fraternizing with the enemy

As for intruders, we invited ourselves to whatever was in the fridge, well I for one had no problem with the junk food the owner of the apartment stored in the fridge. Makela on the other hand, who by the way, does not eat unhealthy food, could only manage a red apple which was the only fruit in the fridge. "How do you eat so much at one time!?", she asked me with an expression of annoyance. 

"I'll tell you once I'm done eating", I replied with food in my mouth.  "My wings are injured", I said as I finished my last bite, "from your eating?", asked Makela satirically. "Not amusing", I snorted, "it's injured from chopper bullets, if something like this happens again, we will have to find other means of transportation", I said grimly. "Did you hear that?", Makela asked. "I think it came from over there", she said pointing at the MacBook on the desk near the window.

 I got to the desk to access the computer, no password, wait, why does the owner not have a password on her computer? I and Makela exchange looks and began to laugh hysterically, "now c'mon, it's the twenty-first century!", laughed Makela.

The sound was an email notification. I clicked to open the email, it was from Reine Simon, a journalist.

"Hi.

Caro, I have big news for you. Do you recall that case we said we were going to let go? Well, there was an attack on Jed Carter at Champ de Tour yesterday in the afternoon.  He and his son were rushing to their car and suddenly he collapsed. I wanted to approach and help but then a military helicopter or whatever it was flew in from nowhere and started shooting towards the Eiffel Tower. I thought I was going to die!

The helicopter started to lose control so I ran to where Jed Carter and his son were to help.  I have no idea where I got the strength from but with the boy's help, I managed to push Carter to the nearest parked car for cover. I dialled the emergency number for an ambulance and it took them like no time to reach us. 

When I asked one of the paramedics how they got here so quickly, it turns out that a massacre was taking place in Quai Branly. Carter murmured something to his son and gave him a thingy. Unfortunately, Carter died before we reached the hospital and the boy lost control as he wept on the corpse of his dead father. He kept on screaming that he would kill all the Scroll Guardians, I have no idea what he meant by that, probably some video game. Poor kid.

 As we got off the Ambulance, doctors from the hospital rushed to aid the paramedics remove the dead man and in that action, the boy thought he placed the thingy in his pocket when in fact it fell and I accidentally picked it up.

It was a flash drive but at the moment I could not access it. I was kept in the hospital to sign papers, the police showed up to ask questions and I only arrived home this morning. 

The flash drive contains information that we have been searching for all these years, like everything. Their order, their objectives, their members and their safe house locations, who they have exterminated, who is on their hit list, the Scroll Guardians, politicians and celebrities who are part of their secret society, the Holy Grail, basically every dirt we need to expose the Bearers of Light. I have made 2 copies just in case. 

This is huge, we are going to get promoted after this goes public. OMG. Carolina, I know you will be exhausted when you arrive but please meet me at Jessica's Art Gallery at 18h00 I will be in the ladies'.

Mwuh.

I and Makela exchanged looks, "you let Carter live?", "he was going to die and as you can see from the email, he did", I explained. "Something is wrong here", she sighed bitterly. "You're right. What are the odds that we read this letter", I added? Something was off. Things were falling into place too perfectly. "let's figure this out later", she suggested.

The information on the Flash drive contained the information we needed and that was target locations, therefore we needed to get hold of the flash drive.  

It was after a few seconds that Carolina replied "Yes! I will be there as soon as I arrive in Paris. Mwuh!". She must have replied from her smartphone meaning, she was not travelling by air and that she was nearby, meaning we had to go. "So? Are we going to the Art Gallery?", Makela asked excitedly, already fidgeting, unlike most people, Makela would fidget when she was excited or overwhelmed with excitement. "No.", I replied, "why!?", asked Makela in disappointment. "I remember a time not so long ago like in the year 2000. No simply meant no and an explanation was not mandatory", still wanting to go back to sleep.

 "You still have not answered my question! I wanna go to the Art Gallery!", said Makela in a tantrum.  "Okay, I'll give you two options. (1) spy on Carolina and make sure her meeting goes well. Do not intercept her. Do not attract attention, do not wear the suit, and do not fly in broad daylight. OR (2) wait for her to meet with her friend, receive the flash drive and we Ambush her or whatever you want to call it", I said while the move towards the single bed on the left corner of the apartment. "Argh! Fine! Have it your way, boss!", said an irritated Makela moving towards the window. 

