AMARACHI THE BEAUTIFUL POOR CHILD Episode 10 – 11 By Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor

AMARACHI THE BEAUTIFUL POOR CHILD (And Her Journey to Destiny-Discovery) By Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor

EPISODE 10

As the little time she bought by hiding in the confessional drew to an end, heavy pulsation of the heart crept into Amarachi as she waited to see the end of it all.
The pistol she saw the hefty man wave in the air was almost like the one that she saw in her dream; even though the user was Uremma and not some strange macho man.
It dawned on Amarachi that the nightmare she dreaded finally came.
Reminiscing on the part where her mom pleaded to be allowed to take her daughter to the church made the entire dream clearer. She knew that she’d still be shot, but this time, it would be in the church.
Amarachi never knew that Uremma could hire assassins to end her life, but the revelation in the dream was that she was the user.
With her eyes wild shut, she said her last prayers and then waited to be devoured by the marauding beasts breathing threats against her. The roomy confessional suddenly seemed air-tight, suffocating and uncomfortable; against the safe haven that it provided for her a couple of minutes earlier.
As she waited for the confessional to be broken by the men in black, she was surprised that everywhere suddenly became calm.
Little by little, she opened her eyes. It was surprising that both the priest and Ugwunwa were gone, remaining the two hefty guys.
At this time, the real fear set it, so she burst into tears as she waited for her death to come.
“Hey, you should come out now quickly,” one of the guys echoed in a coarse voice.
“Please, don’t kill me,” Amy pleaded with an untold fear, “Fine, I’ll open the door, I promise. But please, don’t use the gun yet,”
“You’re wasting much time here,” the voice whispered angrily, “we just bought some time for you but you want to implicate us. Or do you want the church security to be alerted?”
Suddenly Amy opened the door in total surrender to fate. She was dazzled when she saw the priest sitting as if he was in hostage while Ugwunwa’s legs and hands were tied.
Amy didn’t just get it but had to obey the instruction as ordered.
She followed one of the macho guys while the other watched the priest and Ugwunwa to ensure they didn’t interfere in the abduction.
As Amy and one of the macho guys walked towards the parking lot, the guy looked at Amarachi, smiled for the first time and pretended to be a friend, and then said: “I think you just have to pretend that we’re friends so that we all would quietly leave this church without a hitch,”
In obedience, Amarachi pretended too, smiling at everyone in a way that a clever one would understand that she was under duress. Even though she played along, she was busy trying to make the people around know that something was wrong and kidnapping taking place.
Unfortunately, none of her gestures was fruition until they got to where she parked her car.
“What else should I do, sir?” Amarachi asked with uncertianty.
“Unlock,” he ordered in an unfriendly tone and then collected the car key from her. He unlocked the car, pushed Amarachi into the vehicle and drove off without being stopped or noticed.
Silence flared as the unsmiling man piloted along the road. Amarachi was filled with uneasiness and couldn’t even utter a word to avoid being killed. She already knew that she was possibly being taken to Uremma wherever she may have encamped.
After the prolonged silence, Amarachi summoned the courage and interrogated him with a touch of boldness: “How much did she pay you to do this? I can double it,”
The stout black guy kept driving without a reply.
Amarachi asked him series of questions but he heeded not, not even to shush her but allowed her to keep ranting and blabbing.
In a jiffy, she noticed that the other guy was behind them; with the black Lexus car as he closed in fast.
“Please, don’t tell me that anything happened to Fr. Augustine,” Amarachi said and kept looking back at intervals to know if the black Lexus was still following them.
To her greatest surprise, she noticed that the mute driver plied the same route leading to Dave’s house.
The entire dream became clearer because she then connected the dots and realised that the shooting that would end Dave’s life was close.
“Please, instead of killing Dave, kill me,” she pleaded with tears blurring her vision, “I know how the story ends. I know I’d still die but don’t kill Dave,”
The only reply Amarachi got from the macho man was silence.
In an exceedingly short time, the guy got to the gate and engaged the horns with a blare.
Being that the e-Vogue was tinted, no one could have suspected that it wasn’t Amarachi that was the driver, so the gatekeeper opened the gate and they drove in.
The other guy in the Lexus saloon car drove in sharply too to avoid being locked outside the gate.
The entrance of the second vehicle became suspicious to the gatekeeper, that was when he went closer to see who was there but no one was seen since the tints of the glasses were heavy.
As Amarachi looked straight ahead, she saw Dave, Ujunwa and Ego Oyibo coming to welcome her.
She started shouting but her mouth was shut by Mr. Macho that held her closely with a firm grip.
“Please, stop this madness,” the hefty guy barked, breaking his long silence. “Wait!” he said to her in a husky tone, got down from the SUV, and then opened the car for Amarachi.
Seeing Dave coming, Amy rushed and held him. “Baby, please rush back inside because I saw all these in my dream. You’d die…I mean it,” she yelled as she groped for her car keys but remembered that the macho man was with it.
Amarachi was surprised that Dave wasn’t perturbed as she expected, instead he calmed her down and welcomed the guys with smiles.
“I hope my girl wasn’t hurt,” Dave asked and held Amy closely.
“No, sir,” The macho guy said, but the priest would have caused some troubles for us but we had it under control,”
“Under control?” Dave queried with a frown and went closer to him looking fiercely into his eyes, “I hope a priest of God wasn’t harmed,”
“We’re not killers, sir, especially bearing in mind that you have warned us to keep away from the clergy” the guy said with a deep respect for his boss, “but we have a victim of circumstance in the car,”
The other car opened immediately. Ugwunwa was seen struggling for her freedom but got none except a reprimand from the rugged guy.
The macho guy came down and opened the car for Uguwnwa, and then said: “You see. I told you that you won’t be hurt if you complied,”
“Who’s she?” Dave asked looking surprised.
“She’s an impostor.” Amarachi snarled swiftly, “this impostor wants to end her fiancé’s life with the intention of stealing a treasure from him,”
“I did what I had to do to keep myself alive,” Ugwunwa yelled with regrets and tears.
Out of anger for the unrepentant reply from her, Amarachi raised her hand to hit her for making such statement but on second thought, took a deep breath and said to her: “Chike loves you so much but what he gets for his love is betrayal,”
Ugwunwa looked bedraggled with sweat but looking so guilty and panicky.
“I’m yet to understand this,” Dave said and took the two hefty guys at a corner, got a briefing from them and then handed over some cash to them in appreciation.
They left immediately while Amarachi remained dazzled and confused.
“Can someone start talking?” Amy said and went to Dave looking angrily at him, “who’re those men and why were they following me around?”
Dave’s soft nature seemed buried that very moment, so he held Ugwunwa by the neck and said: “I’m yet to get…”
Amarachi rushed at him and pushed him away to avoid hurting Ugwunwa that was already choking and coughing, “I thought you’ve changed from this roughness and disrespect for a lady but you’re just acting like a misogynist!”
“But why defending the same girl you condemned a couple of minutes ago?” Dave asked looking dazed.
Amarachi didn’t reply to him but dragged Ugwunwa by the hand to the poolside to avoid the manly hands of Dave Handsome. “You’re safe here and nothing will…”
“Why are you doing this?” Ugwunwa asked; looking so melancholic and befuddled, “my gang members burnt your car, even sent a threatening bullet to you, and further planned on assassinating you but you still saved me. Why?”
Amarachi was speechless at this point. She was overtaken by uncontrollable eagerness to help reconnect Ugwunwa and Chike but flashes of the details of the confession that the impostor revealed got her mind worked up. But notwithstanding all odds, she still knew that love conquers everything.
“If you have ten enemies and later with love, made eight among them your friends, how many enemies have you killed?” Amy asked in parable.
Ugwunwa was a bit lost but still interested in the question and was keen for an answer. “You’ve not killed any of them yet, so you’ve killed no enemy,” she answered.
“Failed,” Amarachi said and looked into her eyes, “If I turn eight enemies to be my friends, I have succeeded killing eight enemies and now have an additional eight friends,”
“That’s paradoxical and sounded wise,” Ugwunwa said but still not relaxed because she wasn’t sure of her fate yet.
“I don’t need to defend you because you’d be handed over to the police for conspiracy, impersonation and attempted murder,” she assured her, “I wish to free you but it would be dangerous to Chike…”
“Do you love him?” Ugwunwa broke in abruptly, looking saddened about her involvement in trying to bring down Chike that almost offered the entire world to her.
“No, I don’t,” Amarachi replied bluntly without mincing words.
“Why then was he…”
“Don’t go there, Nne,” Amy replied interruptedly, “the day you met Chike proposing to me, it wasn’t real but a rehearsal…” she lied.
Ugwunwa didn’t get that part, “Rehearsal for what occasion?” she asked as she observed Amarachi’s face furtively to know if she was lying or being real.
Dave was seen coming towards the poolside but Amarachi waved at him to move away to avoid getting Ugwunwa pain-stricken.
Ego Oyibo who was most confused by the entire event hid behind the curtain in her room and kept peeping at Amy and Ugwunwa to understand what was going on but the more she tried to eavesdrop, the more confused she became behind the curtain. Everything was simply shadowy and confusing for her.
Clearing her throat, Amy said: “Chike was my childhood friend and we had nothing with each other,”
“That never answered my…”
“He told me about the breakup, so I came to reconcile you guys,” Amy continued to avoid interruptive questions from Ugwunwa, “You must have seen some calls from a strange number the same day you met Chike and me in his office. I was the one. I wanted to meet you woman-to-woman but you didn’t take my calls. Your number later became off, so I went to Chike to…”
“But the proposal…?”

