NEPHLEM

CHAPTER THREE

I sat on the chair in my apartment. Trying my level best to control myself, as Roland told me. But as I said earlier, waiting for things isn’t my favorite suit.

The apartment was well decorated, that was something I can give the owner credit for. The lighting was perfect, and the breeze that come from the balcony only made me realize what an amazing job I did to get that apartment.

Apart from the chair I was sitting on and that opposite me and table, there was a bed like six to seven feet from me. It was enough to occupy both me and my friend. She perfectly spread it with white sheets.

And then there was a bathroom and the restroom to my left. And the kitchen was just two feet from the closet. Overall, it looked dashing.

“Just wait for him. You can’t go there alone. What if you find something that you cannot handle,” Charlie spoke.

I turned and found her standing at the window, looking outside. Then she looked at me with a welcoming smile. “I’m just saying. They are attacking you already, what if they saw you snooping at their church?” she added.

She was my age, only two months older than me. She had short blonde hair that she maintained perfectly and squirted it with hair condition that seemed to glitter by the lighting in the ceiling. She had cheeks the color of russet apples and crimson thread entwined in a black pigtail.

Her face was soft like a baby born today and she had a point nose. she was light in complexion just like me, actually. Just that she looked tanned.

She was still in his uniform — she worked at an ice cream track. The trousers clinched to her body showing off her curvy body. Overall, the woman was well built.

“I know, but my inside is burning right now. They needn’t talk about my hair and how I dress. I was at work, I didn’t go to attend mass or something,” I spoke and took a swig from my vodka.

She walked to me and took her sit on the chair opposite me, “I know that look very well, Mubanga, but you heard what Roland told you and your mother. You need to listen to them more,” she spoke reminding me of my earlier conversation with Roland and my mother when we visited her after work.

I sighed as I thought about what she just told me. I could wait for tomorrow. Or do it behind Roland and find out what was up with that new church. Because they just can’t come and start talking about our church, and mostly me.

I stood up and began pacing, trying to come in all with my thoughts. But it was like the more I tried that the more I felt the need to visit the church and check it out.

“Don’t tell Roland about this or I will burn your tad bear,” I looked at the black and white polar bear on the bed. 

She walked to the bed and swiftly took the tad bear defensively. “You can’t hate Ted. That will be the end of our friendship. And you can go and do whatever you want to do. Just don’t die or I will have to answer to Roland why I didn’t stop you or inform him about it.”

She was not magical actually. But she had been by my side all the more. At first, she did have difficulties with the news that I was a wizard and whatever powers that enabled me to have wings. And Roland mentioned something about my wizard flavor been different from most wizards.

But I didn’t press on the matter. I allowed it to roll just like that. But I was surely going to ask about it. Because my mother was not a wizard. I took it from father according to her. But that was all she told me.

And every time I brought up the news, she always tried to outwit it.

Roland and I have tried our best to find out more about my powers, but reached a dead end all the time. But I knew she knew something, and she was just keeping it from me somehow. Reason I did not know.

“I will be back soon,” I told her and cracked open a gateway. It was a silver ring — like molten silver and at the center appeared places where I could land.

I looked through at places that had fewer people. Then I spotted the corner of the caffe. There was no one around, at least at the moment. And it was closer to the church.

“See ya,” I spoke and walked inside the gateway.

A second from the other I appeared at the corner of the caffe. I looked around but saw no one there. I was the only one around.

Most shops around had already closed. But the caffe was still opened. The surrounding was pleasing, but scary if things got worse.

Then I spotted people surrounding the front door of an abundant church. And then there was a man addressing them. But I was unable to hear what he was saying from where I was standing. All I heard were chants and shouts. Shouts of satisfaction and anger. 

I wonder what lies he was telling them now? I sighed and began walking towards the church, but made sure no one saw me. They knew I was from the church they hate. So, me just walking up to them would be the stupidest thing I could ever do.

And I didn’t even know any invisible spells that can help here. I walked and reached a corner of the church without being noticed. And I was able to listen to what they were saying now.

I looked at the man that was addressing them. He was in his late thirties and stocky, with black hair, a wide and heavy jew, with a thick moustache. He wore a black suit with well-polished shoes. And his light eyes only seemed too much, his dark complexion even more.

“We all know why we are here, right,” they all shouted yes, and he carried on. “we want to eliminate all creatures that leave around us. Freaks shouldn’t be allowed to walk the face of the earth. They are not allowed to even breath the same air as us,” he spoke with passion in his voice.

What the hell was he doing? Telling people that magic was real. That was stupid, if you ask me. That was not the root he wanted to take. Because he was not only attracting me, he was attracting even more dangerous people out there.

I listened for more, “rumors had it that our neighboring church might have more news on that, actually. Not that they are freaks, but they might know one,” he spoke and people began talking amongst themselves. “They have taken our lives long enough. It’s time we put an end to them,” he spoke.

So, because of recent deaths that Roland and I were taking care of, the man thought it best to go public about the supernatural world. And we just got the ring from those people. And we hoped for deaths to reduce.

“One person has yet been killed,” he spoke as he held on to the bible in his hands.

This means the people we took the ring from were not the ones killing people. But who was killing people and why?

Just as I was about to shadow walk, someone called me behind.

Crap.