If you've been reading The Things We Do by Donaldprince raise your handssss and drop your theories!!!!!!!!!!!

If you aren't; 😑

Make sure you do, sha. Donald is a superb writer!🔥

And for all those asking, no, Casper will not have a book of his own, and that is because you are going to learn all there is to learn about him in this very book, guys, so trust the process. And as for the whole 'IGBO SISTER 3' wahala from 'The Things We Do', I think this is where I'll come in and tell you to calm down sha😂♥️ It's a whole ass twisted tale you won't see coming, so relax, and don't let your assumptions over cloud you too much, only for you to realise you were attacking an innocent person all along. That's all I'll say sha.

And sorry, but the Crossover with 'The Things We Do' by Donaldprince. is going to be in the second book of TMBT and not this one, so we will see what is really going on, until that time. But I'm sure that Donald will do a good job at giving you enough info for now sha.

Go ahead to the chapter, guy!😌✨

~DABI~

The harsh, powerful sound of thunder slammed the zinc roof above me, and the stunning, unfriendly, sharp light from the zapping of lightening scared and scarred me, as I whimpered, squealed, and screamed, trembled in fear and shivered in cold, under the lonely, empty hut that I had chosen to secure myself in this angry thunderstorm.

I had been here for over five hours.

Hiding from the angry night and the terrible lashing out of mother nature against me, the furious, unforgiving lashing out that was supposed to be 'rain'.

And as the harsh rainfall spattered against the fancy hut top above me, making the angriest noises and screaming at me for what I had done, as the intense cold and furious breeze whooshed through me and attacked me, along with every other fibre of my being, as the night grew colder and darker, and meaner, I couldn't stop crying, and shivering, and crying, and crying, and crying, and crying, thinking all the while about what I had done and it's consequences, in the very midst of this heavy rainfall.

I burnt Delilah's face with iron.

And I left my Mum at home to face the consequences of my actions.

I've killed her.

I killed her.

I killed her.

I killed her.

You killed her.

"STOP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, at no one in particular, as I pressed my hands against my ears, trying to muffle all the sniggering and taunting and back lashing that was going on in my head, but to no avail.

I should have left this place the first time I had the chance. I thought this place would be the best place to run to because it was the only place I knew on my own, but I didn't sit to think about what to do in the long run. And so many people had walked by me and seen me here and asked if there was a problem, and I said no to all, and I didn't need a saint to tell me that they were unconvinced, considering I was crying in a hut by a closed down eatery, shivering, all alone and scared, while in the midst of a horrid thunderstorm.

It was the last person that asked that I decided to act. I had no idea what to do, but I had only one person in mind, and their number was the only number, asides my Mums', that I had stored in my memory.

Unfortunately and painfully, Marcus Acha didn't pick up the 7 times I had called him.

I had no idea why I was even calling him for help, because I honestly didn't know what he could do to help, but Lord knows, I needed 'help'. And considering he refused to pick up, I guessed it was either he was fast asleep, considering I was calling him past 2am in the morning, or he just did not like to pick up calls from strangers.

So, I left him a dozen messages, and hoped for the best.

It seemed like it was an hour past since I had done that and I was certain by now that Marcus Acha did not care about me and I was going to end up a homeless, roadside vagabond who ate grass and drank urine for a living.

I am so doomed.

I am so doomed.

I am so doomed.

I am so doomed.

I am so doom-

Holy crap!

I jumped to my feet, startled with fear, and adrenaline fueling me with such a surge of energy that caused all the cold in my body to disappear, just as I saw a strange large Jeep attempting to pull over by the hut.

Fear gripped me as I imagined the worst that could happen right now, as every turn, every adjustment, every reverse move by that jeep, in it's attempt to park right there, close to the hut, demoralized me mentally.

They are going to kidnap me!

And send me far away where no one will ever find me!

Or ask for a ransom that my father would most definitely not pay!

