"Who are you?"
Maraye pressed a knife to the girls neck, who froze in fear.
"Your wound…" she squeaked, her heart racing at the thought of being hurt by the knife.
"Yeeeeehhhh!"
Pain bloomed across Maraye's chest like fire consuming her from the inside.
She winced hard, the knife slipping out of her hand as every strength left her body.
On the floor as the world blurred around her, Maraye saw the concerned face of the young girl, speaking incoherent words at her. Or maybe she was hearing it wrong…
"Are you alright?..."
The voice sounded drowned and fading, as her consciousness slipped away…
Maraye's eyes fluttered open, but for some reason, the ceiling kept bleeding into the river she'd drowned in.
Her captain, Izi's blade flashed again, just behind her eyelids. The smell of herbs didn't belong here.
Someone outside was talking or was that her mother's voice again?
Home?...But she had left five years ago…
Maraye stood up, a sharp pain pierced her and she winced, immediately sitting back on the bed.
She stared down at her own wound as memories of the cursed night came rushing back.
The very same place her captain, Izi, had stabbed her. She really thought she was gone for good.
Maraye exhaled, her hands turning cold at the thought of being hunted down. If they were to ever realize she had survived…
But then the question remained, how had she survived?
The wound on her chest was deadly. If she could put it that way.
What's going on? Where am I? Maraye panicked, realising she had no memory of everything else that went down the moment she was pushed into the river.
She sighed, sucking in deep breaths. The smell of incense wafted into her nose and Maraye turned towards the burning stick. Her chest heaved up and down in a more calm rythym without her even realising.
A cool breeze caressed her braids, cooling her coloured skin. She sucked in, releasing a breath of calm. It felt as though she was being pacified.
"You are awake" Maraye jerked at the voice of an elderly woman. Shrinking back she hid her face, as though afraid of being recognised.
The woman paused by the door, contemplating something before she finally spoke.
"You need to eat something" she said before closing the door again.
Maraye relaxed again, glancing around the room, lost in thoughts.
For some reason, it felt as though she had seen or heard this woman speak before. It felt strange yet too vague to deny.
The mud room felt cool, yet most importantly it felt like home, something she hadn't seen in the past five years.
The bed wasn't soft, yet it wasn't hard on the body. The smell of bitter leaf brought back memories she wanted to forget, she was sure the lady was a physician.
Her eyes caught the small shape of a bead stand…
Left on her own, with absolutely no clue of what to do or who they were, Maraye laid back in bed, knowing fully well she couldn't runaway in this state. Neither could she properly defend herself.
Her thoughts clawed at her skull like trapped birds. Each memory bit her from the inside out. Sleep would have been mercy, but mercy had drowned with her that night.
"Maraye!" Her mother's voice scolded
"Aye!" Her captain's voice followed
"Maraye, please" The very voice of someone she so much refused to remember or talk about resounded.
She turned again, restless. Tears threatening to spill but overriden by guilt and years of bad decisions, her throat swelled as though blocked by a huge lump.
"Can I come in?" a voice interrupted her bitter thoughts. She looked up to see the young girl from earlier with her usual smile. She stood a bit awkward, carrying a wooden tray of food, Maraye wasn't sure what it was.
She frowned, struggling to school her expression.
Blinking the tears back in, turning away from the young girl.
"Yes" she managed to answer. It wasn't her house after all, them already asking was far too polite of them.
The girl's smile widened, coming to sit close to the frowning patient.
"Mother said to help you eat" her voice was bubbly, as though she had managed to retain the innocence of a child while not being one anymore.
"I'm fine thank you" Maraye politely rejected, not wanting to be bothered. She withdrew further into the bed, hoping the girl would take a hint.
"Eat. The dead don't heal on empty stomach" Another voice spoke and both girls turned to see the woman at the door again.
Maraye gasped, turning in surprise "...I'm I dead?"
The question slipped out. She sat up expectantly
Is this the afterlife? She wondered, lost in thoughts.
"Partially…" the woman answered after a long silence.
"What?... I don't understand."
"So I'm dead?"
"Or I'm dying?"
Maraye spiralled, her hands trembling again, confused about everything. What was most important at the moment was knowing where she stood before others did…especially her master.
"You'll only get answers to your questions when you eat" The woman said with an air of finality before turning away to step out.
"Ayo, make sure our patient is well fed." Her last words before opening the door.
Maraye frowned, glaring at the retreating woman.
Ayo chuckled, her smile was contagious but definitely not with someone like Maraye.
"Don't mind her, she can be very strict when it comes to certain things." The young girl consoled. Maraye only stared at her. Silence creeped into the room.
The weird memory of Maraye attacking the young girl with a knife, creeped in after the silence.
Their eyes met for a brief second as though remembering. Maraye looked away, embarrassed.
" No it's okay, I understand you didn't mean to hurt me" she smiled again, revealing her black pretty gums. Setting the wooden stool for the food.
Maraye for some reason could smell the lie in her words. She remained silent for a while, wondering what to say.
Her social skills were fried since the past five years.
"You lie." Were the first words she found herself spitting.
Ayo paused, glancing towards the frowning patient before her. Her eyes twitched for a second, something Maraye caught immediately.
No one spoke for a while…
"I'm sorry" she apologized, the silence was becoming unnerving.
"For what?" Ayo answered, her eyes sparkled and one couldn't tell if it was filled with mischief or if it was of innocence.
For some reason…it felt strange.
"For attacking you earlier" Maraye finished. Watching the other girl nod and return her focus back to arranging the tray.
Maraye stared at the tray of food, hesitant. She sucked in air the ever burning incense caressing her nose before wafting in, It calmed her a little.