"Do you actually think she'll come here after she receives the flash drive?", asked Makela. "Where else would she go. Now, you can keep asking questions but do not expect me to answer", I replied, "how rude! Fine. I am going to make something to eat and do not expect me to make any for you", said Ta-hawa as she moved from the window to the open space kitchen opposite the main door.

As I pretended to sleep and ignore Makela's mumbling and grunts, I was leaving the apartment. Last night I spirit travelled for the first time. I travelled to Cape Town to see what the remaining Mazayi family were up to but their house in Maitland was vacant. I made my way to Beacon Valley at Rachael's house, I saw her father sitting barefoot on the porch smoking a Camel cigarette while looking at a framed picture of her daughter.

"You'll be alright dear", he said as tears fell. A woman approached the front gate and without permission, she opened the gate and walked in. "What do you want?", asked Mr Boltman. One could tell by the tone of his voice that he was heartbroken and had no more strength to argue nor put up a fight. "c'mon Michael, is that your way to greet your would-be wife?", asked the woman. "Oh!? How dare you! I gave up my inheritance and identity just to be with you. You said you loved me and would never leave. We have a daughter you chose to abandon! And after all these years you show your face here", said Mr Boltman as he stood up, "you are not welcomed here", he continued. 

"Except for the money I send to you every month for the good keeping of our daughter", "she's, my daughter!", interrupted Mr Boltman. "You have done your role. I came to collect my daughter. Call her here.", said the woman. The woman was Rachael's mother, the woman who had walked out on Rachael and her father six months after Rachael was born. 

It was undeniable that she was beautiful, a chocolate-skinned African woman who took pride in not wearing extensions. She radiated flawless beauty and judging by her elegance she took pride in that too.

"You left your daughter when she was six months old. She doesn't know you.", said Mr Boltman furiously. "Yes, I left, that is true but what's more interesting is why I left", said Rachael's mother. "Helena, do I look like I want to know?", asked a fuming Mr Boltman, "oh please… You have been dying to know for the past eighteen years", she said to him as she began to slowly approach him.

I only realized that she had an Angolan English accent but was that even possible I thought to myself.

"You see dear Michael the Angolan civil war due to my belief, had scattered my family across Southern Africa. I thought that everything was lost, you know war only leaves misery. Somehow from running away from the misery I ended up here, Cabo da Boa Esperança. Your people call it the Cape of Good Hope And the rest you know", "that doesn't explain why you left!", interrupted Mr Boltman.

"Three months after Rachel was born, I received word that my family was searching for me. You know how we struggled, your parents didn't want me as their daughter-in-law because of my colour-", "and I gave up my inheritance just so you could leave me and a six-month-old baby", interrupted Mr Boltman. "I come from a wealthier family who had reunited", she said flatly.

"I thought of asking you to come with me but my family would never accept you. Your kind was the reason my people kept dying and to come home with an illegitimate child whose father was a descendent of the enemy. No, I refused to be the black sheep of the family so", "so you left. You say illegitimate... so why do you want her now?", asked Mr Boltman. "Because… I have been barren ever since I walked out on my daughter", confessed Helena. "Well, well, well ain't karma a bitch", said Mr Boltman looking satisfied.

 "Rachel travelled to the US in search of her American Dream.", Mr Boltman continued. "What? When? How?", asked Helena in disbelief. "Well now, if you will excuse me. Oh yeah… Don't come back", finished Mr Boltman as he stood up, cleaned the dust off his trouser, killed the remains of the cigarette, and slammed the door behind him as he entered his house. 

Michael Boltman had given up everything to prove how much he loved her and she had done the opposite. Helena ruined his life but you must admit you have to be a sucker for love to go so far, I mean he was disowned and stuff. What a fool.

I walked the quiet streets of Beacon Valley contemplating the whereabouts of my friends. Whoa, I just relived a journey, that's crazy yet another skill of a Spirit Nomad. Reliving a journey comes as an aid to solve complex problems, see details you might have overlooked. My mother's skills made it easy for me to use and control my curse, well, it was starting to become an asset.

My spirit was unsettled in my body as I was indecisive, my mind was locked on reality and to my actual surrounding while my spirit was gliding nowhere from one place to another. I felt like a rope in a game of Tag of War. I finally pulled myself together, I was lying in bed next to the window in Carolina's apartment, Makela was pacing as she ate Chocolate mint ice cream from an ice cream bucket which was uncommon because junk food was not an option for her. I had to find Carolina but where? I asked myself. The thing about Spirit Traveling and being a Spirit Nomad is that I can only travel to my target when I know the location and this made it difficult to find Carolina's location therefore, I decided to travel to the art gallery.

