4th MARCH, 2017.

KANO, NIGERIA.

"I'm really disappointed in you Ameerah"

Ameerah grimaced at her faculty's Dean, Professor Vivian's words. However, she couldn't get why exactly the Professor is disappointed in her when she did nothing wrong.

"You've been flunking and for as far as I know, you're one of my brightest students" The professor went on, waving her hands to express her words. She sighed deeply, then turned around to look at Ameerah, "Look...Ameerah, your father is a close friend of mine which is why I'm talking to you about this, and we both know he wouldn't like it when he finds out that you're failing all your courses, and you're a final year student for that!"

Ameerah closed her eyes then looked away—unable to meet the piercing gaze of the Dean. Her eyes moved to the group of students that walked about in campus—some having little to no care in the world, some having their noses buried in their books while some are genuinely catching cruise.

"Your tests recently...you've been failing them all"

Apparently. Ameerah knew there's no way she could fail with the way she studied for those tests. She was sure that she got every answer correctly.

She shook her head then looked at the Dean, "But Professor...I did everything correctly. I'm sure of that"

"So what now?" Professor Vivian raised a brow, "Are your lecturers lying?"

"No but—" She didn't say it, but that did not mean she was not thinking it.

"I'm really disappointed in you" The professor repeated, her brows drew in as her lips tugged down.

Ameerah's phone pinged at the moment but she ignored it. She had so many problems to deal with at the moment that she didn't care about the phone. She knew she didn't fail but for her to prove that, she had to provide evidence, which she does not have.

After her meeting with the Dean, she went back to their hostel where she met Juwy sitting on her bunk, a text book laid on her lap and her reading glasses perched on her slender nose.

The girl looked up when she heard Ameerah's footsteps; offering her a smile which turned into a frown when she saw the gloomy look on her friend's face. "What's wrong?" She asked, pushing the book off her lap.

Ameerah sighed deeply as she made her way over to her bunk, narrating the story of what happened to Juwy—leaving the parts the girl did not need to know out. By the time she's done telling her friend what happened, Juwy looked taken aback.

"How did that happen?"

"I don't know" Ameerah shrugged, shaking her head as she leaned back on the wall.

"I mean you have been depressed since what happened yesterday and you haven't been yourself in the past couple of days but...that shouldn't be enough for you to keep failing, right?"

"No" Ameerah said through gritted teeth as she felt anger coursing through her veins. It didn't make sense for her to fail just like that. Albeit she had been a bit distracted but she knew it wasn't enough for her to flunk. She knew this would happen and what irks her is knowing that it will continue to happen—and she has no way to stop it. "Whatever game is being played, my education is on the line now and I do not plan to watch it turn to dust just like that"

Her words held a promise that Juwy didn't get. Then again, she didn't say it with the intention of her to understand in the first place so she's content with that.

However, she meant every word she said. She'll stop this before it gets far by any means necessary. She will not lose something again.

"You better watch out Ameerah. Our finals are coming up"

~*~

ABUJA, NIGERIA.

Rahma turned around and quicken her pace, but the woman was just as fast—maybe more.

She avoided the crowd, wanting to create as much space from the woman as possible—lose her even. Slipping right through the huge crowd of people, she managed to take a turn down an empty lane. She walked deeper in the place, elated that she could no longer hear the people's chatters and that she was able to lose the woman.

She exhaled, placing her hand on her chest as she stopped to feel her heartbeat slow down. When she turned around, she jumped—taken aback when she saw the woman standing behind her; only a couple of steps separating them. The woman had her lips set into a straight line, eyes slightly squinted due to her aging. She looked just as Rahma remembered her to be, except this time, she had dark bags under her eyes.

What made Rahma's breath hitch though was the look in the woman's eyes. The same she had seen countless times before back in prison.

She didn't hear the footsteps approaching the cell. She was too focused on getting what she sacrificed her health for because there's no doubt that if they catch her, it'll be a miracle if she'll be able to walk out fully conscious.

Her fingers fumbled with the lock attached to the bunk bed upwards. How they got a lock on it remained a mystery to her as it's considered a contraband there. Besides, why would they have a lock to a bunk bed? She decided to ignore it because she'd seen weirder back in JDC.

"Yes, I'll just check if it's still here..."

Rabia stopped, whipping her head towards the door with widened eyes just as the person reached the cell.

The woman who had her black with specs of grey hair tied into a messy ponytail stopped in her tracks. Rabia didn't have the time to hide when their eyes met. She was caught red handed.

