"He didn't really say. I mean, at least he didn't mention anything major—just that he was looking for you," came Anita's response. She deliberately interjected to thwart Mdachi's purpose—his purpose to humiliate her.
"...Okay," said Edward, unsure of how to react. If Edric was indeed searching for him, which seemed particularly odd, then he would catch up with him the next day at school.
After a brief pause, Mdachi spoke up again. "Speaking of which, I also forgot to mention that—"
"That that's another reason for my earlier frolic demeanour." Anita rushed to finish the sentence for him. There was absolutely no way she was going to let Mdachi embarrass her. Better she do it herself.
An unsettling awkwardness followed her confession; but she didn't regret it.
Like she had proclaimed: there was no way Mdachi was going to humiliate her.
Both boys were speechless. They exchanged stunned glances, then turned back to look at her in unison.
"What?" Anita caught their gazes. "I mean, Mdachi was going to say it anyway. Why not do it myself?"
Edward stumbled over words before finally managing to mumble, "So... so why exactly were you frolic again, apart from Madam Beatrice not suspecting you? I don't think I really got that." He had already understood what Anita meant, but he couldn't resist the temptation to taunt her—especially after her evasiveness the previous day. He wanted to see how she would escape now.
Astounded, Mdachi waited patiently for her response too. He hadn't really meant to say any such thing, but now he was just as interested to see how she would respond.
Anita waved it off. "Fine. You guys want to hear me say it? Okay, I'll do it: Edric is hot, I acknowledge that. And he's got such an alluring aura and rizz. So do I feel like butterflies are swirling in my stomach when he comes near me? Yes. Yes, I do. Satisfied?"
Edward couldn't help but press his lips together, struggling to hold back a burst of laughter. Knowing Anita, he hadn't expected her to come clean so easily. He was definitely astonished. But also knowing her, he realized how excruciatingly mortifying it must have been for her to admit that.
Closing his eyes, Edward took deep breaths to try and ease the itching urge to laugh.
Mdachi discreetly chuckled, after trying so hard not to—or at least not to be too obvious about it. Thinking about it, he couldn't recall ever meeting another lady, apart from Anita, with such a great ego; greater than a man's, greater than his.
"A-hem." Mdachi cleared his throat. Adjusting his glasses back into place, he spoke. "What I actually meant to say was that Edric stepped down from the presidential position in the club for me, just like he said he would." He wasn't trying to paint Edric in a saintly light or anything, but rather to do as the Swahili saying declares: Mgala muue na haki yake mpe.
"But Anita's version works too," he teased. "Pretty well, actually—considering Edric also handed his number to her, and told her to share it with you." Mdachi was definitely enjoying every second of this, and he wasn't even trying to be subtle about it.
Anita, who had been looking away ever since her confession, tried so hard not to show any emotion whatsoever as Mdachi spoke—or at least, according to her, rambled.
Yes, this was excruciating for her. It was one of those rare moments Anita wished the air would just gulp her up whole and save her from such humiliation. But since that wasn't going to happen, she faced the situation with undefiled courage.
She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of knowing she regretted spilling her guts.
With a mental forehead slap, Anita cursed herself.
"Hey, Nits, why don't you share that number with him, or are you planning to hoard it for yourself?"
Anita snapped her head back to Mdachi with a dangerously dark scowl.
"I think I've been lenient enough with you, Dachi. Don't you?"
Mdachi felt shivers rush down his spine in an instant. A part of him wanted to speak up, but he instinctively shut his mouth.
"Okay guys, cut it out." Edward stepped in. "Come, let me show you something I found." He adjusted his bag properly on his back and started walking.
They followed behind him, setting aside their quarell.
"Umm... Edward, where are we going?" Anita asked curiously.
At once, Edward stopped, turned back to them with a smirk, and gestured at the ground before him.
"...Okay, so you have a green lawn. What about it?" Anita asked again.
Exasperated, Edward slapped his forehead and shook his head in disbelief. "It's the bat I'm talking about," he pointed out.
The two looked again—and finally noticed the bat lying in front of him.
Unable to hold it anymore, Anita snapped. "What about the bat, Edward? Like, be direct, okay? After all, you don't just get to have a nice day off and still stress us—who have had a long, tiring day at school—out with your conundrums."
For some reason, Edward felt offended.
