The Brat Naomi

Naomi was bitter! And her bitterness was gradually building up into uncontainable rage… why wouldn't she be angry when she was almost raped and beaten by this same gang that battered her poor brother? No, it was time for revenge… it was time for her to take down the Deaconess and the rest of the villains already.

The Chattering and laughter of girls filled the room, but Naomi couldn't hear any of it. It was almost like she was in an empty room which was boiling with her rage… threatening to explode with her in it. She couldn't let Pablo and his gang go scot-free this time!

Still huffing and puffing with anger, she glared at Gloria's empty bed, her hands curled into a fist, her entire body rigid with anger, her lips tightened. If that stupid girl were here, she would have whacked her face the same way Clinton… No, she didn't want to keep remembering. She closed her eyes, then opened them and focused on Gloria's bed and she could see herself slapping senses into her fat face. But Gloria wasn't even there… she was nowhere to be found. The silly girl was evidently avoiding any contact with her or Anna. She probably knew she had messed up big time, and that was why she was avoiding any contact with them. Evil soul! Naomi boiled, pounding her fists on her bed. She was still brooding when Edith walked to her bed and sat on it.

"You said you would help me, right? I need that help now." Edith uttered in a small voice.

Edith's troubled voice jolted her out of her trance and back to her room, and some of her anger left. And when she saw Edith's sad eyes pleading for her help, her brooding face softened. She looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them before moving closer to her.

"Don't tell me the Deaconess is sending you to that evil, immoral, degenerate man's house again, after what happened last time. This is so unfair. She's so wicked!" Naomi spat.

"You said you would help me. Right? I am ready to do anything just to be free from ever seeing him and enduring that torture again. Tell me how you intend to help me!" Edith pleaded. Her chest heaving as she hoped Naomi had the perfect plan to rescue her from her imprisonment.

"Yes, I will help!" Naomi held her hands and gazed into her eyes. And the kindness in her eyes radiated and almost made Edith weep. 

She was a nobody, a poor child of a widow, and no one had ever cared for her. When she arrived at Bishop Evangelical College, she was just a poor girl struggling to put up appearance since other students appeared to be richer. But it had been difficult. And that was the sole reason she had accepted the Deaconess' request for them to work for her the first day she approached them. And offered to give them gifts, money and other goodies, all in exchange for their bodies. No one had ever given her anything for free. But here was Naomi, offering to help her for free. She had never had a good friend before. And that drove her to tears.

"Don't cry. I promise you, this will work. I will help you take the Deaconess down and save you from Mr. Godwin's evil clutches. There's so much she needs to answer for. Both of them must answer for what they have been doing to you." Naomi proclaimed through clenched jaws and squinted eyes.

"Why do you hate her so much?… never mind. Why are you helping me?" Edith asked as she wiped her tears.

"I am helping you because I can't stand to see the weak being preyed on by the so-called powerful ones. What do you think will happen if Mr. Godwin tortures you to unconsciousness or even death one day?"

Edith gasped at that, and Naomi had to pause.

"Nothing will happen to you… but I know if anything does, they will cover it up and move on to the next victim. She needs to be stopped," Naomi stated vehemently to Edith, whose eyes were bulging out in fear. "Nothing will happen to you! Don't be scared." Naomi reassured her.

"I hate the Deaconess too. She is a double-faced liar! A wicked soul! And I can't bear doing this dirty job for her anymore. I am done!" Edith blurted out.

"That's the spirit! Here's what you need to do." Naomi's eyes darted around the room before handing Edith a recording device. "Switch it on once you get into the car with the Deaconess and leave it on until you are done with Mr. Godwin. Every conversation you have with them must be recorded on this device. Don't lose it! Are you sure you can pull this off? Can you bear his tortures one last time?" Naomi asked.

Edith nodded. "Yes, I can and I will. This has to stop! I can do it!" 

"Thank you… but what happens after that? What do we do with the recording? How do we take her down with this? She is a powerful woman" Her doubts came rushing, revealing her suppressed fear.

"Calm down… okay… just calm down. Even powerful people can be taken down. Just trust me!" Naomi assured her, squeezing her hands to get her to relax.

Edith nodded and slipped the small recording device into the pocket of her cardigan before walking off. This was her last resort and she would guard it with her life. As she trudged through the noisy dorm room towards her bed, her mind focused on making their plan work, she had no idea when she bumped into Goodness and the recording device fell off. She hurriedly picked it up and stuffed it back into the safety of her pockets before Goodness could see it.

"What is that? Let me see… what are you hiding? You are just coming from Naomi's corner, right? What were you guys talking about?" Goodness probed Edith. Her mascaraed eyes popping out to make her look vicious. But Edith wasn't scared of her.

"None of your business!" She growled at Goodness before walking away.

Goodness watched Edith walk off with her hands in the pockets of her cardigan, protecting something she didn't want her to see. And she grew suspicious of them. She was almost certain Naomi and Edith were up to something, and she was desperate to find out what it was and put an end to it. So, all evening she monitored the duo, waiting for the moment she would find them speaking with each other again.

