The Dark Tribe

"Do you know what happened to the Winkers?"

"Who are the Winkers?"

"They were locked up in the mirror with the magical iron key. See that one over there."

He wanted to do it. He was letting out the darkest and deepest agony that had been buried deep for quite some time, unlikely to be retrieved for years to come. Probably a murder; a suicide; an unknown. He was not sure: he did not want to be sure. But he wanted to do it. He knew.

Finally, his parents' unrelenting bickering would come to an end. The devil twins would have their best with their parents, and he would be around to watch them rot. His parents would be fortunate for the rest of their lives. He could see the reflection of a ten-year-old grieving and taking his last breaths on an iron key as he headed for the caves. This time there is no turning back. He'd rather trip on a stone and slump to death than go back home, but there was also the uncertainty of death. His steps doubled, he could feel their presence, as strangling as belligerence. They would not know. They would not find him. When they do, he would have a villainous smile to watch them tremble for a lifetime of fortune. Maybe the gods had destined it to be.

He had a pretty decent perspective of the Repluff mirror from where he stood in the middle of the forest. The six-foot-tall mirror had a foundation, silver-coated at the edges, and concave a little above the foundation and the key insertion region. Once again, he saw the reflection of a ten-year-old blonde. This time his lip and nose were bleeding, and his face was muddy as black. He was standing before the Repluff mirror with the key. He wanted the seconds before his demise to be memorable. He could hear their screams, loud and clear, pointy and directed.

"You bastard!" the female voice said. "You knew! You knew where it had been! And you decided to lie!"

"Lie? Are you serious? I was lied to being in this marriage, you bitch!" the male voice yelled.

He heard a slap. Probably his mum slapped his dad for calling her a bitch, or his dad likewise after an exercise of anger. The wailings began, and the bickering continued. Hannah's wail was the louder, Evie's was light, high-pitched, and pesky. His ears were drumming, his hands froze, and he felt a cold rush of adrenaline through his nerves. The distance between his house and the cave was an estimated 9 miles. He still hadn't received an explanation for his powers from his enemy parents.

He heard another voice, maybe his mind, telling him to stop for a bit and have a second thought about his decision. He closed his hand in a tight fist with the key buried within and sat on a gigantic rock that lay nearby. He sat down for minutes on the large stale rock, clearing his head, trying to recall pleasant moments with either of his parents, but he seemed not to remember much. However, the terrible memories outnumbered the good ones which he chose not to remember, compounding his grief and arousing endless showers to trickle down his cheek. He could hear them again; their voices were louder than before, the intensity rising to its peak, leaving him in a vibrating stance.

"Now, look what you've done, look what you've done!" his mother yelled again.

He didn't hear a reply from his father, but his mother kept yelling at his father. Sometimes it seemed directed at the babies. He loathed his mother's voice – it sounded more like a crow delivering an assignment, best for breaking bad news. Well, it was his mother who told him about the key; at least a little bit of good news for him. The fluctuation continued – their voices getting incoherent and then intelligible – back and forth.

"Where are the keys?" Henry asked.

"What keys?!" his mother asked.

"Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about," his father said. "I'm done with your silly little games."

"Do you seriously expect me to give you the keys to my car?" said Kyra.

"I told you, 'I'm done with your silly little games,'" Henry said in a rather mild voice. "Give me the keys."

"I'd love to see my heart out of my body, you know," his mother said. There was a supposed silence between the both of them before the loud, "To see the number of parts it has been broken into!"

He could hear his father's steps marching, the wooden floors crackling, the continuous wailing of babies, Kyla's incessant complaints, and his heartbeat thumping as though he might seize a breath before he decided to.

"We just had these babies, and you decided to be a prick about it!" said Kyla.

"Give me the keys, for the last time!" he could hear his father's angry breathing, "Or I'll go get it myself." He said in a rather calm tone with a resumption of marching.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kyla said, running towards the master bedroom, he presumed. Meanwhile, Henry walked in the opposite direction to the veranda.

There was a peaceful silence between his parents for some time. His mother must have found out, they would search for him. They must find him. He could feel his mother tremble, her heart pound, her lips bleeding.

"Where is it?!" Kyla yelled. "Where is it?"

