This chapter is dedicated to pweety_1 She has been very encouraging. She just opened a review shop. So if your a writer in need of a review, head over to her page and fill out the form.

Above is a picture of Happiness.

Enjoy.

                      ~°~°~°~°~

"Welcome miss Tatiana," Miss Ebun greeted immediately I stepped into the living room.

The maids were seen as always, cleaning the whole place. Sometimes, I wonder if they ever take a break.

"Thank you," I muttered as I started walking passed her. I was in a hurry. I wanted to go upstairs, into Tatiana's room.

"Your father's still at work and your mother is also at the mall, trying to make sure it runs smoothly." Now I was beginning to wonder if she was the chief maid, or my personal assistant.

Recently, I had come with the fact that mother, wasn't a house wife. In fact, she was the owner of a very big mall. And that was where she normally finds herself during the day.

"Your father had said I should inform you that he had gotten you a new phone, since the previous one got lost inside the river." Ebun went on and on about all the information she was sent to pass on.

"Yeah yeah," I mumbled at her, and began my journey upstairs. "Thanks."

I walked into T's room and sighted a phone case on her princess tent bed. It was the newest iPhone.

Auntie be iPhone owner o!

I rushed to the bed and grasped the phone case with happiness. I began to open the case, but then stopped.

I wanted to do something. I was rushing to T's room for a reason. I sat on the bed and placed the phone case aside, as I tried to storm my brain.

Soon it occurred to me, as an imaginary light bulb appeared above my head. I got up from the princess bed, to access the room.

"If I was T," I mumbled to myself. "Where would I hide something very personal?"

I squatted down to look under the bed. "Not under the bed, that's for sure. The maid would find it and dispose of it. So then where?"

My eyes stopped at the wardrobe in front of me. "What about..." I stopped talking and rushed to the corner, where T's reading table and chair were located. I grasped the chair, and began pulling it with all my might, till I arrived at the front of the wardrobe.

I stepped on the chair and stretched my body, so I could be able to see the top compartment. My eyes socket felt like it would pop out any minutes, as I forced it to examine the top section on the huge wardrobe.

My eyes sighted something unusual. Under the pile of neatly folded outfit, was a pinkish colored locked book. I stretched my arms towards it and retrieved it. Once done with that, I got down from the chair and strode over to the bed.

I examined the book wrapped around my little fingers. It happened to be a diary .

Tatiana's diary.

I knew I was breaking boundaries. I knew I had no right to go through T's personal stuff. But the girl literally dragged me into her mess. And if by looking at her personal journal would give me some clues, then I'm gonna take it.

I opened the diary, to be greeted with Tatiana's breathtaking handwriting.

Jan. Monday 15, 2019.

Dear diary.

Today at school, I saw him. He was as astonish as ever before. I knew within me that my feelings for him was growing day by day, but I just couldn't. He isn't for me, cause I know he likes someone else. My best friend, Happiness.

I want to ask him out, but I know I'd just be wasting my time. I see as he stares at Happiness in the class. Although Happiness isn't aware of all his stares, but I was.

I decided to skip through the rest of her girlish rants about boys and shoes and bags and...... Well you know what I was driving at.

Pages upon pages later, something finally caught my attention.

Thursday 25, 2019.

Dear diary.

I got into a fight with my best friend today. Happiness has realized about my crush's feelings towards her and the both of them have become lovey dovey lately.

I wanted to move on. I swear, I wanted to.

There's this guy that has been asking me out for weeks now and I decided he would be the best distraction.

I told happiness about Kingsley, the same boy that has been asking me out. But she declined, saying he wasn't the best for me.

I stopped reading for some seconds. "I knew it!" I fist bombed the air. The satisfaction of getting something right for the first time, fueled me up.

"Happiness and Tatiana are close friends. Close enough for a psycho stalker to send me a disturbing note." I stopped my rants and focus on the writing words in her diary.

She felt he was a player that wanted to use me and display his achievements to his friends, cause he isn't a secondary school boy. He's a student of Unilag and is currently in his third year. But I actually don't see anything wrong in him. He's sweet and affectionate towards me.

I felt like slapping Tatiana with sense, but I couldn't. She wasn't here and might never be. I moved on, hoping to see more revealing item - Like what must have happened to Happiness, if she was dead or alive. How to find Kingsley and most importantly, who her crush was. But the rest of the pages seemed blank, nothing to help my curious mind.

