Protected
By Bebe Ernest
Episode 19 & 20
MAGIC.
I watched him sleep last night, he looked good while doing so, I could not sleep, I mean am sure julliet and Justin think I s£dûç£d their brother.
Gosh.
Am finished.
I think I have to woman up and talk to them.
Yes I will do that.
Put things in perspective, if they no longer want me in their house, I will un-derstand.
There was an upside to last evening though.
I spoke with kele, it was lit.
I explained everything, ok maybe not about justice, I just told her about all the trials I went throu-gh when I first got here.
She was sympathetic, told me Andrew is back now if I wanted to return.
Good to know, keep my options open..
I shared my address and she shared deets on what was happening in onitsha
Apparently my aunty and uncle are always quarrelling now.
Seems she doesn’t do any house chores again, I always did everything.
And seems that she has caught him cheating, muti-ple times.
He even hit on kele.
Eww.
Sometimes I ask myself if I am actually related to them..
It’s the morning after and I have to get to the kitchen.
I have some sauce to make.
Justice left my room about an hour ago when I was still slee-ping.
I have to cook but I still have to talk to Justin and julliet.
I quic-kly have my bath and I go downstairs.
It’s so nice wearing something new, this short jumper feels nice.
It’s in a lovely shade of green.
I think it was in last year’s summer collection.
I can’t believe am wearing something so sophisticated.
I Pat my b©dy with a smile as I get to the kitchen.
I quic-kly make some rice, sauce, side dishes like deboned chicken, some Salads and a plate of fruit.
(Have I told you guys I want to be a world clas-s chef?-bebe)
I get this recipes from the internet and the food Network.
There have been some trial and error.
If julliet knows how much food I waste in my quest to make these sophisticated dishes, she would scream.
But they turn out alright.
Today I will be nee-ding food as a gift of the gods.
I hope it bribes julliet and Justin.
I set the table and I ring the bell.
Am so nervous.
Julliet comes down first ru-bbing her eyes.
Seems master sage went home yesterday.
Alec follows and for some reason he looks like he is sweating.
“Yo, magic”
“Yo, Alec”
Justin follows and i think maybe justice has gone to work.
“Justice Is working out, that’s were Alec is coming from too”
Julliet says this when she sees my gaze at the door.
I grimace, so much for keeping it cool..
I turn to her and Justin.
“It’s not about the money”
I blurt and she blinks.
Well you can take the girl out of the village but not the village out of the girl.
Where are you from Magic,? blurting out that kind of stuff, in front of Alec no less.
Justin replies me though.
“We didn’t think you were with our brother for the money, magic.”
It’s my turn to blink.
“You didn’t?”
Julliet answers.
“It was so obvious the other day, you were trying to make him jealous by flir-ting with Justin”
I blus-h.
“I….”
She goes on.
“We like what we see magic, we like the changes he is portraying since you c@m£, ok , maybe not the first changes.”
She says it jokingly.
“You are good for our brother and we like that”.
I smile but I say.
“Am not rich, am a nob©dy”
Justin says this time.
“Good thing you are now a p@rt of the Maxwells family, eh?”
I blus-h at his kind words.
I am so grateful to this people.
“Ok so now that that is done, can we eat? Am starving”
Alec says and I smile.
He is so grown up for his age.
I open the plates and the smell of the dish wafts out.
Divine.
“Looks good baby girl”
I almost squeak, he c@m£ up behind me.
He k!sses my temple and he sits.
“Good morning famz”
“Eww Justy, slang is not for you”
Julliet says and I frown.
“Who is famz?”
“Famz is a shortened form of family”
Alec says while stuffing his face full of chicken.
I almost die.
Magic, you village girl.
“We have to bring you up to speed on slangs, girlfriend, tots have to”
Julliet says and I nod.
“Tots is a shortened form of totally.”
She says.
Le sigh.
This people.
*******
So breakfast went well, I mean after my blun-der, they gorged themselves on my meal.
That is one place I can never go wrong.
After the meal, justice went to the office.
Justin left too and dropped Alec at school on his way.
Julliet went to the office too.
She looked like a h0t secretary, all dolled up in a suit with a turtle n£¢k and cropped jacket.
I am shopping.
Well, am trying to get some groceries.
We are fresh out.
As I lift a small sack of potatoes my phone pings.
Ha, my phone.
I bring it out and I see multi-ple texts.
Text 1-julliet.
‘plea-se gr-ab some Coco pops for Alec and some ice cream and some Matini mixes, we might have a girls night!’
I s£nd her a quic-k thumbs up smiley .
Text 2.- Justin.
‘Get some gr@p£s plea-se, I have a craving’
I s£nd a quic-k okay.
Seems everyone knew I was coming to the sto-re.
Text 3-Big guy.
I didn’t programm his number like that, he did.
‘whatcha doing?’
I smile, leaning against the wall, dropping my shopping basket.
‘Am at the sto-re, you want anything?’
‘you are not re-ady yet for what I want baby’
‘what makes you think so’
I can’t believe I’m so bold.
‘shop baby girl, see you at home’
I smile as I close the messaging app and I pick my basket.
As I lift my head my heart goes cold.
I blink and I loose the vision.
I think I just saw the gangster from the murder scene.
I look around but no one is near.
Maybe I just thought it.
Maybe it was because I spoke about it with kele last night, my subconscious is still scared.
It’s pla-ying tricks on me.
I nod as I continue shopping.
When am done I move to the liquor isle.
I get some Matini mixes and some whisky.
You might think I am a pro but no, I had to browse that.
As I pick a bottle that say ‘cherry wine’, am pushed from the back and I fall, the bottle crashing and breaking as it hits the ground.
