Aisha grew up alongside her half-sister, Fatima who was Ma Kesem's niece. Her father had died in an auto-crash a year ago so Ma Kesem brought her in to live with her as her second daughter and as Aisha's younger sister.
Though, Aisha was only three years older than Fatima. She was grateful to a have a sister. Someone she could grow up with and play with. She never cared about the fact that Fatima was from a different race.
The sisters played with the other kids in their street. When they came home from school in the evening. They would gather around and play all sorts of games they could think of. Some of Aisha's friends called her 'Afro-Rapunzel'. A nickname which Aisha loved because of her thick long hair and her blue colored eyes.
"Aisha! Fatima! Get here right now!" Ma Kesem yelled as she stood at the front door of her house.
Aisha and Fatima's eyes met each other as they played with their friends. They realized they were in big trouble because Ma Kesem had warned them a countless number of times never to stay outside playing when the sun set.
Aisha and Fatima raced to their house before Ma Kesem could call their name again because that would be another trouble entirely. There was nothing worse than when Ma Kesem called their names twice when they were in trouble and they didn't answer. It was like adding salt to an injury.
Ma Kesem held the iron door open as Aisha and Fatima entered. She took her time and shut it lock then turned and faced her daughters with her hands on her waist in akimbo.
The face Ma Kesem made, frightened Fatima so much, she hid behind Aisha.
"Mom, we're sorry" Aisha quickly said.
"Yes mom. We really are" Fatima added to backup Aisha's statement.
Ma Kesem took a deep breath as she stared at her daughters. "What did I say about staying out late?" She asked.
"We might get kidnapped" Aisha answered.
"And you disobeyed me. You're twelve, Aisha. You should know better"
"I'm sorry"
"Sorry doesn't heal the scars, Aisha"
Aisha was at her study table reading a book she had borrowed from her school library. She forced herself to read the tiny words printed on the pages of the book because the candle light was too dim for her to read besides she had a poor eye sight. She yawned and closed her book then wore her jacket which she had hung on the back of her chair. She emptied all the books in her bag before hanging it on her back.
There was a light knock on Aisha's room door.
Aisha hoped it wasn't Ma Kesem or else she would have to explain why she was wearing a jacket with her bag on her back. Her left palm still felt sore because of the beatings she had received from Ma Kesem an hour ago. Ma Kesem had beaten her more times than she beat Fatima. Ma Kesem explained she scolded her more because she is the eldest and she ought to set a good example for Fatima.
"Come in. The door is open" Aisha said.
Fatima walked inside the room and closed the door carefully so it wouldn't make any noise which would wake Ma Kesem.
Aisha breathed out, relieved that it wasn't Ma Kesem.
"Does your palm still hurt because mine still does" Fatima said in her cute sweet voice. She didn't really look like an Asian kid. Her lips were light pink and her cheeks were plump even her eyes weren't really slanted like Ma Kesem's eyes. She looked more like an Asian-American.
"Of course but I'm fine" Aisha responded.
"At least you, you can still do your homework" Fatima sighed because Ma Kesem had beaten her on her right palm.
Aisha stared at Fatima.
"I'm sorry. It was my fault anyway"
Aisha chuckled and tugged Fatima's cheek playfully and smiled at her. She couldn't understand why Fatima took the fault on herself. She went to her room window and lifted the lid.
Fatima tapped Aisha on her back.
Aisha turned and looked at her.
"Where are you going by this time of the night?" She asked.
"An adventure" Aisha grimaced at Fatima.
"After that I'll get some beans cake from the restaurant" She poked Fatima on her chest then poked herself and said. "For you and me. I'll be back soon"
"Can't you wait till tomorrow morning" Fatima retorted. "The road to the restaurant is filled with kidnappers and smugglers"
"I'll take the road to bar beach if you insist"
"Don't go. It's not safe"
"But I'm hungry and I don't like the food that's at home" Aisha complained slightly raising her voice a little.
"What if- what if you get in trouble?"
"That's the best part of an adventure"
Aisha corked her right brow as she said. Fatima wanted to talk again. She stretched and quickly placed her fingers on Fatima's lips so she wouldn't utter another word. She quietly climbed out of the window. She closed the window and winked at Fatima with a small grin then ran into the dark open street.
Fatima stood at the window and watched as Aisha ran down the street. She imagined Aisha running back home but Aisha was gone.
Aisha arrived at Ma Kesem's restaurant some minutes after sneaking out of the house. The environment was dark and chill because the restaurant was close to the beach. Toads and crickets made creepy sounds around the restaurant, unlike the whistling sounds of the cold breeze that blew around the restaurant. Aisha thought ghosts were laughing at her. Deep down, she didn't believe in ghosts or spirits. She was a Christian and she wasn't supposed to believe in all those type of things.
The lights in the sign board which hung on the arch at the door post of the restaurant flickered on and off as usual.
Aisha searched her bag for her spare key to the restaurant but it was missing. She almost panicked in fear. She scratched her head as she remembered Ma Kesem had seized her spare key because of her bad habit of going to the restaurant during the weekends at night to eat without informing her. She checked the backdoor of the restaurant but it was locked too. She thought of climbing into the restaurant through the window but she doubted she could because she wasn't tall enough to reach any of the window panes. She breathed out the cold air and rubbed her palms together to keep herself warm. The best thing to do now was to go back home.
Aisha took to her heels back home. She never looked back as she ran until she heard a car driving behind her.
The car overtook Aisha and parked a few blocks close to where she was.
Aisha stopped on her feet. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest. Her palms became moist as she saw two male figures come down from the van.
