Entwined

“Finally!” Lebz exclaims when I approach, snatching her food from my arms.

“You’re welcome,” I say wryly, handing Wiki his drink before sitting down. “Guess who I ran into? He was right behind me in line at the tuck-shop. Our bodies were a centimetre apart.”

Lebz raises her eyebrows and talks through a mouthful of chips. “Not Lizard again?”

I flinch at her disgusted tone. “No. Thuli.”

“Oh!” She swallows and regards me with suspicion. “Why aren’t you excited?”

“I am excited.” I shake my packet of chips to distribute the salt.

“What did he say?” Lebz rolls her eyes. “Did he ask you for a lighter? I think that’s the only thing he ever says to me. ‘Hey Lebz. Got a light?’ As if I look like someone who wants lungs full of tar.”

“He said, ‘Sorry’.” I smile sheepishly. “I asked him to excuse me, because he was blocking my way, so he moved. It was nothing.”

Lebz and Wiki exchange glances. Wiki closes his book.

I blink at them. “What?”

“It was nothing?” Lebz is peering into my face as if she’s just noticed a giant zit. “You’ve been obsessed with this guy for three years! You finally get close enough to talk to him and all you have to say is ‘it was nothing’?”

“It’s not like you to be so casual about Thuli,” adds Wiki. “Unless…”

I put a chip into my mouth and give him an innocent stare.

“Are you over him?” Lebz shrieks, thrilled by the prospect.

“I’m not over him,” I protest, but I’m not quite sure. I still get excited when I see Thuli; butterflies, heart palpitations, the whole thing. But… I don’t know. Three years is a long time for unrequited love. Maybe I’m fed up. Maybe I expected to look into his eyes and see his soul. Maybe I thought I’d be overwhelmed by his genius. Maybe I expected him to react with a little more interest. What I didn’t expect was a rap song and commentary on his growling stomach.

“Oh my God!” Lebz gasps, eyes wide. “You read his mind, didn’t you? It was disgusting, or full of smoke. That’s it, isn’t it?”

I sigh. “Don’t be stupid. He had some song in his head – that’s all. I just…” It’s starting to hit me now. Years of anticipation. The million times I’ve imagined our first conversation, and the crushing disappointment of reality. “There was nothing. He looked right at me for the first time and there was nothing. No magic. He thought he recognised me, then changed his mind.” I start to laugh. “Changed his mind! Can you believe that? After all these years.”

“He doesn’t know who you are,” says Wiki. “You can’t expect him to fall in love at first sight.”

“I know that.” I’m annoyed by his callous pragmatism. I know I’m no supermodel, but I’ve liked Thuli forever. I don’t think it’s possible to have that kind of intense emotion directed at you and not know it. “But how many times has he seen us together? How many times has he spoken to one of you when I was standing right there? And he doesn’t recognise me! I’m invisible!”

“Thuli has no taste and no sense.” Lebz reaches over to tuck a stray curl into my hair band. “But if he got to know you he’d love you.”

I nod and munch my chips, but I know she’s just saying that to make me feel better. I shouldn’t even be upset. Didn’t I want to be invisible, the average, ordinary girl? That’s what I get. Why would Thuli notice me when he can notice everybody else?

“It doesn’t matter,” I declare with more conviction than I feel. “I don’t have time to pine away after a boy who doesn’t even know my name. Listen Lebz, what do you know about this Rose girl?”

She and Wiki exchange glances again.

“Stop it,” I snap. “I’m not about to fall apart or something. Can we focus on Ma-fourteen, please?”

Wiki frowns. He’s thinking – no, I don’t know what he’s thinking. My telepathy is flickering again, like a light about to go out. I reach up to rub my temples.

Lebz puts her hand on my shoulder. “Thuli’s not worth your tears.”

“I’m not crying.” I raise my head. “My head feels funny.”

“Another headache?” asks Wiki warily.

“No, but…” Now the switch is back on and I can see and hear everything as clearly as ever. Strange. “Never mind, I’m fine. Forget Thuli. It’s about time I got over him anyway, right?”

“Right,” says Lebz, a little too eagerly.

I get to my feet. “I’ll be back. I need some water.” I feel strange. Not sick exactly, but not quite well. As I walk towards the standpipe near the school gate, the thoughts in my head flicker again. When I return, Lebz and Wiki are dead quiet and the other realm is hazy.

“Do you have feelings for Black Lizard?”

