chapter sixteen

Adaora's pov 

I moved out of the room quickly, my heart pounding.

Who gave me that flower?

The house was still empty, but suddenly, it didn't feel like it. The air felt thick, pressing against my skin, and a strange chill ran down my spine.

Everywhere felt so strange. Different.

What is happening?

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling creeping over me.

I refused to go back to my room.

Instead, I stayed in the living room, turning on the TV for some noise, some normalcy. But even as I tried to focus on the screen, my mind kept drifting back to that flower.

Had someone come in while I was at school? But how?

And why did it feel like that scent was still lingering in the air like it was following me?

I sat stiffly on the couch, my eyes fixed on the TV, but I wasn't really watching. The house was too quiet, too still, except for the faint echo of my own breathing.

I could still smell it. The flower's scent. It was soft, almost intoxicating, wrapping around me like an invisible thread.

I shook my head. It's just a flower.

But deep down, I knew it wasn't just that.

I glanced at the hallway leading to my room, debating whether to go back and check. My skin prickled at the thought.

No. I wasn't going back in there.

Instead, I picked up my phone and dialed my sister's number.

"Hello?" she answered after a few rings.

"Where are you?" My voice came out uneven.

"At the market with Mum. Why?"

I hesitated. "Nothing. When will you be back?"

She laughed. "Why? Are you scared of staying alone?"

I forced a laugh. "No. Just asking."

"We'll be home soon, don't worry. Are you okay?"

I glanced at the hallway again. The scent was still there. Almost stronger now.

"Yeah," I lied. "I'm fine."

I hung up and pulled my knees to my chest.

I just had to wait. Once my family was home, the house would feel normal again.

At least, I hoped so.

Minutes felt like hours as I sat curled up on the couch, my arms wrapped tightly around myself. The house was still too quiet, too heavy.

I kept glancing at the hallway, expecting something someone to appear.

Stop it, Adaora. You're scaring yourself.

But how could I not? That flower… where had it come from?

I clenched my fists and forced myself to breathe. Maybe Chuka was playing a prank. Maybe Mum bought it. Maybe…

A soft creak echoed from my room.

My heart stopped.

I stared at the hallway, my whole body frozen.

The air felt thick, the scent of the flower growing stronger, almost suffocating.

I swallowed hard. No. No. It's just my imagination. The window is probably open. The wind—

Another creak.

This time, my skin crawled.

I bolted up from the couch and ran to the front door, yanking it open.

Fresh air hit my face, but I didn't step out. I just stood there, gripping the handle so tightly my knuckles turned white.

Calm down, calm down.

The road outside was empty. The sun was starting to set, bathing everything in a soft golden hue. I willed my heartbeat to slow, to focus on reality.

Then, just as I was about to turn away—

A whisper.

Soft. Gentle. Almost amused.

"Adaora…"

I gasped, spinning around.

No one was there.

But the scent of the flower was everywhere now.

Just as the silence threatened to swallow me whole, the small gate burst open.

"Adaora! You won't believe what happened today!"

My sister's loud, excited voice shattered the eerie tension in the air. I jumped, my breath catching in my throat as she barged in, dropping her bag on the floor.

She didn't notice my wide eyes or how stiffly I stood by the door. Instead, she kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the couch, her voice filling every corner of the house.

"Chuka is so stupid! He was trying to impress a girl and fell flat on his face in front of everyone!" She laughed loudly, shaking her head. "I swear, I've never seen someone stand up so fast in my life. The way he acted like nothing happened pure comedy!"

I let out a shaky breath. The heaviness in the air eased, the fear loosening its grip on my chest.

She turned to me, finally noticing my silence. "What's up with you? You look like you saw a ghost."

I hesitated, glancing at the hallway where my room was. The scent of the flower was fading now, pushed away by the normalcy of my sister's presence.

Maybe I imagined it. Maybe I was overreacting.

Forcing a small smile, I shook my head. "It's nothing. Just tired."

She squinted at me but didn't push. Instead, she stretched her arms over her head and yawned. "Well, whatever it is, shake it off. Mum and Dad will be back soon, and I'm starving. What are we eating?"

The tension in my body fully eased. Maybe everything really was normal.

For now.

In the evening, while helping my mum in the kitchen, I tried to sound casual.

"Mummy, did you buy any flowers?"

She raised an eyebrow, wiping her hands on a towel. "Flowers? No, darling. Why do you ask?"

Before I could think of a reply, Chuka strolled in, already grinning. "Abi you got yourself a secret admirer?" He wiggled his eyebrows dramatically.

I scoffed, giving a half-smile. "You're not serious."

Before he could tease me further, Ifunanya's voice rang from the parlor. "Food is ready o!"

Chuka wasted no time dashing to the dining table, Ifunanya close behind, already shouting at him to leave some meat for the rest of us.

I lingered for a second, my mind drifting back to that mysterious red flower in my room.

If Mum didn't buy it, then who did?

A strange unease crawled up my spine, but I shook it off.

I didn't want to think about it now.

Forcing a smile, I left the kitchen and went to join my family at the table.

When evening came, I rushed to my sister's room without hesitation.

She looked up from her phone and laughed. "Omo, you have your own room, but you're too scared to sleep on your bed." She patted the space beside her. "Oya, shift to the wall. Shift well o, give me enough space."

I didn't argue. I just crawled in quickly, wrapping myself in the blanket.

Sleep came slowly, my mind still unsettled. But eventually, exhaustion pulled me under.

Then it came.

A presence.

A towering figure, vast and fluid, like water itself. It wasn't just standing it was flowing, moving, shifting like an ocean in the shape of a man.

The air around me felt heavy, thick with moisture. My skin prickled as an unseen force pressed against me.

Then, a voice deep, smooth, and hauntingly familiar.

"Nkem, my flower… how I have longed for my queen."

My breath caught in my throat.

"You have grown," the voice continued, echoing like waves crashing against the shore.

I tried to see its face, but there was nothing—only the shifting form of water, endless and vast.

My body felt frozen, trapped between fear and something I couldn't explain.

This wasn't a dream.

It was real.

The golden glow caught my eye first. A delicate necklace, shimmering as it floated toward me, its fine chain glistening like sunlit waves. I couldn't see where it came from, but it drifted through the air as if carried by an unseen current.

"For you, my flower," the voice murmured, deep and steady. "As you age, it will protect you. A symbol of our bond."

The pendant a small, intricate shell with veins of blue and silver landed softly in my palm. Warm. Almost alive.

I swallowed hard, my fingers curling around it.

Then the voice spoke again, softer this time.

"Did you like my flowers, my love? I picked them myself."

His tone was both possessive and tender, sending a shiver down my spine. I could only stare. The veins of water running through the flowers suddenly made sense just like him, they were connected to the ocean.

I looked around, desperate to understand. The vast expanse of water surrounded me, endless and shifting. I followed the movement of his form, trying to find where his body ended, but it was impossible.

"You mean… all this water is your body?" My voice was barely a whisper.

A deep chuckle rumbled through the air, like distant waves crashing on a shore.

I took an instinctive step back, but my foot found nothing.

I gasped falling until the water itself rose beneath me, catching me as if I weighed nothing. It didn't splash or ripple. It just held me, steady and firm.

"My love," the voice soothed. "Do not fear me. The last thing I will ever do is hurt you."

His words wrapped around me, powerful yet reassuring.

But fear still curled in my stomach.

Because this wasn't just a dream.

It was real.

And I had no idea what that meant.