He scoffed. "Anita, I didn't ask to stay at home today, if that bothers you so much. My mom just happened to let—no, make—me, after discovering about Hallington's demise. And you know what? Now that I think of it, I appreciate it. Because ever since I found out about my dear departed friend, I haven't even had the allowance to grieve him. But today, I did. So I'm sorry if—"
"Guys, just quit it!" Mdachi interjected. He knew exactly where the conversation was headed if it escalated any further. "...Edward, I'm sorry you never had time to grieve Hallington until today, okay? And Anita, I'm sorry you had a long, stressful day at school. But guys, you're overreacting, both of you. I know I might sound indifferent right now, but I'm just being realistic. Anita," he turned to her, "Edward didn't mean to play games or anything. If we just wait and hear what he has to say, then we'll know. And you, Edward, Anita didn't really mean what she said like that, okay? Now can we all just calm down and not make a big deal out of this little thing? Jeez, what's wrong with us today?"
There was silence. Complying silence. Both saw the sense in what he was saying.
"I didn't mean that, Anita," said Edward.
"Me neither."
"Good. Now what about the bat, Edu?" Mdachi cheered up.
Edward turned back to the bat, yawning and rubbing his eyes before continuing. It was only then that Anita and Mdachi realized just how exhausted he seemed—and the fact that he was still in pajamas didn't make it any better.
"So, while I was walking around—"
"Did you happen to get any sleep last night?" Mdachi cut in, too curious to hold it.
"Yeah, Edward, it's now that I notice how exhausted you look," Anita seconded.
"That's another story," Edward waved it off, too eager to explain about the bat. "But can I just tell you about the bat already?"
"Well... okay."
Edward picked it up. "While strolling through the woods today—not far off though—I came across this guy."
Brows raised, they glanced at the bat, then at the calm, magnificent forest, then back at Edward again, clueless.
"I'm the only one in this house who uses this thing, and the last time I did was that day I was playing with Jesse. Mind you, I've never left it in the woods or anywhere else it's not supposed to be. Because as you know..."
"Your father advises against that and likes orderly, punctuated people," Mdachi finished for him.
"Edward, I'm still not getting it. What are you trying to imply?" Anita grew more anxious. With everything they had to deal with, what was it about Edward and that dang bat? Surely.
"Well, here's the punchline: right next to where I found this bat, I happened to see a large paw print—obscure, though."
Anita froze, astonished.
Mdachi didn't know what to say; he was just as taken aback.
"Let's go take a look then," Mdachi proposed after yanking himself out of his daze, already marching toward the wooden door.
"It's no longer there."
Mdachi turned back to him slowly. "Wh... what?"
Anita was equally puzzled.
"What do you mean it's no longer there, Edu?"
"I rubbed it out. Couldn't let such a thing just be lying around like that."
The duo was speechless.
A grin crept onto Edward's lips. "But I got pictures of it." He took out his phone.
Anita quickly snatched it, opening the gallery. Mdachi leaned in to join her.
While they were marveling at the pictures, Edward spoke. "Piecing these two things together—and the lupine visions I've had—I might just say that it's at that very spot where I must have seen the wolf from my visions."
The two looked up from the phone, their faces carrying a storm of emotions at once.
"But... but..." Anita stumbled over words. She felt more confused now that they had more clues. "I just have so, so many questions. Like, how did you end up with a bat, in the forest, at night, facing a werewolf? And what happened afterwards? Why? And how?"
"Edward, we need to revisit this place. We could find more clues. Take us there now," Mdachi said handing Edward his phone. He sounded desperate.
But Edward thought they were being a little melodramatic. After all, he knew the only way to get real answers was through Beatrice—now that he was sure she was involved. He wasn't going to let his friends in on that, not yet. He wanted to face her alone and force the truth out of her. And he had been preparing for it all night, ever since waking from that eerie dream.
"Relax, Dachi. Don't you think I've already done that myself? Or how stupid do you think I am?"
"I never said that—"
"Never said you did."
"Then why do you seem more relaxed than you should be, Edward?" Anita asked. "Shouldn't you be just as curious—or more?"
"That's because... I think... asking ourselves more questions won't help. Gathering facts and clues will. And do you know the prime source of such information?" Anita knew exactly where he was going.
"I already told you that not much can be gotten from that bureau. And besides, I made it clear that you can't trust them."
