Chapter Twenty Five

He quickly ducked to the path on the left when our eyes met. I blinked twice, and then he was gone. Like he was never there.
It couldn't be who I thought I had seen, if it were him, there would be no need for him to hide.
It was wrong for me to go home now, cos he was probably around somewhere, waiting to see where I would go into.
And then he would follow me in, or maybe make a mental note.
On second thought I remembered that I was wearing a false face. He didn't recognize me. Then why was he following me?
Either way, I walked past the house that the Mafia sisters were in, it was alarmingly quiet. And headed to the path that led to the hotel. I just needed a place that was slightly hidden to take off my artificial face, the false hands and walk into the house where my new sisters were waiting for me.
That way whoever it was that was following me, would loose track of me.
A sharp bend ahead seemed like the best place to do it, and as swiftly as I could, I took the artificial face off. And then the false hands. I was back to the path leading home with my real face. I was at the door in less than five minutes.
Bang!
My folded fingers hit the door. There was no door bell, so I knocked.
"I think she is home." I heard Vivian scream with excitement from inside the house.
"That's my gal." Nancy's voice followed hers. The once calm building was sounding heavily with noise. I could hear music blasting from the stereo set, but I hadn't heard any of this when I was a few feet away.
I waited. Vivian emerged and unbolted the door, a satisfied grin on her face. "If it isn't the newest mafia sister."
Nancy stood behind her, her hand on Vivian's shoulder, she peered over trying to see me. "Come on, you are blocking her. Get out of the way, let my baby come in." Vivian shifted to the left, leaving me to stand face to face with Vivian.
"Did you get everything on my list?"
"Every single one of it." I smiled.
"That's my girl." Vivian reached out and took the bag from me, Nancy waited until I was inside the house and then she locked the door behind me.
"You did better than I imagined, Camilla. Welcome to the sisterhood." Vivian was done unpacking the bag and nodded in approval.
"I knew she would." Nancy sat next to her, collecting the items in the bag.
"You'll be my roommate. I'll help you arrange your new clothes, and shoes. I must say you made me proud." She paused and enjoyed the look on my face, before speaking on. "You got just a few clothes, I guess it was because you couldn't think of how to transport it here?"
I nodded. Nancy smiled, and picked the items from the table. Sanitary items, a few polo shirts, two pairs of sneakers, a lot of junk, to mention but a few. "Come on, let me show you your space in our room."
I followed her quietly. I wasn't excited that she was my roommate, I would have preferred the quiet lady, Eleanor. But that's not a problem, I'll cope just fine.
We walked into a room at the adjourning end of what used to be my room. I was surprised that there was now a bed, a wardrobe, and a lot of other accessories that weren't here this morning.
"This is our bed, we'll share it." I nodded, although she didn't see me. She was too busy making room for my few clothes in the wardrobe. None of this clothings had been here, either. "You can put your clothes here. And your shoes up there." She pointed to the shoe rack, I nodded again. "The other items go in there." She was standing next to the bedside drawer. For the third time, I nodded. She saw none of it, she was too busy dishing out orders.
"Good!" She sat on the bed, and locked her eyes with mine in what seemed to be an eternity of uncomfortable silence. "Camilla, you are extremely beautiful."
"Thank you, Nancy." I caught myself blushing lightly. If anyone has ever called me beautiful, it was me. All the times my father said it to me, it was because he had an ulterior motive. The other guys at highschool who called me beautiful, did so because they wanted to convince me to either go to prom with them, or be their date.
"I mean, you are perfect." She emphasized the word perfect. I was caught unawares this time. Perfect? No, I was nothing close to that.
"Uhhm, I guess I'd say thank you?"
"Even if you don't say Thank you, you are beautiful."
Vivian interrupted her poetic flow, right before my mind was blown. "How long is it gonna take you both to put those few things in order, and come to the living room for the initiation?"
Initiation? I looked at Nancy for an explanation, but she was almost at the door.
"We will be with you soon, cranky." She yelled in response.
I followed her quietly. No one told me there would be an initiation, before I become path of the gang officially.
What kind of initiation?
I had no answers to my own questions.
With a few strides, I was at the living room.
"Gather round, sisters." Vivian's voice echoed. Nancy and I were already standing next to her, it was obvious she was speaking to Sophia and the other girl who had been on the sofa since they finished breakfast.
We kept our gaze on them, until they joined us at the center of the living room.
One of them appeared impatient, the other appeared uninterested.