“Can you shut up and listen?” Amarachi hollered, getting the girl startled and compliant.
“I apologise, sorry,” she said and remained attentive, “Continue…please,” she pleaded.
“When I visited Chike,” Amy carried on as she kept her brain busy thinking of the best way to fabricate it so that Ugwunwa wouldn’t think that Chike never loved her so much to have decided to propose to another woman. “In a nutshell, Chike bribed me with a cheque of hundred and eighty thousand Naira just to bring you back to him,”
Mentioning that part got Ugwunwa’s eyes bathed in tears as she remembered the signed cheque she saw on the table thinking that Chike bribed Amy to marry him.
“I need to find Chike now, please!” Ugwunwa said in a tensed state, flapping her hands with impatience.
“Why do you need to see him?” Amarachi asked looking surprised at Ugwunwa’s sudden quest to find Chike.
“His life is in great danger because, as I’m talking to you now, the kidnappers are already on their way to his office, and there is nothing I can do to stop them”
“Relax,” she said and patted her back, “we must find a way to stop them immediately but not with the way you’re acting and making me find it hard to think,”
“Be fast, please!” she said in utter restiveness to show the urgency of the need to act fast.
Ugwunwa stood up to rush out but Amarachi held her back.
“Let me talk to Dave,” she promised and left immediately to meet him.
On getting to the garage, she saw Dave playing a game with his phone.
“Hey, babe,” Dave said with a dimpled grin and dropped the phone to have her attention, “why looking so agitated?”
“We don’t have time now but someone needs to communicate to Chike to know that his life is in danger,” Amy said and kept tapping her feet restlessly on the floor.
“Who is Chike?” Dave asked still looking unserious as he tried to understand what Amarachi was trying to communicate.
“Chike the son of Obi Ajali of Onitsha,” Amarachi said angrily to lure him into action.
Mentioning Obi-Ajali got Dave so much interested in the case.
“Chike was my childhood friend,” he said and dropped the phone immediately, “what did you just say?”
“His life is in danger,” Amy iterated.
“Wait! Please,” Dave said and began to dial Chike’s number, “he should be at the showroom now. We were even together some days back but he never told me he had issues,”
Amarachi was in stunned silence when he said that. She never knew that Dave and Chike were so close to the extent he claimed.
“A small world,” Amarachi croaked absently. “Go on, make the call,” she urged and looked towards the fretful fiancée and waved to her to calm her nerves because Dave was already on the verge of a solution.
Dave moved a bit further away from Amy and made some calls indistinctly, and then came back to Amy and said: “Done…Chike is safe now, but the plans for the treasure still perpetuates because this is family battle…History is a bitch,”
The last time Amarachi checked, she didn’t tell Dave anything about Ugwunwa’s confession concerning the alleged treasure. She was so suspicious at this time because it seemed she didn’t know much about Dave, and there were some pieces of information about the conspiracy that she wasn’t privy to.
Amy was sure that there was something fishy that Dave wasn’t revealing and was determined to grill him until she gets a satisfactory answer.
“You’re yet to tell me why you sent some men after me for monitoring,” Amy said looking uncertain about who she was standing next to, “I don’t know you anymore,” she said with deep reservation about the entire happenings.
“You never knew me at all,” Dave assuredly said and smiled, making the entire thug-like nature evident in him at the moment to disappear like a mirage.
“Please, I want to know you,” Amy said and looked ahead and saw Ugwunwa still looking worried. She waved at her to come forward.
Without delay, Ugwunwa came looking tensed and unsure.
“You can call your fiancé on the phone now,” Dave said to Ugwunwa and placed his hand over her shoulder to give her comfort, but that made Amy a bit uncomfortable.
“Come,” Amy said to Ugwunwa and dragged her to a corner just to move her away from Dave. “You should be very careful with your accomplices because they may hurt the man you claim that you love,”
Ugwunwa still looking uncertain about Chike’s safety, said: “You don’t know the dreaded Agwanti at all and how determined and dangerous he is,” she said trying to give a note of warning to them.
“If Dave is involved, I’m sure,” Amy assured her, “but what is this blah blah blah of a treasure all about?” She asked; demanding a detailed explanation.

