All the houses were the same. All rather big but looked smaller to me now that I’d grown and extra foot. I closed my eyes and tried to think of my orodha reasons why I would want to come back here, to the place that swallowed my childhood in one bite. “New around here, Ma’am?” The cap, herufi kubwa driver asked I looked up to the elderly man, his lazy eyes twitched. “No, I grew up here” I told him, he nodded and smiled, his yellow teeth shining. “Right...I thought wewe looked familiar” He admitted, I looked down at my now shaking cold hands. “You’re Cybil Jones” he said, looking rather pleased with himself that he knew who I was. “Yeah, such a shame what happened here...well that’d be $20.70 for the ride” He told me, I smiled and pulled out my large brown bag. It took a while to find my mfuko wa fedha, mfuko be he didn’t seemed to notice the time. I finally pulled out the matching mfuko wa fedha, mfuko and pulled out the correct amount of money. “Have a nice day, Ms. Jones” The cap, herufi kubwa driver alisema nodding his head. I smiled and stepped out of the car.

I remembered the exact house that I grew up in...It looked just the same. The only real difference was the weeds I got so used to, was now replaced with pretty blue and yellow flowers. I walked up to the black rusty front gate. I pulled on it knowing from experience that it would take a bit of muscle to open. Finally after three tries it budged. I sighed in relief. I gently shut it and started too walked up the long path to the front door. “Excuse me...Excuse me!” I heard someone hell behind me, I turned to see a small lanky man behind me with glasses. “Can I help you?” I asked, he sighed and put the black briefcase, mkoba he was holding beside him. “You can’t go in there” he alisema adjusting his glasses. I raised an eyebrow at the man. “Excuse me?” I asked he took another deep breath. “Unless wewe are the daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Jones wewe can’t step a foot on this property” he informed me, I smiled. “Well, then Hi I’m Cybil Jones” I said, his eyes flashed form surprise to Apologetic. “Oh, well I’m sorry, Ms. Jones...I’m Kyle Hunters. Your father personal assistant au rather was” he introduced himself putting out his thin pale hand. I smiled and then shook it. “Well I just came here to give wewe your keys, Ms. Jones” I smiled and put my hand put, he dropped the keys into my hand.

The key fit perfectly in the door, I quickly pulled it out and put it in my back pocket. I slowly opened the door not knowing what to expect. Once I finally got the courage to open it, I saw the all too familiar dark hallway. The painting’s that my mother collected hung everywhere; pictures of me and my sister were hung near doors and below some of the paintings. It was silent, except for the sound of a dripping tap and the creaks of the floor. There were empty cardboard boxes everywhere, obviously I was meant to do something with them, maybe pack some stuff. I turned on the lights once I got the living room. It looked the same, maybe a bit smaller, the couch, the moto place, the coffee meza, jedwali were all still in the same place. The only thing missing were the people who lived in the house. I sighed and sat on the yellow couch.

It was only two weeks zamani I had got the call about my parents. I was out with my boyfriend, Kevin. The club was loud so it was lucky I heard my phone ring. All I really did here was loud sobs from a voice I knew as my sister telling me that there’d been an accident; I hoped it was that cat she loved so much. But no it was a car crash; a drunk driver had gotten in the car at the wrong time and went through a red light. I fell back on the couch, even the feeling of the soft kitanda was the same. It had been 5 years since I’d been at this house and nothing had changed. I sat up and put my head in my hands. “What am I doing here?” I asked myself. Amy could have taken care of everything with the funerals and all I really would have to do it just onyesha up. Too much had happened for me to be here, everything with Ava. Ava was my best friend growing up here, her parents weren’t really all that reliable, and so she would stay with us. Don’t get me wrong I loved Ava like a sister but she got in some dangerous stuff...stuff that got her murdered.

