CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“Joy! Ma’ s calling you!” Neil yelled making almost roll my eyes but I kept the usual smile on, the one that made others smile even though they were having a better day. On the outside I was Joy, the girl who was pitied on but was still happy after her pathetic story of being an orphan wanting to live in the big city. While the inside told a different story, one dark and disgusting.

“Okay” I said and excused myself from the counter and asked Danny to take over for me. The old lady whom everyone called Ma’ demanded I stay with her and Neil after she found out I had nowhere to go; Neil was clearly against this and for the first time we agreed on something, but she wasn’t having it and literally pulled me by the ear which I must say took a lot of control not to burn her and her shop.

It’s been a month now, at first I did not know how to serve or basically act normal, but Neil and Danny helped me get there. But I still couldn’t read, I could only read with the help of omega, and I could not fight at all. That is when I knew that my killing skills were out of pure luck or I would have been died.

I walked towards the kitchen where Ma’ was pounding the dry tea leaves in a cemented bowl “Ah! My dear, I’ve heard you’ve settled well. I must say I am proud” she said and my smile widen “But, I’ve also heard that you’re having trouble reading the menu to the customers. So, I must ask can you read?” she asked and my smile completely vanished.

I must have jinxed it, I thought thinking of a perfect lie, but I must have taken my time as I hesitated to answer which already spoke volumes “Ah…I see, I will help you. Don’t worry about it girly” she said dismissing me, and I gaped at her as I walked back to the fro

I sighed tiredly as I laid on my small bed, who would have thought killing a lot of people could be tiring and I haven’t even started on the killing part, but it would be worth it in the end, I would be at peace and finally accept the consequences of my actions or suffer the same fate like those I hunt.

A knock on the door brings me out of my thoughts and Neil’s scent fills the room “come in” I said and he walked in wearing his collage uniform “Ma’ said I should show you something” he said and I sat up frowning at him “show me what?” I asked and he rolled his eyes tiredly “you ask too many questions, come on!” he said turning his back and walking away.

My eyes widened and I quickly followed him out, my hands brushed through my tangled hair to make it look presentable, and soon the bright rays from the big ball of flames which I now knew was called the sun blinded me for a while.

The streets were crowded as school students and parents were going getting to their perspective duties, I grimaced every time someone would have bumped into me or the other way around, while I was struggling to keep up with Neil long legs, he was walking with grace and dormancy that people even created a path for him. That’s when I knew that he was some big shot in that area.

We walked for thirty minutes straight without talking and I finally caught up to him, to which he glanced down at me and I swear I saw his lips tug up a tad before he’s usual blank look came back “Are we there yet?” I asked and added a whine just to bother him which seemed to work as he sighed dragging his hand through his hair “would you just shut up?!” he growled his eyes shifting between the Malien cyan glow and his chocolate brown which caused me to tense.

Every time I would lay awake at night; those cyan glowing eyes looking at me with so much sadness and anger that they prevented me from sleeping, and their pleading screams rang in my ears making me jolt awake every minute. I thought I would get better as time went by, but it seemed to only make them grow. And I hated it, not having control over my subconscious thoughts.

He sighed again but now with clear regret for yelling at me, and soon students came into view and that is when I realized we were standing in front of the only school in Area ninety-five where every child from thirteen to nineteen came. Those who were eighteen years and above were in collage and weaponry service.

They were so many children around my age that I could not help but worry. I had been with children for most of my life, whom I once thought were family, but ended up being ungrateful and killed me. I hated them, I had never loathed and despised anyone or anything so much as them.

“What are we doing here, Neil?” I asked him as he stood next to me, my tone demanded an answer even though the smile on my face remained intact “Ma’ wants you to learn, you’ll get a tour today and start tomorrow. Then we’ll also have to find tutor to help you read and write” he said and I tensed, I clenched my hands into fists to prevent myself from exploding and bit my lip hard to prevent my mouth from cussing which I had now known was disrespectful.

Neil waited patiently for me to get a hold of myself, I sighed tiredly knowing I had no choice “Come on, I have class to get to” he said seeing that I cooled off and he started to walk with me in tow. It seemed that even in school, Neil was also a big shot as girls looked at him like he was sex on legs, I thought using the same phrase Mercy used to describe Jacob.

The school was obviously huge with a creamy beige and dull red as its theme color, the uniforms were kind of cute; a white shirt with a red tie, brown blazers and brown knee length skirts for the girl with white socks while the boys either had brown trousers or knee length shorts. But some girls seemed to cut the skirt short to reach either mid-thigh or right beneath the butt. Weird.

“First I have to inform my teacher that I’ll won’t be attending the three lessons, and I’m sure Nwosu would want to tag along” he said and I frowned at the name, it sounded so cool yet mysterious that I couldn’t help but say it out loud that Neil turned towards me like told him Ma’ died “Be careful, he doesn’t like people saying his name” Neil said and turned back like nothing happened.

Thank the heavens that the school had what they called an Elevator because the stairs were a lot, our elevator was emptied as soon as people saw Neil “I wonder why they’re so scared, do you have same tramp card up your sleeve?” I asked Neil and for the first time I saw him smile, well if you can call smirking smiling.

His eyes held amusement and pride “something like that” he said and curiosity got the best of me making me scan him, and I tensed as Omega’s voice rang in my head.

“Neil Billy Winston. Aged 18. Melian specialist. Power rank zero. Known as Merlin the magician on the field. Number of deaths: nine hundred and eight” Shit! I should have scanned him sooner. Rank zero! It’s like death on legs! I thought. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye to see him relaxed, like he did not kill people. If I did not scan him, I would have thought he was a normal kid going to school. This is must be the universe telling me to keep my guard up, I thought.