Then, they'll kill me, take out all my organs and sell it to the black market!

The engine stopped as the Jeep parked and I nearly had a heart attack, pressed myself deeper into the corners of the hut, and thought if a way to run past and around it, before the people in there launched out to grab me and throw me into the trunk of the car.

He stepped out first.

He stepped out only.

And when I saw the frame of his back, those broad shoulders, full, full hair, and a dark hoodie that I recognized, I instantly knew who it was, and my body stopped functioning for a moment.

I wanted him here, but I didn't want him here.

I wanted his help, but I didn't want to see him. I didn't want him to see me.

I missed him, but I wanted to be far away from him. Not just because of what happened with Kelechi, but because the last thing I wanted was for him to take a good look at me, and wonder what he saw, or what he was seeing in the first place.

I was still angry about Kelechi, but at the same time, I didn't want to lose him too. Especially not to her.

I was so conflicted.

So, I just stood there and watched him.

And when Marcus Acha turned around to view the hut, my messed up, confused mind took a mental toll on me, my heart was beating so fast that it could have been dangerous to my health, and my body rose up in temperature, and I didn't understand how even in this heavy downpour of rain, I was so cold, yet so hot. It didn't make sense to me.

He was holding an umbrella, and he made two steps towards the hut, and considering how he looked around the place and through me in the hut, I figured he wasn't seeing me.

Hopefully.

Hopefully, he wasn't seeing me, and not looking at me like he didn't know me.

He stepped into the hut and I ran to a corner to hide myself.

To hide my face.

To hide my body.

To hide my misery.

To hide my entire pathetic self away from this boy.

And as I stayed in that foetal position, sitting on the wet ground, whilst hugging my own body, pressing my knees to my chest, and trembling in my own arms, and panting in anxiety, my only companion being the cold, hard wall I was facing, I fought back tears that were threatening to come.

Why did I even call him here?

I shouldn't have called him.

"Aurora?"

His voice was as sweet as velvet to my ears as he called my name.

Although it was hard to resist the temptation of answering his call, I kept my mouth shut, and faced the wall even more, hid my whole entire frame from Marcus Acha and said absolutely nothing.

"Aurora."

He called again, sweetly, patiently, tenderly, and yet, I refused to answer. Made sure that I wouldn't turn to him. Made sure to keep hiding myself from being in full view to him. For some reason, I was so ashamed of myself, too ashamed of what I looked like, to the point that I didn't even want to punish Marcus with the horror of having to look at me.

Light flashed my direction, and I figured he flashed a touch light on me to give me a spotlight that I didn't ask for, and I whimpered at the sharp stinging light that automatically brightened the whole hut that was formally very dark, and wailed softly, shielding my face with my hands, and trying my hardest to squeeze into the wall, with the hopes that if I squeezed harder, I may just disappear into it.

"Aurora, what are you doing on the floor?" Marcus asked me.

"Go away," I wanted to say, but I didn't really want that.

All that left my mouth was a pathetic whimper, followed by my desperate urge to hide and hide and hide my whole body and frame from him.

All to no avail, having his torch was directly on me, not even giving me any breathing space.

I started crying.

But, softly.

I was whimpering into my other arm as silently as I could, while the other shielded my face from his view.

"Stop that, please," Marcus said to me, his voice so tender that it almost hypnotized me into having it his way.

Almost.

"Don't hide from me, Aurora," He said again, softly, made just one step towards me, and I could feel the sincere plea in his voice. "Please."

I think that was it for me.

Unable to withhold myself any longer, I burst into tears, jumped up to my feet, and threw myself like a cannon into Marcus' waiting arms, squeezing the fabric as I poured out all my frustration, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty all on him, bawling and crying my eyes out, practically staining his hoodie with my uncontrollable, pathetic tears.

He held me back, embraced me onto him in the warmest, most calming hug I had ever had, as he let me cry a river on him. I couldn't fathom how he could be all muscles and still give such a tender, loving hug.

