Imani
"Stay away from her!"
"Imani run!"
I am watching a memory I don't remember. But for some reason, my body remembers. I am in the kitchen with my mom and she is shielding my body. I can't see who my mother is yelling at.
"How could you do this to this? We showed you nothing but compassion and kindness." My mother says.
"You think I care? I was given a mission and I plan to see it through" The person who responded to my mother was a man's voice.
"Yo--you know they are using you? how can you go against your own kind?" My mother says.
I can hear the man laugh. "I belong to no one." He says in a low voice.
"Ple--Please just take me. And leave my daughter out of this. She doesn't know anything. Nor does she have a wolf." My mother begs. I want to see the person she is speaking to but I can't.
I hear a growl and the next moment a see a wolf come and attack my mom. I scream in horror as I see my mother's body bleed out and become lifeless.
"Imani---I'm so sorry," My mother says as she slowly dies on the kitchen floor in a pool of her own blood.
"Mo--mo--mom," I say in shock. My body is shaking and I slowly crawl towards her lifeless body.
I wake up screaming.
"Imani!" I look over to see Zoe sitting next to me. "Thank Mawu" She says letting out a sigh. I am breathing heavily. I look around to see I am in a hospital. Slowly events of what happened flash into my mind.
I touch my chest to take slow deep breaths. I look over at Zoe who is smiling at me.
"Hey," I said greeting her.
"Girl I am so happy you work up. I was so scared." She says and wraps her arms around me. I hug her back.
"Me too, Me too" I said patting her back. Zoe slowly pulls away and takes a seat next to me on the bed. She wipes her tears.
"How long has it been?" I asked. Zoe picks up a glass of water that was on the table next to the bed and hands it to me.
"A week." She answers. "The ball is in two days."
"What!" I yelled almost spitting out the water.
"Yes, you were poisoned. We had to wait until your wolf spirit healded you." She says.
"What happened since I been asleep?" I asked.
"Well, Oliva has been a jail cell---"
"Are you serious?" I said in shock.
"Yes and she still refuses to tell Ben the truth. Also, the weapon used to poison you and the security cameras all been stolen." Zoe says. I shake my head in shame.
"It's been a mess. My mom has taken over the preparations for the ball and Benjy has been saying with our grandparents. He is so upset about Oliva being in jail."
"Understandable. Has there been any news about the hunters?" I asked.
"No, they have been quiet now which everyone is finding suspicious. I just have been staying here watching over you." She answers.
"Zoe, Oliva is a hunter," I said.
"I know I thought so---"
"No. Oliva is actually a hunter," I said. I felt myself feeling slowly getting weak again.
"Sh---She was there before I passed out," I said feeling my eyes becoming heavy.
"Imani are you serious?" Zoe askes. She notices that I am slowly getting weak and she gets up from the bed and helps me get in a comfortable position.
"Ye--Yes you have to tell my father," I said grabbing onto her arm.
"Okay, don't worry I will," Zoe says as I close my eyes.
I am in a desert. A normal desert this time. I walk barefoot along the sand. I don't know where I am going but I keep walking. I can hear the sound of a wolf howl from a distance. I walk up a hill of sand once I reach the top of the hill I see a dry barren wasteland. There are cracks everywhere.
I slowly make my way down the hill being careful of the cracks. Once I made it to the bottom I see a white wolf. This wolf different than the other white wolves I have seen. The crescent moon that's on the forehead of the wolf is black with stars and galaxies moving around in it. And blue eyes. I know it's Mawu. I sit down on the rocky ground and Mawu comes to sit next to me.
"My mother was murdered," I said as I look out the barren desert.
"H---How could I forget something like that?" I said in shock. "My own mother was killed right in front of me." I can feel my body shaking in rage. I feel Mawu come and nudge her nose up against me. I reach and pat her head. "All this time I thought she was sick. Ah--- my memories all fucked up." I yelled putting my head down.
"I-I don't know what is right anymore," I said. I lift up my knees and cross my arms. Putting my cross arms on my knees I lay my forehead on my arms.
"Don't worry my child the truth shall come to the light and when it does you will know what to do." Mawu says.
"Mawu your words of wisdom are no longer helpful," I said.
"Tell me what do." I begged.
