Happy New Year!!!!!

Oh my God, I'm so glad that we are all here! We made it, guess and we have only one Person to thank for that. So, I appreciate Him from the deepest part of my heart.

I know I said this update was going to come before the end of the year but here I am. I wanted it to come before the end of the year, honestly. One chapter like that was even supposed to come before this one. But I couldn't write it. I'm still struggling. I'm still recovering. It's not been easy. So, I postponed it.

Anyway, I did try to make it before the new year and sincerely, up until two days ago, I was convinced that I wouldn't write for a long time. But somehow, I got a fraction of my spirit last night which led to this chapter being ready. I'm so glad.

As I've said before, update will be slow but steady. And don't worry, I will do my best not to keep you all hanging for too long. I want to give a song for this chapter but this is the new year. I don't want nobody singing a song that matches the vibe of this chapter.💀

To my new readers, I see you all. Thank you for adding this book to your library and reading list. Keep reading, voting, commenting and sharing. Believe me when I say that I love you.

I will stop here for now so you can start with the chapter but please, do not skip the announcement at the end. Without further Ado, dive in but do not drown.🤭

        
        ————————★————————
   “It wasn't just the tales of her death that

       Hung in the air, it was the ricocheting

     Echoes of doom and promises of Misery

     And everything evil that was tearing me
    
                    Apart from the inside.”
   
       ————————★————————

                 ~Mary Chiyenum Eze~

It was Monday morning and the whole of Nwankwo mansion was on fire.

I had woken up with a pounding headache that was threatening to split my head into two. My whole body ached when I tried to get out of bed. As if that wasn't enough, I was shivering. It was September, the weather was not cold but sunny yet somehow cold had managed to sneak in on me, leaving goosebumps scattered all over my skin, my body trembling like a leaf while my teeth chattered endlessly.

I had never felt that way before.

I had known that I would fall sick but never did I suspect that it would be two days after the death of Grace Mofe.

The image, the gruesome, bloody image of the scene wouldn't stop flashing through my mind like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. It was burning into my brain, playing on a loop that I couldn't seem to switch off because surprisingly, no matter how much I tried, I couldn't get it out of my mind. My alarm wouldn't stop ringing, over and over again.

Grace.

Grace was dead.

It felt surreal to even think about it. It felt like a terrible dream that I needed to wake up from. Everything was a terrible joke and people were lying except that I had seen it myself. The party had turned into chaos and I hadn't been able to stay in my room when curiosity got the better part of me.

She lay there, blood coated over the scenes with the ones dripping from the walls. And I'd stood there for what felt like hours, screaming with no words, yelling at no one in particular, heart pounding in my chest while my breaths came out in short gasps. I stood there, frozen with shock, unable to move till the Police arrived.

But despite how I felt, I had somehow hoped that she was alive. Like the girl would blink and sputter or just get up and laugh and point at us, telling us about how she had fooled us all because Grace Mofe could be stupid like that.

But the Policemen had taken one look at the scene, shaking their heads, and declared her dead.

That was the moment everything turned into real and utter chaos. Everyone wouldn't stop screaming, I didn't stop either and for a very long time that night, the police found it hard and tasking to calm us down as we sobbed.

Just like that, she was gone. She was murdered here in my home. She was dead.

A small sob escaped through my lips as it had been doing since Saturday night when we had all seen and seen things for ourselves. The brutal reality of what was going on. The brutal reality of what was happening in our lives. It didn't make any sense to me because it could have been anybody.

It could've been me.

I shivered at the thought, my eyes shutting briefly with the pain that enveloped me. Pushing off my comforter, I slid out of my bed with tears staining my face. My whole body was still cold and my throat was paining me but it was way past the time I was supposed to get out of bed and prepare for school.

I took a few feeble steps toward the bathroom and undressed from my nightwear. I groaned as I started the hot bath, knowing well that it wouldn't help my situation but what was a girl to do?

I struggled with myself in the bathroom for a few minutes but when I finally came out, wrapped in my fluffy towel, I think I felt a little better. As quickly as I could, I put on my uniform and shoes, redid my hair that was wrapped in a hair bonnet, and grabbed my backpack. When I opened the door, Auntie Comfort was standing there, looking ready to knock.

She took a step back at the sight of me, giving me room to shut my door.