I jumped when I heard a loud knock on the door. “Who is it?” I asked in an awkward tone not knowing if I had the right to do so. “It’s me your sister” I heard an angry sounding tone say. I rolled my eyes and walked over to the door. I checked the eyehole. “What are wewe doing?” She asked, flicking her asali hair back. “Checking if it’s you” I said, she nodded. I unlocked the latch and opened the door. She hadn’t grown she had always been short; her eyes matched my colour a warm hazel. She walked up the steps and walked straight passed me. “I didn’t think wewe were going to show” She admitted, I smiled. “Neither did I” I said, she shrugged. “Anyway I took care of the funeral’s all wewe need to do is hang around and tie up some loose ends here and there, until this all blows over” She said, I nodded. There was a short silence; we just stared at one another. She finally broke it. “Anyway there’s a party tonight...at the beach, pwani and well a lot of people got excited about wewe coming back...coming home” I interrupted her before she could go on. “I’m only here to tie up loose ends, remember?” I alisema she nodded with disappointment in her eyes. “Look I’ll see if I can come” I alisema she smiled. “Okay, well I have to get back to the shop...it was good to see wewe again” She alisema as she walked away.

Hours past and I had only cleaned the jikoni and the living room. I didn’t want to go upstairs but there was a bit of curiosity...Did they keep my room? And if they did what did it look like? I finally decided to let the curiosity come over me. I crept up the stairs until I was at the ‘dead end’ me and Amy used to call it. I turned to see a door with the name ‘Cybil’s room’ in big bright yellow letters. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. The room looked the same; kitanda was there with the same butterfly, kipepeo sheets. Mirror’s and poster’s of Leonardo Dicaprio were everywhere. The window that once was my door stood there shut. I smiled and fell onto my bed. I opened my eyes and smiled. I looked at my roof and saw Photo’s I’d hung up and forgotten about. There were only about 6 of them, most of them were Amy and me...but one of them was of Ava smiling with a bia in her hand. I got up. “I need some air” I whispered to myself.

I rushed outside and breathed in as much air as I could. I looked down at my hands and saw that they were shaking. “It was 5 years ago...why can’t wewe just get over it?” I asked myself. I closed my eyes and breathed in zaidi air. “Cybil Jones is that you?” I heard I turned to see Kristen Peter’s smiling. “Oh my god it is!” She alisema running over and hugging me. I laughed and hugged her back. “Oh my god...I owe Belinda a good 20 bucks I honestly thought wewe would chicken out” I smiled and laughed. “Yeah, me to” I whispered so she didn’t hear. She smiled and squeezed my hands. “I really missed wewe we all did” She said, I nodded. “I missed wewe all too...Tell Belinda I alisema hi” I said, she smiled and gave me one last quick hug. “I will, oh and there’s a party at the beach, pwani tonight it would just perfect if wewe could come...and catch up with some old friends” She said, I shrugged. “I might come” She rolled her eyes and then started to walk off. I sighed and licked my lips.

It was 7 o’clock just about the time the party would be starting. “You can’t go your parents just died going to a party wouldn’t be right...but Amy’s going...never mind that you’re not her...Go and say a quick hello have a bia and then get out” I argued with myself. I finally decided to go. I put on a pair of ripped jeans and bila mpangilio t-shirt and jumper. I put on a pair of kujaa and then opened the door. I quickly locked it and started to walk to the beach. I could see the bonfire the zaidi closer I got. “There’s still time to chicken out” I told myself. No wewe have to go and face the people that wewe once loved...your Marafiki that wewe once considered family. I finally walked up to the beach, pwani where I saw everyone I once knew. Everyone was gathered around the bonfire drinking and laughing. “Well, well, looks who I found” I heard a smug voice say, I smiled and turned to a smiling Caleb. ‘I knew wewe would come back to me some siku it really was just a matter of time” he alisema smiling. “Hiya Cal” Is aid, he smiled. “Hey Cyb” He said. “So I heard wewe were coming back didn’t think wewe would though” he said, I rolled my eyes. “It seems no one did” I said, he nodded and took a sip of his beer. “It’s been a while since we talked” he said, I nodded. “Sorry, It’s been crazy in New York” I alisema he nodded. “No, No I get it...you got too old for me” I laughed. “Hey Cyb” I heard my name I turned to see someone people knew as Aaron but I knew him as Ava’s killer.