Diapers, a crib, baby clothes- primarily pink, a baby drawer- I'll order one, a rattle
"Ahh," Rayna said as she checked all the baby supplies she needed to buy in her mind. It was ten in the morning, and she was in her car, following google Maps to 'the nearest baby store.'
"Turn right at J'quin street; this road has a slight congestion- you're still on the fastest route," the mechanical google voice said. Oh great, more turns. Rayna was starting to think that there were no mothers where she lived. She had been driving for an hour, and there weren't any baby shops. If I make another turn- I'm going to lose it.
"Turn left at the ", the mechanical voice said
"-Argg" Rayna yelled; she hit her steering wheel.
"…and you would have reached your destination."
"Hu," Rayna said; she blinked at her phone and then looked around. Nothing.
So, she parked at the nearest car park she saw. She picked up her phone, placed it in her purse, hung the purse across her chest, and got out of her car. Once the vehicle was locked, she put her key in her bag.
"Now," she whispered to herself and stared. She only saw a road and some shops, primarily restaurants, but no baby shop.
Rayna returned her phone and typed 'nearest baby store' again. She put on one ear of her Bluetooth earpiece in her ear.
"Walk forward for thirty kilometers and stop at 'Mummies supplies' store," the mechanical voice chimed. She obeyed.
Rayna walked till she saw 'Mummies supplies' in bold yellow letters on a navy-blue building. It had a parking lot; Rayna sighed; maybe google didn't understand me the first time. She returned to her car and drove it to the 'Mummies supplies' store. Then she hopped out and walked through the store's sliding door.
Rayna's mouth hung ajar once she walked in; the store was huge. It had roles of isles; each isle had a description on a hanging placard in red. She walked to the place labeled carts on the left side of the door. Rayna picked the biggest one while she got to work. She checked each supply on her phone while pacing them in her cart, muttering "check" while she did this.
"um, you might want to get these diapers," a lady said. Rayna turned to look at her; she was ebony-skinned with her hair in a puffy updo; she held a baby asleep in one arm while she pushed a big cart (like Rayna's) with the other. Rayna stared from the child to the woman.
"This is my third, a-and you look like a new mum," she said and handed the diapers in her hand to Rayna "these were what I used for my first baby; it was extremely helpful."
"Oh, my," Rayna chuckled, "you can tell? I do need the help, actually".
Rayna brought her phone to the lady; the lady looked at it
"This is my list; do you think it will do?" Rayna said, she handed it to the lady.
"Well," the lady said while scrolling through, "I am not sure, but if you want, I can give you all that helped me. My mother did most of my shopping" when Rayna's face fell, she added, "but I think you're doing good- how old is your baby."
"About three months"
"Oh, you must be soo worried; I couldn't leave my first to pee without getting scared," the woman said with a chuckle. Rayna pushed her cart along with her. The woman placed some things in Raynes' cart as they walked along.
"Sometimes, my mum and husband will pry her out of my arms so that I could get some rest."
The woman and Rayna laughed while walking around the store.
"I read books on how to be a mum-, "Rayna said
"Oh, those won't do," the woman said while shaking her head
"Being a mother comes like an instinct; there is no perfect way to do it" the woman stopped to place the baby on her back, and then she used cloth from her trolley to secure the baby.
"my mum always said a good parent reflects on their child," the woman said. She and Rayna resumed pushing the cart.
Rayna frowned, "But, how did you know you were doing the right thing right now," she said.
"Because I felt it was right- a mother's instinct is the best," the woman said, "I'll tell you a story." Rayna moves the cart closer to her to hear her properly.
"My child had breaking problems, this one", she pointed at the child on her back, "Everyone thought it was nothing, but my heart was not at ease, so I asked a friend, that was a doctor, to look." She stopped pushing the cart and looked at Rayna.
"my child was admitted for a month; he had a lung issue. He's fine now," she said with a smile.
"ah, well, ive heard many stories of mothers and children, so that abuse and such. It's all rather frightening," Rayna said; her cart was almost full by now; she sated at this woman; what a blessing.
