Keywords:

Bom hi (pron. B -o-m- like gnome so bom h- e-e): Where is he?

Mey - little sister

Ba - older brother

E- yes

Mey- little sister

Fro ji- thank you

Nesta - cool, wild, amazing.

Ba - older brother

•Surayya

*One knock *Two knocks and I was gone. I wasn't even ready to try opening the door.

I was too tired to answer so I pretended to not be here but a third one came immediately and I just remained silent but the person decided to let themselves in so I had no choice but to straighten up.

And the worst thing happened—Sanusi came in and the first thing he noticed is me in a robe with a blunt in my hand. I had just taken the first puff and blew it out with a nasty cough.

Today I was looking for stronger intoxicant and  Darius has refused to give me anything so I went on a search to another city and I found Nelson in Gaso who was also Greg's burwa plug.

I heard my name even as his lips didn't move. I just imagined his bewildered shriek and dad-like, disappointed frown but he didn't wait for me to speak. He turned on his heels and left like that day. He might really kick me out.

"Sanusi please wait." I called "I can explain."

He doesn't turn back.

"Please listen."

He was still walking.

"I beg you ba." I'm holding his hand and his weight pulls me forward the further he moves.

He finally stops but still doesn't look at me "Today you remember I'm your older brother."

"Just listen."

"If you're going to lie save your breathe."

"Look at me—at least." I sniffed.

I began to cry as my knees hit the floor, the impact almost crushing my knees.

"Why?"

"I'm your sister—your mey." I wipe the tears in my eyes.

"What was that Surayya?" he sarcastically asks.

"It was my first time ever!" I add "That day."

"Everyone says that when they get caught." He shakes his head "I see you've become addicted."

"I'm telling the truth. That was my first time."

He nodded with a small grunt "That doesn't mean I believe you. You're also taking it today. You've become so used to it, you can't live without it." He looks at me with disgust.

I held his legs "Please ba."

"I've seen what I wanted to see, goodbye."

"Don't do this to me." I jump up from the floor to hold his arms before he enters the elevator.

He untangles himself from my hold and marched to the open doors angrily with his royal guard behind.

I realized begging would do nothing so I decided to go back to my room and lock myself up for the entire day. On getting up, I realize my breathing is not normal.

I'm struggling to suck in the air and exhale. My heart was racing and my feet just wouldn't help me up. My head began to hurt increasingly, like the rhythm to a drum beat, it aligned with the rate my heat was beating faster and faster till all I saw was black. I was able to call in someone by pressing my slave save button for anytime I needed a slave to do something for me.

Next I woke up in the infirmary with Bala by my side but not with Sanusi who I wanted to see the most.

"Bom hi?"

"He's not coming."

"Please tell him I'm sorry."

"What happened though? What got him so angry he couldn't even explain to me?"

"How do I say this without looking bad?" I closed my eyes. The dizziness was coming back. I only hoped I wouldn't faint again.

"Just say it." He urges me kindly with the connection of our hands.

I drag my hands out of his, throwing it in the air maniacally. "It's too embarrassing. I'm so ashamed of myself ba."

"You can tell me anything."

"Not this one." I cover my face so he can't see the tears even if I know he can hear me.

"Ok." He smiled sadly, rising from his seat "Whenever you're ready mey."

"Are you leaving?"

"E. I have work to do with your brother."

"When will you be back?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"Will you try and get him to come?"

"Sure thing."

"Fro ji."

"Anything for you." He rubs the back of my hand before leaving.

After a few hours of sleep, I feel better and my energy has been regained so I pull out the pin of the drip from inside my skin and sit up then I decide to call the one person I was sure didn't need to understand my pain or judge me to be in a space with me.

He was just always there and since the day we met outside our apartment we've never gone a day without talking. Unfortunately we weren't studying the same course and he was a year ahead of me but I was older.

"Greg, where are you?" 

"I'm at home."

"I'm hoping it's in Kindo."

"I wish."

"I live in Gaso."

"Damn."

"What's wrong?"

"I want to see you."

