Dinner with the enemy

My nose itched, goosebumps covered my body, a sensation I always felt near Mr. Phenyo but never admitted. Not even Mika knew my true feelings, though I considered him a friend. The day was well spent. After a hot bath, I sat with my father, feeling warmth on my skin.

"If I wasn't ignorant, I could have rid of Belinda long ago," my father said, throwing his newspaper on the table in anger.

"You don't have to get upset over that woman."

"I gave her a room here in the house, she loved it, and I was glad. One boring day, I sent her to the store to collect my white fur blazer from the dry cleaner. While she was away, I planned to surprise her for her birthday. I bought a chocolate-flavored cake and a pot of her favorite roses. I slowly opened the door of her room and saw a shocking, odious sight: a group of black, gigantic flies on her bed, buzzing, some dead, some alive. I opened the window, hoping they would leave, but they didn't. After beating them with paper, some were still alive. I ran to the kitchen to get my fire pipe to burn them. Belinda finally made it back home, entered the room, and instead of being glad that I killed those flies, she cried bitterly as if feeling sorry for the pests that laid on her bed. I thought she was insane. I chased her away, told her never to set foot in my house. After the incident, I felt guilty. I called her the same day and told her to come to work, she did. We made a truce and put everything behind us."

"Oh, now I understand. I'm terribly sorry you had to go through that. I wish I had met you sooner. Any improvements in finding her?"

"Not yet, my love. My focus has been on the Bella Santos case. I am not sure which one is more evil, Bella or Belinda."

To be honest, both women were equally vicious. Using your power over another person is evil enough. I didn't know which situation was worse, finding a witch or finding a Satanist. I had gotten used to solving normal human problems, but never had I ever had to solve a paranormal problem; a guardian deals with odd cases.

Mr. Phenyo had made it clear before we signed a work contract to become guardians that the position was neither simple nor safe. He emphasized that some of his former colleagues had to be admitted to a mental institution for mental health illnesses due to coming in contact with non-human species.

"You need to be prepared for anything. Don't panic when you see odd-looking creatures or any spiritual entities. You will be guardians," he stated.

I prepared my mind and body for anything that would come my way. Mika and I had arrived an hour early at the GOH hall, as we had been informed by Agent X that a meeting was taking place regarding a new important case. An hour had passed since we arrived; of course, the timing was not correct, we only planned to impress our employers. Mr. Phenyo entered the hall, carrying a file in his hand. He seemed serious, neither smiling nor looking at us, which I found peculiar. When I was alone, he treated me differently; perhaps he wanted to keep his private life private, or perhaps I was becoming too attached. The slightest attention from him made me feel important; then again, I was turning an innocent brunch into an unnecessary expectation. The GOH members eventually arrived, taking seats at the front, while my partner and I enjoyed the view from the back. The room became full, and that's when Mr. Phenyo stepped onto the stage. He began his announcement; everyone in the room kept silent, paying attention to each word.

"Greetings, interns. As you all know, leaders of the UAGC have been incarcerated after they were found guilty of spreading false religious beliefs that caused the death of many youths over social media. We have managed to get a facial description of another perpetrator involved in founding this church, Miss Bella Santos. The sketch has been posted on social media; hopefully, we will find her. All thanks to Mr. Ludik and Miss Mokoena. But now time is running out. I need all of you to work together to capture Bella. We cannot allow innocent people to die because of the evil of this world. Isn't that the reason you chose to become guardians of the hex?" Mr. Phenyo said.

When he finished his announcement, the crowd dispersed, each person attending to their business. As I was leaving the hall with Mika, I noticed Mr. Phenyo staring at me intensely.

"What's going on with you and the professor? Are you two dating?" Mika asked.

"No, we are not!" I answered sternly.

But Mika was unconvinced.

"You know what I think? I think he wants to sleep with you then throw you away. Be careful; the man is a player," he added.

"Stop! I know you want the best for me, just as I want the best for you. But what I and Mr. Phenyo have is only related to work. Besides, I'm not looking for…" Before I could finish my sentence, the professor called me from behind.

"Miss Mokoena, can we talk? As for you, Mr. Ludik, I will see you again tomorrow," he said.

"Of course, sir," Mika grinned, leaving me alone with the professor.

"What do you want to talk about, sir?"

Mr. Phenyo walked closer to me. The hall was empty by then; only the professor and I were standing in the room.

