_Unknown POV_

Approximately two years earlier.
Excerpt from Rex's life.

I woke up with a throbbing pain in my head. My head weighed like a submarine, my body was drenched in sweat. I was shivering intensely, not from cold, but from something deeper. From something that bugged me deep inside my mind.

The events of the night came back to me, making me feel instantly nauseous. I emptied the contents of my stomach into a trash can by the side of my bed.

I started to sob.

I started to cry.

I cried and shook, catarrh flowing out if my nose, even through the constant sniffing. I cried. I cried and wiped my tears myself. I cried and consoled myself, myself.

I cried as I thought of how glaring the word betrayal was in my life, how deeply it had been etched, carved into my heart. No amount of varnish, could remedy it.

I thought of how that one word fueled all my vices, of how in an instant rush of adrenaline and high, I quickly forget the glaring distinguished features between what was wrong and what was right.

How I quickly forget who I really am.

I got up from my bed, wincing as every single step prodded my achy joints. I felt like a wind up toy that was continuously being wound, until I sprung into action. Sprung to life.

I looked at my reflection in my bathroom mirror. I took it all in. I had become a shadow of myself. My hair was tousled in every which way, dark concentric rings under my eyes which had held so much color as at sometime in those light orbs, and my face sunk in my skull.

I looked at myself and promised. Promised that I wouldn't go back to it, wouldn't do it anymore.

But I always did. I always went back. It was my refuge, my strength, my boldness.

It was my high.

~~~~~~

_Chidinma_

I woke up to the jingle of keys as the jailer inserted one of it's counterparts into the rickety iron gate that held me captive. I cringed as I heard the gate screeching on its hinges, irritating my very sensitive ears. The officer eyed me as I lay limply on the bed.

"Get up! Some people are here to see you."

My heart did a double backflip as those words exited his mouth. Despite my morning breath and overall appearance, I quickly jumped off my bed and followed the officer meekly as he led the way to the reception, my handcuffed hands behind me.

My parents? Bennie and Funmi?

I stepped into the room to see my Mum and Dad seated on the adjoined metal chairs that lined the walls of the reception. My parents. They had finally come.

My Mum looked beaten, spent, exhausted. Her long, relaxed hair was hastily packed in a loose bun, her eyes were puffy and red from so much crying. She hadn't even bothered to put on her trademark combination of dark umber lipstick with an outline done with eye pencil. My Dad looked equally worn out too, with eyes twice as red, and his face seemed to sink into his skull.

My Mum leapt from her chair as she sighted me and was about to run up to me and embrace me in her warm, motherly affection I had been yearning for, when my Dad gently pulled her back to the seat and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, jerking his head in the direction of Darina.

She was conversing with a well built officer. She glanced at me briefly and continued speaking in a louder voice.

"Her parents have come to grant bail. Since bail has been accepted, she now has every right for her trial date to be moved to a later time."

The officer looked at her skeptically, sizing her up. Darina gave a defiant raise of her chin, and adjusted her glasses.

"You deposited the entire Eight hundred and eightythree thousand naira?"

My parents nodded eagerly, like children that were awaiting a long promised gift. The officer turned his attention over to me, I hugged myself and in turn, gave my attention to the ground in disgust. I knew that the police wouldn't pass up an offer like that, Eight hundred and eightythree thousand naira.

He grunted and proceeded to tell my parents the conditions for my release, which Darina had told me the previous day.

"She will be staying somewhere else other than her apartment, after today, you people and any other person she calls family or friends won't be seen by her. It's for your own safety. She is a threat. Her cell number has been given to me, and I will contact her everyday to know the proceeds of things. Her passport and id will be handed over to me, to avoid any case of evasion of the law. I suppose you people have it here with you?" He asked.

I watched as my parents handed over my documents to the officer.

"And do you have a place for her to stay in the meantime?"

My parents nodded again and provide the papers as proof. I wondered how they got a place for me to stay so quickly.

After he collected them, he shook the hand of my father and Darina, and then nodded to the officer that had been restraining me to let me go.

I rushed into the open, comforting arms of my parents, the tears I had been holding back spilled. The officer caught my attention again, as I wiped my tears with my dad's handkerchief. Seeing the officer up close, I noticed that he had very strong facial features. His irises were really black, and his mouth was set in a thin, hard line. He looked like he suffered permanently from lock jaw. He looked to be about roughly in his late thirties or early forties. He was very built.

"Hello Miss Chidinma. My name is Denzel Ikechukwu. I am the officer that has been assigned to you, to monitor and if possible protect you before your trial. The date on which it is set is not my job to tell, it's that of your lawyer. As you might've heard me say to your parents, your cell number has been given to me to ensure that the protocols set are being observed by you. I will give you my number. You will tell me everything you might want to do outside the premises of your house before you do, and if I deem it risky or unreasonable, you shan't do it. Am I clear?"

I nodded. His voice wasn't deep or harsh, it was soft and coaxing. It didn't fit his appearance at all. He proceeded to inputting his digits into my phone which had been confiscated before. Taking the phone and hugging my parents once more, I turned to Darina and gave her a big hug.

"Dari, can I call you Dari? Thank you."

"Yes you can. And don't thank me yet, the trial still awaits..but anyways you are welcome."

"I'll see you later for the court date, after I get settled in. Do you have any idea of the place I'm going to stay?"

She just smiled and shook her head, but I detected a knowing glint in her eyes. We left the station and drove home, my Mum sitting with me at the back. Looking at her in the eyes, I asked a question, my lips trembling.

"Mom? Do..do you think I did it?"

Pulling me into her soft, safe, warm motherly arms she said, "I know my daughter, my Ada. She loves and she cares. I don't think you didn't do it, I know you didn't do it."

I looked into the rearview mirror and caught my father nodding, eyes glazed. Smiling through my tears, I leaned my head on my Mum's shoulder throughout the rest of the ride, and thought of the next step I would take.

Officer Denzel Ikechukwu was now a threat to me.

