"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies.'"

                       PROPHETESS
                          ~~~°°°~~~

After hours of walking, running from hoodlums who Mary got in trouble with, running from people who Mary stole money from, running from dogs who Ikechukwu had tried to pet, the two finally arrived in Aje.

After asking for directions and realizing they were not too far from home, they still couldn't go back because of how things weren't settled yet, so Mary had taken Ikechukwu to another town where she claims she knew someone that could help.

"Church? You plan to find your answers in a house of God?" Ikechukwu asked not believing that out of all the places she could have brought him, she chose a place of worship.

"I have a...well, I won't call her my friend, she's an annoying bitch if you ask me, but... I have no other choice." Ikechukwu kept quiet, at the moment he had seen enough to be shocked by what Mary had just said. "You wait here, I don't want her to see you."

"Why? Is this another plan to leave me behind?"

"If I wanted to leave you behind, you will already have been left behind. Just wait, I'm coming."

Ikechukwu didn't say another word as he watched her leave. He simply found a shade to hide from the scorching sun. He gave a nod and smiled at the woman selling tomato few feet beside him in greeting, she gave him a suspicious look, hissed and looked away. Ikechukwu frowned wondering what he had ever done to offend tomato sellers.

Meanwhile, Mary was trying to sneak pass a line to go see the 'prophetess'. There was a long line of members of the church waiting to see the woman of God, they all waited to receive the blessing of the Lord.

She tapped the elderly man before her, he turned slowly to answer her. She gave a cheeky smile before asking, "Uh...Is there a way that I can skip pass this people?"

He frowned, confused for a moment. "No, you have to wait in line like other people." He eyed her before facing his front. "I have been here for two hours and you want to 'skip pass', aunty skipper," she heard him say.

Mary frowned. She didn't have the time to wait. So with a sigh, she rolled her eyeballs to the back of her head and gave a blood curling scream. This immediately got the attention of everyone as they all turned to see what had caused it.

Mary was already on the ground, rolling round like a crazed woman, the laughs that came out from her would remind you of an old witch in a Nollywood movie.

"Jesus Christ!" The elderly man Mary had questioned earlier was the first to shout. "Witch! This one na witch oo!"

The screams got louder, as a large circle was formed round Mary. "Someone send for the prophetess!" A young man shouted.

Martha stepped out, carrying an air of grace around her. She was dressed in a black gown, hugging her huge bible to her chest, but what would draw one's attention was the huge boot she wore, with her rainbow coloured knee socks. She resembled a prophetess from the nineteen hundreds, with the afro hair and all, but even with all these she couldn't hide her youthfulness and beauty.

"What's going on here?" She asked looking up to the sky, a sneer on her face.

A man rushed forward to her, falling down at her knees. He kissed her boot. "O wise one, the young woman fell down and started screaming. I believe she had been possessed by an evil spirit."

"Hmm," Martha hummed. "Bring her to my office." Without another word, she turned and walked back to her office.

Two able bodied men took hold of Mary hands and legs, even with the muscles they had, it proved hard to contain Mary. People watched as she was carried to the office, shaking their heads in pity.

"I knew there was something strange about her." The elderly man Mary had tapped earlier told another. "I knew it."

Once the men dropped Mary in the Martha's office, Martha ordered them out, and the Mary's screaming didn't stop till the men left.

"Bitch," Mary cursed getting up. "Took you long enough."

Martha rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here Mary? What was with all that display outside?"

"Don't speak to me in that tone." She dropped on a couch in the office. "I need your help."

Martha kept quiet wondering if she had heard right. "You need my help?" She repeated slowly. "Mary needs my help? Wow, never thought I would hear those words come from your lips."

"Don't sass me young woman, will you help me or not?"

"You could try to be nicer," Martha muttered. "What do you need?"

"I need you to send a message to Chioma."

"I don't understand, why can't you just send her a message yourself?"

