Simbongile Princess Ntabeni: The Called

Chapter Fifty-Six

We sat in that silence, the strangest thing was that I was "catching" all the weird spirits in that house, I hadn't sensed anything since the day I decided that I will no longer consult or appease. I lay on my back, with my eyes closed and just allowed myself to be consumed by the other world. A world so very familiar...

Siya: Nantso ke into oyaziyo, to zone out. Heh mfondini sisengxakini ngoku, we need you to work your magic with your underground gang.

I heard every word, very clearly, but he sounded like he was part of everything that was floating around me.

Siya: Simbongile uzukhe nje uhambe uchaza abantu balapha uzondibona kakuhle, not only am I going to disown you but I'm going to leave you here ndihambe ndiyokhangela uncedo for OUR mother because olwakho uncedo nabantu bakokwenu luyakhetha. Uzukhe nje uchaze or uphilise umntu nje abemnye apha uzondibona stru!

After that I don't know what else he said, I totally zoned out.
When I came to, I was alone in the room and someone had taken my shoes off, and covered me with the fleece I had carried for Undi from home. I wore my shoes, and went to the lounge. The lounge was empty, I turned around and tried to follow the voices and spoons hitting on plates, there was a double door at the end of the passage, I opened one door and saw everyone eating, they looked up, all of them and I suddenly felt naked before their eyes. I quickly scanned the room for my siblings, and Siya just lifted his hand at the very far end of the room. I huffed and took two steps towards him, before one of the ladies on the other end called me...

"Hey hey girlie, come and get your food first, who do you think is going to walk all the way to the end of the room with your plate?"

She was a coloured lady.
I turned and walked towards her, aba sisi besizenabo were not there. There were two colored ladies, two Xhosa ones and one Sotho one. I took a plate, wiped it clean with the dishcloth along with my spoon and then went to the second lady, because the first one had white samp, and I wasn't about to eat that. I asked for veggies and meat and then I walked back to the other end of the room. Undi wasn't eating, Musa was almost done. I took Undi to my lap and pulled his plate closer then I fed him from mine, he ate up. Wayitya iveg yam wayigqiba, when my plate was clean, we ate his together then ndamnika umlenze wakhe and ate my piece. We were the second set to finish eating, sayobeka izitya and headed back to the bedroom. We changed into Pj's and got under the blankets that Siya had taken out from the wardrobe as Sisanda had instructed us.

Me: Do you think they've organized us indlela yokuya eskolweni?
Siya: I don't know, if abathethi nto kaloku we will call ubhuti azosithatha.
Me: Isecaleni lendawo, bazoba late abanye abantwana.
Siya: Bazobalate emotweni kabani Sim? Kamama?

I sighed, he was angry.

Me: Good night Mu...
Musa: Night Princess, I love you.
Me: Love you too baby.
Musa: Night Niya, I love you.
Siya: Night Mumu, love you too.

I looked at Undi, he was in my bed, with no intention of going to his bed which was just next to mine.

Me: Awuzolala in your own bed?
Undi: Hm.mh.
Me: Why not?
Undi: Ndizobiwa apha mna, I think ndizolala nawe.

I smiled as I switched off the light and joined him, Siya was already in his bed, charging his phone.

Me: No one is going to steal you, okay? I am here, Siya is here and Mumu is here for you. No one will steal you or Mumu, okay?
Undi: Okay Princess.
Me: Masilale ke.
Undi: Asizomfounela u Pumpkin? Hlambi uvukile kula bed ka gqirha wakhe.

Thank God I had switched off the light, I cried at that. I wept.
We needed ubhuti to wake up, we needed him to at least try and get out of the coma, Undi needed him.

Me: We will try him ngomso ndoda, kusebusuku ngoku.
Undi: Okay ke... goo'night.
Me: Night baby.

I kissed his forehead and pulled him close, I didn't have difficulty falling asleep, in fact not one of us did. We fell asleep immediately, and it was kind of cool to sleep bengekho abakwa Khohlwa, the owners of the room. Around 1 am, the light went on and I opened my eyes, but didn't turn to see who had switched it on.

"Balele, start with that purple one" someone whispered, and the other whispered back "switch off the light, that will wake them up obviously, cima!" I listened but couldn't hear anything, instead, the light went off and then someone put on a torch. They tiptoed to our bags, they were below our beds, I heard them break the lock and then giggle at their mini success, the purple bag was my suitcase was mine, even impepho yam was in there. I don't know what they were looking for, but after thirty minutes of scratching through my things, they slowly walked out and then our rooms mates walked into the room and went straight to their beds.
They were talking to each other, that's how I knew it was them, they were making a lousy audible conversation just in case I heard them ndizothi ibingengabo aba baqheke isuitcase yam, bonga bangene after the scums left. Well, I didn't know who the scums were, let's start there. It could have been them.

When we woke up the following morning and saw the mess, Siya was beyond pissed off.
I was upset, I actually cried, because not only did they steal some of my clothes, but they actually took the time to cut the rest that they left behind. We went down to report the situation, and found Simangele with the two Xhosa ladies in the kitchen...

Me: Molweni...

They stopped gossiping and acknowledged our presence.
Sima didn't look like the kind Sima we had been introduced to the previous day, she was a totally different person.

Sima: Ah, the Ntabeni twins, ninjani kodwa? Nilale kahle?
Siya: Not quite.
Sima: Oh really, what happened?
Siya: Someone walked into the room while we were sleeping and broke into Sim's suitcase, stole some of her clothes and cut some.
Sima: Aw, who could do such an evil deed bandla? Did you step on someone's toes girlie uqed'ufika lah?
Me: No I didn't.
Sima: Oh sweety, I'm sorry about your clothes, but there's nothing we can do about that. I can't go around accusing other kids without evidence, unless you know who did it.
Siya: How are we supposed to know that? The people or person got into the room while we were sleeping, did you hear that part?
Sima: Aw'me ke ndodana, you will not talk to me like that, uyezwa? Uma ukhuluma kanjalo nonyoko you better tame that tongue because mina angenziwa ke kanjalo. Secondly, this is not your home, don't sleep like you have security guards watching your property here, you sleep with one eye open. All the damn time, get on with the program honeys.

Then she turned to the other two who laughed at whatever else she said, we looked at each other and walked back to the room. I closed the suitcase, intliziyo yam ilihlwili and just stayed in the room for the rest of the day, Siya only went down because he had to feed Musa and Undi, otherwise we would have stayed there sonke.