The water of the pool was the same as it had always been, cold, clean, content.
It sparkled as the warm lights of dawn rested upon it, the transparent blue bed, pushed and pulled by the soft breeze egged on many to its temptation.
And Alice was one of them, but her attraction to the water was'nt just because of its cold feel, its welcoming appearance wasn't all that drew her in.
Something else was behind it all, it flooded her mind so much, that she had begun to lose sight of everything else.
The crazy jibe of her cell phone, a police siren that wailed not too far from her, and even the loud calls of a young man whose feet thundered the ground few feet away from her.
Desmond thought his love would be enough to make her forget, but he was dead wrong, she could never forget, not even if she wanted to.
His calls were fierce, trying to hold her back from taking the biggest leap of her life, so big it had the power to put an end to everything, but what he saw as suicide, she saw as a way out.
She couldn't possibly live without them, again she heard whispers, inaudible at first but they slowly became clearer, it was'nt just the song of the evening breeze, this was something else, the words had begun to make sense, it wasn't just a meaningless whisper, this was her name, and the voices came from the pool.
Alice recognized the voices all too well, they were Joshua's and her mother's, they looked happy under the blue surface of the pool, and she wanted to share in their happiness.
She wanted to be with them, so much that it drove her insane, ever since that accident, all she had wanted was to end her meaningless life, yes, a life without the ones she loved the most, could only be termed as just that, meaningless.
It was evident, and it was only a matter of time before she did something about it, something stupid.
The soft breeze blew against her hair, it felt like a hush, she took a second turn at Desmond, who was already very close to her, he still had that thing where he hyperventilated whenever he was stressed, and if there was anything stronger than hyperventilation, that was what he was going through right now.
It would break him if anything had to happen to her, that much she knew, but she was already broken, the nightmares were unbearable, the guilt was a vampire that drained her of her life force, and the agony was ten times greater than that of any conception.
She was already dead anyway, if only it hadn't rained, she wouldn't have had to wipe the windscreen with a napkin, she would have seen the bump, the napkin wouldn't have fallen, she wouldn't have had to bend down and maybe she would have seen the trailer, just maybe, it wouldn't have run them over the bridge, and her son and mother would've still been alive, she deserved this, she would have to die as well.
" Alice !! please don't do this, we can work things out, please, " Desmond pleaded.
" There's nothing to work out Desmond, I killed them, I'm a murderer, I deserve to die, " she replied without looking at him.
" Alice please don't do this " he pleaded teary eyed, " I can't live without you, I ..... I love you , " he voiced out,
" I love you too " she turned to tell him with a smile on her face that made the tears in her eyes ever visible, " good bye Desmond " she continued, still with the smile on her face, and without a second to waste, plunged into the crystal vision of the cold... silent water.
There was no struggle, no fear, Alice let herself go, and the water welcomed her, it pulled her in, slowly but surely leading her closer to the tight jaws of death.
" Annnnnnnnnnd cut " said Mr Lucus, a movie director, as two young men helped Alice out the pool, Alice was actually a Hollywood actress, and this was the beginning of her life as star, or so she thought.
"Good job Alice, keep that up, and you might just be the next big thing in the movie industry"
Mr Lucus suggested, all the while staring into a recording of the shoot they had just made.
" You really think so Mr Lucus ?"
Alice asked with enthusiasm, and expectation, she blushed at the comments from the director, eager for a reassurance, and somewhat repeat of his compliments, it seemed too good to be true.
This was the infamous Lucus Ijedaba, one of the most renowned film directors in the country, and here he was showering her with praises for a shoot, her surprise was justifiable, considering the testimonies that most would give regarding his short temper.
With him it was either perfect or nothing, and if she had to go by that, this would be either sarcasm or a miracle in broad daylight, both options that completely relied on the answer he would give to her.
" No ! " he replied, still taking a look at a recording while pointing out errors to the camera man. The answer was as fast as it was confusing, and Alice would later regret her contribution in igniting the flame to what would result in the drama that was her movie director.
" Excuse me ? "she questioned, the shock evident in her voice, but Mr Lucus was slow to respond,
" I don't understand, you just said that I..."
" I know what I said" he interrupted, without showing any concern for the person he was about to chastise.
So ?" she asked
"So you did the usual, you just stood there while I wasted my time" he replied straightly, with carelessness, and full confidence that she deserved what was coming her way.
" Mr Lucus that's not fair,you haven't even told me where I went wrong and... "
" Alice !, " he called, getting out of his seat, and cutting her short yet again, like her opinion didn't matter, " do you remember the conversation we had the day you came for the auditioning ?" his question hit her as rhetorical, annoying, belittling.
She did remember, all too well for that matter, but had no intention of reliving it, her silence shot the message across to him.
" No ? " he questioned, deliberately oblivious of her disgust for his manner of speaking, " Miss Alice, you know I only accepted you as a temporary, more like fill in the space alternative, and that, because I received a recommendation from Chief Abiodun, not to mention your exasperating pleas that I give you a chance after the other two studios cut you off, I put my name on the line, bringing you on this team, and I don't see anyone else doing that, so do us both a favour, and comply, at least for this short while, until the actual character comes back" he said, as he retreated into his chair.
" You can go, we're done for today " he said and continued from where he stopped. Exhaling was the best she could do, two things were true, Lucus was an asshole, and she really needed this job.
Alice left the studio, feeling less than good about herself, Lucus had given her an ear full, her doubts about his character were justified, and she still had her mortgage to take care of, things weren't going well, this wasn't how she anticipated the new year, the resolution was supposed to be in her favour, but one night at the club, too much alcohol and bad friends was all it took to tarnish the career she had worked so hard to build for herself. This was all his fault, and she had to suffer the consequence.
