TRAILING SHADOWS

The company walked by, the girls riding the Esin Onina with Niniola at the reins while Tayo and Sunday walked at either side.

Tayo still has the hood over his head, his body hidden in the large flapping cape of blue. Sunday is dressed as usual, his hands on his fist as he appears pensive. They walk, reaching the less populated areas with scantily situated buildings that are several meters apart. In contrast to the previous loaction, this is a savannah with lush, green grasses and scanty trees.

"uh... This is should work!" Niniola muttered, jumping off the horse.

"Really? It's deserted." Ibiyemi form shivered as she took in the sights.

Nothing animate seemed to be around, for several meters, except for the few flying birds and passing insects.

"It should do the trick!" Ninola replied, drawing out a circle with her foot on the grass. 

Once the circle was completed, it erupted into white flames. She stepped back, watching the fire burn outwards, eating a circular patch into the grasses.

With her back turned to them, Sunday bent over, cutting a blade of grass, while Tayo held the reins of the horse as he helped Ibiyemi unmount.

In front of the exiled girl now was a huge trampoline of white and some stakes, a couple of wood logs at the side of her feet and a sack bag of brown at the other side. She turned to them, gesticulating.

"Hey, you guys, come help out here." She called out.

However, only Tayo and Ibiyemi heeded her call, picking the tent covering up at opposite sides while she pushed the other items to give them enough clearance.

"You know, you guys. I've been wondering, what are you all still doing here? I mean, up until today, myself and Sunday were enroute to Earth." Niniola muttered out, piecing wood to form a cl.u.s.ter.

"Especially you, Tayo. We had a deal because you were a mercenary andddd... You had a soul sensor. Work together and we get Sunday and then, fight for who gets him afterwards." She looked at them behind, briefly watching the tampouline slip out of Ibiyemi's hand much to the disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e of Tayo.

"Mercenary?" Ibiyemi asked, bending over to pick her end of the tampouline.

Tayo sighed as he lowered himself to his knees, pegging in a stake into his end of the tampouline.

"You're not going to talk?" Niniola asked. "That aside too..."

"You guys are not done yet?" Sunday w.h.i.n.ed in front and in reaction, Niniola frowned.

"You know it would have been much faster if you joined us instead of complaining." Ibiyemi shot back.

"Fine!" Niniola spat out as her body blurred around Tayo and Ibiyemi. She slid to a stop, coming to stand beside Ibiyemi as the already set up tent sparkled in their eyes.

"Hm!" Tayo scoffed.

"You're so fast! Did you use any technique?" Ibiyemi cooed, excitement burning in her eyes.

Hearing that, she smirked, walking back to the cl.u.s.tered wood. 

"Technique? Why would I waste Agbara in casting a speed technique when I am equally as fast as just the technique? Not very energy efficient, you know." She resumed stacking them to form a heap around and once she was done, she rubbed her hands together.

"Wow! you're so strong,. How did you get like this?" Ibiyemi cooed, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Since people would give up their lives than to talk to me, I had to spend most part of my time in Orun Apaadi. In there, the beasts and demons don't actually give you a time out break to cast a technique. So, you can say that the fear of death is what kept me alive all along. And strong, if you must say!" Niniola said before turning to the side.

"Atleast, the fear of what would happen should Aganju's curse fail to protect me." She whispered to herself.

"Can you train me?" Ibiyemi asked, hands on her knees to the upstanding Niniola.

"Uh?" Niniola laughed heartily. "Train you? You don't have qualms being trained by an Abomination, now?"

"Well... I..." Ibiyemi exhaled, rising up. "I kinda need to get string for something. And who better teach you than..."

"Well, something." She cringed, her face giving her away that she was reluctant to tell.

"What is this something? Surely it has a name?" Niniola urged, winking at her.

"It's not important here." Ibiyemi retorted, walking away, back to the tent.

No way was she going to divulge that she needed to get strong so her 'tainted' father is not disgraced out of office for that bashful brother of hers.

The brother who was working hand in hand with Wole.

"You know, this attitude is not going to get us anyway. If we are going to stick together with one another, at least for the time being, then, you would agree that all of you better stop hiding facts away from the rest of us." Niniola narrowed her eyes, picking up the bag with one hand.

"And by the rest of you, I mean, you and Tayo. We can't progress if someone here is hiding truth. For heck sake, what if one of you is planning to betray the gang later on?"

Tayo tensed up when he sat in front of the tent, one knee raised up.

"I'm sorry if I don't trust you guys enough." Niniola said apologetically, bringing up meat stuck up on to three sticks and placing them into the ground beside the fire.

"But, believe you me, in the little years I've lived, I've come to realise that one out of three is a potential betrayal." She shrugged. "I mean, people cannot exactly be trusted, you know."

Niniola turned to them now, hands on her h.i.p.s.

"So, if you guys don't want me to keep mistrusting you all, then it is imperative we get to bond. 

How do we bond? By sharing our backstories. Who knows, we might even find something that we all need.

So, to make this very clear, I am going to start with myself."