The Demigods

Chapter1: Kidnapped

'Dad, dad, can you hear me?" I asked, 'yes, I can hear you" Came the reply, 'I'm sorry about mom, she's upset," s I said "what about you?" He asked, "I'm upset too" I said, he sighed "I'm sorry that I have to leave it's for your own good" he said "okay" I said "look, I'll come over.." he was cut off by a loud crash, my heart beat wildly, I heard the some people talking but their voices were to hushed for me to hear "dad? Dad? Can you hear me?" I asked desperately, "is he your son?" A voice asked it was deep and echoing like two people talking at once. It sounded demonic. "Leave him alone" I heard my dad reply, I frowned what's going on? The man that spoke laughed sending shivers down my spine it was a horrible sound it sounded like the screams of the dead, "today brave hero is when you die" said the man, I heard a scratchy sound like something was being drawn out my heart beat faster as it heard a horrible squelching sound like something was being stabbed, the screamed as my mother rushed into my room she removed the phone from my grasp as I narrated what happened in between sobs.
That was a year ago, although I tried to convince my mom that he was murdered but the doctors told her that he was involved in a fatal accident either ways he was dead and my mother was yet to move on. I was also yet to move on but I had to be strong for my mother, even though that phone call haunted me every night making me scared to pick up my phone to answer any phone calls, every night the man's chilling laughter haunted me, I began to hear his voice and laughter wherever I went like a spirit following me.
I woke up and slowly got out of my bed I checked the time 5:45 am I had to wake up early every school day because my school was far from my house and my mother needed to be at work early, I padded into my bathroom, brushed my teeth and took a shower, I put on my school uniform a simple white collar shirt, navy blue and black striped trousers, a navy blue blazer and a navy blue tie, with white socks and black shoes, I grabbed my school bag and climbed downstairs, my mother was there making our breakfast of fried yam and egg, 'E kaaro mama mi' i greeted my mother she insisted that I learnt how to speak yoruba even though my father was not Yoruba or Nigerian he was ghanian, she nodded her head in response to my greeting as I took over from her, she didn't talk much these days, my father's death having a great impact on her mental health something she refused to admit. I finished cooking our food, I turned off the gas and dished our food, 'e dupe' she said as she picked up her fork and began to eat her food I joined her taking a bite of my yam,my mother pushed her plate forward signifying she had finished eating her plate was still half full, I glanced at her she had lost a lot of weight and her appetite had reduced drastically, "mom, you need to eat" I told her, she shook her head "I am okay, let's start going" she said as she stood up and grabbed her car keys, I washed out the plates and grabbed my bag following her out of the house I locked the door putting the keys in pocket , we entered her blue camry and drove off.
My mom pulled up in front of the huge greystone building that was St. Felicia secondary school, the Nigerian and school flag stood proudly in front of the school campus billowing In the wind, my mother parked in the parking lot in our usual space, students and teachers had just started to trickle into school I unbuckled my seat belt, she gave me a brief hug as I left the car, I watched as she drove away.
I entered the school building greeting the receptionist, as I entered I made my way down the hallway, "Dem!" My best friend Ivie yelled as she ran towards me, I smiled at her "aha this one that you're quiet what happened?" She asked nothing" I replied, she frowned at me but it soon disappeared when she spotted Tunde walking towards us "Tunde!" She yelled as she ran towards him crushing him in a hug he smiled at her fondly as she let go of him "Aha Dem why are you so quiet" he asked, "same thing I asked o but he told me he was fine" she said "I'm fine" I protested they eyed me warily, as we entered our class, year 10a, luckily we sat next to each other so it was easy for us to gossip, "so Dem-Dem what happened to you did you do anything during the summer" she asked "well, I went to my uncle's house in Abuja, It was nice expect his dog that kept trying to eat my slippers" i said, Tunde chuckled "I wish I had a dog" Ivie mused "better get a small dog o, my own dog is too big, and it keeps trying to jump on me" said Tunde, "if your dog jumps on you, he will kill you" I joked, Ivie laughed "well, my dad said he was going to kill him" said Tunde "why?" Ivie and I asked "last week when we were sleeping my dog just started barking my dad rushed out with his rifle, he started shooting thin air thinking there were armed robbers when he now calmed down, he realized that there were no thieves, the dog just started barking for nothing" said Tunde, "my dad looked like he wanted to kill the dog" he added "what were you doing?" I asked "sleeping, it was my mom that told me what happened in the morning" he said, "nawa o, gunshots didn't wake you up?" Ivie asked in disbelief, "this one that when his house is on fire that he'll still be sleeping" I said, "Atai!" Hashirat squealed as she ran towards her best friend, said girl laughed gently as a swarm of students surrounded her, Ivie eyed her in distaste, according to the set of year 10a, Atai Ekpo is the most popular and prettiest girl, with light skin commonly referred to as oyibo skin, a small nose, almond shaped dark eyes long eyelashes, long black, thick curly hair that was plaited in the common hairstyle, two steps, she was curvy, "she looks like a fifteen year old prostitute" Ivie muttered loud enough for us to hear, Tunde elbowed her "aha, is it because you like her" she said as she turned to me "abeg, better person, doesn't she look like a prostitute?" Ivie asked, I glanced at Atai her skirt was short so it barely covered her legs stopping mid-thigh, her shirt hugged her too tightly and her first two buttons were open exposing a her chest a little "she's not decent" I replied simply "when, this one is here hitting me because I said the truth" she said glaring at Tunde.
