18/4/3024
6:30pm
Sunmi and her father sat at the dinner table, but her attention was primarily glued to her phone. She absentmindedly poked at her food, scrolling through social media and responding to messages, barely registering her father's presence. He, in turn, watched her with a growing sense of anxiety, his brow furrowed with concern.
Finally, he cleared his throat, the sound amplified in the otherwise quiet room. Sunmi started, snapping her head up and focusing on her father. Guilt washed over her as she realized she had been ignoring him.
"Sorry, Daddy," she said, placing her phone face down on the table. "What's up?"
He hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Sunmi , your cousin... she'll be living with us for the time being."
He braced himself for her reaction, knowing full well that Sunmi wouldn't be happy about the news. And he was right.
"No!" Sunmi protested immediately, her voice rising in frustration. "No, Daddy, please! Not her!"
Her father sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know, Sunmi . I know you don't really like her. And I know she can be a bit... much. But, please, try to understand." He leaned forward, his voice softening. "Her parents are going through some marital issues, so she'll be staying with us until they're able to sort things out."
Sunmi didn't reply. She only frowned, a deep furrow forming between her eyebrows. She crossed her arms over her chest, her body language radiating her displeasure. She thought the time for family drama has passed.
Her father gave her a comforting smile, reaching across the table to gently squeeze her hand. "Come on, my princess," he said, his eyes pleading. "Do this for Daddy, okay? It won't be forever."
"Kíní?" (What?) Her mother's voice, sharp and disapproving, cut through the air.
Sunmi's head snapped towards the kitchen doorway, where her mother stood, her arms crossed, her expression stern. She seemed to be addressing her father.
" O mò pé ìwo l'ó ń bà jé! Tí ó bá se èmi ni, bí Mo se máa gbá a mú tó,á sunkún!"" (You know you are the one spoiling this girl! If it was me the way I'll handle her, she would cry) Her mother exclaimed, her voice laced with exasperation. She marched into the dining room and sat heavily at the table, fixing Sumi with a withering glare.
"Is she not your cousin?" Her mother said, turning her gaze towards Sunmi "So why are you acting like this? What is wrong in seeing a family?".
"She likes to do over sabi ( she acts like a know it all), you would never know," Sunmi protested, her voice dropping to a sullen murmur.
"Pa li enu inó!" ( be quiet!) . Her mother snapped. "Do you not also do over sabi? "( don't you also act like a know it all?)
Her father interjected, attempting to diffuse the situation. "She'll be writing her final exams as an external student," he explained, turning to Sunmi."We've spoken to the school already. Your mother's friend teaches over there, so she would be fine."
19/4/2024
At school the next morning, Sunmi couldn't shake the frown that was plastered across her face. The thought of Angel, her cousin, invading her home was enough to ruin her entire day.
Tolu, ever perceptive, noticed Sunmi's gloomy demeanor. "What's wrong?" she asked, leaning closer. "You look like you swallowed a lemon whole."
Sunmi sighed, pouring out her woes about her cousin's impending arrival. "I just… I can't stand her, Tolu. She's so dramatic, so clingy… It's going to be a nightmare."
Tolu's expression darkened, revealing that she, too, shared Sunmi's distaste for Angel. "Oh, trust me, I know," she said, rolling her eyes. "For someone named Angel, she's a total demon."
Tolu launched into a scathing impression of Angel's clingy personality. "The last time she came to visit, she was all over Emeka. Like, girl!'I get he's hot, but if he's taken, he's taken!" She let out a dramatic scoff. "If she wasn't your cousin, I would have set her on fire."
Sunmi and Tolu burst into laughter, the shared animosity towards Angel momentarily easing Sunmi's worries.
As their laughter subsided, Sunmi took a deep breath, her expression softening. "Speaking of relationships," she said, adopting a gentler tone, "now that Emeka is gone… you should really try dating again, Tolu. I mean, we're almost done with SS3, you'll need a prom date."
Just as she spoke those words, she spotted Moses walking past, engrossed in his phone. An idea sparked in her mind, and she grinned mischievously.