And the moment finally came! While everyone else was outside for the evening games, Naomi and Edith were finalizing their plans to take down the Deaconess. And Goodness didn't hesitate to hide and listen to their conversation. She was still in the room when she saw them speaking on the hostel veranda and she scurried like a rat towards the window, bending down to listen to them. Though they spoke in low voices, she could hear a thing or two they were saying. She could make out words like the Deaconess and take her down because of how much they were repeated in the conversation. And She couldn't believe her ears when she heard what they were up to.

Edith wanted to ruin everything! Goodness screamed in her head, her jaw clenched in anger. And she felt a powerful urge to confront the two girls, but she thought better of it and let it go. There were better ways to go about it. Naomi and Edith must suffer for ever thinking they could go against the Deaconess. She breathed angrily.

Another Saturday night… Edith grumbled. It was always her worst day of the week because of the nightmare of visiting Mr. Godwin, which she had to relive almost every Saturday. But this night was going to be different, she comforted herself as she stuffed the recording device into her small bag before walking away. But someone was already waiting at the exit door and she knew who it was.

"Let's go!" She told Goodness.

"Whatever you are planning with Naomi won't work. You better retrace your steps now and do nothing stupid. Going against the matron would be your greatest mistake!" Goodness warned.

"I don't know what you are talking about"

Goodness was about to say something else when she received a call from the Deaconess.

"We have to go now!"

Even though there was a war raging inside each of them, the girls sat quietly at the back of the Deaconess' exotic car. One was afraid that her plans would fail, and the other was debating whether she should go against her friend and expose her to her mistress.

Goodness eyed Edith's solemn figure as she remembered everything she had overheard her discussing with Naomi. And here she was, sitting quietly and putting on the most innocent face, like she wasn't plotting against the Deaconess and it annoyed her. She ought to tell the Deaconess about the Judas amongst them, she ought to! Her erratic thoughts disrupted her peace.

When the car came to a stop and she was about to get out. She stopped, exhaled and resolved to tell the Deaconess all she had heard.

"Ma… please, I need to talk to you about something."

Her words echoed in Edith's ear and her heart pounded in fear as she wondered if Goodness was about to expose her plans.

"Not now! Goodness, get on with your work for the night," The Deaconess dismissed her.

Goodness nodded and shut the door, but not before she gave Edith a knowing look. Edith shivered, but she was glad Goodness hadn't spilled her secret. But that wouldn't stop her from getting it done. She was fed up already! All they had to do was act fast before the Deaconess could nip their plans in the bud.

When the car came to a stop in Mr. Godwin's estate and the door flew open, she hesitated a little as fear and doubts surged through her body, and for a brief moment she thought about not going through with the plan.

"Edith, is there a problem?" The Deaconess's unkind voice rang in her ear.

"No, ma!" Edith answered hurriedly before stepping out of the car and walking towards Mr. Godwin's door, before the car drove off. 

She stood outside there, outside his door, breathing the air of freedom. This was something she had to do. She told herself, clutching her bag closer as she rang the bell. Her poor heart was racing as she dreaded the moment Mr. Godwin would open the door again.

But this time would be different. She tried consoling her frightful self.

"Welcome my dear!" Mr. Godwin swung the door open, smiling in his usual polite manner as he let her in. She trudged in and when the door closed behind her, her panic rose and her heart pounded harder. But this would be the last time, she assured herself as she walked into the house with Mr. Godwin. She held her bag closer, with the recording device inside. It was her last resort!

"What is it, Goodness?" The Deaconess asked, sitting like a boss behind her mighty mahogany table without lifting her eyes to look at Goodness.

"Ma, I apologize for disturbing you so early. I wanted to say this last night, but I couldn't…"

"What is it?" The Deaconess interrupted her.

"It's about Edith. She's up to something really bad."

"What do you mean by that?" The Deaconess' head suddenly came up as she scrutinized Goodness.

Goodness' lips quivered as she thought about the best way to say what she had to say without offending the Deaconess.

"Out with it!"The Deaconess barked at her.

"Edith plans on exposing you and Mr. Godwin, Ma. It was Naomi that put the idea into her head. I heard everything, Deaconess! She plans to take you down." Goodness blurted out.

The Deaconess shook her head as she tried to make sense of what she just heard. A student was planning to take her down? A mere student? She wanted to laugh at that, instead she asked.

"What did you just say? Edith is what?" She inquired, bemused by what she had just heard.

Gloria cleared her throat as she narrated how she had overheard Naomi talking about how much she despised the Deaconess and wanted to take her down. She told the Deaconess they had some sort of plan to expose her, but she didn't know what it was exactly.

"All of you are stupid! Ingrates! After everything I did for you filthy brats, you want to destroy my reputation and destroy me!" The Deaconess rose with force from her chair and slammed her hands on the table. Goodness backed away in terror.

"Ma, I am not part of it!"

"Shut up! Shut your filthy mouth! You girls want to ruin me! No way! A common student wants to destroy me? Me? Who is this Naomi?" The Deaconess growled, her face flushed with rage.

"She is a new student, but a lot of things have been going wrong ever since she came to this school. She is the one instigating Edith to act against you. "

The Deaconess expelled air and tried to compose herself. Goodness was still speaking, but she wasn't listening to what she was saying. She was thinking of the little brat who wanted to destroy her and how best to handle her. Naomi! The brat's name echoed in her head.