chapter sixteen

All the way home Keisty was ecstatic with excitement. She could hardly wait to get home and break the news to auntie Yolei and Deborah. She halted the car beside the water fountain with a jolt that the tyres screeched, then she ran into the house.

I had to follow after her carrying both her satchel and mine. By the time I stepped through the doors, l saw Deborah nodding to a breathless Keisty zealously sharing her merriment.

Keisty made Deborah promise that she won't tell auntie Yolei. She wanted to be the one to tell her herself. I realized that Keisty loves to surprise people and she doesn't want anyone to do it for her. It explained to me the reason why she was angry at Stewart for being the one to introduce me to the school.

I was feeling exhausted from the eventful day. After stepping out of my uniform, l went straight to bed. It didn't take long for consciousness to slip away.

Someone was gently breathing on my neck. I slowly opened my eyes and had to shield them a bit from the bright white morning rays filtering through long white lacy curtains and reflecting on the bright white walls of the large room.I started opening my eyes slowly to adjust to the blinding brightness.

I looked up at the extravagant high white ceilings with golden candle chandeliers. I tilted my head to the windows, the morning breeze was blowing the curtains graciously making them look like an elegant virgin maiden dancing in the purity of her white unsullied innocence. I laughed at my imagination.

"What are you laughing at", a low soft melodious voice called from underneath the blanket followed by a little shift.

I turned with a smile to the source of the musical voice. An angelic bright white face was smiling submerged between a large fluffy pillow and a white duvet. Sparkling black eyes as a calm sea under a starry night sky. The skin smooth and white almost as the pillow and the bed cover hiding her small lithe feminine form.

"Nothing. Being with you make me very happy. I always feel like l want to laugh with joy"

"Are you implying that l look funny?", she said with a frown.

"No!, it's not that. You are beautiful both in soul and body. I can't help to doubt if l am not still dreaming to wake up with you on my side. At the same time l don't want to wake out of this dream l had rather die in it and keep on..."

She put her forefinger on my lips to stop me"Why do you always have dark words coming out of your mouth? It's still morning, look and it's bright, let's not spoil it".

With that we just stared into each other's eyes. Not a word passing through our lips but our eyes conversing in depths that no word could speak.

Those eyes, those sea black eyes.

Her white skin started to brighten more blending with the bed, the sheets, the walls, the light, everything until she started fading into the light of the room.

"Don't go! Please don't go! Don't leave me l beg you, please please please!"

"Arielle, it's okay. I'm here alright, stop crying", a sweet voice coaxed.

I opened my eyes with a start and briskly sat up. I screamed seeing a figure sitting on the side of my bed through my still hazy sight.

"It's me honey, l'm here. Come, it's okay", l recognized that it was auntie Yolei's voice.

I wiped my eyes which were blurred by the tears. I could feel that my cheeks were wet from crying in my sleep. My entire body was convulsing from the bitter reminiscence.

Auntie Yolei scooted closer and l fell into her arms. She softly embraced me rubbing her hand on my back to comfort me. I started to feel cold. I felt my nightdress clinging to my body with sweat.

Deborah walked in through the door courteously holding a glass of water on a folded dishtowel like it was some very precious jewel. Auntie Yolei straightened me so that l could drink from the glass.

"Arielle dear, you cried for a long time in your sleep, you need to drink this", auntie Yolei said pitifully looking at my wet body.

Deborah knelt beside my bed and brought the water glass to my lips. I gulped down the entire contents but l felt an after taste when Deborah had drawn the glass away. I frowned looking at auntie Yolei.

"Don't worry, it's just a little solvent that will sooth your mind and nerves so that you may be able to sleep again. It's still two o'clock in the morning".

I nodded.

The tablet must have had a very active formula because l immediately started to feel light headed. Both auntie Yolei and Deborah expectantly looked at me.

"Are you feeling better?", auntie Yolei asked and I nodded.

She shifted her body a bit to face me. Her face looked deeply concerned. She hesitated a little.

"Arielle, what were you dreaming?", she asked.

I don't know if it was because of the drug she had given me but l was feeling bold to ask anything.

"Who was l before the hospital?"

I noticed auntie Yolei tense and moved her gaze to my palms. She lightly placed hers in mine comfortingly and rubbed her thumb on the back of my hand. She started talking without looking into my eyes.

"Arielle dear, you will get to know that soon enough. For now it's best left this way. But you didn't answer my question, what did you dream about?"

I told her of beautiful girl fading with the light. I asked her if she knew the girl with the sea black eyes and very white skin. She said she doesn't know her. For some reason, she sighed with relief as though she feared that l was going to ask her of someone else.

I wanted to ask more questions but my eye lids started to drop and l started dozing whilst seated. Auntie gently drew me off the bed and Deborah hurriedly changed the bedcovers. What followed after that, l could not remember.

The next morning l was woken up by Deborah putting the back of her palm on my forehead. I opened my eyes and saw her tenderly looking at me with a mother's affection.

She stroked my hair softly then leaned down to kiss my forehead. Her eyes remained looking into mine. I tried to get up but she stopped me with her hand.

"You are naked", she said.

She walked to my bathroom and came back with a long soft towel then put it on my bedside.

"You must go and take a bath. Auntie Yolei is waiting for you. She wants to go to work with you."

"But am l not supposed to be at school today?", l asked.

"No auntie Yolei said she wants you to be close to her for today. She wants to see if you are alright now".

"What about Keisty?", l asked.

