"Who did this to you?" Zaid asked applying cream on my scratched face.
My face had been healing extremely well with the help of the cream, I didn't know where he got the cream but I knew the cream could cost more than my yearly fee.
He waited for me after school to take me back home, but when he couldn't find me he traced me before he found my bruised body along the roadside. I was grateful that he was the one that saw me, he carried me to his penthouse.
He had been asking me since last week I was awake, to know about the bruise on my body but I refused to tell him anything.
"I don't know the person, the person wore a mask" I replied dismissively.
He had really taken good care of me, by buying an expensive phone for me. He saved his and Sumaya's number.
"Who did...?" I cut him off, "sincerely I don't know, I don't know them... They will know if I tell you....she would skin me alive if she knows that I tell you" I rambled frantically before I clamped my mouth shut.
Foolish Dee
You'd give away
He would ask who now
"Who is she" he seethed.
"I don't know" I mumbled while my stomach used that moment to grumbled.
I patted my stomach for being a lifesaver.
"Lemme get you, food girl, we are not through with this" he narrowed his eyes at me and I smiled innocently back then he slammed the door shut while grumbling.
I minimized the game I was playing and search for NPD. I'd been looking for a way to search for it but never knew how to operate the phone until yesterday's night.
I sat on the couch while nibbling on my lips. I needed to search for it quickly before he arrived back.
"Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder with a long-term pattern of abnormal behaviour characterized by exaggerated feelings of self-importance, excessive need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. Those affected often spend much time thinking about achieving power or success, or on their appearance. They often take advantage of the people around them especially weak or of lower status. The behaviour typically begins by early adulthood, and occurs across a variety of social situations." I read out, I was surprised. That explained why he always behaved like that. It was common in males than in females.
I was so into what I was reading that I didn't know when he entered with food.
"What are you reading?" He asked while I shook my head like a kid been asked about something he or she was the guilt of.
"Are you hiding something?" he trailed off," or you have a male number" he gritted.
"No" I replied.
"Then bring out your phone," he asked gently while I handed my phone to him.
He smiled but upon seeing what I was reading, it vanished.
"How dare you" he smashed the phone on the nearest wall while I flinched.
"How did you know?" His voice croaked out while I looked at him apologetically.
"Stop looking at me like that, I hate that look" he raised his voice, "I don't want your pity" he yelled while I sobbed.
I didn't know what to say and this was what I was avoiding.
"You are like them just want to know me and pity me" he eyed me warily.
"I'm sorry" I chocked on tears, I walked to him to touched him but he removed my hand quickly as if I burned him.
"Get out" he pointed to the door.
"What?" I stared at him.
Where did he want me to go at this time of night and it was raining heavily.
"I said get out you whore!" He growled while I flinched.
When he noticed I stood stilled, he dragged me to the stairs and pushed me. I rolled through the stairs and fell on my back.
"You disgust me, finding a way for me to be weak so that you can use it" he seethed, "you whore, trying to open your legs for me but you know what?" He laughed manically. "I rather have a hen to open its leg for me than you," he said and walked away.
****
I used all my weekend days on the bed after Zaid pushed me. I limped to the gate and boarded a cab home. Chidima stayed all nights with me.
I stood at the entrance and sighed, what was there for me today. I hope Becky wouldn't be in school to bully me. I entered the class, the teacher was not scowling or sneering at me. The students avoided me like a plague. Becky and her friends were not in school.
What happened?
Was it my scar?
Why was everything silent. It was always silent before the storm.
As I was making my way out of the school, a student came to me and said the PHE teacher needed my attention in the hall.
Why was he calling me?
I walked back, I took a step in, I felt cold water been poured on me from above, I glanced up and saw nifemi mocking me.
My cloth was drenched and I was shivering because of the cold. I walked to the centre of the hall but found nothing. The door was slammed shut.
I was trapped inside here.
"Everyone look at this village girl," Becky said through the megaphone, her words resonated around the hall while all the students laughed.
I was hit by a stone on my forehead, blood rushed out of it.
"As we all know that inside Quran and Bible that whoever was caught doing adultery shall be stone to death" she spoke, "and she," she pointed an accusing finger on me, " will be stone to coma" she giggled devilish. "No one can save you, whore, I told to stay away" she gritted.
"Now everyone throw" my body was met with different Stones. I cried and shouted but I knew it fell on a deaf hear.
No one would help me
I was all alone
"Stop" she commanded, "there's no fun in it, everyone let me tell you a secret" she giggled.
"You know this girl" she pointed at me, "she wanted to open her legs for the Prince how she opened her legs for her abductors" she laughed out. I stood still, my breathing changed.
"Look" she threw some pictures on the floor. The pictures scattered everywhere. The picture of my thirteen years old self.
I screamed
I wanted to forget, the memories were surfacing.
The memories of me begging.
The memories of me been beaten up.
The memories I tried to erase.
The memories of been starved.
The memories of been used.
The memories of my innocence.
The memories that haunted me at night
The memories...
My chest constricted, everything was coming back in full. All that I wanted to forget was rushing back.
I was hyperventilating, the world was spinning around, my chest was falling and rising. I wanted to shout but my voice had gone. Tears glistened in my eyes. All that I was hearing was their mockery voice. I wanted to escape. I wanted to fade away.
I felt a wave of dizziness watched over me, black dot clothed on my eyes. But before falling into the darkness I heard someone frightened voice screaming my name.
I was finally free.