Ugwunwa knew about her mission and the role she was meant to play but knew nothing about the details, so she remained ignorant of everything about the document or the treasure. She was simply being used as Delilah to source the information needed; in other words, she was just part of a bigger plan and a means to an end.
“I don’t know anything about it,” She said, depicting innocence. “I was simply told to find a way to convince Chike to tell me the exact location of the treasure or just give me a clue, but unfortunately, Chike isn’t the man that can easily be used. He was always one step ahead of me; hence the length of time I’ve spent on the mission without a fruitful result,”
Amarachi knew Chike as a stubborn guy but never knew him as clever as Ugwunwa claimed he was.
“I doubt your claim that you know nothing about the details,” Amarachi said doubtfully but didn’t have to dig deep into answers but accept the situation the way it was.
“Can I go now?” Ugwunwa said courteously, seeking for permission to leave so that she could sort herself out.
“Sure, you can go but you need to be more careful,” Amy advised and escorted her to the gate.
“One more thing,” Ugwunwa said and pulled Amy closer into a hug in appreciation, and then whispered to her: “Please, don’t tell Chike anything about my role so that the engagement wouldn’t be called off. I love him and he rocks my world,”
Amarachi found it hard to make such promise but being that all she wanted was to create a peaceful environment and help the lovebirds have a marriage devoid of trust issues, she nodded in agreement.
“You have my word,” Amy said and watched her walk out of the compound feeling a bit relieved.
Turning back, Amy saw Dave watching at a distance. She went to him angrily because she still had many questions. Getting to Dave, she knitted her brow into a frown and kept looking intently at him.
“Why the looks?” Dave asked and thrust his hand to hold her but she pushed him aside and continued walking away. “I know about the burnt truck,” Dave said abruptly in a bid to get her attention. He really succeeded.
Amarachi suddenly stopped and looked back with surprise. “How did you know?” she queried and came back to him.
“My informants told me,” he said and pulled her closer, and then whispered: “Don’t keep secrets from me anymore because I’d always know. You are safer and more protected when you hide nothing from me,”
“That’s not an answer to my question,” Amy said, insisting on getting answers, “how did you know about the treasure and the document at Chike’s apartment?”
Dave smiled and shook his head with pride as he wondered the kind of obstinate girl that entered into his life lately.
“I was meant to be part of the operation but I refused because Chike is my good friend and I wouldn’t want to hurt him,” Dave handsome hinted.
Amarachi couldn’t imagine the kind of guy Dave was, with his life characterised by treachery and mischief.
“What’s the contents of the treasure and the details of the document?” Amarachi asked in determination to know everything that Dave knew about it.

“You can’t stop asking. Can you?” Dave said and smiled.
“I’m stubborn, and you should have realised by now,” Amarachi said to let him know how unyielding she could be while seeking for answers.
“Chike came from the lineage of the Obi-Ajali of Onitsha,” Dave said and paused as if he was trying to get the details collated in thoughts before continuing with the historical explanation.
“I know Obi of Onitsha for sure but that of Obi-Ajali I know not,” Amarachi said looking thoughtfully at his soft red lips, “Continue, dear,” Her interest and keenness was heightened at this point because she foresaw some revelations coming forth from Dave.

