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Info: The popular adage that a stubborn fly usually follows the corpse to the grave plays out in this misadventure of a young girl, desperate for a mirage. |
CHAPTER 1
"I'm sure you want me to seize that phone again. If I do, this time around, I'll make sure I destroy it in your presence and still beat the hell out of you!
If you want to try me, let me come back and meet you undressed, stupid girl!"
Mom said to me, before leaving my room.
It was Sunday morning and I was supposed to prepare for church, but I was so engrossed with my phone such that I didn't know it was morning already.
I quickly dropped my phone on the bed and prepared for church because I knew that mom meant everything she said.
She could be calm, but when provoked, she could go crazy. I knew what I passed through the past three weeks without my phone and I didn't want her to seize it again.
Few minutes later, I was done. I didn't have to wait for her to come meet me in my room because that would be another problem, it's either my cheeks would burn from her slap or I'd say 'rest in pieces' to my precious phone.
We got to the church and I left mom because she was an usher. I went to my usual seat and was about to sit down when I saw two beautiful girls entering the church.
They looked classy. I was lost, staring at them when I heard "Is your buttocks too big that you can't sit again on the chair?"
I knew it was only mom that could tell me a thing like that and I wasn't surprised when I turned and saw her staring at me and giving me a what-kind-of-child-are-you kind of look.
I sat down but my eyes were on the two girls till the church service ended. They were my age mates, but their dressing made them look sophisticated and much older. Truly speaking, I envied and wished to be like them.
I looked at myself and realized I was out of it. My peeled shoes and my shapeless gown made me feel very devastated. Those girls had on some beautiful clothes and expensive looking heels. Their jewelries glittered such that, I thought of asking mom to get me same.
I wasn't listening to the preaching that was going on nor the different testimonies that people shared, I was engrossed with imaginations of me dressing like those girls.
After church, I watched them take different kinds of shots. They took turns snapping each other. Mom was praying, so I strolled to where the girls stood and acted like I was about to pass, but one of them called me and my heart began to pound.
I walked up to them. They fixed their eyes on me and I couldn't comprehend what was going on in their minds.
CHAPTER 2
But why was I feeling as if I was under a spell? I thought as I finally got to them. I didn't know what to do, so I stood like a statue before them.
"Can you give us some shots, please?" One of the girls asked. Okay, so I became their photographer, shebi na me wan make friends.
I gave them different shots. I was agape at the various styles they displayed while I snapped them. The annoying part was that they were not satisfied after I had taken them about thirty shots, if not forty.
"Thank you for the shots. It seems you like us. You can add us on Facebook if you wish to see more of us," the second girl said.
I was very happy. I quickly brought out my phone and gave them to type their usernames. They laughed at my phone after typing and handing it back to me. It was outdated, they said.
I felt ashamed of my phone since then and promised myself to do anything I could to get their type of phones. Theirs looked smart and sparkled with beautiful pouches while mine was mom's very old Tecno phone that she gave me.
When we got home, I barely entered my room when I got a notification on Facebook that the two girls had accepted my friend request. I was very happy.
I explored their timelines, viewed their status, watched their Snapchat videos and finally fed my eyes on their pictures. They were hot.
I was a novice on Facebook, I barely had up to twenty likes on my posts and photos. The highest likes I had was fifty and I was so happy the day I had it.
But when I opened those girls' timeline, I realized they had more than two thousand likes on almost every post they made. They were indeed slay queens, as they nicknamed themselves.
I felt depressed. I hated myself all of a sudden. They were my age mates, yet they had everything, but I didn't.
On every picture they posted, they wore different clothes and shoes and even hair style. Why was I different? Why didn't I have a smart phone?
Why do I look so ugly that I don't have likes on my posts? Why didn't I have beautiful clothes and shoes like them? These were the questions that got me depressed and angry.
I was so curious to know how they did it. I wanted to be popular like them. I wanted to look beautiful and sexy, I wanted to wear their kind of clothes.
I dropped a message for them, asking them how they did it. They told me they could make me popular within twenty four hours. I was very excited.
"First, you need to stop being mummy's pet. You have to learn how to work by your rules and not your mom's, else, she will stop you from being popular," one of the girls whom I got to know that her name was Didi replied to my message.
