Emotional Blackmail

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Fear is the only empowerment a bully needs.

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A loud cooing of  birds broke the silence in Iheanyị's compound, the sounds of  flapping wings creating a strange rhythm with the morning breeze and faint voices of children.

"Ọ bụ ngiri m mere ya? What happened to her? Obanma whispered almost in tears.

The little girl had not recovered from the loss of her brother and when she had asked for her mother after being unconscious for mostly part of the weekend , she was told the woman was in the hospital.

Adaugo stuttered with her response terrified that an unsuitable answer would send the little girl back into her convulsive state.

"ọ dịghị he mmere ya *nothing happened to her" Their aunt Agatha promptly replied,inserting her little fair foot into a white socks.

"Will she come back tomorrow?" Her hazel eyes were still glassy and her lips quivered while she spoke.

Agatha saw the sadness that reflected in the eyes of the young girl and was drawn to tears. She had been summoned by her sister but only met her unconscious body being taken to the hospital.

Agatha cleared her throat, her voice breaking from fighting to hold back tears and anger.

Her gaze fell on the pair of expectant eyes, her mind struggling for words and her heart broke even more.

"Amam *I don't know " She truly didn't know her sister's health status.

A soft nod accompanied by more tears and a sniff were the responses she got.

"Go and prepare for school Adaugo, I'll be going to the hospital later, Chijioke does your stomach still hurt?"

Chijioke shook his head, tucking in his white shirt into his quite bogus sky blue shorts. They all went to a public school not too far from their home.

NGWÁ COMMERCIAL SCHOOL, A school that was built by the king of their village.

"Daa please put water into Oba's water bottle" Adaugo quickly made her way to their bathroom after instructing her aunt

She had finished tying the little girl's shoe laces and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. Agatha knew Obanma was too young to deal with what life had thrown her way.

Agatha made her way into the kitchen and extracted one of the two bottles tied together in their cabinet and began to fill the object with water.

Chijioke had finished dressing up, he sat down beside his little sister and held her rubbing her face.

"Ebekwala odo nnu , Don't cry again!"
Obanma looked at her brother and gave a somewhat strained smile, holding back tears.

Daa Agatha came out with food which placed on the table in front of the children and urged them to eat, she quickly extracted the items with which they would be heading to school and placed them on the table one after the other.

The last item made the two children who were murmuring suddenly quiet.

It had been their late brother's water bottle

Obanma's hand shook as the events of that morning replayed in her head.

The way her brother had laid lifeless in front of them. The blood that wouldn't stop seeping from his head.

"Obinna bilie! Get up! Obii" She had called him on tears hoping he would wake but was greeted by other voices wailing and a suddenly pale face with blood on it. At that moment it felt like a part of her had died.

She didn't pay attention to anything else until another gunshot went off and Onyi as she fondly called him was now wailing beside his dead father.

Chijioke finally spoke to their aunt after moments of wordless expressions.

"Daa That one is Obinna's water bottle" Chijioke muttered

Her gaze fell on Obanma's recoiled hands and teary eyes.

"Ndo nnu, I'll get the other one. They were tied together and the two bottles look the same" she stated in her defense as she headed back into the kitchen.

"Sorry oo, I'll buy you biscuit." Chijioke whispered certain words into Obanma's ears that made her chuckle lightly as Daa Agatha arrived with the new water filled can.

"Adaugo! Idi ịmụ nwa nṅa ahu? Are you birthing a child there? What is taking so long. Come and eat with your siblings so that you people can go to school."

Adaugo came out few minutes later and the three ate their breakfast of boiled plantain and egg sauce before their aunt led them to school.

Agatha knew she had to find a way to take care of her sister's children. Her husband had advised her to do so immediately they heard about the incident. Somehow her childlessness often made her quite lonely.

Being around the vulnerable children had taught her about motherhood.

*****

" Onyi nnaa bịa kene! Please come!"

Onyedikachi slowly made his way to where his mother sat. He was surprised to see her in his father's clothing.

He had been bare chested, evidence of his thrashing still visible on his back and part of his arm.

Slowly he got to where she was seated pealing avocado pear.

