Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi

Author:Akwaeke Emezi [Emezi, Akwaeke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2022-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Bitter stared at Ube. “You have to try! They’re talking about killing people!”

His face was grim. “I know.” Hibiscus was still talking, telling the Assata kids how a new future was finally close enough for them to wrap their hands around. Ube came up next to him, and everyone’s eyes shifted over to the boy they knew as their voice in the desert. Hibiscus trailed off into silence, realizing he had lost their attention and Ube hadn’t even said a word yet.

A girl in all red with a thick fro piped up. “What do you think, Ube?” she asked. “Are we going to war with these spirits?”

“They’re calling themselves angels,” Ube replied. “And when they say hunt, they mean that they are going to commit murder.” He swept his gaze over the group. “My question to y’all is, do you want that blood on your hands?”

“You talking like it’s regular people who are going to die,” Hibiscus interjected. “We’re talking monsters. We’re talking Dian Theron. You gonna defend that man’s life?”

Ube glanced over at him, then made eye contact with Vengeance, who was still wrapped around Hibiscus. “Can you give us some space? This is a human matter.”

Vengeance unwound itself from Hibiscus and slithered over to Bitter, settling beside her. “Is this how you humans decide things?” it asked her. “All this talking.”

“We take life seriously,” she snapped.

“Why?”

Bitter shot a glare at the angel. “What the hell you mean, why?”

“What is a monster’s life? How many lives have these monsters taken? How many lives will the hunt save?”

Bitter hesitated. “It doesn’t matter if they’re monsters,” she replied, but there was a fault line in her voice because she did wonder how many people would be safe if people like Theron were just…removed.

Vengeance stared at her, seven yellow and unblinking eyes pinning her down. “It should matter.”

Hibiscus was facing off with Ube. “You wanna stand here and tell us all that Theron deserves to live? After the shit that man has done? I never thought I’d hear you protect him.”

A murmured gasp went up from the Assata kids, and Ube’s eyes turned to black coals. “You really wanna go there with me, Hibiscus?”

Blessing leaned over to Alex. “What’s going on?” she whispered. “This shit just got mad tense.”

Alex looked as shocked as the others, but she shushed Blessing with a quick hand over her girlfriend’s mouth. “Not now,” she whispered back.

“I’m just saying!” Hibiscus looked unrepentant. “Your mom would still be here today if she hadn’t worked for Theron. If he didn’t cut their health care and stick them all in those damn warehouses. Now you saying we shouldn’t take him out?”

Ube’s voice was a thin blade slicing from his tongue—even the air drew away from the sharp edge. “First of all, keep my mama out your mouth,” he said.

Most of the Assata kids murmured in agreement. “That was out of order, Hibiscus,” one of them said.

“Yeah, man. Not cool,” another echoed.

Hibiscus raised his hands. “My bad. I overstepped.”

Ube kept talking.

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