“Good morning, madam.” She bowed slightly, her fingers weaving their way through her apron, an indication that she was nervous.

“Good morning,” I replied as sharply as my painful throat would allow me to. Without waiting to hear why she was lurking in front of my room, I turned around and headed down the stairs keeping an open head and mind.

I came down just as Aunty Ifeoma burst into the door with some of our maids and men behind her, leading her through. Her eyes were wide and she was clutching the long flowing gown she was wearing to keep her from tripping over her feet. She seemed to be out of breath too. But she stopped at the sight of me, looking at me.

“Nne,”

Relief flooded her eyes with that one word. She released her dress from her grip, the material billowing around her feet as she moved.  I remained in place and when she came near, I let her wrap her arms around me in one of her tight hugs.

As soon as her body touched mine, she pulled back, her eyes wide as she took in my expression.

“Nne, you are burning hot. What's going on?” she used the back of her palm to feel my cheeks but I remained in check, staring at her without a word.

“I'm fine, Aunty,” I mumbled, trying to keep my voice as sharp as it always was. My head was throbbing and my throat was still as painful as ever. There was nothing about me that was fine that morning. Absolutely nothing.

But I still wouldn't stay at home. I couldn't stay at home. They needed me at school as the senior prefect. It was what I had signed up for and I wasn't backing down at the sight of trouble.

“Nne, no. You are not fine o. You are burning hot.” She shook her head, not agreeing with me. I swallowed and clutched the strap of my bag tightly, keeping my eyes on her because looking away would mean that she was right and well, I was wrong.

Her gaze traveled over my shoulders toward the woman I didn't know was standing behind me. “Comfort, please help me fix her something to eat. And maybe call me the Doctor. She is not going any—”

“Mum?”

My head snapped around at the call from Kambili. She was standing there, at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes wide with surprise as she stared at Aunty Ifeoma. Donning EHS school uniform, her face looked brighter than mine would ever be, and considering everything that had gone down in the last forty-eight hours, I wasn't expecting her to smile like that.

“Kambili,” her mum called as she stepped away from me to pull her daughter into an embrace. Kambili ran into her mother's arms and Aunty Ifeoma's hands closed around her, holding her close to her chest.

“I thought you wouldn't be home till the weekend!”

“That was the plan until you went ahead and did something very stupid!”

I flinched at that voice, spinning around quickly on my heels toward the entrance of the house where my Aunt's husband was standing. He was staring straight ahead, gaze pinned on his daughter while his hands were balled into fists that emphasized his rage. His face wasn't any different, scary.

A chill ran down my spine when he started to walk into the room.

Senator Clement Nwankwo, Kambili's father.

As Senator Clement Nwankwo strode toward us, Aunty Ifeoma turned to him, a panicked look on her face as she pulled her daughter closer to her. His focus, however, remained fixated on Kambili. Kambili remained rooted to the spot, eyes wide with fear. When he finally stopped, his eyes shifted to me for a second before returning to his daughter. 

The man and his wife, my mother's twin sister had openly taken me in. Willingly took me in when my parents were looking to abandon me. I had known him way before then and even then, he hadn't looked like this. He didn't look like this.

He wasn't this furious.

“Dad…” Kambili trailed off, short of words as she stepped away from her mum. She stared at me for the briefest of seconds before looking back at her Dad.

“Barely a week, Celeste! Barely a week since you came back and you are already causing trouble for me. You are already ruining things for me. A murder? Seriously, a murder!” Each word of his felt like a knife hit in my bones.

It was a murder.

Grace Mofe was murdered right here in the Nwankwo's mansion during a party. Nobody would look at Kambili who had thrown the party. People wouldn't stare at the teenagers that had attended the party. Swan Island wouldn't question the cause. All the country would emphasize was that it was Senator Clement Nwankwo's house.

Someone was murdered in his house.

“I didn't kill her,” Kambili shook her head, unable to meet her father's burning gaze. “It was a party. It happened at the party,” she was trying so hard to defend herself.

But what could she say? It had happened.

“A party, Kambili? What were you thinking?” He advanced toward her and she took multiple steps backwards toward her mum. That was a useless attempt to hide because if her father wanted her gone, all he had to do was snap his fingers. The guards would have taken her to her room and locked her up.

That was always the punishment.

