‘Ricardo is from Brazil,’ said Elijah. ‘He said there’s a great big forest.’
Jasmin looked up at the map. ‘Of course, I will have to go to Nigeria as well,’ she smiled. ‘Because, the way Granddad Ozo goes on about it, you would think it’s the best place in the world.’
Nigeria is a place like Heaven. Elijah heard the voice inside him. He looked at Nigeria on Jasmin’s map. Russia was bigger. He always thought that Nigeria would be as big as the sky, but it was small, really, and squashed between other countries.
He put his thumb on Nigeria and moved across the other countries. Nigeria felt no different on his skin. He’d expected it to be hot.
‘I’m going to see the whole world,’ said Jasmin.
Elijah reached into his pocket. He took out the postcard he’d seen in the shop and begged Nikki to let him buy. It was a photo of the Empire State Building in black and white, and it had the words I Heart NYC written underneath. ‘I got this for you,’ he said. He handed the card to Jasmin.
Her smile was big enough to fill up the room. ‘Thanks,’ she said. She looked closely at the photo. ‘It looks better in real life,’ she said. Then she shrugged. ‘You can come with me, if you want.’
‘Can I really?’
‘Of course. But you have to carry the bags. We need to take loads of sweets. You can’t get really good sweets in Russia, only potatoes.’
Elijah nodded fast. ‘OK,’ he said. And, as he touched the giant map, he felt his thumb get hot after all.
Jasmin propped up the card on the table next to her bed, then moved to stand beside Elijah. She reached out and put her thumb on top of his. ‘Wherever we touch thumbs on the map is where we’ll go, OK?’
Elijah nodded. They moved their stuck-together thumbs all over the map until there was hardly any place in the world where they wouldn’t go. As they did it, Elijah’s thumb became hotter and hotter but it wasn’t hot like when the wizard started fires using Elijah’s body. In fact, the wizard was not walking around inside him at all. It was true that whenever Jasmin was nearby, the wizard shrank to nothing. Maybe the wizard was scared of Jasmin’s superpower, scared that she wasn’t frightened of anything in the world. Maybe the wizard needed Elijah to feel scared so that it would grow. It was like he was finally in charge of the wizard, or the wizard was starting to disappear. Whatever the reason, Elijah looked up at Jasmin, pressed his thumb hard against hers and whispered, ‘Thank you.’
She laughed. ‘That’s all right, silly. Of course you can come on my round-the-world trip.’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘Anyway. You need to be my lookout. In L.A., the police kidnap children to steal their skin and put it on the faces of old, wrinkly people.’
*
When they got back, Elijah could smell burning. Granddad arrived wearing a blanket wrapped around him. ‘I know your dad,’ he said to Elijah. ‘He wants to eat outside in the freezing cold.’
But when Aunty Chanel arrived, she was wearing a vest and no jumper. ‘Hey Jay-Z,’ she said. ‘You get more handsome every day, doesn’t he, Jas?’
Jasmin was standing behind her, wearing a big coat with the hood up but Elijah could see her face turning red inside the hood.
He could feel his own face turning red. He focused on the garden, on Nikki’s flowers and the small mud patch at the bottom where she said Elijah could grow vegetables. She said she thought he’d have green fingers, like hers.
‘Stop embarrassing the poor boy,’ said Nikki, walking past them carrying a big bowl of coleslaw that Elijah had helped make. ‘Come on now, you two, you can give me a hand.’
They carried bowls of food to the table outside: rice, salad, potatoes, sauces, cutlery, serviettes, a jug of juice, glasses, a bottle of red wine for Aunty Chanel and a can of beer for Granddad. Obi put on some music and then stood by the fire, turning pieces of chicken over. The garden filled with music and the sound of talking and the smell of chicken with Obi’s special marinade, and Elijah closed his eyes for a few seconds to keep it all inside his body. Obi’s mobile phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket and spoke in a low voice, rushing back towards the house. ‘You be in charge of the chicken,’ he mouthed to Elijah, and winked before going back indoors. ‘Let’s do it together,’ said Nikki, rushing over and picking up the tongs.
‘I’ll probably live in California,’ said Jasmin. ‘That’s where all the cool people live. I’ll surf on the beach and see loads of famous people. I’ll probably have to get two or even three autograph books for all the names.’