My heart jumps out of my chest, into my throat, then back down behind my ribcage with a thud. I gape at Lebz. “Are you crazy?”

“Are you?” she counters in dismay.

“Rakwena and I are barely even friends,” I point out in my most sensible tone. “Where did this come from? Weren’t you just telling me to forget about Thuli?”

She gasps and shoots a horrified glance at Wiki. “You were right! She’s already thinking of him as the rebound guy!”

“Rebound?” I’m completely confused. “Don’t you have to break-up before you can go on the rebound? And you need a relationship to have a break-up, so…”

She carries on as if I haven’t said a word. “God, it’s worse than I thought! I understand you’ve had a lot to deal with – telepathy, being disappointed by Thuli – but chasing strange men is not going to make you feel better.”

Chasing? Men? I let out an incredulous giggle. “Lebz, really…”

“I get the whole bad boy thing,OK?” she goes on, taking my hand. “We’ve all been there. It’s part of life and you grow out of it. I accepted Thuli, even though he’s weird and annoying, but Black Lizard is another story.”

“Lebz-”

“He’s creepy. It’s not even about the tattoo or that ugly-ass scar. He’s just freaky, you know? The way he watches you and says nothing, hiding in corners… Maybe he seems exciting to you and you feel like you can handle it because you’ve got powers and stuff, but trust me, you’re only going to get hurt.”

I glance at Wiki, who lifts his shoulders in a sheepish shrug. Then I turn back to Lebz. She’s genuinely concerned. “Lebz, relax. At least let me get over one guy before you start matching me up with another! I’m not interested in Lizard. We just… we have some things in common, that’s all.”

“Like what? Is he a telepath too?”

“No…” I sneak another look at Wiki, but he’s hiding behind his book. “He just knows a lot about this stuff. I can learn a lot from him.” I give her a reassuring smile. “And he’s really not that scary. You just have to get used to him.”

She’s not convinced, but she’s willing to let it go for now. “Hmm. I’ll keep my eyes on him,” she promises, wagging a finger at me. “If he messes with you…”

I have to laugh at that. Lebz can be feisty, but she’s all talk. “Thanks.” We don’t do mushy girl-bonding, so I poke her affectionately in the ribs. “What about you, Wiki? Can I count on you to slay dragons for me?”

“You mean lizards,” Lebz cuts in with a sly grin.

“The pen is mightier than the sword,” Wiki mumbles. Ri-ight.

I rather like the idea of someone defending my honour, but as the bell goes I remember that my honour isn’t in danger. As my encounter with Thuli has proven, I’m the kind of girl guys consider for just a fraction of a second. Ouch. I need to think about something else before the humiliation cuts too deep.

I try to zone in on the thoughts around me. Nothing. Wait, there’s a vague… no, nothing. What’s going on? Is something getting in the way of my telepathy, or is this just how it works?

I start to sense some vague sounds as bit by bit the clarity returns. Suddenly it hits me full force, making me stop in my tracks. Unfortunately I’m behind a rowdy group of boys. Sigh – I’m sick of hearing about Xbox and boobs. I push past them, inching towards my classroom, and come up behind a guy with earphones on. There are many downsides to telepathy, but nothing’s worse than being subjected to other people’s music. I can’t take any more lewd lyrics or brain-numbing beats. And what kind of a name is T-Pain, anyway?

I shake my head and take a deep breath to settle the noise in my head. I wish I knew where it went all of a sudden, and what made it come back.

Chapter Five

There are a lot more students in the library than I remember. More books, too. I come here occasionally to do research or look for the odd novel; it’s just been a while since the last occasion. Wiki leads the way, winding through the shelves without even glancing at the signs.

“Over here,” he whispers, pointing me in the direction of the books on Setswana proverbs. You might wonder why Wiki, who can barely greet in my second native tongue, knows where to find Setswana books. It’s not that he’s partial to languages or proverbs, he’s just partial to books.

“Thanks,” I whisper back.

He replies with a distracted wave, and I watch him run his fingers thoughtfully across the spines of the books as he turns the corner. He’s already forgotten I exist. I reach for the thinnest book and flip through it. It seems to have been written for primary school. It’s perfect.

