Entwined

by Cheryl S. Ntumy

  Lebz licks salt off her fingers. “Stop worrying. I’m sure your grandfather is finding out everything he can and that’s why it’s taking so long.”

  “You’re probably right.” A fatcake rests in my lap, still wrapped in its plastic. I’m worried about Ma-fourteen and nervous about the party. The last party I attended was Lebz’s twelfth birthday. The most intoxicating substance there was the helium in the balloons.

  “What are you going to wear?” She looks at me with maternal concern. “You’ll have to borrow something of mine.” Her eyes light up. “Or we can go shopping! Ask your dad for some money.”

  I regard her with raised eyebrows.

  She scowls. “Maybe not. Well, we have the whole afternoon to figure it out.”

  “We don’t. I have a study session with Rakwena.”

  “Cancel,” says Lebz.

  Wiki puts his book down. “She needs to practise, otherwise Rose is in trouble.”

  Lebz heaves a theatrical sigh. “I forgot about Rose. But you can’t spend all day with Lizard, Connie. The party starts at seven-thirty and we need time to get ready!”

  “I’ll leave his place early. He won’t mind.”

  Lebz and Wiki exchange dubious glances. “Are we talking about the same Lizard?” asks Lebz.

  “What have I done this time?”

  All three of us look up to see Rakwena walking towards us, holding a plastic bag filled with food.

  “Nothing,” I reply hastily, at the same time that Lebz says, “We were talking about the party.” I glare at her but she ignores me. “Connie will have to leave your study session early so she can come to my house to get ready. We’ll be leaving together.”

  The friendly smile slides off Rakwena’s face. I nudge Lebz in the ribs so hard she grunts with pain, but she keeps jabbering nonetheless. She enjoys pissing Rakwena off, but she’s not the one who has to deal with the consequences. There’s an uncomfortable silence. Wiki buries his head in his book to escape it.

  Lebz turns to me with a thoughtful expression. “I’m still trying to decide what she should wear. Something sexy for a change, né? A little top, some tight jeans, a little make-up… What do you think we should do with her hair? Maybe I should iron it again – Thuli seems to like that look.”

  “Shut up,” I grumble, but the damage is done.

  Rakwena’s eyes are ablaze. “You’re going?”

  Here we go again. “Rakwena, please. We can talk about this later.”

  “Later?” he bellows. “You mean after he gets his freak fix and throws you aside?”

  “Hey!” I look around us; his raised voice has attracted curious stares.

  His hands are balled into fists and I can see sparks starting to form on his skin. I leap to my feet and grab his arm. His skin is crackling. I lead him away from the bench and towards a quiet spot a good distance from everyone else.

  “You need to calm down,” I tell him, keeping my voice steady.

  “What exactly do you think is going to happen at this party?” he barks, as if I haven’t said a word. “You think it’s going to be all sweet and romantic? Let me tell you what Thuli has in mind.” He spits out the name with such venom that I wince. “He’s decided that there’s something different about you. He wants to know what it is. He’ll say all the right things and before you know it you’ll be halfway out of your clothes. How far he’ll go depends on what he’s after. Either way, once he unravels the mystery you won’t be interesting any more.”

  I’m so upset I’m shaking all over. I’m not just angry, I’m hurt that Rakwena would think me stupid enough to jump into bed with Thuli, as if I’ve ever been that girl. I want to hit him with a blunt object, but the sparks are becoming more visible every second and one of us has to think clearly. “Your sparks are showing.” My voice is barely audible. “You have to calm down before people see.”

  His eyes flicker – he seems to register my words. Slowly he unclenches his fists. The sparks fade.

  I’m still shaking, but I’m not going to fall apart in front of him, not after all the things he’s just said. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot after school.”

  “Don’t bother,” he sneers.

  “You know I need to practise.”

  “No, what you need to do is get ready for the party.” His voice is filled with pent-up anger. “I hope you have a good time.” He turns around and disappears behind the Science lab.

  Damn it! I want to throw something, break something, do whatever it takes to get this feeling out of my system. It’s not fair that Rakwena gets to go off into a corner and smash rocks together with his mind while all I can do is stand still, breathing deeply. Lebz and Wiki come rushing over, wondering why I’m still there.

