WHAT THEY TOOK FROM ME

BETRAYAL

Little did I know that my little charade with the elders will turn out to be worse that I have imagined. My head aches and my eyes were blurry it was as if I was knocked out before I slept off. Yeah I was indeed knocked out. Opening my eyes and adjusting it to light, I saw a body shape, she was standing and facing me with a smirk on her face. And not far from where she is standing, there is a guy tied up to a chair. After successfully adjusting my eyes to light, I tried to stand up and it was then I knew I have been tied to a chair.

“Oh our little princess is finally up.” Marisol said while smirking out me.

“Let go of me Marisol.” I said while trying to wiggle out of the rope but the rope wasn’t budging.

“Don’t wiggle sweetie, it is a magical rope and the more you wiggle, the more it tightens.” that explains why the rope wasn’t budging.

“What do you want from me?” I asked with many anger in me. And yeah the guy she tied up to the other chair is Ope.

“I don’t need anything from you well for now.” Marisol said.

“You know there is nothing you can do to me. I am the Overlord.” I stated.

“Oh you i***t, have you forgotten how you stupidly gave up your powers because of a mere prophecy?” What I haven’t made known to people is that after the prophecy of me dooming the world, I thought about it and told Marisol to rip me of my powers using the Lanem ring. It takes the power of three to be able to rip powers out of a magical being. The power of three is the Chosen ones. The Creator made them to rip the powers of any Overlord that is bought by the Dark side. The Chosen ones are not related by birth. I regretted trusting the elders. I can’t believe Leslie would do this to me.

“How dare you trick me into giving up my powers?” I questioned with my blood burning.

“Come of it dearie, I didn’t trick you. You decided on that on your own. How foolish of you. Well I am happy you did. All I have to do now is, use the dagger of power to transfer your powers to myself and I can finally rule this world.” she said.

“No you can’t rule.” I said

“Say that for yourself. You relied on the elders to help you rule and I don’t need anyone’s help in ruling. This place is not yours to live in the first place. You are born of an ordinary being so you should have stayed there and never wished to be here in the first place.” She mocked me.

“I never wished to be here in the first place, the Creator chose me.” I replied.

“You are weak and young. You can’t do anything. So it is best you enjoy here.” Marisol insulted me. She was working to the door then I decided she should hear this.

“You can’t escape the day of reckoning without me. And my powers will be useless to you.” I reminded her. Yeah the day of reckoning is a part of the prophecy.

“You seriously believe the prophecy?” she asked me. I looked deep into her and had no choice but to ask.

“Is the prophecy about me not true?” I asked with utmost fate to be what I wanted it to be.

“No darling, it isn’t. it was all planned meticulously by me.” f**k how could I have been so weak like that.

“You are a bitch.” I said with so much anger in me. She laughed hysterically and left.

How could I have been gullible? All my life those I trusted have done nothing but betray me. I guess it is the way of nature telling me no one can be trusted. I wanted to cry because I have given my enemy the power to destroy the world entrusted to me by the Creator. Even if the prophecy is not true, I am indeed dooming the world because with my power being in the hands of Marisol, the world is doomed already. But thinking about it, if she has my power already why haven’t she killed me or at least Ope. Then I remembered, to be able to access my powers, she will need me to perform the rites knowing fully well I won’t do it she kept Ope alive to threaten me.

“She doesn’t have the dagger yet.” I said out loud to no one but myself. I needed to get out of this place.

“Ope!!!!!! you duffer should just wake up already.” I yelled out the last sentence.

He has been sleeping since and the last time I spoke to him was when Ryan and I found him in the woods. He is not responding to my calling, I guess Marisol put him in a deep slumber. I tried to wiggle out of it. If at all anything needed saving, it will be the magical world. One turning their back on their kind is more dangerous than a demon that knows less and it won’t hurt as much as a family turning their back on you. I tried and prayed harder. The rope is now squeezing all of me. I feel my bones cracking. I was running out of breathe and time. I didn’t know what to do. At this rate I was going to die before Marisol kills me. I was about to give up before I remembered something Ryan said. I can reach out to him if my soul desperately calls for him.

“Ryan!” my subconscious mind called out to Ryan.

“Tiwa?” Ryan replied. Looks like I am desperate after all.

“Yes, it is me Ryan.” I said slightly feeling a lil bit of hope in me.

“Where have you been for six days? Do you know how worried Natasha and I are?” Ryan questioned me.

“Mar…… wait what? I have been kidn*pped for six days?” I asked Ryan

“kidn*pped? Where are you? Who kidn*pped you?” Ryan continued to question me.

“I never took you for the type who gets worried.” In this state I am in I still have time to make some humour. Trust me I can’t believe myself either.

“Drop this and tell me what happened.” Ryan demanded.

“I will tell you what happened after you come save me and that is if you arrived before I die.” I said jokingly but truthfully.

“Okay! Where are you?” he asked.

“Honestly I don’t know.” I replied

“Carefully listen to the wind and let it tell you where you are.” He suggested.

I haven’t tried that before but it won’t kill to try it out now. I listened carefully to the wind and drift away in its sound. The strong wave of this wind is that of a forest and I can perceive the odour of a river and I can hear the birds singing happily and chir…….

“I am in a hut not far from our special place but the hut is in the woods.” I informed Ryan.

“Am coming.” That was all he said

Wow that was cool. I should try it out again some other time. It was taking time. I guess it’s a place too far from the woods. I tried to stay up by reading out some stories to myself.