"as I said, a mother always knows what's good at heart; pride or comparisons are the problems. Most mums know the abuse isn't good, but they are too proud to stop it. Or comparison, that may be how they are realized. But here is what I do," the woman said, "I ask myself when my mum did that, how did I feel, or how did it affect me, then I know what to do- have you checked everything on your list."
"I- oh, yes," Rayna said, everything- and much more, was in the cart.
"you can always take a turn around the mall in case your instincts direct you somewhere," the woman said; she smiled at Rayna; the child n her back began to move.
"I'd better be off," she said and walked to the checkout
"hold on, ma'am," Rayna said; she stopped, "thank you, I- I will never forget this."
"no need to thank me, people should help each other," she said; an arm was at her back, and she was slowly tapping the child.
"what's your name," Rayna said
"Avuvobe," the woman said, "and yours."
"Rayna- that's such a lovely name," Rayna said with a smile; she couldn't even pronounce it if she tried!
"I get that a lot," the lady said, then chuckled, "it's Nigerian, Igarra, to be precise."
The baby sniffed as if it was getting ready for a giant tantrum. So, the lady said, "I must go; it was lovely meeting you, Rayna; you'll be an amazing mother."
"Thank you very much," Rayna said and waved at the woman till she got to the checkout, then headed for the opposite part of the store.
She took a turn, just like Mrs. Avuvobe said. Rayna picked up extra diapers, took a nice rattle, and placed a baby bottle into the cart.
I think I've got one of everything in the shop. Rayna walked to the checkout. She paid for her things and pushed her loot out the door. Then she started stuffing everything in her boot and back seat. Her jaguar CUV could contain everything, from her in-the-box baby seat to her three baby bottles. Breakables, like toys, went into the passenger's seat. Rayna sighed once she was done and placed the carts in the carts-collection area. Then she hopped into her car and started the engine. She picked up her tablet from the pigeon hole, the next item on her list was 'go to bro's office,' so she texted her brother.
-Hi, I'm on my way-
-okay-, he replied with a smiley emoji
-Can you send your location to me?-
-Okay, tap it and follow the instructions… see you soon.
Also, Olivia says hi-
-Okay, tell her hi for me :)-.
He responded with a thumbs-up emoji; Rayna smiled and clicked the location.
"o-okay," she said as she placed the phone on her phone holder. It can't be hard to follow instructions; she beamed at her victory.
By the time she got there, google Maps had rerouted three times. She got out of the car, stretched, and sighed. Let's wrap this up, then get the baby.
Rayna's brother works in the police force; he works in the department in Brussels. It's a big brown building with many windows at the front. Rayna entered the u-shaped entrance and opened the door; a large circular room greeted her. Many people were walking around carrying coffee and documents and having small talk. The circular room had doors and passageways lined up all around it. The most prominent corridor led to her brother's office, but she had to talk to the receptionist first.
So, Rayna walked forward; then, someone hit her.
"I'm sorry-"she said, but the person continued walking, snob, she thought.
"Hi," she said to the receptionist, who beamed memorably at her
"Miss Rayna Ganders- right," she said while clicking her mouse
"Hello, Miss Mia", Rayna said with a smile; the receptionist glanced at her, returning the smile
"I see the dye stayed on," Rayna said; the lady looked around before she leaned over the counter
"I simply left it a tiny bit before washing and- viola, now my hair is exactly how I wanted it," said Mia with a squeal.
"ah," Mia said; Rayna gave her a questioning stare across the laptop, "it seems like you and another person are scheduled to meet Chief Robert at this time."
"Really?" Rayna replied
"Mhm- some Nathaniel uh- Ro-," Mia said, then another lady dressed in the same blue police uniform handed her documents. She shuffled them then said, "you can go meet him, right down that hall- if you recall."
"yes, thank you," Rayna said as she gave her a tiny wave. Ma returned it before squarely facing the laptop.
Rayna walked down the corridor, about two and a half meters, then knocked on the door.
"Must be my sister. Nate, let me get the door," Robert said. Rayna heard a seat shift, then some steps, and finally, the door knob turned.
