Kayode

I knew he had to warn Yemisi, even if it meant putting himself at risk. She had already gone too far into this mystery, and the deeper she went, the more danger she was in. I needed her to stop, but I was running out of options.

As I moved towards a secluded corner of the yard, I caught the sharp gaze of one of the guards, a stocky man with a sour expression. The guard started striding over, and I felt a sinking dread in his stomach.

“What are you doing?” the guard barked, getting right in my face.

“Nothing,” I replied, trying to sound nonchalant. But the guard clearly wasn’t convinced. With one swift motion, he grabbed me by the collar and pulled me forward.

“You think you’re smart, don’t you?” the guard sneered. Without warning, he slammed a fist into my stomach. The impact stole my breath, leaving me doubled over in pain. Before I could even catch my breath, another punch landed squarely on my jaw, sending a metallic taste of blood into my mouth.

But I gritted his teeth and stayed silent. If I could take a beating and still find a way to warn Yemisi, it would be worth it.

---

Later, when I was finally alone, I lay on my cot, every inch of me aching. I knew I couldn’t wait any longer; I had to get a message out, even if it would be risky.

I found an old newspaper and carefully tore off a small slip of paper. Scribbling as quickly as I could, I wrote

"Yemisi, don’t look any further. This isn’t what you think. It’s not safe. He hesitated, then added, Don’t trust anyone who says otherwise. They’ll only pull you deeper."

When Musa, walked past, I slipped the paper to him. “Deliver this to Yemisi, okay? She needs to see it.”

Musa smirked. “You owe me again for this.”

“Yeah, yeah, double bread next week. Just make sure she gets it.”

With a wink, Musa pocketed the note and moved on.

---

Yemisi

The next day, I paced my room, unable to shake the feeling that there was something I was missing. Between Mr. Austin’s disappearance, Kayode’s silence, and that threat from Epe, everything seemed connected—but how?

My phone rang, breaking through my thoughts. Sarah. I answered, surprised—she rarely called unless it was important.

“Yemisi,” she said, her voice sounding breathless and excited. “I think I found something that might matter. I was looking for my dad’s old files, and… I found a picture of him with Alessia’s mom.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Your dad? Mr. Bello?”

“Yeah. They’re both in the picture, younger than they are now. He had his hand on her shoulder, and they looked... close.”

“Close?” I repeated, feeling a twist of unease. I knew Sarah’s dad—Mr. Bello—only as my strict teacher, someone who always seemed to have his eye on me. But if he had known Alessia’s mother, that could mean he was tied up in all of this.

Sarah took a shaky breath. “When I asked him about the photo, he got defensive. He wouldn’t tell me anything, just kept saying it was ‘in the past’ and it ‘didn’t matter.’ But he looked angry, like I’d hit a nerve.”

A chill ran down my spine. What if Mr. Bello knew more than he let on about Alessia’s death? And if he was connected to her, maybe he was connected to Kayode’s situation too.

“Sarah, do you think your dad might know what happened to Alessia?”

Sarah paused on the other end. “I don’t know. But after seeing that photo, I can’t ignore the possibility. I just… I wanted you to know.”

Just as I was about to reply, my phone buzzed again with a text message from an unknown number. I clicked on it, and my breath caught as I saw an image of a crumpled note—Kayode’s handwriting.

Yemisi, don’t dig deeper. This isn’t what you think. It’s not safe.

I stared at the message, a knot forming in my stomach. Kayode’s warning was clear, but after everything we’d learned, how could I stop now?

“Yemisi?” Sarah’s voice broke through my thoughts. “What do we do?”

I swallowed, glancing down at Kayode’s message again. “We keep looking,” I whispered, feeling a surge of determination. “We need to know the truth.”