"Hold that thought," she said to Tolu, already moving towards Moses. "I have a plan."
She rushed towards him, grabbing his arm. "Moses, stop watching gay porn and come with me," she said, dragging him towards Tolu.
"What? I wasn't – " Moses began to protest, but Sunmi cut him off.
"Okay, guys," Sunmi announced, beaming at them both. "Why don't my two besties go to prom together?"
Tolu and Moses immediately looked at each other, their faces contorting in expressions of simultaneous disgust and horror.
"Nope, Eww !" Moses said, wrinkling his nose.
"No way," Tolu added, shaking her head vehemently. "I'd rather be lesbian"
Sunmi rolled her eyes at their dramatic reactions. She walked towards Moses, squeezing his cheeks playfully. "Come on, he's not that bad, Tolu. He's… so cute!"
Tolu remained unconvinced. " If you call that cute then I rather be ugly!"
They all burst into laughter, the tension of the morning momentarily forgotten. The thought of Tolu and Moses as a couple was absurd, but the shared joke brought them closer, reminding them of the strong bond of friendship that tied them together.
4:35Pm
The drive home felt longer than usual, the air thick with a sense of impending doom. Sunmi stared out the window, the familiar landscape blurring into a meaningless stream of colors and shapes. The thought of Angel invading her personal space, disrupting her carefully constructed life, was enough to send her spiraling into a pit of despair.
They finally reached home, and Sunmi braced herself for the inevitable. It wasn't the happy, excited anticipation one might expect when a family member is arriving; it was a tense, apprehensive waiting game. The silence in the car was deafening, broken only by the occasional sigh from Sunmi
Then, finally, they heard the familiar rumble of her uncle's car pulling up to the gate. Sunmi's heart sank. This was it.
The car door swung open, and before the engine had even been switched off, Angel burst out, sprinting towards Sumi's mother with a theatrical flourish.
"Big Mommy!" she shrieked, her voice piercing the air. "My favorite aunt in the world! I missed you so much!" She threw her arms around Sunmi's mother, engulfing her in an overly enthusiastic hug.
Then, she turned her attention to Sunmi's father, showering him with similar effusive greetings. It was all so artificial, so forced, that Sunmi couldn't help but cringe.
Finally, her eyes landed on Sunmi. A wide, overly bright smile stretched across her face. "Ruth !" she squealed, using Sunmi's Middle name, a name she hadn't used since they were children. "You haven't changed a bit!"
She rushed towards Sunmi , wrapping her in a tight, suffocating hug. As she squeezed Sunmi tightly, she took a deep, exaggerated sniff. "Mmm," she said, pulling back and wrinkling her nose. "Omg Ruth! We're using the same perfume, I see. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were copying me." She let out a high-pitched giggle, clearly pleased with her own wit.
Sunmi rolled her eyes, barely able to contain her annoyance. This was already worse than she had imagined.
As they walked towards the house, Angel continued her barrage of comments and questions, her voice never dropping below a near-shout. "Ruth, did you dye your hair?" she asked, scrutinizing Sunmi's dark hair with a critical gaze. "Because I don't remember your hair being this dark."
"Mind your business," Sunmi muttered, barely loud enough to be heard.
Her mother, overhearing the exchange, turned to Sunmi with a disapproving look. "Sunmi, did you actually dye your hair?" she asked, her tone laced with concern.
"I was just experimenting in something mum that's all!" Sunmi said, wincing at her own ridiculous lie.
Her mother shook her head, her brow furrowed with disapproval. "Don't do that again," she warned . She shook her head, then turned and walked away, leaving sunmi seething with frustration.
Later that night, as the house finally settled into a semblance of quiet,Sunmi retreated to her room, seeking solace in her music. She cranked up Ava Max's "Sweet but Psycho," letting the loud, energetic beat wash over her. She danced around her room, losing herself in the rhythm, trying to forget about Angel, about the awkwardness of the day, about everything that was bothering her.
She had locked her door, ensuring that she wouldn't be disturbed. But she hadn't accounted for the window.