A smiling face opened the door, one identical to hers; she walked inside.
Robert's office was a big rectangle; he had a desk connected to the right wall. The desk had papers, a pen holder, a laptop, a tablet, and a landline. Beside his chair was a window looking towards the city; about ten inches from the window was a giant filing cabinet and a bookshelf filled with more papers. A meter from the bookshelf on the right wall was a three-seater sofa and a glass coffee table in front of it; opposite it was a floating shelf with pictures and awards; under the floating cabinet was a fridge, and on the left of the fridge (between the refrigerator and the door) was a trashcan, after the trashcan was a coat hanger; the rest of the floor had a big blue rug.
The walls were maroon, and the floor was violet-white. Robert's desk had one seat in front of it.
It seated a tall man with a y-necked white shirt and loose grey trousers; he wore a black sneaker, and she assumed the grey topcoat on the coat hanger was his. He turned to look at her as she entered the room. He had a honey-skin tone and a diamond-shaped face with bushy eyebrows and small-medium-sized downturned lips; his eyes were wide, but they complimented his face; he had a small pointed nose. She could tell that his body was well toned, from the veins on his slender hands to the muscles visible in his clothes. His sky-blue eyes eyed her since they sighted her. He absently patted down his golden brown hair; he tied it in a loose ponytail before coming, the bottom reached his back, and fringes came to his face.
"Nathaniel, this is my sister- Rayna," Robert said. Nathaniel got up; he must be six feet, Rayna thought.
Nathaniel looked at her; like her brother; her brother had a heart-shaped face with low cheekbones and a thin lip, and his close-set eyes were the same as his sister's. He had more defined muscles than Nathaniel, so Robert looked a little bulky compared to him. They both had bege-toned skin with red hot cinnamon hair, the kind you dye to get. Rayna's hair was long; she had it in a loose bun; Robert's was in quaff hair-doo. Rayna had a slight lip and a more prominent Nose than Nathaniel. She and her brother had amber eyes; she had more cheeks than her brother. Rayna wasn't slim; her feminine features were moderate (but enough to be noticed), while her hands had more fat than an average thin person. She wore a purple wide-legged palazzo with a black t-shirt and a purple linen jacket she was hanging.
"Welp, very nice to meet you," Rayna said while she walked to the couch; she sat on the sofa closest to them,
Crossed leg, Rayna said, "well, let's hurry this along. I have something to do by 3 pm."
"It's very nice to see you, Rayna," Raymond said. He shook his head and then chuckled.
"Have we met before," Nathaniel said; his voice was more of tenor than base. He looked at her with a blank expression.
Rayna glared at him; Robert raised a brow.
She sighed "we have met in the reception."
"I don't-" Nathaniel replied.
"No need. Can we get this going" Rayna said. Robert shrugged
"Okay," Rayna said and sat on his chair.
"Rayna, I'm sure you heard the news," Rayna nodded, then Robert said, "this is the third death this week, that the only one the media got to first."
"it has never been that bad," Rayna said
"yes, but the problem with these deaths is that no one can identify the bodies. It seems like there are always two or three people on the scene," Robert said. He looked at Nathaniel, then at Rayna.
"And?" Rayna said
"and they all died the same way, a gun in their open mouth and another on their temple," replied Robert. The three glanced at each other, each in their thoughts.
"meaning, the same person is killing them," Rayna said. She glanced from one man to the other.
"no, they are being killed for the same reason," Nathaniel said. Rayna and Robert stared at him. Rayna leaned back
"I was there when the last victim died," Nathaniel said
"What?" Raymond yelled. He squared his gaze at Nathaniel.
"I- uh had to meet him; he was giving me a tip. Then I asked him who his boss is, that's when he opened his mouth, and someone shot right through it". Nathaniel said. He stared at Robert; he hoped he wouldn't have to lie.
"Okay, did you engage" Robert replied
"yes," Nathaniel said, "I was shot twice."
Rayna's eyes bulged as they darted from one man to another.