"Send your location. I'll come."

"No, I'll go to you."

I sneak out of the infirmary and find a driver to take me to the docks where I could get flown in Sanusi's new private jet.

I'd never flown before so it was a scary first experience but I wasn't deterred because I needed to be around someone who I could be happy around again without feeling guilty.

As soon as I descend the plane, I see Greg's tiny figure in the distance waving and I wave back too. I run down the stairs to meet him in the middle of the hangar.

"Hey." He grins, he seemed too excited.

"How are you?" He looks down at me with a cute smile. He was so damn tall. I could marry him for his height—his looks too.

"I'm good."

"Where will you take me to?"

"Anywhere you want to go." He claps and rubs his hands together.

"I've never actually been here. So I don't know where to go from here."

"I'll take you to a famous café first then we can head to my house."

"It'll be too crowded. I need a lowkey place. Can we order in?"

"If that's what you want." He whips out his phone and opens the café's app "What would you like to have?"

"Yoghurt with Rem and grapes."

"Ok. Let's go. It'll be taken to my house."

We enter his car and drive off to his house. He was always so modest about it so I didn't expect it to be this large.

It was so modern but was majorly medieval with the windows and doors. I was so excited to see the finishings inside—I was so sure it was better than what was back at the palace.

"Your house is massive!" I say when he pulls out the key from the ignition.

"Not as huge as yours." He smiles shyly. He rushed out to the side of my door and opens it for me "Mi lady."

Such a gentleman.

"I guess we've both got big houses." He plays with the curls of his auburn-dyed hair. I could tell he didn't enjoy talking about his wealthy life at home.

But again, who are his parents? That was your status in this country. You either had money or you were royalty. If you had neither, automatically you were a nobody.

And if you had money, from where? If no one knew your parents you'd be considered a pirate. End of story.

"Yup." I answer, standing awkwardly as he presses the button to lock the car doors.

"Where is your room located?" I try to make conversations because it was getting awkward.

"In the left wing of the mansion." He stated, swinging his arms and rolling the keys in his fingers as we strolled to the large entrance of the house.

We climb the wooden pathway decorated with flowers  leading to the front. So beautiful. Exquisite, I kept saying in my head. There was a pink pond underneath us with swans and flamingos that moved graciously from side to side. The most beautifully unplanned choreography I've ever laid eyes on.

Everywhere was more than one color, it was either blue or green and purple. Peonies scattered to our left, chrysanthemums to the right and daffodils hanging by the edges of the ponds and polished handle of the pathway.

He held my hand and we paused. I was so confused. I enjoyed it regardless. It was a new and exciting feeling but I would savour it. What if he was the close to being the one?!

"Do you want to see it?" He looks at me concerned.

I didn't know what I was feeling. Butterflies, jelly, I had no idea but I knew I felt like I could melt in a puddle because of our proximity but I had no feelings for him so what the hell was that in my gut?

"I'd like a tour of the place first." I want to take my hand out of his but I'm afraid it's too late because he felt I was comfortable with it when really I was just avoiding another weird conversation. We'd have to table it for another day. "It looks so good from the outside. I imagine the inside is as magnificent if not better."

He presses his thumb to the knob where I expected a key to be pushed into and the doors open wide.

He raises a brow up "Is everything ok?"

I was gaping shamelessly but he only looked scared for me.

"I'm great. It's just... everything is so... nesta!"

"The palace, I'm sure, is better. What are you saying?"

"Stop being modest."

"You're the princess and you're calling my house nesta."

"Its the truth I speak."

"Let's just go up." He's back to being serious again.

We climb the carpeted stairs, passing the maids and slaves as he showed me the rooms and explained who owned which.

At the moment we were in a dining room in the fourth floor. It looked like a replica of a room in the Louvre Pyramid in France. Paintings lined the roof and walls that was fixed with a long table decorated in jeweled cutlery and a table cloth of the finest texture.

He was definitely a pirate! He still hasn't spoken of his parents, what was I to think?

