Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56‘Morning, Aunt Janice,’ Sineas greeted his aunt as soon as he reached the foot of the staircase. He was wearing a lime green tracksuit and white Nikes.
‘Morning, Sin. Sleep well?’ She was watching TV in her nightdress. The shower cap was on her head. ‘Where do you think you’re going without having breakfast?’ she asked him wearing a condemning look as soon as his hand grabbed the door handle.He gave her a broad smile. ‘I don’t want to be late, Aunt Janice.’ He headed into the kitchen to grab his lunch. He remembered he had forgotten something. Like an ant, he would move from one spot to another, rummaging, under the couch, behind the cushions. He scratched his head.‘Sineas!’ She almost jumped when he lifted her legs up to search under her side of the couch.‘Not now, Aunt Janice, I don’t want to be late for class.’ He stood up and headed for the door. It seemed he had found what he was looking for.She grabbed his shoulders from behind just in time and turned him around. She looked into his eyes. ‘What happened to you?’He shrugged free from her grip. ‘Oh, not this again,’ he mumbled. ‘Aunt Janice, I’m fine.’‘Fine? You look a little more than just fine,’ she commented smiling shrewdly at the corner of her mouth.‘Like I said, I’m alright.’‘I’m not stupid. Your face is glowing.’He chuckled. ‘Glowing? Aunt Janice, my face isn’t glowing. Are you going to tell me there’s a halo above my head too? It must be the lotion,’ he suggested.She took three steps back, crossed her arms and stared at him disbelievingly. She grinned. ‘You met someone, didn’t you?’‘I think you’re going to have to narrow it down.’‘You made friends.’‘Me? Friends?’‘You can’t lie to me, son.’ She walked up to him again. ‘Tell me their names.’He began to smile, shyly, trying hard to avoid her inquisitive gaze.Her grin expanded, increasing her wildly curious look as it did.‘It’s not them…its one person,’ he confessed.‘What’s his name?’He dropped his shoulders, then he sighed. ‘It’s not a “he”.’Her face lit up like a firecracker. ‘So you have a girlfriend?’He now felt deeply embarrassed. ‘She’s just a friend, Aunt Janice.’‘Invite her over.’‘What?!’‘If she’s just a friend then there’s nothing wrong with inviting her over for supper, right?’He sighed. ‘You’re not going to let this go, are you?’She shook hear head slowly, still wearing her overstated grin.‘I can’t just invite people over…people I’ve only known for a few days,’ he tried to reason.‘Except these aren’t people, Sin. It’s a person…a girl. She could be the only girl you could ever have in high school.’He pulled the belts of his backpack tighter over his shoulders. ‘I have to go.’‘Have a great day!’ she waved at him as he walked out the door.‘Only three minutes left to Math,’ Sineas said to himself as he checked his watch. He got out the taxicab and made straight for the school building. There was less chit-chat among the students as they rushed to catch their lessons in time. Sineas got lost inside the long queues in the path and also began quickly pacing towards the building.
As soon as he walked through the entrance, he was met with a very peculiar sight. Almost all the walls were covered in papers. They were missing posters of Justin. A few students, probably prefects, were standing on ladders, trying to place their posters in the last available spaces on the wall. Standing in the middle of the hallway, amidst the hums and conversations all around him, Sineas wondered if these people would have done the same for him.Something was suddenly shoved into his face.‘You mind helpin’ out?’ It was one of the girls who had been in Justin’s crew. The one who had played cosy under his arm during the lunchtime incident. She was wearing a blue baseball cap with the initials “MHS” in white. She was wearing the school sports jacket and judging by its size, she had probably borrowed it from one of the guys. It concealed whatever she had from the waist up but her legs were showing too much skin. On her feet were white tennis shoes. She was chewing on a piece of gum, loudly.Sineas grabbed hold of the paper. He studied it for a few seconds. He shoved it back. ‘I’m late for class,’ he said then swerved to the side.Her bottle green eyes widened as she blocked his path with an outstretched hand. ‘Show some sympathy,’ she whispered. It was almost as though she was addressing someone who had come to a funeral but refused to shed a tear.‘Excuse me?’ he raised his eyebrows.‘You have emotions, don’t you? If you don’t, then at least pretend you do.’ She offered him the poster again. Slowly this time. She chewed the gum louder as if it was a threat.As if by courtesy, he returned it, slowly too. ‘I’m late for class,’ he said again. He swerved for the second time and walked past her.She shook her head as she watched him walk away. ‘Freak,’ she muttered before turning back to her work.