It's always raining heavily in the month of July, and I'm sitting here lost in my thoughts, and thinking of possible ways I can move out of Port Harcourt to further my education. For as much as I can remember, I have always been obsessed with two things, which I nursed since I was younger: becoming a graduate, and living in Lagos. As I grew older, the likelihood of my dreams coming true continued to dwindle, and by the time I got into SS3, reality was staring at me right in the face so harshly that I could almost hear its wicked laughter. The life I envisioned was truly not as easy as I thought it would be. I'm done with my secondary school education, and my parents cannot afford to send me to university, talk less of a good one in Lagos. The tuition fees and cost of living was way beyond their budget. So, even though I have always been one of the best in my class, my academic future seemed bleak due to the financial constraints of my parents.

I have lived in Port Harcourt all my life and have grown tired as I seek a new adventure. There is a smallness to it that chokes me, and the fact that every day is the same frightens me; I cannot bear the thought of such a dull, monotonous existence. For most of my 19 years, I have dreamed of escaping from Port Harcourt to a place where I can spread my wings and soar like an eagle, where I would be able to express myself and become the woman I'm meant to be.

There's no way I can remain here. There's nothing here for me. This is my chance to leave and achieve my life's purpose. I put in so much effort and sacrifice into my WAEC and JAMB examinations. I stayed up late night after night reading the huge textbooks I had borrowed from friends who could afford them and poring over copious notes I painstakingly took in school. In the end, I passed with flying colours. Unfortunately, there is no one to sponsor my university education, and that became the genesis of heartache as my mother wants me to learn a trade.

I honestly can't wrap my head around the fact that I might end up as a hairdresser or tailor if I don't find a way out by myself. That would be the death of all my dreams, hopes and aspirations. My hard work and sacrifice would be in vain, and my excellent results would become useless. I can feel the tears stinging my eyes just at its thought. There has to be a way. I must go to Lagos, and I must get a college degree.

I've been trying to think of someone who can help me in any possible way. I have no rich aunt or uncle to run to for help. My friend Rita is the only person I know who is doing well financially. I can't really tell how rich she is, but she seems to be very successful. Rita is two years older than I am. She recently celebrated her 21st birthday at Bonny Island and it was a huge rave. She's been shuttling between Lagos and Port Harcourt for two years. Every time she goes and returns, she appears richer and even more beautiful. Her lifestyle and affluence constantly had tongues wagging. Within two years, she had opened two boutiques here in Port Harcourt and she drives a black Toyota Camry. Everyone knows the money didn't come from her parents because they simply cannot afford such luxury. Yet, no one really knows what Rita did to get all this money. At this point, I am not really interested in speculations about the source of her money. I need help, and I think she will be able to help me at this breaking point. I should have a heart to heart conversation with her.

~~~~~

I sent Rita a "please call me" text. I rarely had airtime on my phone, and even when I did, it was rarely sufficient for calls. So, I sent her an SMS in the hopes that she would respond, and I waited patiently. It was only a few minutes, but it was the longest wait of my life. Even though I was expecting it, I jumped to my feet at the sound of the incoming call.

"Hello," I said as soon as I answered the call.

"What's up? I got your text message," Rita replied.

"Nothing much babe, just chilling. Please, I need to see you urgently."

"I hope it's nothing serious? I am at the boutique on Peter Odili Road, you should come over," she said.

"OK, I'll be there in 30 minutes."

Hope surged through my whole being as I hung up and I was somewhat relieved. Not only did she call back, she actually sounded open to hearing whatever I had to say.

I quickly went through my set of ugly, worn out clothes I had bought as second-hand. I didn't even have anything nice to wear, and my hair was so untidy. Even though I was going to ask for help, I knew I had to look a bit presentable to Rita. To be honest, we were not the closest of friends because my parents never liked her in the first place. They felt she was growing up too fast, as she was always acting older than her age. Nonetheless, their opinion did not really matter to me at this point. A solid education is the best thing parents can give to their child, and my parents simply couldn't afford that. Thinking about the situation got me upset, and I had to take deep breaths to compose myself. I reminded myself there was no use of getting annoyed and all worked up over what I could not change. It was better to focus on finding a way out. I looked through my clothes one more time and decided on a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt. I pulled my hair into a bun, laid my edges, put on a little makeup, and hit the road-. I wished I could take a cab- but I had just N2,000 in my purse so I had to take a bike to Rita's boutique.

She was attending to a customer when I arrived, and so I took the chair closest to me and waited, grateful for the air conditioning after enduring the scorching sun all through the ride on the bike. I watched Rita as she gestured in conversation with her customer. Her hair, her outfit, her well-manicured nails, the beautiful jewellery that adorned her fingers and wrists, her perfect makeup, and her glowing skin instantly fuelled my hunger for a better future. I knew I was fashionable, but I had no money to flex or make myself look good. I quickly looked around the boutique, all the clothes there were brand new and obviously expensive. I wanted it all.

"Hey girl," I said, standing up as she walked towards me. "Na wa o, you are always looking good! See how fresh you………..

I couldn’t hold out anymore. It was killing me and it looks like he is taking too long to get here.

“Ryan, where are you?” I called out to him again.

“Hold on Tiwa. Please Hold on.” Ryan begged

“Ryan I can’t hold up anymore. I am blac………” I was slurping on my words.

“Tiwa……….” I couldn’t hear anymore words everything Ryan was saying were faints. And that was it, I blacked out.