"How do I do that?" I asked her
"Slay queens are smart. If you must be one of us, you have to be smart. You have to learn to take decisions. You need to start going out because once we get acquainted with you, we'd be taking you out almost everyday" She said.
I was worried because I was more like a prisoner in the house. Mom never let me go out. I was her only child and she was very protective of me.
As if the girl knew what was on my mind, she said
"Don't worry about your mom, I'll tell you how to go about it without her finding out. We aren't harmful, we just want to make you have fun and become popular, that's all"
I was calm. I smiled because I couldn't wait to have on those beautiful outfit and have thousands of likes and followers.
I was going to be more popular than Mhiz Shuga, Itz Sizzy and a host of other classmates of mine that had been intimidating me with fine pictures and many likes on their posts.
Didi and Tami, my new Facebook friends are going to make me popular, I thought, smiling.
"So, how do I start?" I asked her.
"Okay, there is a group on WhatsApp that Tami and I belong to. There, we will let you know everything. Drop your WhatsApp number let me add you to the group" she said.
I sent her my WhatsApp number and she added me to the group. I noticed that there were only girls in the group and there were about hundred of them, all looking beautiful and classy, except for me.
It got me feeling more depressed. For goodness sake, I was eighteen and was sure those girls were my age mates, so why was I looking different?
I went through their profile pictures, one after the other, it got me more depressed and desperate to be like them.
Tami and Didi introduced me to the group as the new member and the other girls welcomed me. They made me feel very special, like I was a queen.
"Victoria" Didi called me in the chat.
"Yes?" I replied
"You will have to change your Facebook username from Victoria Ekpo, it's too local for a slay queen," she said.
"Okay, what should I change it to?" I asked.
"Guys, suggest some sexy names for our new slay queen," Didi said, referring to the other girls.
Within two minutes, the girls flooded the group with different names for me.
"I think I'll go with Vee Kee," Tami suggested.
"Which do you prefer?" Didi asked me.
"I love Vee Kee, it sounds perfect," I replied.
Immediately, I changed my Facebook username to Vee Kee, and came back for the next instruction.
"You'll have delete all the pictures in your profile because from henceforth, you'd be posting something different.
You have a very beautiful skin, you shouldn't hide it, " Tami said.
I was so happy to hear that I had a beautiful skin.
"We'll teach you how to take sexy selfies, not those passports you've been posting on Facebook," Didi said and the others sent laughing emojis and stickers, provoking me to be more desperate.
"My camera isn't sharp because of the kind of phone I'm using," I said.
"Don't worry about that. You will send all the pictures to us, we'll edit them with good filters till we get you a new phone. Is your bathroom beautiful?" Didi asked me.
Get me a new phone? I'm so loving these girls!
"Yes, I have a big and beautiful bathroom," I replied.
"Go to your bathroom with your phone, make sure you lock it so your mom won't see you, I'll tell you what to do next," Didi said.
CHAPTER 3
I walked out of my room and was about entering the bathroom adjacent to my room when mom approached me.
"Why are you still on your church outfit till now?" She asked me.
I then realized I hadn't changed up since I got back. I was too engrossed with the chats.
I thought of a befitting excuse to tell mom because if she realized that I had been chatting and seized my phone, I'd be doomed.
I quickly placed my left hand on my stomach. I had to do this, I didn't want her to stop me from being popular.
"Mom, I have stomach upset, that's why I wasn't able to come out for lunch. I'm purging, I need to use the rest room," I said. I was in the drama unit in church, so I acted convincingly.
Mom told me sorry before I ran into the bathroom.
"When you're done, come out and eat so I can give you drugs to stop the stomach upset," mom shouted after me.
"Okay Mom, I will," I replied.
When I was sure she was out of sight, I locked the toilet door, brought out my phone and dropped a message on the group that I was in the rest room.
"I hope you have a nice towel?" Didi asked.
"Sure" I replied.
"Did you make your hair?" She asked.
"No, I'm using my natural hair, but I can make it curly by adding water to it," I said.
"Perfect! Take off your clothes and undies, tie your towel around your body and make sure it exposes your breasts a little. Don't let the towel exceed your laps, you gotcha expose those sexy stuff.
