BLACK RAYS

CHAPTER 3:CALL IT HOME

Staying with a family that is not yours is the hardest thing in the world. But when they are striving to make you a part of the family, one of them…it gives you peace of mind. Things may never be easy though, things get tough and crazy. Sometimes it becomes so hard to join in a chat concerning memories made by the family. You are always left out and you feel like a fool striving to fit in. you look stupid especially when you got a sister like mine, who doesn’t give a damn and is ready to see you go down the drain with embarrassment written all over your face.
I have been with the Hamisi for a week now, they are nice people. Starting with the boss lady, she is nice loves me as a daughter. I did nothing most of the time, I spent it on books. After school I had to assist the three girls in the kitchen, I came to find out that they were sisters though from different fathers. Their mother died out of aids leaving them with nobody and nothing. They ended up becoming street kids. Years back they were begging from a certain young lady who happens to be Madam Laura. She took them to a restaurant for lunch before leaving them. The next day he took them as her children…registered them under her name and schooled them all. Later they decided to be working for her. She paid them good money and still housed them. She had no daughter of her own and so she considered them her own children all along.
“She is so kind ha?”
“Yeah, since we came here, she has never scolded us or punished us. She listens and understands of course” Zawadi answered.
“By the way where, where is Ivy?”
“Come on Natalie, you know her…she is probably enjoying her new laptop and smartphone of which I don’t know where she got them from” 
“I always got money…sorry to the broke bitches” she said as she crossed the kitchen door towards the living room.
“Ivy you got to watch your mouth” I stomped out of the kitchen…she had new red headphones too…wow!
“Watch it for me Monica, I have no time for that! “She sneered slouching on the coach with the remote control in hand.
“Ivy you…” Zawadi popped out of the kitchen and held me back urging me to come down
“Ivy…why don’t you join us in the kitchen”
“Oh please, save your words for something else. I have no time to get my hands all ugly!” she answered without even looking at us.
“Let her be, you can never understand that girl” I said to Zawadi.
“Coz, you have better things to understand murderer!” she sneered.
“Am not a murderer you idiot, if you think I am then count yourself next”
“ oh right, I almost forgot that I am also a potential candidate” she shifted her position proudly
“You are no better for yourself you know, you are so fast in judging others while you were seated there like a fool” I took a step forward burning with anger “ what difference did it make when you were just sitting there crying like an idiot, ha? Now you’re sitting here blaming me? Oh please don’t make me laugh”
“So the fighter you are, what difference did it make? Did you prevent the death of any of them?” she was now standing in front of me “first of all if it wasn’t for the stupid confidence you had in yourself, mom couldn’t have taken a bullet for you and died” she smirked “you’re no different from the actual, murderer”
“What an idiot you turned out to become” I spat
She raised her hand to slap me, but I caught it an inch away from my face. “You are making things even worse for yourself!” I dropped my hand “and if this is what you want us to be doing, I would give you some advice…using the back of the hand makes you a better villain of the act” I slapped her hard. She sprawled on the ground one hand on her burning cheek.
“Monica…don’t do that again…she is still your sister!” Natalie rushed and held me back.
“I doubt it!” I said trying to calm down.
Ivy stood up glassy eyed “You will regret this Monica, I promise you!” she went upstairs to her room and slammed the door shut.
“Damn it” I ran out of the house, turned to the direction of the swimming pool. I sat on the sun lounger head bowed what the hell have I done to myself?
… Take care of your sister…don’t let anger control you!
Oh mom, she is so annoying…she always wants to fight over little things and I can’t control it. I pulled on my hair desperate. Of course there is a free idiot somewhere who is responsible for all this misery that am going through, he is free somewhere celebrating his success in murdering my parents.
I stood from the lounger and moved close to the pool, I pulled off my t-shirt remained in my shorts and sports bra and leaped into the pool. The waters were cool and soothing, I made several laps before I went to the edge to breath.
“I see you are enjoying your night”
“Ah Lewis, you scared me” I exhaled loudly
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you…so What's up?”
I got out of the pool to dress up “things are pretty awful, I can’t stop fighting with my sister. She is always on my nerves” I pulled the t-shirt on
“Why don’t you guys sit down, talk and come to an agreement? You can decide never to fight again!”
“I hope you are not talking about Ivy…listening? That is unlike her. She never even listened to ma or pa leave alone I. it will be a complete waste of time trying to get some sense into Ivy’s head” I turned to head to the house, Lewis ran after me plastering me on the wall. I frowned at him, he smiled nervously his eyes dancing. I tried to read his expression but I couldn’t find a thing.
“Monica…you…you are smart I mean” he was scaring me “You are very beautiful so we I mean… I think I like…I like you!”
“But…but Lewis…what are you saying? I don’t get it!”
“You could be my girlfriend Monica, I loved you from the very first time I set my eyes on you… you are smart, confident, beautiful and I can’t keep it together!” he was breathing hard, my skin was burning with discomfort and fear at the same time.
