APRIL

"Where are you taking me, Bruce?" April asks. April sobs as she walks behind her lover Bruce in a dark alley.

"Calm down, darling, we're almost there," replies Bruce, who seemed ecstatic to be traveling to such a beautiful spot.

I was worried because it was late in the evening and approaching 21'o clock.

Bruce has been acting strangely for the past week. Just when I thought something horrible was going to happen, it happened.

"We've arrived," Bruce said, a smile on his face.

We're standing beside a house that appeared to have been abandoned for some time.

"What is this Bruce?" I ask him

With a furious expression on my face, I ask him.

"Follow me," Bruce says.

I trail behind him; the house is decrepit and filthy on the inside A chair is arranged with a bedsheet.

"This will be our secret hideout," Bruce says. "Hideout, what are you hiding from, Bruce?" I scream at the top of my lungs, but he acts as if he isn't hearing me.

"Takedown your pants, we're going to try it on this chair," Bruce says, a broad grin on his face.

It's taken me a while to absorb; it's all about sex, which is why he's brought me here.

"I'm not in the mood," I say as I flee as quickly as I can. Instead of booking a room for me, he opts to look for an abandoned apartment that is likely being pursued by the owners. I'm disgusted and disappointed in myself.

I thought it would finish there the last time we almost did it in the bathroom, but his demands are on another level, and I'm not going to give in until he hires us a hotel or at one of his best friends' house, not in the bush or an abandoned house like we're mice or bats. Who does he think I am if he can't find a better venue for his girlfriend? I can't lose my virginity in some kind of bush, and does he want to share whatever is in that filthy house with me?

I mutter to myself as I walk home, terrified of what I'll find.

I murmur, "What's wrong with him?"

To the streets, which is preferable to the bush I was going through; now I can simply navigate my way home without worry.

As I get closer to my house, I try to come up with some words to tell my half-brother and sister, who are probably not as concerned as they were the first time I was late.

When I open the door, I see my brother pacing up and down, as if something awful has occurred.

But as soon as he sees me, he breathes a sigh of relief, and I stare at him, waiting for the scolding to begin, which never does.

"Go to your room," he replies, gazing at me as if I've done something wrong or insulted him.

As I make my way to my room, I nod my head in agreement.

""""

As I take my bath and make my way to bed, I make sure to seal my door in case he follows behind me.

Normally, I turn out the lights to fall asleep faster, but after 2 hours, I can't seem to get asleep, and then I hear moaning in the adjacent room, which is wired. because we're the only siblings in the house. It must be Gloria, my next-door neighbor; you know how flats are, and nothing is hidden in this community.

She appears to be having a good time.

I'm sure she's having a good time; at the very least, she's not bothered by her brother or sister every day.

Before I know it, it's almost 7 a.m., and I'm alone at home.

As I descend the stairs, I discover my brother and sister waiting for me.

"Good morning," I say as I walk up to the closest couch.

"Good morning," they say in unison as if they're going to detonate a bomb on me.

Caleb says, "We're going to a new city." I scream at the top of my lungs, "What?"

Caleb keeps talking.

"I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn't know how."

"I'm afraid I can't."

"I know, we know," I answered, so my brother said, "so we have decided that you can stay behind and whenever you need anything, just send me a text or send your Mum a text."

"Mum!?" "Oh, sorry, you call your sister," he clarifies. "Are you guys going to be visiting, but you look like you're going to abandon me?" "We are not abandoning you dearly, we will be visiting but not at the same time," Karen clarified.

I couldn't stop crying as I ran down the car that had arrived to pick them up; they were going to visit, so I returned to the house.

Caleb told me not to cry like a baby because he was going to come back for me.

Minutes later, I hear a knock on my new door, believing it's Caleb, only to see a man standing there who doesn't appear to be from the neighborhood.