Unravelled (31 page)

Wiki gives us a sheepish look. “Hey, ladies.”

Kelly smiles shyly, then goes to sit with Jean-Paul. For an only child, she seems very comfortable with the little boy. I get along with Wiki’s and Lebz’s siblings, but only because I’ve known them forever. Generally little kids make me feel nervous, as though I might break them if I’m not careful.

I turn my attention back to Mr Casanova. Lebz is doing her best unimpressed gangster impersonation.

“Explain,” she demands.

Wiki sighs and sinks onto the chair beside me. “It’s not what you think.”

“We think you’ve been dating Kelly and told everyone except us,” I hiss. I’m hurt. I can almost understand keeping it a secret, but if he’s brought her to his house then it’s not a secret anymore.

“I knew you’d overreact,” he replies in his sensible genius tone. “Kelly and I are just hanging out. She came over to bring a book one day and met my family, that’s all. We’re not secretly dating.”

Oh, thank God. I feel a pang of guilt for being so relieved, but whatever.

“Then why didn’t you just say so?” groans Lebz.

“Because I knew you’d both get worked up over nothing. We’ve started a book club, and it’s highly stimulating.” He catches our smirks and sighs. “Intellectually.”

“But you think she’s hot,” Lebz persists.

Wiki rolls his eyes. “She’s beautiful, yes, but that’s hardly the point. She’s smart and funny, too – and she’s really starting to explore different ideas. She’s a quick study, that one,” he adds with a wistful smile. “And so witty! You know when we were reading
The Icarus Girl
, she – ” He stops. Maybe the nauseated expressions on our faces are putting him off. “We’re
not
dating!”

Lebz and I exchange glances. “OK,” we reply in unison.

Kelly comes over. Her attire today is almost demure – only a glimpse of cleavage is on display. “Hey, Conz. Lebz.”

I cringe. I detest that nickname, but I’ve let it stick and now it’s too late. “Kelly.”

“Don’t give him a hard time, hey,” she says, grinning at Wiki. “He was just worried that you guys would freak out and jump to conclusions. But we’re just friends. I mean, obviously. I’m so not smart enough to date him.”

Wiki laughs. “And I’m not good-looking enough to date her.”

Talk about protesting too much. The chemistry between them is unmistakable, and not just because I can sense the coy little dance they’re doing around each other. The funny part is, they don’t realise it yet.

Lebz and I exchange glances again, and I know our thoughts are in sync. We get to our feet.

“We have to run,” says Lebz, picking up her shopping bags. “But we should hang out before I leave.”

“Let’s do lunch tomorrow, my treat,” suggests Kelly.

We agree on a time and place, then Lebz and I leave the lovebirds to their deep discussion on
Heart of Darkness
and its portrayal of the Black race.

“How long do you think it’ll take for them to figure it out?” she asks, as we head for the nearest combi stop.

I shrug. “A couple of weeks, tops. One day they’ll just kiss and it’ll all be over.”

We sigh. “Our baby’s growing up,” says Lebz.

I nod. If anyone had told me a year ago that Rakwena and I would be over, Lebz would still be single and Wiki would be falling for Kelly, I would have laughed. Just goes to show how completely unpredictable life is. Even for a telepath with premonitions.

***

A few days later, Rakwena calls to tell me he’s leaving the country. At first I’m angry. So much for never giving up. So much for our special connection. But then I remember that I’m the one who told him to go back to his cell, to his family – and his family is in South Africa. His clan, his mother. How can I ask him to stay here for me?

He comes to the house to say goodbye, and it feels surreal. I keep expecting someone to shake me awake.

“When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow morning. Not for good, just until…you know. Until I’m settled.”

Right. Until he finds his drifter feet. Until he learns to survive in the shadow world, a world in which I have no place. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Johannesburg?”

“Ja. Temper and Mandla have work there, so… It’s not too far from my mother.”

I swallow hard. “That’s good.”

“Ja.” He clears his throat. “Ja. Um… I won’t be able to keep in touch, though. They have this orientation thing for drifters who have been outside the cell, and the rules are ridiculous. No contact with anyone I’m not related to for three months.”

My eyes widen. Three months is forever. I start to protest, but think better of it. I know how the drifters are about their rules. Also, I don’t want to spend the next several months pining over Rakwena, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to do the same. We’re both at a critical point, growing up, figuring out who we want to be. Maybe some real distance will be good for us.