Would Alice get another chance to repair her broken image ? what would happen if she can't? is this really the end of her career as an actress ? and who was she referring to as the cause of her troubles? Find out in the upcoming chapter.
The days always seemed crowded with all sorts of busy schedules, in the city of Lagos it was rush hour, twenty four seven, the heat, the cars, the traffic, too many inconveniences came with it, inconveniences that according to some was best drowned in liquor. The night clubs were a relaxing point from the madness of the hustle, the rich drowned in bottles and revelled in the illusion of the magic, that would be over by the break of dawn, they relished in the surge of damsels, as the wine cascaded down their throats all night long, partying in the craze of the euphoria, and in the episodes of drunken stupor. It was meant for the careless and carefree, some would leave the madness with a fortune from a drunk man's credit card, others would leave with their trousers unzipped, parading in the stench of alcohol, mixed with cheap cologne from a runs girl, never the less, that was the hustle, and in the hustle it was win, or lose. Check mate. The Nightingale wasn't any di
Betrayal, heartbreak, disappointment, disgust, were all feelings Alice thought she had homed when it came to her now broken relationship, it was strange, the anger, the hate, the ache, she had come to the club with a sixty percent expectancy to witness his betrayal, but it still hurt, and even worse, that Taria had to shove it in her face. She no longer felt the urge to follow through with her plan, he wasn't worth it, not anymore. Somehow her stare pulled his attention, and he saw her, eyeball to eyeball, she was furious, and he was unfaithful. He suddenly lost the vigour he had danced with before their eyes locked, she shifted her gaze from him and turned towards the exit. Alice sobbed as she made her way through the mad crowd, she was already outside but could still hear the loud music coming from inside the club, as well as quick footsteps rushing behind her, she felt a sudden cold creep inside her, right before he grabbed her by the arm in an attempt so to make her sto
The stairs looked like they would never end, she couldn't use the elevator, the place was crawling with hoodlums, they made sure to block every exit. Cornered, trapped, it was run or get caught, and Alice wasn't prepared for the latter. She was exhausted, scared, fearful, that her attackers would find her, she couldn't think, she couldn't hide, there was a threat on every side, she imagined what they would do to her, her heart raced, her mind flooded with morbid images, they were monsters, in, and out, she had to get out, there was the door, the one exit that hadn't yet been blocked, she could see them, parading the halls, searching for her, like hounds, following a scent, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sprinted for the door, it was only a few feet away, but they had seen her, they followed, they yelled, they tore through the crowd, this was it, the second that would determine what happened next,
The alleys had always painted a scary and dangerous picture of themselves, there were more than enough dark corners, where different things hid in plain sight, many secrets, imbeded in the cracked concrete walls, shadows, blended with the darkness, the only thing that couldn't be hidden was the stench of marijuana, coke, drugs, heroine. It went by different names, some, more popular than others, it had long since become one of the many ways of survival for the desperate lagosian, young boys who didn't hearken to the advice of their parents, more often than not, found themselves in these alleys, selling cocaine, smoking cocaine, buying cocaine. The place had become what could be described as a melting point, the deals were precise, it was a trade, they had the goods, all they
The chips had been staked, the drop was today, they had 2 co-ordinates, one was at lekki, and the other at a relatively farther location, it was the same time, they had the location, they were ready to intercept, the guns were loaded, their hearts crossed, today would be the day, Fasting had to be stopped. The beach was always serene at night, the cool breeze would whisper, incomprehensive whispers, it was tranquil, precious, flawless, captivating, the waters would reach for the sand and withdraw back, like a muse, enticing the shore, the sight was infectious, tailored to lure, to attract, to amaze. It was the beauty of the sea shore, but as beautiful as it was, it had been a harbinger of one of the worst criminals in Lagos " Fasting ".
For the past 2 days, the weather had been cool, it had rained continuously, and the pedestrians were always in a cover of umbrellas, on a day like this, Alice would rather have nothing more than a cup of hot chocolate and toasted bread, while watching the latest marvel movie. She enjoyed them for their blend of comedy and action, but even more because they weren't real, none of it was, not the gods, not the aliens, not the meta humans, they were all a product of an open mind, a rich imagination, literature would call it fiction, but this was the exact opposite of her life, everything was real, Mike's attackers were real, the wounds were real, her worries were real, his pain was real, and so was the ever present conciousness of a lurking threat, she had not wasted a second to tell him to get out, had practically kicked him out herself, he was heartless, cruel, selfish, but he was hurt, and as fa
. The quiet was history as the bullets blasted freely into Alice's apartment, shards of glass, flying in the air, the dishes, the cabinets, the walls, all came crashing down as the metals shot right through them, this was completely different from how the movies made it seem, it was relentless, brutal, thirsty, one wrong move could mean sudden death, she was right to be scared, they were ready to kill anyone and everyone. The gunshots stopped, but the room was in chaos, Alice was still too shaken to get up, until the sound of Mike's voice brought her back to the reality they were in. " Alice ? Alice ? are you okay ? "his voice oozed with more concern for her life than his.
. Itwould only take a pull of the trigger, two pulls to finish them off, Mike's assault had bought them time, but it looked like their time had run out as fast as it came, he had succeeded in wounding his attacker, the force he used when he hit the plank against his head had left a pretty deep cut, still shaken from the impact, he saw him reach for the back of his head with his left hand, as if checking to see just how hurt he was, but instead of going into a mad rage, as would've been expected, the sight of his own blood seemed to cause some sort of excitement . Mike could neither control the fear nor the guilt of the tragedy he had brought to Alice's doorstep, if not for him she would still be safe , but his wishful thoughts didn't change anything, the reality stood in front of them, and it wa