“No and no, Lewis you are my brother, we are signing the adoption documents tonight. I am not planning to let your mother down am not and I will never do this. Forgive me but am not that ungrateful to do things behind Madam Laura’s back” I tried to leave but he tightened the grip on me that it hurt my arms. His eyes were dark and unreadable.
“We can have this as our little secret Monica, no one will come to know” I almost laughed at his words.
“oh please Lewis, be a little reasonable you know…no secret can be hidden forever sooner or later it will be disclosed. It will be such a shame for the whole world to know that I got involved with my own brother. Besides…you are good looking, you come from a rich home am pretty sure a million girls are crazy about you. Why are you looking for fish in a stream while there are thousands of them streaming in the ocean?”
He smirked “I want the one in the stream Monica, and I am going to get it by all means”
I pushed him away “keep on fishing boy” I walked past him to the front poach of the house. Madam Laura’s car pulled over. Stacy and Madam Laura jumped out together.
“Hey, Monica…come on and help me with my bag” I gladly went ahead to help her.
“How was your day? I hope you had a good time in school”
“Yeah of course mom, thank you”
“Hello Stacy, had a good day”
“Perfect but very tiring of course. Nothing goes so easily”
“Yes of course” I responded as we entered the house
“Welcome home madam, we are setting the table already, you could eat before you go ahead to freshen up.”
“Thank you Baraka, am just as hungry” she settled on her usual spot “where is Ivy?”
Just then Lewis walked in, I rolled my eyes ignoring him.
“Hey mom, how was your day?” he hugged his mother who smiled lovingly.
“I had a good day son, I hope you had a good one too”
“Yes mother” he answered as he sat beside her
“Monica…call Ivy down here for dinner”
“Mom, Lewis could do that as I drop this bag in your room” I suggested with the aim of avoiding coming into contact with Ivy as well as to piss Lewis off.
“Good idea, you check the outermost pocket you will find an envelope there pick a pen and come down here with it”
“I will do that” I rushed upstairs before Lewis thought of standing from his seat. I entered the spacious room that was neat and well organized. I placed the briefcase on the bed and extracted the envelop from it. I was about to leave the room when my eyes caught something. A photo on the wall of a dark Arabic man, madam Laura and Lewis. Was that the Hamisi everyone was talking about?
U wondered but I had no chance to think deeper into anything, I rushed back downstairs with the document and the pen.
"Mom, here they are" I said sitting beside her on the cosy sofa.
"Ah, good" she waved at Ivy who was playing with her phone "come over princess we got some things to get done"
Ivy sat on the other side of madam Laura unbothered with whatever was going on.
Madam Laura opened the envelope and perused through a couple of sheets.
"I want you to sign here, here and at the bottom... then write the date on the last leaf."
"Ok" I nodded picking the pen. I signed on my own spaces and passed it over to Ivy. She signed her own places carelessly and passed the sheets to madam Laura.
"Good girls" she smiled with contentment as she returned the papers back into the envelope. I eyed Lewis who was looking at us with an unreadable expression. I sighed ignoring his scorching gaze. He was a cute guy, but hell no I wouldn't dare date my step brother I would never be so ungrateful to madam Laura. She was kind to me, embraced me and that was the last thing I would want her to face. A bad character from me, I had no right to cause her trouble I, would be a good girl as good as I would be to my mom.
"Let's grab some food now girls it's getting cold" Laura urged us.
"Sure"
Ivy made her way to her usual seat Still engrossed on her phone. Madan Laura sat at the far end of the table smiling warmly as everyone occupied their seats.
"Ivy darling, I said no phones at the dinner table" madam Laura scolded.
"Oh,..." She smiled awkwardly "am sorry mom, I was finishing the last level"
"I won't remind you next time, I will smack your pretty head Instead" she sounded fierce but her eyes were smiling at her.
What a kind soul she is.
I watched everyone talk and enjoy the meal peacefully. It was beautiful and crazy at the same time. When mom died, all I could think of was joining people in the streets of Nairobi. Begging and maybe collecting bottles here and there so I could find something to put in my stomach by the end of the day. But now I could see hope, a small door opening and the light racing to embrace me. It was mesmerising how I met Laura and she was there, on those streets that night.
Was it fate?
I grinned broadly but then... The images begun to change and turn into crazy shadows. A bunch of men sat on the table dressed in suits. Their faces were disfigured and their eyes were cold and their mouths dark as coal. Their heads were cracked and looked like they would fall off their heads any time soon.
My heart raced, my hands trembled but the shock was not over. A man in a red suit walked in and sat on the far end he was wearing a Halloween mask covering him up to his nose. A smirk sliced his lips. My heart trembled in fear.
"Let's enjoy the meal... continue eating loved ones. Dickson and his wife are the best meal we could have!"
My heart rammed against my ribs hard and fierce. Every fibre of my body was trembling and shaking uncontrollably. I looked down at my plate and fell off my seat.
My father's head!
My hands and mouth were stained with his blood. I trembled terribly as I tried to crawl away from the men who were now approaching me. I crawled back as far as I could go but I couldn't. One of them grabbed my hand and I screamed in fear.
He held me in place, then a voice called my name from a distance as if it was coming from far away.
I blinked, I swallowed... Then Laura Came into view, zawadi, Ivy, Lewis... I heaved a sigh but collapsed before I could say anything.

