15/3/2024
9:56am
Sunmi stood outside the exam hall, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she adjusted the hood of her sweatshirt. Dark sunglasses covered her eyes, and she kept her head low, shifting uncomfortably with every passing student. The wait felt like forever, but finally, the heavy doors creaked open, and students spilled out, some grumbling about the difficulty of the exam, others chatting excitedly.
Then, at last—Tolu.
Without wasting a second, Sunmi grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her toward a secluded corner of the hallway. Tolu barely had time to react before she was pressed up against a pillar, her best friend staring at her with urgency.
"Isn't it just biology?" Sunmi asked, exasperated. "Why did you waste so much time?"
Tolu raised a brow, unimpressed. "Girl, why do you look like you're about to sell drugs?"
Sunmi rolled her eyes but didn't answer. Instead, she glanced around quickly to make sure no one was watching, then led Tolu further down the hallway, stopping only when they reached an abandoned classroom. Once inside, she took a deep breath and slowly pulled back her hood.
Tolu's reaction was instant.
"What the actual fuck!" She clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening in shock as she stared at Sunmi's hair. The once jet-black strands were now streaked with strands of pure white, mixing in an almost unnatural way. "When did this happen?"
Sunmi sighed, running a hand through her hair as she leaned against a desk. "Last night."
Tolu crossed her arms, watching her carefully. "Okay, start talking. Now."
So she did.
She told Tolu everything—about Tiara appearing in her room, about the warning, about how she was forced to look in the mirror and see what she had done at Makinde's house. The memory was still vivid—her glowing white eyes, the way her power had taken control, forcing the guards to kill themselves without hesitation.
"It felt... intoxicating," Sunmi admitted in a whisper, eyes distant. "Like, for the first time, I wasn't afraid. I was powerful."
Tolu let out a long breath, rubbing her temples. "Damn, Sunmi. This is serious."
"I know." Sunmi reached into her bag and pulled out a small plastic case. "Which is why I need you to help me dye it back."
Tolu blinked. "Wait, what?"
"I can't do it at home; I don't know how and if I ask they maids to they maids would ask questions," Sunmi explained. "And I don't want my parents to notice." She hesitated before adding, "And I don't want Moses to know either."
Tolu narrowed her eyes. "Why?"
Sunmi hesitated. "Because... if he finds out, he'll start thinking I'm losing control. And I don't want that. I just need time to figure things out myself."
Tolu didn't look convinced, but after a moment, she sighed in defeat. "Fine. But if this gets worse, you have to promise me you'll talk to someone."
Sunmi nodded quickly. "I promise."
Tolu still didn't look reassured, but she grabbed the dye kit from Sunmi's hands anyway. "Alright, princess," she muttered, shaking her head. "Let's fix that disaster on your head before someone else notices."
---
After dyeing her hair back to black, Sunmi felt somewhat relieved, as if she had erased the evidence of what had happened the night before. She and Tolu were on their way to the cafeteria, laughing about something ridiculous, when suddenly, Tolu froze.
A breath.
Then—a giggle.
It was soft, playful, yet unmistakable. A sound she knew all too well.
Oyin.
The Wind spirit.
Her body stiffened, and instinctively, she glanced at Sunmi, but her friend showed no sign that she had heard anything. Sunmi was still talking, completely unaware.
Then, just as suddenly, Oyin's voice whispered into Tolu's ear, light and mischievous.
"met us at the art room."
A shiver ran down Tolu's spine. She immediately knew what this meant. Moses had sent Oyin.
She exhaled sharply, then turned to Sunmi, forcing a casual tone. "Hey, I forgot something. You go ahead, I'll be right back."
Sunmi barely looked suspicious. "Alright," she said with a shrug and walked off toward the cafeteria.
Once Sunmi was out of sight, Tolu turned on her heel and strode toward the art room. She pushed the door open, half-expecting to see Moses standing in the shadows like some secret agent.
Instead, there he was, sitting on one of the old wooden tables like a mafia boss, completely relaxed, as if he owned the place.
Tolu crossed her arms. "How long have you been spying on us?"
Moses smirked, tilting his head. "Long enough."
Tolu narrowed her eyes. "Why?"
He hopped down from the table, walking toward her with that same unreadable expression. "Let's just say I had my suspicions when Sunmi walked into school this morning looking like she was about to sell drugs."
Tolu scoffed. "Well I wouldn't say the outfit wasn't suspicious but still doesn't give you the right to do so."
Moses' smirk faded slightly, his voice turning serious. "Hair dye doesn't change the fact that she's losing control, Tolu. You know that."
Silence stretched between them.
Tolu clenched her fists. She hated to admit it, but he wasn't wrong. Sunmi was getting stronger—too strong, too fast.
Moses watched her for a moment, then sighed. "I have something to show you."