The wailing from the baby girls increased, creating an atmosphere of discomfort. His ears bled, it was as though he had lost so much blood and had forgotten how his legs worked. He wanted to stand up, but he couldn't. He was paralysed. He heard his mother's angry steps walking towards the garage screaming, "I know you took it... You took it... You bastard!" He heard a punch; it probably landed on his father's chest.

"Where is it?" his mother shouted. "Where is it?"

The blue-eyed young man stood puzzled at the enraged, slender brunette lady. He wanted to say something but then shut his mouth.

"You know something about it, don't you?" said Kyla. "Tell me...."

"You have to be kidding." His father said in an astonished tone, "You can't be serious."

At first, she was calm a bit. "Do I look like I'm joking with you?"

The crackle on the wooden floors resumed due to intense marching by two people. They eventually reached the master bedroom. Henry kept whispering, 'No, No, No,' while they turned every jar upside down and unfolded the clothes. He knew what would come next. He summoned courage and stood up, although it felt worse than a broken leg. Gazing at the key, he could hear his parents searching for it, crying babies, fear in their voices.

"Have you seen it?" his mother asked his father. He didn't hear a response. It must be a "No". "Where's Greg? Gregory?!" his mother shouted. His heart skipped hearing his mother shout his name in a frightened but harsh manner.

"He's not in his room?" Henry asked.

"No," Kyla said in a tremulous voice.

"You don't think he took the key, do you?"

"What would he use it for?" Kyla said in a whisper. She knew he could hear them.

"Come on. We have to get to the cave. He might be there," Henry said as he walked quietly to the car.

He could still hear the babies cry, whatever was said between his parents did not dawn on him at that instant. He knew that they were after him; he knew they would stop him. The silver-coated key must be his rescue; walking into the mirror was like evacuating from a war-filled zone. He hurriedly but meticulously inserted the key in the slot. Gregory's parents would be there any minute. They took the car; his mother was driving. She'd previously and currently been known as a reckless driver in Osinku where they lived. The mirror finally unlocked; the blue fog was pouring. It looked like paradise: a paradise of doom, paradise of joy, paradise of perplexity and astonishment. He needed to drop something, to tell them he was there and had vanished. He tore a piece of cloth from his shirt and left his slippers there for evidence. Then he dropped a curse on his parents and the devil twins, whose wails got more devilish. He spat on the floor three times, pulled out the mirror key and stepped inside. There was a swift return to the former appearance of the mirror but without its key. Breeze blew the piece of cloth at the trees while Gregory's slippers lay there untouched.

"He's not here."

"He was here. That's his."

"We must find him."

FIFTEEN YEARS LATER:

Evie's breakfast was an Omelette made by her dad's new girlfriend, Sarah. She was sure of telling Sarah about her dislike for Omelettes and Noodles, especially on a school morning. On seeing the Omelette, Evie diverted to the fridge to get herself a canned drink and crackers. A voice from upstairs which seemed approaching called out.

"I'm going to work, I cannot be late today," Henry called out. Evie mumbled okay and sat on the dining chair to have her snack. "Why aren't you eating your food?" Henry questioned Evie.

"Sarah knows..." Evie was talking. "Don't call her 'Sarah'. You wouldn't call your mother by her name, would you?" he interrupted.

Evie spills a bit of coke on her white dress on hearing the exasperating information. "Mother? How could..." Evie caught Sarah's crystal-clear eyes piercing her. "Now, I'll have to change this dress." Evie's fury burnt and cut her deep. She never imagined a woman like Sarah ever to mother her, even though she didn't know what being mothered felt like but Sarah wasn't the perfect person to be called 'a mother'. She tried to use a rag to clean off the spilled drink, but it didn't get off. Sarah handed Henry a brown bag that contained his lunch in that slow and seductive way she knew Evie did not like. Sarah eventually won a kiss from Henry on the cheek as he took his leave for work. Evie's breath became heavier, her pulse sped up; she hated her father and his girlfriend together, they just didn't fit. She ran upstairs to change her dress, making sure every step on the stairs was heard.

When she came back downstairs, her father was gone and Sarah was doing the dishes in the kitchen. She did not want to set an eye on Sarah at that moment because she'd be most likely to cause trouble. She'd heard stories of good stepmother-stepdaughter relationships and had seen some on television too, but she knew hers would never end well. She couldn't even imagine her father's proposal to her: how the ring wouldn't fit perfectly on her fingers, and how the wine would spill on her wedding dress. Despite her hatred for her father's new relationship, she still didn't condemn her beauty: a sparkling beauty that caused men and women to smile at first sight. THE CLOCK STOPPED TICKING. Maybe the batteries had just died, maybe there was a twitch in the cables. She felt drowsy.