~~~~~~

We took a quick stop at my place to go grab some of my belongings for my new humble abode. I had enquired about it during the ride, and I found out that Rex had offered to allow me lodge at one of his buildings. He was an Architectural Engineer.

He had done so much for me, I even suspect that he had a hand in the outrageous bill demanded by the
police. I know that I had to show him that I was grateful for all he had done, but can't just sit idle and sip Coke, while my best friend's killer is still on the loose, probably preying on more innocent people.

I was surprised to see the entrance door of my apartment slightly open. I was a little bit scared. Maybe I shouldn't have come here alone. Stepping in, I took in the clean and organized living room. It was devoid of any signs that showed that a category nine hurricane had swept through it. I heard voices that floated to me from the kitchen. Walking to the kitchen,I leaned on the outer wall as I listened to their banter.

"Haba!,Funmi, so you no know where Dinma dey keep her spoons?"

"No be for dishrack?"

"Abeg you girls should just put it in that drawer there.."

I smiled to myself. My friends Bennie and Funmi and my close neighbor Ruona, had taken it upon themselves to clean up my place. I was touched. They had to be the sweetest people alive. It was time to make myself known before another murder could happen just because of spoons.

"No, you're wrong. I keep them in the drawer under the counter." I said stepping into the light of kitchen.

They all turned to me, with their mouths wide open. I cringed smiling, as I heard the clatter of spoons as they came in contact with the ground. They rushed up to me and engulfed me in a foursome hug. Their voices wove and intertwined in my ears as they each expressed their concerns. After I had assured them that I was fine, they offered to help me pack my things, which filled two duffel bags. My room and the passage were pristine. Then, they told me that they would come see me at my new place in a while. Giving each of them a big fat kiss, I hurried out with my Mum, who had come to check if I was doing okay.

On getting to my new place, I was astonished at how beautiful the place was, it was far from modest. It had two rooms, a kitchen I had seen only in magazines, and a very well furnished living room. Not to mention the huge plasma TV and aquarium.

My parents and the girls helped me settle in. After they had left, my parents decided to spend the night with me. I accepted their offer eagerly. This would be the last time I would be allowed to see them. I cried a little with them.

As from tommorow, I would be under the care of Denzel.

~~~~~~

_Rex_

After I had come back from my busy, stressful, but thoroughly enjoyable day at Sandbox, I called Lillian to know how she was doing.

"Lillian, hello?"

"Rex, hey."

I smiled sadly as I heard her voice. She sounded very tired, but she tried to cover it up with feigned enthusiasm.

"You don't have to sound so cheery because of me, I know you're tired, I just wanted to know how you are."

"Exhausted. All I want to do now is sleep and dream of pizza and ice cream, and traveling to Bali."

"I thought you aren't supposed to eat in your dream?"

"Ahh, who told you I eat in my dream? I'm always in someone else's body so that doesn't count as me eating."

"Hmm..it is well oo. So if they're giving you two million in your dream, are still in someone else's body?"

"No oo, in that kind of dream, it's fully me. Inside and outside."

I laughed at this. And I heard her beautiful, rich laugh on the other side of the line too.

"And you're beautiful on both."

I suprised myself by saying that. I could feel her blushing her invisible blush. The smile on my face was growing wider by the minute. Talking to her, was simply bliss. We we're quiet for a while, just listening to each other breathe, through the phone, listening to our racing hearts.

"Rex? I..I am want to say thank you for helping me and my parents through this. We couldn't have done it..."

"It's okay Lillian." I said cutting her short. "I promised to help in anyway didn't I? Now all you have to do is please stay safe and out of trouble. Please."

She was quiet for a while before she gave a faint; "Okay."

"Now, let me leave you to your awaiting dream of junk food and Bali. No wonder you're so chubby." I teased. I heard her laugh a little.

"Hmm..a chubby you like. Goodnight Olamide." She said in a husky tone that did things to my mind. I liked the way my native name sounded in her voice.

"Goodnight Lillian."

I waited for her to hang up first, before I pressed it to my chest for a moment.

I slept off and dreamt that I and Lillian we're in Bali, talking, eating pizza and licking ice cream.

~~~~~~

Author's note? Nah.

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