Some of the streetlights by the side of the street became extremely bright then blew off. It frightened Aisha .A spark from the bulbs followed.
Aisha immediately cried for help at the top her lungs and quickly ran away from the men. No one had to tell her the men behind her were kidnappers. "No! No! No!" She cried heavily as she ran. She was in big trouble. She didn't know where she was going. She just wanted to get away from the kidnappers.
The footsteps of the men were getting closer behind Aisha as she ran. They were also chasing her. A twelve year old could never outrun them but she had to try.
Aisha stopped in an alley and took a deep breath as gasped for air. Just when she thought she had lost the men, a black sack swallowed her from head down to her feet. She tried to fight her way out inside the sack as she was lifted from the ground but there was no possible way of coming out from the sack.
The inside of the sack had a strong smell that made Aisha dizzy till she stopped struggling and fell asleep.
The sound of the van stopping woke Aisha from her sleep. She stood up on her bare feet inside the back of the van. Her legs wobbled as she tried to stand on her feet without falling. The doors at the back of the van flew open.
One of the men grabbed Aisha's hands that were tied together with a rope and aggressively dragged her out of the van. She fell on her knees on the ground and coughed heavily because of the dust.
One of the men gestured at Aisha with a gun to get up on her feet.
Aisha quickly stood up without any remorse.
The man spoke in a foreign language which Aisha didn't really understand. The man wore a muffler round his neck and a thick brown jacket. He had a muscular built and there were scars on most parts of his face.
Aisha looked around the environment she found herself in. She thought she was in another part of the beach close to the restaurant but the absence of the sea made her realize she was way far from home. She was in the middle of nowhere in a desert.
"Where am I?" She stuttered as she asked.
None of the kidnappers answered Aisha. One of them took her to a big camp filled with tents and laborers. They were people in the camp Aisha recognized as traders who came to purchase some of the kidnapped kids.
Aisha glanced at the faces of the other kidnapped kids in the camp as she walked by with the kidnapper. Some of the kids in inside the tents looked malnourished and pale-looking. There were some young teenage girls that hid their face with their hand or a with their dress. They all wore tattered clothes. She entered a big square tent. The inside of the tent was well ventilated. She was forced to stand in front of a desk where a fat hairy man was seated. She watched him use his fingers to count a bulk of foreign currency notes.
The man stopped what he was doing and stared at Aisha. "Where did you get this pretty one from?" He asked the kidnapper in their language.
"Lagos" The kidnapper answered sharply with respect even though he had a bass voice that was more intimidating than his boss.
"Rich parents?"
"I found her roaming the street. She must be a beggar"
The fat man laughed a little and groaned as he was amazed by Aisha's beauty. A girl this young wasn't supposed to be so beautiful. "A beggar? A beggar" He shouted at the kidnapper and pointed at Aisha with his palm forward. "No, this one looks too pretty to be a beggar. She's priceless. Look at her blue eyes. Look at her brown skin. Look at her hair. She's worth more than naira and cedis. She's diamond"
Aisha tried to make out what the men were conversing about but they talked really fast in their language. The only thing she heard was pretty and too pretty. Her kidnapper untied the rope on her wrists and left her alone with the fat man inside the tent.
The fat man gazed at Aisha. He blew out smoke from his mouth and quenched his cigarette on his left palm.
Aisha stomach let out a gobbling sound not because she was hungry. She was just terrified to see someone quench his cigarette on his palm without feeling any pain.
"You want something to eat?" The man asked Aisha in a French accent.
Aisha kept quiet and looked away. Her long braided hair was still packed at the back of her hair with a rubber band.
"The other kids will do anything to have this" The man said, bringing out a small bowl of fried chips from under his desk.
"I'm not hungry" Aisha muttered rudely while looking elsewhere.
"Take it, kid. No one's going to hurt you" The man insisted.
Aisha kept silent.
The man breathed out and relaxed on his seat. "Are you ignoring me, kid?"
Aisha shook her head.
"Did your mom say you shouldn't talk to strangers 'cus I ain't a stranger"
"No, I don't just talk to strangers" Aisha grumbled rudely, interrupting the man. She hated the way man talked and his crooked yellow teeth irritated her so much she just wanted to jump on the table and punch him in his ugly ridden face.
The man smiled though he was hurt greatly inside. He tried to sound nice as he talked to Aisha. "What do you want, kid?"
"I want to go home" Aisha responded.
"Well, you're far away from home.
Everyone is a stranger here and whether you like it here or not, this is your new home" The man smiled as he said. He stretched his hand on his desk for Aisha to shake when Aisha refused he grabbed her hand forcefully.
Aisha shaked her head and began to sob. "No, I want to go home". She tried to let herself go but the man's grip on her hand was too tight. "I said I want to go home" She screamed. Her face turned red as she struggled to set herself free as she cried and threw a tantrum inside the tent.
One of the kidnappers rushed inside the tent when he heard Aisha shouting from outside.
Aisha picked a pen from the desk with her left hand and stabbed the man on the back of his hand. She stabbed the man on the back of his hand with so much force the pen broke under his desk.
The man screamed as he let Aisha go. "Take her away from here!" He shouted to the kidnapper inside the tent.
Aisha tried to run from the kidnapper but he got hold of her and grabbed her by her waist and put on his shoulder so she wouldn't run away or tear anything down inside the tent. Aisha banged the kidnapper's back with her fists angrily as she cried that she wants to go home.
"No, no!" Aisha cried as she was taken out of the tent. She wailed hopelessly on the kidnapper's shoulder like a little child. She regretted not listening to Ma Kesem or Fatima. She knew it would be pointless to run from the camp even if she tried to, there would be no place to escape to. There was no going back now.