“I think that’s a good idea.”

His eyes widen. “A good idea? Connie, it’s three months!” His emotions are still raw from the withdrawal. He’s going to have to work on that.

“You’re not going to the moon,” I tell him, but my firm hand is as much for me as for him. “South Africa’s just a few hours away, and three months will be over before you know it.”

“Yes, but we can’t…” He heaves an exasperated sigh. “Have you spoken to your grandfather?”

“What does he have to do with this?”

He starts to reply, then changes his mind. “You know what, never mind.”

My body freezes. “Never mind what?”

“Look, he saved my life and I’m grateful. I am. It’s just…” He looks at me. “Something’s not right with that man, Connie. Remember I told you he gave me some weird advice?”

I nod, a little thrown off by the direction the conversation has taken.

“Well, I can tell you now,” he says wryly. “Since the day I met him, your grandfather was worried about the serum. He kept hoping one day I wouldn’t want it anymore. Before he left for that trip, I went to him to get some more. He told me he was starting to think he had made a mistake by giving it to me, and he wanted me to start decreasing the dose so that if I had to stop suddenly it wouldn’t be so hard on me. He said he was following a lead, and he hoped it would prove to me that I didn’t need the serum. I didn’t reduce my dose, obviously. But when he came back, he told me to double it.”

I feel like I’ve been doused with ice water. “No, he wouldn’t do that.”

Rakwena heaves an exasperated sigh. “Well, he did. He told me that the serum would finally change me for good; it would destroy all the drifter traits. There was no way I was going to do it – until you found out my secret. I was so upset that day I got home and took three doses.”

“Rakwena!” I gasp in horror.

He shrugs. “I told myself your grandfather had to be right. Once I started overdosing I couldn’t stop, though, and I knew something was wrong. Your grandfather is the smartest man I know. He had to have known what would happen if I overdosed – that’s why he was so reluctant to give me the serum in the first place. The night Rre Sechaba took me to Bontleng, I was terrified. I was convinced your grandfather had tried to kill me.”

I shake my head at him, my emotions leaping all over the place. “That’s crazy.” I can hear the lack of conviction in my voice.

“Maybe. After all, he helped save my life and he wouldn’t do that if he wanted me dead. But he knew what he was doing when he told me to overdose. He knew something would happen. He
wanted
it to happen.”

Fear has me firmly in its grip. My heart throbs against my ribs. “No, you’re wrong. You misunderstood, Rakwena. Ntatemogolo is human, he makes mistakes. It was just a mistake!”

Rakwena shakes his head. His eyes are earnest. He believes every word he’s saying. “Connie, that man is not the grandfather you know. I don’t know what happened to him. Maybe he’s under some kind of spell, or he’s confused or something – either way, you need to be careful. You can’t trust him.”

There’s nothing I can say. I’ve been suspicious for a while now, we both have, but to hear Rakwena say these things with such conviction makes it all seem real. Concrete. Ntatemogolo tried to persuade Rakwena to overdose by preying on Rakwena’s desire to rid himself of the drifter “curse”. Eventually he succeeded, pushing Rakwena’s body to its limit, and almost killing him in the process.

But Rakwena didn’t die, because Ntatemogolo had an antidote – and me. He almost killed him, then saved him in the nick of time. That sort of duplicity isn’t in my grandfather’s nature. He can be difficult, secretive, indecipherable – but never underhanded. These are someone else’s schemes.

Rakwena pulls me into his arms. I cling to him, letting my anxiety dissipate under the power of his gift.

“I wish I didn’t have to leave,” he murmurs. “Not now, with all this going on.”

“Then don’t.” I hate myself for sayign it, for succumbing to selfishness.

“There’s protocol to follow,” he explains. “Honestly, these people have more red tape than a government organisation! Because I’ve never been with the cell, I have to live with them to let the bond build, and Temper needs to get back to work so we can’t stay here. They won’t admit it, but I think they’re homesick for the clan as well. After the orientation, I will meet the matriarch and be formally inducted into the clan. It’s like a rite of passage…there’s a whole ceremony.” He sighs, and I picture him rolling his eyes.

