HER LAST WISH Chapter 67

(Moremi)

Zeemah Writes 📝

IF YOU MISS ANY EPISODE CLICK HERE

When Layla woke up feeling weak and uncomfortable, she knew more of the stretchmarks had appeared.
And after hours of remaining in bed, with her eyes wide opened, looking at nothing in particular and thinking nothing in particular, she said her morning prayer and finally stepped out of bed.
She opened the curtains and started putting her room in place, not caring to check her body to see the part that has now been infected with the hideous thing.

She wondered why Phil hadn’t come to knock on her door, it’s hours past the time she goes to the Cafe. And she hasn’t even gotten ready yet, still slowly arranging her room.
Instead of preparing to get ready for the cafe immediately she’s done with her room, she lay back on the bed, sudden fatigue overwhelming her just after the little task of making her bed and putting her room in place.

She experiences the sudden fatigue once in a while and the past ones had not been as extreme as this.
Her limbs felt numb and even on the bed, she couldn’t move.
She breath in and out slowly, praying this pass quickly.
Several thoughts crossed her mind.
What if she dies this way, the thought of death hasn’t scared her as much as it did now.
A part of her doesn’t want to die.

A part of her?

All of her doesn’t want to die. When she visited her mum and brother’s graves with her friends few days ago, she had secretly told them she doesn’t want to die anymore and she can’t believe she told them to use their ghosts’ powers to prevent her from dying.
She knows there’s no way that’s possible but she hadn’t been in the right state of mind.
Thinking about it now, she felt bad.
How could she even burden those who were no longer alive with her problem.
It’s sad enough that they are dead. . .

She imagined her friends, Aunts and nephew wailing after she dies and she quickly shut her eyes, the imagination too much for her to bear.
Her limbs got even more numb that it started to feel almost painful.

Her eyes slowly started closing and she sift into a deep sleep.

***

~San Francisco~

“Oh my. . . Look how pretty it is, pretty little thing” Fel gently touched the little sunbird.
“Take a shot of us Ry” She smiled, posing beside it.
“Here you go” He showed her the picture.
It was their second day in San Francisco and they were on a visit to the zoo.
They’ve been having a nice time so far.
“Aw. For real Ry, you take the best shots”
“Of course, no one does it better” He boasted and Fel rolled her eyes.

She gently patted the sunbird once more before they proceeded to another part of the zoo where they saw giraffes.

“Geez! Look at these gorgeous outrageous lashes. They are so beautiful” Fel said in great admiration as they fed the giraffes some leaves from acacia trees.
“Look how elegant their strides are” Rylan smiled.
“I think giraffes are the coolest because. . . Wow” Fel sigh, feeding them more leaves.

They moved on after spending some time with the giraffes and of course taking some pictures.
“Don’t you want to see the snakes?” Rylan asked, noticing Fel hadn’t stopped by the snakes viewing glass.
“I do not like reptiles, they kind of irritate me and even scare me, don’t you know?”
“Ah, I forgot” Rylan said, an idea popping into his mind.
He quickly set up his phone camera as they walked.

“I can’t wait to see the Rhinoceros,” Fel expressed happily “Be prepared to take so many shots when I’m with them okay?”
“Of course, even before we get there” He smiled.
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind”

They continued walking and Rylan suddenly gripped Fel’s arm.
She glanced at him, he wasn’t facing her direction and when he turned to face her, she was alarmed on seeing his facial expression. It was an expression of shock mixed with fear.
She started panicking even without knowing what it is. Rylan rarely looks this way.

“Fel” He said in a shaky voice “I don’t know how this happened, I don’t know how, but. . .” He paused, breathing heavily “A snake is slithering towards us right now. Fel run!!!” He screamed and in a second; Fel’s scream overpowered his as she started running, her legs barely touching the ground.
People quickly paved way for her, wondering what could have gone wrong with her.
She screamed in horror as she ran, close to tears and Rylan ran after her, grinning as he filmed her with his phone.
He stopped running after he was satisfied with the video he got.

After few minutes, Fel also stopped running on noticing Rylan is not behind her anymore. Her heart skipped a beat; what if he had been bitten by the snake.
She breathed heavily as she slowly turned back, her heart raced in fear when she couldn’t find him.
What sort of a friend is she!
How could she leave her best friend behind.

Relief flooded through her on seeing him approach. He was grinning as he walked towards her and something screamed at the back of her mind that Rylan had tricked her.

