~DABI~

Can someone explain to me why it feels like I'm bullshitting myself?

I didn't know how, but I had already gotten used to this place.

I felt like I had already done this all before. Seen this all before. Heard this all before. Felt this all before.

The kitchen - the small spaced kitchen- was filled with over-active living bodies. Incessant high pitched laughter filled the air. Loud excited screaming, even louder voices, took all the peace of the place as literally all the ladies on red uniforms, who spread out in an efficient division of labor, talked at length about rich men and occasionally threw shade at some females whose names I had heard from them, but couldn't store up in my long term memory.

The aroma of cooked meat and well prepared rice found it's way to my nose, fueling my entire system with strong cravings and I found myself, moping at the fried rice, beautifully garnished with carrots, green peas, and freshly cooked vegetables, being scooped from a huge pot, into a blue and white cooler.

"Zeelah! Check the other rice pot oo, before it burns!" The lady who was busy frying some pieces of chicken, shouted.

My eyes moved to the pot of food on the gas cooker as another lady hurriedly rushed over to it. I watched the red and blue flames beneath it, intently, curiously studying it. Strangely getting interested in it - the fire that was aggressive on the burner.

I imagined this kitchen on fire.

The smell of ginger and garlic brought me back to earth after my short fantasy. I breathed in, smiled, liked it. Liked the burn, the sting in my eyes. Loved the aroma.

She didn't notice, but I had propped in a piece of ginger into my mouth, from her tray, when she got distracted by all the laughing and gisting around her, and I chewed hard on it. It tasted better than it smelt.

My hands traced the white counter top slowly as I moved round the place, observing the place closely, and feeling like I knew it all too well already - the white painting on the wall, the fancy white counters, the large fridge by the mettalic door, the food items... I was used to it all by now.

And then I saw her..

I froze. Eyes widened in horror. Dread filled me up, paralysed me, left me transfixed on my feet. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.

Her work uniform was drenched in blood. From head to toe.. and it dripped, dripped, dripped down her dress, dripped down her legs, dripped down to the ground.

I opened my mouth to scream, but an airy croak left me. I choked. I choked on absolutely nothing. I just choked.

When I blinked, It was all gone. Everything. The blood on her uniform. Gone. There was no blood. Just a random lady in red uniform, doing her work.

It was never there..

Figures... That was why no one else in the kitchen, asides me, was horrified.

It was never there...

I realised I was holding a knife in my hand and I didn't understand how I ended up holding it. A faint memory of me, previously admiring how shiny the knife rack had looked once upon a time came to me. That didn't explain why I was holding one of the knives, but for some reason that wasn't quite clear to me, I didn't let go of the knife. I held it tight, tighter, tighter, suddenly feeling the urge to secure myself.

I watched another lady slam a large knife into a large piece of meat, cutting it easily in half, and I felt threatened. I didn't understand why.

I had half a mind to attack...

But I got distracted from her.

This other lady was talking and laughing in front of me, rapidly and perfectly chopping off some pieces of carrots on a tray.

I hadn't seen her before.. I hadn't seen this before...

I looked around the kitchen one more time, surveying it, observing it. The giggling, loud cooks, the food items, the gas cooker, the knife rack, I scanned through it all once more and that's when I realised...

I was moving around in circles.

I had done this all before. I had done this all before. I had done this all before.

This was exactly the sixth time I had walked around the circle of this kitchen, observing everyone and everything. Six times. Seven times. Eight times. Eight times. Eight times... and I didn't even realise it.

I was repeating my movements, my actions, seeing the same things, thinking the same thoughts.... and I didn't even realise it.

"Remember that Sandra girl, na! The one with big nyash, see as she dey mumu follow that big Alhaji because say he promise her bone straight!" She wasn't even watching the carrots she was chopping as she went on to a full gossip with the other women in the kitchen, laughing and making fun of this Sandra who apparently was kissing up to a rich old man because of expensive hair.

"You think it's a lie??" Her voice trailed off in my head when I closely watched what she was doing - turning her head to look back at the people she was talking to, while simultaneously, slicing the carrots in her tray.