"It's okay," He kept whispering over and over, he didn't even know why my problem was, but he sounded so assuring that it would be fine. His jaw was pressed softly at the top of my head as he waited patiently, by past 2 in the morning, for me to empty my ocean of tears on him, kissing my head softly, and whispering things that assured me that everything would be fine.

And I cried and cried and cried for such a long time that I had lost count of how long I must have been crying. Right in the middle of a thunderstorm, Marcus Acha stood there with me inside a hut, and let me cry in him, non-stop.

He didn't even act like I was being a burden to him. He waited for me. He really waited and waited until I was the one, who said, "Let's leave this place."

Taking my hand softly, and shielding us, mostly me, with his umbrella, he led me into the Jeep from earlier that scared the life out of me. All the way, I couldn't say I was completely at ease, but to an extent, I guessed I could understand that Marcus cared about me unconditionally.

Hopefully.

"Will you tell me what happened?" Marcus asked me softly, as soon as he opened the door for me to get into the car and sit on the high mounted, cushioned of the passengers seat, helping me get into the car, before him.

It felt different in here.

But, good different.

"No." I answered quietly.

I didn't hear him speak, but I saw him move round the car with the umbrella, to get to the driver's seat and open it and get.

"No?" He gently shut the door by him and raised a brow at me, indicating for me that he actually heard me, and one look at his eyes, I could tell....

He was tired.

He was very tired.

He was probably just waking up from sleep, and that fact was clear. His brown beautiful eyes were still beautiful, but a bit lazier, and low-key drowsy. Surprisingly, they were exceptionally hot, I couldn't help, but take note of how incredibly charming looked, even when getting up from bed, unprepared. I was most certain that this guy was most definitely a mini-god.

"Later." I changed my words.

He got into the car, closed the doors shut, and sighed softly.

"Okay." He said.

It was either he was being a gentleman and choosing not to push me into doing or saying anything I wasn't ready to - just as he always did- or...

He just didn't have my time.

Was he tired of me already?

Like he heard my thoughts, he turned to me and held my had gently and placed a soft kiss on my forehead that moved through my body like electricity.

"Talk to me whenever you are ready, okay?" He said to me.

I nodded. His eyes were filled with genuineness, and mine, with gratefulness.

"I just want you to be okay," He said to me, a warm, sweet smile tugged at the base of his lips, and tired eyes that were filled with love, admiration, and sincerity, locked mine in a soft gaze, "Believe me when I say, I'd do anything for that to happen, Aurora."

I was convinced.

He already proved it head on. His phone timer read 2:45am, and for someone to leave their house by that time, just to drive a distance and get you, because you were down and needed help, then, they were definitely a keeper.

"Thank you." Was all I could say and mean it.

He quipped me a smile of welcome.

"So, I'm taking you back home, right? What's your address?" He started the car engine and I nearly had a heart attack.

"NO!" I screamed, and he stopped immediately, startled, looked at me with wary, and confusion.

"Everything okay?" He asked to be sure.

"I don't want to go home." I told him.

"Why?" He asked.

I swallowed. Answered. "I ran away."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at me, and I looked away from him, unable to look at him while he stared at me like I was crazy.

"I ran away from home." I repeated.

There was silence.

Silence.

And more silence.

"Will you tell me why?" Marcus broke it.

I sighed, considered that.

"Later," I promised, "I'll tell you everything later."

"Okay," he said softly.

Yeah...

"So, then, can I take you to my home?"

I gulped at what he said, and I wasn't sure why.

"I mean, that's the only thing I can do for you, since you ran away from home and you clearly don't have any where else to stay..." He explained himself.

"Or, I could you to your friend's place if you know their addresses. Maybe Chika's place. Or Soma. Or the Twins. Any one of them if you're not comfortable," He put out other options for me.

I didn't know how to feel about staying in Marcus' place.