A big piece lodging in my palm.
Blood instantly Wells up, I think I cut it very de-ep.
I turn and I see Selene standing there looking smug.
“That’s right you gutter slum, that’s what you get for embarras-sing me”
My hand hurts so bad, and am losing a lot of blood.
A sto-re attendant comes forward and begins to help me up.
People are watching.
I just smile throu-gh my pain.
“It’s actually pathetic that as beautiful as you are you do not know how to use pronoun”
She frowns.
“Gutter and slum means the same thing, bozo, maybe you should check your dictionary sometime”
I say this and the sto-re attendant chuckles.
Selene growls and walks away.
Now that she is gone I almost cry.
My hand hurts so bad.
I feel my self getting dizzy.
Oh hell.
MAGIC.
Walking around with a big gauze on my hand is not fun.
I mean Am so embarras-sed.
I can’t believe Selene got the sl!pon me like that, ugh.
Am trying to make dinner with one hand.
Guess what?
It’s not working.
I power throu-gh and finally concoct something.
I set the table and I ring the bell, I stand with my hand behind my back.
It’s late in the evening so all of them should be back.
I don’t want to have to explain to everyone that I was attacked by Selene
They all come down and I greet
“Hey magic, did you get the gr@p£s?”
That was Justin, I nod.
“They are right on the table”
“Thanks little one”
He takes his seat, julliet and Alec does too.
Justice enters and takes his seat.
I feel my che-st swell with an unknown emotion..
He looks so handsome .
He speaks without turning to me.
“Why aren’t you sitting magic?”
Oops.
I didn’t think of that.
I quic-kly make an excuse.
“Am going to eat in my room”
All eyes turn to me, even Alec drops the yam he was ni-bbling on.
So much for incognito magic.
You idiot.
“What’s wrong?”
Julliet asks.
“Are you sick? Or wait, are you angry at any of us?”
She looks close to crying.
Jeez.
Where did she come up with that?
“No, no, I don’t hate anyb©dy, I mean am not angry at anyb©dy and am not sick, I just want to be alone”
“Why?”
Justin asks and I almost growl in frustration.
Do I nee-d an excuse to be alone?
“Itty bitty, what’s wrong?”
I sigh.
“Nothing, am just…”
“What happened to your hand”
Alec asks.
In my nervousness I brou-ght my hand forward to wring.
I can see some spe-ck of blood , I think I pu-ll-ed my stitches.
Magic, you moron.
Justice seats up and points a f!nger at me then at the seat beside him.
I quic-kly take my seat.
“Now, tell me Emilia, what Happened to your hand?”
I spout out everything and when am done I take a de-ep breath.
“Let me get this straight, Selene attacked you?”
I nod
Justice asks calmly and I nod, he is so calm so am positive he won’t be angry.
Am also sure he won’t think am a pushover.
“Selene attacked you and you didn’t instantly call me, you even went to the hospital by yourself, stitched your palm by yourself without me there,”
“Uh oh”
Julliet says
I nod my head,. I don’t know if he is asking a question or stating a fact, i just nod again.
His voice is rising and I don’t think that’s a good thing.
I shift back in my seat.
“First off baby girl, you do not get hurt, secondly, you tell me when someone threatens you, and thirdly, Selene is dead”
“Justice….”
That was Justin.
“You can’t kill Selene, it’s going to take a lot of work to hide her b©dy”
“I don’t fv¢king care”
I almost g@sp, they are talking about killing a woman like they are discussing the weather.
“Let’s think about this guy’s, my son is sitting here, I don’t want him to think violence is the best answer”
“Violence….awesome”
That was Alec, julliet is also not surprised.
Am wondering, are they used to this?.
“Justin, get me Selene’s location now”
Justice says and Justin leaves, nodding.
What?
Wait, his family knows about Selene but not what she did?
It must be ha-rd keeping such a secret to himself.
I open my mouth, his eyes cut to me in anger.
Ok…..
“Justice,….”
I start.
“Not now itty bitty”
I scowl.
“You did it again, you used your name for me in anger”.
He turns to me.
“You do not get to do that right now magic, you made a mistake when you refused to call me as soon as you were hurt
You do not get to be angry, you do not get to make me feel guilty, you as well as hell do not get to be hurt without I f-king doing something!”
He used the f word twice now he must be angry.
I almost sl@p myself.
Of course he is angry magic.
“Can we st©p cussing?, My son is sitting right here”
Alec just stuffs more yam down his throat and watches the drama.
I don’t know what made me do what I did next.
Oh wait.
I know.
Am sick of the tension.
I frown and he raises an eyebrow, I scrunch my face up and I let the water works start.
I cry so ha-rd .
He falls for it.
Jackpot.
“Baby…..”
He pu-lls me from my chair and into his l@p.
“You don’t have to cry”
I sniffle .
“You don’t have to hurt Selene, well not physically”
I glance at at julliet and she gives me an hidden thumbs up.
I go on.
“We don’t have to stoop so low as to hurt her, we can just take something dear from her”.
He Pat’s my hair.
“Are you going to cry?”
I shake my head.
Justin enters.
“I peg her location at her family mansion, seems they are having some type of soiree, she Is planning”
What?
How did he get that so fast?
“That’s it”
Julliet says
“That’s what?”
I ask throu-gh my fake tears.
“We get you to the p@rty tomorrow evening”
She says.
“Yes that’s right, you go and justice deals with her from there.”
Am not comprehending.
This family, seems thier mind works together.
“Yes, that’s what we will do, I am I was s£nt an invitation”
What?
He turns to me, justice.
“Get re-ady bitty, we are going to a p@rty”
Who are this people?
***
Tbc