Little Starfish

"I have to see him again," Okoye says before all hell breaks loose in the room.  

"No! You can't go back you don't even know this guy!" Nakia pleads, grabbing her wrist. 

Honestly, her friend's reaction was expected. Okoye knew full and well, that news of her little love bubble with an outsider with blue skin would not be received well. But the weight of her secret was beginning to be too much, dragging her body into a cycle of lies she desperately wanted to be out of. 

So Nakia, her faithful friend, was her best choice of course. 

The girl from the River Tribe, and the daughter of its leader, was a sincere and trustworthy person. And well, lately, she and T'Challa seemed to be attached by the hip, so Okoye told herself it was alright, to be honest with him too. 

Even if as Crown Prince of Wakanda, he could take her reveal for treason and get her expelled from the Dora Milaje training program.

She was gambling on her future here, it could all go downhill from now, but she had to be honest. 

The young prince bit his lips, clearly torn between speaking up and staying silent, "I'm not supposed to tell either of you this, but...there's been a spike of activity near the border." 

The two girls turned to him, waiting for him to elaborate. 

"Baba spoke of foreign enterprises trying to find a way into Wakanda via the border we share with Sudan." 

Okoye felt like her heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach, all of a sudden she had trouble properly breathing. Bast, it feels like in a matter of seconds, her heart doubled in size, making it harder for the rest of her respiratory system to function properly. 

Was this the reason for Attuma's presence over there? Were he and his people trying to force themselves into her country? No, this couldn't be she refused to believe that even as tears began to pool in her eyes.

Nakia's arm encircled her waist to bring her into a much-needed embrace, "You should stay here Koko, safe with all of us." 

"I agree even Baba and the council don't clearly understand what's going on over there." T'Challa said, his brown eyes sincere as well, " If things get dangerous, we have no way of saving you." 

Yes, the danger was in the air, lurking in the peaceful and secretive nation. Unfortunately for the people of Wakanda, they had no idea the treason came from their side and worst, was getting closer to them with each passing day.

*-* 

"Baba, can you tell me a story?" 

N'Jobu turned to see his little boy, N'Jadaka, standing in the doorway already in his pyjamas. 

The boy had grown so much, yet it felt like his birth was only yesterday. And yes, N'Jobu had changed a lot in the years he's been stationed in Oakland, California, working as a War Dog for his home of Wakanda. Years ago, he only knew life under the prism of his privilege and status, as a prince of a quiet but strong nation. 

He was the second son of Azzuri and Nanali, Black Panther and Queen Mother of their generation. The only stories N'Jobu heard of the outside world growing up were ones of disorder and misery, caused by the greed of Western colonialism and their so-called  Mission civilisatrice (Civilizing mission).  The late King Azzuri spoke of the devastating effects of colonization and how during World War Two, he had fought members of Hydra trying to force their way into Wakanda. 

People of the outside world were savages, conquerors, or conquered and nothing else. 

At least, that's what he was taught growing up.

And then adulthood came and N'Jobu found his calling in the service of his country by joining the War Dog program. He was meant to be sent to the outside world and look out for Wakanda's best interest from elsewhere. 

Instead, the plight inflicted on black people radicalized him completely. 

His first year in Oakland shattered every former opinion he had on the way the outside world worked. It did work, in its own twisted way yes, but only by shedding the blood of oppressed people. 

It was like a machine, swallowing and destroying the same type of people while others remained untouched and at the top. 

Then it dawned rather quickly on N'Jobu's mind that the system could not be changed from within, no, it had to be destroyed and rebuilt from scratch. With the oppressed people at the top and with military power that could only be provided by Wakanda. Yet N'Jobu knew of his brother's, the King's position, knew the man would never agree, and would ask him to return home at once.

Only Oakland was his home now, N'Jobu had built a life for himself and a family he would never leave. But he wished desperately to change the world so that his son, N'Jadaka would not have to suffer like every little dark-skinned child. 

That is why he called for Klaue, gave him an indication to find Wakanda's border, and ultimately force his way in. 

It was all planned for tomorrow, and then things would finally change for good. 

"What story, my son?" N'Jobu asked, offering a spot near the couch for his son to sit. 

N'Jadaka approached, his brown eyes full of wonder for the father he loved so much, "The story of our home." 

The man nodded with a smile, tugging his son close as he began to tell the story of Wakanda. Beyond their windows, life in the streets of Oakland resumes like any other day, unaware that a man wishes to bring a great revolution here. 

Soon, Wakadan would no longer be hidden and instead, will be the most powerful nation in the world and the supplier of a much-needed revolution. 

*-* 

"Where did you get this?" 

Okoye gasps and clutches the vibranium necklace in her palm as she turns to face her little sister. Sisipho is standing in the doorway, her hair is done up in cute little pigtails and she is already dressed for the day. Today is Friday and the beginning of a three-day weekend thanks to a national holiday in the honor of late King Bashenga's birthday. 

Lots of events are planned across the country, theatrical plays about the early days of Wakanda, concerts, dinners...the whole nation is excited about this reminder of its greatness and pride. 

Wakanda is the most beautiful place on earth, one of the fairest societies for all, and the best possible place on earth to live...even though hidden from the rest of the planet. 

Lately, during council meetings with the elders and King T'Chaka, there's been a recurring topic of conversation that unsettles the most conservative members. Some people are speaking of strengthening diplomatic relations with neighboring countries and thus, breaking off Wakanda's historical isolationist stance. 