"Alright! As we already know, this is Camilla. We met her here today, having no idea she was here. But she has proven herself to be worthy of joining the Mafia sisters, and so we'll be letting her join us." She examined the facial expression of each lady, squinting as if that helped her discern their thoughts. "Does any of you have any reason why Camila shouldn't be a part of us?" Vivian peered into the faces of the older sisters, as I learnt to address them after the initiation.
They kept mute. "Speak now or forever remain silent!" She bellowed again.
No one said a word. I tried to stay calm, but my heart raced. It was going to be different here. Very different. I had to live with their rules, and live with their flaws. And share a room with someone as strange as Nancy. Vivian's voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Camilla!"
"Yes, Vivian!" I shifted my gaze from the table mat that it had been fixated on.
"We have rules that govern us here." She was beginning to look more fierce than when I had unbolted the door this morning.
"We do not under any circumstance, reveal the identity of each other. We have code names here. No sister is allowed to date another sister. Do not bring any stranger here, no matter the relationship. You aren't allowed to date any guy, infact, one of our rules here is that we kill guys who make the mistake of falling for any of us. Love is not a crime, which is why we kill only when necessary. You have to take an oath to live by these rules, after which you are officially one of us."
I stared at her, still unable to speak. All eyes were on me. "What happens if by chance I break any of the rules?"
She giggled, the others laughed along. "We will kill you."
I gasped subconsciously. "I need time to think this over." I wasn't rushing into anything so easily. As much as this was the only place that seemed like my last hope, I have grown to believe that there is always a way out.
"You have no choice. If you accept to be part of us, but mess up in the future,you are killed. If you refuse to be part of us, you are still killed. You know our identity, our names and our hideout. The only way out is to join us, and live by the rules. These are easy rules, you know. If you doubt me, ask the Sherlock Head gangsters. The Mafia lord shoots them dead at the slightest provocation."
I swallowed a hard lump, and breathed heavily. "I guess I'll take the oath."
"Good, come forward." All the others stepped back from the semi-circle we were all standing in, leaving me with just her.
She motioned on one of the ladies to bring her something, which I was unaware of who it was that was to run the errands, or what she was to bring. Kate returned with a knife. "Have this!" I took it, and gazed at the blade, repelling the crazy thought of killing them all and owning their house. I didn't stand a chance against them, plus I have grown to have a soft spot for females. I find it difficult to raise my hand against a lady. How could I hurt a lady, when the whole world already gets that job done?
Sighs! I waited for her instruction.
"Cut your thumb open." I obeyed without any argument, what's the point of arguing, when that would only get them provoked?
I'm stuck with them for life, and I have to accept that fact.
"Good. Now, let me have the knife." I gave it to her, and watched my left thumb bleed, the cut was deep.
She cut her thumb open, and handed the knife to the lady closest to her, Eleanor. In turn, they all did the same.
I watched calmly.
"Get me the jar!" The instruction was not directed to anyone, but in a few minutes, one of the ladies returned with an earthen jar.
She pressed her thumb hard, and some of the blood from her thumb dropped into the jar. She handed it to Nancy, and she did same. In a little while, the jar was in my hands. I did just like they all did.
"Bring the wine." The wine was fetched almost as soon as she requested.
She uncorked it, and deposited all of it's content in the jar. "Here, Camilla. Go first." I swallowed hard. I felt my stomach rumble, at the sight of it. It was the color of red wine, no one would know that there was another thing in it. But I just couldn't bring myself to take the content of that jar.
"Hurry up, miss. I have messages to attend to on my phone." Kate's voice was cold, mean and laissez faire.
I shut my eyes, and stopped to breathe for a few seconds. And then I gulped as much as could go down my gullet.
"Brave young lady." I recognized Nancy's voice even before I opened my eyes. I handed her the jar, and watched her drink a little from it. The jar went around, until it got to Vivian. She drank the remaining and belched in satisfaction.
"You are officially a mafia sister." The wine tasted like red wine, but I knew I had just drank my blood, and that of four strangers.
I smiled, and watched as they all dispatched. Leaving me to myself and my thoughts.
I stood there, reminiscing on all that had happened in the last few days. This would be the last time I would catch myself thinking about my ugly past, because I had a whole new life ahead of me, a beautiful life. As a gangster, one who stole to survive, one who killed men who dared to love on her, one who killed only when necessary. I was a mafia sister, and the Queen of the Mafia Gangsters. Self coronated, but soon, everyone would know me for who I was.
I peeped through the window, just when I was about to head back to the room I share with Nancy, and I saw Keddy walk past the building in a hurry, his eyes darting around the bushes and down the path he threaded like he was looking for something.