Suddenly, she heard a faint tapping on the glass. She froze, her heart pounding in her chest. Slowly, cautiously, she approached the window and peered out.
Sitting at the edge of her room balcony .
Her jaw dropped. "Matthew?" she gasped, her voice barely a whisper. "What are you doing here?"
Matthew just shrugged, a casual smile playing on his lips. "Someone's been skipping class, you have t been coming for training , why?" He said, his tone nonchalant.
Sunmi stared at him in disbelief. "How did you even find me?" she asked, her mind reeling.
Matthew chuckled. "When you have a sister that is a shapeshifter, tracking people down is easy."
"Damn I knew it sus when i saw same bird three times." Sunmi said.
"But how did you get past the security guard?" Sunmi asked, her mind still racing.
Matthew winked. "I'm a vampire. I can't be caught on security cameras, and I have vampiric speed."
As he said this, he reached out and pushed the window open. A large owl swooped into the room, circling above their heads. Then, with a sudden, graceful movement, the owl began to transform. Its feathers receded, its wings folded inwards, and its body elongated and shifted, morphing into the familiar form of Gifts.
And she was naked.
As Gifts materialized, shedding feathers and morphing into her human form, she paid no mind to her nudity. With an air of complete nonchalance, she strolled over to Sunmi's wardrobe rifling through the contents as if she owned the place. After a moment of consideration, she plucked out a pair of jeans and a hoodie, pulling them on with practiced ease.
"Right," Gifts said, turning to Sunmi with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "We need your help with something."
Sunmi still struggling to process the events unfolding before her, stammered, "Help? With what?"
Matthew burst into laughter, his eyes sparkling with amusement. Gifts joined in, their combined laughter echoing through the room.
"A heist," Matthew said, wiping tears from his eyes. "We need to pull off a heist."
Sunmi's jaw dropped. "A… a heist?" she repeated, incredulity lacing her voice. "Are you guys joking?"
"Dead serious," Gifts said, her tone suddenly becoming serious. "We need to rob someone . And we need the help of a psychic."
"And since you're the only powerful enough psychic we know," Matthew added, "we need your help."
Sunmi threw her hands up in exasperation. "No way in hell am I doing anything like that!" she exclaimed. "I need to learn how to control my powers, to use them for good. Not to become some kind of…criminal!"
A heated argument ensued, with Matthew and Gifts employing a combination of flattery, persuasion, and guilt-tripping to try and sway Sunmi. They emphasized the importance of the mission, the potential benefits it could bring, and the fact that they were counting on her.
Finally, after much back and forth, Sunmi relented, albeit reluctantly. "Fine," she said, throwing her arms up in the air. "I'll do it. But only if we do it my way."
Matthew and Gifts exchanged excited glances. "Anything," they said in unison. "Just name it."
"First," Sunmi said, her voice firm, "we have to dismantle the security cameras in this house. No way I'm doing anything if there's a chance we'll get caught on camera."
Matthew laughed, " we already did that."
"I don't mean to brag, but kinda a famous politician daughter and I'm easily recognizable." Sunmi said . As she tapped her feet waiting for a solution.
Matthew casually pulled out a mask from his pocket - the generic black ski mask that always seems to be the choice thief accessory in film, but it would suffice.. "Wouldn't be caught dead without one", he winked. He tossed it her and Sunmi stared at it.
Then Sunmi suddenly couldn't help but snicker, "Damn you guys really thought this out".
They laughed, and then said "Yeah!". With a final look at the situation Sunmi had gotten herself into, she knew that there was no turning back.
Without another word, Matthew scooped Sunmi up into his arms, lifting her off her feet. "Let's go," he said, grinning mischievously.
Before Sunmi could protest, he sprinted towards the balcony ,leaping out into the night air. Sunmi gasped, clutching onto Matthew for dear life as they plummeted towards the ground.
Just as they were about to hit the earth, Gifts transformed into a large, powerful owl. With a powerful beat of her wings and carrying her clothes with her talons , she soared into the sky, following Matthew as he ran at light speed towards their destination. The thrill sent an indescribable excitement through Sunmi's veins, one she hadn't felt in a long time.