’re an idiot. He says you’re so used to your old world that you are not seeing how your new world is so much better. Nikki, you have powers! That’s worth a billion of any BESE certificates ever”

“It’s BECE”

“Whatever! You don’t need it. With a click of a hand,” he clicked his hand or emphasis “You can do so much” I felt something wet drop on my shoulder and when I looked up, there was a cloud just a few feet on top of us and it looked like the cloud would rain. He clicked his finger again and the cloud left. “The possibilities are endless.”

“I’ll be able to do that?” I said, poking at the drop of water.

“You’re Mawu’s initiate, I don’t think there’s anything you can’t do”

I thought back on Mawu’s words;

You are a god, act like one!

Why is it so hard for me, while with Mike it comes to him so easily?

“I’m sorry”

“I don’t want us to be cool because you’re sorry for me” Neil took my hands “I want us to be friends because you’re comfortable with me. I know it will take time, and I am willing to wait for you” I nodded in agreement but mostly because the way he seemed so genuine caused me to feel so ridiculous for ever being angry at him. He nodded back and let go of my hands.

“Let’s go back inside. You might not see your dad, he’s fast asleep. You will hear him though”