"Your ride's here," Sarah said from behind, her eyes peering at Evie's dress. Evie turned to be sure of what she had said, although she already knew. "What?" Evie asked.

"Ooh, that's a lovely dress," Sarah said. Evie wanted the rolling of her eyeballs to be clear in Sarah's sight. She obviously didn't like Sarah's compliments because she believed them false and ironic: she did not like much about Sarah. THE CLOCK STARTED TICKING.

"I'm on my way," Evie said, turning to leave through the door, "Thank you," she added, grimacing before she shut the door.

A few weeks into high school, Evie's life was already double-faced with drama and boys chasing after her impeccable beauty. But no other guy was as lucky as Austin, her 'Love of My Life'. Both of them began dating after two days in high school. Austin was a junior at Osinku High School, one of the most popular, charming, and good-looking guys girls would kill each other for. Having an athletic physique and also in the basketball team made the madness among girls rise to a questionable peak.

The breeze that blew could fall off light wigs. Evie's hair was already drawn to the scalp as she went to meet Austin in his black-painted and tinted 2013 Nissan Altima car. She could see his admiration for her as she walked majestically towards the car. She worried her hair was getting messy, but his eyes kept piercing her so that she could feel it all over her body; she wondered what boys loved in girls' messy hair. Also, she was fortunate the coke did spill on her dress, urging her to change into something else. The breeze could have done a lot of harm. She was quite comfortable with the dress; she figured Austin would love it too.

She reached the door to his car, which was already open and hopped in, still feeling his eyes on her lap and boobs. Austin gave her a peck on the cheek and smiled gently at her.

"You look beautiful, babe," Austin said.

"Thank you," said Evie.

He turned on the engine without concentration – eyes still on Evie – and began driving. He turned on the Taylor Swift playlist on his car radio, especially the love songs, because he knew she loved them. As they drove to school, the vibes from the songs kept oozing into her mind, making her shake her body back and forth and humming to some of the songs.

"Have you heard this one?" Austin asked. "It's one of her latest."

"Yeah," Evie replied. "I played it with Nnaemeka."

"Oh." Austin's tone was quiet and filled with things unsaid. He narrowed his eyes as he kept his pace on the road, followed by a troubled silence.

"So, I heard you went out with him," Austin said after a long silence, "Nnaemeka."

Evie turned to face him and read his expression. She could see bitterness and jealousy in him. "Yeah, the arcade," Evie said, and then turned to face the road ahead. "How did you know about that?"

"You played this song in the arcade too?" Austin asked.

"What do you mean by that?" Evie asked with an angry expression. "He was my friend in middle school. And he's still my friend."

"I heard you were holding hands."

Evie's eyes dilated in annoyance and suspicion. "You were stalking me, weren't you?"

"I wasn't."

"Then, how do you know about the hand-holding?"

"So, it's true."

Her mouth was involuntarily wide open in disbelief, she couldn't believe that Austin did not trust her. "We did it because there were some other Nigerian people who made fun of him because he didn't have a girlfriend," said Evie, avoiding eye contact with him. "What did you think?"

"Nothing," Austin said with a jealous smile hanging on his face. Evie sighed.

In no time they were in school. Evie took pride in walking beside Austin every day at school, but this time the little disagreement between them let her walk not so close. That, of course, did not warrant girls from different corners who had never spoken to her asking Austin questions. She knew she was a jealous girlfriend by the way she scared off girls with a mean stare. Walking down the hallway, she could feel people's eyes on her dress; she tried to put on her best walking steps. Her insecurity made her sure of who Austin was going to meet after he waved her goodbye, perhaps his basketball dudes.

"Hey!" Martha called from the west. Evie was a little frightened by that.

"So, did you go?" Martha asked.

"Yeah," Evie replied. "They were..., Oh My God, they were so nice." Evie's conversations with Martha were usually the best because she's at most herself around her. Unlike Becky and Adrienne, that may be a little judgemental. Apart from that, Martha had been her childhood friend, her longest-ever friend.

