Under Her Shadow – Episode 5

Under Her Shadow – Episode 5

© Bunmi B. Gabriel

#AJ ‘s POV

‘Lucien please help me down’ I cried

‘I thought you could do it yourself, come on down mountain queen’ he shouted jestingly

‘I’m sorry please help me’ I begged, wondering where I am? Stuck on the mountain, how? Effect of my big mouth. After he drove my stomach out, we got here through an helicopter, then we barely hiked up three minutes before I got tired… He told me to wait but I insisted on going so he carried me, best piggyback ride ever

Getting to the top, we stayed there and talked a little about our teen hood before my evil mouth open and I boasted about me being able to come down on my own, I don’t even know the demon that possess me, my mouth kept moving so viola! There I was still stuck there crying my eyes out and him halfway down

‘Lucien, I promise to do anything you say’ I yelled. ‘I don’t wanna die’

‘AJ it’s easy, just take one step at a time’ he said amusedly

‘One step closer to my grave I can’t I’m too young to die I haven’t fulfil my dreams yet I’ve not started my own brand of media house I haven’t found someone that will love me yet I don’t have a husband and any kids yet my twin is yet to get married attending her wedding is my number one dream so I don’t want to die’ I breathe out in tears

‘You have a twin? How come you didn’t mention her earlier?’

‘Does it matter? Okay yes but she will never see me again if you leave me here, there might be mountain animals here, like mountain goats and sheep, they will hurt me’

‘Sheep don’t have have mountain breed and there’s no dangerous animals here, except if you are scared of hares and rabbits’ he said calmly, he should stop being calm and help me

‘I don’t want to be an has been, I haven’t left a mark yet, I’ll die just being the beautiful daughter of Chris Jefferson, not fair’ I wailed, I was crying seriously

‘You’re Chris Jefferson’s daughter?’ He asked quizzically

‘Yea, Aliyahna Jefferson’ I said excitedly then I remembered I was still up and not down, then I cried again

‘Hmmm, okay, I’ll get you down but you will do anything I say’ he smiled, I nodded like an agama lizard. ‘Hold on softie, I’ll be there in three minutes’ he said gently, why is his voice always gentle and calm with a big trails of happiness lacing it, hearing his voice makes my head swell in a way I don’t understand, this feeling is new and scary and I don’t want to accept it but yet I can’t resist it

What are you thinking of AJ, you are going to die here

Finally I was out of the mountain and back in the air, I remember how I kissed the ground out of excitement, I probably looked like an idiot but since when did I care

Mtcheeeeeew

‘Stop yawning like you did any work, I hiked the mountain to and fro with you on my back and I’m not that tired but you yawn more than me’ he said amusedly taking off his sweaty shirt, I turned and kept my eyes straight, don’t need to see anything that will drive me nuts tonight

‘I did work’ big lie

‘Really’ he said sarcastically

Don’t look

Don’t look

Don’t look

‘I cried for over an hour and don’t you know that holding on to you was stressful, my hands and legs almost broke off’ I said poutingly, he laughed scoffed ‘don’t be like that, we both tried’

‘You don’t say’ he said amusedly and chuckled to himself. ‘You know what softie, you owe me big time’

‘Owe you for what? I already paid by encouraging you all the way down so no, I owe you nothing’ I said firmly folding my hands, he laughed softly

‘Encourage? Softie all you did was scream, cry and strangle me, if I remember correctly, the dictionary or even human logic does not classify that as “encouragement” if that is your definition of encouragement, then my dear lady, your brain needs to be reset to it default setting’

‘They were screams of encouragement’ I whined

‘Really? How does this sound to you then?……ahem’ he cleared his throat thrice. ‘Aaaah! Lucien do you wanna ki*ll me? Be careful… Aaaah! I’m too young for this….aaaaah! I’m going to fall…..aaaaah! Mommy!…. Aaaah! Oh God of Abraham! Have mercy…. Aaaah aaaah aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!’ He mimicked my voice perfectly, but I didn’t scream like that

‘I didn’t scream like that’ I said defensively

‘Oh yes you did, I don’t wanna die, I want my mommy and daddy, I want Sandy, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah’ I head bang from his extremely girlishly scream, I wasn’t the only one who got affected, the pilot did too because he lost his balance. ‘Gracious me, sorry David’ he shouted laughingly, David groaned rubbing his ear with one hand

‘Save my ears for the church bell my wife will drag me to tomorrow’ he said groaningly

‘My bad Dave, my apology’

‘Okay I admit I screamed but not like that, you….’

