SHADOW FOURTEEN

"What happened last night?" Father Chibuike asked releasing her from his embrace.

The embarrassment was replaced with the memory of the yesternight as she turned to face him. "I don't know." She remembered what happened, but didn't know what it was. "The shadow came to visit me, but like before, it changed to Sister Gabriel and started attacking me. I was in this kind of strange place, just trees everywhere." It felt like a warning, one she would've heeded to if Gaga was not dying on a hospital bed. "What do you think, Father?"

He shook his head. "This is something we would not be able to decipher on our own. I told Itohan to tell Gabriella about her dream."

"Do you think it will be okay?" Ivie asked, worried.

"We need to know what is on, and what better way than acting the fool to fool those who wants to fool us?"

"Still, it might be dangerous for her."

"Somebody needs to pay the sacrifice, even Jesus did." He picked up his cup and sipped from it.

She frowned. "But you didn't let me tell her about mine."

"I need you where I can see you," he murmured to his cup, then smiled at her. "You should go back, if Gabriella finds out you're missing, you're going to spend the rest of your life here. And, wear something that goes below your knee, if she see your wound, she'll ask you questions."

"I can just lie to her."

Father Chibuike laughed. "Don't you ever get tired of lying?"

Murmuring something incoherent, Ivie bowed to the priest and made her way out of the room. The lobby was empty and quiet, and only her footsteps could be heard as she padded softly on the tiled floor. She hoped she wouldn't run into Sister Gabriel, her pile of lies were already increasing, and she definitely would not tell her she had spent the night in Father Chibuike's room, and that he had bathed her body. She stopped in her tracks, had he really done that? Seen her naked? She knew it was plausible under the circumstances, but to think that him, a priest, had seen her naked left an unsettling in her stomach. She did not doubt that he hadn't touched her inappropriately, but he had seen her. She covered her face with her palm, barely muffling her sigh.

"Ivie?" She heard her name in a whispered tone, and when she turned, Simon was waving at her. She walked to him, and he hugged her, taking her by surprise.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "We were so scared last night." He examined her face. "There's a swell on your forehead."

Awkwardly, she withdrew from him. "Thanks." She cleared her throat. "Let me go and change."

"Be fast, that lioness is soon to start blaring her canines at your face."

She chuckled. "You call her all sorts of things, like my friend, Gaga. Except that Gaga would go for something obviously insulting, if she wishes to be saucy."

"With a name like Gaga, you'll know what you should expect."

"She's not as crazy as the name makes her to be, she's actually nice. And funny." And dying. In as much as Gaga was a bit of motivating factor to her, thinking about her friend made her wish she could go back to that night. "Go and join the others, let me quickly change my clothes."

When Ivie had changed, she rushed and for fortunate enough to get there the same time the others did. Sister Gabriel hands were folded across her chest, she was shaking her head and saying she has seen the worse.

"Abortion?" Her accusing voice said to the girl that stood in front of her, head faced to the ground, sniffing.

"By the time most people that come here leave, you know what they would have learnt?" Paul whispered to them. "How not to get caught next time."

"Because getting caught is even worse than the sin," Aisosa whispered back.

"What have you achieved now that you have not just committed fornication, but also murder?" Sister Gabriel asked the girl.

"This is just like Devil being the accuser of the brethren, but he's the one that causes you to sin in the first place." Simon snorted.

"You can join them in the line," Sister Gabriel said. "After all, they are your people. By the time you leave this place, the only function your private organs has for you will be to urinate."

"She's trying to say you'll stay here for a very long time," Paul said to the new girl.

Sister Gabriel's eyes wandered from one to another, before stopping on Ivie. "Are you still having menstrual cramps?"

Menstrual cramps? Ivie thought, did she have menstrual cramps?

Itohan nudged her. "I gave her panadol this morning, " she said.

So she really did have menstrual cramps?

"Sorry," Sister Gabriel said, and then zeroed her eyes on her head. "What happened to your forehead?"

Ivie touched it. "I bumped into a wall."

"One of the things that happens when people don't mind their businesses." Then she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Ivie tried to keep a straight face. She patted her. "If the cramps doesn't stop, come to me later. You've not had an abortion before, so it would hurt more."

Ivie wanted to ask her if menstrual cramps hurt differently before and after an abortion, how differently it hurt, but the pat was becoming harder, and she knew if Sister Gabriel did not stop soon, it would bleed. She stopped before she bled, and Ivie blinked her eyes to clear the tears that threatened to spill, heaven be false if Sister Gabriel did not know anything.

Her prep talk that morning was laced with references to abortion. Did the Bible have a record of abortion? Wasn't it advised that the men should pour it on the floor instead?

"But if the men do not pour it on the floor, shouldn't the woman take measures that would benefit her future?" Simon asked.

"And abortion is that measure?" She countered.

"Even if she decided to keep the baby, it is people like you that will lead her to commit suicide, people like you will make her more susceptible to die after childbirth."

Sister Gabriel looked at him for a while. Then she said. "Stand up, and get out," in that word by word pattern and while he shuffled his feet away from her sight, she hissed. "What insolence? To think that you were celebrated when you were born." Then she dished out their work portion for that day, reminding Ivie she still had unfinished portions, told her her menstrual cramp would not hold as an excuse.

