HOSTILE OATH

PREVIEW

In the beginning, there was never a choice to choose the powers you want, you are born with it. Not until the Eldest made a bad decision that changed the lives of her descendants and an ancestral yoke was made, war raged, life lost and people changed. That world led to another and to a vicious and chaotic one that brought chains and shackles, the one that didn't just leave a heavyweight upon the shoulders of Vivian but also destruction.

Battles continued from generations to generations and these chaos led Vivian into another world entirely different from hers, not to fulfill destiny but to torment. Her past and future led into these moments and events in her life:

PRESENT DAY

"I just hope I got in, been hopeful" Kayla mumbled to herself, holding on to her phone while checking her mail maybe she'd get a positive response from her college of choice. A notification came in, she opened without hesitation. She took a pause, gasped and screamed out with so much joy.

She couldn't keep the news all to herself, she took her purse, ordered an Uber which arrived in minutes. She headed straight to her best friend's house. On getting there, she knocked and Vivian opened the door. She jumped on her with a tight hug filled with so much joy.

"Yay, I am so happy Vivian. I got in". Vivian didn't understand what she meant so she asked "Got in where?" "I got an admission into LANDA college " She screamed with joy. Vivian chuckled hard and gave Kayla another hug, she then ran into her room. Kayla followed her, Vivian reached for her phone which she had left on her desk, she took her seat and unlocked it to check her mail.

She opened it but didn't see new messages or notifications. There was silence in the room, the sudden joy and excitement went quiet. She stood up from the chair and turned her back to leave when her phone chimed. She opened the message quickly, it was a message from her chosen college, she jumped up with more excitement when she saw hers "I got in too". Both friends screamed with joy and hugged each other tight.

Vivian's mom who was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner, heard their screams, she stopped whatever she was doing and walked straight to Vivian's room. As she walked in, she met them hugging and full of joy, she asked "What is all the noise for?". They hugged her and chorused "We got into LANDA, mom". Her mom was very happy to hear the good news and called for celebration with a bottle of wine.

Vivian and Kayla had been friends since the days of middle school. They had collided on the playground when Vivian was searching for her lost toys and Kayla was playing with her dog. Kayla was at age eight and Vivian age twelve. The collision created a spark between them and love grew between the but little did Vivian know that the spark wasn't just emotions but disruption.

LANDA Talent College was every student's dream. The school's name was spoken with a certain pride by parents. Vivian Austin and Kayla Depp were more than happy to be part of a college highly spoken of by people . Their yearning and hope to getting into Landa finally came through for them. Kayla had always been a jovial and loving person not until she lost her father who died when she was eight due to cancer but it wasn't cancer at all, it was a harm caused by her.She didn't know.

When he died, he left enough wealth behind to make her never to lack anything in this world. Money had given her comforts but not a father's voice or a father's love. She lived with her mother, who guarded her heart with sweetness and never let her lack anything. Vivian's home was more quiet in a different way.

Both her parents were literally alive but they weren't wealthy in the flash of Kayla's family. Vivian and her siblings only had their mother while their dad was more like a dead man; not because he had a mistress or divorced but the situation was more complicated that none of them could know about.

They made necessary preparations for their resumption into LTC(LANDA Talents College) and that week was one of the best week they had together but little did they know that LTC was going to turn things around for them. They bought clothes, shoes d a lot more that would make them stand out on arrival. On resumption day, they arrived at College in a car and that kind of exhausted exhilaration that follows long travel.

Vivian and Kayla stepped out of the car looking beautiful and stunning, that was the moment they captured Dave's attention, a senior in college, an arrogant billionaire's son and a bully that almost everyone feared or should I say hated. Both parents stepped out of the car to give a farewell hug to their child. "Oh, I'm going to miss you darling" Vivian's mom said as she gave her a tight hug. "I hope you be of your best behavior my dear child" Kayla's mom said, tears filled her eyes but she held on. "Are you about to cry?" Kayla whispered to her mom's ear. They both giggled.