I leaned next to a traffic STOP sign as I faced the entrance of the art gallery, couples of all ages went in and out of the building. A group of girls about six to eight years of age dressed in school uniforms stood anxiously in a queue as their teacher spoke to the guard at the entrance. A second guard came out of the security booth and handed pass cards to the little girls, you could tell that they wanted to go crazy in excitement but they maintained disciplined and in an orderly fashion like little ladies, they marched in the gallery.

A few minutes later a young Caucasian woman dressed for the occasion stood not far from me, it would have been awkward if I was there because she was looking directly at me or whatever was supposed to be behind. 

It was clear that she was waiting for someone who was late. She displayed un-lady-like comportments as she scorned and mumbled about, "unbelievable, late again...", she mumbled. Her date who came about eight minutes after she displayed her final tantrum, a young male of African descent showed up holding something behind him, she was about to scowl at him for being late though when he revealed the red roses wrapped in a heart-shaped patterned plastic wrap with a milk coated Cadbury chocolate she blushed and kissed him. 

I was like "what!?" That will never happen with an African woman, "flowers? Where? For who because I don't have a goat at home" is probably what she'll say if you show up with plants on a date- in fact, she will probably make you eat it to prove her point. 

Anyway, the couple entered the gallery after they were given passcards by the guards at the security booth. As soon as the young couple disappeared, an old couple appeared arguing as they left the building. It so happens that the old goat couldn't stop looking at younger women in very, very short attire while they were inside.

Moments after that a young woman with a pink and yellow stripe suitcase approached the security booth. She was pale in complexion, had blond hair, and probably had blue eyes though I couldn't tell because she wore Chanel shades. Carolina, I thought to myself. Just out of curiosity, I decided to follow her inside and… I was in awe of the grand entrance, black marble floor, walls that were completely glass and operated like some man-made waterfall, water cascaded from the transparent glass. 

The centrepiece of the attraction was the metalwork of the planet Earth floating on an inverted transplant dome. A part of the ceiling was made of glass passing light from outside so as the metalwork of the Earth floated and rotated around its axis, a section of the globe that sunlight descended on was day and the other, night. Tiny LED lights lit up in the absence of sunlight. I completely forgot my objective. Luckily, I saw a part of Carolina's suitcase disappearing as she took the left hallway. 

By the time I reached the hallway entrance, I heard the women's lavatory door close. The superbness of this state was that I was not solid, hey! Don't judge. I was in the girls' lavatory for a justified reason and besides it's not like anything out of the ordinary was taking place. 

Did I hear mumblings, hisses, and whispers from the storeroom? Who has a storeroom in a lavatory?

Reine and Carolina were hiding in the storeroom, it turns out that the storeroom in the lavatory consisted of toilet equipment, materials, tools, and products. Hmm… Not bad. "It's so good to see you Caro", whispered the redhead girl who to my guess was Reine.  Carolina replied by petting her on either side of the chick. "How was Cambodia, Portugal? how are your parents?", asked Reine genuinely.

 "It was exciting exploring the jungle though with so many mosquitoes attack it made it worthwhile being home and they are fine, thank you. They sent their regards", whispered Carolina. "Now where's that info", asked Carolina, "I have the copies here. Keep one and I'll hide the other.", whispered Reine as she handed a caramel Gucci purse to Carolina. "I also prepared a car to pick you up as soon as you walk out of the gallery.", whispered Reine as she opened a plastic bag and took a bright yellow beanie and scarf. "Here, wear this. It will signal the driver who will take you straight home. No detours", insisted Reine, "amiga, you have been watching too many Bond movies. Anyway thanks, I'll see you soon", said Carolina while petting Reine on the chicks. Reine gave a beatific smile then in an arcane manner strode past the threshold.

I was already outside by the time Carolina returned the pass card at the security booth, she moved closer to the edge of the sidewalk, and immediately a car parked a few meters away drove to where she stood. The driver leaned to open the passenger door and said in French "your suitcase in the passenger seat behind, come on do it quickly, we have to go". Before she closed the door, the car was already in motion. You probably think I was floating behind them, right? Spirit Nomads do not float from what I have aggregated.