"Because...because I don't have my powers and I can't get to anyone, not even my mother."

"What do you mean you don't have your powers? You lost your powers?" Martha asked walking over to her desk and taking a sit.

"What else can I mean by that if it isn't what I mean?"

Martha looked confused for a moment. "Speaking in parables isn't going to help your situation." She sighed. "But... Have you come in... Wait, the Tarum!"

Mary sat up in attention. "What about it?"

"So you know about it?" Martha asked.

She nodded her head. "Yes, Chioma gave it to me. Did you hear anything?"

"You're not going to like this-"

"Let me be the judge of that Martha. What happened? Is my mother OK?"

"Your mother is fine, she has nothing to do with this. It's Chioma, the Tarum she gave you, how much do you know about it?"

Mary shrugged. "Not much, why do you ask?"

"It's hard to believe this, but she didn't tell you the whole truth about the Tarum. She might have lied to you."

Mary scoffed. "If you won't help me just let me know. Chioma would never lie to me. How did you even know about the Tarum?"

"Because I found it first and I was about to use it, then found about the other effects of the Tarum."

"What other effect?" She gave a nervous chuckle. "What do you mean?"

"Just like you I was going to well... I needed a vacation too. The Tarum helps you with what you want, but...it also has a price."

"Let me guess, that price has to do with why I lost my powers?"

Martha nodded her head. "When you use it, it takes what you value the most in return. In your case, your powers."

Mary kept quiet for awhile. "You're not messing with me right?"

"No."

"Chioma knew this and she didn't tell me..."

"I gave it to her myself. I found it in my late grandma's room. Since I was busy here, she was supposed to give it to you to return to the Queen, guess she had another motive in mind."

"Why would she do this to me... She's my... She's my friend." Mary couldn't explain how she felt. There was an ache in her chest, a feeling she had never experienced before. She could feel the pain deep in her core, with each heartbeat, the betrayal seemed to settle in more.

Martha shrugged. "Well, no offence, but you aren't the most liked person on earth."

"Fuck you." Mary mumbled under her breathe. She let out a shaky breathe and a small laugh.

"Mary?" Martha called.

She kept quiet staring into space for minutes. "There's this strange feeling in me." Mary's voice was so low, Martha had to strain her ears to grab the words. "I don't know the words to explain it, it makes me angry and at the same time, it makes me...it makes me..."

"You're hurt Mary," Martha said softly. "You're hurt."

~~~

Ikechukwu had been waiting for hours and he was almost convinced that Mary might have left him. He sighed and decided to wait a little while longer before he moved to look for her in the church.

A group of teenagers passing by caught his attention, what actually caught his attention was the way they were looking at him. He thought they might be looking at someone behind him, but turning back, he was the only one there.

He frowned and decided to ignore them.

"He's the one, I swear it looks like him." Ikechukwu heard one say.

"I don't think so," the other argued.

With a heavy sigh, he decided to ask, "What's wrong?" They seemed surprised that he had spoken to them and for awhile, none of them moved or said a word. "I noticed you looking at me, is something wrong?"

"No, you just look a lot like this guy going over the news." the first friend said. She was a young girl, of about sixteen, light skinned which was a big contrast to her friend's who was drowning in melanin. She was still in her school uniform and Ikechukwu suspected that she must just be coming back from school with her friend.

"Who?" Ikechukwu questioned curiously.

The friends looked at each other wondering if they should speak more. The fair girl approached, her phone in her hand while the other waited. "This picture." She held her phone out for Ikechukwu to get a clearer view.

Ikechukwu nearly choked on his spit when he saw the headlines;

BREAKING NEWS: YOUNG MAN ATTACKED BY A WITCH IN HIS APARTMENT, NOWHERE TO BE FOUND, ROOMMATE AND FAMILY IN DEEP GRIEF.

"Oh." Ikechukwu coughed clearing his throat. "He sure looks a lot like me."

                         ~~~°°°~~~

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