Writhe: SCALP

-8-

When I came around our neighborhood, I met Fiki at the grocery store. I was surprised to see her. It felt like years since we talked. She looked shocked as well because her eyes widened when she caught sight of me. Quickly, she put her bag on the counter and rushed towards me. I was shocked to see a faint fear in her eyes.

"Jasiri..." she said looking around. I was confused by her behavior. She made me anxious.

"Fiki what's wrong, how have you been?" I asked, holding her by the shoulders.

"I can't say, she will hear..." she said looking around again.

I looked around, feeling a little scared.

"Who?" I asked, my heartbeat quickening.

"You need t-" Fiki started.

At that moment, her grandmother came to join us. She had the grocery bag in her hand. She smiled at me with the smile that seemed more sinister than happy. Her head was bald as usual, and her outfit had aged 100 years back. She looked more traditional than ever. The hell. I decided to never let her scare me again, so I gave her my best smile. I decided I won't be involved or even think about them and their problems anymore. Whatever Fiki wanted to tell me, I didn't want to hear at the moment. I just needed to get home, read and be excited about having a girl over like a normal human being. I walked towards my house, bidding Fiki goodbye. She looked at me miserably, as if feeling sorry for me. What the hell. Her grandmother had the look I had talked about. How she looked at me like a tigress closely watching a helpless fawn. I turned to leave but couldn't deny she made me shiver a little.

"No way. Never again. Ive had enough trouble with these two. Its time they let me live my life like a normal teenager." I told myself in my thoughts as I opened the gate to my home.

By the time I got inside, I had forgotten about them and their misery. My brother was busy making a wire cage for the hens. He waved when he saw me. I beamed when I thought about Raha.

"Good, I see you're still wise after all." My mother commented when I made my way into the living room. The clock on the wall read 4.25 p.m. I usually got home at around 6.30 p.m. Unlike in the city, the little village was very safe, and you could walk the streets even at midnight very comfortably. Almost everybody knew each other and their family. I smiled and walked to the kitchen. "I also saw your timetable. That's alright but you need to extend it to weekends as well."

I put down the mug of milk I had poured myself.

"You went into my room..." I complained. It's not like I had anything to hide but I wanted privacy. She usually didn't go into my room when I wasn't present. At least as far as I knew. Or did she?

"Stop whining, you left it unlocked."

"Ohh" I remembered.

"For the weekends you can designate the mornings for study, then you're free in the afternoons." She suggested. I nodded, feeling sad nonetheless. I downed my milk.

"Okay, I'll go clean up and get to it." I said grabbing my bag.

By around 6.30 p.m., I was halfway through my time table. I had done Literature and Physics and was supposed to get ready for Biology and Geography. I used revision books; and since I was behind in most notes, Mani's books littered my desk. She had all the notes and they were up to date. Damn, talk about devotion. But I couldn't focus. Anytime, Raha would be at the window. The adrenaline rushing through my body made me restless. I went down on the floor and did a few push ups to calm my nerves. You'd think I was meeting a blind date for the first time. I went downstairs to get a drink. My brother was getting dinner ready, and my mother busy tending to our little garden in the back yard. I could see her through the window. Anytime now Raha. By the time I got back to my room, it was already 7. Maybe she's decided to come through at 8. That's the time I wished I had a phone. I took a deep breath and opened my book of A Song of Ice and Fire. The whole collection was lined up on my bookshelf. Along with the whole Harry Potter book collection. I was a huge fan of those two franchises. I hadn't yet found any other that moved me like them. This was to calm my nerves. Remembering the door, I went over and locked it from inside. My mother would kill me if she found me in my "novels" as she called them, instead of studying. Soon, I felt my eyes getting heavy with sleep. No, you can't sleep, she will be here any minute, I thought to myself. I stood up and put the book down. I looked at my watch, 7.56 p.m. I went to the mirror to examine my appearance. I looked alright. I put on some perfume and smoothed down my hair. The little golden lights were already on, and the moon outside shone with expectation. The window opposite was closed and the curtains shut. Good, I didn't want them spoiling my evening.