“Many years back,” Dave dug into history in full, “The Obi couldn’t produce a male Child but had just female children. According to the tradition, royalty continues to thrive in his lineage only when there is a male child still left in the family. Notwithstanding seven wives that the Obi married, no male issue was produced. It became as if he was cursed by the gods. Due to this anomaly,” Dave said and admired Amy’s cute eyes, “One of the Obi’s daughters, Ifenkili by name became so eager and desperate for the immortalization of the dynasty and perpetuation of the lineage of her dad to remain Ahamefula (retained family name and title). Ifenkili knew that if she did nothing, the royalty would leave their lineage and they would be stripped of that title that had been with them for centuries,”
“I think I love this part,” Amarachi said with chuckled.
Dave smiled and continued: “With the thought of this, Ifenkili went as far as Ajali village still in Anambra and convinced her friend who was the prince of Ajali to have a drink with her. The prince was oblivious of her mission, so he obliged her. She got the prince drunk and forced herself on him because he was of royal blood and the right person for the role. Few weeks later, she discovered she was with child and became so happy about that. She concealed the pregnancy from the public knowledge until she delivered the baby boy. She gave the child secretly to her mom who kept faking being pregnant all the while that her daughter was pregnant…”
“What a history,” Amarachi said wondering how a rascal like Dave would be abreast of such history, “go on,” she encouraged and listened with ardency, “but my legs hurt from this long stand. Try and be a gentleman, bro.” She jeered at him,”
“Sorry, madam,” Dave jested in compliance, “Can we have a seat, please?”
He took her to the deckchair by the lounge and made her sit while he sat beside her; juxtaposed.
“The great secret remained only between the daughter (Ifenkili), and her mom (Ugbana),” Dave continued as Amy’s attention became more rapt, “Even the dying king never knew about this because he was already too weak to observe. Other wives never knew too. Only Ifenkili and her mother (Ugbana) knew about the secret. In the end, the baby was born and it was a male child just as I’ve hinted earlier. It was then that Ugbana pretended to have been delivered by the native nurse called Asa Amamighe (the beauty of wisdom), though she bribed the nurse to keep her mouth shut and play along with her. Shortly after then, Ifenkili who never consulted her mom this time went secretly and poisoned Asa Amamighe with the juice of Chelekwu leaf (a poisonous potion). She killed the nurse just to keep the secret eternally buried,”
“People are mean oo,” Amarachi said bemusedly and shook her head in dismay, “This seems like in the movies and I’m enjoying the ‘gist’,”
Dave was glad that Amarachi who hadn’t given him her attention was pinned by history. It was at least an advantage to get her closer to him.
“The king later died, and an heir born,” Dave continued, “Out of deep happiness and gratitude to Chukwu-Ani (God of the soil), seven kingdoms that were descendants of Onitsha presented gifts of Gold to Obi of Onitsha, the little baby with Ajali blood. The gold was in a commercial quantity that they had to dig a very deep pit and hid them there. There was peace then, so no one could locate where the blocks of Gold were hidden except people of the royal blood,”
“What a historian,” Amy said and applauded Dave for his knowledge, “this part of you is alien to me but I love it,”
“Is that a compliment or mockery,” Dave asked smilingly.
“Of course you know I’m showering compliments on you,” Amarachi said feeling so fond of him.
“Many years passed and generations after generations,” Dave went on, “so no one could locate the particular land where the gold was hidden,”
Amarachi, at the point, was already barefooted as she enjoyed the story from Dave, the storyteller.
“Treasures indeed,” She muttered and held Dave’s fingers and started caressing him gently as the history became bare between them.
“It was surprising that the old Native nurse came from the descendants of Ndi-Oke-Amamighe (lineage of wisdom) that was why she was named asa-amamighe (the beauty of wisdom). The secret which Ifenkili and Ugbana thought remained dead with the demise of the native nurse was passed to her elder son. Due to that wisdom embedded in the family, they kept passing the secret from the first son to the first son of each generation and from one age to age until this day,”
Amarachi couldn’t disguise her glee and admiration, so she started clapping for Dave. “I’m so proud of you, baby,”
Dave was wowed that he was addressed as ‘Baby’ for the first time. No wonder a wise saying has it that women are enticed by what they hear.
Dave didn’t want to act surprised with the pet name but continued with the story.
“Meanwhile, in this current age,” Dave clued, “why Chike’s father isn’t the real Obi of Onitsha but Obi-Ajali of Onitsha is because the heir that was brought into the family by intercourse between Ifenkili and the prince of Ajali wasn’t the real heir,”
“How then did they know about this?” Amy asked.
“Through the descendants of Ndi-Oke-Amamighe (lineage of wisdom), the secret information licked, that was about three centuries in the past,” he replied and continued, “The then real and recognised Obi who was in the lineage of the same heir that had Ajali blood was stripped of his title and handed over to entirely another family. Obi-Ajali family didn’t give up the royalty without a fight. This caused a war that wiped out almost the entire warriors from both parties. The resolution to this was that any king from the lineage of the prince of Ajali then took a new title being Obi-Ajali of Onitsha, while any king from the new royal home was known to be the Obi of Onitsha,”
“A bit confusing but I’m playing catch-up,” Amarachi said with chuckles and gave him a warm peck, “you’re intelligent but you allowed yourself to be involved in cult activities that seems to have taken the better part of you,”
Dave remained impervious to that statement but continued with the story to avoid talking about his personal life. “Agwanti (Ugwunwa’s boyfriend) who happens to be from the descendant of the native nurse of old (Ndi-Oke-Amamighe) now claims that their ancestor being the nurse wasn’t compensated for her role but suffered humiliation and death from Ifenkili who was an ancestor to Chike,”
“I now get it all,” Amarachi said with a nod, “the fight for the treasure is just about seeking compensation with gold,”
“Exactly,” Dave said and continued, “With science in this new age, it was discovered that there were lots of Gold deposited deep down the earth where Chike’s house is currently located. So, Agwanti who happens to be a renowned bad guy and a loafer now decides to steal the treasure even if it warrants pulling down the building for his share of the gold,”
It was then that Amarachi realised where the entire plot to steal the treasure emanated from.
“But since Chike and his family know about the treasure in the soil, why didn’t they start mining the gold but chose to keep it hidden without tapping it?” Amy asked intelligently with so much interest to know more.
Dave already knew that he was in trouble because being around such stubborn guru; a man needs to step up his knowledge and wisdom to be able to provide satisfying answers to Amarachi.
As Dave was about to reply to Amy’s intelligent question, some men came in large numbers and pushed the gate open and entered.
Amarachi was afraid but Dave wasn’t because he was already expecting them.
“Amarachi!” Dave called out and took a deep breath as he was about to submit himself to the group of men that came with Akunna (the queen mother of the Slay Queens fraternity), “No matter what happens, Just know that I love you,”
Amarachi was surprised that Akunna was dressed in an all-red overall robe, even though she wasn’t looking happy about that.

Dave also gave himself willingly and accepted the red robe that was forced on him too.
Amarachi was dumbfounded. A drop of tear was a luxury she couldn’t afford even though she needed it most that particular time. It was confusing but she remained calm to avoid taking an action that she’d regret later.
Ujunwa almost hurt herself as she cried and struggled to have her brother back but the group of men didn’t even act as if they heard the sorrowful tears of the young girl.
The strange group made Akunna and Dave mount those two white horses. They all left to an unknown destination.
Amarachi and Ujunwa would have followed but they were prevented from leaving the compound, let alone coming after the group.
Oji Isi wasn’t even around when this happened just as he wasn’t present in the nightmare of the previous night.
It was then that Amarachi remembered when Dave and Akunna were adamant when she urged them to denounce their loyalties to their fraternities. It all began to make sense even though she wasn’t aware of where they were taken to, dressed in such ungodly atire.

EPISODE 11

Involving the police or other security forces didn’t help because it seemed that the people in the top political class controlled the polity.
Ujunwa was surprised that when she even tried to involve her dad, king Akajiaku 1 of Okporo, he did nothing other than reminding her how he regretted having Dave as his son who unfortunately was supposed to be heir to the throne.
Ujunwa and Amarachi were left in the limbo of solitude without a helper or anyone to run to. All calls made to the school authority failed too because they were being careful about getting involved with Dave’s case just to avoid the patrons that run the polity.
Unfortunately, the only option left for Amarachi was to meet Uremma whom she believed could have useful information about the tradition of the fraternities. Being a member of the Slay Queens Frat, she could know the usual ritual or rules of engagement that led to the fate that Dave and Akunna faced. Also being Dave’s girlfriend, she could also have a hint about Ndi Obodo brotherhood.
It was as if destiny was luring Amarachi back to the same girl that shot her in her dream. The thought of losing Dave was unbearable, and that was the height of it but despite that, she was uncertain if she was making a wise decision by her quest to meet Uremma; a move she believed could help her dream to become fruition.
Amarachi didn’t know what else to do, so she decided to find her way to Uremma. She knew that her dreaded dream could be her fate but saving Dave became inevitably more important than saving her life.
The most painful part was that it was in September, a time for school resumption. Dave’s promise to Amarachi to help her reconnect to her lecturers so that she could rewrite the courses that the mercenary wrote for her wouldn’t be realised if there was no Dave. Without Dave, Amarachi’s dream of going back to school wouldn’t make sense.
**
It was five days since Dave disappeared without anyone ascertaining his whereabouts. Ujunwa couldn’t just accept her dad’s decision, so she kept disturbing but still all to no avail. Dave took after his dad in stubbornness. Being a king who already assumed his son was dead long ago in his heart, he never got his mind disturbed let alone being moved to action because of Dave’s disappearance.
Sauntering in the compound and having missed her Akara business for a couple of days because of Dave’s disappearance, Amarachi was lost in thoughts and thinking of the best next line of action. Even though she was a kind of deterred in meeting with Uremma as proposed, she just had to make up her mind and take the bullet from her if Dave must be saved.