Their parents made a choice of a college hostel, particularly for safety. Though, they weren't able to see them off completely because they were running late for work but made sure to give them some words of encouragement and a show of love that makes them remember the children of whom they are.

They got to their hostel room, it was small and sunlit, two beds close enough for both of them. Vivian hauled her luggage across the hallway with so much joy in her heart while Kayla wrestled with a heavier suitcase. Vivian suddenly felt stange that this might be the beginning of their misery but shrugged it off.

All that mattered to her was that she's here and Kayla was with her, happy. "It's nice to be in our dream college, right?" Vivian asked, not expecting an answer though. She dragged her bag into the room and dropped it with a thud on her bed. Kayla, still wrestling with hers gave a smile. "Let me help you with that, lazy bunny" Vivian teased. She stepped forward and took the suitcase, lifting it like she carried nothing.

Kayla made a show of pretending to be offended and then sat on the bed beside her friend. They laid back, with their palms on top of each other. "You know, I never knew we would be in the almighty LANDA Talents College" Kayla murmured. "Same here, but here we are and I think it was a bit overhyped" Vivian said. She rolled to her feet and pulled Kayla up. "Let's go have some fun, please." Kayla blinked "But we just got here, you know where to have fun already.

Anyway, where are we going?" "I heard there will be a welcome party at Jackal Hall tonight. We should go...after showers of course." Vivian's eyes were already sparkling with joy. They showered, dressed, and was prepared to go rock the party, when they heard a gentle knock sounded on their door. "Who is that?" they asked in unison.

A voice answered "I am here to welcome you all to Landa Talents College". Vivian reached for the door. When she opened it, a young man stood with a smile as bright as a sunlight. He was d*mn handsome, the kind that made Vivian speechless for some seconds. "And who might you be?" Vivian asked, dangerously carried away by the sight of him. "May I come in?" he asked politely. "Yes... yes, please come in," Vivian stammered, stepping aside. He walked past her with a smile on his face. "So sorry, please forgive my manners, I am Dave Hurst by name, a senior here in this very college. Nice meeting you, ladies." Dave extended his hand for a handshake to Kayla but it was Vivian's heart that raced faster and glad; Kayla's expression, by contrast, didn't show much interest; she didn't find Dave especially attractive. She ignored totally.

To spare Dave any uncomfortable rejection, Vivian took his hand. The instant skin met skin, something like a shutter clicked behind her eyes, a flash of white and black, a rush of images that belonged to no present moment: a voice she had never heard, the repetition of a name. Vivian gasped, short of breath, and then she fell to floor...

Vivian had fainted. Kayla reacted quickly and grabbed Vivian's shoulders, with her heart beating faster because that is not a thing she expected to witness. Dave drew back startled, he was frightened at how she had fainted just by his handshake. His emotions was stirred, 'Oh is that how hot i look that she had to collapse like that just by touching my hands, these thought ran through his mind not knowing what was coming for him.

For a moment, the room felt silent: the sight of Vivian lying partly on the floor, the sudden shock on Dave's face, Kayla's tense and alert energy. The welcome moment had become something else entirely.

"Vivian!" Kayla whispered. She shook her gently, kneeling. Dave suddenly apologized and felt an awkward concern, hovered near the doorway, uncertain whether to help or retreat.

"Will...she..." He stuttered.

"Yeah...she will be fine" Kayla finished.

She set Vivian's jaw and pulled a bottled water from her bag, tipping it gently into her mouth while she sprinkled some on her face. The cool liquid hit Vivian's dry throat and slowly, she started regaining consciousness.

Vivian's eyes opened, and for a heartbeat she looked lost, like someone who just came back from hell.

"Are you okay?" Dave asked, voice almost like a whisper.

Vivian's gaze lingered on him. There was a new, strange clarity in it; as though the flash had left behind a residue of recognition that did not belong entirely to the present nor to her. She swallowed. "I...I saw something," she said, voice low and shaky. "It was... like a memory that wasn't mine."