Add some water to your hair to curl it. Make sure to position yourself in the part of the bathroom that looks attractive," she instructed.
I did as she said and waited for the next instruction.
"Now, bring out your tongue, shoot out your butt, then take yourself a picture. Make sure not to hold the phone with your two hands while taking the shots, it'd look like a passport.
Hold the phone with your right hand and raise it up so you can capture your face, boobs, hips and ass," she said.
I did just as she said and sent the photos to the group. They all loved it.
I became used to snapping and changing styles. I looked different from my old pictures I used to take when I was naive.
I even sat on the bathtub and snapped. I took portraits and made sure some parts of my boobs displayed.
The pictures looked very sexy indeed and I sent them all to the group so that Didi and Tami could edit them for me.
"Great job! You are a very beautiful girl. When we are done editing them, we'd send them to you to upload on Facebook.
Meanwhile, if you have your mom or any of your relatives on Facebook, make sure you block them. Block them here as well from viewing your status," she said.
I blocked mom and all my relatives that I had on social media. She wouldn't even notice because she didn't like Facebook, she rarely comes online.
While waiting for them to edit my pictures, I took my bath, charged my phone, had my dinner and went to the sitting room where mom was watching the television.
"How are you feeling now?" Mom asked me.
"I feel better, I don't need the drugs anymore," I replied, sitting on the big chair.
She needn't argue because she knew I hated drugs.
"If it still persists, then I'll take you to the chemist to take injections," mom said.
"Alright mom, but I'm fine now"
After few minutes, I told mom I wanted to sleep and made to stand up, but she told me to sit. I sat down, wondering what mom was about to say.
She turned down the volume of the television and told me to come sit beside her and I did, though I was feeling uncomfortable because of what I had put myself into. I hope she didn't find out about the pictures I dropped on Facebook, I thought.
"Victoria," she began "I don't know why my spirit keeps disturbing me to talk to you. Is there anything you want to tell me? I'm your mother, I'm supposed to be your best friend, so if there's anything bothering you, you can open up to me," she said.
I was about opening up to her when I remembered what Didi told me. If mom finds out, she will definitely stop me from becoming popular and moreover, if I open up to her, she won't be able to afford a new phone for me, she wouldn't want to even get it because the old one wasn't faulty in anyway.
She wouldn't want to buy me the kind of clothes Tami and Didi wore. She would tell me they are indecent and that I have a lot of clothes in my wardrobe, therefore, I should be satisfied with what I have.
So, after putting all these into consideration, I told her I wasn't hiding anything from her and didn't have anything to tell her.
"It's alright. Make sure you continue to be the good girl that I know. Don't let anyone influence you negatively for it won't end you in a good place.
Lastly, don't let what you see on social media influence or intimidated you, be yourself because that is the only way you can make it in life.
I know you're on holiday, but that doesn't mean you should let your phone control you, limit your stay on social media, last week, uncle Emma told me he saw you online around 3am when you were supposed to be sleeping.
So limit the time you spend on Facebook and spend it with God, reading your Bible and praying so that the Holy Spirit will direct you." She finally concluded.
I thanked her and she pecked me before I left for my room. Only if she knew that I wasn't paying attention to any of what she told me, she wouldn't have wasted her time.
I got to my room, straight to where I charged my phone. As soon as I turned on my data, I saw my edited photos that Didi sent to me. The pictures were so beautiful that I became speechless.
They had edited them and made me look fairer and more beautiful than I was in reality. I was very happy.
"Use the portrait, the one you made a strict face as your Facebook profile picture before uploading the others.
We will send you captions for the pictures. No be all those long boring Bible preaching wey you dey preach for caption, we go give you simple captions wey carry vibes," Didi said to me, using a voice message.
Again, the other girls sent laughing emojis, but I wasn't bothered because I was soon going to be like them.
I went to my timeline on Facebook and updated my profile picture with the caption that Didi sent me.
It was magical. Within five minutes, I had hundred likes and fifty comments. What surprised me most was the flooding friend requests from handsome looking guys. Exactly what I wanted!
Before I went to bed, I had up to five hundred likes, thirty new messages and two hundred friend requests. This is what I had been waiting for. I felt like I was on top of the world.
I went back to the WhatsApp group and thanked Didi and Tami for their help.
