Akata Witch

Yao glared at him. “Did I ask you?” He looked at Chichi, waiting for an answer.

“All right,” Chichi said, getting up. “Let’s go.”

Sasha scowled as Chichi walked hand and hand with Yao to the rotating tree. Then he turned and waved at Agaja and Ousman, who were standing with a group of older boys and girls. They waved back, motioning him to come over.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Sasha said, getting up.

Sunny took a gulp of her tea and looked at Orlu. “Wanna dance?” The words were out before she’d really thought about them. She felt her face grow hot.

Orlu half-smiled and looked at the dance floor. “That tree looks dangerous.”

“I know,” she said, laughing louder than she meant to.

There was a long pause. “All right,” he finally said, putting down his cup. “Come on.”

As they walked toward the dancing, jumping, laughing, wiggling students, Sunny remembered how tired she was. She’d always liked dancing, making it a point to hit the floor at all the parties her parents took her to, but right now her legs were sore. She was worn out. And it was so hot and humid.

The moment they got near the tree, the music grew louder and she jumped. Then she smiled. She could feel her spirit face just behind her face rejoicing. After that, she was in the zone, shaking her hips, throwing her arms in the air, shuffling her feet, and sweating like everyone else. Orlu wasn’t bad, either. Chichi saw them and dragged Yao over. For that hour and a half, they were all joyous.

As it grew late, the tree switched to slower music; not couples music, but cooldown music. The social was almost over. People started leaving. There was a notebook at the entrance for people to write their contact information so everyone could keep in touch. Chichi had scoffed and said this was a useless practice. In most African countries, it was hard to keep in touch with people from far away, even with e-mail. In the Leopard community, it apparently wasn’t much different. “Only the scholars know how to communicate easily across large expanses of space,” Orlu said as they returned to their cold cups of tea.

“Them, and people born with the ability,” Chichi added.

“You’re done with Yao, right?” Orlu quickly asked.

“Where’s Sasha?” Sunny asked.

They looked around.

“There he is,” Chichi said, narrowing her eyes. He was surrounded by at least five girls.

“I thought you said he was hanging with your teammates,” Chichi said.

“He was,” Sunny said.

Chichi stormed over to him. Orlu and Sunny laughed. Sasha and Chichi were always so dramatic.

As Chichi was going toward Sasha, Yao met up with Ibou the soccer player. They spoke for a moment. Then they started toward Chichi. Orlu’s smile dropped away. “Oh, no. Trouble. Come on,” Orlu said, taking Sunny’s hand.

Chichi called Sasha’s name. The girls stepped aside as she approached. Yao called Chichi. She turned around. Sasha pushed past a particularly eager girl trying to press herself against him.

“So, what do you have?” Yao was saying to Chichi by the time Sunny and Orlu got to them all. Ibou stood quietly beside Yao.

“What do you have?” Chichi asked.

Yao took out his juju knife. It looked like it was made of pure, smooth gold. The tip was curved. He cut the air in a complex series of motions and caught something. He blew it at Chichi. A heavy wind pushed her back several steps. When it stopped, everyone gasped. Chichi’s bright green rapa and top were now metallic gold. Then the dress started growing much tighter around the chest, pushing up her bosom.

Ibou’s eyebrows rose and then he laughed loudly. “Ah-ah! That was a good one,” he said, slapping Yao’s hand. “Should have made it even tighter in the backside, too.” Yao and Ibou laughed even harder.

The girls who’d been hovering around Sasha all went, “Oooh,” and then clapped. “How pretty,” one girl said, feeling the material of Chichi’s sleeve. Chichi snatched her arm away.

“Oh, please,” she said. “Petty juju. Notice which of us is impressed and which of us is not.”

Several of the girls sucked their teeth, one of them grumbling, “Look at this girl. Might as well be a man if she can’t appreciate that material.”

Chichi brought out her knife. By this time, Sasha had stepped forward. He put his arm around Chichi’s shoulder and looked with amused eyes at Yao and Ibou. “Yao, you’re an idiot,” he said dismissively. “And Ibou, first you’re bested on the soccer field by one of my classmates and now your best friend’s gonna be bested by another of my classmates. You’re inferior.”

“You forget,” Ibou said. “Your team lost.”

“Only because you choose the oldest players,” Godwin said from the gathering crowd. “The game is supposed to be about brains and brawn, not just brawn.”

Yao, who had been looking at Chichi the entire time, said, “You won’t best me this year.”

“Careful,” Orlu whispered to Chichi.

Chichi slashed in a square and then spoke something in Efik.

When nothing happened, Yao grinned and said, “I guess it didn’t work. You’re losing your touch.”

“Maybe her dress is too tight,” Ibou said. Several people laughed.

Chichi frowned, close to tears. She looked down. “I guess you’re right,” Chichi said, quietly. She looked up. And slowly held her hand up and whispered, “You win.”

“Obviously,” Yao said, looking more triumphant than ever. He brought his hand up to shake hers. A third of the way there, it hit something. He gasped, his eyes growing wide. He banged on the invisible barrier with his fists.

“See!” Chichi said, laughing hard. “You can’t even touch me!”

Yao cursed and banged on the barrier. Then he turned to the side and found that there was a barrier there, too. She’d literally boxed him in.

“Take it off!” Yao said, in a panic. “Take it off!”

Ibou tentatively knocked at it and then reached around to make sure he wasn’t enclosed, too. This made Chichi grin wider.

“Nice,” Sasha said.

“I know,” she said. She lazily raised her knife and made another square. This time, she did it in the opposite direction and the words she spoke were different. Yao’s hand instantly went through the air, the barrier gone.

“How did you-”

“As if I’d tell you.”

“That’s third-level juju,” Ibou said. “We’re not allowed-”

“I obviously have full control of it,” she said. “It’s easy for me. But you wouldn’t possibly understand what that’s like.” She lifted her chin, looking at the people behind Ibou and Yao. “Anyone else?” Chichi said loudly. “I don’t care how old you are.”

No one stepped up.

“I’m not finished,” Yao angrily said.

“Yes, you are. You don’t have anything stronger than what I just did.”

“How do you know?”

She paused, cocking her head. “How about this,” she slowly said. “I call up a masquerade and you never challenge me again.”

“Chichi, enough!” Orlu said. “You always go too far! What are you taking it there for?”

“Orlu, relax,” Chichi said. “I’ve wanted to try this.” She turned to Yao. “Notice how I said ‘try’? You’re no match for me, so I might as well challenge myself, eh? Why not kill two birds with one stone? Be done with you once and for all and do something I’ve never done.”

Yao and Ibou looked worried. In a low but shaky voice, Yao said, “You don’t even know how-”

“We do,” Sasha said.

“Oh, what is wrong with you two?” Orlu said, throwing his hands up. “You think I don’t know where you got the juju? That book was trouble the minute you saw it, Sasha.”

“I’ve done it already,” Sasha said.