Song: Atwei! - Kofi Mole ft. Joey B (This song is so funny)

*Unedited* (Playing games for two days straight causes headaches and fatigue 😊)

I woke up on a hospital bed. For a moment, I was very confused. I felt drowsy and sick; so much so that I wished I could go back to bed.

I sat up slowly, scared that I would dislodge the machines that were attached to me. There was one of those breathing tubes I'd seen on television shoved into my nostrils and I was attached to a drip which was halfway empty.

When I sat up, the first person I spotted was Wolfgang. Immediately I saw the man, everything came rushing back, hitting me like a freight train.

The memory of my brother's cries replayed itself in my mind like a scene out of a movie. I was disgusted with myself for not being able to recognise the cries as his own. Had Wolfgang not gone to burn his shirt, I could've never known that my brother was kidnapped by those monsters.

Then, I remembered that I had lost consciousness before I could do anything, and immediately, my heart started beating frantically. That machine that recorded my heartrate began to beep noisily as my heartbeats quickened.

"Elorm!" Wolfgang was startled awake by the noise. He shot forward and crouched next to my bed. "What is it? Should I get the doctor?"

I couldn't speak, as fear and panic overwhelmed all my vocal abilities. He was crying when we saw him and one of the nurses was holding him, taking him somewhere. What if we were too late and they'd already taken something from him? What if Michael didn't recognise him and he was still there as I speak?

Wolfgang was frantically pressing the nurse button at the side of my head. Before I could tell him to stop, a nurse came rushing inside.

"Sir, you need to leave," she said calmly like the professional nurse she was.

"Not until I'm sure she's okay." Wolfgang replied, frowning at her.

"She will be okay once you leave sir. Please, I will not repeat myself." She said sternly.

She must've thought he did or said something, and that was what was causing me to panic. I needed Wolfgang to stay, I needed answers from him about my brother, but I couldn't even find my vocal chords.

Wolfgang looked at me worriedly, before nodding stiffly and leaving the room.

I thought the nurse was going to sedate me after that, but she didn't. She simply helped me to calm down until my heart was beating at a sensible rate once more. I guess my body couldn't take anymore drugging.

"N-nurse," I stammered, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. "water."

"Of course, I'll have a glass brought to you." She replied, leaving quickly to meet my demands.

When she left, I ripped all of the machines away from myself. I still felt drowsy, weak and I had slight trouble breathing, but I needed to find out what happened with Elikem and where he was. I knew the nurse would try to force me back to bed as soon as she came back.

When I got up from the bed, my head swirled, and I fell back onto the bed. I took a deep breath, calmed my - again - racing heart and stood up again. I felt like I was drowning in cement. I was made aware that I was wearing a hospital gown when I stood up, feeling the wind touching my vulnerable parts.

I ignored it. I made for the door and pushed it open with as much force as I could muster. Walking down the hallway, I was glad when I saw that I was in the clear. No one was around. I reached the lobby before a nurse spotted me.

She looked alarmed and her eyes widened, but before she could say anything, I saw Wolfgang and Michael, both of them sitting in the waiting area. "Michael!" I yelled.

He shot up to his feet immediately he heard my voice, looking at me. "Elorm?" He frowned.

"Miss, you need to return to your room immediately," the nurse interrupted.

I tried getting closer to Michael but she blocked my path and repeated herself. "Will you shut the heck up?" I told her, feeling frustrated with her professionalism and soothing voice.

Michael was behind her now. "Please, let me talk to her, I'll take her back to her room."

Wolfgang was behind him. "Elorm, we'll be right behind you, go back to your room."

"I need to know where Elikem is." I replied.

"Don't worry about him, he's with me. He's safe." Michael said.

I sighed with relief, but I couldn't help but notice the worried look the both shared. "They did something to him, didn't they?" I asked, fearfully. I hoped and prayed within a millisecond that they would deny it.

"Miss, go back to your room now or else we'll have to sedate you." The nurse said. She clearly didn't know that I was only here because I'd been sedated too much.

Just then, my nurse rounded a corner with a tray in hand and spied me. "What are you doing out here?"

"Ma'am, I came and found her roaming the hospital and I tried to get her back to bed but she won't listen to me." The other nurse snitched.

My nurse glared at Wolfgang and Michael. "You were allowed to stay by her side as she slept even though that is prohibited, but now, you're pushing it. If you don't return to the waiting area, we will have you forcefully removed from the building immediately."