Ujunwa went without meat as she cursed eating food as her utter moodiness plunged her into a withdrawal mode. She almost cried her eyes out but a solution seemed like an illusion of the mind. She even started thinking that her brother had played into brigandage and it was mistaken for some cultic rituals and penalty. She wasn’t just convinced that it wasn’t a kidnap. Even the police she reported to couldn’t get a clue of his whereabouts; hence her dispiritedness and melancholy.
Seeing Ujunwa’s state of mind got Amarachi so unnerved, so she woke up that early morning, even forgetting to go for her mom’s usual morning blessing.
Like a shot, she left to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka intending to face Uremma who hitherto happens to be her fears and perpetual worries.
It was a rainy day but that never pushed Amy to despair but she got her mind locked at getting to the root of the whole ominous drama. Getting to UNIZIK junction in an exceedingly short time, a journey from Onitsha meant to last for an hour but lasted just twenty minutes due to the exigency of her mission.
It had always been a hitch for anyone to gain entry into the estate because the security was a strong barricade; making entry by visitors impervious and difficult.
Amy was allowed into the estate without much security rigmarole because she looked ravishing, dressed to the nines and classy in appearance. Her exotic e-vogue that got her beauty embellished made the heavy security porous just for her sake. She was simply worth dying for, with that gorgeous appearance.
When Amarachi got to Uremma’s gate, she honked the horn severally but there was no one to attend to the gates. She wasn’t just prepared for her bullets yet. At the moment, all she wanted was for the bossy and boastful girl to see that she was no more that intelligent poor girl she intimidated as a hostage in her house during her abduction but a lofty perky lady that should be respected.
In that her golden coloured evening gown; made sexy with that long slit that almost got her legs fully revealed to the thigh level, she got down full of majesty and a touch of charisma that her curves conjured.
With the remote control of her four-wheeled machine, she locked the car and knocked at the gate. The knocking started with a soft touch as if she was just romancing the gate, to a louder bang as if she wanted to bring down the barrier to her entry.
Amy’s deafening noise aroused the attention of passersby, onlookers and the entire neighbourhood but she didn’t care because she knew that Uremma must have seen her with the CCTV and was intimidated by her new transformation; hence, the delay to open the gate for her.
She remained there for about an hour but no one came, except few neighbours that wanted to know why a pretty girl of that status was so enraged to the point of being a thorn into the fleshes of everyone in the neighbourhood.
It was almost about an hour but Amarachi remained there. When she felt that she wasn’t going to keep standing anymore, she went into the car to rest her aching legs.
While the engine kept steaming, the chilly AC nudged her to an unwelcome nap.
Being that her car blocked the entrance to Uremma’s compound, no one could leave or enter except she leaves the entrance.
A gentle knock on her glass prodded her attention her back to reality, so she woke up.
She was surprised to see some men on a black suit, with an official vehicle parked behind hers.
To know who they were and what they came for, she opened the car, even though she felt insecure because they were about four men in a black suit looking cute and cooperate but seemed to be on a business venture.
“How may I help, please?” Amy asked boldly and thrust her hand for a handshake.
Even though she was trying to have a handshake with the one that seemed to be their leader, the four guys all showed an interest to be the first to shake her.
“I’m Mr. Jeff,” the tall ebony guy said and grabbed her hand first, “we’re here for a business mission, and you may be hindering our entrance,” he added courteously.
“It’s okay,” Amy said and entered her car to drive away since she was oblivious of the kind of business venture they had with Uremma.
The gate suddenly creaked and opened, making Amy pause to know if Uremma was the one opening the gate.
Just as her instinct foretold, it was Uremma who was at the gate.
Amarachi was surprised that Uremma was actually at home but unresponsive to her numerous knocks. She was full of disgust and anger momentarily but had it suppressed because she was on a mission to locate Dave who had made her nights sleepless and worrisome. She didn’t want to show that Uremma badgered her emotions but bent on leaving with results and answers she came for.
“Madam, we’ve come as discussed and the takeover of the property imminent,” The fairest of them said, “I am Mr. Ben, and I don’t think I need much introduction or make our mission known the second time,”
Amy was filled with confusion as she remained calm with heightened senses to understand what was going on.
When she noticed that those men were coming to take over the house being occupied by the daughter of Ozo Odenjinji, she was taken aback but had no option than to leave till opportune time.
As she was about to leave, beads of tears located Uremma’s cheek, making Amy so surprised because the last time she checked, Uremma was a full-fledged arrogant lady that never showed her weak emotions except when angry. It was apparent that the girl before her was dispirited and heartbroken.
Amy braced herself for more of that from Uremma because she was determined to get her soft spot for Uremma drowned in doggedness but that didn’t help, so she became fretful and perturbed seeing the pathetic tears.
“I’m sorry, there is nothing we can do,” The third guy said and pushed Uremma aside while they all entered the house.
Amy, at a point, felt that she was beginning to feed the wolf in her mind instead of the sheep, so she decided to be friendly to Uremma for the first time. They could go on with their fights and indifferences later as a sequel. After all, women protect each other sometimes.
To that effect, Amy went closer to the weeping girl who suddenly became sober, yielding, and modest.
“Look at you,” Uremma said tearfully and regrettably, “Life isn’t always as rosy as we want it to be. Now the table is turned,”
Amarachi didn’t understand what she said until she saw a big truck; with some men who came to evacuate Uremma from the duplex arrive at the gate.
“What is going on, please?” Amy asked, breaking that long serenity, “What about your dad and why are you giving up the house to these people?”
Uremma couldn’t talk because her words got swept under the carpet of sorrows.
Amarachi left Uremma by the gate and went into the exotic house to intervene in a case she knew absolutely nothing about.
Seeing them as they were parking the properties out of the compound, she stopped them. “I’m lost here and I can’t seem to wrap my head around what’s happening here,” Amy said and waved at them to stop for the moment, “Please, can you guys stop, let’s settle this amicably?”
One of the guys came to Amy and said: “Miss. Uremma lives here on rent, but for some time now, her dad stopped paying even without an explanation, so we’ve come to take the house from her and hand it over to the new tenant who’s already waiting for this evacuation,”
Amarachi couldn’t get it because Ozo Odenjinji who was supposed to be Uremma’s dad was a tough and well-known politician and never joked with the upkeep of his daughter. The dots weren’t connecting at all but she was determined to know what went wrong. Naturally, Amy decries such a situation like this because it causes embarrassment.
“I will buy the property,” Amarachi said suddenly, even though she had no money with her to buy but wanted to buy some time to know what was going on.
Her statement got the men shocked because they were surprised that Amy wasn’t just talking about a raise or adding more money to the already paid rent to get Uremma back to the duplex but buying the entire property.
“What did you just say?” Mr. Ben asked, looking commoved, “did you just say you’d buy the house?”
“Yes, I said that,” she repeated audaciously, getting Uremma who was standing behind her startled when she heard that. “Or do you have a problem with that?” she added intimidatingly as she looked boldly into their eyes.
“Not at all, madam, ” Jeff replied impulsively, “But….are you doing this to save your friend or you wanted to buy the house?” The cute guy asked to be sure, and then came closer for a whisper if possible, “You may wish to rescind,” he added whisperingly.
Amy held Uremma by the shoulder and took her into the house without heeding to the questions begging for her answer.

