Through the Grapevine

Chapter 3- Malawi

Interrogating Jean-Louis was better than I expected. He had tan skin, and dark blonde hair. His eyes were the type of the blue that made your stomach flip. At least mine.

Scarlett looked like the sister of Jean, only with lighter skin, taller body, and longer hair, and some tattoos( one of a fish-weird-, and one running along her arm depicting her life. I could see me, and her family, a bunch of clones of her). Scarlett was straight into work, but I was distracted. Did he see my scars on my wrist, from when I was 14 and depressed? Scarlett was also depressed, when I met her, but she was better at hiding her scars. If she had any.

Apparently Jean had been feeling the symptoms(sore head, hallucinations, shaking, forgetfulness), for a week. A week! That meant we had 3 weeks. Why couldn't the trackers be better? I scolded myself for being so selfish, they were doing it as best as they could.

But it wasn't enough.

I was feeling all doom-and-gloom, when something spiked my interest.

"I kept on seeing this tunnel , and this dark light emitting from it," Was Jean describing the hideout of the Gollywoggles? If so...

Scarlett looked like she had reached the same conclusion as me, and she scribbled down the details, as Jean described it.

This could be the case to end all cases!

The moment was shattered when the beeping started. His food was ready, so he left.

"We need to go to this tunnel," Scarlett and I said at the same time. A few people snickered.

"I think I know where it is," Scarlett started," It's in that lane behind Readings, Carlton."
Jean interrupted us by putting some chicken and chips on the table. I ate a bit, but all the while my mind was wondering. Was this it? Did I seriously have a crush on Jean?

I hoped the latter wasn't true.

We were in the cab, when Jean doubled over in pain. I quickly asked;

"Are you OK?"

He just motioned to his head.

I rummaged through my bag, hoping to find... the cream that Scarlett had handed to me.

"Thanks," I mumbled as I applied it. It stood out, being a dark green, but it worked.

"Thank you," Jean was addressing both of us, but he was looking at me. My heart did a flip, and I smiled weakly at him.

We split the bill, even though it was small.

"Hey, is that you?" He pointed at my sister, on the photo I kept in my wallet.

"No, I'm the one draped in the flag ," Jean stared at me.

"I'm Bi. I-I got bullied, but I ran away and got treatment. Being a bisexual felt right but- I was bullied, which is part of the reason I got depressed," I explained, tears forming in my eyes. Stupid girl, stupid.

"Part of the-" Jean was interrupted by me saying;

"I don't want to talk about it."

I handed Scarlett the money, trying t0 distract myself from the torrent of thoughts;

I was 11 and now was far away from my family. The house was different from the one which I had when I lived with my family. They had bullied me, and hadn't let myself be myself, so I left, with a wad of money.

I was 12, and stood in line, as the old man started choosing his new wife. I hoped it wouldn't be me. But who did I want it to be? Noone. This man can have no wives, instead of 4. I was dragged out, screaming.

I was 14, and had a knife in hand. I ran it across my wrist, hoping the physical pain would dull the emotional one. I was so, so wrong. A girl came rushing in, making my heart double over. This was Amahle, my first crush. She threw the knife away.

3 months later I was kissing her, feeling euphoric. It couldn't cure me, but it helped. Her lips were so soft, and warm... then my husband, Thato, saw me. He beat us, and I never saw Amahle again.

I tried to focus on something else... books! I felt like running into Readings, and grabbing a book, my fingers itched, but I focused on the the task that lay ahead.