I arrived at the last page of the diary and what was staring back at me made me shudder, as shivers went through my spine.

My eyes moved at each words, not leaving anything untouched.

I DESERVE TO DIE.

                      ~°~°~°~°~

Good thing I knew Judith's number like it was my very own. Why wouldn't I? When Judith's phone was practically mine too, before Tatiana had decided to gift me with one.

I kept on trying her number, while pacing back and forth. But the lady on the phone kept on saying, "The number you're calling is on another call. Please try again later."

Damn Judith!

I was so sure she was busy talking to one of those her rich internet boyfriends. If she knew I was at Lekki this very moment, she would scream so loud, that it would wake up the heavens.

I decided to try her number for the very last time.

"Hello?" Her voice filled my ear, which made me come to the fact of me missing my best friend.

"Judith?" I decided to play it cool, so as to not freak her out.

"Yeah?" Judith answered back. "Who am I speaking with?"

I knew I was gonna break the bomb shell sooner or later, so why not do it now. "Uyai," There was nothing but silence, to the fact that I thought she had hung up on me. "Hello?"

"If you think you can just call me and play some stupid disturbing joke, while using my dead best friend's name, then you must be insanely stupid!" I winced, as I pulled the phone away from my ear, upon hearing her last words.

I never knew Judith could ever get this serious on the phone, I haven't seen her gotten this serious. "Judith, it's truly me."

"Uyai?" Her voice was very low, that it took the grace of God to have heard her.

"Yes," I reassured her calmly.

"B-But it's impossible," She stuttered on the phone. "I-I__"

"It's truly me Judith," I still tried to reassure her. I thought she would have recognized my voice, but I guess it was hard to do so on the phone.

"If you're my best friend Uyai," She stated on the phone. "Then, what's my favorite colour?"

"Orange," I replied with ease.

"Favourite hobby?"

"Admiring boys," I replied, while checking my fingernails.

"Favorite meal?" She asked slowly this time.

"You don't have one. You're a FFO." I laughed a bit at that.

Judith tried to stifle a chuckle at her end. "Most embarrassing moment?"

I stopped to think of her most embarrassing moment. "There was this day, when our school was going on a road trip and we were both seated at the very back. I remembered clearly that you wanted to pee so bad but the bus wouldn't stop cause we had just passed the relaxation center."

I paused a bit to recollect my thought. "I remembered telling you to pee at the relaxation point, but you were foaming Marlian. Back to the bus." I decided to go back to the story. "Your pee was making you uncomfortable and sweaty. And we both knew that if you weren't careful, you'd pee on your pant."

I tried to control my laughs, as I went on. "So you brought out your lunch box and forced me to cover you from any prying eyes. As I did so, you secretly peed in your lunch box."

Silent, that was all I could hear. Was she even on the phone? I wasn't sure. "Gosh," Judith finally breathed out. "That was so embarrassing."

"Wait!" She exclaimed again, not even missing a beat. "You're really Uyai!"

I laughed a bit. "I told you so."

"Watin come happen na?" She went back to her ghetto tone. "I think say Corona catch you."

"Thunder fire you!" I used my hand to form the Waka sign, as if she was in front me.

"Just kidding," She laughed at the other end. "Everyone thought you were dead. I mean, we all saw your thorn clothes and all."

I sighed on hearing that. "Judith, I don't know how my clothes left my body, neither do I know how it went to the surface. And also, I don't know what you'd tell your parents." I paused, not for effect, but because I wanted my next words to sink in. "But I want you to make a trip."

Judith, whom I'm sure was feeling confused, finally asked. "Trip? What trip?"

I bit my lower lips. This might come out too sudden, but I needed Judith, someone that I was sure could help me out in this mess Tatiana had dragged me into. I needed her ASAP.

"How would you like to make a trip to Lekki?"

Eddy : That's it for today *sighs*

Questions goes to our Fellow detectives reading this book.

Do you think Happiness is dead or Alive? And why?

Who do you think was Tatiana's crush and why did she write those disturbing words at the end of her diary?

Vote. Comment. Share.

Stay tune for next update.

Next update : Wednesday

Words : 1813

Till next time,

Much love,

X
-Eddy