"Why are you interested in all this," Robert asked.
"an important person to me was taken and killed because of this, and I want her avenged," replied Nathaniel; he glared at Robert, who glared back. Rayna looked from one man to the other.
"Okay then," Robert said, "I am personally investigating this case, but I know you won't let this case slide, so im going to ask you to aid the police- me."
Nathaniel stared outside.
"if you don't help, you realize its obstruction of justice and withholding information from the police is a crime."
Nathaniel smiled "alright, chief, I'll help, but im not restricted by the law."
They beamed at each other.
"Well," Rayna said, making the two turn to her like she just got here, "I see how this does not affect me in any way; I have a baby to get"
"a- what," Robert said.
"baby, I didn't tell you", Rayna replied. Robert shook his head, "well, I got a call that my Goddaughter is in social services. Her mother is nowhere to be found, so that I will get her today."
The two men stared at her, and then Nathaniel said, "do you know who the mother is"
"I know who the other might be, a friend- Amara, I don't know if you know her," she said to her brother.
Nathaniel's eyes widened; he stared at her; he found the baby.
"b-but are you sure," Nathaniel asked.
"yes, that's the only person to drop a baby for me. Well, on the bright side, I'm a mum."
"yes, you are," Robert said; he stared at her, then his startled face broke into a smile.
"Maybe, you and Nathaniel could stay together; he will need your help."
"That's why you called me here- no." Rayna folded her arms and turned away with her nose up.
"come on, no one who is a suspect should be alone-"Robert replied
"I have a baby- a baby now; I don't need some snobby guy in my house," Rayna said; she got up, "a waste of my bloody time."
"he needs somewhere to stay-"Ronald said.
"get him a hotel."
"My friend can't stay in a hotel, and he might be targeted."
"let him stay with you."
"please"
"no"
"please"
"no"
"Please," Nathaniel said
"Yes- wait, no," Rayna yelled
"Too late," Robert said, then he shook Nathaniel "welcome back."
Rayna marched out the door.
"I think," Ronald said when she was gone, "the baby may be essential. She could be targeted, and I cannot draw too much attention to her or the baby, so- please help."
"I understand," Nathaniel said, then he got up, "I'll stop by to see your family."
"I'll be expecting you," Replied Robert. Nathaniel waved at him and watched him pick up some papers. Robert sighed as Nathaniel closed the door.
Nathaniel walked outside to meet Rayna. She was clearing the passenger seat and the back seat. When he reached her, she was raping a baby seat in the back seat. It was a big seat. Rayna leaned it on the back of the passenger seat before standing up.
"There," she said, turning around to give him a scornful glance, "are you coming."
Nathaniel nodded, so she walked to the driver's seat.
"just sit there; I have to make a call," Rayna said; Nathaniel sat in the passenger seat and brought out his phone. She rolled her eyes before entering the driver's seat. Then she brought out her phone.
"Hello," she said, "this is Rayna" Rayna placed the phone on her phone stand and put the call on speaker. Nathaniel watched her a little before gazing out the window.
"hi, Rayna," the social service lady said, "I don't think I told you my name."
They chuckled, "I never asked; I'm sorry- what's your name" Rayna replied
"Alice Broody," The social service lady said
"Lovely name- could you send me your location? I'm driving and would like to key it in."
"Alright, will do. Call me when you get here", the social service lady said before she cut the call.
Rayna leaned to tap the chat with the location; Nathaniel looked at her before placing his head on the chair.
"Social service office in Hamilton estate, two hours from the current location. You will arrive there at 2:30 pm," The google mechanical voice said.
"Not bad," Rayna said while happily starting the engine.
They sat in silence. The only sound was the mechanical voice giving directions.
"You missed the turning," Nathaniel said. He pointed out the window
"Oh bother, I didn't see it," Rayna said. She glanced at the phone.
"What out, a red light!" Nathaniel said. He brought out a book from his bag. Was this driving normal for her?
"What are you reading," Rayna said, glancing at him
"Keep your eyes on the road- you missed the next turning," Nathaniel told while he flipped to his bookmark
"Snob," she said. He stated, reading.
