Tyler pulled into the driveway of the house his GPS had guided him to, killing the engine as he took in his surroundings.
It was the classic two storey building, painted a nice cream colour with a groomed lawn to complement its simplicity. On one side of the house, was a massive graffiti painting depicting a silhouetted black woman holding a baby and as he stared at it, he thought something about it resembled Praise.
Getting out of the car, he locked it automatically with the key before walking up to the house and knocking at the door twice. There was a mad scramble inside the house with a tiny voice calling out, "I'll get it!"
From inside, Tyler heard the bolt slide back and the key turn before the door whooshed open, the smell of cooking meat and something else he could not quite pin point hitting him in the face.
A teenage brown skinned girl stood there with her hair in two buns, each on the left and right side of her head. She was wearing loose leggings and a Monster High shirt and her eyes widened when she saw Tyler.
"Aaron, Aaron!" she called, trying to lean back but not take her eyes off Tyler as if he was going to disappear any moment. "Come here! I think this is the guy Praise's been trying to hide from us!"
So Praise had been expecting him, Tyler discovered, but why had she been trying to hide his arrival?
"Who is it Zoe?" he heard Praise call from inside the house.
"Someone!" the young girl answered as she gave Tyler a sign to keep quiet, placing her hand over her lips.
"I know it's someone," Praise called back, sounding frustrated. "But who? Is it one of the neighbors?"
"No. I've never seen him before," Zoe shouted back as she continued to stare at Tyler. Her gaze washed over him the way a predator would stare at prey, and Tyler felt faint strings of discomfort within him.
"Him?" Praise's voice was suddenly a screech and Zoe laughed.
"Yes, a he," she replied mischievously. "I've found out your secret Praise! Wait till Aaron hears it."
Confused, Tyler wondered who this Aaron was. Praise's brother? Her boyfriend?
Someone padded over to the door quickly and Tyler was suddenly face to face with a casually dressed Praise in Bermuda shorts and a floral blouse.
"Tyler," she blurted out and then looked at her clothes and back at him. "Well this is a surprise."
Zoe grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, past the door and Praise. Inside the house was a cozy living room decorated to look like a vibrant forest. It was an interesting choice of wallpaper.
A flat screen TV was attached to the wall, showing an episode of a teenage sitcom and Zoe plopped down on a couch and patted the space beside her. "Sit."
Tyler obeyed her, and behind them Praise sighed and closed the door before locking it.
"What have I told you about opening the door for strangers, Zoe?" she asked as she entered the living room.
Without looking away from her show Zoe answered, "I'm not supposed to. But we rarely get any visitors and you've been so secretive these days I just knew someone was coming."
Praise looked flustered, and her lips tilted downwards. "Go upstairs."
"Why?" Zoe whined, shaking her head.
She met Praise's gaze head on and held it, pursing her lips into a small pout.
"Zoe, don't test me. I don't want you listening in on our conversation," Praise said instead of the 'Because I said so' Tyler had been expecting.
YOU ARE READING
No Blessed ✓
Fantasy- Completed - For Mikel Ark, being offered a job by the world's biggest gaming company is a dream come true, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will launch his career as a hotshot programmer. But what Mikel hasn't been told is that his employer's...