Dave's eyes twitched, a smile that tried to be real but filled with tension. "Maybe you're just overwhelmed," he guessed. "First day, new school. It usually happens."

Kayla's brow remained furrowed. "She doesn't faint," she said, quiet enough that it sounded like a verdict. "Not usually" She finished.

Dave rubbed the back of his neck, a bit nervous. "Still, apologies for the fright. I didn't mean to let such happen".

"It's fine," Vivian whispered, sat up with Kayla's help.

"Guess we can no longer go to the party." Her voice sounded pitiful but She shook off her dizziness with a laugh.

Kayla looked between Vivian and Dave, she could see the tension between them, she saw curiosity there, but shrouded by something else. She tucked Vivian's hand into hers and guided her to a seat so she won't fall.

Dave thought a second before saying, "Well, if you need anything, please do let me know...welcome again."

He smiled, and then left with a lingering bother in his mind.

Vivian pressed her palms to her forehead feeling the echo of the flash like a faint afterimage. Kayla watched her with the same fierce quietness she reserved for a problem that required a solution.

"Did you see what I saw?" Vivian asked after a minute.

"No," Kayla answered without hesitation. "And don't tell me you want to be dramatic about it." Her tone softened just enough to show she cared.

Vivian laughed and said "No drama. But... something felt strange. I felt like I knew him for a second."

Kayla chuckled and responded "Maybe you should be careful around him," she continued "New people, new trouble."

Vivian nodded, twisting her fingers into Kayla's. "The party would have to be put on hold for now while you regain strength" Kayla said, but Vivian seemed to disagree.

Vivian changed her dress, held on to Kayla's hands and took off to the party.

They did not yet know if the flash was a coincidence, or something stranger woven into the seams of their lives. But they had each other and Landa Talents College, that felt like a beginning worth holding on to and that is all that mattered to them right now.

After the party, they came back to the hostel. The night went by and they all went to sleep.

In the morning, Kayla woke up and tapped Vivian gently "Wake up sleepy head, it's a new day" She said as she removed the blanket slowly from her body.

Dave, on the other side, woke up really tired from yesterday's door-to-door welcome speech he did and yes he went for the party but couldn't stay longer there. His heart was troubled from whatever had happened with Vivian last night.

He stood up and went close to the window to enjoy the view of early morning bliss, he yawned loudly and sighed. He then went on with his daily routine and rushed off to check up on Vivian.

When he got there, he knocked and Kayla opened the door, with a fake smile and a heavy sigh she said "Oh, it is you again!". She told him to come in and he sat close to Vivian on the bed. With great concern he asked "How are you feeling today?".

Vivian answered with a slight smile on her face "Well, I feel much better".

"Okay, let me take a look at your hands to be sure you are okay" he insisted.

He held her hands out of care to see maybe she hurt herself yesterday, guess that was the greatest mistake of his life. Immediately their hands made contact with each other again, she gasped sharply and fell to the floor.

This time around water couldn't help wake her up. Kayla and Dave rushed her to the hospital affiliated with the college where she was attended to and that was when her true self began to awake.

At the hospital, some blood samples were taken by the Nurse to run some tests "Is this necessary?" Kayla asked.

"Yes, I just want to be sure if anything else is wrong with her but for now she's fine, just a little sign of pain" Nurse replied.

Kayla had a seat beside Vivian holding her hand and said "I hope you're fine girl, don't mess up my mind". With her defense and protective instinct, she stood up and followed the Nurse secretly to be sure the bloods that were collected were for the reasons she mentioned.

She became worried and afraid they might find out who Vivian really was and they would make her a lab rat for their experiment which might bring destruction and chaos which might as well cause pain to her friend. "I definitely do not trust this f*ck*ng scientists or doctors or whatever they are been called" She whispered to herself.

When she saw the Nurse hadn't done anything suspicious with the blood, she went back to Vivian and on her way she met Dave and asked what he was doing outside instead of being inside but he didn't give a response, rather he ignored her.