After a while, Rayna said, "it's sad that a snob like you will have the same name as the baby."
Nathaniel glanced at her before saying, "what do you mean."
"I remember her mother saying, a boy Nate, a girl Nathaniel," she said
"It's the same name," Nathaniel said, he stared at his book, but his mind couldn't register the words, so he closed it and stared ahead.
"Yes, well, we were like twelve when she said it" Rayna smiled while she said, "she wanted to name her child after her brother."
Nathaniel looked forward, and she glanced at him.
"Did you know Amara?" Rayna said. Nathaniel nodded.
She made some turns before the automated voice said
"You are thirty minutes from your destination."
"Woho," Rayna said. She beamed at Nathaniel, and he couldn't help but smile.
"So, you are capable of human emotion," Rayna said; Nathaniel shook his head with a smile. This has to be the friend Amara talked about.
"You weren't supposed to turn," Nathaniel said after some minutes.
"No, it said turn," Rayna replied; she glanced at him.
"It said turn if you want to get a refill," Nathaniel said; he leaned forward, "now we're going to get there at exactly 3 pm."
Rayna glanced nervously at him before saying, "we'll still be on time."
They got to the social service office at 3:30. Rayna opened the door, and then she looked at Nathaniel; he turned a book page.
"aren't you coming," she said
"No, I'll wait", he replied absently while he turned another page. She grabbed her phone and purse before closing the door with a sigh; on the bright side, she thought I could be away from that snob. Rayna picked up her phone from her bag.
"Hello Alice," Rayna said once the call went through
"Rayna, just ask the receptionist for me, and I'll be waiting for you in my office."
"Okay," Rayna cut the call and stared at the building.
It was a massive building; Rayna walked from its car park to the entrance. She was greeted with a long hallway. At the end of the hallway was an oval room; the walls were cream-colored, and the floor was grey. It had many doors on the left and a glass wall on the right. The wall had 'reception' in red, then a drawing of two parents with their children on the side. There was a desk beside it and a four-seater couch opposite the wall.
Rayna walked inside.
"Hello," the lady said; she had a pale-ivory complexion and a round face with high cheekbones; she wore her long dirty blonde hair in a tight ponytail. Rayna noticed that the people here were color-coded; each wore cream and black; or black and blue. This lady wore a black cossack and cream bootleg jeans behind the desk.
"I'm Lucinda. How can I help you" she said with another bright smile.
"I'm here to see Miss Alice Broody," Rayna replied; she looked at Lucinda using her mouse.
"Right, could you tell me your name," said Lucinda without taking her eyes off the screen
"I am Rayna Gander, but I was supposed to be here by three if that helps," Rayna said; she stared at the scenery from the glass wall. Everyone seemed to walk around with a purpose or a document. It was easy to spot visitors; they were either where she was, talking to an employee or climbing the stairs or escalator to another floor. Rayna counted six feet with tinted windows.
"yes, you're here to pick up a baby?" Lucinda said. Rayna blinked at her for some seconds.
"um- er, yes, I am here to pick up a baby," Rayna replied; she smiled at Lucinda, hoping she answered her question.
"O-okay, the baby has no name; could you give her one" Lucinda replied after more clicking; her eyes were still glued to the screen. Rayna stared at her for some time.
"Miss?" Lucinda said; she stopped clicking the mouse and then glanced at her.
Rayna smiled apologetically at her, "Nathaniel."
"Nathaniel, an odd girl name," Lucinda said while typing away.
"I think it rather unique- and I have to honor the mother's wishes," Rayna said.
"well, that's lovely," she said with a glance at Rayna. "I could direct you to Alice's office," Lucinda said; she opened a part of the table and then walked through.
"climb the escalator, turn left, then count two doors to your right. The door has her name on it," she pointed at the escalator at the end of the oval room. Lucinda glanced at Rayna's worried expression.
"You can't miss it- and if you do, just ask for directions," Lucinda chimed. Rayna smiled her thanks.