“You told me to have fun!” Now, she was screaming, daring to look her father in the eyes. I swallowed, shutting my eyes briefly and praying the commotion away.

“I threw parties all the time in Bel-Air. Aunty Ifeanyi never complained. Now that I'm back in my father's house, why can't I  throw parties? Kingsley and everybody else was here. I didn't—”

It was the first time she was openly talking about my parents since she came home. It must have been nice for her if she enjoyed herself as much as she claimed. Good to also know that I was the problem.

“Well, the girl wasn't murdered at Kingsley's house, was she?” he took a threatening step forward, jaw clenched. “Who is the one that has to clean up your mess again, Kambili? Who's reputation is at stake here? Who's career is on the line now? What do you want me to say to those grieving parents? No amount of money or wealth can buy back the life of their daughter. Do you see what you have done? ” he yelled.

I swallowed.

“Reporters are out there, lurking around our gates waiting. Do you know how long this would take? I have a senate meeting in an hour yet I'm stuck here dealing with something I didn't sign up for.” He stopped and ran a hand over his face, his frustrations visible in his eyes.

“Darling, if you will—”

“No!” He cut Aunty Ifeoma off, raising his voice. She swallowed back her words, took a step back, and nodded, sighing.

“No, you will not go anywhere. No, you will not do anything. I asked you to keep an eye on Kambili and you just…” He stopped like he realized what he was doing.

Talking to Aunty Ifeoma like that in front of us. Talking to his wife like that in the presence of us.

His eyes snapped toward mine, those brown orbs I had once looked up to because they showered me with warmth, attention, and care made a shiver run down my spine at the sight of it.

“Go to school. You are already late,” he ordered.

I didn't need to be told twice.

I spun around as quickly as I could and darted out the door. One of the houseguards, Sam, helped me get into the car. He would drive us to school and back. From the car, I could see the flock of reporters waiting outside the mansion, looking for breadcrumbs.

For a moment, I shut my eyes briefly and allowed myself to imagine how this morning would have gone if things had been different. If the situation was different. Better. It would have been a lot better than it was now.

There would have been no police cars over at the house, no party, no Kambili coming back home. Even better, I would have gone with my parents abroad. Staying with them as long as they pleased. Being with them. Living with them. Spending time with them and making precious memories.

It would have been like that.

But it wasn't.

My reality now was a lot different from what I wanted it to be. I heard the door open and Kambili's voice as she settled in.  She sat down a few inches away from me, still talking on the phone. Then the door slammed closed and Sam started the car. Kambili was still talking. I didn't open my eyes.

“Yes, Aunty. She is here,” I heard her say as I sank into the cushion, keeping my head very low while Sam drove us out of the mansion.

I felt her eyes on me, probably expecting me to open my eyes.

“You want me to hand her the phone?” I heard her ask.

I sank lower.

This time, Kambili didn't only stare at me, she laid a hand on my arm. Tapping me twice on my hand to shake me awake so I could speak to her favorite aunty; my mum.

“Mimi,”  she called, tapping me again. I ignored her, keeping my eyes shut. “I know you are not deaf so open your goddamn eyes and take this phone from me. Your mum is worried sick. She wants to talk to you.”

As if.

“Why?”

I already asked the question before I could stop myself. Because why? Why was she worried about me? Why did she care if something happened or not? Why was she bothered at all?

Oh, I knew why.

To appease society's questions.

“Are you seriously asking me that?” Kambili sounded like I was out of my mind. She wasn't wrong. I could very well be out of my mind. “Should I also ask you why you were in your room on Friday night—”

My eyes flew open and with a speed I didn't know I possessed, I took the phone from her. I didn't miss the grin that took over her face as she stared at me. She had the advantage over me now and she would damn right use it against me at any time.

I glared at the phone when I looked away from her. Thankfully, it wasn't a video call so I could relax. Exhaling, I placed it over my ear and fixed my gaze, away from Kambili's piercing gaze.

“What?” I demanded impatiently after seconds of placing the phone to my ear and hearing nothing but radio silence.

“Chiyenum,” she breathed softly, the tone of her voice ricocheting through the sound system like a powerful sound wave, crashing right into my ears. The level of anxiety I was feeling at this point was making my body feel numb. I opened my eyes, staring straight into the road. Kambili was quiet, too, as if she didn't want to break the silence with her presence.