When she was done and they finished their morning prayers, Itohan stepped forward. "I have something to tell you, Sister." She was shaking inside, but she had decided, a decision initiated by Father Chibuike's talk, that she would take the risk, it was something that concerned her after all. So she put on her best act, appeared as shaky as she was inside, and told an interest piqued Sister Gabriel that she had a dream. "Actually, I had this dream days back, but I wanted to understand it first, tried to understand it, but I've realized I need the help of someone closer to God."

"Come with me." Sister Gabriel gestured with her hand, her eyes vigilant to the people around them.

Itohan followed, her steps traceful and fearful, half of it was an act, the other half was reality. She was scared of being alone with Sister Gabriel, she feared what the woman would do to her. They got to her office, and Sister Gabriel drew out a chair for her. But she didn't sit, instead, with shaky fingers, she pointed to Sister Gabriel's side. "There's a black shadow, Sister, it's scary." Her mouth quivered. Father Chibuike had told her to tell the "good Sister" everything, except that they knew. "An intended lie is more suspicious than an unintended one, because an intended one has no loopholes, " he had said.

"Black shadow?" Sister Gabriel's eyes rose in question, and Itohan had to admit she was a better actress.

She nodded. "You need to be prayerful, Sister. I believe God opened my eyes in that dream I had, and I started seeing the shadows around you. It's from the devil."

Sister Gabriel laughed. "Tell me about this dream."

"In the dream I felt like I died. Maybe because of my sin, it was really scary. I saw my spirit leave my body,."

"When did this happen?"

"I can't remember." She furrowed her brows. "Maybe two or three days ago."

"And you're just telling me now? What if you had really died, or something bad happened to you during those days of your silence? And as if my spirit was telling me something, remember how I asked you about dreams? And you even lied! Tell me, it's Ivie, right?"

A confused Itohan looked at her. "Ivie what?"

"She told you not to tell me because she saw me in your room?"

She rose a brow. "Did you come to our room? Well, I'm confused, you normally come to our room."

Sister Gabriel studied her for a while. "So you're telling me that Ivie and the others do not know about this?"

"Ivie and Aisosa knows," she replied. "When I woke up that morning, I was so scared I kept saying 'Jesus', so they asked me, and I told them."

"They didn't give you any advice?"

"We prayed together about it. Aisosa said I should come to you, but I just did not know how I will sound."

"What did Ivie say?"

Seems like the Sister was more interested in Ivie than in her dream, Itohan thought. "She said I should be prayerful, that it is my decision to tell you or not. She does not like you very much."

"Of course." Sister Gabriel sneered. "Would she like someone that exposes her? That child of the devil."

"I thought we were all children of God?" Itohan asked. Father Chibuike had told her to be herself. "She knows you all don't like her, it'll be suspicious if you suddenly start acting like an ally," he had said.

"Will you call a traditional worshipper a child of God? This is the problem with you youngsters, you think that you know too much. Now, you have an encounter with the devil and you're telling me just now. What do you want me to do? I thought you could figure it out? Please leave me alone, go and figure it out yourself."

A surprised Itohan looked at her. "Sister—"

"Go now!"

Itohan got up, confused and hurt by the Sister's refusal to help her. She looked back and a tear dropped from her eyes. When she left the room and closes the door behind her, a full smile appeared on Sister Gabriel's lips.

During the time of the evening when the housemates rested, tired from their work, Father Chibuike and Father IK visited, and the first thing both Itohan and Ivie noticed was the shadow around the latter. They looked at each other.

"Good evening, Father." They all chorused in unison.

"Good evening, God bless you." Father IK said, making the sign of the cross.

"You came today?" Father Chibuike asked the new girl. "What did you do that you look so guilt shaken?"

"She had an abortion," Paul answered. "You needed to see the way Sister Gabriel welcomed her with open arms, so heart warming."

Father Chibuike laughed in understanding before asking the new girl, "Why did you get caught?"

"What do you mean why did she get caught?" Father IK rebuked. "Are you condoning sin?"

"How dare I? It's just that people who have started premarital affairs are smart enough to avoid things like this."

Father IK looked bewildered. "I can't believe you're a priest."

"I can't believe it either."

"Sorry to interrupt you, Father, but Sister Gabriel is not around," Aisosa said. If the two priests wanted to argue, they should do it elsewhere.

"I know," Father Chibuike said. "I came to take you all for ice cream."

They all looked at him, surprised.

"Sister Gabriella will be angry," Father IK told him.

"But she's always angry." He retorted.

"I advise that you leave them alone."

"And since when do I listen to you? These youngsters have been here for too long. Simon, for instance, is completing his fourth week. Don't you think they need some fresh air?"

"That's Gabriella's call to make. "

"First name basis with her I see. It's nice to see that you both are that close."

Father IK clenched his teeth and responded, "At least I'm not cowering around young girls who throw themselves at me."

"It shouldn't be call cowering when they are the ones who throw themselves at me." Then Father Chibuike turned to the housemates. "Father IK here is greatly jealous because young girls do not gather around him as they do me. I don't know what he wants to do with them that he is this jealous. Alright, who's up for ice cream?"

"You all can go, Ivie I need to talk to you."

Father Chibuike stopped in his track. "We're going out for ice cream."

A smile appeared on Father IK's lips. "She didn't say she wanted to have ice cream."

"She didn't say she wanted to talk to you."