It took her a few seconds to make her decision and she ended up leaving the jewelry where it was. She did not think it wise to tag along, a constant reminder of the current puzzle in her life, be it a prank or not.
Arda exited the bedroom and walked into the corridor. On either side of the corridor, there were shut doors to the other rooms in the house.
When she emerged from the living room, she saw Jacob at the dining table studying the morning paper with a cup of coffee before him.
He looked fresh from a bath and wore loose grey slacks beneath a white vest. He smiled at the sight of her but she threw him a pout as she drew closer to the table.
“You promised to make me breakfast.” She reminded him. “You promised.”
“Calm down. You didn’t even say hi to me.”
“I’ll greet you when I see my breakfast.” She said as she came to stand beside him.
“And some folks envy me for living with you girls.” He said with mock bitterness. “If only they know what I’m going through.”
“Drama king.”
“You look amazing. Luke will melt at the sight of you.”
“Thanks but quit changing the subject.”
“What makes you think that your food isn’t ready? Do sit down.”
Arda drew out a chair beside him, sat down, and placed her backpack on the floor.
“Good girl.” Jacob praised and laid down the newspaper on the table before rising and venturing towards the kitchen, which was just right around the corner.
Whistling a happy tune, he returned shortly with a tray bearing toasted bread and scrambled eggs, which he placed before her on the table. Her face lit up with a smile and he winked at her.
“This food smells and looks amazing. Thanks and now I can say good morning.”
He laughed. “Good morning. You are welcome.” He responded and sat down to his newspaper and coffee.
“Where is Karina?”Arda asked. “I guess she has gone to the gym?”
“You have guessed correctly.” was Jacob's response.
“Okay,” Arda said and dug into her food while he drained his coffee and continued reading.
“Anything interesting?” she asked.
“Yeah. Howling animal sounds in the surrounding forests have intensified. There is concern that wolves or some dangerous animals might soon be the death of us.”
“That is kind of weird but sounds exaggerated.” She said and he shrugged offhandedly. Then he showed her the page he was reading, holding it before her.
The picture of a wolf was on one section of the page. Wolves on The Loose? The headline questioned. The article was brief. Residents around the urban forests have reported insistent howlings in the woods at night. We hope that there will be no report of citizens being attacked by wolves or other dangerous animals.
“Reporters can be so dramatic,” he commented.
“I agree,” she said.
Jacob abandoned the paper on the table and rose to his feet. “Anyway, I have to go and prepare for the campus.” He said. “Good luck with your Project Supervisor. I hear he is mean.”
She chuckled but said nothing, although she had a lot to say about her relationship with the man.
“Thanks.” She said instead. “Enjoy your day, Jacob.”
“You too, Arda.”
When he left the living room, she quickly finished her meal and moved the empty dishes to the kitchen. She walked back to the dining table, picked up her backpack, ambled over to the main door, and exited the house.
Outside, the weather was cool and the air was calm but she could already see the early shimmering rays of the morning sun on the verge of breaking through the sky. It looked like the sun was going to shine today she thought, not regretting her choice of clothing.
The apartment Arda shared with her friends was one among several residential homes lining a street that was not busy.
The houses were secured with gates and low fences made of wood. And the houses were fitted with drive-in garages by the side. Towering mountains surrounded the vicinity, faintly visible in the distance.
Arda walked over to the curb before the house and let herself inside her car, a modest Camry.
Sliding the car key into the ignition, she started the car and checked the time on the dashboard, which told her that it was 8:20 am. Great, she would not be late. Kicking off the car, she pulled it off the curb and hit the road.
The city was suburban and not as populated as major cities but it had the required structures –the way posts of civilization that formed a city; parks, schools, religious structures, museums, libraries, banks, ATM stands, tall corporate buildings, stores, self-serving filling stations, etc.
It took Arda about thirty minutes to drive before she finally arrived at the university campus. The marquee in front of the school read -UNIVERSITY OF HOMELAND.
It was sitting on an expanse of land with people going about their business on the premises; Freshmen walking, uncertain, determination lurking within, other experienced students moving confidently, graduating students like her, anxious, focused on their thesis, cliques of students hanging together, talking, laughing, serious students hanging at the well mowed grassy park, reading.
Arda parked her car among the sea of diverse cars in the parking space and ventured towards the administrative building, her backpack resting on her shoulder.
Before long, she was at the door of her supervisor’s office, the tag on it announcing proudly, Professor of history- RAY WILLSON. She gave it a slight knock and let herself inside.
Ray was writing something in a notebook. He was a handsome man in his early forties. A smile lit up his face at the sight of her and she returned his smile as she shut the door behind her.
The office was large and airy despite the brawny office furniture fitted inside. One section of the office was a library of its own and had a row of shelves filled with books of different sizes.