Mdachi countered. "But you didn't even tell us much about it, Nits. Just that they keep the supernatural under wraps."
"Nits?" Edward raised a brow. It was the second time he'd heard it.
"Yeah, she told me she prefers that to Ann."
"Like I said, Mdachi, not much about them is known, okay?"
"Fine," said Edward, letting go of the topic. Eager to show his friends another thing he'd been up to during the day, he brightened. "Since that's a dead end, why don't I show you how I've been readying myself for when I face Beatrice?"
They looked at him quizzically.
"It's what kept me up all night, okay? That's why I look so drained. I barely slept."
"You spent the whole night practicing magic?" Anita sounded genuinely astounded.
"Not the whole night, but most of it," Edward corrected.
Just then, he recalled something vital he hadn't told them yet. He opened his mouth—but Mdachi spoke ahead.
"You didn't say if you found any more clues. So, did you?"
Edward felt irritated. Wasn't it obvious that if he had, he would've told them?
He pinched the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "I didn't find anything else, Mdachi."
"Are you sure? I think you might've missed something. We should go and have another look just to be sure, Edu."
Blood began to boil. "I searched every nook and cranny of the area—"
"Do the woods even have nooks and crannies?" Anita recoiled with a grimace.
"You know what I mean!" Edward almost snapped.
Anita let it go. "Okay," she mumbled.
"Point is," Edward stressed every word, now squarely focused on Mdachi. "I was thorough. As thorough as anyone could be. Nothing, okay? But if you like, you could check it out yourself, Professor Detective."
"No need," Mdachi answered flatly. He didn't mean it, though—he would definitely check it out himself later. He preferred firsthand evidence.
Hearing him comply, Edward felt the frustration dissipate. His jovial mood returned in an instant.
"What was I going to say again?"
"That you practiced magic most of last night and wanted to show us," Anita reminded him.
Edward thought for a moment. He felt like there was more he wanted to share, but the harder he tried to recall, the further it drifted away. He gave up. He'd remember eventually.
"Yeah, that," Edward perked up.
Facing the fence that separated his backyard from the woods, he stretched out his hand, his face suddenly serious, and chanted familiar words.
Mdachi clutched his bag straps in anticipation, waiting ecstatically for the fence to vanish. The idea of powers and magic hadn't really sunk in for him yet, so frolic chills ran through his veins whenever he witnessed it.
Anita waited too, eager to see his progress. She had taught him the spell, and since he hadn't mastered it yet, she wanted to see how far he'd come.
Edward's hand glowed—and so did the fence. Then, immediately, the fence vanished from sight.
Mdachi blinked in awe, then chuckled in delight.
Anita smiled. Edward did too.
Keeping his hand stretched as if holding something delicate, Edward chanted again—this time foreign words: "Tremilvsa aka chentuvis." He swept his hand outward in a 180° arc.
The fence reappeared.
"Wow! Impressive," Anita praised. "That... that was the reversing spell, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was. Studied it from the grimoire. Thanks to your mom, of course."
Anita raised a brow.
"She translated the spell's meaning. That's how I knew what it does."
"Oh. Yeah," Anita admitted after a thought.
"Guys," Mdachi suddenly called in slight distress, staring at the fence.
"But you didn't have to use a spell to remove the cloaking one," Anita continued, oblivious to Mdachi.
"Yeah, but I wanted to show off what I'd learned," Edward smirked.
"Guys, look!" Mdachi urged, frantically patting Anita's shoulder.
"What, Dachi?" Anita asked, annoyed—until her eyes widened at what he was pointing to.
Edward's eyes widened too.
"The door is wrecked," said Mdachi.
"Well, we can see that too, Mdachi," Anita said.
"I wasn't sure you were. Wha... why is that door—Edward, did you wreck it during the uncloaking spell?"
"No, no, of course not."
"Then why is it like that?"
"He must've reversed a spell that had been used to fix it after it was wrecked," Anita said decisively.
"But... that's a very nasty wreck," Mdachi added skeptically.
"Caused by a nasty, vicious, humongous something?" Anita raised her shoulder meaningfully. She knew the boys understood what she was hinting at. Their eyes clouded with shock.
"Oohh, I think I need popcorn for what's about to come next."
The three spun around instantly, hearts racing, as the voice drifted over from Mrs. Wanjiku's side of the wooden fence.