MWIKALI AND THE FORBIDDEN MASK going to eat like ten of those she warned Mom chuckled as she took the last batch out of the fryer Kenyan pop music was playing from a Bluetooth speaker in the corner and Mom was wiggling her hips to the beats like she always did She was listening to her favorite music group Sauti Sol She loved them almost as much as Mwikali loved mandazis It had been a long time since Mwikali had seen her mother looking so happy Mom had always talked about having a forever home in her birth country someday And now that she had completed her management training and they were finally there she couldn't wait to introduce Mwikali to every single aspect of Kenyan life loud Sauti Sol music included Being home and knowing that Mwikali would grow up around Kenyan family and traditions made her happier than ever Since the move Mwikali had already met a bunch of cousins she didn't even know existed They had all been really friendly and had tried to make Mwikali feel like she belonged But Mwikali had never really felt like she belonged anywhere For as long as she could remember she had always been different She had always been the new kid The outsider And at her last school she had even gotten a new title the freak Things would be different here though She was 14
THE FREAK CHAMELEON going to make sure of it Her plan was already in place avoid attention blend into the background disappear Just like a chameleon Ayyyyeeeee Mom hollered waving her hands around in the air She was really going at it with the dancing even doing that cringey dance move adults love to do where they pucker their lips and twirl their butts all the way down to the floor Oh my gosh Mom stopppp Mwikali moaned slapping her hand over her eyes She didn't need to see that Nobody did Mom threw her head back and laughed before standing back up and serving her a plate of piping hot mandazis Happy first day of school she sang Sorry I have to leave for this work trip I can't believe I'll miss your first few days Ohhh you're feeling guilty about abandoning me on my first week of school That's why you're making mandazis Mwikali said with a cheeky smile No that isn't true although I am sorry about that Mom said poking her daughter's nose It's because today marks a new beginning for you You'll be a lot happier here I just know it A new beginning for you You'll be a lot happier here Mwikali's stomach did a flip She knew exactly what her 15
MWIKALI AND THE FORBIDDEN MASK mom meant and immediately realized what all this was about The mandazis the sing songy voice the fact that Mom was being so extra- all of it It wasn't just about the first day of school or settling down in Kenya or the fact that she was leaving for a three day trip This This was about what happened to her last year Mwikali felt her hands start to get sweaty again The last thing she wanted was to get into this conversation with her mom But it was too late Mwikali I know that last year was hard for you Mom began her eyes creased with concern Amanda was your best friend and I know that when she had her medical emergency things got really tough for you at school Although I'm still not sure I know why Mom's voice trailed off as she studied Mwikali's face searching for answers like she always did Answers that never came How could Mwikali tell her mom that she was the reason Amanda had had a medical emergency in the first place That without knowing it she had almost killed her best friend How could she explain to her that there was something freakish and evil inside her something she didn't fully understand that hurt people She couldn't The best thing she could do was bury that part of her and try not to talk or even think about it 16
THE FREAK CHAMELEON again Maybe then it would disappear Mwikali stuffed her face full of mandazis to avoid having to give her mom the answers she was looking for Then holding a napkin over her mouth she started to back out of the kitchen I'm really late Don't wanna miss the van she said in a muffled voice Ai But you've hardly eaten Mom complained And I haven't even had a cup of tea you Mwikali was already outside the kitchen door See you when you get back from your trip Love you Without waiting for a response Mwikali whirled around on her heels and sprinted to the door She managed to squeeze in a Bye Auntie before slamming it shut behind her Her escape didn't feel complete until she had jogged down the driveway and exited their compound entirely Only then while leaning against the cool metal gate on the outside of their property did she breathe out a sigh of relief She walked to the curb thinking that Mom was definitely right about one thing Today marked a new beginning for her Amanda everything that happened at her old school all of that was in the past And she was going to do everything she could to keep it there A steady line of school vans soon began to roll past 17