It was anomalous to Amarachi because the reason she came was because of Dave but ended up trying to stand in for the enemy just to save her from being evicted. Yuck!
Mr. Ben, Jeff, and the other two guys entered the house and met the two girls sitting juxtaposed to each other.
“Can we have your details, ma’am?” Mr. Ben said to Amy with respect, brought out his business card and arched forward to hand it over to her, “Can I have your card, please?”
Amarachi had no business card but she had to be smart about it so that they wouldn’t know that she was just a poor child that was still tied to the apron strings of a newly found rich man. “You can just have my number because I forgot my business card in the office,” she lied, looking lady-like and unconcerned, “Can I have yours either?”
“Yes…yes…Of course,” He faltered with uneasiness and glee, and then collected the card and tucked it into his breast pocket, “I’ll call you, ma’am,”
Mr. Ben took Mr. Jeff and others to a corner. After a brief meeting, they came back to Amarachi and Uremma, tendered their apologies unequivocally for the inconvenience and left.
Uremma heaved a sigh of deep relief as she remained cozied up to Amy’s arm but still full of riotous thoughts in her mind. She didn’t just comprehend how Amarachi turned to be this girl that came with an exotic car, even well dressed and audacious. She needed answers but her intended questions were buried in guilt and speechlessness because she owed her some apologies.
“They aren’t coming back so soon,” Amy assured her and patted her back, “You don’t need to worry for now,”
The domineering Uremma was left with no choice other than break down in tears as she reminisced on every detail of how she framed Amy up just to get at Osisioma. She tried to talk but those sobs got her entangled with restraint against her will.
Amarachi didn’t say anything further but kept trying to understand what could have made Uremma be evicted from the same house that was being sponsored by her rich dad.
“I …I…” Uremma was just stammering and lost in thoughts. She couldn’t even find the right words; either to be apologetic of the past trouble she caused or thankful of the present help rendered to her.
Amy, on the other hand, was so engrossed with many thoughts, not just what Uremma was passing through but how to get straight to the point and ask her about the whereabouts of Dave Handsome.
After a while, as the thundery silence lasted between them, Amy cleared her throat to disperse the stills of the calmness. She didn’t know if to start with asking about Dave or to start with digging deep into what just happened with the men in a black suit.
“What happened here a couple of minutes ago?”She finally asked, feeling she had the proper decorum and readiness for chitchat, “First is that Akunna must have told you what happened…”
“Akunna?” Uremma thought aloud, making Amarachi know that Akunna never talked to the girl at all about how Dave got her pinned down in shame after the fake tattoo.
“Yeah, I…I mean about how she and Dave were taking away to an unknown destination,” she said, playing the clever girl with the diversion to another topic of concern.
Uremma was terrified on hearing that because she didn’t expect Amy to be in the know.
“I don’t want to dwell on that topic because I know nothing about it,” she defended.
“Then why are you giving up the house where you enjoy lots of luxury,” Amy asked but wasn’t bent on getting answers.