"Nọrọ kene ana, Please seat down"

His crotch still suffered from bad tailoring, so he opted to stand. Arinze hadn't fixed their clothes and he had to endure a whole day of avoiding anything that had to do with seating on low benches.

"Is Arinze still dressing up? Have you eaten your food?"

He shook his head slowly then nodded afterwards.

His mother's eyes finally left the fruit she peeled and fell on his bruised back.

"I am sorry" She pleaded in tears, her hands caressing his back.

"I still can't believe your father is gone." She chuckled lightly.

"You're just like your father, too kind for your own good. But Onyedikachi, you and your brother are all I have left. Ju.. St just the two of you"

Her lips quivered and more tears flowed. He went to her side and held her, caressing her back.

"Ndị ụmụnna are coming today. We'll be having a meeting with the king of this community and their family."

He stared intently at her teary face and she wiped her eyes.

"If only I hadn't told him to go that morning.." She inhaled deeply.

Onyedikachi now understood his mother's rage. It was born out of guilt, she blamed herself for their father's demise.

"All these pointless meetings won't bring him back! Now those people who told us to stay in Onitsha will gloat."

"Are.. Are we going back to Anambra?" He stuttered afraid that his mother's sensitive emotions wouldn't find fault in his words.

"For what! We won't. We will not run. Is that what they want? " She questioned with a new anger burning inside her.

" it all makes sense now, kill off their father and send them parking! So that those wretched village people can take our property! No! Never! "

Onyedikachi was quite surprised with the turn his question had taken.

"Nna go and eat your breakfast. And wake your brother, I know he's still sleeping."

Onyedikachi made his way to their room and tapped his snoring brother. He sauntered into the kitchen and grabbed his breakfast, still terrified with the kind of rage he envisioned in his mother's heart.

Grief if not handled well can often drown the living.

Thirty minutes later, his patience was waning as he waited for his brother. They were almost late to school and he didn't even hasten up.

Arinze had begun such hard headed lateness because he had gone into senior secondary. Being friends with the seniors helped him escape certain punishments but Onyedikachi's case was a different thing.

The lines of irritation were etched to his face as he made his way to their room.

"Arinze be fast now!"

"Onyedikachi biko allow me to eat, if you want to go please go! Stop disturbing my life"

Onyedikachi barged out of their room and headed to their balcony where he often spied on Iheanyi's family.

He could see them making their way to their gate. Adaugo whispered something into Obanma's ears and the little girl laughed hard.

Daa Agatha lifted her and carried her on her side possibly to avoid being slowed down by the little girl.

Chijioke emerged and he felt the pang of guilt once more. The poor boy had knelt down to beg them.

He held Obanma's hand and said something that got her laughing the more.

His lips slowly curved into a smile as he watched her.

"Those siblings cared so much about each other!"

He only wished he had told the woman his name, maybe Chijioke won't see him as a villain in their class today.

Onyedikachi quickly grabbed some money from his wallet, a place where he had been saving funds his father gave him for washing his black 504 Volvo.

He quickly bade his mother farewell and ran towards the market.

"So daa you don't know who gave you the eloaku?"

"It was one young boy, but I thought it Adaugo that sent him so I was quite surprised when you said otherwise."

"You didn't ask for his name?" Adaugo enquired puzzled

"Mba, we were too busy trying to stop your sister from convulsing"

"Maybe he's just God sent" Chijioke chipped in.

"I thought I saw.. Onyi"

Their heads turned to face Obanma who suddenly went quiet.

"Onyedikachi? That stupid boy that beat me up because I came to ask for eloaku"

The shock written over the little girl's face, showed she hadn't expected the response.

"Nne you were sick, maybe she was hallucinating"

Obanma's curiosity was aroused "what is hallucinating?"

"Something that Ummm is not in the senate" Chijioke blurted out

Agatha and Adaugo fell into a fit of laughter.

Adaugo and Chijioke walked Obanma into her classroom. It felt different without their baby brother around.

Their ejima

I'll come back in the afternoon ịnụ, make sure you learn something " Adaugo whispered into Obanma's ears as she led her to her seat.

Their eyes fell on the empty seat beside the little girl where their brother used to sit and tears came to her eyes.

Obanma tapped her elder sister's hand and smiled, which prompted Adaugo to leave their classroom.