After a while, Dave who refused to come to the ward initially, decided to go in, took a chair and sat, he asked Kayla out of curiosity "Are you two sisters or friends?"

"We are friends like sisters" She answered.

"Okay, that's cool then" He responded with a smack on his lips, an arrogant and a heart filled with pride and curiosity, the conversation continued...

"So, I just have a few questions and I really don't want you to be offended, just that I'm curious as to what brought you girls to Landa Talents College and which family are you two from exactly cause seriously you girls look nothing like rich people to me and I don't think either of your parents can afford this college except you got lucky through scholarship since it's mostly for the classy, kings and queens and the caliber of people like that".

Kayla was reluctant to respond but she eventually did. " Does it really matter! We are here to learn and be successful in life and I don't think it matters if we are to look rich or not, we all have a purpose in life and each person bears the pain, the consequences and the joy of his/her purpose on earth. Either rich or poor, who cares!"

Dave was speechless as that wasn't the answer he expected. On the contrary, Dave is from a very rich background and his father held a high position as the biggest shareholder in the college, he is well known for his arrogance, disrespectful and I-don't-care attitude he gives to people but yet he is one of the hottest guys in school...and truly we bear the consequences of our actions and purposes, don't we!

Vivian screamed as she woke up, trying to grasp for breathe, she startled the both of them.

"What the heck is wrong with you, scared the sh*t out of me...if you knew you couldn't control yourself holding his hands then you shouldn't have held him at all " Kayla said, partially p*ss*d with how she got startled.

Vivian gave Dave a sharp and fierce look...

He felt threatened by the way she looked at him. "Oops, that looks scary" Dave said, with a fearful chuckle. His heart was beating fast, he felt like she knew something no one had ever known about him.

"Why did you kill her?" Vivian questioned Dave, her voice trembled.

Caught by surprise, he asked " Killed who?".

Vivian yelled at Dave " Do not pretend not to know what I'm talking about".

"Vivian darling, can you please stop this madness, you're seriously scaring me with that kind of energy you're resonating" Kayla said, quite nervous.

Vivian's voice changed to a deeper tone and looked at Dave with a rageful eye..

"He killed his own sister, why acting like I'm lying!"

Dave almost fell off the chair in shock, fear gripped his heart, he suddenly felt sweaty and restless. This was a secret no one knew about except himself. 'How could she possibly know, no one else knows ' this were the thoughts running through his mind.

He acted out of line, took on a who-gives-a-fuck attitude and responded with a shuddering breathe " What the fuck are you even blabbering about, did the fall affected your brain or something... why would I kill my own sister and who are you to question me?" Dave's voice stuttered and his hands trembled, you could tell he was guilty as charged but covering it with a pretense.

Vivian's eyes turned red and black which was unusual. At this point, Kayla knew something was about to happen, so she ran out of the ward to go call a Doctor.

"Doctor, I think something is wrong with my friend" She said, breathing heavily like someone who had ran a few metres race. The Doctor with Kayla rushed down to the room.

On getting back to the room, Vivian was nowhere to be found and in Kayla's thoughts "Hope it isn't what I'm thinking, has she yielded to her powers or what exactly is this!". She stamped her feet on the ground.

Doctor asked "Where's your friend? Thought you said she needed help, isn't she supposed to be here?"

Kayla was confused and didn't know what to say or explain to him than to lie "Well...I thought she was here but I guess it was just fear...you know what I mean?" She stuttered.

Doctor nodded negatively in disagreement "No, I don't know what you meant but I think you should go find your friend". He was about to take his leave when his legs froze. He couldn't move and he just stood there like a dummy. Kayla sensed that it was Vivian, so the Doctor won't go out to call on any other person. So, Kayla went for the door and shut it.

Dave was already taken in another dimension, a dark and scary place. He kept hearing whispers "Why did you kill your sister you wicked soul?" Dave got more scared and covering his ears with his hands "I didn't kill her...not I didn't" he screamed. Suddenly, he found himself in his hostel's room sitting on the bed.