“A-are you okay?” she stuttered.

“Why?” I asked again, refusing to use my mother's name.

“Mimi,” she started, her voice soft, but controlled.

I removed the phone from my ear because hell no, I wasn't doing this. I couldn't do this. I couldn't talk to her. I wasn't going to talk to her. So, with one click of the red button, I ended the call. If she was as starved as me, then it was all better.

“Why did you do that?” Kambili snapped as I threw her phone at her. Before she started her stupid rambling and ranting, I took out my Airpods from my bag and plugged them in.

If she wanted to talk, she could talk. But no one would be listening.

The hallway of our block was as quiet as a very unusual graveyard. Students were milling around but no one was talking. No one was laughing or making stupid jokes. They were just there, their eyes fixed on their phones. And when they did talk, they murmured. They whispered.

It was the last session all over again.

The ache I never thought I would feel consumed me as I collapsed into my seat
beside Treasure. My best friend glanced up at me, her bloodshot eyes an indication that she had been crying. I said nothing, my gaze fixed on the empty spaces in front of me. 

Assembly wouldn't be holding, that much was clear. The teachers wouldn't be coming to class either, I knew that. Not all students were in school and the ones that were in school would be asked to go for counseling. Once again, something terrible had happened and we were allowed to grieve about it.

“H-how did it happen?” Treasure spoke first, her voice frail and very gentle.

“I don't know, Trea. One minute, they said she was grinding her boyfriend at the party and the very next, she was dead.” I swallowed. “Murdered.” The word felt strange on my tongue.

Treasure let out a small sob, covering her mouth quickly with her hand to avoid drawing attention to us. There wasn't a need for that because everyone around was lost in their world.

“Are the police saying anything? Is…?” she sniffed, wiping the tears rolling down her face away.

“No. They just asked us not to go toward the scene of the crime or anywhere near the pool. I still don't get it, Trea.” I shrugged. “I don't get it.”

“Me too.” Trea shivered. “Some people said she jumped down from the balcony. How is that possible?”  she whispered shakily as she leaned back into her seat.

I stared straight ahead as the image of the scene formed in my mind. I hadn't been able to stop it from invading my memories since I saw it two nights ago. There had been blood, lots of blood everywhere. It had been way too much which also meant that she hadn't jumped down from the balcony.

Why would she even want to jump down from the balcony? Why would anyone want to kill themselves?

She could have bled to death since that was what most of my setmates had been saying. Nobody was ready to accept the fact that she couldn't have bled to death. The blood was everywhere and the ones we saw on the wall weren't just it.

But Treasure hadn't seen that.

“Where were you?” I sniffed as I turned toward her. She seemed to be lost in thoughts in a short while but she jerked up at my voice.

“Home,” she swallowed. “I texted Dara. I-I…” she trailed off as tears welled up in her eyes again.

Looking away from her, I felt the tears well up in my eyes again. And this time when Grace's image formed in my head, I saw it.

Scared. Hopeful. Lifeless.

The girl hadn't known she was going to meet her fate before that time. She hadn't known that she was going to die but she did. And her tongue…God. I didn't know when or why but I found myself getting up from my seat. Without a word to Treasure, I walked out of the class and hurried to the toilet.

Tears blinded my eyes for a different reason as I retched my gut out in the toilet bowl. I was losing my mind slowly and with the recent happening, I was bound to lose myself too.

“Are you okay?” Treasure sniffed behind me as she held up my braids which at some point must have loosened from the ponytail I had wrapped it into. I didn't even know that she followed me in here.

My lips trembled as a dull ache settled in my chest. Heaving a deep breath, I turned around, not meeting Treasure's gaze while she gave me room to step out of the stall. She followed behind me immediately as I headed to the wash hand basin.

“I get it. I puked my soul out when I saw the images. I've been trying to get it out of my mind, Mimi.” She was back to crying again.

I turned on the tap and scooped a portion of the water rushing out into my palm. I splashed it over my face, the cold sensation giving me a little chill. I ran the water over my face for a few seconds, just standing there and filling my ears with the sound of water rushing out of the faucet.

It calmed down the wave of thoughts washing over me in an oddly familiar way.

“My parents called this morning,” the words slipped out of my lips before I could stop myself. It wasn't what I wanted to say but it was on my mind too.

