4

When Inara reached her home that night, her sister had come to open the door for her.

“I heard the sound of your bike. I wasn’t expecting any rebel.” Amara commented.

Inara forced a smile as she walked inside the house, doing a good job of hiding her pain or so she thought.

“Trouble in paradise?” Amara asked after locking the door behind her and Inara was not expecting it but the weight of dismay and disappointment over the events at Zee’s place broke her down in that moment. She felt like crying and seeing her sister looking so concerned triggered a wellspring of tears.

Surprised, Amara didn’t question her anymore. She just hugged her and Inara was reminded of why she loved her older sister so much. She was one of the most understanding persons she had ever known and she appreciated her more in that moment when all she needed was a shoulder to cry on without words, at least for now.

“I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.” she told her sister.

“Fine. I will go get my sleep mask.”

Inara nodded and watched her go but then Amara paused just ahead.

“Just tell me that weirdo didn’t hurt you. At least not physically.”

Inara shook her head and watched her leave.

“I’ll meet you in your room.” Amara threw over her shoulder and moments later, they were fast asleep in Inara’s bed.

At some point in the still of the night, Inara felt the hairs on her skin rise to a wind of cold and her eyes fluttered open to discover an eerie wind blowing with the curtains and room window dancing to the erratic rhythm of the breeze.

Her sister was still sleeping and she rose up, threw her legs onto the floor and approached the window. She pulled the glass shut, wondering if she had left it open. When she turned back to the bed, she bumped into Amara who looked like she was sleepwalking, her face expressionless.

“Amara!” She yelped, startled. When did her sister start sleepwalking?

“The last dare will no longer wait.” said Amara and the bed lamp began to flicker randomly like she usually saw in scary movies. She knew that something was wrong somewhere.

“What…how did you know?” Inara asked, shocked because she knew that she hadn’t told anyone about the last dare. “Excuse me?”

She wasn’t sure that she had heard Amara right. And why was her sister’s countenance so weird?

“The last dare will no longer wait!” Amara thundered in a dark, distorted, malevolent male voice and in terror, Inara screamed to her wake. Her sigh of relief came slow. Thank God, it was a dream, she thought as her sister woke up to the disturbance. With a hand to her rapidly beating heart, Inara tried to calm herself down from the horrible memory of the nightmare.

“You were having a bad dream.” Amara observed and she nodded. “Inara, should I be worried considering how you came home?”

“I'm fine.” Inara responded. “I'm so sorry that I woke you.”

“Hmn.” Amara commented with doubt.

“I'm fine mom.” Inara said lightly in a bid to make light of the situation. Amara was a couple of years older than her and had always been so maternal. She didn’t want to cause her any worry.

Amara sighed and Inara knew with relief that her sister would let it go.

“Goodnight baby sis.” Amara told her and turned back to sleep.

“Night night.”

Inara’s eyes shot towards the wall clock and it was 3:00 am on the dot. Fearing another nightmare, she ardently wished that it were morning. Maybe she was dwelling too much on the blood oath, she told herself and tried to fall back asleep.

It took her a long time because she was scared about the nightmare but eventually, she fell asleep and to her greatest relief, the nightmare did not return.

***

Three days later when nothing happened, no nightmare or strange events, she decided not to worry anymore and put the past behind her.

Inara attended choir rehearsals the fourth day and sang her heart out to Bringing in the sheaves, she and Alex, doing justice to the alto part of the song.

After rehearsals, Alex caught up with her as she put an offering into the donation box just outside the church where she had parked her bike.

“Inara, always good to see you.” he said to her.

“Likewise Alex.”

“Do you have a moment?”

Inara already knew the topic and rolled her eyes. “Amara?” she said knowingly.

“Do you even bother to put in a good word for me?” he asked suspiciously.

“I’ve told you. Talk to her yourself. Do you even realize that she’s older than you?”