“Did you trick me?” She asked slowly.
“Well, yeah and not only that. I filmed you running and screaming and I even got this unique facial expression of you when I told you about the snake” Rylan smiled like he just did any normal thing.
“Rylan, there was no snake?” Fel laughed humorlessly.
“Not at all, you do not expect a snake to escape the viewing glass without it being opened. I thought you would know that and not fall for the trick but unfortunately you didn’t. Anyway, this video is going to the school group” He said, chuckling to himself as he played the video for the umpteenth time.
Fel heard herself scream and she couldn’t believe she had sounded like that.

Like a pig being slaughtered.
How could Rylan do this to her.

“Rylan why did you do this?” She asked, knowing it’s pointless to try to grasp the phone from him and delete the video. It might look as though Rylan is holding his phone loosely until one try to grasp it.
“Well. . . I only paid you back, you are still yet to delete that picture of mine you took on our trip to Grand Canyon ”
“I deleted it! You also saw me do that”
“You have it backed up somewhere, I know that. And you’re only waiting for me to misbehave so you can threaten me with it.”
Fel sigh, wondering how Rylan knew what she had plan on doing.

“Once you threaten me with the picture, you’ll be threatened with this also, isn’t that nice?” He guffawed.
“Very nice” She swallowed hard and felt like slapping him across the face harder than Anne had done.
“Let’s go check on the beautiful Rhinoceros, you wanted to take so many pictures with them” He held her hand, pulling her along.

She snatched her hand from his grip.
“What?” He asked, maintaining a straight face.
“Let’s settle this” She said. Although she knows he would never post it in the school group as long as she doesn’t post his picture but the video has more clout than the picture does and Rylan would never stop teasing her with it.
“So, what’s the settlement?” He asked.
“Let’s both delete whatever it is we have of each other on our phones, I’m going to give you my phone to do that and you’ll give me yours also”
“Well. . . That’s cool, but not now or soon, I still have to tease you with it for a while” He grinned.

She glared at him.

“Wow, never seen anyone look this pretty while pissed” Rylan looked smitten, the sincerity quite obvious in his eyes.
Fel hissed, pretending what she just heard didn’t melt her anger.
She started walking ahead, grinning and blushing secretly to herself.

***

~Las Vegas~

Layla heard the loud bangs, someone shouting, something hitting another, she heard it faintly at first but it got louder and clearer and then her eyes pop open.

“Layla!!!” She heard Phil scream by the door and she wondered why her Aunt’s voice held so much agony.
The loud bangs resume and her door shook, she realized Phil was hitting her door with something, obviously with the aim of breaking it open.
She wonder what’s causing this but she didn’t have to wonder anymore when her gaze landed on the clock.

4pm.

How did she sleep for that long!
She stepped out of bed and hurried to the door, she opened the door to Phil about to hit the door again with an hammer.

She has never seen Phil’s eyes look this red, never seen so much worry cloud those bright eyes of hers.
She looked to be in disarray, her hair disheveled and everything about her seemed to be out of place.
Phil has never looked more relieved when she saw Layla open the door.

They continued staring at each other without saying anything.
Since Layla stomped into her room a week and few days ago after the Doctor left, they said very little to each other, they only talked when they needed to.
“You thought I was dead?” Layla asked even though it was more of a statement than a question.
Phil nodded, sighing as she rested her back on the wall opposite Layla’s door.
She looked exhausted and Layla felt bad, wondering how long Phil has been at it.

“What happened, why did you sleep for this long?”
“I. . . I do not know either, I was feeling weak when I woke up and after putting my room in place, I suddenly felt fatigued and I slept after.”
“I thought you already left to the Cafe because I woke up quite late myself, until Aria called and asked if you were okay and then after seeing your door locked from the inside, I knew you were in.”

“I’m sorry for making you worry, Phil”
“How do you feel now?”
“Surprisingly better, I never thought I’d be able to stand on my feet after what I felt earlier.”
“Does it happen often?”
“Just once in a while but this seemed extreme.”
“You still don’t want to get examined?” Phil asked slowly.
“No” Layla’s answer was firm.

“You must be hungry, I will order pizza for us”
“You haven’t eaten either?”
“Yeah, I was taking coffee when Aria called and I’ve been here since then.”
“I dented your door already” Phil added, examining the damage.
“You were just seconds away from breaking it open, I was lucky you didn’t break it open in my face” Layla said and they chuckle.
They both smiled afterwards, knowing they’ve come to what seems like a truce.