She did this so effortlessly, slicing perfectly, even while not paying full attention to it.

I imagined her chopping off her fingers.

I imagined me chopping off her fingers. I looked to the knife in my hand, and my eyebrows moved up, eyes glinted. An idea hit me.

I was about to take action when her eyes suddenly moved from the people at her back, and landed directly on me.

Her eyeballs grew wide, terror dilated her pupils, and her mouth dropped in a second of static shock and absolute horror.

"The blood of Jesus!" She screamed at me.

All hell broke lose in the kitchen.

The ladies scattered. They were suddenly on the edge, hysterical, panicking, running away and nearly pushing off the next person, trying desperately to get away from something.

From... me?

"Who are you!" One screamed.

" How did you get in here!?" Another screamed.

"Ewooo!!! She's even holding a knife!" Another threw her hands on her head as she ran, accidentally tripping over a stray cooler and falling face flat on the ground, in the process.

I didn't budge at the commotion. I stayed still on my feet, feeling the need to grasp my knife tighter as I watched them freak out, as I watched the fire and brimstones breaking out in the kitchen.

I watched them.

I watched them.

I watched them.

I watched them.

I watched them.

Until I was out of the kitchen.

"Lulu!"

I heard the voice, calling out to me, but  I couldn't act. Strong hands were suddenly gripping my wrists tightly, holding the strongly together, as though trying to keep me in place, trying to stop me from attacking anyone.

"Lulu!"

My knife wasn't in my hands anymore. I was being held back, restrained. When I choked on the need for air, I realised that I was clutched around the neck, successfully being restricted from getting any air into my lungs. I found myself struggling with the greater physical force that was upon me.

"Lulu!"

Amidst the semi assault, I forced my head back to the familiar voice. Soma was running up towards me, eyes full of alarm, worry and confusion, as she raced towards me and my attacker.

"Help me!" I screamed to her and as soon as she got to me, the strong force on me let loose, giving me space to breathe, and shoving me towards Soma.

I sucked in gulps of air, trying to get back myself, whilst overhearing my attacker complain to Soma about something I did that wasn't clear to me.

".. and she was even holding a knife! Thank God I got her out of there before she seriously hurt anyone!" She was telling Soma while I was struggling for air.

I heard rushed apologies being muttered by Soma as she lent a helping hand towards me, helping me out and simutaneously apologising for something they said I did.

I gulped on the glass of water that was brought to my mouth and I didn't stop drinking until I could breathe again.

That's when my surrounding became clear to me.

"Dabeluchi," Soma called my name. "What were you doing in the Diner Kitchen with a knife?"

Diner.

Diner.

Diner.

I looked around me, to the fancy tables and seats, made of glass, and decorated with flowers. Beautiful lighting that illuminated the entire place, reflecting on the white coloured walls. Waiters, all around, walking by, and around, getting orders, and the people, couples, sitting around on specially pre-ordered tables, having dinner with each other.

Gomery. Yes, that was the name of the building we where in. The Diner, plus bowling alley - Gomery. We were standing in the counter of the Diner, and all eyes were set on us.

They were all staring.

I hated having people staring at me.

"What were you doing in the Diner Kitchen?" Soma asked again, eyes moping widely at me, waiting for a reasonable answer.

"I.. I don't know.." I whispered the truth.

I didn't actually know.

I don't remember how or why I got in there, in the kitchen.

"Ask her oo! Maybe she'll talk to you!"

She was still here.

The woman who tried to kill me earlier. The one who tried to strangle the life out of me.

I looked at her. She looked as strong as she was. Large arms, larger thighs, and a tight fitted uniform similar to the ones I saw the cooks wearing in the kitchen. A tight scowl squeezed on her middle aged, dark face, as she looked at me. This woman looked like she was made of concrete. No wonder she felt like a whole ass elephant on me.

"When you're asking her questions, she'll not talk oo! She'll just be looking at you as if you're not speaking English!" The woman complained bitterly about me to Soma.

"Ma, it's okay. I'm sorry about that." Soma said to her, reaching out a hand towards me.