I glared at the nurse, wondering who exactly the bitch thought she was. She reminded me of Jeanine from the Divergent series. "I want to know everything." I said, ignoring the nurse.

"Elorm, go to your room, we'll come as soon as we can. We promise." Wolfgang said.

The look in Michael's eyes said 'speak for yourself' and I couldn't help but wonder why. What exactly had they done to my brother that made Michael not want to talk to me? "Michael, is everything alright?"

He opened his mouth to speak but he faltered immediately.

"Security!" The nurse shouted - which was completely unethical in a hospital - successfully drawing the attention of almost everyone in the lobby. The security arrived. "Please help this patient back into her room and escort the gentlemen back to the waiting area."

"Michael, what aren't you telling me?" I asked, but I was already being carted away to my room. I was in my bed before I could blink.

My stomach knotted at the thought of what they could've taken from my brother. It was certainly not his heart because he couldn't live without that. I just prayed that it wasn't something else like his liver or kidneys.

If it was, I wouldn't know what to do. His death would be imminent because I didn't have any money to help him get an organ transplant. Michael too was a daddy's boy; all his money was his father's, and I knew that man wouldn't help him especially seeing that he'd run away to be with me.

Even if Wolfgang decided to help, where was I going to find a good match for my baby brother? Were my organs too aged for him? Even if they weren't, how would I know I could be a donor for him?

I barely slept that night, which was ironic, owing to the fact that my blood was pumping with sleeping pills. It was a mistake on my part, because I inevitably fell asleep the next morning, which left me waking up in the evening of that day.

Immediately I woke up, I continuously pressed the nurse button until the nurse came rushing into my room, looking like she was expecting an emergency. She frowned, "What is it?"

"My friends. I want to see them." I replied.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you can't. Your 'friends' are causing you so much distress, which is what we're trying to avoid in the first place."

I frowned. "What do you mean? You don't know me, neither do you know them. I said I want to see them. What is this? A prison or a hospital?"

The nurse sighed. "Depression and suicide attempts are very serious. We're trying our best to make sure that you get the best treatment possible. Your friends might cause you to relapse."

"What?" I breathed. They thought I tried to kill myself? Was this what all this nonsense was all about? "I am not depressed and I didn't try to kill myself. Someone tried to kill me."

"That is not what we were told," the nurse stubbornly continued. "a friend of yours attested that this was not the first time you tried to harm yourself."

"What the heck are you talking about? I have no friends." I scowled.

The nursed looked at me pitifully. "Tomorrow, you'll have your first consultation with your newly assigned psychiatrist. Goodnight, Miss."

I watched her leave.

It was my own fault. I should've told Wolfgang and Michael what Kofi did to me, instead of telling Michael that cryptic piece of incriminating advice to take me to a hospital in case I fainted. I was digging my own grave, yet I hadn't even realised it then.

They really thought I was trying to kill myself.

I frowned when the thought of the last time I was really trying to hurt myself came to mind. In the kitchen, that knife hovering over my wrist... Barbie. She must've told them when I passed out. She must've told them that I tried to hurt myself once already, and now everyone thinks I'm suicidal.

Everyone except Kofi. No one will believe me now if I tell them what Kofi did to me.

I needed to get out of this hospital. They were going to waste their time trying to cure me of illnesses that I didn't even have while my baby brother was suffering out there.

Again, I detached myself from all the machines that were easing my discomfort. Once I removed the tubes from my nostrils, my breaths became shallower. I was having trouble breathing and I had no idea why.

When I tried the door this time round, it was locked. I went over to the window and pulled the thin curtains back. I tried pushing the slide windows back but I realised that they too had been locked.

They'd really gone to every extent to make sure that I was trapped, hadn't they?

Well, even if I needed to liquify myself and slide underneath the door to find my brother, I'd do it.

I tapped the glass lightly. It was strong, but not too strong... I hoped.

The chair Wolfgang sat on was still beside my bed. I smiled a little, feeling giddy that he cared enough to stay beside me when I was unconscious. Then, I wondered why it wasn't Michael in his place.

I dismissed my thoughts and grabbed the chair. With all the force I could muster, I lifted it over my head and slammed it into the window. I was shocked when it simply ricocheted back and slammed my head.

I fell underneath the chair. Groaning in pain, I lay on my side and clutched my forehead, feeling like that was karma for what I did to Wolfgang. I shoved the chair away and got up, wondering when they made bouncing glass.

When I turned around to search for another item that would be powerful enough to break the annoying glass, I spotted another door in the room. Wondering where it led to, I went over and pushed it open.

A bathroom.