"I wanted to say good luck with everything. Keep yourself safe."

"Oh, thanks, I will."

How odd, I thought. I turned my gaze away, soon to leave, but the professor held my hand.

"Please don't leave," he cried.

My heart pounded fast; I was too afraid to admit it. The truth was obvious, but I wanted to conceal it. I loved him as much as he loved me.

"I mean, I want to work with you and Mika closely in solving this case. Bella might be dangerous, and I cannot afford to lose any agent over this case," he added.

Deep down, I knew that the professor wanted to tell me something else.

I ignored the truth about my feelings, and he too ignored his feelings.

"I will see you tomorrow," he murmured.

The night was long, but morning arrived quickly as the sun penetrated my bedroom window.

Mika was not impressed with the professor's proposal; he called him a distraction and an opportunistic pathogen. But seeing that he was long exposed to the world of a guardian, his experience would be useful when solving any case.

The board of the GOH did not mind when agents worked in teams instead of pairs; the most important part to them was to solve paranormal cases and keep the evil incarcerated for life.

"Thank you for accepting me to be part of your team. I won't disappoint you," Mr. Phenyo stated firmly.

"And we are honored to be working with a very experienced agent," I said.

Mr. Phenyo revealed his skills to both Mika and me. He was good at unlocking codes, recoding a bomb, accessing government files, and accessing bank cards in thirteen countries.

"I have searched for the name Bella Santos but could not find it anywhere, not even

in the government files," Mr. Phenyo murmured.

An idea came to mind. Two weeks had passed, and still no sign of Bella. I suggested that the professor search for Belinda Sanchez. The results brought hope, but I had to be certain. As I got closer to observe the photo shown on the screen, I saw a familiar face. A woman with curly hair, a scar near her upper lip, a face too similar to that of the housekeeper who worked for my father, the very same housekeeper whose intentions were evil. We had found Belinda.

"This woman looks similar to the facial sketch of Bella Santos," Mika stated.

"I also noticed that. Could it really be that Bella Santos is actually Belinda Sanchez?" I wondered.

Mr. Phenyo used an image editing app on the sketch, applying different filters to find a clear image that could truly reveal the true identity of Bella. After applying color to the sketch, Mr. Phenyo posted the photo on the internet but received only one helpful response. A man by the name of Karl Santos sent a private message to the contact number placed on the ad.

It read:

"Hello. My name is Karl, but my friends call me Karlito. I saw your advert on social media. I think I can be helpful in finding the woman you're looking for. Let's meet at the Montagu museum around 1 pm."

The man did arrive at one pm. He informed my team of what he would be wearing: yellow trousers with a black long-sleeved shirt. Karlito and my team walked to my black SUV.

"I contacted you because I am a parent, and I know how other parents feel when their children undergo demon possession. I too went through the same; fortunately, my daughter survived the ordeal, but I can't say the same for many other children who have been affected by these evil spirits," Karlito explained. His eyes filled with tears; he was trembling in fear, but he acted courageously, knowing the importance of capturing an evil woman like Bella.

"So, do you know who Bella Santos is?" pressed Mika.

The man had tears in his eyes; he was trembling in fear, but he acted courageously, knowing the importance of capturing an evil woman like Bella.

"Bella is my twin sister. Both of us were born with extraordinary abilities. Our parents trained us to use our powers well, but pride took over my sister as we had always been mocked by the community about our poverty. At first, she would make harmless tricks, then she began to steal, kill, and divide marriages. That is when I pulled myself away from her. She noticed my rejection, then got angry and decided to come after my daughter," Karlito explained. His eyes filled with tears.

After confessing, my team and I decided to get more proof. Karlito showed us his childhood photos, and indeed there it was, the evidence we needed. Fortunately, Bella hadn't changed that much; she still had the scar near her upper lip. Karlito explained that his twin sister had been born with the scar, a similar trait that she had inherited from their grandmother, who had passed it on when they were in their teens. Mr. Phenyo asked to take DNA samples from Karlito for hard evidence. Mr. Santos cooperated without hesitation; his concern was for the safety of his family and justice for the many families whose lives had been affected negatively by one woman, the woman whom he wished he was not related to her. A curse he had to face all his life.