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Psych 20. Justin, the Hero
‘Justin was a great rugby player. A true sportsman. A talent in the making,’ said Mr. Regwizini, the Math teacher. It was the Math period but he had decided to hold a short “memorial” for Justin. He sat at the edge of his desk, his arms folded as he stared mysteriously onto the floor as though he was looking at Justin’s corpse directly.‘Is he dead?’ Sineas whispered into Clarissa’s ear curiously.She shook her head. She looked serious in her pink velvet blouse.‘Wherever he is, I know he is safe. He is definitely safe,’ continued Mr. Regwizini, ‘and he shall return again to Malrich and continue to do us proud.’ He allowed a brief moment of silence. ‘Is there anyone else who would like to share something about Justin as well?’ he asked, his eyes perusing through the class.A girl balancing on wooden crutches stood up and headed towards the front of the class, taking her sweet time while the rest of the class bowed their heads in silence. Her right leg was in a cast. Sine
Psych 21. Unfriendly Grudges
The weather was a bit cooler than it had been yesterday. Sineas and Clarissa decided to change a table. They relocated to a table a few paces beside The Thinker.‘Are you coming to Justin’s…what did the principal call it again? The Justin’s “Get home safe” gathering?’ she asked him whilst unpacking her lunch bag.‘Is it mandatory?’ he asked opening his lunchbox.‘Of course it isn’t but…’ she shrugged, ‘I’m sure the whole world will be there.’‘I don’t know...I...’She laughed. ‘Don’t worry, Sin. Everyone knows Justin was probably your least favourite person, especially after that crazy lunch on Tuesday.’He took a bite from his sandwich. ‘I’m not going to this gathering but…that doesn’t mean I don’t consider Justin’s safety. Yeah, the guy is boring but in the end, he’s still a human being.’‘Boring?’ she laughed as she peeled a banana. ‘You call what he did to you, boring?‘ She smiled, slightly. ‘I admire your poise, Sin. Seriously, I do.’ They ate for a while i
Psych 22. Welcome to my World
‘Did she tell you what type of food she likes?’ Aunt Janice asked Sineas as they helped each other set the table. She had not yet changed out of her running tracksuit.‘No,’ he answered her. The time was now 6:45 P.M. His heart was beating frantically. He could feel himself sweating. He had never invited anyone over to his house. A few hours ago, when he did, he thought the moment would never come, but each tick of the clock brought him even closer to his greatest anticipation yet, or was it his greatest doom? He would find out in less than fifteen minutes.‘Come on, Sineas,’ said Aunt Janice, ‘you must have seen what she eats for lunch?’‘I’m quite sure apples and bananas aren’t the ideal meal for supper, Aunt Janice,’ he answered while placing the forks on the table. There were no fancy utensils or china to wow anyone with so the Murphys made do with the stainless steel and chipped glass plates.
Psych 23. 'Home Invasion!'
‘Sorry about…what happened back there,’ Sineas said to Clarissa when he opened his bedroom door. She followed closely behind him as he stepped into the darkness. Her eyes surveyed the nothingness. She clutched her books tighter to her chest. She could only make out the bed and the wide open window which let in gusts of cold wind at five second intervals. ‘Lights?’ she asked him as he dusted the bed with his hands.He paused. ‘Oh, yeah, of course…the lights.’ He sat on the foot of the bed. ‘This room doesn’t have any.’‘Why?’ she asked curiously, standing in the middle of the room.‘It’s a long story,’ he replied.‘Then…’ her eyes surveyed the darkness again, ‘How do we work on the assignment without the light?’‘I’ve got a flashlight?’ he suggested. He looked intently at her black figure from the bed.