I rolled my eyes, wondering who was paying my hospital bills and how much of an anti-climax discovering the bathroom was, when I looked up and saw another slide window. My heart clenched with hope.

I had a better chance escaping through this window because it was high up; they wouldn't expect me to reach it. I grinned deviously and rushed back inside the room for the annoying chair. This time, I used it to boost my height so that I was level with the window.

I looked outside. My room was on the ground floor of the hospital and just in front of the car lot. By another stroke of good luck, Michael's car was about two cars away from the car right in front of my room, on the right.

He was sitting inside, asleep. I knew he wouldn't hear me if I started making noise, so I just pulled the window back.

It was so cold.

I could fit through the window, but the problem was how to put my two legs through the window and how to jump out. Even on ground level, it seemed too daunting to try. Those action movies make it seem so easy.

"Michael!" I whisper-yelled.

There were other people in the other cars, and I couldn't risk drawing their attention. I must've been too loud though, because a little boy in the car right in front of me poked his head out of the window and looked at me. "What do you want?" He asked crossly.

His tone made me smile. He was too young to be this grumpy. His father - probably - was sound asleep next to him while the boy used his phone. His father was irresponsible. Anyone could steal the boy easily.

It made me angry how he could be this careless, especially since I now knew that there were hundreds of children were lying dead in a mass grave in the forest.

"Wake your father up for me, please."

"Why? He's sleeping." He replied.

I smiled again. "I can see that; that is why you need to wake him up for me."

He glared at me. "I'm watching cartoons."

I exhaled. Kids are so innocently infuriating. "When the cartoon finishes, you'll have to wake him up to put on another one for you. Either way, you'll eventually end up waking him." I was worried that my grammar was too advanced for his little mind.

However, the little man simply rolled his eyes and shoved his father rather roughly. His father jumped awake, startled. Seeing how tired he looked, I felt bad for judging him without even knowing him.

The boy pointed at me and the father looked. His eyes widened. "What do you want?" He asked cautiously.

"Can you please wake the man in that car for me?" I pointed at Michael's car. "It's urgent."

"Why? Shouldn't you be resting?"

I frowned, itching to diss him properly and remind him that this was none of his business, but I needed him and that wasn't going to help my case. "I should, but they won't let me see him and I really need to talk to him." I replied.

The man frowned. He was being too sceptical, like he suspected that this was one huge conspiracy against him because he was so important. I bit my lip to stop myself from rolling my eyes. "Can you please hurry? The nurses may come back at any minute."

The man shook his head. "I shouldn't even be talking to you..."

I was a bit surprised when he went to Michael's car - after locking his to protect his son - and woke him up for me. He pointed at me and Michael looked.

At first, he smiled, then, he frowned. He got out and came to stand under the window while the father went back to his car, watching us intrusively. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Michael, they think I tried to kill myself!"

"Didn't you? Barbara told us that she caught you with a knife the other time. Kofi too showed us your jean trousers; there was a half empty bottle of sleeping pills inside them."

That snake. He'd even gone as far as to try and pin his murder attempt on me. I wonder how he knew that I'd put the pills back in the stained jeans' pocket when I was done with them.

"Kofi is a liar. He forced pills down my throat and shot me with some sedatives before that."

Michael quirked a brow.

I knew I sounded like a lunatic but seeing his expression confirming it made me feel worse.

"Elorm, you need to rest. This is one of the best hospitals in the country, they'll take good care of you," Michael said.

I knew Wolfgang was the only one who'd believe me at this point. "Where's Wolfgang?"

Michael frowned. "His brother made him go home."

"Michael, you need to trust me, please, for once. Take me out of here, I'll explain everything to you."

He looked hurt. "I'm sorry, but I can't trust you," he said as my heart skipped a beat; in a bad way. "because you're not in the right state of mind. They'll help you over here Ellie, they're the best. You'll be fine in no time."

I groaned. "Do you ever listen? I'm fine. Kofi is trying to make it look like I'm not because he doesn't like me. He tried to kill me, he did this to me! I need to know where my brother is and if he's okay!"

When I mentioned Elikem, Michael's expression became closed off. He averted his eyes and looked at the ground. His behaviour was suspicious; too suspicious.

"Michael, help me out of this window," I said, already beginning to climb. The window was still too high up for my short-ish legs so it was a bit of a task.

"Stop it! You're not leaving and that's final!" He said.

I ignored him, smiling when I got my right leg through.