Jasmin talked about America the same way Granddad talked about Nigeria, but differently as well. When Granddad talked about Nigeria, Elijah could see it in his head, but when Jasmin talked about America, all he could see was her looking for it.
They ate and ate, licking their fingers and the garden filled up with slurping happy noises. By the time Obi came back into the garden Elijah had eaten three pieces. Obi waved but was still on his mobile. ‘First thing, though, OK?’
Aunty Chanel sipped her wine and raised an eyebrow at Nikki.
‘I’m counting on you,’ Obi said. He tucked the phone back into his pocket. He came to sit the other side of Elijah, and Nikki reached out to grab his arm as he lowered himself to the ground.
‘I wish you’d put that thing away.’
‘It’s away!’ He held his hands up, showing they were empty.
She shook her head but Elijah could see her smile.
‘Did you like the chicken?’ Obi asked.
Everyone made satisfied noises and nodded.
‘You are some chef,’ Aunty Chanel told Elijah.
‘It is in his blood,’ said Granddad.
Aunty Chanel laughed and Jasmin went to sit in Granddad’s lap, even though he always said she was too big.
‘I think I’m going into a food coma,’ said Aunty Chanel.
Elijah looked up at the sky and, even though it was lit up orange with city lights, he could count many stars.
SIXTEEN
Ricardo was wearing purple flip-flops even though it was a really cold day and you could see your breath like a puff of smoke. He had new beads around his neck that he kept touching. If he went to the same school as Elijah, Mrs Pullen would have made him sit on his hands to stop him from fiddling. They were sitting in McDonald’s, which was a big treat for Elijah because Obi would never let him go. Nikki had taken him once and they’d both had a Happy Meal. ‘Let’s not mention it to Obi,’ Nikki had said, and they had laughed. Obi said that fast food was poison and he would never give such bad food to a loved one. That made Elijah smile.
‘So, how is everything going? You seem to be really settled! I can’t believe you’ve been with Nikki and Obi for three months already. It really has flown by!’ Ricardo bit into his veggie burger. He was vegetarian and ate no meat at all. He had told Elijah that was why he didn’t live in Brazil. ‘No vegetarians live in Brazil,’ he’d explained. ‘It’s against the law. When I cannot stay away from Brazil any longer, then I’ll have a good-quality steak. But, until that day, I’ll stick to this terrible vegetarian burger.’ He took another bite and pulled a face. ‘Nikki says you’re settling in really well.’
‘Obi is teaching me to play football. School is really good. And Nikki took me to her work and let me play with the dogs.’ Elijah laughed. ‘They’re funny. They licked my face.’
‘Did you say school is really good? Fantastic. And Nikki said you’re a natural with the dogs,’ said Ricardo. ‘And that you’re a great helper.’ He paused. ‘But she also said it was a bit hard for you seeing the dogs. And that night you were angry.’
Elijah shrugged. ‘They looked very sad,’ he said, ‘which is why I want to help them, like Nikki.’
‘Well, I’m sure they’ll have a forever family, just like you do, before long. Nikki and Obi said the anger was only for a short time and then you were back to your old lovely self again. So you’ve now spent some time with all the family? Have you got to know everyone?’
‘Aunty Chanel is reall
y funny. She’s an adult but she acts like a child. And Jasmin sits next to me at school. I like Jasmin. In the Easter holidays, we’re going to Wales so I can meet my other new nan and granddad. I’ve spoken to them on Skype and they made me laugh. And also,’ Elijah smiled widely, ‘Obi said he’d take me to Nigeria next year.’
Ricardo laughed. ‘Sounds busy! And how are you feeling about the adoption day?’
Elijah stopped eating. ‘Do I have to talk?’
‘No. An adoption day is just a special day in court when Nikki and Obi sign the papers to become your mum and dad forever. It’s a celebration when we can have cake and go for a special meal afterwards. You don’t have to talk, but you do need to look smart.’ Ricardo laughed. ‘For example, I will be wearing proper shoes. No sandals, no Havaianas. And my very best aftershave, that I save only for fabulous occasions.’
Elijah couldn’t imagine Ricardo wearing shoes.
‘So you like being with your forever family?’
Elijah thought about it. Living with Nikki and Obi was like nowhere else he’d ever lived. He didn’t want to go anywhere else. He still missed Mama very much, but Nikki said that was OK. She said that was normal.
Forever family.