Psych 24. Wrath
Clarissa was deaf as she descended the stairs with astonishing speed. She was muttering something probably to herself and kept glancing over her shoulder.Sineas was in hot pursuit.‘Th…Thank you…Thank you for supper, Miss, Mrs. Murphy,’ she stuttered facing Aunt Janice who looked awestruck whilst standing behind the couch in the living room. Clarissa concluded with a quivering nod then made for the door. She banged it in Sineas’ face.He could hear her soft footsteps as they descended the steps. He heard them reach the pavement then patted their way into oblivion. Sineas was left staring hopelessly at the door. He began rubbing his fingers nervously. He heard slow and steady footsteps approach from behind him.Aunt Janice looked serious. Her fingers were twitching continually beside her. ‘What did you do?’ she whispered at him.He bowed his head low. ‘Nothing,’ he whispered back.‘That sur
Psych 25. Skeletons
Sineas woke up ten minutes earlier than his alarm. He hurriedly took a shower, put on a black t-shirt, blue jeans and his white Nikes. He rushed downstairs and went straight for the kitchen. Aunt Janice had beaten him to it.‘Your breakfast and lunch is ready, son,’ she told him as she stood by the sink wearing her running tracksuit. She had obviously woken up and taken a shower before him. Her hands were clasped neatly underneath her chin, a grin flashed across her face. ‘Sliced bread with avocado spread and left over Coca-Cola for lunch,’ she added. ‘And I threw in an extra slice just in case it wasn’t enough.’He smiled awkwardly and dismounted his bag, one band at a time. ‘Thank you, Aunt Janice.’ He snatched the lunchbox from the table and headed for the door.‘And breakfast?’ her grin asked him before he had made it past the kitchen exit. ‘Rotto Pop cereal,’ she added.He looked over his shoulder. His favourite cereal had been poured into a bowl and a tumbler of mi
Psych 26. Biology Class
‘Yes, Sineas..!’ She looked like she could cry at any moment. ‘It felt like…like desolation…misery, hopelessness. Pain. I, myself can't even describe it.’Sineas was now through with his lunch as well. He twiddled his thumbs under the table for about a minute. He slid across the bench and stopped by her side. He realised he was too close. He thought about it, but he did not move away, worried that the action would make the scene even more awkward.‘Claire…I’m sorry,’ he said after a moment of silence.She sighed deeply. Her expression quickly abated. ‘No, Sineas, I’m sorry. I think these days I’m becoming a little too paranoid. A few minutes into your room and I felt something seep into me…into my soul (if there is such a thing). It was just the cold, and my mind quickly started jumping to conclusions. Sineas, I’m really sorry.’He shrugged understandingly. ‘
Psych 27. Past Bedtime
Miss bale lowered her head. She began to march slowly towards their desk, her hands still behind her back. It looked like she was on her way to a closed casket funeral. She had stopped with the notes. The only sound in the class was her stilettos clapping on the floor. The echoes they made were like a warning of an approaching catastrophe. An unavoidable destruction.She stopped right in front of their desk. Sineas could feel her gaze upon him. He did not look up, however. All he could feel in that moment was the smell of her perfume. It would have been nauseating on anyone else, he thought, but on her, it was like a heavenly scent. But still, that did not stop him from feeling uneasy.She cleared her throat in authority. She placed her hands on the desk and lowered her head to his eye level. ‘Funny enough to share with us?’ she said.He looked aside, eager to avoid her knife-like gaze. She was close enough to kiss him. Or close enough to chew him up
Latest Chapter
- Psych
93. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
For a Sunday morning, the weather felt very unforgiving. The thick grey clouds had completely concealed the sun and there was an icy wind in the atmosphere. The kind of wind that leaves your face feeling like an ice cube at each gush it takes at you. This was completely different to Justin’s funeral. Justin’s funeral had many willing participants but this time, people looked like they would rather be somewhere else. Anywhere else. Doreen, Trevor and even the teachers were there. Just two days ago, Inspector Charles had announced on the news the death of the notorious Axe Killer. The inspector had not looked as excited as Clarissa had expected. It almost sounded like he had been pronouncing the worst news ever. She had not even wanted to watch the news. As soon as the inspector had begun talking of finally getting rid of the “plague of the nation”, she immediately left the room. She even felt that her parents understood her pain. They had apologized to h
- Psych
92. Fireworks
She tried to switch on her phone. It only flickered for a few seconds then turned off again. The shadow was now making its way towards her, dragging a long object on the floor.‘Come on!’ she yelled into her phone, attempting to turn it on again. It flickered twice then switched off again.The shadow was now in reach. It pushed away the desk between it and Clarissa.She slammed her phone four times in the palm of her hand, tears streaming down her face. She tried it again.The shadow swung the object onto its shoulder.Clarissa’s phone finally switched on. She quickly turned on the flashlight and shone it upwards in the direction of the shadow.Standing right above her, soaked from head to toe, was Sineas, a long axe resting on his shoulder. He did not say anything. He just stared back at her, his eyes holding no expression whatsoever.She wiped the tears and water from her face. She boldly decided to stand up. ‘Sin?&r
- Psych
91. To Catch a Killer (Part II)