My Setswana isn’t what it should be. After my mother died the only person I spoke it with was Lebz, but not often. My only close relative from my mother’s side is Ntatemogolo, and he was off dancing with wolves in Peru or someplace. When he finally came home, he was appalled by my cultural ignorance. He took me to the cattle post for a weekend and made me sit up all night listening to crickets chirp so I could get in touch with the earth. I learned a lot about crickets and cows, but not so much about culture.

“I didn’t know you were such a lazy student.”

I almost drop the book. My chest fills with a mixture of annoyance and relief, and I’m careful to wipe the smile off my face before I turn around.

Rakwena’s lips are curled into that smile that pisses me off, but some of his usual vibrancy is gone. “No self-respecting Form Four student would use that for an assignment.” He taps the book’s cover with the tip of his forefinger.

I snatch it away and glare at him. “Setswana is hard; everyone knows that,” I snap. Nevertheless, I slide the book back into its place on the shelf. “Where have you been?” I hope that sounded casual. I hope it didn’t sound as if I’ve been driving myself crazy wondering whether he’s avoiding me.

“Sick.”

“Sick?” I frown at him, suspicious. “What was wrong with you?”

“Flu.”

“It’s summer.”

He smiles and runs a finger along the side of the shelf. “Were you worried? You sent me a million messages.”

“Not a million,” I protest in indignation. A few students send curious glances our way. I lower my voice. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t backing out of our deal. You remember our deal, don’t you?”

“How could I forget?”

“So? When?”

He hesitates, as if he wants me to make the call. What is it with boys? I thought they were supposed to take charge.

“Today,” I suggest. “Lunch time.”

“After school. The usual place.”

I get a little shiver when he says that – the usual place, as if we’re having a torrid affair. I study him for a moment. He doesn’t look quite like himself; some of his swagger is gone. Maybe he really was sick.

He reaches over my head and pulls down a book. “Here. If you want your teachers to take you seriously, you’d better use books like this.” He hands it to me. It’s a thick monster of a book with a ghastly brown cover. The font is so small I might need to borrow Wiki’s glasses, and it’s written in grammatically correct traditional Setswana – the kind I get a headache trying to decipher.

My jaw drops. “It’ll take me all day to read the first page!”

“Good. It’s about time you learned to challenge yourself.” With that snide statement, he slinks away.

No wonder Lizard doesn’t have any friends. He’s a smug, self-righteous know-it-all. I march to the check-out desk with the book in my hand. I’m not taking it out because he suggested it; I’m taking it out to prove a point. Besides, I don’t have to read the whole book. Skimming was invented for a reason.

By the time the final bell goes I’ve worked myself into a state. I’m distracted, my telepathy is still off and I’m almost terrified to find out what Lizard’s skill is. What if it’s dangerous? My hands are shaking so badly I keep dropping my pen. Eventually I get my act together, pack up my things and head outside, and then I remember that I haven’t told my friends about my plans for the afternoon.

For a moment I consider just disappearing and dealing with them later, but Lebz emerges from a classroom nearby and spots me. Damn, damn, damn!

“Listen, I have to hang around for a bit,” I tell her before she can open her mouth. “I have a very important meeting.”

“Meeting?” Her eyes narrow. “You’re not part of any club and you don’t play sports.”

The lie is poised on my tongue. A group assignment for Development Studies. We get them all the time; it’ll be completely plausible. But do I really want to spend the rest of my life lying? I unzip the front compartment of my bag and pretend to check for something. “I’m meeting Rakwena, so you should go on without me.”

She grabs my arm and drags me to a corner. “What? Already?”

I pull my arm out of her grip. “Ouch! Already what?” Switch. Everything in her mind is clear again, for the moment. This back and forth is starting to make me dizzy.

“Meeting in secret after school! Does Wiki know about this?”

I sigh. Lebz is such a drama queen. I wish I couldn’t see the ridiculous thoughts running through her mind. Rakwena is not going to hurt me, and he’s not going to shove me up against a wall and try to stick his hand in my shirt. “We’re just going to talk.”

“About what?”

“Stuff.” I raise my eyebrows. “You know.”

“I’m coming with you,” she declares.

“No!”

She stares suspiciously at me. “Why not? What are you up to?”

“Lebz, please. Do you come with me when I go to talk to my grandfather?”

“No, but –”

“And why not?” I fold my arms across my chest, challenging her. My head is starting to throb, the telepathy is flickering again and I’m in no mood for this. “You know this stuff just freaks you out – you hate hearing about it. You can just switch off and go back to the normal world, but I can’t. Rakwena understands. I don’t have to explain things to him. He just… he knows, OK? Try to put yourself in my shoes for once!”