“Two years is nothing.” he retorted and Inara mounted her bike. She was getting fed up with his lack of courage.

“The fact that you can’t tell her yourself is a sign that she’s probably out of your league.”

“Hey, I thought we are friends, pumpkin.”

Pumpkin was the word he used to pick on her plump looks when she was not being too kind to him and she rolled her eyes to prove her indifference.

“I really hate it when you roll your eyes at me. It’s disrespectful.”

It was not the first time that he had complained about it but she did not care.

“Who cares?”

“So that’s it my pumpkin, come on.”

Inara knew that he was talking about Amara now.

“Alex, I will mention it today.”

“Promise?”

“I cross my heart. And I’ve told you to stop calling me pumpkin.” It irked her because Alex was also plump like her. “How can the pot call the kettle black?”

“I’ll stop as soon as you lose the baby fat.” Alex stated.

“After you then.” Inara responded.

“Don’t wait too long because I’ve begun taking aerobic classes.” Alex informed her proudly.

“Good luck pumpkin.” Inara scoffed at him but he simply laughed at her.

“Don’t forget my message. See you.” he said and as he went to his truck, she wondered about when she would drop the laziness and start addressing her weight issues, not for anyone but herself.

All her friends were fit. Her sister was fit too. And now, Alex was doing something about his. Well, that was thought for another day.

Inara was about to start her bike when her phone beeped with a message from Amara.

“Please can you get pringles on your way back from rehearsal? I’ll refund you.”

You gotta be kidding me thought Inara who was just about zooming off to the house. Well, what are siblings for if not for inconveniences? Amara used to say. Changing her course, she rode towards the nearest supermarket.

It was already 7:00 pm and she enjoyed the cool breeze of the evening, especially as traffic was low. When she drove into the parking lot of the supermarket and alighted, her attention was captured by the sight of her classmate as he exited his red SUV. It was Mr. higher than all as she privately referred to him but his name was Lemuel.

One glance at him and no one would doubt if told that he was a model. He was tall, toned and possessed handsome features worth crushing after.

Even in his simple jeans and tee-shirt, he looked like he owned the world. And of course, there was that look of impatience on his face as he kept looking at his watch and scanning the area during which their eyes met. They exchanged a simple I know you’re in my class wave and she entered the supermarket and shopped for Amara’s pringles.

After paying for it at the counter, she hurried towards the door and bumped into her friend, Mike. The pringles package escaped the bag and rolled onto the floor but Mike rescued it and handed it over to her.

“Inara, shouldn’t you be eating vegetables instead?” he asked and it took her some confusing seconds to realize that he was teasing her about her weight.

“And shouldn’t you be eating pringles Mike?”

They both laughed and Inara realized that something was off about Mike. It was the fact that the guy was always with his girlfriend so she found it strange to see him alone.

“It’s kind of strange to see you without your girlfriend.” she commented and as though, invoked, Mike’s girlfriend, a skinny girl walked in, pushing straight towards him. “Hi.” Inara greeted her but the girl nodded dismissively and took hold of Mike’s hand, leading him away but he managed to throw her an apologetic smile. Inara knew that the girl was insecure. It was the least of her problem she thought and headed out of the supermarket.

There, she was greeted with the sight of Lemuel kissing a female model against his car. He held her possessively as though she was  his property. The guy had no shame. The classy young woman, who looked to be in her late twenties with low heels, almost matched his six-foot one height.

Inara stole a moment to consider her own plump look and briefly thought about how out of his league she was, just as Alex was probably out of Amara’s seeing how Amara had once told her that she wouldn’t be with a guy who was intimidated by her.

As for Mr. higher than all, the guy certainly had class and taste, she thought and looked at herself. Five-foot five inches wasn’t bad at all she mentally praised herself as a text message beeped her phone. When she checked, it was from Zee.

The last dare will no longer wait it read and with rising terror, her heart began pummeling against her chest amidst a fresh wave of turmoil.