Nikki’s POV

I hated American high school movies. With all their shiny flashy lives and their only problem being trying to be popular. They lack perspective, the perspective of the black man. Their poor is not our poor. There are homeless shelters, trailer parks and community centers you could lean back on. The poor kid has a phone and laptop. They have Wi-Fi and the luxury of video games. Yet they had the gall to cry about how hard their lives were. The black poor was lucky to have a house to even lay their head, with no laptop, no phone, no car you can live in. Most slept on the cold hard ground of shop floors, there was no park benches in Africa o. Our poor slept on gutters, latrines, roadsides and then were chased and beaten by law enforcement when they begged by market places and national artifacts. They would go hungry for days until they had to rummage through the garbage bin for scraps to eat to calm their thundering stomachs.

So why in the name of Christ did Shango think a high school movie about insufferable, privileged bastards was what was going to calm tensions? The tension was so thick I could feel it nudging me in the back, waist, head and legs. But I wasn’t going to let it make anything better, oh no, I was going to fan the fucking flame. So how did I do that? I sat in silence and watched the movie as Shango fussed over me.

Finally, I let him massage my legs and I was glad I did because they hurt like a motherfucker. The pain hurt, so I focused on that, instead of thinking about my brother and Neil. I focused on the pain and the mind-numbing entertainment of Hollywood.

We sat in an uncomfortable silence that even Shango could not handle it. So, he decided he’d rather have a row with Neil.

“I did not steal Erica away from you. She came to me” I saw Mike facepalm from the corner of my eye.

“She was happy with me, and all of a sudden, she’s not. The next day she was with you, what does that tell you?”

“She was shallow”

“And yet you dated her”

“Why not? She’s dateable”

“Okay enough, please” Mike finally said, when Neil up. I tried to keep the thought away, but not even God could have stopped it. He still likes her. He hates him because he still liked this Erica person.

Perhaps it was a good thing we had not dated, otherwise it would have crushed me to find this out later, more crushed than I was now.

“Call Kafui and ask him where he is” I said to Mike, relishing in the pain relief Shango was inflicting on my muscles.

“Nikki…” I sensed desperation to talk to me in his voice. But not now, not today.

“Just call him for crying out loud. He probably has an agreement for my pain” I turned to look at Neil “Unless you want to see me in pain”.

Neil closed his eyes, and probably tired of being in the same room as Shango and furious me, he walked out. I knew I wasn’t being fair, but he hurt me too, they all did. They will have to pay. I am the bitch they speak of when talking of karma. No more wining, no more begging to be included. You do otherwise at your own peril.

“You aren’t being fair to Neil” Mike said quietly.

“Both of you too” I closed my eyes, wanting to walk out too. “Call Kafui”

True to my prediction, he had an agreement for my pain. We were at Nkosi’s office; I was carried there by Shango, who turned out to be stronger than I predicted. Neil too was here, called by Nkosi. He stood sulking in a corner, avoiding everyone’s eye. Mike sat at the arm of the armchair where I lay recovering and Shango stood at the other arm of the armchair. Mike was explaining everything that happened, leading to his coming with Kafui and what happened to me at the fountain.

“The gods are afraid,” he ended in an ominous note “and we should be terrified”

Nkosi breathed hard after hearing this and stared at Kafui who just shrugged at the window.

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“How are you feeling now, Nikita?” I wanted to yell at Nkosi. I am not what is important here. You are the grown-up, find a way to make this go away, I’ll be fine if this whole thing goes away.

“Fine” I settled on saying, not wanting him to be at the end of my deep anger. Nkosi nodded as if satisfied. “Why is Neil standing so far from the rest of you? Did something happen?”

“Neil dumped me on my birthday because my brother told him to” I said, and I heard Neil sigh.

“When was that?”

“Yesterday”

“Oh, I apologise. It must really hurt”

I raised an eyebrow, never have I seen a headmaster care about the love lives of his students but I did feel better telling someone about it.

“I was doing it to protect her” Mike sighed in defeat, trying to make Nkosi understand, as well as Nikita “Everyone seems to forget I know things, and I can see things. So, it would be nice if some people trusted me”

“And how is me exclusively kissing Neil going to destroy the world?”

