DAVID'S ROOM
David woke up with a start.
Jane was standing beside his bed, her arms crossed, her head tilted, a small smile on her lips. The blue scarf was around her neck.
"Can I have five minutes of your time?" she asked.
"How did you" David stammered, sitting up, his heart pounding. "How did you get in?"
She didn't answer. She just stepped forward and hugged him.
Tight. Quick. Warm.
David hugged her back. His arms wrapped around her, held her, didn't let go.
"How have you been?" he asked.
She pulled back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I've been good." She looked at him. "You look great. Your frame is filled out."
"Your hair looks more white."
"I like your fuller hair too. It suits you." She touched her own head. "And the headband."
She stood up and looked around his room.
"Is this actually your room?"
Walls covered in art. Papers everywhere. Drawings of Phobias, of Vanguards, of manga panels. Comics stacked on the desk. Manga piled on the shelves. His laptop was playing a sports match, the volume low.
"Yeah," David said, suddenly self-conscious. "Normally it's not this messy. I didn't know you were coming."
He started picking things up, shoving clothes into a closet, stacking papers into a pile.
Jane picked up a sketchbook.
She flipped through it.
Drawings of her. Page after page. The UTME Jane. The laughing Jane. The Jane who walked away.
"Your drawings are really good," she said. "Wow. There's a lot."
She looked at him.
"I missed you too, David."
He didn't know what to say.
"So what are you doing here?" he asked. "I mean, I'm not complaining. I thought I'd never see you again after the arcade hangout."
She walked toward the door.
"You wanna get out of here? I brought my Mercedes. Without the driver."
"Wait, how did your dad allow that?"
"He didn't."
"I'm grounded, I think."
"Grounded?" Jane raised an eyebrow. "As in punished?" She looked at him, arms crossed. "Wow, that happens in Nigeria now?"
She laughed.
"Too bad. Is the demon hunter grounded?"
She walked out of his room.
David sat there for a moment.
I mean—
He stood. Changed quickly. Opened the window. Jumped out.
He landed in front of Jane and her green Mercedes.
The blue scarf was on the passenger seat.
She was already behind the wheel.
---
DAVID'S ROOM — MOMENTS LATER
His parents walked in.
The bed was empty. The window was open. The room smelled like him, but he wasn't there.
His mother's face tightened.
"This boy wants to kill me."
His father said nothing.
They left.
---
ON THE STREETS OF BENIN
Jane drove fast.
Not reckless. Thrilling. The city lights blurred past the windows. The engine hummed. David gripped the door handle.
"I see why you have a driver," he said.
"Oh no," she said, cutting ahead of another car. "I'm a law-abiding driver."
"Sarcasm doesn't suit you."
"But it does for you."
"I don't know what you mean hehe."
They laughed.
"How has work been?"
David was quiet for a moment.
"Honestly? I don't know."
Jane nodded.
"I left the country. With my family. We went to Hawaii. It was so good."
David turned to look at her.
"There was this lady on the beach," Jane continued. "She was so acrobatic. I thought she was a demon hunter in disguise."
"A demon hunter."
"And there was this white guy. Tan so much. He collected my number."
David's eyes narrowed.
"White guy?"
"Yeah. His name is actually David too. Crazy, right?"
"Crazy." David leaned back. "So what about him?"
Jane accelerated.
"Honestly, this extended break was needed. I was feeling the pressure of studying so consistently."
She glanced at him.
"Do you want to drive?"
"The last time I drove, I was fifteen. Almost got into an accident. I'm not a driver anymore."
Jane smiled.
She pressed the pedal.
"Woah—" David grabbed the door again. "Jane—"
She laughed and kept driving.
They stopped in front of a restaurant. MATICE. They bought ice cream and hamburgers. They ate in the car.
Her phone rang.
She stepped out to answer it.
David watched her through the window. Her body language was tense. She was pacing. She hung up and got back in.
"Hope all is well," he said.
"Yeah, yeah."
"Sure?"