Despite my emotional turmoil, I smile. “Typical Africans,” I mutter. “Have to make a song and dance over everything.” I pull away slightly to look into his eyes. “I know you only went to them to protect me. I’m sorry. It’s not right that you were backed into a corner like that, but I guess they were desperate.”

He looks thoughtful. “I was scared. Look, the guys in the cell aren’t terrible people. They seem to like you; they didn’t want to hurt you, but the bond is powerful. If it came to a choice between hurting you and losing me…”

“I know.”

“The point is, I knew they weren’t bluffing. I knew I had to go. And once I got there…the bond, Connie! It’s like…” He shakes his head again. “Like you belong to these people, and you would do anything for them, and you know they would do anything for you. Let me tell you, it’s a strange way to feel about people you’ve just met.”

“Well, they are your family,” I remind him. “Genetically and supernaturally.”

He nods. “I couldn’t fight it anymore. All my defences were gone.” His voice is tinged with shame.

“You’re not supposed to fight it, silly.”

“But my mother…”

“Would understand,” I assure him. “She didn’t realise that the reason you were such a mess before you met Ntatemogolo was because you were on your own. If you’d had the support of the cell and the clan, you would have known how to deal with your powers and urges. She was trying to be everything for you, and it was impossible. But look at you. You’re not falling apart.”

“No, I’m not. I’m good.” He sounds surprised. “I’d be better if you’d come to South Africa with me.”

“Oh, sure,” I reply in a cheery sing-song voice. “Dad will be thrilled – he’s been waiting for me to run off with a pack of drifters. Let me just get my bags.”

Rakwena scowls. “OK, point taken.”

We stand there in each other’s arms for a while, neither of us willing to let go yet.

“So this reunion. Was there a lot of hugging and crying?” I tease.

“Shut up,” he grumbles, and I take that as a yes.

The lump in my throat has called in reinforcements in the form of hot tears pricking my eyelids. “We had some wild times, huh?” Is my voice cracking? Unacceptable. I need to sound tough and resilient. I need him to see that I’m going to be just fine without him, or he’ll do something stupid like stay. No, he won’t. Our bond may be magical, but it’s got nothing on the bond he shares with his cell brothers.

He chuckles. “The stuff of legends.”

I nod and smile. Focus on the good stuff. Focus on the good stuff. His gift works its magic, and I’m starting to feel confident and strong again. “Take care of yourself, Rakwena. Please.”

“You too.” He tilts my head upwards and kisses me. The tingle shoots right to my toes.

I melt into him, pulling him closer, dying to dissolve into him, and then he pulls away. “I have to go,” he whispers. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise.”

He releases me reluctantly. I watch him walk away, through the door, down the driveway. His gift drains out of me, and by the time he gets into his car I’m a wreck all over again, and there’s no magic to still my tears.

Chapter Fifteen

My final results are better than expected. I passed everything, scored my usual A in English and even managed a couple of Bs. These are the best grades I’ve had in years. Dad is so thrilled when he sees them he insists on taking me out for dinner, and I start to think that maybe the year hasn’t been a total disaster, after all.

The dinner comes with strings attached; a UB application form. I put the form on the dining table and ignore it for as long as I can.

Ntatemogolo calls a few days before Christmas, wanting to get back to work on my blocking skills. I’m reluctant – I can’t stop turning Rakwena’s warning over in my mind. If the Puppetmaster has found a way to get to my grandfather, how can I trust him with my gift?

“Dad wants us to spend some time together,” I tell him.

“You have the whole holiday. You can’t afford to get lazy now, Conyza.”

“I’m not getting lazy, Ntatemogolo. I’m exhausted, and Dad wants me to rest. Please, let’s just wait till after New Year.”

He hangs up without a word. I bite my lip guiltily. He’s angry with me. I wish I knew what to do about this. I can’t interrogate him – Ntatemogolo isn’t like anyone else in my life. There are lines I can’t cross with him. Our relationship is built on a deep understanding, and respect. That is, I respect his age and wisdom, and try not to question him. But I can’t be obedient anymore, not until I’m sure who I’m obeying.

Four days after Christmas, Dad returns to his office and I have the house to myself. Ntatemogolo will have gone to Serowe, and it seems like the perfect opportunity to try to get into his house. Auntie Lydia is in Zimbabwe, so I lock up and head out.