"I told ya! They're very nice. That section of the mall is a go for me," Martha said. "They're always at their nicest on Sundays. Can you imagine? My mom went there on Monday by noon I guess, and the sales representative told her, 'I'm sorry ma'am, please come back again another day...'"

"What?"

"Yeah, it's not fair, is it?"

"No, no. Absolutely not," Evie spluttered.

"I went on Sunday and boom... I got the purses at very cheap prices and quick service," Martha said. The conversation between them got them to their lockers. "So, what did you get?" asked Martha.

Evie felt drowsy again. The people who walked past them walked very slowly; the people who talked, talked slowly too; Martha also talked slowly. It was as if everything had been played in slow motion, and she was trying to understand why. She did not know when she fell on her back. Martha screamed, "Evie! Evie! Wake up!"

She lay there probably for seconds. The whole school was already gathered around her, the medic was already there, Austin and Nnaemeka and Adrienne and Becky were all there. It must have been minutes instead, yet she didn't know anything had happened to her. Her friends all around her wanted to hear her say a word before her departure to the medical ward. It was a totally weird scenario.

The dull-painted room, windows shut close, behind dark curtains. It started with a soft kiss, their tongues so smooth and comforting, to a reckless kiss, their teeth clenching against each other. The woman on the table whom Henry stood with was not Sarah, neither were they Kyla, Rebecca nor Irene. It was Jessica, a colleague. They stood there talking to each other in whispers, feeling each other's body parts. The large clock above the entrance door ticked loudly when they were silent, thanks to Henry. The door banged.

They immediately put themselves together, but it was futile because they had already been caught. Steve's fury was obvious by the way he stamped his foot hard on the floor as he approached them.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Steve asked with his hands flinging in the air. "The props people, set decorators are going to be here any minute... Wait a second, how did you guys get in here?" Steve folded his arms.

"I have a key," Jessica lifted the key from her pocket, "I'm here for work early." Henry gave a slight chuckle on hearing that.

"Hmm. How about your colleagues? Have you even called to find out where they are?" Steve said disdainfully.

"They're supposed to be here in less than ten minutes," Jessica answered. The conversation lasted and continued in that interrogatory manner. Henry only gave replies when Steve asked questions about the monetary aspects of the production. Henry worked as an accountant at the Osinku studios and a few other private firms. The entrance door was open, and they could hear numerous sounds of people coming in and going out, walking in the hallway, and some music played. Then, they could hear the footsteps approaching fast and appointed. The guy stopped at the T-junction and then looked into the hall and shouted, "Found him!" Without hesitation, he began walking towards the room and looking directly into Henry's eyes. Henry didn't know the guy; he was frightened. He feared that he had been set up again, but not by the same person, because that person was being taken care of. What could this guy want? People began coming behind the guy. Henry checked whether they were armed to know his next move, but they didn't need to be armed because they were each twice his size.

"Mr. Dye, please we need you to come with us," the guy said. Henry looked at Steve and Jessica and could see her tremble in fear. Did she know anything about this?

"What's this about, Sir?" Henry asked.

"Hope nothing's wrong," Steve said, almost interrupting Henry.

"I'm afraid, I can't say that," the guy responded. "Please, could you kindly follow us?" the man asked Henry.

"Don't be afraid, It's okay. I hope it's nothing much," Henry told Jessica. He walked with them out of the room to a small room where he met Jones and Theophilus. He breathed a sigh of relief, yet he was still curious to know what really made him send men to search for him. Theophilus referred him to sit with his hands and ordered the men to leave, having only the three of them in that room. Jones pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to Henry while the discussion proceeded.

"You may not know why we called you here, or maybe you do," Theo said, expressionless and looking at Jones.

"What do you mean?" Henry said, slightly smiling with a cigarette in his mouth for lighting.

"The staff is missing," Jones broke out.

"What... Who are you talking about?" Henry said, scornfully.

"Look, we ain't here for this petty little game of yours," Theo's eyes narrowed and looked dead into Henry's. "You better start talking."

"What do you want me to talk about?" Henry said, letting out smoke from his mouth. "You said you would protect the staff, you didn't let me there, and now you're asking me about it?"