  “Are youOK?” Lebz takes my hand.

  “That looked really intense,” says Wiki. “What did he say?”

  “Forget it – let’s go.” I start back towards the bench. I’m determined to enjoy myself tonight. I’ll just have to put Rakwena and his bitter words out of my mind.

  “Stop fidgeting,” Lebz says for the fifth time. “You look great.”

  The mirror seems to agree with her, but a little voice in my head is convinced I’m going to make a fool of myself. Lebz’s jeans are too short for me so I’ve borrowed a pair of Rita’s. They’re so tight on her I’m surprised they don’t cut off her circulation, but they fit me almost perfectly. Lebz calls them Rita’s “sexy” jeans, which is a little unnerving. She dragged me into town after school and bought me a sleeveless dark red top off the sales rack. I’m also wearing ballet flats, the only part of my ensemble, other than my underwear, that belongs to me. My hair has been ironed again, and then curled so it falls in waves. All of this took ages. Thank God I don’t go to parties every weekend.

  I follow Lebz to her brother’s car.

  “Is that you, Connie?” says Mogapi with a burst of shocked laughter.

  “I’m a genius,” Lebz purrs, slipping into the passenger seat. She looks fantastic as usual, in a pretty green dress and smoky eyeshadow. All I would let her put on my face was mascara. I keep blinking; it feels like there’s dust in my eyes.

  “Is it weird?” I ask, touching my hair nervously.

  “You look nice,” Mogapi assures me as the car pulls out of the driveway.

  Wiki is waiting in front of his house when we arrive, wearing dark cargo pants and a crisp green and white checked shirt.

  “Wiki!” snaps Lebz through the open window. “What did I tell you about tucking in your shirt? You’re going to a party, not an interview!”

  He pulls out the shirt, frowns at its rumpled edges and climbs into the backseat beside me. My heart is hammering inside my chest as we drive through the city. Dad always complains about how poorly the streets are lit, so he drives at about 40 kmph. Mogapi drives as if his fiancée is in labour.

  I glance at Wiki, wondering why he’s so quiet. “Wiki! You brought a book?”

  He jumps at the sound of my voice. “Just a little one,” he says in a sheepish tone, closing his paperback novel. “In case things get quiet.”

  I catch a glimpse of the cover before he shoves it into one of his many pockets. It’s worse than I thought – it’s one of our English Lit books. Lebz and I exchange glances. Only Wiki would be antisocial enough to bring a book to a party.

  Mogapi moves into the lane turning into Phakalane. I take deep breaths. It’s just a party. It’ll be fine. The car goes round the circle, straight down the road.

  “Do you remember the house?” asks Lebz. “Left turn, second right turn, third house on the left.”

  “I remember.” Mogapi turns the car into Thuli’s street, then slows down. There are cars lined up in front of the house already. “I’m just going to drop you kids here – there’s nowhere to park.”

  I scramble out of the car after Wiki. That was the shortest ride of my life.

  “Don’t even think of coming back until twelve,” calls Lebz.

  Mogapi rolls his eyes and
drives off. The house is immense. The pulsing beat of an annoying house track mingles with the sound of laughter. Thuli’s dad is a media magnate – well, the closest thing we have to a media magnate. His mother is a former Miss Botswana who married well. I’m not a stranger to wealth – most of the kids at Syringa come from money – but on this scale it makes me nervous. I’m reminded of exactly how little Thuli and I have in common.

  Lebz is at my shoulder, placing a steadying hand on my back. “You’ll be fine.”

  Wiki sighs, bracing himself for the most boring night of his life, and takes the first step towards the house. The front yard has strobe lights at each end, like a dance floor. The door is open and people are hanging around outside.

  “I’m going to find Kelly,” says Lebz.

  “No, you can’t leave me!”

  “Wiki will take care of you,” she promises, and saunters off.

