Entwined

by Cheryl S. Ntumy

  And he falls to his knees and proposes.

  I know, I know. But it’s a fantasy, remember?

  My headache gets worse somewhere between Maths and English. It creeps up on me in that annoying way that headaches do, until my temples throb and it hurts each time my eyes move in their sockets. By the time break rolls around, I’m in death throes.

  “Lebz,” I groan, dragging myself over to our usual bench. “Where are all those sachets of Grandpa you’re always carrying around?”

  “Finished,” she replies apologetically.

  She seems distracted. I don’t know how she can be distracted when her best friend is dying. I plonk myself between her and Wiki and turn to him for sympathy and painkillers.

  “It’s not a good idea to pop pills all the time,” he points out, opening his lunchbox to reveal the usual brown bread polony sandwich. He must be the only kid in school who isn’t embarrassed to eat a packed polony lunch in public. “Most headaches subside by themselves. Just rest for a few minutes.”

  “This is no ordinary headache.” I wince and close my eyes. I think I’m seeing stars. I lean over and rest my head on Wiki’s shoulder, and the next thing I know Lebz is shaking me awake.

  “Is it time up already?” I sit up and rub my eyes.

  “No.” She hands me a warm fatcake wrapped in a white plastic bag, a half-full can of juice and a pristine white Aspirin. “Maybe you’ll feel better after you have something to eat.” She’s not even looking at me.

  “What’s the matter with you?” I snatch the tablet, drain the can and then reach for the fatcake. “Did Kelly change her nail polish or something?”

  “I think our friend over there is making her nervous,” says Wiki. “He’s been watching us for the last ten minutes.”

  I follow his gaze to a patch of sandy ground near one block of classrooms. A boy is standing there, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Everyone calls him Black Lizard because of the tattoo on his forearm. He’s in Thuli’s form, but he’s not much of a people person. He’s always skulking around, blending into the background.

  “Oh, him.” I tear a piece out of my fatcake. “What’s his name again?”

  “Rakwena,” Wiki supplies, returning his attention to his book. Wiki is one of those people who make a point of knowing people’s names. The rest of us aren’t nearly so courteous.

  “Ri-ight.” My eyes narrow and I try to focus through the pain.

  Lizard has all the makings of a heartthrob – flawless dark skin, tall, lean physique, broad shoulders. His hair is always cut close to the scalp as if he does it every day, and he has big, thoughtful eyes under thick brows. Sure, he’s not exactly the friendliest guy on earth, and he does have that creepy tattoo, but the real reason he’s not top of the list of Syringa studs is the scar. It runs diagonally down the left side of his face, from his temple to his chin. A little more to the right and it would have slit his lips. Brazen students call him Scarface, but most of us are too scared to look at the scar, let alone mention it. Nobody talks to him. He makes everyone so uncomfortable that we prefer to pretend he’s not there.

  Even though he’s aware that I’ve seen him, he doesn’t look away. He’s weird like that. Brooding, but not in that romantic way that makes girls swoon. I don’t know why he’s looking at us – he never takes any interest in other people. It’s freaking me out.

  “What the hell is he looking at?” I snap. “Lebz, are you wearing that neon bra that shows through your shirt?”

  Lebz gives me a funny look. “I think he’s looking at you.”

  I laugh, and my head reminds me that I’m in excruciating pain. “Why would he be looking at me?” I close my eyes and rub my temples. “Oh, hell – that tablet isn’t kicking in. I need something stronger. Anaesthesia, maybe.”

  “I’ll go ask Kelly if she has anything.” Lebz jumps up eagerly. “She usually has at least five different pills on her.”

  I sigh. “Does she raid her mother’s medicine cabinet or something?”

  She sticks her tongue out at me and skips away, delighted at the prospect of basking in Kelly’s glow. Wiki gets up too, and for a moment I’m so shocked I forget my headache.

  “Don’t tell me you’ve joined the Kelly fan club!” I’m crushed. Wiki has always been the only boy I can count on to be more interested in books than buxom teenagers.

  He glares at me. “I’m going to the library to return my book.”