From inside the grumpy boy's car, I saw that the father was looking at me bewilderedly. His hand was sneakily reaching for the car's door handle. He was going to alert the hospital of what I was doing.

"Michael, please help me. We need to leave now." I put my other leg through.

"What you need to do is get back inside!" He hissed.

I jumped and he had no alternative but to catch me. He stumbled back, but the wall kept him from falling. "What do you think you're doing?"

Immediately, the father dashed from the car and rushed inside the hospital. He'd taken his son along, which was great for me because the boy was managing to slow him down.

"You see that man? He's going to tell those prison wardens what we're doing. We need to leave before he comes back with 'security'."

Michael put me down. "If you think I'm taking you anywhere, you're delusional."

I strutted past him and jumped into the car. He remained there with his arms crossed defiantly.

"Fine, if you want to do it this way..." I muttered. I crawled over to the driver's seat. Since the keys were already in the ignition, I sparked the car to life.

Michael's eyes were wide and his expression was clouded with incredulity as he dashed for me. I set the gear into reverse and stepped on the accelerator. I heard Michael's gasp as his own car rushed away from him.

I then set the gear into drive and tried to turn the car around, but I wasn't a good driver so the car made a two ninety degree turn and almost rammed into the car on the left had I not stepped on the brakes in time.

"Okay stop! I'll take you, just stop!" I heard Michael yell as he came running towards me.

I smiled contentedly. I stopped the car and crawled back to the passenger's seat as he came and entered.

To my surprise, the man was smiling. "You're crazy, you know that right?" He told me.

I ignored him, seeing the hospital security running towards us with the man and his grumpy cartoon loving son. "Step on it."

Michael nodded and we left them in the dust.

I laughed, feeling happy and energised as we cruised the smooth road. "That was fun."

"And dangerous. Never do that again."

"You're not my father."

"Thank God for that."

"Michael, I wouldn't have had to do that if you just listened or you were more trustful. You have to start believing me if you want this to work. If you want us to work."

He exhaled. "Okay. Why's everyone saying that you tried to kill yourself?"

I frowned. "Because that's what Kofi wants. See, I tried to escape, and I had to drug him to do that. That's where the pills are from. They caught me and sedated me, and when I woke up, he made me take three times the pills I gave him as revenge. That's why I fainted."

He was quiet for a while, processing all that I'd told him. "That doesn't explain why the blonde girl told us that she saw you trying to slit your wrists."

I rolled my eyes. Who knew my saviour would now be the one incriminating me? "I was trying to hurt myself that day, but I wasn't going to kill myself. You... you had just left and I was in a bad place. I guess... to be honest, I am a little depressed. Sometimes, I just feel empty and numb, and thinking about all the things gone wrong in my life and how it's impossible for me to recover from them puts me in a dark place."

He looked at me. I wasn't worried because the road was empty. It must've been late. "I... I'm sorry for putting you through all this."

I shook my head, turning his head back to the road with my finger on his chin. "It's not all your fault."

"Everything is my fault and the worst part is that there's more that you don't even know about."

I stole a glance. "What are you talking about?"

"Your brother is at the mansion. I know you don't want to see Kofi right now, but I think your desire to see your brother is stronger."

"Michael..." I spoke. "what don't I know?"

He didn't say anything.

"You've been acting weirdly since I spoke to you when I woke up. I want to know what it is now." My heart sped up as I spoke. There was so much adrenaline rushing through me that I probably didn't even notice.

"Not now Ellie. We're still on the road. Wait till we get back."

"Michael. I need the truth and I need it now. What. Don't. I. Know." Then, I was so livid that I was breaking my sentences into single words.

I hated how he felt like he needed to protect me from something. I needed to know what was wrong with my brother. I was his family.

"I... I don't want you to hate me." He said after a prolonged tense silence.

"What? Why would I hate you?"

"Because your brother got kidnapped because of me." Michael said. He bit on his bottom lip and swallowed.

"Michael... stop making this about you. I get it okay? Us being together caused a lot of problems, but stop making this about you. If anything, it's my father's fault."

He looked so uneasy that I wished I could reach over and hug him, even though he was annoying the crap out of me. "I lied to you." He said.

"Michael, I don't like what you're doing. Get to the freaking point. What's wrong with my brother?"

"Your brother is fine. They didn't get the chance to take anything from him yet. As soon as I recognised him, I snatched him from the woman and Wolfgang made sure we were able to leave with him."

I was relieved, but it made me wonder what then was making him so anxious around me. "Did you have him checked?"

Michael rolled his eyes. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be telling you this."