There's a change coming, something big is about happen and everyone can tell. 

Maybe this national holiday and the long weekend will be the occasion for everyone to a break and return next week with a calm rested mind. Everyone will take this blessed time off before facing the troubles of life once again. 

"Is Solana going with you to school?" Okoye opts to change the subject instead, quickly hiding the necklace in the back pocket of her jeans. 

"Yes." Sisi huffs, "Where is this bracelet coming from?" 

The two sisters are silent as they look at each other, Sisi with her big adorable brown eyes pleading for her sister to comply and Okoye who already knows she can't say no to so Sisi. So she instructs her to close the door, before pulling the necklace out of her pocket. 

Sisi gasps, her little feet instinctively carrying her to take a closer look, "Did Attuma give this to you?" 

The little girl stares at her sister with curiosity in her brown eyes. She waits for a bit for an answer, and then her eyebrows furrow when she doesn't get any.

"Come on Usisi, you used to always kiss me goodnight before and since we met him, you disappear when I go to bed!" 

Her sister's revelation floors Okoye with sadness, it's true she has been so engrossed by her new love story that she spent less and less time with Sisipho. She sighs before sitting on her bed, then patting the spot next to her as an invitation for Sisi. 

The little girl rushes to her side, plopping herself right next to her dear older sister."So yes or no?" 

"You're way too curious for your own good you know?" Okoye laughs, affectionally rubbing the girl's back. "But to answer your question, yes I have seen him again." 

"I knew it!" Sisi gushes, her eyes twinkling with excitement," show me the necklace please!" 

And Okoye obliges, reaching for the hidden jewelry in the pocket of her pants. Then, she holds it in her palm for her sister's eyes which are full of awe. 

Sisi gasps at the view of the beautiful bijoux, her eyes travel the object up and down, paying attention to the palette of various shades of blue used in the pearls. There are pearls in teal, other shades of pastel blue, and sapphire oh it's truly a sight to behold! In front of her, Okoye smiles at her sister's obvious appreciation, and she gently gives her the necklace. 

Sisi gasps, a beautiful smile on her lips as she says, "It's so beautiful Usisi!" 

Okoye gently pats her little sister's shoulders, rubbing the skin affectionately. She then reluctantly gets the necklace back, knowing that both sisters will be late for their respective engagements. But she is already planning to take Sisi back to the river to meet with Attuma, once the Western military teams searching the area around the river will be gone. Once everything will go back to normal, this will be her little secret with Sisi.

So she shares her idea with the little girl, whose eyes widen with surprise and joy. It warms Okoye's heart, she has a lot of other things planned with her little sister. But for now, they must part and attend to their respective duties. 

Minutes later, she sends Sisi off with a wave and a smile. The sun is up on the horizon, and all across Wakanda, people are getting on with their day without a care in the world. 

The two sisters have a lot of catching up to do, and hopefully, they will be able to reunite soon at the end of the day.

*-*

The explosion takes everyone by surprise. 

One moment Okoye is chatting with other girls of the Border Tribe, the birthday of one of them is coming up soon and a big party is planned. Okoye is happy today and proud of herself for how well her day at the Dora training program went. There's only one thing left on her mind, she wants to enjoy a plate of delicious fried fish with fufu and greens on the side. She'll have to see about that with Baba when he returns from work. 

At one point during the conversation, her mind drifts off to Sisipho. The older sister knows the girl will be home from school in a matter of minutes. Instinctively, she turns to the left, already seeing groups of Sisi's classmates entering Border Tribe land. If she remembers correctly, her little sister's class had an educative excursion about vegetation across all of Wakanda. It's part of the school curriculum and allows the children to spend long afternoons under the sun and in the fresh air. 

Sisi seems to particularly enjoy the company of animals, she's great with cats, dogs, goats, and other small animals. Who knows, maybe with Bast's blessing she will grow up to be a great veterinarian. Okoye will have to ask during tonight's dinner.

And oh, then Okoye's eyes find her little sister's before the two girls smile at each other in greeting. 

But then, a blazing cloud of orange and dreadful dark smoke erupts right behind Sisi. It appears so fast, no one has the time to react before the sound of a bomb dropping on the soil resonates again and the immense cloud swallows everything on its way. It feels like death, coming to claim as many lives as it can in one go. 

Darkness clouds Okoye's eyes, the deafening sounds of more bombs assault her ears and render her dizzy and bewildered. The force of the fire and its wretchedness envelops her, burning her skin and throwing her into a pit of endless pain. Everything hurts, every single part of her body aches, under the sudden assault of multiple bombs now going off at the border. It feels like the apocalypse, there’s so much noise that Okoye struggles to even open one of her eyes, and quickly she feels heavy and disoriented. 

She forces her breath through her bruised chest, and the air passing through her nostrils all the way to her lungs feels like a thousand shards of glass cutting through her skin. Everything hurts, everything is despair around her as multiple screams of pure horror taint the beautiful Wakandan sky. 

She tries to blink once, twice but it’s weird, it’s almost like…she’s being swallowed by the ground. Her brain struggles to catch, to find even the smallest clues as to what’s happening but she finds nothing. Then, her eyelids grow heavier by the second, asking of the strength she no longer possesses. She pushes against the strong desire to sleep, she tries to keep her eyes set on the sun in the horizon but feels herself quickly slip away. 

All at once everything around her disappears, gone are friends, gone is Sisipho.