The look on her face tells me I’ve said too much. “OK,” she says quietly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Wait, Lebz… I didn’t mean…”

“Forget it. It’s fine.” She shrugs. “I have a lot of work to do anyway.” She walks off towards the gate. Eish. Me and my big mouth.

I walk slowly towards the “usual place”, making a promise to myself to call Lebz when I get home. I don’t like it when she’s upset with me, but I don’t have time to brood because Thuli has appeared out of nowhere and is walking towards me. I don’t think I can deal with this. My chest is heaving. I’m rooted to the ground. I don’t know what’s come over me; I’m standing there like an idiot. I should get out of his way. I should ignore him and just keep going. But what if… I know it’s crazy and silly and probably impossible… what if he’s coming to talk to me?

He walks past, taking long, easy strides, so close that I could have touched him. He doesn’t even glance at me. My heart twists. He was never coming towards me. He was going towards the gate, where Simon and Mothusi are waiting. Oh, stupid Connie. You’d think I would learn.

“Are you OK?”

I snap out of my heartbroken daze and turn to Lizard.

“You look upset.” He looks at me, then at Thuli’s retreating back, then back at me. “Did he say something to you? He’s an idiot.”

I sigh. “No, he didn’t say a word to me. He doesn’t even know I’m here.”

He gives me a funny look, then glances at Thuli again. “I don’t know about that.”

“Hmm?”

“You said he doesn’t know you’re here. But…” He frowns. “He’s staring at you.”

There goes my heart again. Connie, come on. How many times do you want to be disappointed? “Don’t be stupid,” I croak, a terrible mixture of hope and doubt rising inside me. “He’s probably staring at you.” But I turn around anyway, just in case. And my breath catches in my throat. Thuli is staring at me. Not in the idle way he looked at me at the tuck-shop. He’s looking at me with… I can’t believe it… curiosity.

I could stand there forever, but with superhuman strength I tear my gaze away and start walking on shaky legs. I imagined it. I must have.

“Are you friends with him?” asks Rakwena, with unmistakable distaste.

“No.” Wow. Wow. Wow. “Is he gone?”

“Yes.”

Once we reach the usual place, I lean back against the wall to catch my breath. I’m being silly. Thuli wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at Black Lizard. Obviously. Somehow that thought is comforting – it makes so much more sense. I turn to Rakwena and notice the bag slung over one shoulder. It’s a basic schoolbag, black with green piping, and, like everything else on him, it’s spotless.

“I don’t understand how you go all day without getting any dirt on you,” I marvel as he leans against the wall beside me.

“Simple. I don’t roll around in the sand like my peers.”

Serves me right for mentioning it. And, like a glutton for punishment, I go on. “Your pants look like they were ironed five minutes ago. Your shoes are still shiny. And I’m sure you get your hair cut every day.”

“Every week,” he corrects me with a slow smile. “I like being clean. I know you kids find that strange, but you’ll grow out of it eventually.”

Aaaahhhh! I should punch him; he’s begging for it. “Does your Mummy do your laundry?” I tease.

His face closes up and his voice turns cold. “My mother isn’t here.”

I’ve struck a nerve. I want to ask, but I’m afraid of the answer. “Is she…”

“Dead? Not in the way you’re thinking.” Before I can ask what that means, his brow creases in concern. “How are you these days, Connie? Feeling all right?”

I look at him through narrowed eyes. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Just asking. And the telepathy? Getting easier?”

“Every day.” I consider telling him how erratic my new ability has been lately, but I’d rather keep quiet until he reveals his secret, otherwise I’ll never get it out of him. “How are you? Somehow I didn’t think flu would get the better of you.”

His eyes flicker. Ah. Not flu, after all. I didn’t think so. “I’m only human.”

It’s only then that it occurs to me that he might not be – human, that is. Scary thought. Ghosts and monsters are one thing, but it’s bad manners to pretend to be human if you’re not. “Are you?”

He laughs out loud for a long time.

“What, then? Tell me what’s different about you.”

He’s quiet for a while, hands in his pockets, looking at me with a contemplative expression on his face.

“Rakwena!” The suspense is agonising. “You promised!” I push him lightly.