Onyedikachi arrived school late but he wasn't punished because they knew he was grieving.

He was surprised to find out that practically everyone had heard the unfortunate tale which took place the first day of the New year.

His white shirt, tucked into a sky blue trouser that made him walk in a funny way. A part of him kept cursing okwudili the drunk tailor.

Chijioke was already in the classroom amongst other students. He noticed how isolated the boy was, he could even hear funny whispers about his father being a murderer.

Chijioke kept his face on the board as Onyedikachi made his way past him. A part of him only wished he could apologize.

Students swarmed around him once he settled in, some throwing looks of sympathy, others fighting the urge to question him about the incident.

"it didn't feel right, both of them were grieving. It was Chijioke who even lost more than he did"

Anita was the only one who sat close to Chijioke much to Onyedikachi's relief. During their math class, their eyes would lock at instances but Chijioke would always, be the first to tear his eyes away.

The activities in school were hazy. during break, he had snuck out to spy on Obanma.

She was seated on the merry go round that had been built for the children by a known politician. One of the very amusing village projects which were supposed to garner votes. The little girl only stared into space while her mates played.

Onyedikachi approached her bearing biscuits and sweets with a bottle of eloaku.

He had exhausted his money on the items he had bought for her.

The eloaku had been a precautionary move, he often feared the convulsion repeating itself.

Onyedikachi slowly made his way to the merry go round, sat beside the little girl and slowly moved pushed the object.

She only stared at him then proceeded in staring into space.

He thought of what to tell the little girl but words failed him. finally he remembered her nickname.

"I ga eri?" He asked with a smile as he placed the biscuits into her hand after halting the round movement of the place they sat on.

She shook her little head and looked away.

Onyedikachi slowly turned her gaze to meet his.

"Oba I ga eri? Will you eat? "

"Mba" She gruffly replied with a frown. He had beaten her elder brother

The rejection did get to him but he did not leave. Instead he sat there with her, both saying nothing to each other.

When the bell rang for end of their break time. Onyedikachi hastily made his way down. While obanma struggled.

"Onyi I chọrọ ịla? Do you want to go?" She questioned drawing Onyedikachi's attention to her predicament. Her legs were quite distant from the ground.

He smiled and quickly went to where she sat, hoisted her off the seat and brought her to the ground.

Smart girl

" Thank you, Obinna said you'll help me " She whispered to him,with a smile.

Onyedikachi remembered the words her aunt had told him. He quickly grabbed the bottle of eloaku, opened it and poured a little amount in to the bottle cap before handing it over to Obanma.

This time to his relief, she didn't hesitate she took the liquid from him and swallowed it.

Onyedikachi heaved a sigh. She requested for the biscuit as they made their way to her classroom.

Her voice stopped him as he turned to go.

"Obinna said you're a good boy"

He kept pondering on the words till school ended. Was Obanma seeing ghosts?

Everything seemed to be going well until he was alerted of his brother beating a junior student in their restroom.

"Say it!" Arinze commanded

A slap landed on Chijioke's chin and he whimpered.

His eyes wandered to the words written on the door with a white Chalk.

I AM A KILLER

The boy whimpered, he was certainly in pain and the barricade the other senior boys had made in front of the door assured him of no escape.

"Biko zie nụ" he pleaded in tears

"That was the way my father pleaded before your father killed him"

"If you do not say it, I will not just deal with you. I will beat you, your elder sister, even that ogbanje you have as a little sister"

Chijioke's lips shook as he stuttered.

"I.. I.."

Onyedikachi arrived the scene with a teacher much to Chijioke's relief. The man took the seniors away leaving behind a terrified Chijioke and a disappointed Onyedikachi.

The boy wiped his tears and staggered out of the room.

It wasn't until they got home that he realized that his brother just like any other notorious boy was a bully. And he somehow awaited the punishment his mother would bestow on him this time for saving little Chijioke.

"Obinna said you're a good boy"

Was the girl an ọgbanje? Or was Obinna actually watching him.

He quickly took a gulp of the eloaku and said a quick prayer before hiding it under the bed.

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Hey Everyone!

How are we doing? Hope we enjoyed this chapter!

Do you think ghosts exist?