"Do you now trust us?" Tami asked me.
"Sure, I trust you guys and I can't wait to see you on Sunday so we could take shots together," I said.
"You don't have to wait till Sunday, we aren't sure of coming to church next week. Let's meet tomorrow so we could get you a new phone and some hot clothes and shoes.
You are now a slay queen, you need to upload pictures on different outfits everyday. You need to look classy like us," Didi said.
"What will I tell my mom when she sees me wearing them?" I asked.
"Silly you! You won't let her see them. We'd keep them in our house, each time you come around, you wear them. We'd make you up and take you out," Tami said.
"And before you ask us what excuse you'd give your mom tomorrow before going out, tell her you are going for drama rehearsals in the church," Tami added.
"Alright, I will," I said.
The next day, being Monday, I lied to mom I was going for drama rehearsals and she allowed me. It was easier because I used to go for drama rehearsals every Monday evening, so mom never suspected anything.
I got to the address that Didi sent to me and called her to come pick me.
She came out and hugged me before leading me to a bush path, far from the road and the address she sent me.
"This bush looks scary, where exactly are we going to?" I asked her.
"Haba, you fear too much, we are going to my house, I'm just using this bush track because it's the quickest way to my house," she replied, smiling.
CHAPTER 4
As we walked on, I began to hear footsteps but when I looked around, I didn't see anyone.
I was visibly scared, not until I started seeing market women with loads on their head, coming towards us, then I knew it was their footsteps that I heard, so I became calm.
We finally got to a tiny road where I saw a small market, I knew that was the market those women came from.
Just when I thought we were almost at our destination, Didi entered another bush path, more bushy and isolated than the first one.
We trekked for a long time before we finally got to a big building with a black giant gate. It was the only house in that environment. it was surrounded by bushes and looked quiet and isolated, but when we entered inside the compound, it looked very big and lively, like another world.
As we approached the entrance to the house, Tami ran out and hugged me. She looked very beautiful. She had on a pair of lemon shorts and white shirt. She smelled really nice, just like Didi.
I looked at the mansion before me, it was huge and beautiful. I couldn't wait to go in and explore it.
"Your parents own this?" I asked them.
"Sure but they're out of the country for now," Tami replied.
I felt inferior. My house was a bungalow with just two bedrooms, but here were my age mates, living in a mansion. I was glad to be their friends, at least I'd be getting free gifts from them.
"Let's take some shots joor," Didi said and brought out her phone.
After taking the shots, they took me inside the sitting room. There, I saw a man of about thirty years of age, seated on one of the chairs with his legs crossed.
They introduced him to me as their family doctor who came to check on Tami because she wasn't feeling well.
A woman in her mid-forties was also introduced to me as their nanny. She smiled at me before entering the kitchen.
"We have a lot of surprises for you. We have to tie your face so we can lead you to see the surprises," Didi said to me.
"Okay," I giggled happily.
She tied my face with a red cloth so that
I could not see where I was going to.
They both led me up the stairs. We walked on till we got to a room.
"Take off the tie," Didi said and I obeyed.
I saw beautiful clothes, jewelries, shoes, different colours of wigs and a brand new phone. Just what I had been praying for.
"These are all yours," Tami said.
I was very excited. I danced round and decided to try on the new clothes.
Didi got my phone from me. She asked me of my phone password, pattern and Facebook password. According to her, she wanted to help me with some settings and as well transfer some important stuff to the new phone they bought for me.
I happily gave her my phone and all the informations she needed. While she was busy with my phone, Tami was busy helping me to try out the new clothes and the other things they got for me.
The nanny came in and offered me a fruit juice. As soon as I was done drinking, I started having severe headache.
"Thank God our family doctor is still around, let me call him to come check you," Tami said and walked out of the room.
She came back with the doctor. He examined me and brought out some pills for me to take.
"I don't like drugs, I'll throw up," I said.
"Oh, it's fine. Then I'll have to give you injection," he said, bringing out a syringe from his kit.
"Alright," I replied.
After taking the injection, I suddenly became very weak and dizzy. I felt as if I was drunk. I was losing myself. Everything became blurry. I didn't know when I fell on the big bed and slept off, deeply.