  “Oh.” I smile, relieved. “Good.” I polish off the fatcake, then close my eyes again.

  Deep breaths. In… ouch! My eyes flutter open. This isn’t working. Where is Lebz with my painkillers? I glance around the campus, and by the time I notice him walking towards me it’s too late. My chest feels constricted. I know it’s silly, but I can’t help it. Black Lizard is almost in front of me, and I have to fight the urge to bolt.

  “I thought I’d never get you alone.” His voice is deep, hoarse, but surprisingly pleasant.

  I raise my head slowly and try not to do something stupid, like scream. “Um, sorry?”

  “Your friends.” He towers above me, a dark angel about to send me off to meet my Maker. “They never go away. The three of you are like conjoined triplets.”

  “Oh.” I swallow. “Um, I guess so.”

  He studies me for a moment. I don’t want to stare at his scar so I stare at the collar of his shirt instead, and somehow that seems even worse.

  “Headache?” he asks.

  I nod.

  “Bad, right? Possibly the worst you’ve ever had?”

  I look up into his piercing gaze. “How did you know that?”

  He smiles. He has nice teeth, a little crooked, but appealing. “You should go home before it gets worse. You probably won’t make it through the day in your condition.”

  “My condition? It’s just a headache. I need more painkillers, that’s all.”

  “Painkillers won’t help.” He lowers his voice a little and says, “Go home. You need to be somewhere safe.”

  “Safe from what?” I’m leaning away from him now; I can’t seem to stop myself. He’s so strange, and the fact that he’s taking a sudden interest in me has me worried.

  He doesn’t answer. He looks away, then turns back to me, his brow furrowed. “Your friend’s coming back. Just go home, Conyza. OK?” He doesn’t wait for me to respond. He slinks off into the shadows just as Lebz returns, clutching a bottle of water and a fistful of pills.

  Lebz opens her fist. “Brufen,” she declares proudly.

  I wrinkle my nose at the pink tablets, but my mind is focused on wondering how Lizard knows my name.

  Lebz clicks her tongue in annoyance, grabs my chin in her hand and yanks me forward. “Open up.”

  I open my mouth like a good girl and let her drop a tablet onto my tongue, then I take a big swig of the water and swallow. Usually the psychological effect of medication kicks in instantly, but not this time. If anything, the headache seems to worsen. It must be pissed off by my attempted rebellion.

  “Oh, crap!” I groan, putting my head between my raised knees. “I can’t take it any more.”

  “Connie?” Lebz’s voice sounds strangely distant. “Oh, no. Connie!”

  When I open my eyes, I’m lying on the bed in the sick bay, staring at the paint peeling off the ceiling. I try to lift my head and someone starts playing drums in my skull.

  “Connie?” It’s Lebz. “Are you feeling better?”

  “No. What happened?”

  “You fainted.”

  I turn very slowly to stare at her. “Fainted?” Nonsense. I don’t faint. I’m not a fainter. “Oh, my head! Give me some pills, please!”

  “OK, I’m taking you home,” she declares firmly. “Come on; can you get up?”

  I sit up, fighting through the pain, and let her lead me to the door. We have just opened it when the nurse comes rushing down the corridor.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “She’s gettin
g worse,” says Lebz. “I’m going to take her home; it’s not far.”

  “You think she can walk?”

  “Yes, yes!” I mutter, desperate to get into my own bed.

  “OK,” the nurse replies uncertainly. “I’ll write her a note and you can collect it for her when you come back.”

  The next several minutes pass in a haze. Somehow we make it back to my house, and I end up collapsing on the sofa. Lebz says something about tea, but I’m not quite sure what happens next because I fall asleep. When I wake up, it’s already getting dark outside and my father is sitting in the armchair across the room.

  “Connie! Thank God!” He jumps up and comes to kneel at my side, peering anxiously into my face. “How do you feel?”

  I sit up and look at him. “Hungry.” That Brufen has finally kicked in. The headache is gone. It’s a little strange actually, because now my head is clearer than ever, as if the headache never happened. But I’m used to strange occurrences so I brush it aside, kiss my dad on the cheek and get up to make some dinner. “I hate Thursdays,” I mutter. “Thank goodness it’s over.”

