By default, she looked up and noticed me. We shared a moment. Mrs Sahir stood up from her chair in a trans-like state and approached me. My tears accompanied hers as they cascaded. That moment, it felt like a son had returned home from war. She embraced me. Mrs Sahir was the only person I had as a mother and I was thankful that she had treated me in such a gesture. "This is Juda I was talking about earlier", she introduced me to her learners.
"Wow! We finally get to meet "Thee" Juda Kufu, Miss. Sahir can't stop talking about", said a cute short ebony coloured girl with a pixie hairstyle. "Yes... Juda this", imitated a scrawny native boy, one could tell immediately that he was cunning. Mrs Sahir attracted such learners. "Oh, I wonder how he's doing?", imitated the pixie girl. "Okay, stop it now...", Mrs Sahir blushed.
"So, your dream came to pass", she asked me as we sat opposite each other about two hours later after her learners left. I had recalled the whole story, starting from the last time I left Spes Bona FET to earlier this morning. "Yes", I replied. "And the boy?", "probably, being mentored to kill me shortly", I grimaced. "You always knew this would happen. I being an Apostle", I asked. "You suspect me to be some sort of prophetess, I am not. I had an encounter with Dr Gola the day you told me about him. After I meet him, that's when I knew of your origin", she confessed, "that's why you were preparing me?", "yes", she replied. "Thank you", I was humbled by her calibre. "Juda, you are destined for many great things.
Now, what makes you unsettled? she asked.
"I know... it... it took long though it feels as if it's not complete. We randomly stumbled upon a target who just happened to be the centrepiece of the threat and all of a sudden, it's over, you can return home. If I wanted to, by tomorrow morning South Africa could be defenceless. What am I supposed to do with all the skills I have acquired, it's certain I cannot use it in Applied Linguistics", I stressed. "Hmm... and your relationship with Ta-hawa, either are unable to perform at full potential without the other. Is there something more between you?
My apologies for prying, I am curious", she confessed.
"It's confusing; she has become a part of me. To be honest, I am afraid that whatever I might confess to her might alter our bond negatively". The thought of something to such an effect gave me pause, Mrs. Sahir noticed that I was much displeased at the thought.
"You said that the Bearers preach clarity while the Apostles provoke uncertainty with their teachings", "Yes. I cannot help but feel that there is much that is concealed. The Maditau... she said what was necessary about the Creed, the objective and my parents. Only what was essential for us to know to succeed in completing the commission. I have come to realize, even within the context of Kemet knowledge that there is much concealed. The uncertainty of things", I sighed.
"The Bearers are transparent. Their arrogance even upon death remains absolute. They, even at the end of a blade are confident that their death does not affect their cause, while, we have decided to rest at the elimination of a key player", I was dismayed at this truth, especially because I was the one saying it. "the creed that you have been indoctrinated into, bears uncertainty?", she asked. I took a deep breath, for some reason, I began to see things clearer, "The Creed is rich in mystery and secrecy, in knowledge and wisdom, however, uncertainty lingers like a flag high up on its pole taken to the whistling of the wind. I believe whatever truth that is, at the moment concealed if it were to surface, it would abolish or at least cripple the Creed."
"Then there's the obscurity about your parents", " I do not know if my mother was an Apostle or if it was my father or if both were. I have gathered that since the Kufu and Nzinga were a single-family when the Creed was founded, yet it does not mollify my curiosity. Apart from the Maditau who seems to know all, I am unable to trace anyone close to my parents. I have to know, I must know...", I said.
"Juda, you must not be complacent. As much as I would love for you to be the exceptionally ordinary young adult who is pursuing his dreams. That will not come to pass any time soon", she smiled whilst reaching for my hand. "You were saved as a child because you were chosen for a purpose. Everything you have been through before your revelation has moulded you to the man who sits before me today", her hands now cupped mine. It reminded me of my encounter with my mother in the Ancestral Plane. "Bear in mind that you have a choice, you could go on here, complete your higher education and seek employment and so forth, or, you could continue what you have already started. In the end, whatever you choose, you have my support", thus was her council.
"Thank you", I said, "You know, I do not know if I will get used to your stubble", she confessed, "nor I", I conquered, smiling. "I wish I could keep you as you were when you were in a Spes Bona school uniform. Sadly, not even my love for you can keep you from growing and facing the hardships still to come", she held a sob.
"I give up! If not a prophetess, you must be a Druid". "Mrs Sahir, I never knew my mother, I always wondered how she would be. I stopped wondering when I met you. I want you to know that you have my loyalty, always".
"is…", "Mishka still around?", Miss Sahir finished my question. "I knew there was something between the two of you", she chuckled, "I'm not surprised", I smiled, knowing very well what was to come next. "after you disappeared, she was heartbroken, we all were. She managed to secure your 'business'", I was mildly ashamed about this, especially in front of her. "you knew and yet, you never stopped us", "yes… perhaps among my greatest regrets", she admitted, taking a deep breath as the thought always troubled her. "Juda. You and Mishka were using negative means to save the community by tarnishing that of the affluent", she sighed. I nodded., but, to be honest, I just had a sickening loath against a particular brand of people. That jinn still lives inside me.
"lend me a hand", Miss Sahir asked, I was more than happy to oblige. "Mishka became notorious, or, should I say, Shade", she chuckled. "I gave her that name", I confessed. "sweet, but, your buddy romance, if far from innocent. Shade is someone totally different. She regularly comes here as Mishka", said Miss Sahir as she placed essential material into her bag.