“It is long and annoying trying to explain things, especially something as trivial as this as we are actively trying to fight whatever the gods are afraid of” I saw the grownups share a look. I bet Nkosi regretted asking the question. But I just had to let one thing out then we focus on saving the world.

“You’re not even sorry, are you? That this entire thing hurt me”

“I am sorry you are hurt. I am not sorry that I tried to protect you”

“Is Neil going to hurt me or something? Is he a bad guy in disguise?”

“Are you sure I can’t leave?” Neil asked Nkosi. His face was twisted in anger and annoyance. Nkosi nodded.

“He might do it unintentionally” Mike said facepalming.

“So what, I’m not supposed to date?”

“Why are you even thinking of dating?”

“Why not? Being loved is nice!”

“OKAY SHUT UP!” Neil said, looking very uncomfortable as he did “Both of you shut up. For initiates you are all very annoying and very unrealistic. I thought taking this job was like going to leave me in awe every time because I am working with people possessed by gods but I’ve just learned two things; one, gods are assholes and two gods make mistakes. And I don’t know about you guys, but that’s like a fundamental deal breaker about everything we have been taught in this school and in our entire lives. Nkosi lied to us about the gods. You lied to us about everything and that is just so…” and he let out a noise I could only put as a shout of frustration “the only person who hasn’t lied to me is Mike. And sorry I didn’t fight for you Nikita but wake up and smell the shit Nikita because I would rather see you alive and well and in Shango’s arms than dead or messed up because of me. And if that makes me a bad person you have fundamental issues”.

Everyone was staring at him now but he was staring at me, deep into my eyes.

“You don’t need strong emotions in your life Nikki, like anger, like frustration and sadness because that is what Mawu is feeling. And if you two are at the same emotional frequency, she takes over. And nothing good comes out of an angry god let loose”

And so, I can’t be with him because he will make me angry one way or another, come on it doesn’t take much to get on my bad side, and maybe one day he will chew popcorn weirdly and I will let Mawu out and kill someone, or worse, him. So why didn’t they tell me this? Why didn’t Mike tell me this.

“Because there is no one in heaven or hell or on earth who can tell you what to do.” Mike said, reading my mind. It’s really annoying when he does that.

I couldn’t disagree with his logic.

“Nikki is powerful,” Shango said “and awesome, but mostly powerful. For the sake of my life and Neil’s trust, I won’t try anything funny” he looked at Neil all the while saying this.

Shango just waved a white flag at Neil and Mike, showing them that he wasn’t thinking of me in a romantic way and that he would not hurt me. Or stand between Neil and I so that when we are good and ready, we can give everything a go. Or perhaps he was scared that he would make me upset and cause the world to end, so he was leaving it all for Neil to handle the ‘world breaker’. I hoped it was anything but the last thought.

“I did not expect this to happen,” Nkosi finally said “but I think it is a good thing. That we let things out here and now and solve them, because like it or not we five are in this together, taking a stand against whatever the hell is going on.”

“I should have never abandoned Dzidzor.” Kafui suddenly pipped up, speaking in a voice so low I had to strain my ears to hear him “I should have never listened to Ifa. I hate him, I hate him with all my heart for making me abandon my lↄlↄ”

Why does that name sound so familiar?

“Dzidzor as in the first-born daughter of Efo Agbemayor?” Mike asked. Kafui stared in shock as tears rolled freely down his eyes. So yes, it was that Dzidzor. “She’s our auntie. You were the hunter that took her away” he laughed when realization set in. He loved it when everything fell into place, like a puzzle but this time it was a mental one, and the more you knew, the more pieces you had and the more they fit together perfectly.

“Where is she?” I asked, too excited to be angry anymore. I remembered her so well as I took her story very personally. I grieved for her anytime I remembered her story. She was brave and strong and I hope everything went all right with her.

Nkosi and Kafui shared a strange look until Nkosi finally answered the question “She died. An agreement gone wrong. I am so sorry”

My hand flew to my gaping mouth. My heart immediately fell, leading me to a dark place. It made me wonder if there was hope in the world for people like her, people like me.

Mike strode to me and brought my head to his chest. Silent tears fell from them as I wondered whether I too would die like her; alone and unloved.