Climb the escalator; turn left; count two doors to your- uh shoot, Rayna stopped in front of the escalator, she had already forgotten a part of the direction, but Rayna was determined not to mess this up, for Nathaniel's sake. Nathaniel is a bit confused with the other Nathaniel around. She could call the baby Nathaniel and the other snob, but that won't work. She had to admit he wasn't such a snob. I know, Naty! She smiled at her thought.
The oval room was tall, and the escalator climbed for ten minutes before she got to the second floor.
"Wow," she mumbled. Rayna was in a square room. She left the square room and immediately turned left into a two-meter-long corridor with four doors. Rayna stood in the middle of the first three doors; she saw Alice's name on the one to the right, so she nocked.
"Come in," said a familiar voice, so she did.
Rayna walked in and thought, basic. The square room was all cream, from the door to the table to the floor. Each one was a darker or lighter shade of cream. She had a desk opposite the entrance; it was a floating desk connected to each end of the wall, a part that swung forward, and a floating cabinet with a frame but no picture. A desk was filled with record books, papers, and many files. There was a landline on it and a MacBook. The office had two chairs on one side, and the rest was empty.
Rayna thought that was odd; if she could afford a MacBook, why not furnish the place? Rayna walked in; she could not shake off the strange feeling. Did she move in? Well, none of that mattered; Naty was her priority.
Alice looked up once she sat on the white chair in front of her.
"It's nice to see the face behind the voice Rayna," she said before she closed her computer. Rayna smiled at her. She wore a black polo and blue joggers; the lady's chocolate-colored hair flowed to her shoulder. It complemented her limestone complexion, and then her square face and full lips completed her pale green hooded eyes. She pushed her glasses up her nose bridge with her index finger.
Rayna sat down; she couldn't help but glance around the office again.
"I just moved to this office, so it's a little empty," Alice said; she watched Rayna's face meet her face. Something about Alice made Rayna extra cautious.
Rayna's facial expression remained calm as her amber eyes peered into Alice's pale green eyes. They did not confirm her story. But Rayna looked away; her priority was getting Naty. So, Rayna looked at Alice with a warm expression, and Alice returned it.
"So, all you need to do is sign some documents and pick your child" Alice picked up a file and opened it. She flipped through it before bringing out four papers.
Alice handed the documents to her, and Rayna scanned through them.
"I also forgot to tell you that I'll have to come and check on you and the baby," Alice said; she opened her laptop.
Rayna was studying the papers. She has read enough books about signing your life away to be paranoid. Rayna made a mental note to hire a lawyer to check through-
"You've named her?" Alice said. Rayna tore her attention from the papers
"yes, I have- I named her what her mother wanted," Rayna said; she looked back at the documents.
"I'm glad she is such a lovely baby. It was a shame to call her- baby," Alice replied. Rayna chuckled and then arranged the papers on her lap.
"We don't know much about her mother; I only have what she told the nurse," Alice said while she closed her computer.
"Can I see the letter you talked about?" Rayna said. She placed the documents neatly on her lap while Alice picked up the letter on the table.
"Here," she said as she stretched it to Rayna.
Rayna turned it over and then looked at it. 'To my princess' was not the letter. Seeing that familiar writing made Rayna's eyes misty; she blinked rapidly. Alice watched her closely; her eyes glowed while Rayna fiddled with the letter.
Rayna looked up at Alice before placing the letter on her lap
"I'll open it later," Rayna said; she saw the light pop away from Alice's eyes.
"can you tell me what the nurse told you," Rayna said; she absently rubbed the letter and then stared at Alice.
"of course," Alice replied and leaned back on her chair.
"the nurse said that a woman came into the hospital. She said she felt funny, so the nurse admitted her. Two days later, she went into labor; after a day, the lady said to the nurse, 'can you give this letter and my baby to social services or anyone you think can find Rayna Gander.' The nurse said she was shocked, but she fell for the lady" Alice stopped for a comment. Rayna looked at the letter.