Quietness returned the way it left because tears and heavy sobs couldn’t allow Uremma to utter a word. It seemed that she was heartbroken that made it hard for her to speak up or narrate her ordeal.
With a nod and a sheepish smile, she said: “I stopped having a peace of mind since the day I asked Akunna to do the dirty job for me against you. Even though she was the Queen mother of the frat and I deputized her, I still had overall control. She was just a representation while I remained the engineer because of my dad’s wealth and his position in piloting the affairs of the slay queens,”
This part got more intriguing for Amy because she never knew that Ozo Odenjinji was part of the cartel behind the formation and perpetuity of the slay queens fraternity.
“Continue,” Amy said and removed her shoes; a habit she couldn’t stop whenever she’s in gossip mood. Shoes become a hindrance as if it could barricade her ears from getting the full info.
“My dad was among the major sponsors,” Uremma continued, “I didn’t join because I wanted to be a slay queen but was pushed into the group because my dad mentioned something about my association being the reason why he remained powerful,”
Amarachi still didn’t get it because Uremma just sounded as if she was used for a ritual.
“Did he use you for a money…”
“No, he didn’t use me for money ritual,” she replied pre-emptively, “I can’t just explain it. He has a better explanation, even though the secret remains with him and he wouldn’t allow me or any other person know about it,”
“Something is seriously fishy here,” Amy said with utmost curiosity.
Uremma started crying but Amy held her closer to snuggle into her arms for comfort. Even though Amarachi was being friendly, she wasn’t sure if she was being outwitted by the girl to eventually unleash her plans and use the golden gun she used in the dream. She was scared and at the same time interested in getting the full details of the story.
“So, how did you make this wealth,” Uremma asked with curiousness, “Even to have made a promise to buy this entire house?”
Amarachi simply chuckled but kept her feelings on the sly so that Uremma wouldn’t notice that she was just bluffing when she said that she’d buy the entire house.
“Can I get more details about this scary story?” Amy asked with the aim of pushing Uremma’s attention back to the topic at hand and away from her rigmarole that got the Mortgagers seduced and outwitted.
“Very well then,” Uremma said and smiled, even though she knew that Amy was hiding something, “It’s soothing in your arms,” she added as she felt the warmth of Amy’s cuddle. “There is something special about you but I can’t explain it. But I think I like you a lot and would want you to be like the sister I never had,”
“Even after putting me through all you did?” Amy asked, feeling a bit angry but got the feelings hidden, “you tortured me in your house, fed me with the plate meant for your dogs, and finally, made me sleep on the bare floor for…”
“I am so sorry for this wickedness,” Uremma said and knelt before her in total remorse for her past sleazy life.
Amy cried too when she saw her in such a mournful mood, so she made up her mind not to go into the details of digging up the past.
“I’m sorry, but you don’t have to revere me like the supernatural,” Amarachi said and pulled her up, “Now, you have to sit and pretend that all is well, but as for being a sister to you, I’m yet to understand it because I know you have a sister already,”
“Do I?” Uremma asked rhetorically and sighed, “I don’t think I do because since my dad forced me into being a member of the slay queens, Chisimdi my elder sister had been at war with me; therefore taken to hatred and being a backbiter,”
Amy was trying to understand the connection between the sisters’ fight and the fraternity. After a thoughtful moment, she felt she’d understood the reason for the sororal fight. “Hmmm, guess she was well-groomed and nurtured religiously that she couldn’t imagine a sister joining such mischievous group,”
“Quite the opposite,” Uremma said and shrugged, “I wish she was angry for my involvement based on the reason you gave, but she hated me because she felt that as the Ada (first girl), daddy should have initiated her first and not me being the last,”
Amarachi unwittingly let out a reflexive laugh because she couldn’t understand how a child would be eager to join a group that would not only kill her body but her soul.
“This is weird,” Amy said, feeling the incredibility of the story, “why then didn’t you give her the title or ask your dad to do that since Chisimdi needs it more than you do?”
Uremma didn’t just want to go on; she simply stood up and began to saunter in the sitting room. The well-decorated all-white parlour was another centre of attraction and attention, with lots of meaning embedded because the Slay Queens were also known as the White-Angels; hence, the constant appearance in white outfit and surroundings.
“My dad wouldn’t allow Chisimdi to be initiated and I couldn’t explain why he chose me,” Uremma replied, “the war became more pronounced when daddy started giving me more attention and paternal preference because he believed that once I was still a member of this fraternity, his luck would keep shinning and his wealth blossoming,”
“I still maintain that he used you for a ritual or….”
“He didn’t use me for a ritual,” Uremma insisted, “he said that I have lots of powers inside me. He once mentioned that I have a connection with the source of his wealth…I just don’t know how to explain it …”
“Don’t explain further,” Amarachi said, knowing full well about the complications of the mystery, “but that never explained why you’re facing eviction,” Amy insisted, still sounding suspicious because she felt that Uremma was being economical with the truth.
The stubborn and insistent part of Amarachi just got evident, so Uremma suddenly realised that she couldn’t conceal the truth so she had to be open and bare.
“I knew that after Akunna’s tenure I’d take over as the queen mother, but that dream I’d prayed never to come through came staring at me. My father and I went into a serious battle when he convinced me to take up the responsibility but I remained stubborn and unyielding,”
Amy was impressed with her at this juncture for Uremma’s bravery and steadfastness, so she applauded her with a clap of appreciation.
“I think I love this,” Amarachi said joyously and smiled, “but if I were you, I’d have simply denounced and be free than take up the position as the queen mother and be enslaved by the fraternity,”
Uremma smiled knowing full well about the options she’d explored.
“Well, this same suggestion of yours kept me in this condition,” Uremma said as she remained abysmally gloomy.
Amy grimaced when she heard this but that ignited the curiosity in her and roused her attentiveness.
“Tell me about this, please,” Amy said and pulled her to sit because she’d noticed the worrisome of Uremma’s throbbing heart.
“I have denounced the slay queens,” she said without mincing words.
“Wow, yes…” Amy echoed with happiness.
“But my father insisted that I must have to choose between continuing to be the source of his wealth and still remain under his auspices, or denounce the sisterhood and have my entire entitlements, benefits, and immunity I enjoy from him stripped of me,”
Amy’s glee suddenly collapsed into dispiritedness and she remained daunted. It was then she knew that there was something about Ozo Odenjinji that the mind couldn’t comprehend or the heart discern.
It was obvious that Uremma was still far from knowing the real story behind her Dad’s connection with her concerning his wealth.
“I’m still lost,” Amy said, not because she couldn’t wrap it around her lucid mind but for Uremma to give her the chance to talk about Dave; the reason why she came.

“I never believed my dad until I started seeing things turn difficult for him since I denounced the fraternity,” she said to Amarachi’s greatest shock, “leaving the fraternity affected him so much because my dad started moving from one problem to the other. This even made him beg me fervently to come back to terms with him and reconsider my options and decisions but I remained stubborn and adamant, even though I’d been tempted to concur,”
More complications located Amarachi because of this revelation but that never offered a promise of revealing the exact reason why Uremma was pivotal to her dad’s wealth.
“You need to grill him for lots of explanations,” Amy suggested but Uremma didn’t have to consider going back because she’d been abandoned and disowned by her dad.
“The only huge effort and suggestion I made was reminding him that he still had Chisimdi, and could initiate her since she’s his offspring too,” Uremma said and snorted her anger, “but that triggered an unexpected reaction that made me wonder if Ozo Odenjinji was still my dad,”
“You mean this?” Amarachi asked with her mouth agape.
“My dad who pets and pampers me a lot gave me a hot slap that got my earlobe red and painful,” she replied as her eyes suddenly got blurred with sorrowful tears.
The more Amy was engulfed in an unquenchable craving for answers, the more she became confused about the information being divulged. Amid her preparedness to end the confusion, her inquisitiveness wouldn’t allow her to end the interrogative session.
“Now that you’ve stopped enjoying the patronage of your dad,” Amy asked and held her warm hands, “what will you do to maintain the status of the classiest girl in your faculty, let alone continuing your competition with…”
“I’m done competing with Osisioma. She can take the wins,” Uremma admittedly said indicating that she’d changed for good, “Even though I’d been thinking of dropping out from school because of shame but that would be disastrous. It is better I face the inimical comments and reactions from haters and wallow in shame than drop out. I’ve even decided to be born again,”
“Ha-ha,” Any burst into an unwished laughed, then fought it back so that Uremma wouldn’t mistake it for a mockery. “I’m sorry I laughed but I suggest you be yourself. You must not be born again to be good, but with the best of my intuition, you just wanted to pretend to be born again and not that you actually would be one. Am I lying?”