We take a door at the opposite end of the large room that led to a balcony with stairs. He took me down further and we ended up in the balcony of his room. The house had a thousand rooms and I wasn't exaggerating. He could live here forever and his parents would never see him. He claimed they lived in the right wing.

Wow, this was no lie. Everything was nesta! The balconies were connected with stairs on each floor. It breathed life into my soul in a way the palace didn't quiet fulfill with its fill of people and that crow Najma.

I don't hate her. I only wished she wasn't married to Sanusi.

The maids knock on the door just as he's at the wall trying to turn on the television with the press of his thumb. Everything was so futuristic. I had to have a talk with Sanusi to replace everything in my room if he didn't want these but that's after we resolve my smoking problem.

He puts it on and collects the food from a slave at the door and drops it on the table before us. He quickly grabs blankets for both of us from his closet and we get comfortable on his couch as he plays a famous Gasodi soap opera titled Prince of Smears.

I dip my grapes into my yoghurt, sprinkle some rem and munch noisily to annoy him as he sipped his boring tea with rem. Sometimes I felt like he was an old soul in a young body. He seldom enjoyed the things people our age did. No parties, no events, nothing interestingly crazy. All he wanted was rem tea, his prized burwa and a novel by Aisha Safiyanu.

The series ended and we were suddenly bored again, staring at each other for what I hope was a different reason from mine. I imagined were filming an advert in a daycare and we were the babies in seats that were too small for us speaking baby gibberish. What was his reason?

"Can we just watch a movie?" I quickly say, which comes out as a tiny squeal and I'm embarrassed but he doesn't show any emotion. He didn't care—or notice.

"Whatever you say." He presses the remote control and finds a new channel with a movie playing.

We start to watch for a while and realize it's boring so we switch off the tv and just stare up at the ceiling.

"Let's talk." He says sleazily. I'm not even sure I heard right but the way he said it could've fooled me. I'm convinced that I'm hearing things.

"About what?" I sulkily asked. I was not in the mood the talk. That was all I did all day. I was here for his comfort.

He doesn't say anything. His hands begin to slide onto my laps. He taps my lap, I actually think he's trying to get my attention but he moves up to my stomach. I rip his hands of my body before he reaches my chest and move up from the couch.

"What are you doing?"

"I thought you'd like that." he combs his hair with his hands. Damn you! He was like white chocolate. I needed to stop getting distracted by his appearance.

"Stay away from me." I spit, moving backwards. He stays where I tell him to.

I pick up my things and call Nazeeha to come and get me. Today couldn't get any weirder—they were cousins.

****

Can we talk about the fact that my older brother hates me and wants nothing to do with me? I've begged, I'm planning to write him a letter but I can only do so much.

I'm pretty sure he has done it too—in Middle Form school—if not later on—but I don't care. I managed to find my way back to Kindo with Nazeeha's help and now I'm standing outside his office, prepping myself on what to tell him when I barge in but it's too late—the palace secretary walks out and sees me there, his eyes widen but he doesn't say anything as he walks off.

For the what? Second time I killed a man in my life. Sanusi hasn't got it harder than me by just being King—granted he was babysitting a whole kingdom—that didn't mean he was traumatized as I was. The memory wouldn't stop replaying in my head. I know I am a murder TWICE in this lifetime.

I shut the door and sit on a chair. Sanusi frowns then breathes out "Where are you coming from?"

"Ba please listen." The fear has come back.

"You disregard me by running off to another country and you think I won't punish you?" He was calm, gentle even but that didn't stop the rage from showing in his eyes. He had had enough, I was sure of that. "Leave—the slave will come with the message of your punishment later."

"I can't."

"I won't repeat myself." He was dead serious.

My nose flares and I stare straight at him, scared if I looked elsewhere the tears would fall out.

"I killed a man." I boldly state, winced at the image I saw in my head "Again."

If I didn't say it now, he would never hear it.
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What are your thoughts?

Btw after this update I won't update unless y'all can get me to 50 likes and 100 comments by next week.

It'll be the same for the following chapters.

-AishaSafiyanuXO💚