The flogged girl lay on the plush couch, her body wracked with sobs as the maids tenderly nursed her wounds. The soft glow of the table lamps casting eerie shadows on the walls, as if the very darkness itself was closing in on her.
"I'm so sorry, miss," one of the maids cooed, gently applying a soothing balm to the flogged girl's lacerated skin. "You're going to be okay."
Tiffany's eyes, red-rimmed from crying, flashed with anger and humiliation as she glared at her friends.
"You guys just stood there and watched!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with rage. "You didn't even try to help me!"
Her friends, gathered around her in a semi-circle, watched in silence as the maids tended to her wounds. Quinn, spoke up first.
"Hey, girl, we're sorry. We didn't know what to do."
Her friends shifted uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact. "We didn't know what to do," mumbled. "It happened so fast."
The flogged girl's face twisted in anger. "You're supposed to be my friends!" she spat. "But you're just a bunch of cowards!"
As she spoke, her voice rose to a crescendo, echoing off the walls of the luxurious lounge. The maids, sensing the tension, exchanged nervous glances, their hands moving with increased urgency as they tended to the flogged girl's wounds.
Suddenly, the flogged girl sprang to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury. "I'll show you all what it means to cross me!" she exclaimed, her voice dripping with malice.
With a fierce cry, she stormed out of the lounge, leaving her friends staring after her in concern. The maids, sensing the darkness emanating from the flogged girl, exchanged worried glances.
Unbeknownst to them, the flogged girl had a secret shrine hidden in her wardrobe, a place where she could unleash her darkest desires. She flung open the wardrobe door, revealing a dimly lit space filled with strange artifacts and symbols.
In the center of the shrine, a small altar beckoned. The flogged girl approached it, her eyes blazing with fury. She placed a few strands of Adaugo's hair on the altar, her hands trembling with rage.
"In twilight's hush, where shadows play
I call upon the darkness, come what may
A curse to bind, a heart to claim
Adaugo, foolish girl, with a Nigerian name
By moon's pale light, I weave my spell
A thread of malice, a tapestry to tell
Of heartache, sorrow, and pain to come
Adaugo, dear, your fate is sealed, your future undone
From depths of earth, I summon thee
Dark spirits, hear my plea
Rise up, and do my bidding well
Bring Adaugo to her knees, make her heart rebel
With every step, with every breath
Adaugo's world will be beset
By troubles, trials, and woe
Until she's nothing, but a shadow to show
So hear my words, oh dark powers above
And grant me this, my heart's darkest love
Let Adaugo suffer, let her heart be torn
And when she's broken, I'll be reborn
By the power of three, this spell is cast
Adaugo's fate is sealed, forever to last
So let the darkness spread, let the shadows grow
And Adaugo, dear, will forever be mine to know." she whispered, her voice dripping with malice.
As she spoke, the air around her began to darken, as if the very shadows themselves were responding to her summons. A faint whispering echoed through the shrine, growing louder with each passing moment.
The flogged girl's eyes gleamed with malevolence as she felt the dark powers stirring within her. She knew that she had unleashed a terrible force, one that would stop at nothing to destroy Adaugo.
Meanwhile, Adaugo and her friends drove away from the mall, the tension in the car was palpable. "I'm telling you, it was an accident," Adaugo said, her voice firm. "I didn't mean to hurt her."
Chiamaka, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned to Adaugo with a skeptical expression. "An accident? Are you kidding me? You flogged her in public!"
Adaugo's eyes flashed with defensiveness. "I said I was sorry! What else can I do?"
Tokunbo, who was sitting in the backseat, spoke up. "Yeah, Adaugo, you need to take responsibility for your actions. You can't just go around flogging people and expecting everything to be okay."
Temitope, who was sitting next to Tokunbo, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Adaugo, you need to apologize and make amends."
Aisha, who was driving, spoke up. "Girls, let's not fight. We're all friends here."
But Chiamaka was not having it. "No, Aisha, we need to hold Adaugo accountable for her actions. She can't just do whatever she wants and expect us to cover for her."
As the argument continued, the atmosphere in the car grew more and more tense. Adaugo's eyes began to well up with tears as she listened to her friends berate her.
"Enough!" she roared already fed up. "You have no idea how much her worlds bruised me; you don't know how much I was holding back... I brushed off all the taunts of her and her friends but she just had to bring my mother into it!"
"Adaugo, calm down!"
"Don't tell me to calm down, TT! Here am I defending my mother and my heritage only for my best friend to judge me...
"I'm not judging you, Adaugo. I'm just saying that you need to take responsibility for your actions," Chiamaka said.
But Adaugo was getting defensive. "I said I was sorry! What else can I do?" she asked, her voice rising in frustration.
As the argument continued, Aisha tried to intervene. "Girls, let's not fight. We're all friends here. We can work through this," she said, her voice calm, but her eyes flashing with a hint of warning.
But it was too late. The damage had been done. Adaugo's eyes were welling up with tears, and her friends were still berating her.
As they drove further and further away from the mall, Adaugo couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. She didn't know what, but she had a feeling that her life was about to change in ways she couldn't even imagine.
Little did she know, the flogged girl's curse was already taking effect. The darkness was gathering, and Adaugo's fate was all but sealed.
As they continued to argue, they failed to notice the signboard above them, which had been subtly altered. The words "Welcome to Queens Center Mall" now read "Welcome to Ravenwood Manor."
Unaware of the change, Adaugo and her friends took the wrong way, leading them deeper into the heart of the mall. Little did they know, they were being herded towards a fate that would change their lives forever.