"Yeah I am David, why so formal now?"
"It's that obvious."
"Yes it is."
She started the car.
AT AN HOTEL — SUITE HOTEL
They stood at the top of a staircase, looking down at the swimming pool. Lights reflected off the water. People swam and laughed and floated on their backs.
"Never thought I'd enter this hotel," David said. "Or your dad's own, to be honest."
"Stop saying that."
She looked at the pool.
"You'd like to swim."
"Maybe. I'm not that good of a swimmer, though."
He remembered Ruese. The pool. Page 52. The water that had saved him.
He chuckled.
"That's alright," Jane said. "I'm not that good myself."
They went down.
IN THE POOL
They changed into swim clothes. David wore dark trunks. Jane wore a simple black one-piece. They entered the water.
She was faster than him. Smoother. Her strokes were clean, effortless. He tried to keep up. Reinforced his muscles with Faith just to stay close.
"How's the demon hunting life, actually?" she asked, treading water.
"Honestly? It's been hard. But the people I've met have been fun."
"Okay, I've seen the Sasuke boy. And the Sakura girl. And the shooter. Is that right?"
David laughed.
"Praise? Sakura girl? What the hell." He shook his head. "I don't think the similarities are there. She's pretty talented. The things I've seen her do are crazy. Like the level is so high."
He pushed water away.
"And Jonathan, he's definitely the Sasuke type. Always wants to be the hero. There was this time in Calabar, he jumped into a blast meant for me. He does try to talk, though."
He smiled.
"Joy is really fun. Her vibe is so crazy. She's cool too."
"Your friends sound really nice," Jane said.
"There's this woman, Tessy. She's so fast. Like the Flash."
"Wow."
"She's crazy strong. Like Superman. I don't think she's human, honestly."
He swam a few strokes.
"Ivie is like Batman, to some extent. Eloghosa is like a child but the strongest."
"Like Gojo," Jane said.
"Yeah, yeah. The parallels are similar. There was this time he brought me to a fight in the middle of a date with you."
"Oh, I remember that. The five-minute lie."
"Yeah. I'm sorry."
David stopped swimming.
"Ezra," he said. "May his soul rest in peace. Honestly, he was the quiet one. Huge. Like crazy huge. The mission I spent with him in Port Harcourt was eye-opening about the kind of person he was. In another life, we would have been best friends, honestly. I love him so much."
He paused.
Jane giggled.
"I miss him too," she said.
"How about your parents?" she asked.
"It's... cool. I want to tell them. But I don't know."
"Honestly, you shouldn't tell them," Jane said. "It would hurt them so much."
"Yeah. Oh well. It's just hard trying to connect with my dad. I've forgiven worse people, but what he did hurt me so much personally. I've forgiven him, but I haven't forgotten."
"Yeah, I've felt that about you." Jane swam closer. "But I remember something in the Bible. Jesus said forgive seventy times seven. Or something like that. Still try and give him a chance, you know?"
David looked at her.
"You're actually talking like me now." He laughed.
"Your influence really rubbed off on me, engine boy."
"Don't put that stereotype on me."
She laughed.
"It's always so great to talk to you, David."
"Yeah. You too, Jane."
"You and me," she said. "We're the same."
"Okay..."
"In the important ways."
They laughed.
"Honestly," Jane said. "I still like you a lot."
David looked at her.
"I'm just really scared about the demon things that I can't see. I know maybe you'd have someone new now. Maybe the Sakura girl from your demon hunting society. But I'd like to be in touch with you again. I really miss you."
David was quiet.
"Wow," he said. "Thanks. That's actually... wow. I have no words."
He shook his head.
"Praise is like a sister to me. Literally. She's older, by five years. She's just my senior or partner, depending on the circumstances."
Jane laughed.
"I'm just teasing you."
They hugged in the water.
---
BACK AT THE PARTY
Jane and David sat at a side table, plates of food in front of them.
Israel brought more. Egusi soup. Pounded yam. He set it down, nodded at Jane, and left.