He reaches up to pull my hand away from his shirt, and there it is again. The spark. This time there’s no doubt about it – I can see the blue light fizzle between our hands. The spark is gentle, sending tingles up my arms as he lowers my hand, and it disappears when he releases me. “You’ve wrinkled my shirt.” He frowns, irritated.

I survey the damage. There’s an almost invisible crease near one of the buttons. I roll my eyes. “Sorry. But you’re stalling and it’s not cool. Come on, out with it!”

His hand snakes back into his pocket. My heart is pounding. It’s so quiet without the usual thoughts in my head that my heartbeat sounds like the bass in a house track. When Rakwena’s hand reappears, it’s clutching something flat and clear and… utterly unremarkable.

“A protractor?” I shriek. “Don’t tell me your secret talent is advanced geometry.”

He laughs, and I finally lose my temper.

“You’re not going to show me, are you? You just said yes to get me off your back.”

Rakwena doesn’t answer. He holds up the protractor and studies it as if it’s the most fascinating object in the world.

“Hey, I’m talking to you!”

He ignores me. I’m so angry I just might punch him after all. My hands are already forming fists. He’s close enough; I could probably hit his jaw. No, that would hurt my hand too much. His nose?

Something in the corner of my eye begs for my attention. I turn to look, and almost scream out loud. The protractor hovers above Rakwena’s outstretched hand, floating in thin air. It turns around slowly, doing little pirouettes. It looks like a sheet of glass with light leaping around in it. My eyes follow it, then I’m distracted by a tingle in my hand as Rakwena reaches for it. He turns it so my palm is facing up, and then, using whatever the hell he’s using, gently lowers the protractor onto my hand.

For a moment I’ve lost the ability to speak. Finally I raise my head and look into Rakwena’s eyes, and realise in amazement that he’s nervous.

“It’s not that special,” he says softly. “But it has its uses.”

“It’s incredible,” I gasp. “It’s… it’s the most… wow!”

I can tell he’s pleased by my reaction. “You’re easy to impress. A little trick like that.” He rubs the back of his neck like a shy kid who got a girl to look his way.

“That wasn’t a little trick,” I point out. “You didn’t just make it move, you… I don’t know, you made it come alive.” I stare at him, awestruck. “How did you do it?”

He shrugs, takes the protractor and pockets it. “I’ve always been able to do it.”

“How many people know about this? Do your parents know?”

He hesitates. “Yes.”

“What about your friends?” I prod. He looks at me, and I remember that he’s not exactly Mr Congeniality. “Oh, sorry. But your parents… are they OK with it?”

“On some level.” He nudges my ribs with his elbow. The spark doesn’t seem to apply when there’s fabric in the way. “What about you?”

“My dad sort of knows, but he’s in denial. And my mother had a good idea, but she died before my gift got stronger.” I frown at him. “Stop changing the subject. I know absolutely nothing about you!”

He puts on a baffled expression. “What do you mean? I just showed you my secret! What do you want, my school report?”

I fold my arms and look at him. “You seem to know a whole lot more about my life than you should. It’s only fair that you share a little. At least tell me about your family. Your parents, siblings… come on.”

He sighs and slumps against the wall. “My father died when I was very young. My mother lives…” His jaw twitches. “… Somewhere else. I have no siblings.”

“I’m sorry about your dad. Do you live with relatives, then?”

“I live alone.” His voice is terse. Clearly family is not his favourite topic.

I can’t help wondering about his mother. What does he mean by “somewhere else”? Another country? And why did she leave him here? Don’t they get along? But I can’t ask; the steely expression on his face scares me off. “So… you live in a house? All by yourself?”

His lips curl in a wry smile. “Yes, Connie.”

“Oh.” I’m impressed. His family must think he’s pretty mature if they let him live alone. “Where do you live?”

He shakes his head and sighs. “Near the State House. Why?”

My eyes widen. “How do you pay the rent?”

He makes a little exasperated sound and turns away. “How is this relevant?”

I don’t know why he’s being so secretive. He was the one who started talking to me when I was just sitting there minding my own business. “Don’t be so defensive.” I scowl at him and adjust my bag on my shoulder. “I don’t know any other kids who are allowed to stay alone. I’m curious.”

He seems to think about it for a moment before turning to look at me again. His expression is a little softer, but his guard is still up. “It’s not quite like that,” he says quietly. “It’s my mother’s house. We lived there together until she… went away.” He gets a funny catch in his voice when he talks about her. “So I don’t pay rent.”