  “Today’s Wednesday, Connie, not Thursday,” Dad says cautiously. “Maybe you need to lie down a while longer.”

  What? I swivel round to face him. “But… my headache!” I sputter in disbelief. From the moment I got up, the day had Thursday written all over it. How can today be Wednesday? I like Wednesdays. They’re good to me.

  “Connie, let me make dinner,” Dad suggests, pushing me back onto the sofa. “You just stay here, OK?”

  I should stop him because we both know no one can stomach his cooking, but I’m in shock. It’s not Thursday! For a second I’m relieved. Maybe all the bad Thursdays were just a coincidence. Maybe it was self-fulfilling prophecy. Or maybe…. My relief disintegrates. Maybe the headache was just a prelude. Maybe tomorrow is when the real trouble will begin. Ouch. I think I need another painkiller.

  Chapter Two

  I wake up the next morning feeling rather bizarre. My head is fine, but it’s buzzing with thoughts and I can’t seem to keep it still. I need to speak to Black Lizard, and soon. I need to understand how he knew what was going on with me.

  But I can’t just go up to the guy and ask him. I need to take my time and plan my attack very carefully. I text Lebz to meet me at school so I can stop by the library before registration. I’ll hang around for a few minutes and see if Lizard turns up.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” my father asks, frowning down at me as he rummages in his pocket. “Where the devil are those blasted keys? God, I hope she’s not getting sick, I’m lousy with illness… Her mother was the one who was good at these things. Where are those bloody – ah!” He locates the keys and pulls them out.

  I look up from my breakfast in surprise. It’s not like him to be so vocal. “Dad, don’t worry. It was just a headache. Probably all the stress from that Business Studies test I wrote on Tuesday.”

  “Maybe,” he mumbles doubtfully. “Take it easy today, OK? And call me if anything happens.”

  I nod. “And you’re not lousy with illness, Dad,” I add softly. “You’re great.”

  He gives me an odd look and backs towards the front door. “Um, thanks darling. OK… see you later.” He stumbles out of the house. Through the window I catch him looking back at the house with a bewildered expression on his face.

  I wave, and as soon as his red Volvo disappears round the corner I jump into high gear. There was something about the way Lizard spoke yesterday that made me certain he knows more about me than he’s letting on. It’s almost as if he expected me to have that headache. The thought scares and intrigues me. If there’s something weird going on here I’d love to know what it is, and Lizard, like it or not, is the person who can tell me.

  I wash the breakfast dishes, pack my bag and lock up, leaving the key under the doormat for Auntie Lydia. It’s already bright outside although it’s barely six-thirty. I pass a couple of kids from school and since I’m not with Lebz or Wiki, I don’t expect them to greet me. But almost as soon as they lay eyes on me they start whispering.

  “… I wonder what it is about her… I just can’t figure it out.”

  “It’s not rude to scratch if no one is looking…”

  “… Just like my cousin…”

  “I wonder if the gossip is true…”

  “… I’m going to kill him. These people think they can….”

  “I’m so late!”

  I look around me, shocked by how loudly these passers-by are talking. Their lips don’t appear to be moving, but maybe they’ve realised that it doesn’t look good when strangers catch you talking to yourself.

  The voices fade as I approach the school gates. The campus is quiet and almost empty. I head towards the library and sit down to wait. I scan the campus, but there’s no sign of Black Lizard. I sigh and open my bag. Might as well pretend to do some work while I wait.

  I’ve been waiting for some time when I hear a familiar voice. I love Lebz, but this is one occasion when I’m not exactly thrilled to see her.

  “Hey, Connie! What are you doing?”

  “I wanted to go to the library,” I remind her. “Aren’t you early? What’s wrong?”

  “Very funny,” she says, clicking her tongue in mock annoyance. “Where’s Kelly? Not here yet? Hmm. I hope my hair looks OK.”

  I roll my eyes. Looks like I’m not going to talk to Lizard, after all. “Your hair looks fine.”

  “What?” She stares at me in horror.

  “I said, your hair looks fine. And you shouldn’t care what Kelly thinks, anyway.”