“I don’t think it’d be healthy to make pizza the first meal of the day, I’ll go prepare something” Layla said.
“I’ll help”
“What? No, you don’t have to”
“I want to. For real, I want us to,” Phil paused, looking sheepish. “Cook the same way you and Esther do”
Layla smiled, “Okay, but you need to hold on for a bit. I need to freshen up”
“Right, I’ll be waiting and I should call someone to come fix your door”.

***

“Do you still get in touch with Elvis?” Dan asked and the question came unexpectedly to Anne.
She knows he already gave in and even have her the go ahead to date Elvis if she wants but that was the last time they ever spoke about him.
“He is fine” She replied.
“You both still chat and call and whatever?”
“Yeah, why are you asking?”
“Just checking in, I’m sorry to have kind of neglected you both. . .”
“Well, you didn’t, since we didn’t start dating yet”
“Do you still like him? I mean, like you do then?”
“Very much” Anne smiled shyly.
“And does he return the energy?”
“Yes, I think he really likes me”
“Good for you both”

“Are you still fine with us dating after I clock sixteen?’
“Of course, you like him, besides Elvis is a cool guy. And as long as you don’t neglect me after you guys start dating” Dan pursed his lips.
Anne smiled and hugged him. “C’mon, who neglects their favorite person because of another person. What makes you think I would do that, except maybe you would do that when you and Layla finally start dating”

“Well, that’s not possible” He sigh, his feelings for Layla is still there and they all know it, even increasing as time goes on, although it doesn’t really hurt anymore seeing her almost every day and knowing they can’t be together.
“Which is not possible? The fact that you might neglect me when you finally date Layla or the fact that you think she’s never going to date you?” Anne asked.
“Both.”
She sighs, “Well, just one of them is not possible and it’s the fact that you will never neglect me for anyone. The latter is possible Dan, very possible. Layla is going to date you, I know it”

He shrugged.

“You both are going to be in a relationship before I clock sixteen” Anne said, looking quite sure.
Dan laugh. “What makes you so sure”
“I’m so sure because I’m going to pray about it, I know Layla likes you also but there’s something stopping her, I’m going to pray to God to take control of whatever is stopping her from dating you”
“You’re going to pray to God to take control of Dylan?” Dan raised his brow.
“It’s not Dylan! Dylan is not what is stopping her. Why are you refusing to see this”
“Alright, suit yourself. Let’s talk about something else” Dan dismissed the conversation, that last thing he wants right now is being given false hope.

“I’m not talking about anything else with you!” Anne frowned.
“Why?”
“Because you do not believe me”
“How do you expect me to believe that, why else would Layla not want to date me if not for Dylan. Do you know how obsessed she is with him?”
“She ‘was’ obsessed with him, not anymore” Anne sigh, it’s starting to get really annoying that Dan is so blind to what seems very clear.

“You all should just stop being delusional already, it’s frustrating!” He said, getting pissed and fed up of everyone insisting Layla likes him. He doesn’t know if they are trying to make him feel better by saying that because it’s just so clear they’re wrong.
And it’s really bugging.

“No one is being delusional Dan”
“Whatever” He said, turning away from her to get busy with his phone. He knows he’s being rude to his sister but he just couldn’t help it. He’s frustrated right now.

Anne stepped down from his bed after waiting several minutes to see if he would turn back to her. She moved towards the door and walked out, even when he called her name.

***

Loud knocks woke Phil from her sleep and she looked quite alarmed on opening her eyes and glancing at the wall clock.

2:55am

“The door is not locked” She said, sitting up on the bed and turning on the light, a part of her worried about what could make Layla knock on her door in the middle of the night..
Such has never happened.

Layla walked into the room smiling happily, Phil curiosity deepened. . . It’s been a while Layla looked this happy, she hadn’t even look this happy after returning from meeting up with her friends few days before.

“Is there anything. . .”
“I’m going to Nigeria!” Layla cut her short and Phil thought she was crazy.

Who knocks so hard on a door in the middle of the night just to announce they are going to another country plus she was smiling non-stop that it kind of made Phil’s anxiety increase.
Layla was still looking at her, smiling.
Phil started panicking, would a normal person do this in the middle of the night?
Layla continued smiling at her and suddenly started laughing.
Phil further panicked, and almost close to tears after coming to the conclusion that Layla is losing her mind.

She grabbed her phone, she needs to call the doctor immediately.

…………………