The moon was very beautiful. I turned my chair to face the open window, and turned off the golden lights to see better. My room had a faint shade of blue as the moonlight made its way inside. With the way it beamed, I felt like it was a celebration of our love. It was cheering us on. My heart bubbled with happiness and I grinned like a fool. Damn, I was in love. I couldn't believe it. The stars danced merrily, singing famous love songs, praising the universe for a job well done.... the wind blew without a rush, a warm breeze that made the cotton curtains flutter softly... My eyes started fluttering. Soon, the songs were being sung in my dreams...

A heavy sound of knocking hit my ears, making my eyes snap open. I had slept, I couldn't believe it, what if she had come? I went to the window and looked down. I looked at my watch, 10 p.m. What? How long had I slept? The knocking became louder. It was my mother calling my name. I went to open the door. She came in quickly and switched on the lights. I felt so confused. What the hell was happening. Had Raha arrived?

"Why are you sitting in darkness?" she asked. "Listen, your friend's parents are in the living room. They came to ask if she was here. Go talk to them."

I walked downstairs, still trying to focus. My mind slowly clarified. Yes, it was Raha's parents. What the hell were they doing here? Had they found out about our planned forbidden night? That snapped me back to the present like a switch. My heart started beating like crazy. I felt my hands starting to shake. If they talked about it, my mother would know we were dating. I started feeling a little faint. I went and sat on the couch to avoid collapsing. My mother stood at the entrance watching. Raha's parents looked at me.

"Jasiri, good to see you." Her dad said. However, I couldn't deny the faint lines of worry on his forehead. "We came to see if Raha could be here. She left at 7 saying she wanted to go to the store for school stuff and she isn't back yet. We thought she might have passed by to see you." I looked at them questioningly. Where the hell was she then? Maybe she was at Mani's.

"She didn't come by. Have you asked Mani? She's her best friend."

"They were the first ones we asked. Maybe there's something troubling her? I always told her she could talk to me." The mom said, looking defeated.

I thought maybe she was at the river. Did she want it to be a surprise for me? Because I couldn't think of any other place she could be. I chuckled inwardly, maybe she wanted me to wait for so long and with my restlessness, go looking for her; then we could have a hot passionate night under the moonlight. 

"I think I know where she might be. You can wait here; I'll go see if she's there." I said, standing up. My mother looked at me in disbelief.

"What do you mean, why can't her parents go with you?"

"Mother, let me just go, I know she's there."

"Where?" my mother was still asking.

"At the river. She-she told me she always goes there to clear her mind. Maybe that's where she is."

"It's okay, let her go and find out, maybe she can find out if it's something she would want to talk about that's weighing down on her." Raha's mother defended. My mother nodded with concern.

"I'll come back with her I promise." I told her parents. Since they knew Raha and I were an item, they nodded in understanding. It was already some minutes past eleven. That was very early in our village. Nothing wrong could happen here. People were still out and about in the streets. I grabbed my jacket and walked outside. My mother opened the door for me. She nodded and closed it behind me.

It was chilly. The air was almost icy. The river wasn't very far, but you still had to walk a distance. This is because I had to leave my neighborhood and go to Raha's neighborhood. My heart was beating with exhilaration. I quickened my steps. I couldn't wait to feel her lips on mine. I decided to use a shortcut through the market. People seldom used it; most preferred to take the bus instead. It wasn't as well lit as the rest of the town, but it was the fastest way to the river. The moon was behind some clouds.

I walked on, pulling the furs on my jacket up to cover my nose. I made the final corner and stopped. Something was lying on the tarmac ahead. Or was it someone? The soft breeze seemed to get colder. I took tentative steps forward. As I got closer,it was clearly someone. I shuddered. What the hell was this person doing lying on the road at this time? Most likely a drunkard. But there weren't many drunkards in our village. When I got close enough, I could see something was wrong. Something about it was terribly wrong. The form... was that a human? Suddenly, the moonbeam hit the pavement, and all the blood was sucked out of my body. Blood... I saw blood. Lots of it.