Ertifferrah Written By: Elay Understood CHAPTER 21 WHAT'S IN A NAME? ...Elay TV Content Creator
Erica quickly shut the notebook closed.
“Woah, what’s with the secrecy, girl, I’m just trying to get to know you!” Octavious motioned, leaning his body this way and that with every syllable he spoke.
“Well, if it involves you hovering over my shoulder like that, then I don’t think it’s the way I want you to know me.”
Something wasn’t right! Why and where had she heard that name before… and why was she so upset about him speaking it aloud? It wasn’t adding up. She couldn’t recall writing that name in her notebook before. “My name is Erica Nicole Davis, Erica Nicole Davis”, she frantically said to herself. As the name, Ertifferrah Nubiti Djoser, bled through to the book’s front cover.
“What the…?” Erica blew out loud.
“Aw, come on, baby girl,” Octavious pleaded playfully as he reached over Erica’s shoulder to grab the book. “You don’t have to look all hot and bothered over it! The name looks interesting, where did you come up with something like that?”
Quickly turning the book over in time for him not to see what just happened, she turned the back flap and scribbled “Oh my gosh, what’s going on!!!!???? AM I LOOSING IT!!??
“No.” The book wrote back.
Frozen with disbelief, Erica fell backward into the seat.
“Are you okay…?” You’re looking a little pale.”
Seeing that she wouldn’t budge, he moved forward and took a look at the book in the place where she had written.
“What makes you think you’re losing it?” He asked.
“Huh?”
“You just wrote in that book you think you’re losing it.”
Completely at a loss for words, Erica wanted to be home in bed and curled underneath the covers. Stomach-churning, she leaned forward and groaned. She felt as though something was trying to come out of her stomach.
Stepping back, Octavious frowned, he knew what was next.
“I don’t feel too good. BLLAHHH!”
“Ooh, good grief, whew, and you don’t look too good neither. Here,” he said, handing her a black and white bandana that was tucked in his back pocket. Wiping the corners of her lips, he continued; “You gatta go see the nurse
Erica reached for the notebook.
“Just leave everything there, no one will bother it.”
She grabbed it anyway.
By this time, the class was beginning to fill up, and they quickly noticed the spew-tastrophy covering Erica’s desk.
“Tell Mrs. Amplitude I went to take Erica to the nurse, okay?” Octavious told a girl on her way into the class. The girl looked concerned and asked what happened.
“I think she’s having test anxiety.”
“We’re having a test today?!” The girl blurted out as Octavious moved Erica ahead.
Erica held her stomach and laughed, the bandana hiding a bright smile behind it because she knew there wasn’t a test today.
“It’s nice to see you’re coming around,” he smiled.
They walked past a couple of classrooms, turned down another hall, filled with all sorts of banners, posters, and flyers. One that stood out was for the “seniors’ Choice Bash”, the biggest dance thrown by the students of Tarsus High ever. It had always been totally funded by the students so the principal had no say as to where, when, and how the bash was run.
This was the time when the juniors and seniors got together and celebrated the departure of the current seniors as well as the promotion of the juniors. It was the time when the ‘jocks’ and ‘queen bees’ ordained a junior to take their rightful place for the following year.
“So, are you going to the bash?” he asked.
“I never really planned on it.”
“Really?” Keeping that in mind, the two of them walked into the quiet nurse’s office. Erica signed in and then rang a small, silver bell to let the nurse know that someone was there.
“Did you know the initials of your name spelled out ‘end’?”
A tad thrown by the question, Erica answered ‘yes’, but you’re the first one to mention it out loud.”
“Oh, ‘out loud’, what do you mean by that?” You mean to tell me, no one’s ever mentioned that to you during your whole educational experience? Or just even around the house with friends?”
“No, not really, you’re the first person I’ve let see my whole name. Well, I really didn’t let you see, it was kind of an accident,” she said, shaking her head, trying to make sense of what was coming out of her mouth, because at that moment, it felt like someone else was talking through her.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
During his interrogation, Erica became cold after an icy breeze blew through an open window. The thing about this wind though was that it possessed a strong current which carried the spirit of Ertifferrah. As the breeze drifted on, her spirit dropped into Erica. The pages in her bear notebook flipped open and a voice spoke. “Ertifferrah! It is the time! AWAKEN MY QUEEN!”
Erica could feel it as it entered her body, giving the sensation as if she was swimming through an ocean of Jello entering its final stages in the fridge, as it begins to chill and solidify. The process of the whole scenario, for some reason, made Erica feel whole. The void she always searched to fill suddenly sealed, and no longer did she feel lost-she suddenly felt more centered than ever before.
“Wow, girl, are you okay? It’s like eighty-three degrees outside and you’re shivering like two girls washing cars in bikinis, in the snow!”
He stood up and rang the bell, pounding on it loudly and shout out; “Hay, can we get a little service around here? Got a sick girl out here…” A tad upset because no one answered, he made it his official business to go behind the desk and into both rooms and the nurse’s personal office in search of aid, but no one was there. As he came out, he was talking loudly enough so that Erica could hear him saying “Looks like no one’s coming, guess I’ll have to take care of you myself…” His voice trailed off when he saw Erica completely colorless with the exception of her blue lips.
“Oh my god!-“
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