In the night, around 9:30-10:00 pm, I was in my room, relaxed on the bed, thinking about the day's activities while my eyes remained fixed on the ceiling. I hadn't drunk from the Zobo drink Tutor Beatrice gave me, apart from the little sip I took in front of her in the office. The Zobo drink remained untouched in my bag since then. I didn't even think of telling my mom about my friendship with Tutor Beatrice and the Zobo drink she gave me. I left my mom in the dark.

While gazing at the ceiling intently, thoughts started running through my mind regarding Tutor Beatrice and the Zobo drink she gave me, and most importantly, my school, John Felix Academy.

My mind traced back to how Tutor Beatrice became so friendly to me. It just felt like something was off about it. I could easily remember how antagonists execute their plans on protagonists in movies, especially the vile villains. They act friendly to gain trust, then strike when vulnerability shows its ugly head or take advantage of love. While thinking that, my mind went back to Tutor Beatrice.

"Could she be like one of those villains I've seen in movies? Could she have an interior motive towards me?" I thought. I just couldn't trust her.

Now, about the Zobo drink, a thought struck me to the core.

"She said she made the Zobo drink specially for me. Could it be that she added a poisonous substance to it?"
"No, it didn't make sense; I took a sip, and my friends drank from it too. We should be dead by now if that were the case. That would have been a stupid way to kill me if that's what she had in mind. I remembered vividly that she told me to drink a lot of it. Why did she tell me that? Although it may sound like she was telling me not to waste her effort in making it for me (which she did say), I just couldn't help but think that there could be something else behind it.
I almost took a large sip in her office, though."

I wondered if something would have happened to me if I actually did.

"Come to think of it, what if the Zobo drink is like a magical potion? But assuming Tutor Beatrice is a witch is not an ideal thought, though the probability is just too low. However, if the Zobo drink is actually a potion, that could only mean I need to drink a lot of it for it to be active, whatever effect or function it was meant to have on me. What a crazy thought that is!"

"When I think about her creepy kitten, I get tempted to think she is a witch. Why am I having these thoughts now? If her being a witch turns out to be true, that will mean I am already close to knowing the mystery behind the school's enigmatic nature. I can tell it will be extremely terrifying to know what lurks in the shadows. Well, for now, I will have to confirm Tutor Beatrice's identity as a witch or not by not drinking the Zobo drink. I will throw it away; I won't like my mom to see it around. She will be very inquisitive about it. If she doesn't see the effect of the Zobo drink on me that she might be expecting and she shows any sign of disappointment, that will prove my theory right."

With those thoughts, I fell asleep. My thoughts regarding Tutor Beatrice, the Zobo drink, and John Felix Academy could be seen as extreme.

The next morning, I woke up early with the feeling that I had a dream, which I wasn't able to remember. I wondered when I fell asleep the night before, deep in thoughts. Soon after, my mom came to my room, urging me to start getting ready for school quickly. At that time, she had just finished making breakfast. In just a couple of minutes, I was completely ready for school. I quickly ate breakfast before I left. I ate rice and stew that morning.

When I got to school, while in the assembly, I discovered that a few elderly eyes were staring at me. They were all teachers; just Tutor Beatrice and Tutor John. I became curious as to why they were staring at me too much while the assembly was going on.

As usual, all teachers stand around the assembly grounds to monitor the students as the assembly is going on. Tutor Beatrice and Tutor John were standing together in a corner where they could only see the sides of students.

Although JSS 1 lined up before my line, which is JSS 2, they were still able to stare at me through all those crowds of students. I was uncomfortable during the assembly.

As if a spark of lightning struck me on the head, I quickly remembered the theory I wanted to confirm. I then began to wonder if Tutor Beatrice was staring at me to see if the Zobo drink she gave me to drink was having any side effects on me. And I guessed Tutor John was her accomplice. It was so obvious I was greatly distracted.

Michael, who stood a little bit far from me in the line at my back, saw that I kept turning my neck towards the direction of Tutor Beatrice and Tutor John.

Michael tried to get my attention as the principal was giving his usual speech. A boy standing next to me hit me on the shoulder to get my attention towards Michael, who was waving at me to focus so that the Principal wouldn't find me not being attentive. I obeyed the wave and focused, although it wasn't easy. That day, Amanda was not present in school.

Soon after, we received the national anthem, and some couple of minutes later, we sang a marching song and marched to our various classes. I thought the stare would stop when I was now in the classroom, but unfortunately for me, Tutor John stared at me frequently while teaching us, as we had his subject in the second period.

I was very much uncomfortable, and I was gradually beginning to think that my theory was right. I thought of telling my friends about the frequent stares from Tutor Beatrice and Tutor John, but I just dismissed the thought for no reason.

Later on, the bell for the first break was rung, and just like I envisaged, Tutor Beatrice sent for me. Michael was there when a student came to tell me that Tutor Beatrice said I should come to her office. Michael just gave me a reassuring smile that he understood. We barely hung out during our first break since Tutor Beatrice became that close to me.

When I got to the door of her office, I knocked, and she told me to come in with the same tone as the other day. I entered her office and greeted her like I always do, and she greeted me back like she always did too. I was seated when she began to ask questions like whether I'd been enjoying my classes so far, and so on. We had our normal friendly chat until she asked me an unexpected question, although I had thought of the possibility of her asking.

"Paul, did you finish drinking the Zobo I made for you?" she asked, her eyes piercing mine with curiosity and seriousness. I wondered if she knew how serious she was looking in that moment. Her gaze made me nervous, but I bottled everything and decided to lie.

"Sure, I drank all of it, and I'm truly grateful for making such a delicious, juicy drink for me," I said playfully, smiling, which was all a facade. She smiled back too, and I could tell it was a forced and fake smile. Before she could say anything again, the bell rang to signal the end of the break.

"You can go to your class now, Paul. I'm glad you enjoyed the Zobo drink I made for you. Hope you enjoy the rest of your class," she said, smiling brightly, which I assumed was also fake.

Leaving her office, I thought she knew the Zobo drink had no effect on me and was disappointed. I wondered if she thought I lied or knew. I doubted she could sense lies and truth like witches in movies. With that thought, I went to my class. Michael questioned me about my extended stay in her office, but I brushed it off as a friendly chat.

The rest of the day went well, and I wasn't bothered about some weird stuff that occurred in my class. When the time came for the closing bell to be rung, Michael and I got ready to go home, arranging our books inside our book bags.

Some textbooks and notebooks had occupied our desks before, but now we were close to the school gate, and as we were about to step outside, Michael suddenly told me he forgot something in class and asked me to wait for him.

While waiting, I sighted Tutor Beatrice and Tutor Join walking towards the stairs to the school. It seemed like they had been around the school premises. They were walking fast and talking quickly, almost in a whisper.

Being close to the gate, I watched them, and out of curiosity, I decided to follow them, as it was obvious they didn't see me. I followed them to Tutor Beatrice's office without being detected.

While they were inside, I stood at the door, intending to eavesdrop. Luckily for me, their voices were loud enough for me to hear what they were saying.

The first thing I heard one of them say was my name, and the next words that followed hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't believe what I heard. It felt like something I'd never experienced before. The fear that came with it was beyond any fear I'd ever experienced. Truly, what I heard was a terrifying thing to hear.

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