"What is going on...I thought I was somewhere and here I am at my hostel...what the heck is going on?" He whispered quietly to himself. His mind was already messing with him.

He couldn't wrap his head around what was happening, he decided not to bother himself about it and went on with his life. Vivian on the other hand disappeared back to the hospital, the doctor suddenly became conscious and asked"How is your friend now?" He was like a robot being controlled with a remote, he couldn't remember a thing from whatever happened.

Kayla gave a fake smile and answered "She is fine Doc., I believe you can take your leave now. Thanks for your assistance". Vivian rested on the bed, sighed heavily and asked Kayla "What happened to me?".

Kayla gave a light chuckle and answered "Nothing dear, you are fine now". She was trying to prevent any further cause for alarm.Dave went on believing all was fine not until when he was at lectures, he started to hear those whispers again "Why did you kill her?". He first didn't pay much attention to it, but a felt a sudden shivers down his spine, goosebumps all over his body but he smiled it off.

"Why did you kill her?" The voice echoed louder in his ears. He moved closer to his friend sitting next to him "Did you hear that?". Tommy, his best friend was a bit confused "Hear what?"

"The voice thing, like some voices that sounded horrible, you didn't hear that?"He asked.

"I hear nothing bro. Are you sure you are okay, Dave?" He asked out of concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine...I should be" He answered, a bit unsure.

"You can always talk to me, you know that right?" Tommy replied.

"Yeah, sure but why are you telling me all this. Never said shit was wrong with me" Dave responded.

"Well, you've being acting so strange lately. I mean you barely eat, you are always whispering to yourself, you always brush off your ears like something was hovering over it...a lot of strange things bro" Tommy explained.

Dave never knew his attitude has changed that much or maybe he had being acting up, he lied "It's nothing much Tommy, just passing through some stuff".

"Or is your dad pressurizing again?" Tommy asked. Dave's dad had never really seen him as someone who could take over his company someday, after the incident that happened while he was at highschool, doing drugs and covering up his shits.

He had been trying so hard since then to prove a point to his father that he deserved it. His sister's death didn't make things easy for him either, it got even more worse. Though treasured by his mother, his father never saw him as a child with potentials.

He sobbed quietly "I really don't know Tommy...been feeling like shit nowadays. Sometimes, I just feel like leaving everything behind"

Tommy felt sudden sadness and he held Dave's hands "You are going to be fine. Just keep your cool, be focused and stop trying to prove yourself. Maybe one day, he'd come around and accept you for who you are" Tommy gave him some words of encouragement.

Vivian had been discharged from the hospital two days after the incident and she went on with her life too. On a fateful evening, Vivian and Kayla was asleep in their room. Vivian fell to the floor and went quiet, Kayla opened her eyes and saw Vivian on the floor, she tried helping her up but couldn't, he weight had become more heavy like that of a dead person.

Kayla tried to scream but her voice became inaudible, she tried to open the door but it was shut and refused to open. She knew something was wrong and definitely Vivian was no longer herself. She gave up and just sat beside her on the floor.

Dave just finished lectures and was on his way to his hostel with Tommy and some few friends when he heard the whispers again "How do you want to die, the easy way or the hard way?".

He ignored but the voice sounded more louder and terrifying "You killed her and now she wants you dead but first let me know, why did you kill her?". Dave fell to the floor, vibrating and suddenly he stood up firm and began to run. Tommy and his other friends followed him immediately. "What happened to him?" Fred, one of his other friends asked Tommy .

"I don't know" Tommy answered sharply.

Dave kept running towards his hostel, other students saw him, some made mockery of him and some felt concerned and worried about him. He went through the stairs a bit too fast but didn't fall, he opened the door and shut it hard, bolted it behind and went on his knees crying.

"Finally, someone is about to confess, right?" The voice thickened.

He began to feel something like a fire burning from inside of him, he screamed out loud in pain and agony. Tommy and others heard his screams and ran faster. They tried opening the door but the louder the scream, they got something to force the door opened and when they did, Dave was nowhere to be found.