I carried a box that formerly hosted four packets of paper rims, I still managed to open the door for her to leave. "is she still low-key?", I asked, now outside the classroom10E. "yes, she is", Miss Sahir replied whilst locking the door. "I'll text her number to you. You do still have my number, right!", "memorized, yes", I laughed. "good", she smiled, "come on, help me to my car. Is that spaceship outside yours? What an exaggeration", she chuckled.
I was lying in bed aimlessly, gazing at the plain caramel painted ceiling. You may have concluded that there's nothing describable about a plain ceiling. Who was I fooling, this life was not going to work out for me. I stood up and started pacing about, with no purpose just the mundane effect.
Maybe I should go rogue and start killing for fun. No! Where the hell had the thought emerged from? Hell. I shook my head believing I would shake off the thought. And to make matters worse the following day was a Saturday, nothing to do. I succumbed to the fact that nothing good was going to come my way so I slept.
The break of dawn on a fine Saturday morning. I sat on the dunes admiring the Atlantic Ocean. The sky at such a period appeared as a canvas that two painters of different inspirations shared. The East on my right bore a new breed of golden colours as they ushered the morning star while the West on my left departed in shades of blue. A canvas only nature could master.
The sand on my hands, the smell of the salty fresh air, the magnificent view and the aspiring canvas above reminded me of my journey to Mavoyo.
I spent the entire day roaming the streets of Cape Town, nostalgic for the old days. The world had not changed. People went on complaining about their lives ignorant of the world around them. Unsung heroes kept the fight on making a difference no matter how little. Teens from one place to another, under the illusion the world revolved around them. White people are still being racists, well… whatever. Natives still killing refugees, and I thought to myself; what a wonderful world.
I walked to Woodstock, past the second most dangerous street in the world. No way was I going in there. I strode to Observatory, past the McDonald joint where we met Dr Gola for the first time. It's amazing how the most insignificant places bear meaningful memories. Not to my surprise, I saw a couple of street kids going about their miserable life as they walked by. I knew that life, how difficult it was to find food. The inhumanity you had to succumb to for a slice of burnt bread.
I had the power and finance to help those kids. To give back, after all, I was once like them, yet I stood there and watched three street kids with no hope, no spark just, walking by. I could have intervened like Dr Gola years ago yet I remained. Does it make me heartless? To see the world defiled by man and still enjoy a good day? I should have done something, yet, I remained. I figured it would have made them soft, and the streets are not a place for soft kids. I know that better than anyone.
I heard a faint noise outside, I squinted to see the time. It was five o'clock in the early morning of What was going to be a hot catastrophic Sunday. At that moment several things occurred, someone materialized in the room which by the time her state became solid my Ark in sword gear was pressing against her neck. "Surprise!", she tried to act cheery which was commendable given the fact that she was close to death. "Lindiwe… Do not try that again", I advised while releasing my sword. "Are you suffering from paranoia?", she pushed it away as she reached for a flash drive. "Here…", handing the flash drive.
I connected the drive to the NimPad, "a Canadian couple?", I asked dumbstruck. I looked at her for a moment, contemplating what was going on in her head. "They will be ambushed and lose their possessions. Along with it, an essential document.", she finished. She stared directly at me. No, into me. That was spooky, it reminded me of Makela. "I do not understand. Are they the target? Are you behind the ambush?", so many questions filled my head. "I have been trying to cease the document they possess for many months", she took out a device from her left pocket, it was still obscured to sight. Dogs outside from neighbouring houses kept barking for some strange reason. Though there were not many dogs around. Strange.
"This is a Time Current. For six months I have been after these two", she pointed at their photos on my NimPad whilst displaying the Time Current. "What will happen this morning, I have lived it perhaps a dozen times and failed to cease the documents, nor do the victims survive", she said regretfully. The Time Current is an ancient device that dates to a time when the whole of Europe was still on ice. It teleports the bearer to a specific time in the past or future. The only catch is; the device takes about two weeks or four to regenerate for another jump.
"Let's make haste", she concluded.
"I want to ask you something", I started, "yes?", "have you heard of a queen pin called Shade", "yes", Lindiwe replied bitterly. "we had a standoff about eight months ago. She and this dude called Pharaoh ran things a few years ago, but, when he disappeared, she rose to power. She gave my mentor a hard time. We finally found her but we can't touch her", Lindiwe frowned. "what happened to this Pharaoh guy?", I pretended not to know, "we believe Shade killed him over a misunderstanding", "and why is she untouchable?", "she made a deal with this politically aspired youth for the D.A. Jacobs, Mishka Jacobs", I laughed, perhaps too loud. "what!?", "no, please carry on", I said.
"she…", Lindiwe stared at me, suspiciously. "she made a deal with her to keep her safe as long as she stopped importing product into the country. She owned the biggest drug organization in the country. Absolutely ruthless, you'd think she was a man", hearing that made me smile a bit.
"and what does she do these days?", I asked. "Shade changed her product and clients, from the typical cocaine to Mist. From ordinary people to powerful bureaucrats and the supernatural", she scorned, "she made our job even more difficult", "you know where to find Shade?", "no, but I know where to find Jacobs, I can take you there after this. We need to leave, earnestly", she assured me, unaware that Mishka Jacobs, the D.A aspiring politician and Shade, a notorious queen pin were the same person.