‘Softie your mouth was right beside my ear, tell me, don’t you think that right now my head is having it own rock and roll concert with my ears as the crazy bass guitarist’ he said frowningly

‘Okay okay, what would you have me do?’ I said defeatedly

‘Hmmmm, I want you to go somewhere with me tomorrow evening, after sunset’ he said nervously

‘Again, to sell my kidney?’ I asked jokingly, he smiled

‘That’s a decision I’m yet to make’

‘Bah! Where?’

‘Places’ he said plainly

‘You see this butt of mine? It ain’t gonna move out of it couch tomorrow if she don’t know where she’s swinging to’

‘I can’t see any butt’ he said smirkingly, I slapped his arm, he laughed. ‘Prude, just dinner somewhere natural’

‘Not sure what that means but okay and I am not a prude’ I said childishly

‘Mm hm’

‘seriously, I’m not’

‘Okay since you ain’t one then you won’t mind me saying…..’ I covered his mouth and he laughed, I removed my hands and he smirked lopsidedly. ‘You say you are not a what now?’

‘Leave me alone’ I murmured and rested my head on the head rest

‘Sleepy?’

‘Uhm, good nap’ I whispered, I wasn’t sleepy, just needed time to relax my heart, his laugh was making my heart raced and when I touched him, I don’t know, the sensation in my skin was sweet in a sweet and terrifying

It’s hard to explain what is attracting the most to him but all I know is that it was a force, a strong irresistible one pulling me to him

Soon I dozed off

#Lucien ‘s POV

Is she seriously sleeping? This girl is funny, a mature version of Lucy but the craziness is there, her voice sounds just like my mom’s, her small body like hers too, those where the first thing I saw, my mom in her, tho my mom was the calm, gentle but yet really strict type, she did appear like her, even her walking step

The copter swayed and she fell on my shoulder, her eyelids were light purple and swollen from crying too much, I adjusted her properly but she fell back again, I wrapped my hands around her and pulled her into my arms, her body felt so fragile and frail like any little thing will break it

Is it wrong for me to suddenly feel the urge to protect her from all hurt? Is it strange that I saw her as mine? I wanted her to stay in my arms forever, never leaving my sight or standing close to any other man, the thought alone kills me

I barely know her but it feels like I’ve known her all my life, she was familiar in every way, with one look at her I knew she was fighting to stay strong against something, what it is? I don’t know but she was losing the battle each moment. Her presence spoke peace, happiness, joy but all that was an act to conceal her real pain and strangely I knew she would be the type to love food, junk food especially, my suspicion was cleared when I asked her earlier at the mountain

I was right

I moved some lose strands of her hair back and smiled at her sleeping face, to tell you my heart wasn’t winning a race would be a lie, her beauty was enchanting yet not the reason I was attracted to her, it was something else, something really deep and strong

Her phone rang, interrupting my well of thoughts, I brought it out from her pocket and frowned at the caller ID

Idris

I ignored it and dropped the phone beside her laps, I tried to focus on something else but I couldn’t, I took it back and checked her call history (her phone had no password)

three missed calls from dad, two from mom, three from Andrei, ten from Idris and fifty nine from Sandy the only names I picked out was Idris and Andrei, who the hell are there?

Idris called again and I picked it

‘Somebody finally decided to answer my call, Amethyst, you really got me scared you know’

Is he her boyfriend? I frowned jealously

‘Daddy is that aunty strawberry, let me have the phone’ a tiny voice shouted

‘Hold on Kenzie, daddy isn’t done yet’

‘You called her because of me, not fair daddy, give me the phone’ she cried, I smiled

‘I’m the brother here and you’re the niece, brother talks first plus I’m your father, you can’t tell me what to do’ the guy said leniently

‘Mommy!!! Daddy is being mean to me again!!!’ She shouted

‘Kenzie please don’t involve your mother, I just got out of a one week bed restriction, please not again’ the guy pleaded, I had to bit my lip real hard so I won’t laugh

‘Then give me the phone’ she said whiningly

‘I won’t, you can tell me your mom, I’m not scared of her or you’ he said confidently, she giggled. ‘I won’t buy you chocolate again you know your mom won’t buy it for you’

‘Then I’ll do this’ the girl shouted, I heard some scrambling sound

‘Kenzie! Give me back my phone this instant!!! Honey, your daughter is being a brat again’ the call ended, I burst into laughter, his family reminds me of mine, mom was the boss woman, she gave the rules and dad obeyed, not that she enslaved him, dad is as stubborn and crazy as Lucy and my other sister Lydia so he needed to be controlled and that’s what my mom did

His present wife can’t control him one bit

Idris is her brother but who is Andrei

To be continued

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