  Lebz blinks. Her mouth opens and closes a few times.

  “What?” I shove my book back into my bag.

  “That’s not cool,” she whispers. “I mean… at least you could have told me.” Then she walks off in a huff, leaving me completely stumped.

  I have no idea what I’ve done to offend her. What I said about Kelly, maybe? She does get a bit sensitive when it comes to the topic of her idol. I spot Wiki coming through the gates and wave, but Lebz intercepts him before he reaches me. They have a brief intense conversation, then Lebz glares at me and stalks over to where Kelly’s second in command, Botho, is sitting. Wiki approaches with caution.

  “Lebz is not happy,” he announces.

  “I noticed. What did I do now?”

  He raises his eyebrows at me. “She has some crazy idea that you can read her mind and forgot to tell her. Ah, girls have strange problems. I should really get some reading done.”

  “Read her mind?” I laugh. “Seriously, where does she get these things?”

  “Reading Lebz’s mind wouldn’t be all that difficult, actually,” says Wiki, glancing at his watch. “I really need to get some reading done…”

  I swat him. “Hey, be nice! You’re supposed to be the referee.”

  “What do you expect me to do?” He shakes his head. “Just talk to her and reassure her that you haven’t betrayed years of open, honest friendship. Ah, women. Maybe I should make friends with some guys for a change.”

  “But Wiki – ” I pause mid-sentence, suddenly struck by an alarming revelation.

  “The library’s open. I have about ten minutes before registration. See you later.” He hurries away.

  I have just realised that half the time Wiki was speaking to me his mouth was closed. Wiki is many things, but not a ventriloquist. He spoke to me without saying a word, and when I think about it, I realise this has been happening all morning. Before I can make sense of it, I see Black Lizard slithering past. He glances my way and keeps walking, headed behind the old Science labs. I wait exactly ten seconds before following.

  I find him leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets. “Oh!” I say in exaggerated surprise. “Hi. I didn’t know there was anyone here.” I clear my throat. “I was just looking for a quiet spot to… um… Well, I’ll just leave you alone.” I turn around, preparing to walk away.

  “Conyza, wait.”r />
  Success! I turn back to face him. My heart is racing. There’s a bit of an adrenalin rush associated with standing behind the lab with the infamous Black Lizard. I feel like an undercover agent. “What’s up?” I ask, feigning nonchalance.

  He hesitates. “How are you feeling? Is the headache gone?”

  “What’s it to you?”

  He shrugs. “I’m just making conversation.”

  “I’m fine. It was just a headache.” I wait for him to contradict me. He doesn’t, and I’m disappointed. “Well, see you.”

  “Conyza.”

  “Connie.”

  “Right. Connie.” He peers at me. “So you’re back to normal now? No side effects? Nothing out of the ordinary?”

  “Should there be?” He knows something.

  His shoulders lift in a half-hearted shrug. “No. I mean…”

  I fold my arms across my chest and put on a haughty tone. “Well, if you must know…” Honestly, I’m dying to tell someone. “It’s probably my imagination.”

  His eyes narrow. “What?”

  “It seems as if I can hear what people…” I stop, my natural defences kicking in.

  “Are thinking?” he concludes for me, his forehead creased.

  I get a chill when he says it out loud, but one of us had to. Now I know for sure that he knows something, and I feel a little safer discussing this delicate subject with him. He’s a stranger, says my common sense. I ignore it out of habit. “Something like that. But of course it’s impossible,” I add hastily.

  “No, it’s not.” A slow smile spreads over his face. “You’re a telepath!”

  I don’t like words like that. It’s the kind of label my grandfather would use, a word that turns an ephemeral possibility into a fact. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Is it?” He frowns at me. “I’ve heard that you can do a lot of unusual things.”

  My guard goes up immediately. I’ve worked hard to keep a low profile since I came to Syringa, and it’s not easy. I can’t control the things I experience, and sometimes I can’t control how I respond to them. At first it didn’t occur to me to be discreet, but when other kids started avoiding me I realised it was better to keep my eyes open and my mouth shut. After a while, most people forgot about me. Then Ntatemogolo came home.