And I didn't even have any of the Sister's specific addresses in my head, neither could I trace down their houses from this side of the road.

In fact, the only reason I knew my way here was because of that Wonder Coast day. This was the place I had met with Marcus Acha, and that Heaven place was close to it. It was kind of hard to forget this side of the road.

"Let's go to your place." I dared to ask Marcus Acha, not even thinking too deeply about the consequences of what that might mean.

Marcus also seemed to be more into making sure I had shelter that thinking rationally as well, because all he said was, "Sure."

And he was driving afterwards.

******

I stayed in the car, wrapped comfortably all around in the spare hoodie that Marcus had gotten for me - as though he knew I was cold - and all the way that we were on the silent, lonely road, a lot was going on through my mind, ranging from how my Mum was doing right now, what the hell was going on at home at the very moment, and how on earth I was totally fine with the idea of sleeping over, and probably living forever in Marcus Acha's house, from now on.

Lord Have Mercy.

"We're here," I believe I heard Marcus say as soon as we started to drive into the Large gates of a mansion that someone whom I couldn't see had opened regally for the car to drive in, and my senses picked up in all alarm, as I came to the understanding that we were in Marcus Acha's house.

"My Mum's going to kill me," I heard him mutter to himself, and I guessed he didn't intend for me to hear, because I instantly got very worried.

"Why?" I couldn't help, but ask, pulling away attention from the gates we were driving through, the environment all around us as well, as I whipped my head in alarm towards him.

"Is it because you're bringing me here?" I asked again, the panic setting in, and causing my voice to sound just as horrified by the possibilities I suddenly was.

"No, no, no," Marcus shook his head, hand on his steering as he reversed in the compound, "I mean, she isn't a very heavy sleeper, and somehow, she always knows when I'm not at home....." He cleared his throat and added, "Especially when I don't tell her I'm leaving."

I swallowed a rock.

So, he didn't tell his Mum he was leaving?

"She won't be too mad, don't worry," He assured me.

Well, until she realizes he is bringing a stranger into the house....?

The car stopped moving as the engine turned off and Marcus unlocked the doors and stepped out of the car, while I stayed in, looked around the compound through the window, and felt chills at the new environment I was in. I couldn't get a clear view of it, considering that the windows were getting stained with the messy rain that battered on it.

Still, I could tell that it felt different here. In a way I couldn't elaborate in clear, crystal words.

I was slightly startled when the door by my side buckled as it opened and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was just Marcus extending a hand to me, and holding an umbrella in the other, urging me calmly to step down with his aid.

"Thanks." I muttered, took his hands and he helped me get down from the car, as I stepped fully into the warmly atmosphere around me that was just his house compound.

Marcus smiled warmly at me, a soft smile that took a large portion of my anxiety and fears away from me, and I couldn't help, but smile back as the tinted gold lighting of this place gave his dark skin a more bronze, smoother glow that complimented that lovely smile of his.

"Take this," He stepped into the rain as he handed me the umbrella, and I stood there, confused as he just stood there, letting the rain batter him, and wincing slightly in the discomfort of his situation, he added in a hurry, "Just walk behind me; I'll lead you through the main door."

Just like that, he covered his head with his hoodie and started to walk ahead of me with semi-fast paced steps he knew I could catch on to, getting wetter and wetter by each batter of rain and stepping into puddles and puddles of water, out rightly getting himself messy for no absolute reason.

I just stood there and stared behind at the boy.

He seemed to quickly realise that he wasn't hearing any foot steps behind him.

So, he stopped walking and turned around.

"Why aren't you walking behind me?" Marcus shouted from his distance to be loud above the heavy rainfall.

"Why do you want to walk in the rain?" I shouted back.

I saw his shoulders drop and I knew he did a big, dramatic sigh, and in fast paced walking steps, he started to move towards me again.

"The umbrella is pointless to use," He reached me to explain, "It doesn't contain the both of us,