"no one came to visit her. The lady said the nurse should ask you for payment. They wanted to keep her, but the woman was gone by afternoon. So they had no choice but to contact social services". Alice looked at Rayna, who stared at her.
Then Alice continued, "The baby was with us for two months before our research team found you, and I contacted you- that's all I know."
"Okay, thank you," Rayna said; Alice smiled, then said,
"just sign the papers, and I'll take you to Nathaniel" Alice gestured to the papers on Rayna's lap. She gave Rayna a pen that she used to sign.
"Alright," Alice said when Rayna handed her the documents. Alice got up
"let's go get your baby," Alice said. Rayna got up, too; she's finally gaining custody of Amara's child. A tear left her eye. Alice stared at her, then smiled. Rayna cleaned the tear, placed her index fingers on her nose bridge, and then chuckled.
"Feeling emotional, hu?" Alice said; Rayna nodded. Alice was surprised she didn't cry out. Alice knew her eyes would be pouring tears. She smiled at Rayna in admiration before opening the door.
Nathaniel had read the same page 4 times, it had been 2 hours, but it felt like a day; he kept glancing at each person passing the car. Everyone except Rayna walked out that door; he sighed and looked at the backseat. He has arranged it three times already. Nathaniel removed everything from the back of the car and re-arranged it. The backseat had two boxes and a car seat, while the boot had everything else. He wondered if the baby would be comfortable. While he was thinking of arranging the back seat one more time, he heard a slight tap on his window.
Rayna tapped his window and pointed at the sleeping baby in her arm; Nathaniel could feel her excitement. He got out of the car.
"Say hello to baby Naty," Rayna whispered; she rocked her arms slightly.
"Maybe I should drive," Nathaniel whispered, but he didn't move; he stared at the baby. She looked exactly like Amara; she was dressed in blue, with a black cap on her head.
"Alice said the nurse specifically told her that Naty's mum wanted the cap on all the time," Rayna whispered while she watched Nathaniel stroke the baby's cheek.
"Maybe I should drive," Nathaniel whispered. He couldn't think of anything else to say. His eyes clouded; he blinked, then turned to open the passage seat.
"I thought you were driving?" Rayna said.
"Ohh," Nathaniel said while he walked to the driver's seat. Rayna looked away from him to keep her from laughing at him. She slowly sat in the passenger seat and rocked her arms slightly. Nathaniel started the engine. Rayna remembered what Mrs. Avuvobe said "a mother always knows what's good at heart" she smiled. Maybe she was going to be a good mother.
**********************************************************************
Amara's head throbbed with pain; maybe it was the bullet in her temple causing it. Her vision was foggy; no, it was red- everything was red. She stared at the ceiling. I gave birth and died in the same month. Amara would have laughed at anyone that told her this was how her life ended.
The last two years were something else; she got married, had a child, and died- but why did she die? Her memories were fogy; she could see her memories in bits, all her precious moments. She never got to hug her mum, her brother… or Rayna. Oh, her princess, she could feel tears running down her face. She hoped she didn't cause them too much trouble- but it was too late to worry about that.
Amara remembered begging the person she was forced to stay with to let her walk around- even if it was once. Amara remembers going to the window of a coffee shop for three days, she saw Rayna, and she had to resist the urge to call out to her. She stopped going when Rayna spotted her.
She even got to call her brother. His vice brought warmth to her heart. She wanted to see him again. She was glad she had seen him before he left this country. But she saw her mum before she went away with C; she remembered her mother's teary face and all the encouragements…
She couldn't feel her limbs; she couldn't see anything. The last thing she remembered was a group of men entering the house that the man sent her to and a gunshot to her temple. Amara was sure she was dead, but something in her wanted to confirm something- what was she thinking about? Oh, her baby, she smiled. Her baby was in social services, and her child was safe- she could feel it.
Amara felt her eyes close. Her only regret was that she could not ask Rayna and Nathaniel for help in person. I hope they get my SOS and… she felt far from her body, she could see it, but she needed to leave one last thought… and put an end to all this; I couldn't, but I know you can… my prince and princess.
Amara stared onward, and her body lay still- forever.