A painful penetration in my vagina woke me up. I opened my eyes but couldn't see anything because the room was dark. I felt a man on top of me. He was moving up and down on me.
When I tried pushing him away, I realized my hands and legs were unable to move, I was temporarily paralyzed.
I tried to shout, but realized my tongue was chopped off.
It then dawned on me that I was in danger.
I felt my blood between my legs, for I was a virgin. I cried, silently and wished I listened to my mother.
After some minutes of rocking me, he finally reached his orgasm and released inside of me. He then stood up and left the room.
Few minutes later, the woman who was introduced to me as a nanny came into the room and put on the light.
I then realized it wasn't the same room that I was, earlier. They had taken me to another room, very isolated and hidden from the others.
She carried me up and led me to the bathroom where she washed me, took me back to the room and wore me one of the new clothes they got for me.
She then fed me with a food I couldn't comprehend how it tasted, for my tongue was no longer intact.
When she was through, the doctor came in again and injected me another liquid. Immediately, I slept off.
I was still sleeping when I felt something inside me. Another man was having sex with me while I was sleeping and I couldn't do anything about it because I was paralyzed.
After he was done, I lay there like a dead person. I became a sex slave where different men came in and slept with, after which they paid the doctor.
My mouth got swollen because of the unbearable pains I passed through as a result of my tongue that was chopped off.
I didn't see Tami and Didi again since the day they took me to the room. I didn't know what was going on with my mom, she must have been dead by now from heart attack.
I waited for months and wished for a miracle to happen so I could get out of there, but the only miracle that happened was my pregnancy.
Yes, I got pregnant and gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. I could have been a bit consoled if I was allowed to take care of my children, but my babies were taken away from me.
Right in front of me, the doctor and the evil woman sold my babies for two million naira to a lady and she left with them.
Different men kept sleeping with me and I got pregnant again. I gave birth to a baby boy and he was also sold out.
Presently, the same routine is going on everyday. I am still in the dark room, paralyzed. I am a sex slave and a baby making machine. I am being used to make money. I am a victim of desperation.
There are other rooms in this building that have other victims like me. They are also facing what I'm facing. Some of them have died in the process and are thrown away.
Tami and Didi are out again to get more victims who aren't satisfied with what they have.
Where is my phone? Didi has gotten it from me. She deleted my account from Facebook and WhatsApp. She has destroyed my phone and thrown it away.
Nobody knows where I am. She and Didi are not the only agents, they are all over the world.
I have given birth to eight children within three years, but all of them have been sold to different people with huge sum of money. Some of these people buy my children and use them for rituals, some to adopt them, but most of the people buy them for sacrifice.
I am in pain, my breasts drips milk every day, but my babies are not here to suck them. I don't even know their fathers.
I am pregnant again, ready to give birth, but I feel I might not make it, I might die.
If my mother is alive, please tell her I am sorry for disobeying her. Tell her I've seen the consequences of trying to be a slay queen.
Tell her I regret my actions. Tell her I've realized that social media can influence someone to the extent of putting him/her in danger.
Tell her I'm passing through pains because I wasn't satisfied with what she gave me, I wanted more than I got.
But if she is dead, don't bother telling her, I will soon join her. When I meet her in the next phase of life, I will tell her everything.
If you are reading my story right now, learn from it. If you are a parent, watch your children carefully and create a strong relationship with them so that they can open up to you. Be their best friends and let them know the advantages and disadvantages of social media.
If you are a young girl/boy, be careful of what you see on social media. Don't you dare allow anybody to influence you. Yes, they can slay, snap in different places and have thousands of likes, but is that what life is really all about? Is that the priority? Should that make you feel inferior?
You will be very stupid if you let anyone to influence you, yes you will be extremely stupid. If you do, it means you don't have direction in life, so automatically, another person will direct you to a life you wouldn't want to live.
If you know what you want in life, be satisfied with it. Live it with what you have. Wear what you have! Eat what you have! Be contented with what you have so you won't end up like me.
Remember, Didi and Tami are still out there, in search of another desperate victim. Be satisfied with what you have so you won't be their next victim.
I am still here, praying for death to take me because nothing is left for me again.
I would have been done with my NYSC by now, probably working and making mom proud, but I'm in the dark room, pregnant and useless. Why? Because I was desperate!
THE END