"What happen? Is something wrong in there?!" Came a voice a bit distant from the cell. However, though the voice sounded far, Rabia could tell who it belongs to. The same woman who choked her and nearly killed her simply for talking back. And for obvious reasons, she feared her the most out of everyone in the prison. Any time their eyes met, it felt as if the woman would send her six feet under without a hesitation.

If it was possible, Rabia's eyes widened more than it was earlier. She visibly gulped, and judging by the intense woman's gaze on her, she saw her too. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as her throat felt like sandpaper.

The woman's cold eyes didn't move from her when she opened her mouth to reply. And in that moment, Rabia could feel her heartbeat louder than anything. "No"

Rabia's shoulder sunken in relief as she blinked rapidly. Her rigid hold around the metal bunkloosened.

"...I might be a little late though. I need to do something" The woman added, voice holding a certain edge that made Rabia's fear spike up. She walked towards Rabia, eyes narrowed in slits, "We're you trying to steal something?" She asked, keeping her voice low so the others wouldn't hear the conversation.

That should be a relief to Rabia but somehow, it wasn't. She knew the woman isn't as bad as the others. She's the same person that gave her food on her first day in prison, which was just a couple of weeks ago—but that did not make her any less scary than the others. Especially not when she's being calm and cold at the same time.

Rabia gulped thickly, "No"

"You're a terrible liar Rabia. Anyone ever told you that?" The woman raised a brow, folding her hands over her torso as she sat on the lower bunk opposite Rabia looked oddly calm—contradictory to Rabia who looked like she's about to faint.

Her face literally ashen.

The woman then crossed her legs, leaning back. "Let's try this again shall we? We're you trying to steal something?"

"Yes" Rabia's voice came out barely above a whisper. Noting the way the woman's eyes turned to slits, she quickly spoke up again, "But it's mine, I swear! They took it from me"

The woman remained quiet for a bit, watching the girl up close for any sign of her lying. "What is it?" She asked after a while of silence that reeks of Rabia's fear.

"My veil" Rabia whispered dejectedly. She licked her chapped lips as she released her hold from the bunk she stood beside, "I need it to pray. Please, you're a Muslim right? You have to understand"

The woman drummed her fingers on her thigh, head tilted to the side slightly as she stared at Rabia blankly.

After what felt like hours, she stood up—almost lazily. Walking towards Rabia, she pushed her away with her hands and headed towards where the lock was on the bunk. Rabia couldn't see clearly as the woman covered her vision but she heard the sound of something being unlocked piqued her curiosity.

A couple of seconds later, the woman covered the locked area with the dirty brown mattress which Rabia pushed out of place. She turned around, reaching her hand out to Rabia.

Rabia's gaze fell on the piece of clothing in the woman's hands. It wasn't hers but she didn't hesitate to take it from her. "Thank you" She held the veil in her hand.

The woman didn't smile. Rabia doubts if she had ever seen her smile but that was the least of her concerns. "Just try to hide this one. If you lose it, you're on your own"

Rabia nodded, offering her a smile that faded as quickly as it appeared. She turned around, hiding the veil in her oversize orange top.

"Rabia"

She stopped in her tracks, swiveling her head to look at the woman.

"If you want to survive here, toughen up. Learn how to be discreet and never let anyone see your fear"

Though the woman's words sounded like she's looking out for Rabia, her facial expression showed the opposite. Then again, looks can be deceiving right? That's the same thing Rabia believed.

And yet because of those words, she did survive.

Apparently, not for long.

"I thought you'd learn to be discreet by now, Rahma Turaki"

Rahma gulped, hands clenching into a tight fist. She might be able to hide her fear in front of everyone, but apparently not infront of that woman.

The woman chuckled humorlessly, seeing the fear painted on Rabia's face. "Calm down. I don't plan on exposing you" Her voice came out low, and soft—almost as if she has no care in the world. Her laid back and calm expression is the same Rahma had been used to, before the woman got released two years ago. She hasn't seen her since then, till now.

Rahma licked her chapped lips. "I don't know what you're talking about"

This made the woman chuckle again, "I guess old habits do die hard. You're still a terrible liar, Rabia" She noticed how the girl's shoulder tensed at the mention of her real name, it made her smile—something she had never done and frankly speaking, it only made her look creepy. "Relax. I won't ask what you're doing here with a false identity instead of being in prison serving the rest of your sentence. I also won't ask how you managed to start up a business with that fake name"

Rahma frowned, head flinching back a bit. "Wait..." She tried to find the right words, "Why aren't you asking any questions?"