"Feelings make me hungry," Jane said, eating.
"This egusi soup and pounded yam will quench that hunger."
"Your choice of words is so funny sometimes."
Across the room, David's parents watched.
"So she's the one?" his mother asked.
His father didn't answer.
---
"This Faith thing is complicated," Jane said. "So everyone can manipulate Faith, but not everyone has a Gift? And you need Faith to kill Phobias? And they're not demons?"
"Yeah. There's one Phobia I kind of like, honestly."
Jane looked at him strangely.
"Scotto. He was so interesting. And so dangerous. I grew so much because of him. And Tessy."
"How come you're always in contact with females?"
"Don't worry, she's like—"
"Sister and partner? Right? You already said that about Praise. Let me guess, Ivie too?"
"Yeah, actually but she's more of a mentor."
They giggled.
Her phone rang.
David reached for it.
"I was just trying to—"
Jane grabbed it. Fast. Too fast. Her face flickered.
"It's nothing."
She cut the call.
"Sorry," David said. "I was just trying to give it to you."
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to react like that."
---
David's mother approached.
"Hello."
Jane stood quickly.
"Good evening, Ma. Good evening, Sir." She nodded at David's father. "I've heard so much about you. It's nice to meet you."
David put his hand over his face.
His mother pulled out a photo. A drawing. Jane's face.
"This must be you."
"Happy birthday, Sir. Your son is really gifted."
"Jane and I are friends from school," David said.
"We were just catching up," Jane added.
"Don't take him from me," his mother said.
"Oh no—"
"I'm just kidding." She laughed. "He's on house arrest, so you can't. Don't break his heart."
"Okay, Mummy, please—"
Jane's phone rang again.
"I have to leave," she said. "My dad is calling. I wish I could stay longer."
She shook David's father's hand.
Then she was gone.
David stared after her, his hands over his face.
His father nodded at his mother. She stayed. He left.
—
David's mother sat beside him.
"I'm sorry for cursing at you, Mummy."
She got close to him. Slapped his shoulder lightly.
"Hope I didn't spoil your shot?"
"What the hell?" David laughed. "Shot? You're like me, honestly."
"It's just hard seeing my little boy being a man now."
"Yeah."
"You know you can tell me anything, Dave."
She looked at him. Spoke a little Benin Edo language.
David nodded.
He breathed in.
He looked at his green aura flickering on his fingers.
"I'm..." He sighed. "I'm really sorry I was disrespectful. You raised me better. I should show it."
His mother looked disappointed.
"Go."
David looked at her.
"She seems like a really wealthy and nice girl."
"Is this a prank?"
"No, it's not." She touched his face, arranged his hair. "Let me fix you up. Wow, your hair is really soft."
She stepped back.
"For years, I've been taking care of this little boy. Making sure he is loved. That he is never alone. Never in need of two parents."
She looked at him.
"But looks like you want to go out into the world and do great big things. What I worry about most is that out there, you'll be all alone. And I won't be there for you. Like me."
She glanced at his father across the room.
"Your dad is really trying. I usually don't give a shit after what he did. But he's really trying."
She took David's hands.
"So here's the deal. Wherever you go from here, you have to promise to look out for yourself. For me. Make sure you never forget where you came from. Never doubt that you are loved. Never let anyone outside tell you that you don't belong there."
"Okay."
"And when you come home…..and you better come home….you're going to be early. And you're going to be holding a normal gift for your dad."
"Yeah. Okay."
"You have to promise."
"I promise."
"Just don't lose sight of God. He's always here for you. On God."
"Don't say 'on God,' Mom. You're too old for that."
He laughed. She hugged him.
She slapped his shoulder.
"Now go."
He stood.
"And when you come back, you're still under house arrest."
He kept laughing.
"It will be like a play," she said, laughing too. "But you're still in prison."
"Yeah, I thought. See you later. With a gift."
He moved. Fast. Out of the party, into the night.
---