------

It took five days for me to be up again. In those days I was with my mom and dad somewhere in my dreams. I didn't want to wake up it was peaceful deep in the shell just I and my parents. I woke up anyway even if it wasn't my will to wake up .
The  princess, you are awake" she pulled me into her arms taking me by surprise. She begun checking me from head to toe
"Am fine mom, am completely fine don't worry"
"You gave me the shock of the year! Are you sure you're fine?" She cupped my round face.
"I am, mom"
She smiled warmly "you went into a coma and didn't want to wake up. The doctor said it would be only by your will that you'll awaken"
"Oh, I had no idea"
"Forget about it, you're here now. Am glad " she pat my head "go take a shower, the others are eager to see you "
"Okay, I will be down in a few"
They left the room and I went to the bathrooms to freshen up.

When I got downstairs no one was around, I sighed turning to the left and taking the back door to the pool. I sat at the edge of the pool my legs dipped in water. I missed such times, I do never thought there was something like a coma before. I only saw it in operas and my mind dismissed it as a mere pretence.
Now here I was, just recovered from a five days coma. It was funny in some way, so I was half dead!
I shivered thinking of it.
"There you are" I sat up as soon as I saw Lewis approaching.
"Hey ... Lewis....
He dragged me into his arms burring his head at the crook of my neck.
"You're awake " he muttered stepping back.
I smiled nervously "yes ... Heh sorry for worrying you guys "
"It's OK, have you met the others?"
"Not yet, I didn't see anyone in the living room " I responded
"They're preparing breakfast, mom and Stacy went out to do something. The manager called from the office. It was some urgent issues "
"Oh, is something the matter?"
"Don't worry too much about it. Mom knows how to handle things pretty well" he spoke confidently "come on, I will show you to the others "
He dragged me back into the house then into the kitchen.
"Hey..." Jane rushed over and hugged me, Zawadi and Baraka followed.
"You're fine?" Asked Zawadi
"I am, thank you"
"We're so glad, we were so sad when you were laying there saying nothing"
Baraka scolded
"Pardon my little self"
They laughed and kept looking at me.
"What is it?" I was now becoming self aware
"You lost weight girl" Jane pointed out
"Oh really?"
"Liquid food is the worst indeed. We prepared a heavy breakfast for you. Come on try it"Zawadi and Baraka begun setting the table. We all sat at the dining table to have the meal.
"Where is Ivy?"
"Sleeping, she had a late movie night with her friends who came over" answered Zawadi
"She already made friends?!"
"Seems like you are the slow one"
I glared at Lewis but said nothing.
We dug in then the lazy Ivy came downstairs when we were halfway through the meal. She yawned loudly ruffling her hair that was already a mess. I stared at her from head to toe.
A shirt? Just a shirt?
Was she in her right mind walking here in shirts?
"Hey, why didn't you wake me up?"
"You were tired" Jane said
"I will eat then go bathe then" she sat down filling her plate with every delicacy on the table. She dug in then she spotted me.
She smirked "so you have resurrected? I thought you do never wake up"
"Were you worried?"
"Not the slightest" she answered lazily.
"As expected" I sighed
"Aha, as expected" she waved her hand in air lazily.
The whole meal was silent. Once I was done I assisted the girls clean the house and do the dishes. I went back to my room and prepared my bags.
The August holiday was coming to an end, and school would open soon. Ivy and I would go back to school and Lewis was going back to campus for his second year studying I didn't really fancy school that much, but it was my final year in highschool, the excitement was there if course. I couldn't wait to be done with school. It was what every student wished for.
"Hey, why don't you come with us? We're going out for a little fun time before schools reopen!" Lewis who was looking in through the small opening at the door said in a whisper.
"Where to?"
"7TH HEAVEN'S MALL, the best mall in the city. You coming?"
"Sure, why not"