I felt Treasure's eyes on me, watching me like a hawk. Exhaling, I turned off the tap and grabbed a fresh napkin from the pile that was available. I wiped my face and hands clean with it before giving her my attention again.

“Or at least, my mother called Kambili who in turn made sure to give me the phone.” I amended as I sent her a saccharine smile. Treasure's face slowly morphed into that of concern…and pity. Looking away from her, I crossed my arm over my chest.

“Albeit aggressively,” I added the last part like an afterthought. Kambili was always aggressive though.

Treasure hesitated before she asked, moving to stand beside me slowly. “W-what did she say?” she stuttered.

“How much she was concerned about me,” I rolled my eyes even as a very terrible ache was taking over my heart and soul. “To see if I was okay. Like she thought of that all those years ago,” I hissed.

Treasure sighed, and opened her mouth to say something when the door to the toilet opened and someone came in. Davina took her hand off from where it was deep into her gold-colored tinted hair. She was one of those girls who always looked stunning on low cuts.

Even though she looked very good right there, she looked stressed as hell and that was evident by the eye bags under her eyes. She paused when she saw us before her lips slowly stretched into a very small barely noticeable smile.

“Vinny,” Treasure breathed as she began to walk toward us.

“Hey, guys.” She sighed and stared between us for a second before she did something that would have probably had me screaming before now.

Davina dusted the back of her skirt, looked toward the clean toilet floors, and took her seat right there. With her knees up, she took out the bottle of alcohol I hadn't seen her holding when she came in.

“Join me?” she asked, nudging the still-full bottle at us.

Did I want to get drunk in school on a Monday morning? Absolutely not? But did I take off my blazer and take my seat beside her? Yes.

Treasure joined us without hesitation and for a few minutes, we sat there passing the one bottle of Volcan tequila among us, taking a small gulp each time before passing it to the next person.

It was oddly peaceful.

And yet something else lingered in the back of my mind.

“I hated her, you know?” Davina broke the silence first and I watched the girl who was always full of life struggle to keep talking. “I really hated her. Her energy didn't sit well with me. She was always all over the place and…She hurt Ewi really bad and I just hated her.” She sniffed as I watched her try to blink back tears.

The keyword being try because the next second, the tears came rolling down.

“Who knew that she wouldn't be here for me to hate on today?” she swallowed and once again, gulped the bottle once I passed it to her.

“It was brutal,” Treasure whispered.

“Who is Ewi?” I was looking for a way out of the conversation so badly. If the other girls noticed that I was grasping at straws, they didn't say.

“Shalom. Her middle name is Ewi and I like calling her that.” She smiled. “And before you ask, she is not in school yet. I already checked.” She shrugged like she couldn't be bothered.

“How did you even get Tequila so early in the morning?” Treasure asked eyeing the bottle slowly after I passed it to her.

“I stole it from my father's bar. He's probably not going to notice that it's gone. I just needed something to grasp onto for this horrible morning.” She was grinning now.

“You thief,” I teased her and she chuckled.

Rising from her position on the floor, she dusted her clothes once again and took the bottle from Treasure's outstretched hand.

“Well, this was fun but I better head back to my class. Unfortunately, not all of us are lucky not to have classes today.” She grumbled.

“Bye, Vinny.” Treasure waved her off while my eyes followed her through till she walked out of the place and shut the door behind her. Once again, the whole room was cocooned with silence but not the comfortable kind.

This silence was filled with awkwardness, pain, and something left unsaid. I felt Treasure watching me but I didn't spare her a glance back even as she was seated beside me.

“I know that you're still hurting from—”

“I think I might be pregnant.”

We started at the same time when she stopped, eyes shooting in my direction to probably check if she heard correctly. Now that I'd said the words, I could feel my palms start to get sweaty as my heart started to race in my chest.

“What did you say?” her voice was drawn to a whisper as she tilted her face to the side to stare at me more.

“Pregnant,” I whispered, swallowing nothing. “I think that I might be pregnant.” I finally turned my face to look at her and the look on her face, the way her lips had fallen apart in shock and her eyes had grown wider made me think that I'd made a grave mistake.

“What do you mean?” she nudged me with her arm as though I'd spoken something silly. As if I'd uttered a joke that needed to be laughed at before it turned sour.

“I haven't seen my period. It's been late for close to two weeks now. I've been counting and waiting for it to come but…” I trailed off, my heart beating rapidly.