"She's already gone to school, don't worry. Besides, it's already nine o'clock, you can't go to school now. Now quick, auntie Yolei is already late for work", she said walking to the door and left.

I took a bath, brushed my teeth and my hair. I dressed in a long dark blue dress and black glittered slippers which were not visible because of the lengthy dress. I let my hair freely fall on my back then walked out of my room.

I met auntie Yolei and Deborah in the kitchen. Auntie Yolei was sipping a steaming herbal tea whilst Deborah was slicing sandwiches into triangles and preparing two lunch boxes.

When l entered the room, auntie Yolei looked at me. "How are you feeling honey?"

"Good, thank you. And good morning auntie. Good morning Deborah."

"Good morning ", they both replied in unison.

"You can wait for me in the car. I will be there in a minute.", auntie Yolei said.

I walked out of the house and stepped into the bright sunny day. The day was looking very heavenly, the birds chirping and the flowers giving off their sweet aroma. I realized it was my first day seeing the yard in the afternoon.

I walked to the car and stepped in. The cars air conditioner was on sensing that the car keys were within a close range.

After a little while, auntie Yolei walked out of the house with Deborah following with the launch boxes piled one over the other. Her other hand was holding two big bottle drinks by their strap handles.

Auntie Yolei stepped into the car and sat in her driver's seat then pulled down her window. Deborah reached auntie Yolei the lunch boxes through the window then waited.

"Arielle is there anything you might have forgotten?, you can ask for it now while Deborah is still here" , auntie Yolei said looking at me.

I thought for a second then shook my head. Auntie Yolei turned to look at Deborah and Deborah just nodded then walked back to the house. Auntie Yolei started the car and in no time were we in the crowded city roads.

"I heard that both you and Keisty are nominees for the Miss Aquila this term ", she said driving into the hospital premises.

"Yes"

"I'm glad to know that l'm raising beautiful girls ", she said smiling as she pulled into the reserved underground parking lot.

"How can anyone not grow beautiful under your caring hands and Deborah's gentle ones."

She turned to look at me then smiled affectionately. I felt a warmth swelling in my heart. For that moment we just looked at each other without any words but it felt right.

We stepped out of the car and auntie Yolei led me to her office. It was a large modern styled office with a white interior. There were silver funnel lamps on the walls and vases with small palm trees by the walls.

"You can seat on that couch and eat your food. I'm surprised you haven't complained about hunger yet because yesterday you went to bed without eating supper".

"I was so exhausted yesterday".

"Arielle by the way, did something happen at school yesterday?", she asked with a serious tone.

"No, why?", l asked but already fearing that my plan has somehow been discovered or maybe someone leaked the information.

"Deborah told me that you came from school and just went straight to your room. I asked her to wake you up when supper was ready but she said you looked too exhausted that it would be a pity to disturb your sleep."

For some reason I started feeling unsettled. She sounded like she was knowing something. Making up a story wouldn't be very wise at times like this.

"I was excited about being nominated", l however lied.

"Yesterday, Keisty gave me a note", Auntie Yolei's words caught my full attention.

"What note?", l asked confused.

Auntie Yolei sighed then stood from her swiveling office chair and came to seat beside me on the couch. She angled herself in my direction then took my hands  to make me face her.

"The other note that said something about knowing who you are", she said it looking deeply into my eyes.

I quickly remembered the first note. My heart lurched at once. I had forgotten about the third note.

At the realization, my eyes widened. I drew one hand from her hold and put it to my chest. I was feeling like l wanted to faint but it was only because I had held my breathe for too long.

"Hey, breath. Your face is turning white", auntie Yolei said despite the situation.

I sharply inhaled. I have escaped many hard talks with auntie but this time I felt that l couldn't possibly escape this one.

"Arielle, now it's just the two of us, no Deborah, no Keisty or anyone. Now tell me, did that exhaustion and that dream come by themself or someone else triggered it."

When she said that, a new revelation flashed like an unveiled bride. Someone triggered it. I remembered the girl who straddled me in the gymnastics auditorium had the same eyes. It's her, the one l dreamed of.

"The girl who straddled me in the auditorium is the girl l dreamt of. I'm just realizing it now that when she straddled me, she made me look into her eyes. That was all she did, she didn't want to hurt me or anything. For all the while, she was trying to imprint her eyes in my memory. Maybe she wanted to bring back my memory because she looked familiar in my dream"

At hearing my words, auntie Yolei looked into the distance. She looked like she was deep in thoughts, somewhat dazed by my words. She cleared her throat then looked at me.

"Arielle dear, try not to think about it okay. It might cause you to become restless. Just try to forget about that girl okay. And don't ever take or read her notes again, she is promising you the answers that we are eventually going to give you. It's just that right now is not the right time, knowing somethings might hurt you right now. You are not yet ready okay." I nodded. "Good girl"

"Now wait in here until Keisty comes to pick you up", she said walking back to her chair and smiling like nothing had happened.

"I'm still going?", l asked with new joy surging in my heart.

"Of course you are, did you think l was going to let you miss such a special event." She said chuckling. "You would be angry at me wouldn't you. Now l think Keisty will be here around four so that you can get good time to dress nicely tonight."

I couldn't help but smile at the thought. Suddenly l remembered that I had made a totally different plan for the night. Remembering auntie Yolei's words now made me want to drop the act but at the same time l knew it was too late to back out. As l am seated right now, someone is busy preparing a spy gear.

There is nothing to do but to just get it over with. After all, l am the mastermind.