An official portrait of him was on the wall along with portraits of the Dean of Student Affairs, The Registrar, The Provost, and the Governor of the state of Homeland.
“You look amazing, Arda.” He said to her as she drew forward.
“Thank you and good morning sir.”
“Morning dear, It’s Ray when we’re alone. I thought you would be used to it by now.”
“Okay, Sir Ray.”
Ray laughed and she smiled, coming to stand before his large table.
“Sit down, Arda. Let’s talk about your project.”
Arda sat down on one of the seats across his table and retrieved a printed sheet of paper from a file inside her backpack.
It contained three bulleted history project topics. The topics listed were Urban Legends, Responsibilities Distribution in Iron Age, and Bridal Ceremonies in Ancient Rome.
“Let’s hear the topics, please.” He said and Arda read them out for him.
“So which one have you chosen for your thesis?”
“Bridal Ceremonies in Ancient Rome.” She told him and watched him arch his brow.
“Interesting. Why did you choose that?”
“I chose it because it sounds fun.”
“I know you can give me something better than that.”
“Well, I read somewhere that the Roman wedding is the basis for many modern marriage customs and I find that interesting.”
“Good. Interest is a vital step when venturing into a project because if you are not interested in something, it gets difficult to do. I’ll approve it for you.”
“Thank you, sir Ray.”
“Just Ray.”
“Okay, thank you, Ray.”
“Hmn.” He said thoughtfully, with one finger under his chin. “Now, I’ll have to report your disrespect to the disciplinary team.”
Arda’s eyes widened with panic. “But you said…” she began and he laughed.
“Relax, Arda. I’m just messing with you.” He said and watched her exhale with relief. Then she smiled.
“Okay.”
“On a serious note, Arda, my door is still open. I want you and you know that.”
“Sir…”
“Ray.” he corrected, interrupting her.
“Um…Ray, I have a boyfriend.”
His brows lifted. “So what you’re trying to say is that I’m too old for you.” He stated lightly.
“No, it’s just that…”
“You can hurt my feelings, Arda. It’s okay. I can take it.”
“You’re married, Ray.” She said.
“Are you saying if I wasn’t, you would date me?”
“Years ago,” Arda admitted.
“Thanks. That makes me feel better. But would you consider me as your sugar daddy? I will give you financial care for your company. I will respect you. I will not stop you from having a boyfriend as you have now as long as you don’t rub it in my face. You can save your scholarship funds and quit your side hustle. Don’t you want that?”
Arda had always found his offer tempting but again, she found herself declining. She saw no real future in that. She did not want to be someone’s mistress. She wanted to be a wife. If she wanted a fast life, maybe she would have agreed, but she was contented with the little she had and she could only hope for the best. She had already gotten this far. She was in her last year at the university. Her future was right before her and she was prepared to explore it.
“I don’t want a sugar daddy.” She told him politely. “Please don’t be offended.”
“You’re the only student I’ve ever asked out,” he said as though that was reason enough for her to consider his proposal.Arda knew she probably could believe that because students usually walked on eggshells around him.“I don’t want a sugar daddy,” she repeated.“If you change your mind, let me know, Arda.”Arda did not believe that she would ever change her mind.“No problem.” She told him still.“Don’t worry,” he said to her. “Refusing me won’t affect your grades or my responsibility in guiding you properly in your project.”“Thank you.”He pulled out a file from the table with her name on it, retrieved a copy of the paper she had with her, ticked the last project topic among the three project proposals, and stamped Approved on it. Then he handed it over to her and she gave him the one in her hand. He endorsed it too and stuck it in her file.“Let’s talk about what is expected in your first chapter.”“Okay.”He spent some time teaching her while she took notes and when their sessio
Homeland was a small city at the end of the earth. It was surrounded by forests, mountains, hills, lakes, and valleys which gave it a suburban outlook mixed with epic civilization.The surrounding natural habitat gave its inhabitants diverse means of income hence, Homeland accommodated folks that survived with white-collar jobs as well as skilled work from carpentry to sculpting, other forms of art, fishing, and hunting.Arda drove through the streets in quite a breeze, grateful that the traffic flowed freely, the day being early, still. She wanted to hang out with Luke. It would be a welcome distraction, she hoped. It wasn’t long before she reached her destination.Landmark was a nature park. It had a neat field on a wide expanse of land where people could be seen sitting, walking, talking, and having fun.There were benches fitted around the area- some lying single, some in clusters, and some in squares. Dogs were being walked by their owners while some persons could be seen riding b
