Mirror Image

It was a full moon outside as Nnenna looked up from her window. “something crazy is about to happen” she thought.

Her mother always said crazy things always happened during a full moon. She never took it seriously until today. She turned around to find her twin fast asleep, her beautiful sister Amaka with her rich chocolate skin, upturned nose and small lips all framing huge deep set eyes. She looked so much like her but was far more beautiful and far more amazing. She looked away. She always had trouble sleeping, her twin always slept before her she decided to turn on some music, that always helped her sleep. She turned it on real low especially not to wake her parents and lay down trying to drift off.

In the next room Mr. Ohakwe her father was roused rudely from his sleep and turned to face her mother, “Agnes this girl has turned on this music again, I thought we were going to get a break today”, 

‘And todays’ own is even louder” mused Mrs. Ohakwe

“Should I tell her to turn it down I’ve been having a headache all day”

“Whats the point”

This was one of the days Nnenna hated school or hated school more intensely. It was gym day today and as she walked down the hall with Amaka she was in no mood for the fearful, confused and pitiful stares she was accustomed to. No one looked at Amaka that way. Was it because Amaka was more beautiful and more popular? She was ready to lash out at anyone who made any rude comments. As usual, Amaka left her as soon as they walked in the hall greeting everyone and finally settling on her crush Michael. They both liked Michael but he had decided to date Amaka, of course he had decided to date Amaka.

She met Stacey at the gym, Stacey was a frail smallish girl who seemed like she was afraid of everything. They had formed sort of a friendship because Amaka brutally beat up a girl who was bullying her. She remembered it like it was yesterday.

It was a day in October when she was walking with Amaka to the bustop, suddenly Amaka stopped and starred at a scene playing before her. A bunch of their class mates had made a circle around poor Stacey making fun of her pushing her and calling her a snitch. It was only a matter of minutes before they would really start harming her. Amaka quickly dropped her bag and strode up to them asking what little Stacey ever did to them.

“Please stay out of this you and your weirdo sister” said Anne the leader of the pack known for her perpetually mean demeanor and double edged tongue.

“My sister has nothing to do with this, do not mention her again. Let Stacey go and pick on someone your own size for once”

“Are you kidding me? Get the hell out of here before I chew you and your demented sister up”

“I told you not to mention my sister again” and with a rage Nnenna had never seen before Amaka descended on Anne and unleashed the kind fury that cannot be penned on paper. The school authorities finally intervened but asides from the fury Nnenna saw she also sensed immense satisfaction from Amaka.

Nnenna got a suspension letter that day and her parents were called in the next morning.

“I’m afraid her behavior is getting out of control” Principal Lewis said to her parents peering at them through his thick glasses, “no little girl possesses that kind of strength and anger, I think without timely intervention she would have done permanent damage to that girl”

“Don’t you think you are taking it too far?, interrupted her father, his face like he was carrying the problems of the whole world on his shoulders, he certainly felt like that at least, “the two of them had a fight, Anne is known for being an unrepentant bully and don’t forget she has targeted my daughter for a long time calling her all sorts of names that you know is a trigger for her. I’m sorry for what happened and will try to reach out, but this was bound to happen based on her incessant harassment”.

“Mr Ohakwe are you trying to point fingers here or are you going to take responsibility for your daughter who just mercilessly beat up another child?”

“Of course, I take responsibility, I promise this won’t repeat itself she’s a peaceful girl it won’t happen again” he said a little more sober

“It can’t happen again if not I will have to rule her unfit to take classes with other children, I will arrange for her to see the counsellor everyday till he can report a significant change in her. You see we try to accommodate every type of child in this environment but you have to understand we cannot put other children at risk. One more time and she will be expelled”.

“I understand” he replied quieter still.

Nnenna was looking back and forth between her parents and her sister wondering how she also got the letter when her father bellowed “this cannot repeat itself, this is not how I trained you” Amaka nodded and buried her head, Nnenna looked up.

“Do you hear me Nnenna”,

“what did I do, I didn’t fight anybody”

“it doesn’t matter when you see her like that you control her, she’s your responsibility”

“ok” and she wondered yet again why her father never scolded her sister.

Stacey reeled her in from her reverie, “the game is about to start let’s take our positions”.

The next morning Nnnena was absentmindedly eating cereal getting ready for school when her mum came down with some pills.

“Good morning Mummy”

“Morning Nne, I have some vitamins for you, this your lack of sleep is becoming something else, you take one every day with breakfast ok, I know you don’t like taking pills but these are very important and necessary for your health, don’t make me stand here every morning and watch you take it because you know I will. Oya open your hand”.

She did as she was told.

“very good, you will see that you will start feeling better”

Agnes leaned into her daughter and spoke tenderly to her “You know mummy loves you and always wants the best for you right?”

“Yes”

“This will help you ok”

“yes”

She kissed her daughter tenderly on her forehead “I love you”

By the next week after school while Nnenna was sitting with her sister waiting for the bus when Amaka turned to her with such sadness.

“I will run away”

“What, why?”

“Mummy and daddy don’t like me”

“What do you mean Amaka, everybody loves you”

“No, they don’t, don’t you see how they treat me, always acting as if I’m not there, talking to you instead of me especially Daddy”,

“Daddy just does not like scolding you, you know he’s always angry”

“It doesn’t matter Nne, I’m leaving its too much if our parents don’t want me then they can have just you” And with that she stood up and started walking. Nnenna, stared at her for a while before walking after her screaming her name.

“Ami, come back you can’t leave me alone, what will I do without you, what the hell will I do without you! I’m nothing without you. You are a part of me I’m lost without you” she cried hopelessly with tears streaming down her face hopeless heart wrenching tears.

It was dark before she realized her sister was not coming back and she was lost really lost, she slumped under a tree staring, helpless, hopeless. Before long she heard footsteps and a police officer’s flashlight he saw her crying and crouched beside her.

“Don’t be afraid dear, I’m officer savoy, everything is going to be alright. What’s your name dear?

“Nnenna Ohakwe, my sister ran away and I’ve been trying to find her” she said

“Right” he said, and she sensed that he didn’t quite believe her like he was already told not to believe her.

“we will find her dear but right now your mum is worried sick”

He led her back to her mother who was heaving and her father with a desperate look on his face.

“Oh, my baby, are you ok? Are you hurt? what happened?  Mrs Ohakwe cried hugging her child tightly.

Amaka ran away mummy” she said bursting into fresh tears

Its ok that’s why the police are here they will find her and bring her back to us but now me must go to the hospital ok to see if you are really ok” she said wiping away the heartbreaking tears from her child.

It had been days maybe weeks that she had not heard from her sister Amaka and Nene mourned her daily and prayed earnestly that she would come back. She was so depressed she didn’t notice that she had not been going to school, she had in fact been confined into a room since she was found in the woods. Her parents were outside the room talking to her doctor.

“But you said the drugs would help her not turn her into this depressed morose thing. My child is losing herself” declared her father.

“Schizophrenia is a very complex disease’ explained Dr Weinstein patiently “the drugs were to handle the hallucinations and hopefully bring her back to reality. The fact that she lost Amaka means the drugs are working but you must give her time to come to, Amaka was her life and she is allowed to grieve. I wouldn’t call this a setback I would call this an improvement”.

“How long does she have to be here? asked Agnes

“As long as is needed for her treatment when she is no longer a danger to herself or to others”

Mr and Mrs Ohakwe looked into the room at their daughter and wondered simultaneously if their child their precious princess the only child they ever had would ever be normal.