RAINE'S BIRTHDAY

She looked behind her, watching out for movement. All was quiet and she walked on, trying her best to be silent. Her phone disrupted the silence, and she brough it out of her pocket and silenced it before registering the caller id.

"Hello Raine, what did you say you wanted on your birthday cake" Ifunanya asked.
“Hello, Ifunanya, let me call you back please. I am in the middle of something” she whispered quickly, before ending the call. She heard footsteps from a distance, and crouched low. The footsteps seemed to be ahead of her, so she followed silently.

The weather was too hot, and beads of sweat ran down her back. Her aldo boots are really dusty, and the thought of how hard it is to get dust out of suede hit her. she sighed and forged ahead. Nothing was going to stop her. not tonight.



She wondered why her elder sister was calling her so late at night concerning a birthday that was still days away. She looked at her wrist watch, almost ten thirty. She came to the end of the corridor and paused. Like she expected, they were gathered in the middle of the hall, in a circle. Raine brought out her phone, knowing that the pictures she was about to take would be of terrible quality due to lighting. But she could not afford to use the flash of her camera. The V.C wanted evidence, and the pictures would have to do.

The next morning, Raine was at the VC’s office with the pictures. She stood and watched the old man peer at the pictures. Surprisingly, she had been able to get a few clear ones, and she knew the VC could not keep denying what was happening right under his nose.

“Sir, I have to leave now, but these pictures would be published in the school magazine this week” Raine said breaking the silence.

“You have to be careful, as the editor of the magazine you would be in danger if you did that”

“Sir, that is a risk I am prepared to take. I expect the school authority to do what is necessary, to bring these nocturnal activities to an end. Thank you sir” Raine said, leaving the office.

The school was abuzz with the news in the school magazine. Everybody seemed to be whispering, and Ifunanya knew Raine was responsible. She walked towards her room, wondering what to do about her sister’s dare devilish act. She knocked on the door, and Raine opened.


“What do you think you are doing, do you know how dangerous these people are?” Ifunanya asked.
“I do not care how dangerous they are, I must bring their reign of terror to an end. All the killings and kidnappings happening, must stop. This is supposed to be a learning environment, not a place of terror and anguish” Raine replied talking fast.

Ifunanya was exasperated, she sat on the bed and starred at her younger sister, who was grinning from ear to ear.

“Those pictures were the bomb right?” Raine asked obviously excited.
“I do not even want to talk about that” Ifunanya replied.
Raine sat by her side, and put her arms across her shoulders. “Cheer up, nothing would happen to me” she said.

Raine sat calmly, looking at the boy in front of her. she observed her surroundings, looking out for possible means of escape. It has been two days since she was abducted from her room, but she was not bothered.
“What is it that gives you such morale? You are not scared why?” the guy asked.

“Why should I be scared? You guys expect me to shake and shiver? Sorry to disappoint you” Raine replied.

He hit her across the face, but she didn’t even blink. She smiled slowly, watching as the vein on the guy’s forehead throbbed. She was enjoying this.



 Ifunanya looked at the screen of her laptop, and the green beep was still beeping. She looked at the time, tempted to alert the VC now. But Raine had insisted that she stuck to the plan. She wondered why she had agreed to this plan in the first place. But Raine always had a way to get what she wanted. She lay on the bed and waited. The time passed too slowly.



“Why did you kill Angela? She didn’t do anything to you guys” Raine asked the guy hours later.
“Shut up” he replied.
“You want to kill me too don’t you? So there is no harm in telling me why you killed my friend Angela. She has been missing for months now, but I know you killed her” Raine said starring at him.
“Shut up your mouth, you know absolutely nothing” the guy responded.
“It would soon be time for you, we would see how brave you really are.”
“If anything happens to me, you guys are the first suspects” Raine told the guy, after being silent for a while.
“No… that is where you are wrong. All those in your pictures, would have air tight alibis. You don’t think we are fools do you?”
For the first time since her abduction, Raine felt a tremor of fear run down her spine.



She was tied to a stake, and the semi naked guys gyrated around her. She looked up at the clouds, and wondered what was going to happen to her. The fetish ceremony had been going on for over an hour and a guy walked towards her menacingly, with a knife that looked really sharp.

Then a man walked out of the shadows, coming closer to her. when the glare of the flames fell across his face, Raine gasped. It was the VC.
He smiled at her, registering her shock. Then he took the knife from the young man, and Raine realized it was over. Her savior was going to be her downfall. She wondered what he had done to Ifunanya. Obviously, she had trusted the wrong person.

He came close to her, and whispered into her ears. Then he held the knife, and was about to slit her throat.


“DROP IT” came a voice through a bullhorn. The VC froze, and Ifunanya strode into the circle, accompanied by some police men.
Raine had never been so happy to see anyone in her life. Ifunanya ran towards her, and untied her hands hugging her.

"This should be the last time you try something like this." Ifunanya whispered.

"It worked didn't it?"  Raine said smiling weakly.

"You could have been killed" Ifunanya responded, checking Raine to make sure she was okay.

"I am okay, Thank God. It's over now" Raine said, watching the police men lead the cultists away.

"This was really stupid, a really terrible idea" Ifunanya continued.

"So do you plan on reprimanding me from here till we get home?" Raine asked.

"Yes, and then some more. What a way to spend your birthday. Happy Birthday darling" she hugs her sister once again.

"O yes. It is my birthday" Raine responded laughing.

"Let us go and have some cake" Ifunanya said pulling her sister gently along.

Happy Birthday bv Raine. Wishing you long life and prosperity, Health Wealth and Happiness. From your sister Ifunanya, Ivy and Opus

written by Ivy Brown

LIFE IS A CHOICE MY FRIENDS

SO CHOOSE WISELY

ENOUGH SAID

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