Tolu frowned. "What—"
Before she could finish, Moses snapped his fingers.
"Oyin, let's go."
The air shifted.
A playful giggle echoed around them, followed by a gust of wind.
Then—poof.
They were gone.
When the dizziness faded, Tolu realized they were no longer in the art room. She blinked, looking around.
Moses' house.
More specifically—his room.
Tolu raised an eyebrow, glancing around at the neatly arranged books, the spotless desk, the perfectly made bed.
She let out a low whistle. "I have to say, I expected more chaos. Your room is surprisingly neat… for a boy."
Moses smirked. "What, you thought I lived like Emeka? That my room was a disaster?"
Tolu snorted. "You know I don't need my magic to kill you, right?"
Moses just laughed. "That's what I'm afraid off."
---
Moses immediately opened his laptop, fingers flying over the keyboard as the screen glowed in the dimly lit room. His expression was tense, his voice steady but laced with urgency.
"I was able to get access to some Council of Magic files," he began. "And what I found might come as a shock."
Tolu leaned forward, her arms crossed. "You hacked into the Council's records?"
Moses shot her a look. "I wouldn't call it hacking. More like… retrieving necessary information and beside my dad is the president so no beg deal."
Tolu rolled her eyes. "Right. What did you find?"
Moses hesitated before speaking. "It's about Sunmi. Or more specifically—her birth."
Tolu frowned. "What do you mean?"
Moses tapped on his keyboard, pulling up a file. "Sunmi's mother, Shola Ademoye, was originally married to Jonah Ademoye. But before that, she worked as a personal assistant to a powerful politician—Samson Akintuyi."
Tolu's brow furrowed. "That name sounds familiar."
"It should," Moses muttered. "He was my dad's best friend and Sunmi's step and current dad."
Tolu sat up straighter. "Wait step dad. How?. And What does he have to do with Sunmi's mom?"
Moses exhaled. "He was in love with her."
Tolu's eyes widened. "What?"
"Shola and Samson loved each other. But by the time they met, her marriage to Jonah had already been arranged. They never acted on their feelings, but everyone close to them knew the truth."
Tolu blinked, absorbing the revelation. "So, what happened?"
Moses clicked on another file, showing a grainy, black-and-white image. It looked like a scene from a security camera—chaotic, people running, something dark in the background.
"There was an event," he said. "A public gathering. Everything was fine until… something appeared."
Tolu's stomach twisted. "Something?"
"A creature," Moses said grimly. "Made of pure darkness."
Tolu swallowed hard. "Dark magic?"
Moses nodded. "My dad and his workers tried to stop it, but it was too powerful. Then it just… disappeared. As if it hid somewhere. They never found it."
Tolu shivered. "What does this have to do with Sunmi?"
Moses hesitated before clicking on another file. "A month after that event, Shola started showing signs of pregnancy. But here's the thing—she was told she couldn't have children due to health issues."
Tolu's eyes narrowed. "So it was… a miracle?"
"She thought so too. But when she ran tests, they all came back negative." Moses leaned back. "The results showed she wasn't pregnant."
Tolu's breath hitched. "Then how…?"
"Fast forward nine months," Moses continued. "Shola wakes up in the middle of the night, in excruciating pain. When she looks down—she has a fully grown belly. She's in labor."
Tolu stared at him, horrified. "That's… impossible."
"She was rushed to the hospital and gave birth to a girl." Moses turned the screen toward Tolu, showing a baby photo.
Tolu gasped. Even as a newborn, Sunmi had black and white hair.
"She was born psychic," Moses said. "Which didn't make sense, because there were no psychics in her family or extended family I did an extensive research in her family tree. But her powers weren't stable."
He clicked on a video. The screen flickered to life, showing an eight-year-old Sunmi standing in front of an ice cream truck, crying hysterically. In the video, her mother tried to console her, but Sunmi was screaming, tears streaming down her face.
Then, without warning, the truck crumpled in on itself, like an invisible force had crushed it.
Tolu slapped a hand over her mouth.
"She was eight," Moses said quietly. "And when she didn't get what she wanted, things got messy."
Tolu tore her gaze from the screen. "What happened next?"
"A year later, Jonah left," Moses continued. "He couldn't handle it. Called her abnormal."
Tolu's chest tightened. "He abandoned her?"
Moses nodded. "And a year after that, Samson married Shola. But Sunmi… her dad was scared and wanted her to live a normal life free from everything supernatural. she was sent away. To my aunt. They erased her memories and sealed her powers .
Tolu was beyond shocked , she felt so bad for her best friend.
But Moses looked at her then sighed. "That's not all. After more research on Sunmi's case it was found that there was only one other psychic with black and white hair. She mysteriously disappeared without a trace at the age of twelve."
Tolu looked at him preparing for the possible worse answer." Who?"
Moses took a deep breath, and looked at Tolu. "Taira."