Uremma knew for sure that Amarachi was right in her insinuation, so she couldn’t give her an answer. She didn’t need to be verbal to confirm that Amy was right but her short-lived smile confirmed it.
“I have my success in my palm; to be rich or poor,” Uremma said with vehemence, “If I go back to the sisterhood, I’d become rich, if I remain firm on my decision, I’d remain cashless. So you see that the decision to liberate myself from poverty is like giving my soul to damnation that I wouldn’t be freed from,” Uremma said looking meditative and sad.
Amarachi was so sympathetic at this point because she knew the kind of mental and emotional stress that Uremma found herself drowning in. She didn’t even know what to advise her to do. She imagined how difficult it would be for her to reject the palatable offer of going back to the frat if she were in her shoes.
Even though she was moody because of Uremma’s decision, she was so proud of her.
“So, what do you know about Dave and Akunna that got you so frightened to the extent of denouncing the fraternity just to avoid what happened to them from happening to you when you assume office?”
Uremma didn’t even know the answer to the unforeseen question because she was never privy to such information.
“The only people that can have a concrete answer to that are the cartel,” she answered, raising more concerns and curiosity in Amy’s mind.
“Cartel?”Amy asked and stood to go since she got no information about what she came for but ended up going back with some family secrets that got her mind obsessed without a quest for a solution.
“At least I’m happy that you promised to buy the house,” Uremma said thankfully but Amarachi’s smile got her confused and wanting, “you’re still buying, right?”
“I’m not,” she replied bluntly, “where can I get the money to buy such house. I simply bought some time, for you to avoid embarrassment,”
Even though Uremma was grateful and happy for Amy’s role in making the mortgagers let her be, she was still dispirited knowing that she couldn’t help her out the way she made it seem with a promise to buy the property.
“The cartel is the league of secret elders; those who run the affairs of different school frats and even run the government if they’re allowed to penetrate. And if not allowed, they’d overheat the polity and cause mayhem to the incumbent government in power,”
That sounded like an unruly group to Amy, so she didn’t have to seek solution about what happened to Dave other than go home and pray, then wish that fate turns in favour of the man she loves.
Uremma felt like keeping Amy with her a bit longer but there was nothing she could do since the visitor would still have to go back to Onitsha, and the sun was already retiring to the west.
Amy left Uremma to her fate because she was sure that the mortgagers would still come back. She was still worried since she learned the truth about what kept Uremma in her current condition. She pondered the mystery that Uremma couldn’t even unravel about her personality and family life. It was even surprising for her that Uremma never got interested in matters relating to Dave, not to mention trying to know why the same girl who dropped out of school and had no connection with Dave would be the one championing his release.
Uremma’s attention was no more with Dave because her family-induced tribulations and personal trial had taken her mind off the bad guy just for her to remain aloof and shun the same guy that could convince her to fall for her dad’s temptations.

**

Nightfall had assumed its nocturnal duty while the day gone for a rest when Amarachi got home. It was then she realised that she didn’t take any calls while in serious discussion with Uremma (a habit she couldn’t stop). When she was still outside the gate, there was lots of noise in the compound like there was a loud cry; especially hearing Ujunwa’s voice that towered above others. It was obvious to Amarachi that Dave must have met his waterloo; hence, the cries.
When she entered with grave fear and shivering hands, she was wowed to see Dave looking more handsome as if he just came back from a summer holiday. She couldn’t understand how the same guy that made her take a few hours’ driving to Awka be back as if he was busy enjoying himself all the while that he was gone. She was all flushed with both joy and embarrassment.
At this point, the nature of a woman overtook her. She imagined how Akunna and Dave must have been enjoying each other while she was sick with concerns and drowned in restiveness. It was obvious to her because from what she observed, Dave wasn’t tortured but well fed.

Amy became curious, jealous, happy and angry. She couldn’t just fathom what she felt anymore but a general feeling of joy could be said to be more dominating in her. She alighted from the car and kept dangling the keys on her finger as she observed.
Dave suddenly rushed at her and embraced her. He was so happy that he finally came back to meet her.
Seeing such happiness written all over Dave, Amy couldn’t get mad at him anymore but remained grateful in such bliss. She was fussy too but a tinge of happiness overtook every other feeling in her.
After a while of remaining clamped to his arms, she raised her eyes full of joyful tears and asked: “Dave, can you start talking. I’m so curious right now,”
“I am happy to see you,” Dave said, trying to avoid going into the details.
Amy knew he was avoiding something but wasn’t ready to fall for the alluring words this time, so she remained insistent: “Where have you been and what happened?”
“I left distressed but came back happy,” he replied and dragged her into the sitting room but Amy was still not relaxed.
When Ujunwa, Ego Oyibo, and others had gone upstairs to their different rooms, Amy knew it was time to engage Dave in a serious talk. But before then, she was eager to know about Akunna so that she could visit her too and congratulate her for coming back safely.

In that silence, she asked: “What of Akunna. I hope she looks as good as you do. Well, she’d have her explanation to make later when I meet with her so that…”
“Akunna didn’t come back,” he said abruptly in a painful tone. “She couldn’t make it,”
Amarachi was rattled by that thunderbolt, getting her entire body system changed. The last happiness still left in her suddenly disappeared.
Tears couldn’t allow her to talk. All she had in her mind that moment was the last time she met with Akunna in Dave’s house, the entire fun they had in school during the previous tutorial class and the way she used her lesson notes and textbooks to prepare for the exam class. All got stuck in her memory, making her flushed with fever.
“What happened to my friend?” Amarachi asked in a sonorous voice, “why did you come back and she didn’t? I know nothing about the internal politics of your ferocious group but what politics did they do to kill my friend and then bring you back?”

Dave was utterly dumbfounded as he tried to explain but the truth about the whole issue was that he couldn’t explain it. After a while, as he remained lost in thoughts, he said: “All I can say is that I was released after the entire preparation for the usual ritual but Akunna wasn’t, so they murdered her as a sacrifice to pass the mantle of leadership to Uremma,”
Uncontrollable tears kept her eyes busy. Amarachi couldn’t stop that loud cry because she loved her friend so much even though she betrayed her trust.
The entire people in the compound were concerned about Amy’s cry but they didn’t have to interfere because she was with Dave and must have had her reasons to cry. They were speculative though.
“Then why did you not face the same penalty?” she asked sobbingly, with warm tears raining down her cheek.
“I don’t h

AMARACHI THE BEAUTIFUL POOR CHILD
#OpraDre

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