Treasure stared at me in silence for a few minutes. I could see the wheels spinning in her head but I couldn't see or read her thoughts. She just sat there staring at me.

“Say something,” I pleaded as I wiped my hands over my skirt.

She finally closed her mouth, blinked twice, and looked away from me. Then, she heaved loudly, folded her arms across her chest, and raised her head to stare at me again.

“Jesus,” she finally mumbled. “Have you tested yourself?” she whispered.

“No,” I shook my head. “I, I tried to go out and get the test tubes yesterday…” Again, I trailed off as I sat there staring.

The reporters and press people had swarmed the mansion like bees to honey, all looking to hear from us and interview everybody around. The police had been around too, doing serious investigation work all over. I had been desperate for a distraction and finally decided that I had to get myself tested.

Passing through the back gate, I had taken another route, flagged down a cab, and went straight to the nearest pharmacy. But I'd gotten there, stared around, and realized that I couldn't do it. When I'd walked in there to demand the product, I had felt the eyes of the older women behind the counter on me along with the guys on whites moving around the place.

I opened my mouth to state my business but realized that I couldn't get the words out because I knew that the moment I said them, everything around me would change. The older women would stop chatting and would switch to me as well as every other person in that place.

As if that wouldn't be enough, I would have to deal with the whole trauma of actually testing myself with the tube. I realized that I couldn't do it so I'd walked out the same way I came in.

Without the test tubes.

“Okay, okay. Breathe, Mimi. Breathe.” Treasure snapped her fingers in front of me and that was when I realized that I was close to panicking my ass off.

I took in a deep breath and released it all the same.

“We can go and get it together. I can follow you. Or I can just ask my mum to get it for—”

“—No!” I cut in Immediately, shaking my head. “No one can know about this. No one, Trea. No one.” I told her.

“Okay, I get it.” She nodded, agreeing with me. “Then we can go and get it, together.” She offered, her face soft and full of concern.

“I can't go back there,” I declined, shaking my head.

“Then, I will get it for you. I will get it for you and bring it to school. Is that okay?” she asked.

“Yes,” I nodded, gratitude all over my face. “Thank you, thank you, Trea.” She held out her hand and I gave it a small squeeze, holding her close.

“I won't be able to get it today but I will get it before the end of the week, I promise.” She pledged even though she didn't need to.

“I believe you,” I exhaled in relief. After a brief moment of silence, I pulled myself together and stood up. Treasure gave me her hand and I pulled her up with me. We dusted our skirts and straightened our uniforms properly.

We were heading out of the toilet to get back to class when Treasure grabbed my hand and slowly pulled me back. My eyes met her concerned ones and I knew immediately what she was still thinking about.

“I hope with everything in me that for my sake and everything good, the result will turn out negative, Mimi.” She breathed, closed her eyes briefly, and reopened them. “I really do hope,” she squeezed my hand again.

Me too. I hoped for nothing more than for it to turn out negative. It had to turn out negative, all this had to be in my head. There was no other way for it to turn out than that.

        ————————★————————
  “Words have the power to do and undo
   
    Your whole life. I didn't learn that until

    The moment everything started to fall
                        
                                   Apart.”
       ————————★————————

       ~Oluwashindara Tehila Ambrose~

EHS students were running mad.

I had always known that I was surrounded by different sets of mad people but that day proved it. Madness that ranges from stages. Most of them weren't even supposed to be in a school for goodness sake.

And that included me.

Well, depending on the circumstances.

I first noticed it when I walked into the school. The fixated and very uncomfortable stares that usually didn't bother me. I was used to people staring at me because I was beautiful or whatever but that day, it felt different and I knew it in my bones.

Then, I stepped into the hallway and my suspicion grew. The hallway was unusually quiet and I had mistaken it for everything that was going on with us but I guess I was wrong because In a matter of seconds, my setmates were murmuring to themselves and whispering and just talking while pointing at me.

I failed to understand what their fish brain had conjured up this time.

But I got it from the moment I saw Frederick Enioluwa Eyitouyo hanging somewhere in the hallway, hands in his pocket and eyes directly on me like he had been waiting for me to arrive or something.

Shooting up a brow at me, he shrugged in a not-so-casual way, his lips sealed shut. He probably would have said something if one of his girlfriends hadn't come to take him away.