The woman's smile widened a bit, "You didn't ask how I ended up here either, right?" The lack of words coming from Rahma was the answer she needed. "Don't worry. You'll find the answer to your questions soon enough"

Without a word more, her smile disappeared and her cold yet calm expression returned. She threw Rahma one last glance before she turned on her heels and walked away, leaving Rahma alone with her confused thoughts.

Unbeknownst to Rahma, someone was lurking in the shadows with a phone in hand, having recorded the entire conversation.

Call it a hunch, a coincidence or an unsettling feeling but Rahma turned around in his direction at the instant. This made him hide behind the wall separating them away from her sight. He sent the video to a number, then typed underneath the tape. 'I just confirmed your suspicions. Something is up with the girl'. And then clicked on send.

When he looked up, the light from the corner showcased on his face, exposing his face. Mubarak looked away from the source of light, turning his head slightly and focusing on any sound from Rahma—still managing to stay out of sight.

Or at least he thought so.

Because of the light, Rahma's gaze fell on his shadow which only meant one thing. Someone is there.

Her eyebrows squished together, pausing to examine and watch the movement of the shadow closely. Her facial expression turned cold, thinking of the possibility of the person eavesdropping on her conversation. There's a possibility that the person heard everything too, and she can't afford to have that.

She slowly made her way towards the source. Unfortunately for her, the heels she had on gave Mubarak the heads up about her approaching him. As much as she tried to make her steps sound discreet, Mubarak picked up on it.

He took a step back, his shadow moving along with him.

Rahma picked up her pace, realizing the person wants to sneak away. She reached the place and tried to turn and look at the empty lane.

"Miss Turaki!"

That had her snapping her gaze from where Mubarak is to the source. It gave Mubarak the distraction he need to sneakily slip away seeing as she's distracted.

Rahma smiled at the woman who she met when she arrived at the place. "Yes?"

"The guests that just arrived are asking for your presence"

Rahma nodded, "Alright. I'm coming" She turned around, her smile falling when she noticed that the person has ran. Her eyes narrowed as she set her lips into a tight line.

"Miss...Is there a problem?"

Rahma swiveled her head to look at the woman, plastering a fake smile on her face, "No" Her fists clenched by her side, out of the woman's gaze. "Let's go"

"Alright ma'am"

Rahma let the woman take the lead, wanting to get her thoughts together. She didn't catch the person but she's sure someone was there, lurking in the shadows. And she has to tell Attorney Zarah about it. They need to find out who the person is before he or she becomes a problem to them.

They can't afford any problems, especially not now.

~*~

Noah loosened his tie as he walked into the house. His head ache from the lack of sleep and hours he spent in the hospital due to his night shift. All he needed at the moment was rest. He won't be able to understand anything at the moment with how exhausted he was.

"You're home!"

He clenched his eyes shut. "The one time I want some peace" He muttered to himself.

The sound of her footsteps approaching his figure close was what had him opening his heavy lids. He forced a tight lipped smile, "Yes"

Maria grinned, ignoring the fake smile. She knew the boy well enough to know when he's faking emotions. However, just as he had been doing recently, she chose to ignore it. "Great, I know you're hungry. Let's eat together, just like old times"

He blinked as he sighed, reaching his fingers up to massage his sore temple. "Maybe later. I'm tired now" He tried to sound as polite as he could, hoping she'll just drop the issue. They both know by 'later' he means 'never'.

Maria pressed her lips together, inhaling deeply through her nose, then she exhaled. "Eat first before you sleep. You should take care of your health. You're a doctor, you should know this"

"I'm sorry but I can't now. I'll go to my room now and rest"

Just as he turned to walk away, she spoke, "Are you avoiding me, Noah?"

Noah ignored her, too exhausted to start this conversation with her. He continued walking away.

Maria thought over her next words, knowing they were the only ones that'd make him stop. "Do you think your mother would like to see you like this?"

It did the trick. He stopped abruptly. Face hardening as his fists clenched by his side.

Unfortunately for her, unlike the reaction she was expecting from him, all he did was continued walking after a few seconds of silence.

Noah felt the anger coursing through his veins but he refuses to let her see it. If that was her way of showing him that everything she does is for his sake, he won't give her that satisfaction.

If she didn't want things to change between them, she should've never done what she did ten years ago.

~*~

Double update since it's Friday.

Goodnight.

Have a nice weekend.

Love, Jannah.