‘When can I see Mama?’
‘She’s not well at all, Elijah, and as we discussed it might be better for you to stick to twice-yearly contact. Any more than that and it might make you not do so well.’
‘Is she still sick?’
‘Yes, she’s sick,’ said Ricardo, ‘and she has some other problems, which won’t get better. She can’t keep you safe, even when she’s not sick any more, and you deserve to be safe. You can keep contact with her. You might be ready to write a letter to Mama. Nikki and Obi will help you with that.’
Elijah slumped down. ‘Mama kept me safe.’
‘And now Nikki and Obi are keeping you safe too.’
Elijah sat upright. ‘I think so.’ He ate a chip, chewing it slowly. ‘I think the badness has gone.’
Ricardo put the rest of his burger down. ‘You haven’t mentioned being bad in a long time, Elijah.’ He paused. ‘Do you think that maybe, now you are settled with Nikki and Obi, you have stopped feeling like there is a badness inside you? Maybe you’ve started to believe me that you’re a good boy. Maybe you’re even ready to talk about what happened to you?’
Elijah popped a chicken nugget into his mouth. The wizard had not been in control for quite a while. The last time he felt it was on his first day at school, but, even then, being near to Jasmin meant the wizard’s powers were not strong at all. In fact, he couldn’t feel it creeping around at all any more. Elijah was in charge. He smiled. ‘The wizard might have gone,’ he said. He jumped off his seat and hugged Ricardo. He thought of Mama and how happy she’d be.
Elijah caught the look on Ricardo’s face: his eyes stuck open and his mouth was full of burger but not chewing. He had told Ricardo about the wizard; he would never see Mama again.
‘The wizard?’ said Ricardo, swallowing and wiping his mouth.
Elijah sat very still, but nothing happened. If the wizard was really gone, then maybe it didn’t matter?
‘Elijah?’
He opened his mouth to speak. He really couldn’t feel the wizard. ‘I am free of evil.’
Ricardo leant forwards. ‘But you said, “wizard”.’
Yes. He had said ‘wizard’, but the ground was still there and the sun was still up in the sky and no one was dragging him away or saying he couldn’t see Mama again. Elijah shrugged. ‘The evil inside me has gone.’ It was true. Mama was right – to be safe, all he had to do was find a Nigerian who believed in God, and he had found Granddad and Obi. And Nikki, who was not Nigerian but was covered in angel kisses called freckles, and Jasmin, who wasn’t scared of anything. Not even a wizard.
Ricardo nodded. ‘OK.’ He drew Elijah in for a hug.
Maybe Elijah could stay with Nikki and Obi until he was a bit older. And then perhaps he could live with Mama again? Maybe she’d get better now and be able to come and live with Nikki and Obi too.
*
After McDonald’s, Aunty Chanel took Elijah out so that Ricardo could have a chat with Nikki and Obi.
Aunty Chanel put her hand on top of Elijah’s head and laughed. ‘We get to hang out, Jay-Z! It’s going to be so cool.’ Aunty Chanel was wearing another set of butterflies on her eyelids but they looked broken, like half their wings were missing, and it made her eyes look in different places, one near and one far. She had a pair of panda earmuffs covering her ears. He’d never seen an adult wear animal earmuffs. ‘We need to sort this hair out, little man,’ she said, and put her hand on Elijah’s head again. She was wearing four rings and, when she touched him, tiny sparks came between her hand and his shoulder, which made him jump. ‘You’re electric,’ she said.
Elijah followed her to the bus stop, where she took a packet of chewing gum out of her bag and gave him one. He’d never had chewing gum before.
‘Don’t tell Mum I gave you gum,’ she said. Elijah shook his head and chewed really fast. The gum tasted like toothpaste. Aunty Chanel always called Nikki ‘Mum’. It sounded strange inside Elijah’s head. She was sort of his mama, but she wasn’t Mama.
Jasmin ran out of the gate. ‘Yippee! School’s finished! How was your meeting?’
‘Good,’ said Elijah.
‘We’re going to get Elijah’s hair cut,’ said Aunty Chanel. ‘A cool haircut.’
‘Great!’ said Jasmin. And she slipped her hand into Elijah’s.