"Ngane yami, I can only show and lead you to the truth. It's up to you what path you want to take. Nguwe olawulayo." (you are in control)
"What do you want Imani?"
"I want blood," I said slowly lifting up my head. "I want the head of the man who killed my mother."
"I want to be strong. I want to make my mother proud." I said.
"I don't want to be scared," I whispered to myself.
"Hamba, hamba, hamba, ngane yami!" Mawu yelled. (Go,go,go, my child)
"I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discourage! NginguMawu, uNkulunkulu wakho, and I will be there to help you wherever you go," ( I am Mawu, your God)
I lift up my head and look at Mawu who is staring at me. She comes and gets between my legs and puts her forehead against mines.
Umoya wami unawe.
A big source of energy passes through my body and I feel my body is on fire.
I wake up in the hospital again but this time Zoe isn't here. My body still feels weak up I am better than before. I slowly get up from the bed and strength my body. I need to see Oliva. I know she has answers as to who killed my mother. I escape from the hospital without being notice and make my way towards the police station.
I know it's only a matter of time before someone notices me in the security cameras and I get caught, so I have to hurry and find Oliva before it's too late. I am running down the halls in a hospital gown with no shoes trying to find Oliva's cell when I caught Benjy's scent. I follow his scent and I see him standing in front of Oliva's cell.
"Benjy?" I call out to him. He turns around and looks at me in shock.
"Imani?" He says. "What are you doing here?" He asked confused. I walk up to him and stand in front of Oliva's cell.
"I could ask you the same thing." I said looking down at his hand to see a pair of keys in his hands. "What are you doing?" I asked.
Benjy looks away from me and tries to hide the key from me.
"Benjy hurry. Don't worry about her!" Oliva says.
"Are you trying to help Oliva escape?" I say in shock. I can't believe Benjy would do something like this. And I doubt this was his idea. Benjy pushes me out the way and tries to open the cell. I quickly reach for his hands and try to take the keys from him.
"Imani let go!" Benjy yells as he tries to push me off.
"Benjy you can't do this!" I yelled back. I haven't eaten in a week so my human body is frail. Benjy is able to push me off him and I fall to the floor hard. He quickly runs back to the door and tries to pick the correct key. I use my wolf speed and push him hard on the floor landing on top of him.
"Benjy stop!" I yelled trying to take the keys from him.
"She's my mother!" He yells back in tears. "I don't care what anyone else says. I don't care what you or the pack says. She is my mother. She is all I have." He begs.
"I have to let her out before they do something even worse. My father has lost it." He says.
"No Benjy you don't understand--"
"Imani--"
"Your mother is a hunter," I said breaking the news to him.
"Okay lying isn't---"
"Benjy I need you to open your eyes. Think about it. That medicine your mother has been feeding you for the past 17 years is trash. She was suppressing our wolf just like my mom was. That's why I recognized that smell. The biggest evidence is when you stop taking them." I said. I can see Benjy's mind working
"Benjy, do not listen to her. That medicine was to protect you. Protect us." Oliva says through the bars.
I turn around to face Oliva through the bars. "Protect him from what? his wolf? his birthright?" I said. "Or was it to protect you from the hunters. What do your people do when you mate with a wolf?" I said slowly walking up close to the bars. Oliva is trying to control her anger. And I see in her eyes that she wants to jump through the bars and come at me.
I turn around to see Benjy looking at his mother in shock.
"M-Mom is that true?" He says tears coming down his face.
"You can lie to everyone else but you can't lie to your own son," I said. Oliva looks at Benjy and then puts her head down in shame.
"Oh--Oh, my God" Benjy falls to the floor causing the keys to fall too. "I--I can't believe this. Th-this whole time you were trying to kill me. Kill my wolf." He says and continues to cry. I come over to hug Benjy. I know this is very hard for him right. Especially since he spent his whole life being bullied because he didn't have a wolf.
"Ben---"
"So you were the reason for my sufferings. Yo--you know how hard I tried to shift and get my wolf spirit. And this whole time--" I hug Benjy tighter.
"You also know who killed my mother," I said staring at her.
Oliva doesn't say anything and looks away from me. "Tell me who killed my MOTHER YOU BITCH!" I yelled. I hear footsteps coming down the hall.
"Imani?" I turn to see Eric handcuffed standing between my father and Omar.