I had wished to have met Karlito's family, his wife, and his daughter, but unfortunately, they had gone on a school trip together. However, their absence had saved their lives. An hour later, after dropping Mr. Santos at his home, I received a call from the Montagu fire department. Apparently, Carlos had suffered third-degree burns and had died instantly from the smoke in his home. There was no trace of homicide; however, I suspected that Bella could have been involved. The police claimed that the fire was caused by a gas cylinder which Mr. Santos left carelessly open, thus causing rapid fire as soon as the matchstick was lit. Mr. Phenyo made it clear to Mika and me that we could not attend the funeral as we were working for a secret agency, therefore compromising the case and our identities from being known. It was a simple policy; no agent of the GOH organization was allowed to get personal with victims or perpetrators.

"Now that we have confirmation that Bella had a brother, we will have to use this information in finding her," Mika stated.

"I agree with you. But how?" I asked.

"Simple. Remember Bella was obsessed with Karlito's daughter. We need to use her to get to the witch despite what the GOH policy states," Mr. Phenyo answered.

Going against the GOH policy was not something I had planned to do when I decided to become a guardian, but it was the only way my team and I could see Bella incarcerated for a very long time.

As soon as Mika and I agreed to the deal, Mr. Phenyo set up a meeting with Elina Santos, the wife of the deceased Karlito Santos. She agreed to help us if it could serve as justice for her husband's sudden death. The plan was to lure Bella into visiting Zelda, the daughter of the deceased.

"Tell me, how truly close is Zelda to Bella?" I asked.

"Very close. Bella spends a lot of money on my daughter. She even opened a trust fund for Zelda. I know what is at risk, but if it can help keep that evil woman behind bars forever, then I'm in," Elina explained.

My team and I had arranged the perfect date on which we could trap our enemy, thanks to the help of Elina Santos. To ensure that the plan came into place, we had to hide it from Zelda as she could pose a risk in revealing the plan to her beloved aunt Bella, which we could not allow. Mr. Phenyo sat in the house while Mika and I were to join the Santos family on the dinner night. I wore a blue evening dress, while my partner wore a blue tuxedo; he looked rather handsome, finally.

The more I spent time with him, the more handsome he became. I couldn't tell whether it was my imagination or whether indeed he was improving his look. Mika not only looked good, he smelled divine; his cologne captured my attention from afar, but my heart longed for someone else.

"Welcome to the Santos dinner. I hope you will enjoy the food and catch our enemy," said Elina.

Bella entered the house, Zelda rushed to hug her, while Mr. Phenyo and I sat at the table like a couple eagerly waiting for our enemy to join us.

"I didn't know we'd have guests; I could have worn something better than this old dress," mumbled Bella.

Elina giggled.

The dinner was somewhat different from what I had gotten used to; it was my first time eating Portuguese delicacy. But my mission was more concerned with incarcerating the criminal than merely tasting dishes. After dinner was finished, I had to get my answers. Bella was looking full; I had hoped she would be drunk as she had consumed an entire bottle of wine alone, but to my surprise, she was wide awake. Taking a woman against her will without hard evidence nor a permit was not lawful according to the SAPS,

but of course, we didn't work for the police. Mika stood up slowly with a glass in his hand. Mika had a plan. Use an enemy's weakness to lure him to the trap then destroy him.

"Mam, can you please accompany me to the kitchen? I need to chat with you," he said.

Seeing how good looking Mika was, Bella was already charmed. She was easily attracted to men with money, especially if they had huge muscles like my beloved partner.

Bella stood up smiling, walked confidently into our trap. Unaware that she was being recorded, she pressed Mika against the kitchen cabinet, kissing him without a chance to breathe.

I could clearly decipher every sound as I had an earpiece on me that could record every detail occurring on both my partner's sides.

"Kiss her until she faints," announced Mr. Phenyo, who was at the time listening closely from the SUV outside.

I giggled.

"Wait, my partner can never find out about this, but the truth is she is giving me a hard time about money, and I kind of lost my job, and my business is not doing well at all. I only need to purchase a few machinery to make it stand again," said Mika. He made a sobbing sound; I almost laughed.

"Shh, we are working here," said Mr. Phenyo.

"How much do you need, and how much time should I give you as I need the money back?" asked Bella.

"At least fifty thousand Rand; I could get you the money in 24 months," replied Mika.

"Uhm, you know what, we can make our own deal. You dump your little girlfriend and take me as your wife, then your debt will be wiped off as if it never existed," said Bella.

Mr. Phenyo giggled; I nearly giggled but felt sorry for Bella.