‘I don’t think I’m allowed to have my hair cut,’ Elijah said, imagining Nikki’s face, her telling Aunty Chanel off. Nikki loved his soft, tight curls; she’d said so. They had grown so suddenly in the time that Elijah had been living with Nikki and Obi, like they’d been hiding inside his head. He’d never had much hair before; it was always shaved close. He touched his hair.
‘Listen, little man – when you’re with me, you’re allowed to do anything I say, OK?’ Aunty Chanel’s face was close to Elijah’s and he could smell the chemicals that Nikki had said came from Aunty Chanel’s fake tan, which was why she looked orange. At first he thought the smell was horrible, but now he was used to the smell of Aunty Chanel’s skin and he liked it. He knew Jasmin didn’t, though; she turned her nose into a smaller nose every time her mum got too close, by pinching it really hard.
‘Come on, this is our bus.’ Aunty Chanel pulled Elijah towards her and the three of them ran across the road. They got on to the bus and sat at the front. Aunty Chanel sat on the seat that had a sign which had a picture of two people holding sticks, but Aunty Chanel didn’t get up when an old man got on the bus; she just looked out of the window at the streets flashing past. Jasmin’s seat didn’t have a sign and she looked straight out of the window with her face pressed to the glass. The old man had crooked legs that looked like they might hurt a bit. Elijah stood up and pointed to his seat with his head. But the old man didn’t sit down in Elijah’s seat. He pretended he couldn’t see him. Elijah wondered if he was invisible, but the wizard wasn’t moving inside him any more. The wizard seemed to be gone completely. And when a lady got off the bus, the old man sat down in her seat instead. Maybe he liked the look of her seat more. Elijah didn’t care. The wizard was gone! He couldn’t wait until Mama was better so he could tell her.
Elijah stayed standing up, anyway, until Aunty Chanel and Jasmin got up and they climbed off the bus on to a busy street filled with people. Some had the same colour skin as Elijah and others had white skin like Nikki, but nobody had orange skin like Aunty Chanel, so Elijah put his hand in hers. He didn’t want her to feel lonely.
She looked down at him really quickly. ‘I feel like Beyonce,’ she said. Jasmin rolled her eyes so far her head rolled too.
‘Here we are, at last! After this, we need to sort out your clothes. I mean, trainers: essential – and not those hideous ones my sister has you in! She doesn’t get you at all, little man. Good job for your Aunty Chanel!�
�
Jasmin stood behind a lamppost.
‘But this will be a start, anyway. Your first proper haircut!’ Aunty Chanel pointed to the shop in front of them where lots of boys and men were sitting in chairs. They all looked bald. Elijah touched his hair, curly, exactly how Nikki liked it. As they walked closer to the window, Elijah’s mouth dropped open and his hand squeezed Aunty Chanel’s. ‘A barber shop. This is where you need to come; you need a black-boy’s hairdresser to sort that mop out!’
A boy glanced out of the window at Elijah. He looked about his age and very smart. The boy had skin the same colour as Elijah, and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a shirt and jeans and big boots with the laces undone. He looked like a pop star.
Aunty Chanel went into the shop and, as they followed her, Jasmin whispered, ‘You’re going to look so cool; I wish I was having my hair cut.’ So far, Aunty Chanel had taken him to a funfair and given him candyfloss, and she’d even taken him to a pub where she’d given him and Jasmin two Cokes and two bags of crisps each. He liked everywhere Aunty Chanel had taken him to.
In the shop, a big man came towards them. ‘Hello, cheeky,’ he said. ‘What you looking for?’
He wanted to be as smart as the boy in the window, but he was too scared to talk – the man was bigger than Obi.
Aunty Chanel was too busy talking. ‘He needs it buzzed then I’d like a design on one side – I was thinking of the Nike symbol. Something cool. You know, something that will suit him.’
Jasmin made a noise in the background like a small mouse.
Aunty Chanel talked and talked and didn’t notice the man raise his eyebrows to the ceiling. Elijah wasn’t sure why he was raising his eyebrows. He didn’t know what she meant by ‘the Nike symbol’ but he kept quiet. He thought of Nikki. Would she be cross when his hair was gone? Nikki was cross with Obi sometimes. Especially if Obi told her off when he got home from work because the house was a tip. Then Nikki’s face would change and she would say, ‘Stop! Please.’
‘Come on, here.’ The man put Elijah into a chair next to the boy, and reached over for a buzzing machine that started moving over Elijah’s head.
Where Women are Kings Page 13