Free Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

mess immediately.
    “It wasn’t your fault,” Chichi told the woman.
    “It’s the goddamn tungwa ’s fault,” Sasha said, brushing a tuft of hair off his shoulder. “Damn it. Anatov told me about these. Disgusting!” Sunny wanted to burst out laughing at the nastiness and absurdity of it all and at their nonchalance. Every time she thought she had reached the threshold of weirdness . . .
    “ Tungwas are just things that dwell at Leopard Knocks,” Orlu explained. “Floating bags of teeth, bone, meat, and hair. They explode when they’re ready.” He shrugged. “Don’t know what they are. Might be creatures that just don’t develop right. We deal with them like we deal with mosquitoes, flies, and cockroaches.”
    Sunny shuddered. Mama Put gave them each a free bag of chin chin . Sunny gave hers to Sasha. As they walked back, she looked at the time on her cell phone and gasped. “It’s three thirty! I’m going to be late!”
    She speed-dialed her home number and held the phone to her ear, her heart pounding. It was best to warn her mother. That way things wouldn’t be as bad when she got home. The call wouldn’t go through. She redialed. Again, it didn’t go through. There was no signal.
    “Don’t cell phones work here?” she asked Chichi.
    “I dunno. I don’t have a cell phone.”
    “My mother’s going to kill me,” she said, putting the phone back into her purse. It clinked against all the chittim .
     
    Crossing the bridge was much easier the second time, once Sunny managed to call up her spirit face. It took ten minutes, and Chichi had to conjure up classical music three times before Sunny felt her body go languid and her face tighten. Apparently, it was harder to bring forth one’s spirit face when one was tired.
    But once she changed, she found she didn’t need the music at all. And when she looked down at the roiling creature below, she laughed loudly and blew it a kiss. Not far behind, she heard Chichi laugh. “Move faster!” she shouted through the mist.
    Sunny didn’t want to zip about like Chichi; she wanted to dawdle and dance. Nevertheless, she moved along, thoughts of her mother’s angry face enough to keep her focused, even with her spirit face on.
     
    “You won’t sleep well tonight,” Chichi said. They stood outside Sunny’s house. Sasha and Orlu had already said good-bye. They had to go straight to Orlu’s so that Sasha could officially greet Mr. and Mrs. Ezulike.
    “Why?”
    “You’ve been initiated today. You’re more awake than you’ve ever been.”
    “Is it going to be—”
    “It’s different for everyone. I just wanted to warn you.”
    As Sunny walked home, she remembered that they were to meet with Anatov in four nights. At midnight. How was she going to pull that off?
    She unlocked the door.
    “Sunny, is that you?” her mother shouted from the kitchen.
    “Yes, Mama,” she said. “Sorry I’m late.”
    She glanced at her watch. It was six o’clock. She was two hours late. As she walked in, she remembered the raffia dress she wore. Before she could think of a possible excuse, her mother came hurrying from the kitchen, her father behind her.
    “Mama, I—”
    Slap!
    “Why didn’t you call !?” her mother yelled. She had tears in her eyes.
    “I—I tried!” Sunny stammered. “The phone wouldn’t work! I tried, I swear!”
    “Where were you?” her father demanded.
    “With Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha—he’s Orlu’s family friend who just came from America,” she said quickly. She flinched as her father moved toward her. His hand was always heavier than her mother’s and far less predictable.
    “Your mother’s been worried sick,” he bellowed. “She was sure you’d been taken by that Black Hat criminal! How dare you cause her that kind of stress, stupid girl. If you ever, ever return home late again, she won’t be able to hold me back, o! I will flog you tirelessly!”
    “I’m sorry,” Sunny said quietly, her head down. She knew she