Henry could see the rage in Theophilus's eyes, but he didn't care. He continued smoking the cigarette, letting even more smoke come out of his mouth than before, accompanied by annoying laughter. Theophilus kept pacing linearly, holding a fist as though he might punch Henry any second from then. "You can't outrun your conscience, Henry," Theo said. He called his hefty men from outside to come in and ordered them to seize Henry. Henry kept struggling while Jones took the lighter and set it beneath his shirt.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" Theophilus said.

"Are you serious, Theo? I told you, 'I don't know anything about the staff.'"

"Do you know about the staff?" Theophilus asked regardless. Henry's eyes narrowed in disbelief; he had never imagined Theophilus doing such a thing to him. Theophilus avoided any superfluous eye contact with Henry and told Jones to light Henry's shirt up.

"You can't do this, Theo. If you kill me, you will never find that staff," Henry said as Jones began lighting his shirt up. Theo gave Henry a heavy punch in his face and then ordered his men to do likewise. He also ordered Jones to stop the lighting.

Theophilus raised Henry's head, which was already covered in bruises and gushes of blood. "You traitor, Judas!" Theophilus said, spitting on Henry and kicking his stomach, "You stole the staff!" Theophilus paced from side to side with his hands on his mouth and punched Henry anytime he was struck. Jones had mixed feelings for him: pity and satisfaction, while the man held him tightly. "You never trusted me, Theo," Henry said in pain.

"I never trust anyone."

"Have you asked Jones this?" Henry said, looking specifically at Jones. Jones slapped Henry and threatened to light a fire above him.

"You speak of someone else when you've told the truth already," said Jones, letting out a mock chuckle. Theophilus walked to the window and asked, "Where is the staff, Henry?" Henry began crying; he'd never expected to die like this. He knew deep down that he knew nothing about the staff but said that for protection.

"You can kill me now, Theo. That is what you've dreamed of: waking up one day, for someone to tell you that Henry is dead. But do not forget Ransdy..." Henry began crying loudly. Theophilus's face which still faced the window, dawned in realization, but he was adamant to let that taint his decision to exterminate a traitor. "Do not forget Ransdy Island," Henry said, sucking back in mucus at the tip of his nose. "The beautiful girl, Flourish, you never wanted to leave," Henry raised his head to look at Theo. "I should have let her kill you, finish you to death..."

"Enough!" Theophilus said.

"Send you to her men..."

"Enough!"

"Hang you to death, maybe I wouldn't be sitting on this iron chair with men holding my collars and nonentities torturing me..." Theophilus punched him again. He gave a stance and stood as if he wanted to question a little child. "You're the one in the collars, young man, and you have to tell me about the staff, then I'll leave you... for good." He started walking back to the window.

"I already told you, 'You can kill me now'. You torture an innocent man because of some magical staff, and you don't kill him?" Henry smiled and clicked his tongue, "that would be a grave mistake." The men held him tightly.

"You are no innocent man, I've known you since birth," Theo said. "I know you are a crooked man, a trickster, a liar. So, enough with the pleasantries."

Henry smiled and licked his lips with his mouth wide open. He just wanted to die if that's what it would come to be. His phone rang in his pocket; Theo's men took it and told him to answer it. It was Evie's principal.

"Hello!" Henry said.

"I suppose I'm talking with Mr. Dye, Evie's father right now?" the feminine voice from the phone said.

"Yes, you've reached him."

"Evie is under medical supervision. The doctors are diagnosing her right now."

"What? What is wrong with her?" Henry said in a rather flat tone. Theophilus took the phone from Henry and continued to talk. "This is Evie's dad talking..." Theophilus said.

"Liar, liar, liar..." Henry shouted in the background while the men held him down.

"What was that?" the principal asked from the phone.

"Nothing, just a minor disturbance."

"I'm sorry, but I need an explanation for that or else I can't tell you about your daughter's whereabouts."

"It's just a noise from where I work," Theo said.

"I'm sorry," the principal said, and turned off the phone.

Theophilus was furious. He spanked Henry over and over again and called Jones.

"We're going to the school right now, get prepared. Take him to my cabin and lock him up there. Guard the whole area. Make sure nobody sees you.

"Come on, let's go. Maybe his daughter would loosen his lips a little."

The men dragged Henry out of the studio quietly and furtively while he kept shouting, "Don't you hurt her! Don't you hurt her!" Theophilus, Jones and a few other men headed to the school to find Evie.