  I link my arm through Wiki’s in case he has thoughts of abandoning me, and the two of us step through the front door. There’s a red carpet in the foyer. Seriously. I stare in horror at my shoes, afraid I might leave dirt tracks on the pristine surface, but no one else seems to care. Other kids greet Wiki and regard me with interest, unable to recognise me in my pretty-girl disguise. A long table has been set up in the main room with an assortment of drinks and snacks. I pick up a glass of what looks like lemonade and a plate of snacks and follow Wiki to the chairs against the wall.

  “Connie.” Thuli appears at my side. He looks so good I stop breathing for a second. He’s wearing a designer shirt – I can tell it’s a designer shirt because it fits too well to be anything else – and dark wash jeans. His hair is pulled back. He smells of something expensive; no cigarettes today.

  “Hi.”

  He takes my hand and pulls me to my feet. “I’m so glad you came.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it,” I reply weakly. “Are your parents here?”

  He laughs and doesn’t answer. I’ll take that as a no. “You smell delicious.”

  Eek! I turn to look at him, afraid he might sprout fangs, but vampires are a little avant garde for this part of the world. He grins, his teeth straight and human and harmless. Wiki opens his mouth to speak, then changes his mind and pulls out his book as Thuli leads me away to two chairs in a corner. He glances towards the door, then at me.

  “I didn’t think you were much of a party person,” I tell him.

  “I’m not. Let’s talk about you.” He leans closer to me. “You look like a smart girl. Someone who can read people really well.”

  “I don’t know about that.” I take another sip of my drink.

  “Really?” He touches my bare shoulder. “Are you telling me you have no idea what I’m thinking right now?”

  I have a very good idea of what he’s thinking, and it makes me so nervous I spill some of the drink down the front of my shirt.

  “Sorry,” he whispers, but he doesn’t look sorry. He’s enjoying the effect he’s having on me. He breaks the spell by glancing at the door again.

  “Everything OK?” I ask, picking the serviette off the side of the plate and dabbing at the stain on my new top.

  “Of course. I’m the host, so I have to keep an eye on things.” He takes the serviette from me and starts rubbing the stain.

  I lean away in panic. “It’sOK; I’ve got it.” I’m forced to put down my cup in case I spill the rest of the drink.

  “If you say so. Do you want to dance?”

  “God, no.” I can’t dance to save my life – or so Lebz is always telling me.

  He’s relieved – he’s not much of a dancer, either. Another glance at the door, then he leans in and strokes my hair. “You really look stunning tonight.”

  “Thank you.” I’m dying to kiss him. Everything I can see in his head – which is incredibly well-organised, like an office – tells me he’s dying to kiss me, too.

  Then he does something strange – he rubs his cheek against mine like a cat and buries his head in the crook of my neck, inhaling my skin. I’m hit with a sharp sense of his impatience. He wants to get me out of this crowded room and take me somewhere private, but something is restraining him. A sense of propriety? Nope, this boy doesn’t have a proper bone in his body.

  It’s hard to concentrate on his thoughts when my own thoughts are running wild. I don’t know what I want. I’m a little scared to be alone with Thuli, because I know he has absolutely no qualms about doing inappropriate things in his parents’ house. My gaze slides to Wiki. He’s getting up and walking towards the door. Something in Thuli’s head shifts. He’s thrilled, almost exultant, and now the wall of restraint has collapsed.

  “It’s loud in here,” he says. “Let’s go talk somewhere else.” There’s a sense of urgency in his voice and his manner, as if he has to get me out of there before… before what? Before Lebz sees us and comes to snatch me away?

  I abandon my food and let him lead me through the throng of bodies dancing in the middle of the room. We go down the corridor, away from the light and noise, into the darkness, up the stairs. I feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, wondering what kind of world I’m about to step into.

  He pushes open a door, steers me inside and closes it. It’s a huge room with a huge bed. There are other things in it as well – a desk, a bookshelf, posters on the wall. But I’m not paying attention to those things because the bed fills my thoughts, and my chest, and my throat… and I can’t breathe.

  I gasp. “Um, Thuli? I…”

  I hear the key turn in the lock. Oh, no. I whirl around to face him, and this time if I didn’t know better I would swear he really is a vampire, because the look is his eyes is so intense that he can’t possibly want to do anything other than eat me alive.

