The Queens Vengance

Chapter 3.New Normal

 The IDP camp was another experience I would never forget. When we arrived the IDP camp we were placed in sections our house in the village was a mud house but I could swear that I would rather live in that than in a house made of used Cement bags and rods, we were crammed up in tents while men stayed in a different section. My tent waas huge like most and were had our matrass on the floor in two columns aopposite each other . We were 12 of us in one tent. The woman beside me was a woman I did not recognize she had a small boy who would always play around with other peoples things I remember the day I caught him playing with Mama's necklace I was so angry and shouted at him which made him cry the mother who had gone to get some water came back to meet her crying child ans asked me if I knew why he was crying after explaining she gave me a glare filled with hate" he is just a small boy' she had sai not bothering to apologize. Since that day she avoided me as much as she could occaisionally throwing glares at me .

  It took two weeks for the world to recover from the first terrorist attack in Nigeria which unfortunately started with my village but I could not get over it. The Idp camp was not so comfortable at first but I adjusted I made some new friends Zara and Mariam who unlike me managed to escape with at least a family member I thought of Yusuf my brother often  I wondered if he was alive or dead I didn't find his body that day part of me hoped that he was alive and well.

  The food at the camp was tasteless but at least it was food  I, however, learnt that on days when government officials came visiting the food we ate was delicious and in large quantity so I prayed for days like that. It took almost a month for people to get accustomed to the camp children would play in the evening with toys donated by NGOs and individuals. People began to make friends and laugh a bit and yet no one spoke about what happened that day, not a soul I asked will tell me some would even end up crying and tell me to leave them alone. I remember asking mama Hannatu the terror I saw in her eyes made me cringe" don't ask me questions like that when the wounds haven't healed yet, how wicked can you be?!" she had yelled and the people around turn to see what was happening I felt so embarrassed.

  It was a Thursday evening Mariam, Zara and I were gisting outside while watching the children play ten Ten a local game and flower in the garden under the Umbrella tree that provided shade from the sun. We talked about what we would like to do with our lives " well for me I hope to write my WASSCE next year I was already in SSS2 when the crisis happened" Mariam said with glazed eyes Zara and I listened to her with our arms folded, " I hope to be a medical doctor someday" she said with so much yearning I had to turn and look at her her eyes were sad I couldn't help but feel sad for her she was right after all we could only hope, Zara sighed before adding " Well as for me I just want to leave this camp and find a rich man who will take care of me" she said dramatically I couldn't help but laugh at that she reminded me so much of my sister Mariam. We all kept quiet after that each one of us thinking, hoping, dreaming of a future. Zara was the one to break the silence " what of you Zainab? I have never heard you speak of your future? what would you like to do" she asked her curiosity showing on her face. I sigh before replying " I am going to hunt down and find the bastards who did this to us, who killed the dreams we once had"  I saw Zara and Mariam look at me with confusion and something else maybe fear? No one spoke after that but I knew what they were all thinking - the day the sky bled red.

A little later after the sun had gone down and the gong was sounded alerting people that it was dinner time, today was Thursday it was likely to be Tuwo and Okro soup which I love dearly. I remember Yusuf would tease me saying " Zainab did they swear for you with this okro soup?" he would tease and I would glare at him . We decided to go get our food flask from our tenets Mariam and Zara had their tents close to each other , mine was far from theirs and they would have to wait a while for me. I was hurrying up to go get my food flask when a little girl runs into me" sorry aunty" she says in Hausa looking up at me before running away a liitle girl came running after her apparently they were playing but that wasnt what interested me. It was her eyes they were blue a greyish blue and so beautiful.

 It was not until 8 pm before we decided to walk back to our tents and call it a night we greeted the soldiers we met on our way back. One of them stopped us and it made Mariam all too glad we all knew she had a crush on him since she saw him two weeks ago and I could see why he wasn't bad looking at all." I hope you girls are ok ?" he asked we answered with a yes he nodded and told us to be careful before walking away. Mariam made sure we didn't hear the last of it that night she made sure to analyze his every move and word " and did you see when he made eye contact with me?" Mariam asked dreamily  Zara looked at me with opened eyes " hay! Mariam when did that one happen" Zara exclaimed taunting her, " I swear he looked at me in the eye and smiled"  Mariam added I hid my smile in the night, Zara kept quiet after that, we all knew he didn't smile even when Mariam smiled at him. But we had to make her feel good so "yes" Zara and I said when Mariam asked us if we saw him wave at her.