She was staring too much, but she couldn't help it. This was the first time Joshua was taking her for tutorials and he had suggested they stayed in the library. They started with Biology, which Kamji thought was a good idea if she wanted to avoid future embarrassment in Mr Idris class.
After prepping her on some topics, Joshua had given her some of his notes to go through. "Just ask me if you find any part confusing."
At first, she had been focused on reading for the first half hour but she soon got distracted with staring at Joshua. With arms folded and legs neatly crossed in front of him, he had leaned back on his chair with his eyes closed. Had he always looked so hot, she thought. Ofcourse he was Mic's identical twin brother and so he had to be good-looking as well. But while Mic's expression was always kind and made him look irresistible, Joshua's on the other hand had a rough edge making him look dark and alluring. A blush rose up her cheeks as she sat there, drinking in his features.
"Are you done with going through the notes?" Joshua asked, his eyes still closed
The sudden question which had been thrown at her brought her back to reality, "No, but I am almost done."
His eyes flew open to reveal blood red sockets. "Then quit looking at me and concentrate on your work."
Kamji felt her cheeks turn beet red. She was clearly embarrassed about the fact that she had been caught. How did he know she had been staring at him? Was he some kind of Psychic? The thought sent a shiver down her spine. As she went through the rest of the note, she could feel his unwavering gaze on her. He was probably making sure she did get distracted again and focused on studying. When she was done he had given her a little test on the topics she had read.
"So Joshua, How long have you lived in Lagos?" she asked curiously as she scribbled the answers to the questions.
"I don't see how my personal life is your concern." he drawled.
Kamji handed him her work and watched as his hands glided through the book, correcting her in places she made mistakes.
"I just thought we should get to know each other since we are friends now." she stated.
Joshua's fingers paused for a moment on the pages as he looked at the girl. His head slightly tilted to the side. " We are the farthest thing from friends." he rudely pointed out.
She was taken aback by his rudeness. "Geez,I was only trying to start a conversation. You don't have to be so mean."
"You are here for tutorials, not for some idle chit chat." he quipped, handing her book back across the table.
"Maybe if you had concentrated harder in studying the notes I gave you and not trying to engage in stupid talks, you might have scored better." he added.
Kamji glanced at her work. She had scored 25 out of the 30 questions he had given her. "Are you kidding me? My score is pretty good"
He flared up at the statement. "Well your good isn't good enough. Even the dumbest person can get a perfect score in that test."
She rolled her eyes at the exaggeration, doubting she was ever going to get used to his snide remarks. "I will try harder next time."
Satisfied with the answer, he stood up. "Good. That will be all for today. We will meet same time and same place tomorrow."
"Okay." she nodded.
"Try not to be late." Without bothering to say goodbye, he picked his bag pack and left.
God! How could someone be so cold and mean, she muttered under her breath. Packing her things, she decided it was high time she headed home too. River had taught her the route to the nearest bus station and how to get a ticket home. She felt bad they won't be able to go home together as Kamji had to stay behind in school everyday attending tutorials with Joshua. And although Aunty Ebere had suggested picking her up, Kamji was quick to decline the offer. Not because she wanted to avoid her aunt's long car ride lectures but because she felt it was time she mastered the area.
The air outside was cool and the sky was losing its brightness showing the lateness of the evening. And eventhough night was approaching, the streets were ever so busy bustling with life and people. People returning home from work to see their families. The thought of that saddened her. She missed her father and her brother terribly even if they talked often. And she missed Mic. Their conversation lately was kind of awkward and she could tell he was still hurt by their last argument. He still didn't believe her and the only thing she could do was to prove to him that she wasn't lying about Joshua's existence.
Looking around, she could see Joshua far off in the distance, walking slowly. She wondered why he wasn't taking a bus. Maybe his house wasn't too far away.
A thought came to her head. What if she followed him and figured out where he lived? Whether he had a family and if he and Mic were somehow related? She welcomed the idea as it was going to prove to Mic that she wasn't going crazy. He already thought she needed help.
Checking her wristwatch, it was just a few minutes past five. Aunty Ebere would be expecting her back home in 30mins. That was enough time for her to tag behind Joshua and figure out where he lived. if she was quick enough, she will be back in time before curfew. Picking up her pace, she hurried after Joshua who was already far ahead. She couldn't help but feel like one of those cool detectives unraveling a mystery in a blockbuster movie. Keeping a reasonable distance between them, she stealthily trailed behind him as she blended in the streets.
Joshua could tell he was being followed but he had no idea by who and why. He prayed it wasn't one of the thugs that had been robbing people lately that Agnes warned him about. As he approached the next curve on the road, he had dashed behind an old rusty truck that was parked in the corner. He was still thinking of his next line of action when Kamji came into view.
"I can't believe I lost him." he heard her whine and rolled his eyes. Although he was grateful that it wasn't a street thug tailing him, he was also annoyed at the fact that the girl had followed him. Just what was she trying to prove?
Stepping out of hiding, he approached the girl who had her back turned on him. "What do you think you're doing?"
