“Okay, so, Sunny, you . . . we have to get to Lagos to find Udide, according to Bola, right?” Chichi said. “You can’t do this alone and it only makes sense for all of us to go.”

“Well, yeah,” Sunny said, biting her lip. “But how are we supposed to . . .”

“Your brother can take us,” Chichi blurted.

Sasha cursed loudly and walked away.

“What?” Sunny said. “But Orlu and I are in school. It’s not . . .”

Sasha had turned back and was looking at Chichi again, his face still angry. But not as angry. Chichi nodded at him. “This is messed up,” he blurted.

Chichi shrugged. “But you know it’s a good idea.”

“Can you two please tell us your plan,” Orlu said, sounding irritated, “since Sunny and I are too slow to follow your mind-reading?”

“I’ve asked Chukwu already,” Chichi said. “Sunny, he knows he owes you. After making the greatest, most dangerous mistake of his life, he’s back in school and alive because of you. He knows it was you, even if he doesn’t know exactly what you did. He’s got friends in Lagos and he’s got his Jeep. We can go after Christmas, during your break.”

“A road trip?” Sunny said. “We drive?!”

“Yes,” Sasha said.

“But Aba Road is not friendly,” Sunny darkly said. “It’s . . .”

“I can’t afford a plane ticket,” Chichi said. “And I will never get on one of those filthy things, anyway. When I reach third level, I’ll teach myself how to glide so I can travel distances in a more sophisticated sanitary way.”

“Well, maybe my parents could . . .”

“Sunny, you know they’d ask too many questions,” Chichi said.

“How about a funky train, then?” she asked. “There must be some that travel to Lagos.”

“How will you explain going away for so many days, this time?” Chichi said. “You can convince your parents more easily if you go with Chukwu.”

“What of Anatov and all our mentors?” Sunny asked. She hadn’t told Sugar Cream about Bola’s words or her doubling, nor Anatov. She wanted to, but she just didn’t know how. Or maybe she wasn’t ready.

“It’s a road trip,” Sasha said. “They’d all love for us to do that kind of thing.”

“Well, it’ll take forever, if we live,” Sunny said. “I made that drive once with my father and brothers years ago. It was crazy.”

“We can work some protection jujus,” Orlu said. “It’s doable.”

“We’re Leopard People and we’ve faced worse things,” Chichi said.

Sunny couldn’t argue with that.

Orlu turned to Sasha. “If we go, will you come?”

He paused. Then he said, “Yes. For Sunny. If Sunny goes.”

Orlu smiled and so did Sunny.

“But my parents will never allow it,” Sunny said. “That’s, like, a ten-hour drive! And it’s dangerous and . . .”

“Leave that to your brother,” Chichi said. “He’ll get them to say yes.”

Chichi was right. Chukwu, God’s Gift to Women, the Apple of Her Father’s Eye, He Who Was Named After the Supreme Deity of Igbo Cosmology, could do no wrong. Ever since they were young children, her father had given Chukwu the freedom to do basically whatever he wanted. When Chukwu insisted on it, there wasn’t a problem.