THE DARK ALPHA'S CURSE

CHAPTER TWELVE

Chapter Twelve: MISERABLE DAYS

May 23, 2019

"Oh, come on!", Alex prodded, mock punching my back.
"Class go soon start na".

    I gave him a faint smile, shaking my head. It was the first time in six weeks that I'd even shown any interest in really talking to anyone amongst them.
"I get something to settle first, then I wan rush go Akpakpava, then from there I'll branch New Benin, or maybe RingRoad, then I'll come back for upper limb".

      All my friends looked at me, as if I had a nut loose.

I shrugged it off.
They wouldn't understand.
I had business.

    "Will you come back in time for the test?", Sam asked, but before I could reply, Jocie, my girlfriend, answered for me, her boisterous and evasive tone showing she wouldn't entertain any further questions.
"Yes, he will", was what she said, grabbing my arm possessively.

     I pursed my lips, shaking my head.
I didn't give two fucks about her insecurities, not while I had a ton of important business to deal with. She looked up at me, flirtatiously, batting her eyelids.

I snorted, unwrapping her fingers from their hold on mine.

Smiling a little, and not minding the hurt look on her face, I took some steps back. "I have to go now", I said to no one in particular. "I'll be back in time for upper limb".

   As I turned to leave, I heard Sharon whispering to someone on how something wasn't right with me, and she wished I'd talk to someone.

I ignored the sudden surge of fury that clambered on to me from below, rising with the speed and eager taste of destruction as an avalanche, and walked on, picking my bag gingerly.

Poor thing, the formerly obsidian but now charcoal black bag was smudged with the taffy - rouge paint of the uncompleted medical library building.

Uncompleted?
Hah! It wasn't o!

According to the one time the security detail attached to the faculty, it was a big crime to refer to such a wonderful edifice as 'uncompleted' and warranted a slap, a shout, and an apology letter.

    Don't look at me, I'm not lying.
Seriously, ask Alex.
He's the one they caught, not me.

The two storeyed semi duplex building is shaped like a whatchamacallit, I don't even know what shape that is.

   No! Whatchamacallit is not a shape!
Now, I'm looking at you I'm shaking my head sorrowfully.
Check a dictionary, heh!
I've given you homework!
Ha ha ha!

     Anyways, the edifice has three entrances, that were not really entrances per se, because its doors were closed, and each giant six foot two door with sand dollar trimmings and silver handles faced three cardinal directions: North, South and East.

    The Northern door faced the MBC laboratory, the Southern door faced the tarred road leading out of the complex, and the Eastern door faced the well trimmed and beautifully green carpet grass of the Uniben golf course located in the junior staff quarters.

    Each door, except the eastern one, which seems like the main one, is located beneath or beside a staircase, which leads to an identical door on the next floor.

     Usually, my friends and I chilled at the Eastern one, majorly because no one could see us hanging out there.
The only way to sight us was from the nursing building, which was too far away, or from the medical complex extension building, which was, well, to be frank, a very desolate uncompleted building.

As I made my way from this door, I felt someone was following me, carefully treading as to not be too obvious.
I ignored it.

You know how you want to be left alone sometimes?
Like, you're not really angry, but you know talking to anyone would trip you off, and you don't want that.
But deep down, you want to talk to someone.

I was in that mood.
I had my mind filled to the brim with guilt, and anger, and I very much wanted to talk to someone about how I felt.

But no one would understand, you know?
They'll think I'm lying, or I'm paranoid again.

Worse still, they could tag me insane.
Which was a name I did not want to hear anyone term me.

I entered the hallway leading through the front of lecture theaters I and II, and out to the main road out of the complex.
The footsteps still pattered on behind me.

I got to the bus stop, without looking back or paying any attention whatsoever to the person behind me, but it was getting too much.

My hands shook, as they did when my anger was about to lash out.
Without missing a step, I swung on the heels of my pecan brown leather shoes, the one my brother handed down to me that was handed down to him by our dad, that was...

Hah! I caught you!
My dad bought the shoe, okay?

He just bought it for my grand dad, who wore it once, decided it wasn't his style, and gave to my dad.

Its not a hereditary thing. Look, forget about it, okay?

They were still brand new, the polishing always made it so slick that people usually asked where and how much I got the shoe.

Anyways, I spun on my heels, ready to lash out on the person trailing me, then I recoiled, my anger melting like chocolate on fire.
Yep, I'm that hot.

   "Osas", she said, her big,beautiful brown eyes searching mine for answers, and tears held at their boundaries.
"Mitchell, what's wrong?", I asked her. "Did anybody hurt you? Who? What happened?".

   She shook her head, then held my face gently. "What's happening to you, Osas?".

   I was, well, to be honest, blown away.

Here was one of my weaknesses, standing in front of me, worried about my wellbeing.

I was touched.

"Nothing is wrong, Mitch", I smiled, holding her hands tight in mine.
"I'm fine.  I'm..".
I searched for the right word.

"I'm just going through a lot right now, and it really gets to me. I'll be fine, I promise."

    She smiled weakly, giving me a quick soccer punch again, weakly.

"Big head! Do and come back for the upper limb class o! We'll be playing T or D after class."

    I nodded, smiling as my bus came.
I gave her a quick peck, running across the road to board the shuttle bus.

   By the time I'd boarded, the bus was lumbering forward, heading for the main gates.

I sank back into my seat, sighing heavily, the reality of the mission I was heading to filling me with despair.

Forget about the mild smiling sun, gentle breeze and swaying trees.
I had a feeling today was not going to be good.

It was not just a feeling.
I knew it.