She jerked, turning to face him. "Oh Hi Joshua." she gave him her brightest smile."Fancy meeting you here."
"Why are you following me?" he demanded, going straight to the point.
"Don't be ridiculous, I wasn't following you. I was on my way home but got lost." she laughed nervously."
He frowned deeply at the obvious lie and said." Go home and stop fooling around. This is not a safe place for a girl like you."
Turning around, he began heading back home when Kamji stopped him.
"Wait!" she called after him." I know you may not believe me and think I'm crazy for saying this but you have a twin brother."
Joshua stopped in his tracks and she continued. "His name is Michael and he stays at Abuja. He looks exactly like you and that's the reason I mistook you to be him the first time we met."
For a moment Joshua stood there not moving and she thought she had somehow managed to convince him. Turning around he said, "You're right. I don't think you are crazy. I know you are actually crazy."
The words he uttered felt like a slap to her face and she struggled to keep her composure.
"Now go home before it gets dark. This area is not safe." with that he walked off.
Kamji clenched her fists together. How dare he call her crazy. She wasn't going to give up until she got to the bottom of this and prove to them all she wasn't mad. But how was she going to do it?
Still pondering on possible ways to do that, she began to retrace her steps. It was already getting late and she had to hurry up or she would miss the last bus. The roads seemed to be confusing as she walked and all the streets looked the same. After some minutes of fruitless wandering she couldn't find her way out.
"Hey babe. Are you lost?" A masculine voice echoed behind her. She turned around to see a group of young men sitting on a corner not too far from her. They were empty bottles of beers and cigarettes littered around them. Not wanting to get involved with a bunch of drunken men, she ignored them and did a swift U-turn.
"C'mon now. Don't be scared." A shabby dressed man stood up from the pack. Kamji recognized the voice as the first one that had spoken to her. He was no doubt the leader of the group judging by the way the other boys stood up behind him.
Stay away from me." She increased her pace, looking for anyone on the street who might be able to protect her from the thugs. Unfortunately no one seemed to pay any heed to them as they were all in a hurry to get home. Kamji bursted into a run and could hear the men's footsteps as they chased after her. She found herself in a dark alley and looked frantically around for a possible way of exit but it was a dead end. The only way out was the narrow entrance she had come from which was currently blocked by the gang of thugs that were after her.
"I told you that there's no need to be scared." The gang leader said slyly as he approached her. Kamji took two steps backwards with every step he took till she felt her back hit against the wall.
"What do you want from me? Leave me alone." she whispered loud enough for the man to hear. A strong scent of urine and refuse hung in the air making her scrunch her nose in disgust. How in the world was she going to get out of there?
"I know you're lost and I can help you find your way back." The man proposed, "Heck I will even give you a free ride."
He licked his lips as he stared lustfully at her body. "A long good ride."
From the mischievous grin on his face, Kamji realized that the ride he was offering her had nothing to do with cars. There was a round of laughter from from the boys behind her as they found the joke funny. She swallowed hard in realization of what was to come if she didn't escape from there.
"So what do you say?" The man continued and leaned so close to her that she could smell the booze he drank earlier. "Care to hop in?" he asked lifting a scaly like hand to caress her cheeks.
"Get your filthy hands off me." She muttered under her breath and made an attempt to push him away but he wouldn't even budge.
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave when the fun has just begun." His eyes narrowed and fell on the collar of her uniform and down to her neck. "What a beautiful locket you have there." In the brink of a second, he snapped the gold out from her neck leaving a fine red mark on her skin.
She winced at the sting she felt around her neck. "Hey! That's mine. Give it back." she watched helplessly as her most priced possession was taken away.
Taking a closer look at the jewel the man gave a sinister smile. "Well I'll damned. This is really going to fetch a good price at the pawn shops."
Kamji's lips fell open. "You can't sell that. It's mine."
"Well it's mine now" He snapped as he shoved the jewel into his front pocket. "Now where were we before the mild interruption."
"Oh ,right. We were talking about taking you for a ride." He looked back at his crew. "Gaurd the entrance. Make sure nobody shows up until I am done with her."
"Do we get a go with her after you are done boss?" A dude with long dread locks asked with a smirk.
"When I'm done. You guys can have all the fun you want with her." The boss replied as he advanced towards Kamji.
"No. Please don't do this." Her face was riddled with fear, "I beg of you. Have mercy."
"Awww. Don't be scared love. I promise to make you enjoy every second of it." He whispered in her ear. "By the way my name is Greg just incase you want to moan it during...."
She drew away in disgust, stopping herself from listening to the rest of the statement. The perverted human being was bent on carrying out his filthy intentions and begging for mercy wasn't going to help. If she stayed here any longer, then she was going to be raped for sure. As if to confirm her thoughts, Greg began to unzip his trousers. Kamji looked around once more for a possible way of escape, but there was none. The only exit and entrance was blocked by Greg's goons and the walls were far to high for her to climb.
Closing her eyes, she resorted to the only option she had at the moment. Her mouth fell open and she gave an ear piercing scream.