Yet questions still swarmed in her mind. She turned towards the young girl.
"Where is this place?"
"Mother said you have to eat first. You shouldn't ask questions with a wound still open" Ayo shook her head, the smile never left her face.
"Please, just this one question. Come on" Maraye coaxed, frustrated. Eager, she grabbed the girl's hands, shocking both of them
Retrieving her hands fast, like she touched hot coal, Maraye adjusted on the bed—uncomfortable.
Ayo chuckled, amused.
"Relax it's alright…So you really want to know where this place is?"
Maraye's eagerness returned. "Yes"
"...We are in my mother's house" she answered sweetly.
Confusion hit Maraye like a canon, then it turned into anger, then frustration.
"Are you messing with me?" She hissed, glaring daggers.
"No I'm being serious actually." The girl shrugged. "You need to eat now."
Silence fell into the room again with Maraye glaring at the young girl before her. She clenched her fist, trying to contain herself.
"We are in Ara kingdom" Ayo finally answered correctly. For some reason, watching her patient seeth in anger was sort of satisfying.
Maraye straightened again, listening.
"This village is the closest to the river, where we found you." Ayo finally answered.
"You found me in the river? …And just thought to bring me to your house?" Maraye squinted.
For some reason, she believed people only did things for their benefits.
"Well I don't know anything, Mama just said we have a patient" Ayo shrugged once again.
Leaving Maraye confused again.
So I'm still in Ara kingdo-
"Oh before I forget, My black pearl? Ayo requested.
"What?" Maraye glanced at the girl's outstretched hands.
"What pearl?"
"I didn't take any black pearl"
"Yes you did. Look behind you" She pointed towards the corner of the bed.
Maraye glanced towards where she pointed and indeed saw a black pearl sitting there.
She frowned, trying to recollect when she stole it.
"You held onto it tightly in the water, I couldn't pry it off" she chuckled, her hands still outstretched, waiting for Maraye to give it.
"Sorry" she took the pearl to give it back, her hands still tightly holding it.
Almost placing the pearl in her hands Maraye paused, contemplating.
For a moment it seemed as though she didn't want to give it.
Ayo grabbed her hand, her smile growing wider, yet tight.
"Give it" she gritted, yanking it off her hands.
Maraye's hands curled at the loss of the pearl. Yet she said nothing.
"Time to eat" she cheered, her stares were poking, as though looking for something. Maraye hated it but she could do nothing for now.
"Here" she offered her patient a slightly ripe tangerine.
The girl froze, seeing the cursed fruit before her. She shook her head "no thanks"
Sighing, Ayo peeled the tangerine herself into a small bowl.
"You have to eat it"
The sharp tangy scent filled the air as each layer of peel came off the fruit, and Maraye's nose twitched, her fingers trembled for a split second.
"A thief!" she heard a viscous voice hiss
A sharp slap struck her face and Maraye flinched, closing her eyes instinctively.
"Are you okay?" Ayo's voice brought her back to the present.
She only exhaled, too stunned to speak. She had thought too highly of herself, thinking she could handle it all.
Seeing the girl calm down slightly, Ayo opened the bowl of food, the scent of pap wafted into Maraye's nose, causing her stomach to rumble loudly.
She turned away embarrassed.
"Do you want me to leave the room?" gesturing towards the door, Ayo tilted her head, with a flattery smile to get a reaction from Maraye.
Looking her dead in the eyes, Maraye only gave one reply
"Yes."
Ayo's smile faltered for a brief second, disappointed.
"Alright" she walked out of the room.
Maraye's eyes followed until she was finally left alone in the room.
Her eyes made it's way back to the fresh steaming pap on the wooden stool.
The finely arranged tangerines by the side made her cringe, but she was hungry and for some reason, the pap looked inviting.
The simple layout of honey atop the white smooth pap was more than enough to increase her appetite.
She grabbed her wooden spoon and moved closer, gently avoiding opening her wound again.
She picked out every single tangerine and carefully place it to the side, instinctively touching the side of her cheek before focusing on her food again.
Alone in the room with no one to watch her wild behavior, Maraye devoured the pap like a child tasting candy for the first time. The sour yet sweet honey balanced pap felt smooth and succulent.
Without even realizing it, she had finished the whole bowl of pap that for some reason felt like it was refilling itself.
Now heaving gently with a full stomach, Maraye leaned against the wall, sweating and panting.
Slowly yet surely as the gentle breeze flowed in, she succumbed to sleep, a usual occurrence after a delicacy such as pap was taken.
The door slowly slid open, and Ayo tiptoed back into the room. A silly smile on her face at the state Maraye was in.
She watched the girl's shoulders relax for the first time since she was awake. Her chest heaving up and down in a steady rythym.
Ayo's eyes wandered towards the tray of food, seeing as she had completely left the tangerine untouched, she squinted before smiling again glancing back towards the stubborn patient.
She scooted closer, finally having the chance to pay attention to the girls features. Now that she wasn't frowning or glaring, she looked pretty, like a delicate coloured doll, as though her skin was made out of the black pearl itself.
Ayo's eyes glowed with something unfathomable, her smile lessened a bit, an original expression, one that was hard to describe finally crossing her face as she continued to stare.
Maraye's lashes beautifully lay on her dark pearly skin, the sweat highlighting her glow. Her pink lips were full and soft, attracting stares if she should ever smile.
Ayo moved a little closer, her eyes lingering somewhere…
She paused, hesitant for a brief second before moving too close towards the girls face…
"What are you doing!"
Ayonna jumped in fright, a strutted gasp escaping her lips at the strict voice of her mother.
The older woman stared at her daughter in awe, more disappointed than shocked.
"Ayo!"
... The room immediately turned hot.