“Number Seven, you are Hades the God! The Alpha of the Underworld. The dark unknown. Hades, the master of eternal life. It doesn’t matter how they try to break you; you cannot be broken!” he shouted.
My head nodded up and down because it was fucking perfect. God of the Underworld, ruler of the fucking dead. This let me know they understood the assignment. It wasn’t the fraternity that was bad, but the bad seed they held within their organization. I was now a Chi Kappa Chi nigga. My thoughts of what was next played in my head because the mission was not yet accomplished.
APPLE
In my solitude.
I heard so clearly in my dreams. Billie Holiday, a woman who was broken, the lover of both men and women, a drug chaser, but also a woman who stood on business. She took the stage singing her songs, letting her Black voice be heard from state to state, even as she was reprimanded for making those who needed to listen aware. She cried in the dark but shone in the light. I wasn’t quite a Billie Holiday, but my voice needed to be heard.
My eyes shot open in a hospital room. My head was unable to turn, leaving me still and only able to stare at the ceiling. The last thing I remembered was being out with Harlem.
“Harlem!” I shouted.
He stood and leaned over the bed. “Damn, you’re awake.”
“Apple!” I heard my aunt Nyomi’s voice.
My eyes turned slowly to see her standing on the other side. “What happened?”
She looked at me, confused. “We’re trying to figure that out. It’s why we’ve been waiting for you to wake up. The nurses said you weredropped off, and that’s all we know. But you’re okay. That’s the best part.”
I didn’t understand. I tried to remember, but I couldn’t. “What day is it?” I asked.
Harlem looked at my aunt. “Let’s just say you’ve been out for the entire spring break.”
I began to cry because I had lost so many days. I closed my eyes, trying to remember, but I couldn’t, and that was the frustrating part.
Harlem grabbed my hand and kissed it. “I’ve got to get back to school, but I did email your professors. You will be able to submit your work for your courses online until you’re out of here.”
“No. I want to go to school. I have Black Excellence Day. I have Gray and Gold meetings. I—”
My aunt touched my head. “You have to rest. Apple, you can’t even remember what happened. There is no way you’re going back to school this quickly. I have talked to the dean, and he—”
“He! Where is Dean August? What is happening to me? I feel like I’m in the fucking Twilight Zone.”
“You need to calm down,” my aunt said to me.
“I don’t want to calm down. I want my fucking life back. I want to go back to school. I want my peace back,” I cried.
“Can I talk to her alone for a second?” Harlem asked my aunt.
She gave him a nod and stepped out of the room. Harlem gazed down at me. “Baby, I don’t know what happened, but I will find out. I need you to relax and know I got you. Do you know if any of this had to do with Jesaiah?”
I knew I wanted to destroy him because I hated him, but I never got the chance to do so because somehow, I ended up in here. Tears rolled down the side of my face as I tried to remember, but nothing was coming to me.
“I don’t know,” I sobbed.
I could see frustration in his face. “Okay. Calm down. I will seewhat I can find out, and if they can tell me anything, we will see if any of it jogs your memory. In the meantime, stay pretty for me,” he finished and kissed me.
I didn’t want him to leave. I wanted him to stay. I tried not to let my emotions get the best of me, but I was stuck. God found a way to sit me down, all while he let the Devil still roam the earth.
XAVIER
“Black trauma and how it prevents those in our current society from being excellent. Due in two weeks,” the professor said as she ended the class.
Phoebe and I stood and began to leave the class before the professor stopped me. “Mr. Keyton, a moment please.”
Phoebe looked at me curiously as she walked out of the room. “I see your efforts, Mr. Keyton. I’m not sure what changed from last semester to now, and I’m not only speaking of the quality of work, but also how you’ve carried yourself. You are one of the highlights of TSU. Whatever happened, I like it. I enjoy this version of you better than the last. I expect an excellent paper.” She smiled.