  “Connie.”

  “Yes?” I try to remember what Lebz has told me about this sort of thing. Maybe he’ll stick to what books would call light petting, what Lebz calls “nothing major”.

  But Thuli isn’t interested in nothing major. He advances towards me and pulls me against him. “I’ve never met anyone like you,” he tells me, in a tone that makes it clear that I should be flattered, then he kisses me with unmistakeable intent.

  I find myself winding my arms around his neck. Lebz warned me. I scoffed. The idea of biology overcoming common sense seemed ridiculous. Well, it doesn’t seem ridiculous any more.

  The kiss stops suddenly as he pulls away and studies my face. “What is it about you?” he whispers, almost to himself. “I have to find out.”

  Then he’s kissing me again, and his hands are sliding under my shirt.

  I pull away. “Thuli, wait.”

  “No.” He pushes me towards the bed. I don’t know when he became so strong – the gentle, gliding movements are gone, replaced by brute force.

  I’m so confused. I want this. I’ve wanted it for three years, haven’t I? Or something like it, something gentler. I should stop him. Shouldn’t I? I don’t know. He’s heavy, I realise once he’s on top of me. He shouldn’t be heavy, he’s not that big, but he feels like a truck. His thoughts are spinning. He’s almost frantic with curiosity, with a desire to see, to know… what?

  “Thuli, please don’t.”

  He laughs softly against my neck. “Tell me, Connie. Right now.”

  “Tell you what?” My God, he’s crazy!

  “Tell me what he’s like. I know you’re alike. You have the same… energy.”

  “What are you taking about?” I try to push him off, but he’s not having it.

  “Don’t fight me.” He licks my ear. It feels horrible. “Tell me what makes him burn like that when he’s around you. He worships you.” He lifts my shirt and gazes at my stomach. “You have really nice skin.”

  “Get off me. Now!”

  He smiles and grabs my legs, wrapping them around his waist. It’s crazy how strong he is. I feel deceived, as if he’s been pretending to be a dancer when he’s really a wrestler. He buries his face in my hair and groans. “That light he gets
in his eyes. I’ve never seen anything like it. Do you get it, too? Show me.”

  My body freezes up. Oh my God. He knows about Rakwena.

  Thuli raises his head so it’s right above mine. “Tell me what I’m thinking, baby,” he whispers. “I know you know. Tell me step by step and then we can make it happen.”

  In that moment everything Rakwena said comes rushing back to me. Thuli was never interested in me. The only reason I’m here is because I’m gifted. He knows Rakwena would only hang out with another freak, and the idea of a freak excites him.

  I feel sick. How could I be so stupid? As I’m lying there, I finally take in the posters on the wall. Monsters, mythical creatures, half-men half-beast. My eyes roll around to the bookshelf. I can see some of the titles. They’re books on the supernatural. Thuli isn’t just a rich kid with a bad attitude. He’s a bloody freak hunter.

  “Baby, stop fighting. You can trust me, I promise.” His voice is pleading, plaintive. His hands are working on Rita’s sexy jeans, trying to get the button open. “You have no idea how much I need this.”

  I kick him wildly, lashing out with all four limbs until I finally hear him yelp and he rolls off me. I don’t waste any time. I leap off the bed, unlock the door, fling it open and bolt. While in the corridor I stop for a second to button up my jeans, then I keep running, trying to retrace my steps through the huge house.

  “Connie! Wait, baby, please wait!”

  I run faster, flinging myself down the stairs.

  “Connie!”

  I bolt through the dimly lit corridor, and then I get confused. Which way is the party? Left, right? The place is so damn big and my head is swimming with the images on those stupid posters and I can still feel Thuli’s disgusting hands on my skin…

  I hear footsteps approaching and I start running blindly through the house. The footsteps are getting closer. I fling open the first door I see and dash inside. It’s a bathroom. Before I can close and lock the door behind me a foot jams into the space between the door and the doorpost.

  “Get away from me!” I scream. “If you touch me again I’ll kill you!”