But he had said enough from that simple look he gave me and it was easy for me to understand what he was asking me to do. So, I whisked out my phone from my pocket and went straight to the class group chat. If there was any place to get the gist of what was going on, it was on that platform.

If I was shocked by what greeted me on the group chat, I made sure that it wasn't obvious on my phone because it only emphasized my saying that EHS was grooming mad people for society to deal with.

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When she carried her two left legs and walked into this school last week, I knew that she was up to no good. See her yeye face. 😭😂👍

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I said it! The girl no dey fear anybody. But Omo, Sha. It is well. Anybody wey kill person, Dem go kill am too.🙂

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Tufiakwa! I can't deal with this, abeg.😑

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Just passing through…….💀

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I still can't believe that she did it. She told him that she was going to make him cry and the poor boy don dey cry na. She just go kill fine girl. RIP @selzyG.😭

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She just enter school o. I heard the bastard just entered school. Set awon latecomers. I hope the police arrest her before they leave Sha. Make she die for prison.

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Peace out! ✌️

I looked away from my phone, making sure to school my expression as I returned it to where I took it from. My setmates around were still talking, still pointing accusing fingers while steering clear of me. I couldn't believe that they would think that I did it.

Granted that I hated Grace. I hated her so freaking much for obvious reasons which wasn't unknown to them and everybody else that knew me but to kill her? Why the hell would I want to murder somebody?

“Do you people think this is a joke?” I stepped into the middle of the place and crossed my arms over my chest because I just couldn't believe how ridiculous their rumors were. “Someone died and you people think it's a joke?” I continued, feeling the pressure build behind my throat.

“Yeah, someone that you killed.” A girl I didn't know from Adam said as she eyed me. From the way she was glaring at me, I knew without a doubt that this girl had a beef with me that I didn't even know about.

This just couldn't be about Grace which I'm sure half of my setmates hated.

“Maybe I should murder you too. You know, cut off your small-sized breasts and feed them to my dogs since you are proving to be a waste of reproduction.” I shot back and her eyes widened before she took a step back.

“I knew I was stepping into madness but I didn't know that it had gotten this worse,” I shook my head, turned around, and headed for my class. I could have chosen not to say a word but their accusations were beyond belief.

How could they think that I would murder someone? Did I ever give them the assumption that I could murder someone that brutally?

You told your father that you were going to poison him.

And my subconscious thought that very moment was the best time to remind me about my past. Ignoring the taunting voices and my seatmates ridiculous stares, I took out my phone and shot a quick text to my friends before I went straight to my class.

Hardly had I settled into my seat when the door to our class opened widely and our government teacher walked in. I blew out a breath and settled into my seat even though I wanted to go meet my friends. We were not supposed to have any class today because Mr. Oduale had asked us to meet with the counselors or something.

So, it was a lecture-free day. I knew that yet I still came to school because I didn't want to stay at home alone. The dark-skinned woman who hated me walked to the front of the classroom with her teaching materials.

“Good morning, class.” She greeted us, taking us in one by one.

“Good morning, Mrs. Olusesi,” the class chorused back. Nodding, she folded her arms behind her back and started walking back and forth across the room.

“I know that some of you already believe that there will be no class today. Not with me though. Why should there be a lecture-free day because one of your mates died? Life goes on.” She stopped as her gaze collided with mine for a second. I didn't look away, she did, her eyes dancing over every other student in the room.

“Fuck this woman,” my seatmate whose name I still wasn't sure of because she was a sister to two other identical people mumbled beside me before sinking lower into her seat.

My lips slowly twitched into a smile as I stared at her. She stared back at me before she looked away. We hadn't spoken to each other since I arrived.

“So, today we will be having a very short test. A ten-minute test before the end of the class but first, open your…” I tuned her out and plugged in my Airpods immediately.

Honestly, I wasn't in the right headspace to listen to the woman go on and on about a particular segment of government and I probably wasn't acting right but I really couldn't be bothered at that point. The school had declared a lecture-free day and this woman chose that very day to give us a ten-minute test. Seriously?

“Oluwashindara Ambrose!”

I heard the loud bang on my desk before I heard my name on her lips. Exhaling, I took out my Airpods and stared up at the face of the woman who had disrupted my peace.

