LONLINESS

Miss Smith smiles and exhales deeply. I hope she knows my life has been the definition of what lonely is." She says to no one in particular. "I am surrounded with love but in my heart I still hold a lot of pains. I try my possible best to hide my identity from everyone else, I miss my family, mom and dad so bad that sometimes, I wish to embrace them, but unfortunately, they are dead." She coughs loudly. "I am a certified loner."

Behind the door, is Jessica placing her ear forward to hear all Ella is saying. "Hide your identity?" She asks no one in particular. "Why? Who are you Ella?" Her phone rings loudly but she hurriedly answers the call in order not to blow her own cover, then walks some paces away from the door. "Yes?" She says to the caller.

"She is here with me." Emerens whispers. "Do you suppose I bring her over?"

"Please do, I will like to show Ella who the spy was." Jessica says with a smile.

"Okay, I will see you there in a bit." She ends the call.

Jessica walks back in the room to have some chatty moment with Ella. "I hope you didn't miss me much?"

"You weren't away for too long, so I guess i didn't." She replies bluntly.

"Aren't you even curious to know how I got to know those things about you and friends?"

"You sent an ally to spy, isn't that how low you stoop?"

"Is that what you think?" Jessica asks and laughs. "You know, there is a saying that 'my enemy's enemy is my friend' I hope you are familiar with that?"

"What do you mean by that?" Miss Smith asks lost in the adage.

"Do not be in a hurry, you will see that her soon." Jessica pulls out the pack of cigarettes from her pocket and lights one of them. "Have you ever even considered how I lived all through the years? With no family? How lonely it was?"

Ella stops moving on the chair and slowly looks at Jessica pitifully. "I know how it feels to be without family, I have been in that place for the past ten years, my mother, father, grandparents and unborn siblings were murdered the same day by someone I am not even sure of." Ella stops and scoffs. "Lonliness you say? Come to me and let me tell you about it."

"Continue." Jessica whispers looking at the her straight in the eyes. "At least you are saying something about your childhood."

"You do not deserve to know anything about my past, you are even lucky. You know how and why you mom died. Unlucky me, is yet to find out about those things even after ten years."

Jessica stands and turns her back quickly at Ella, she exhales quietly and wipes off the tears in her eyes with the back of her palm. She wonders if the cause of the tears is Ella's sad story or she just pitying herself for having a similar tragic story too. "Come to think of it, why does it seem like we have the same sad story?" she asks in her mind and faces Ella again. "Did you say your parents were murdered too?"

"Do I have to spell that out to you?" Ella asks and hisses. "I am sure you called me out here for a reason, didn't you?"

Jessica sits again and sighs heavily, now having second thought of every single thing she wants to do or say. "You volunteered to come at your own will."

"I didn't volunteer, I surrendered when you insisted on hurting the people left as family for me."

"Why did you give up the truth this easily? I am sure you have never wanted people to know about your past, how come you are telling about this now?"

"Because I am very sure the spy you planted in my life already mentioned something to you about that. You also know that principal Lola and officer Malik aren't my biological parents." The doors open and Ella looks in the direction to see who or what it was.