Class began with most dreaded subject, geography, "this week I will be assigning partners for the presentation due next week" said Mr. Jide, "and as usual I will be pairing you myself" he said as he surveyed the class, I prayed that he partnered me with someone that got decent grades in geography, "Demelovo Abadio and Atai Ekpo" said Mr
Jide, I groaned Atai was notorious among teachers and students for never submitting her assignments on time, "I feel sorry for you" said Ivie. After geography was chemistry which we had in the lab, then marketing, math and then civic education before lunch, "I'm so hungry" Tunde complained as we waited for Ivie to finish using the toilet "she should hurry up or I'll leave her" I muttered as Atai walked out of the bathroom, Ivie behind her, she walked towards us and stopped on front of me, eying me seductively, I frowned "what do you want?" I asked, she smiled "I need your phone number for the project" she said "do you have a pen and paper?" I asked "I'll go and get them" she said as Ivie glared at her, she turned to me "you better not let her touch you o" she said "what do you mean?" I asked Tunde and Ivie looked at me like I was stupid "didn't you see the way she was eying you?" Tunde asked "very soon she will drag you into the empty classroom and have her way with you" said Ivie "how do you know this?" I asked as we waited for Atai "see this one, somebody that has slept with students and teachers, how do you think she passes her classes" said Ivie, I frowned as Atai walked towards us pen and paper in hand, I wrote down my phone never and she gave me hers, she left winking at me.
Lunch went by fast the school provided us with delicious food contrary to the belief that school food tasted horrible "I'm so full" said Tunde as we walked down the campus, some boys were playing football others basketball, I wasn't too keen on sports even though I knew how to play basketball, "when you packed a mountain of rice on your plate" said Ivie as we sat down on one of the many benches in the campus, "I was hungry" he protested "eh so why are you now complaining?" Said Ivie as Atai walked towards us, Hashirat behind her, "lap dog" Ivie muttered under her breath as Atai plopped down beside me "what are you doing here?" I asked discreetly shifting away from her, "I came to discuss our project with you" she said, "alone" she added, Tunde and Ivie left sending me looks of pity, right now it was just Atai and I and she was sitting so close to me she might have well been seating on my lap, "so" she said as she placed a hand on my chest and dragged it down lower until it was nearly touching my crotch I grabbed her hand and placed it on her lap "don't touch me" I said as she rolled her eyes "stop acting so innocent I saw you staring at me this morning" she accused, "your uniform was too short" I said, she laughed, "I know" she said as she shifted closer to me so she was on my lap, she caressed my face with her hand I shuddered this was very uncomfortable, the bell rang and I stood up knocking Atai of my lap, she fell but luckily I managed to catch her "sorry, I have to go" I said as I left knowing I was going to be doing the project on my own.
School closed three hours later, my best friends and I making our way to the gazebo were we waited for our parents, "so what happened between you and Atai?" Ivie asked through a mouthful of caramel popcorn, "she tried to touch me" I said as Tunde dug his hand Into Ivie's popcorn she smacked his hand and he stuck out his tongue at her I rolled my eyes at their childish antics, "so what did she do?" Tunde asked "she sat on my lap and tried to touch my crotch" I replied, as Ivie shook her head in disgust "and I feel like I'll have to do this assignment on my own" I said "I'm so sorry" said Tunde not sounding sorry, I spotted my mom amongst the sea of parents, "I'm going home" I said "bye" said Tunde and Ivie as I walked towards my mom, she smiled at me in greeting as we walked towards the car. The AC blew cool breeze calming me down and making me feel sleepy before long I had drifted off to sleep. The distant sound of crickets woke me up, I blinked warily, the sky outside was dark and the car was parked in the middle of a thick forest, my heart beat wildly as I tried to open the door, it was stuck, I tried to break the widows with my fists but it wouldn't crack, I leaned back in my seat trying to calm myself down as the door suddenly flew open, something grabbed my arm and roughly yanked me out of the car I struggled and squirmed as I was tied to a tree, the ropes digging into my chest, ankles and wrists, it was too dark to see what exactly grabbed me but as the figure leaned in using the faint beams of moonlight managed to make up a grosteque masquerade, it's wooden mask painted with fresh blood in many places, I was about to scream when a gag was roughly placed in my mouth 'is this his son?' a familiar voice asked the voice that haunted my dreams