“I don’t understand. Why would they keep their relationship away from me?” she wondered aloud. “I’m their friend.” Arda was starting to feel betrayed and disappointed.Luke shrugged. “I guess you have to ask them or something.” He said. “But don’t sweat it. They may have a good reason.”“Three good years, Luke. We have been friends for three good years. It just doesn’t make any sense.”Luke reached out across the table and held her hand comfortingly.“Now I feel like I shouldn’t have mentioned it,” he said regretfully. “I don’t want you in a sour mood. Come on. Though, I must confess that you do look pretty when you’re mad.”She could not help but let out a faint smile, which lightened up her dark mood a bit. “Thanks.”“Let’s just enjoy ourselves, okay? You can confront Jacob and Karina later. And try not to be too hard on them.”“I’ll try.”“That will be nice.” He said and earned a bigger smile from her. Their gazes were connected and his eyes fell on her lips. She pressed her lips to
That evening, it was quiet inside the reading room as the occupants, Arda, Karina, and Jacob minded their business, their heads buried in their books. They sat around a large square table that bore partitions above it and provided privacy for each reader. The table could accommodate about six persons, which was useful in case they had friends over. A combination of green and burnt orange paint beautified the wall and several inspirational quotes graced it. Arda’s mind was far from her studies as nagging concerns disturbed her mind. She sat there, attempting to start writing her thesis but she just could not concentrate. Flashes of Luke’s headache episodes haunted her and replayed before her eyes. Memories of the children interrupting her first expression of intimacy with Luke also flooded her mind. Why it bothered her, she had no idea but she
Arda, Karina, and Jacob strolled towards an event center on the day of the birthmark show.It was in the late evening and the event center was a bungalow of a building with a spacious parking space that currently contained very few vehicles.A stone fence went around the building and the entrance gate was locked with a huge padlock.The signpost just outside the event center displayed a marquee that proudly announced, Marvelous Event Center.Arda and her friends joined the crowd to stand outside the gate.It was not a large crowd and a flamboyantly dressed woman in her forties holding a megaphone, came to stand beside a man around her age just inside the gate.The man had no hair on his head and it was shiny. It seemed to be the only bright thing about him. He was dressed in a black suit and wore black shoes, his face grim.“We regret to tell you that we have canceled the event.” The woman announced, shocking them all.“But why?” demanded a few people from the crowd.“We figured out to
“What did I do?” Arda was confused. Her heart was pounding incessantly with fear and disappointment.“This only happens with you,” he stated matter-of-factly.“What are you talking about?” she whined.“Are you just playing dumb or you’re dumb?” he demanded. “I’m talking about the kiss. This headache which by the way I think is strange only happens with you.”“So, what exactly are you trying to say?”“Why not save me the trouble and tell me exactly what you are?”“Luke…”“I figured it out…witch.”“I’m not a witch, Luke.” She said, her eyes wetting up with tears of pain.“Then maybe you're just a monster with a pretty face. And that’s what I came here to find out.”Arda started crying softly as she stood before him. “I’m not a monster, please.”“I’m just so sorry that I wasted so much time waiting on you. You should have told me you were a witch.”“Luke, please.” She begged, moving closer to him but he took another quick step back.“Stay away from me. Gosh, are you cursed or something?”
Gradually, Arda’s shock left her and she placed the phone back onto the table. It was barely touching the table when her phone buzzed with a call from her younger sister.Arda took a few more seconds to calm herself down before receiving the call.“Hey, Sis,” she said.“You’re not my sister.”“What?”“You are not my sister and I think it’s about time you knew.”“Mabel, what are you talking about?”“Ask my dad and my mum.”Arda did not fail to notice how she stressed the word my in her statement. Before she could say anything, her sister was off the line.For a moment, she chose to believe that her sister was joking. Arda redialed her number and it kept ringing but there was no response. She decided to call her father who received the call in a single ring.“My dear, you’re still up late?”“Yeah, studying.” She responded. She didn’t want to talk about her problems.“Okay. Take it easy.”“I will. Where is Mabel?”“She’s around somewhere in the house.”“Look, Dad, I know that Mabel and I
Arthur marched past his game on the ground and moved cautiously among the trees in the bush as the sound of the baby’s cry got closer. It caused him to increase his pace and from moving hastily, he had broken into a run, his heart racing with uncertainty. He jumped over a log of wood and a fallen tree crossing his path before sighting a hill twice his height. He could tell that the baby’s cry was coming from the hill. Could the child be alone? He wondered. Who would leave a child by itself? Standing behind a tree, Arthur scanned the area with his eyes and he was grateful for the full moon which allowed him to see quite well. He could find no one and neither could he make out any movements from the surrounding area. Quickly, he breezed forward, covering the space between him and the hill. Then he circled over to the other side of the hill and gasped as he found a newborn baby girl on the lap of its dying mother. The woman looked to be about his age. She was seated on the ground, he