I noticed it. The discolouration on her skin, that horrible scar that travelled from her wrist to the middle of her fore arm.

I had seen it a lot of times, yet it always seemed caught me off guard - Maybe because I sometimes forgot it existed on her?

Soma paused, confused, wondering why I refused to take her hand.

"What is your name?" The woman threw the question at Soma, distracting her from me. My eyes, however, could not leave that scar on her left hand.

"Me?" Soma blinked, straightened up, cleared her throught. "My name is Soma."

The woman scowled at her, unimpressed. "What kind of name is that?"

I found my patience growing thin with the woman. Slowly. Oh, so slowly.

However, Soma only nervously fundled with the pencil and drawing notepad with her unscarred hand and further answered, "Somadina is my full name. Somadina Best."

I wondered how it was so. I felt threatened by this woman questioning my friend and I had half a mind to attack. I wanted to bite her, do something to get her away from us.. yet, Soma acted unfeigned. She so temperal with her... like she always was with everyone. Soma always knew how to handle any form of bullshit, and I always wondered how.

"And Soma, how old are you? Who is your friend?? Where are you people from?? Did two of you come here to steal, ehh? Are both of you thieves?!" The woman spat at Soma.

"No, ma..I.." Soma surprised me by still being so patient, ever so gentle, even with such a nasty attitude that was being thrown at her.

"I'm seventeen, Ma." She said, tugged on the sleeves of the oversized green shirt I was wearing. "We're both seventeen years old... And no, Ma. I promise we didn't come to steal anything. I'm sorry for all the inconveniences. It won't happen again."

This woman seemed to be feeding off Soma's unconditional respectful nature, and I fought the urge to throw my shoe on her face.

"Ask your friend what she was doing in our kitchen oo, Soma!" The woman was still complaining.

"If you had seen how she was just standing there, looking at us like someone that is possessed and holding knife, KNIFE oo! Everybody was shouting, everybody was running, she was not talking. She was not moving." She continued.

I looked at her. I didn't even flinch.

Somehow, somehow, my brain suddenly froze over, refusing to recollect any short term detailed memory. I suddenly found myself, unable to properly decode or remember the cause of her anger.

What did I do again?

"They sent you, shebi? They sent you to kill one of us!" She looked at me, eyed me hatefully.

They did?

Did they?

I looked at her. She was furious. I frowned in confusion, tilted my head to the side as I studied the look on her face... And then, I got distracted, by her facial features... intently trying to understand why her eyebrows were so knit together.

Is that a uni-brow?

"Mental patient!" Her words stung like a bitch.

l visibly winced as they pierced into chest and snapped me out of that petty distraction.

It was like the whole thing slammed into my head, threatning a powerful migraine. I suddenly got reminded of why I was here again, standing in front of her.

"Don't call me that." I spoke. Calmly. Warning her. I knew why I warned her. I knew.

"Oh she talks!?" She exclaimed, mock stun all over her for a second before she looked me up and down again and muttered, before attempting to walk away, "Mental Patient!"

I saw it before it happened.

Something in me snapped and I felt a a sharp sting in my brain. The next thing I knew, I grabbed Soma's pencil and launched forward like a tiger towards the woman, aiming for her eyes and stabbing deep into one of them.

.. only it didn't happen.

I only imagined it.

"Lulu! Let's go!" Soma grabbed my hand. She didn't let me decide it I wanted to go with her or not, she just pulled me along anyway.

My head stayed turned back, watching the woman's dissapearing figure, as Soma dragged me out of the diner.

Then, I got confused all over again.

I suddenly couldn't remember anymore... Why I was so mad at her a few minutes ago. Why I wanted to hurt her so badly just now.

I couldn't remember at all.

Okay, so much for our lead female introduction 😂😂😂🔥🔥 Sooo, we finally got to go into Dabi's head and I'm dying to know what you think about her. What are your thoughts about Dabi? What do you think is wrong with her?

Warning: She gets stranger. I can't wait to explore this character with you guys!!!

Double updates tommorow!! Please tag people to read this book!!!🙃✨