I glared at him. "What did you lie about? Cut to the chase."

The uneasy look returned. I was about to give him an earful when he began narrating the story. "I lied. When I resurfaced from my grief after you left me, I found out what my father did to your family. I never liked any of them so I didn't really care, but I felt sorry for Elikem. He is just a child."

I held my breath.

"I took him from your parents. They didn't want to let him go until I gave them money. I took him to my house."

I curled my fists.

"My father and Etornam were enraged, but I didn't know what kind of people they were then. My father told me that if I didn't take the child away, I would regret it. Even when the child went missing, not once did I suspect that my father had anything to do with it. I knew he could be wicked sometimes, but not to that extent."

I gritted my teeth. "Wolfgang was there. He knew about this?"

Michael shook his head. "I made sure Elikem living with me would be a secret so that the villagers wouldn't make a scene. Etornam found out only because we were sharing a room, and she told my father."

I laughed bitterly and exhaled noisily. "You knew that, and all this while you never said anything?"

"I... I didn't know how to tell you. I had hoped I'd find Elikem on my own so that I wouldn't have had to tell you, but one thing led to another and here I am now."

My fingernails were digging into my palm. I felt the steady increase in pain as the bloody crescent moons were formed. It felt good. Fulfilling. "You did so many things that I looked past," I began, "and I was delusional to think that I'd forgiven you."

"I know what this is. You're breaking up with me, aren't you?"

"Yes, and we both know that's what's best."

I saw him tense as his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.

I knew how to hurt him and I was going to.

"You're a liar, Michael. I'm not innocent, but I've always been honest with you when all you've ever done is tell me one lie after another. Your actions caused my brother's kidnapping, and you didn't think to tell me so that I could've searched for him? You wanted to do it yourself, not for me or anything, but for your own stupid hero complex."

It looked like he was going to cry. I'd never seen him cry before, but right now, the thought of him crying made me happy.

"It's over. For good this time. I don't want to be with a compulsive liar who feels the need to be the hero all the time. Find a job at Marvel."

After that, we didn't talk. He wiped his eyes before the tears could fall. I felt euphoria bubbling deep within me. For once, he was the one struggling to hide his tears. It serves him right.

It must've been very late when we got to the mansion. Outside was pitch black and as soon as the gate opened for us and we went in, the workers retired to their rooms or houses. I assumed they were going to put their security system back on.

"Where's my brother?" I asked Michael.

He didn't look at me. "He's with Wolfgang. I think they're in my room."

I nodded. I went there before the atmosphere could get anymore awkward.

When I got into Michael's room, all three of the Faye brothers were fawning over my brother. I was livid when I saw Kofi touching his foot curiously.

"Don't touch him!" I bellowed, alerting them of my presence.

"Elorm?" Wolfgang, who was carrying him, got up and came closer to me. "Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?"

"Give him to me!" I took the child away from him. "Don't touch him, and get out."

"Stop talking to him like that," Kofi glared at me.

"Are you surprised to see me? I survived. I survived and I'm back as a thorn in your flesh once more," I glared back at him.

"Kofi, leave her alone. It's probably your fault that she's in this condition," Nathan said.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, it's his fault that I almost died because he tried to kill me."

Kofi had the audacity to yawn at me, looking bored out of his mind. "I told you she'd try to pin it on me."

"Because you forced me to swallow those pills!"

"Elorm, calm down. Please give me the child," Nathan said slowly, like he was talking to a baby. He was coming close to me.

"You people really think I'm suicidal? What, so you're going to take my brother away from me?"

"No, of course not. We just want to make sure he's safe." Nathan said. He was still getting closer.

"He's safe with me! But he's not safe here, with your psychotic brother!" I glared at Kofi again.

He smiled.

Wolfgang clutched his head. "Can you people keep it down? My head still hurts."

"You have the nerve to accuse me of attempted murder when you tried to bash Wolfgang's head in," Kofi said.

"Kofi, enough. All of you stop it. Nate, leave her alone, she won't hurt her brother. Kofi, shut up and leave her. Elorm, relax. We-I want to help you, nothing else. Don't see me as your enemy, please."

"You want to help me? How about the hundreds of children in that mass grave? Did you want to help them?"

Both his brothers' eyes widened. "What is she talking about?" Nate asked.

Wolfgang glared at me. "Dev, Nate, it's high time we talked."

* * *

Ou, more secrets and drama! I can't wait! Elorm and Michael have broken up again. Oh these children don't know what they want. It's sad.

Don't forget to vote! 🌟