Beckoned Through The Dark

08 // Lesego // Jailbirds

I would be lying if I said I wasn't shaken by what happened out there, I had goosebumps on my skin to prove it. The guys were all chatty in the car, and as for Daniella, she seemed worried, like she was trying so hard not to ask me what happened back there, but she didn't.

Upon arrival at the police station, all five of us, except for Helen, were allowed to see Zack together, but of course, not before my dear friends decided to cause trouble at the front desk when they were supposed to give their names and sign in. They'd given their names as Danielle McKenzie, Danny McKenzie, Tinyika Baloy, Samkaylo Lawrence, and mine as Lesedi Medupe.

I was too deep in thought that I didn't hear them speaking to the officer, I saw all of this when I had to sign for my name. "Guys!!!" I groaned, and they burst out laughing. I gave the officer who was taking our names an apologetic look and said, "Sorry about that, but they gave you incorrect names, well something like that. She is Daniella McKenzie, and that is her twin brother, Daniel McKenzie. And then we have Tinyiko Baloyi and Samkelisiwe Lawrence, and I’m Lesego Medupe." By the time I finished, the officer was red in the face from anger, and my not-so-dear friends were wiping away their tears. "Idiots." I muttered under my breath, a smile forming at the corner of my lips.

"You are welcome." Daniel winked at me, and my heart did somersaults at the realization. They had done this to cheer me up, at that, I suddenly felt light, like a burden had been lifted off my shoulders. The angry officer led us to the interrogation room where we waited for Zack, and then she left us there. I caught a glimpse of her smiling and shaking her head through the huge glass window.

Minutes later, Zack arrived with another officer. We were tempted to hug him, but the officer said no touching allowed.

Zack gave us a small smile and sat opposite us. He still looked the same, he was still wearing the same clothes he wore yesterday when they came to arrest him. "Hi!" He said quietly.

"Hey!" We greeted in unison.

"So ..." Daniella started off.

"So?" Zack shrugged and raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"I see you haven't lost your prettiness." Daniel said, wiggling his eyebrows, and we all laughed.

"I hope these four didn't give you problems on the way," Zack said to me, a smirk plastered on his face.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "They caused a problem at the front table by giving the officer wrong names..." I told him everything that happened when we got there, and from then, they began chatting and laughing, but I had zoned out.

"Can I have a word with Lesego, please?" My head snapped up at the mention of my name. The others stood up and bid him farewell.

"It was good to see you, babes," Daniel said to Zack, winking in the process.

I shook my head at him. Daniel was gay, Zack too was gay, as well as "Samkaylo" like he likes to call himself. But the idiots would rather date outsiders than date each other. They say it's better to remain in the friend zone than to go from friends to lovers, and from lovers to nothing.

"We will be waiting for you in the car, Lesego, don't forget to sign out on your way out." Sammy said before leaving with the others.

I was now left alone with Zack. The silence between us was impermeable. "What's on your mind?" Zack finally asked.

"Nothing." I cleared my throat and looked away.

"Lesego, you can lie to anyone and everyone in the world, but you can't fool me– what is the matter?" He asked sternly.

"I don't know!" I snapped, and the officer gave me a warning look. I sighed and closed my eyes. Where could I start? I think a lot has happened within the last 24 hours. I don't know what is going on. Maybe I'm just going crazy. There's no other explanation.

At first, when I was doing my first year in varsity, I used to feel like someone was watching me. Wherever I went, I felt like someone was following me. Every class I attended, every corner I turned, I always felt eyes on me, but whenever I looked, there would be no one staring at me. This continued for a while, and when I told Clay about it, he said I was just imagining things. Sihle on the other hand, said he would investigate it, and a few days later, everything stopped, and I could be myself again.

However, yesterday while I was at the park with Clay, I felt like I was being watched, but I brushed the feeling away, and then later on, the whole creepy event in my room took place; the window, the blanket, the shoes, and the bags. And then today, the issue at the garden. I know I am not really imagining things, what bothers me the most is the fact that I can't see this person, they are always there, but never there. I took a deep breath and finally asked, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

Heavy silence followed, and Zack gave me a blank stare before he burst out into fits of laughter.  I just gave him a blank stare to convey my annoyance and seriousness. What was so funny about this?

"Oh, Lesego, how I missed your funny self," he said as his laughter subsided. "Ghosts? Of all things you could possibly say, you choose ghosts." He shook his head and leaned back against his chair. He smiled as he stared at his feet. "Ghosts," he muttered and looked up at me, his smile fading completely. He sat up straight, his face pale. "You are serious." I remained quiet and let the tears silently flow down my cheeks. "Oh, God! I am so sorry, Lesego, I thought you were joking." He touched my hands and withdrew his hand as if he had just been shocked by electricity when the officer barked, "NO TOUCHING!"

I sighed and pulled my hands to myself as if shielding them from harm. "I don't know what to think anymore, I feel like I'm going crazy," I croaked out.

"What happened?"

I told him everything that had happened through tears and choked cries. By the time I finished, Zack looked uncomfortable. "You see, you probably think that I'm crazy!" I snapped at him, but he quickly interjected and shook his head.

"No, that's not it! I just..." He trailed off and sighed, and the defeated look on his face returned.

"What is it? Did I say something wrong?" I asked worriedly.

My stomach tied into knots when he said, "Lesego, there's something I need to tell you."