Clarissa was running up the street, screaming and yelling at the top of her voice with the cold, heavy rains beating down her body. She had first tried Mrs. Lancaster, their neighbour’s gate but the loudness of the rain obliterated every other sound. Gasping for breath, she looked down the street. Her house was now just a glimpse. She could not see anyone but she was positive she was being followed. She continued up the street, kicking every gate and yelling for help. A wild and delusional thought leapt into her head. She could climb up one of the gates and call for help from the inside. Fear quickly ridiculed this idea. She probably would be dead before she made it to the top of the wall. Another thought leapt in. School! But of course. It would be hard for anyone to find her in such a giant building. Fatigue lowered her pace. She could not increase her speed past a jog. School was now only about ten minutes away. As she jogged, she kept turning her head behind her. The
- Psych
90. Epiphany
Clarissa lay on top of Sineas, a small red blanket covering their completely naked bodies. They had switched on the TV and turned to a sports channel, but they were not watching it of course. They had lowered the volume. The heavy rains could be heard beating on the roof from outside. Sineas was stroking her back, gently. ‘So…who taught you?’ he asked her.‘Taught me what?’‘Don’t play dumb, Claire. The moves.’She smiled, then said, ‘When you hang around sluts like Sabrina and Doreen, you pick up a thing or two. Not implying that I’m a slut too but when all your friends can talk about is how to catch a man…how to pleasure him; that stuff tends to stick to your subconscious.’‘So you’ve never..?’‘Had sex? No. That’s actually the reason why Justin broke up with me. Sabrina and Doreen hooked up with some of the members in Justin’s crew but Justi
- Psych
89. Heaven's Delight (Part II)
WARNING !!! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VERY STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT !!!‘I don’t think you needed food for that,’ he said.‘What do you mean?’ She raised her head.‘Your personality made it to my heart first.’She smiled and reached for his hand from across the table. ‘Dessert?’He nodded once. ‘Yes, ma’am.’She got up and walked towards the fridge and moments later, she returned with a small, pink ice-cream lunchbox and two glass dessert cups. It was a mixture of strawberry and vanilla.Sineas licked his lips when she pulled the lid off of the container. ‘And the night just keeps getting better and better,’ he said.She laughed and scooped the ice-cream with a large spoon into the two dessert cups. She placed spoons on top of the ice-cream. She clapped her hands. ‘Shall we, Mr. Murphy?’‘Yes we shall, M
- Psych
88. Heaven's Delight (Part I)
Inspector Charles had just finished having supper when the doorbell rang. He told his wife and daughter to sit tight while he went to investigate who was ringing the doorbell so late in the evening. Shorts, vest and all, Charles opened the door. He looked around but there was no one in sight. He looked down. There was a brown envelope lying at his feet. His heart skipped a beat and his hands trembled as he stooped down to pick it up. The previous envelopes had been written the words: “To Inspector Charles” in both uppercase and lowercase letters but this one was written in all caps and bold letters: “TO INSPECTOR CHARLES”.He wanted to open it there and then. He had ripped it halfway open when he stopped. He looked around again, apprehensively…and vigilantly. There was still no one. No sound, save for the faint barking of a mongrel miles away. A stray, black cat ran silently along the sidewalk, probably chasing a rat. Even though he could see no one, Charles decided not to risk i
- Psych
87. Busy Bee
‘Oh, she didn’t get “snatched up” by anyone, Viola. They wanted to get her, they thought they did but instead they caught a very shocked and now angry, black kid. An angry, black kid who happens to be her son.’‘Murph, listen ta me; I had no choice!’‘No choice?’ He laughed scornfully. ‘Viola, you’re not a kid. You’re old enough to have choices. And I was beginning to think that we were becoming friends or something.’She pulled her chair in closer towards him, ‘But Murph, we is friends! Its just that the inspector put my aunty in a predicament.’‘What sort of predicament?’‘The inspector found out from several patients that your moms was helping the nurses with some of their treatments and in some occasions, she helped the doctors diagnose them. The inspector threatened ta put the hospital under investigations and would make sure that three-quarters of the nurses and all the doctors there would be suspended. He offered an alternative though. He promised ta make all o
- Psych
86. The Informant
Sineas arrived at school at one o’clock in the afternoon. The students had already begun to pour into the lunch area. He concealed himself behind The Thinker statue, carefully browsing the students one by one. He waited and waited for at least fifteen minutes. Finally, he saw her. She was sitting alone on a table in the middle. He only saw her back but he could tell it was her with her white turtleneck sweater and the rabbit tail on her head. He decided to wait a little longer until most of the students were seated. Then he made his move.He carefully and silently began walking towards her, his hands in his bomber jacket pockets and his eyes focused on the back of her head. He stopped behind her, just a few feet away.She had unloaded onto the table a pickle sandwich, a carrot salad and obviously- an apple from her lunch bag.Sineas just stood behind her, looking down at her. He did not care if anyone was watching him.Clarissa stopped eating. She froze s
- Psych
85. Priscilla Murphy
‘Do you see her?’ Deputy James asked Inspector Charles.The inspector did not respond. Finally, he handed James the binoculars. He leaned back in the passenger seat and let his deputy have his turn. The deputy took a long, good look. After about two minutes, he placed the binoculars on top of the dashboard just above the steering wheel. He also leaned back in his seat. ‘You think Plan B may have fed us false information?’ James asked the inspector.‘After the consequences we promised her if she didn’t cooperate? I don’t think so, James. I don’t think so at all.’‘And what about the evidence, sir? Didn’t your source promise to leave the evidence at your doorstep this morning?’‘There was nothing. I’m starting to think whoever sent those letters was just trying to divert our attention.’ ‘But, sir…’The inspector silenced him with a raised fi
