Episode 8
NAOMI
According to report, Joan was an only daughter. I felt bad…she shouldn’t had died. But then, the deeds has been done.
For days, I was mourning her death, skipping meals and giving out my snacks to other students, but before the following week, I was up on my feet again with the conviction that she got exactly what she deserves. Who makes mockery of a beareaved? Referring to my friend as an ordinary mouse?.
The incident was waded off and concluded as an attack from her father’s house. After her burial, which we the students also attended, life went on.
The next person on my list was a girl named Clara, the newest student in my class then.
Before her arrival, I was enjoying the attention I was getting from other students as the fairest kid in, not only my class, but the entire school as a whole.
But with her presence in the school, everything changed. All the attention were shifted towards her because of her glowing skin and jovial personality. Everyone wants to be around her. She made lots of friends in just few days in school.
You don’t expect me to be happy about that, do you?. Well, it wasn’t funny to me, so I did something to get back at her for stealing my shine.
I visited her bunk one night with the intention of s*****g the blood out of her, and sending her home half-dead like I did to Dolly.
But I couldn’t explain what happened on her bed that night. All I knew was that something kept me back from getting closer to her…. something like a shade from lightening. The light shone so bright against my eyes, causing me to lose balance and falling down the double bunk.
“Ouch!”. I moaned in pains.
With the last strength I had, I crawled to my bed. I thought about what happened all night.
After that failed attempt to destroy Clara, my hatred for her increases, yet I didn’t give up on my quest to destroy her. Infact, I wanted her out of the school, and if possible, out of the world entirely.
At the end, I came up with a plan….to give her a spiritual sweet. The sweet was to make her sick, and she would have no other options than to leave the school.. But then, I was faced with the challenge of how to issue the sweet to her.
I hated her, and I’ve made it obvious from the very day she came into the school. We don’t talk, we don’t associate with each other in any way at all. And I knew that in order to get her take the sweet from me, I needed to fake peace with her.
So one monday morning in the dorm, while we were all getting ready for class, I overheard her begging bathing water from one of her friends. I was sitting on the down bunk applying oil on my body.
“Clara, I gave you water yesterday. I’m not giving you again today”. The girl said.
“Please, Susu. I promise to give you back in the afternoon”. She was pleading, but the girl refused.
I saw that as the opportunity I sought. So as they continued dragging it, I pulled at my jerican by the foot of the bed. I think I still have enough to last me till the next morning.
“Bring your bucket, and come take from mine”. I said.
She was surprised and couldn’t hide it.
“What? you?. Naomi?”. She exclaimed.
I smiled.
“I’m not the bad person you made me look like”. I said.
“Are you being serious right now?”. She asked to be sure.
“Yes, come and take from here”. I said, pointing at my jerican.
She took the water, thanked me, and went to take her bath. I waited for her to get ready, and we left for class together.
From that day onwards, we became best of friends.
We were together for one week before I finally offered her the sweet.
“Thank you, but no thank you. I don’t take things from strangers”. She said.
I was taken aback.
“And who is a stranger? Me?. Clara, I thought we are friends?”. I asked.
“Yes, we are, but I don’t accept things from anyone. That’s just the way I was brought up”. She explained.
Just then, another student grabbed the sweet from my hand.
“Thank you, Naomi”. She said, already opening it.
Before, I could say a thing, she already thrown it into her mouth and licking noisily.
I was pained.
The next morning, the girl was found half-dead and rushed down to the school clinic. Two days later, her parents were called to come take her out for treatment.
My next attempt was a failed one too. Clara pleaded with me to help her collect her food from the kitchen. I did, and tried to bewitch her through it, but when I got to the hostel, she wasn’t in the room.
“Did you see my friend?”. I asked one random girl in the hostel.
“Who?, Clara?. Madam Beatrice sent for her”. She replied.
I forgot to mention. She has also become madam Beatrice’s favourite, always going in and out of her office.
“For what?”. I asked.
“Do I know?”. The girl shrugged.
I put the food under her bunk, awaiting her return. But she didn’t return until later in the evening around 6pm.
“What have you been doing in madam Beatrice’s office?” I blurted out.
“I was helping her arrange some files. Why are you behaving like a jealous lover?”. She teased.
I tried to comport myself.
“It’s just that your food ..”. I pulled the flask from under the bed.
She took it from me, opened it and shook her head.
“I can’t eat this anymore”. She said.
“Why?”. I asked
“It’s gone cold, and I don’t eat cold food”. She said, putting the flask down.
I was so angry that I left her there and went off to my corner. When she called me later at night for dinner, I told her to go ahead without me.
“Stupid girl”. I muttered under my breath after she left.
The next day was our morale instructions. During the usual praise session, I overheard the voice calling from outside the hall…. yeah it happens all the time.
“Naomi, Naomi, come over here and eat with us”.
“Excuse me, senior. May I go out and ease myself?”. I pleaded with one SS 3 girl standing beside me with a stick in her hand.
“You again?. I’m giving you just two minutes”. She said, patting my back gently with the cane.
I stood up, dropped my hymn book and hurried out. But then before I could get to the door, I heard a harsh voice calling after me.
“Stop right there!”. It thundered. And on turning, I saw madam Beatrice approaching me quietly.
“Danger!”. I muttered silently.
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#Story from Joy Ifunanya