I stared at her while she glared at me. This woman had always hated me from the start but she had done a great job at hiding it. But at that moment, she wasn't even trying to hide how much she despised me.

“You have your AirPods plugged in while I'm in the class? Are you okay?” she snapped.

“Yes,” I nodded, earning gasps from my classmates. She had asked if I was okay and I'd told her yes. It was after all a question that deserved a response. But the look on Mrs. Olusesi's face said otherwise.

“I was just following instructions,” I held up the Airpods, giving her a tired shrug.

“I was having a class and you had your AirPods plugged in? What stupid instructions are you talking about?” She yelled.

She could as well slap me on the face with how hard she was looking at me. She was staring at me the same way I stared at Natalie.

“The one given by the principal. We were asked to grieve for our classmates as much as we wanted which was why today was declared a no-class day. I was doing just that with music.” I must have a smirk on my face because it looked like her face was going to combust with all the rage on it.

“Get out of my class!” she ordered, pointing at the door.

“With pleasure,” I grinned as I grabbed my things. It wasn't like I was ready to settle in the first place. Macaulay stared at me for a few seconds as I packed up under the woman's simmering gaze before she started to pack her things too.

“I'm going home,” she said to no one in particular as she turned around and led the way while I followed suit. I was at the door ready to step out of the place when I turned back around toward the woman.

“And ma'am, you better not fail us.”

I didn't wait to see the next look on her face before I hightailed it out of there. But I stopped as soon as I was out because my friends were heading my way. Mary looked extremely tired and sick while Trea looked like all her energy had been drained out of her.

“Hey,” I whispered to them both when they got close enough.

“Hi, Dara.” Treasure came in for a hug which I gave to her. Mimi looked like if I touched her at that moment, she would burst. So, I didn't and stayed away.

“What's going on?” I whispered, looking between them.

“We got interviewed by this officer. I didn't hear his name. I think he's interviewing everybody.” Mimi sighed and I sighed too because I was getting really tired.

“I heard some people think you did it and if they are telling that to the investigators, you might be on the top lists of suspects.” Treasure linked her hands with mine as she spoke.

“Grace was murdered. How could I possibly have a hand in it? I don't know what time she died but I can bet anything that I had an alibi for that time so I can prove my innocence if push comes to shove.” I told them. “Besides, our setmates are stupid, abeg.” I rolled my eyes.

“Damn, I've forgotten that your mom was a lawyer.” Mimi pointed out.

“A top one,” I forced a smile at them. “Whoever did it, I pray they get caught. Not because I like Grace or anything but because that was too brutal. She was killed with rage.” I shuddered at the visible memory of the scene that my mind played.

“How can you be so sure? The rage thing, I mean. Some people said it's suicide.” Treasure asked.

“The cuts on her skin emphasize rage. Heaven knows what she did to deserve that. And…” I stopped to clear my throat because the image was just too vivid then and I couldn't go on. Treasure squeezed my hand tightly.

“And I have to go to her house in the company of any volunteering setmates with some prefects tomorrow. We were supposed to go today but the school asked us to wait till tomorrow.” Mimi told us.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she nodded with a sigh.

“Great. I will be coming with you. And I should probably go see those officers before they come for me since I'm supposedly popular now.” I nudged my head toward a group of girls standing a few feet away talking. They kept stealing glances at me, not even trying to be less obvious.

“I doubt they will be helpful. They've never been any way,” Treasure mumbled, playing with her skirt.

“Why do you say that?” I frowned, staring at them. What had happened wasn't a child's play in any way. Someone had died and it didn't matter if or not I liked the person but justice had to be served. And who better than to do a thorough investigation if not for the Police and whatever Lawyer takes up the case?

“We can just trust them to do their job and reveal the killer, right?” I asked, looking between my friends. Mimi shook her head and averted her gaze from mine.

“Give them a few weeks tops, Dara. They will wrap up their investigation,” she muttered, agreeing with Treasure who was nodding.

“How can you two be so sure?” I narrowed my eyes at them, desperate for some answers. Mimi and Treasure spared each other a glance as if debating silently whether or not to tell me whatever they were trying to say.

Finally, Treasure sighed and kept her head low. Mimi met my gaze for a second, her gaze holding mine for a second while she delivered the blow to me.

“Because this isn't a one-time occurrence. It has happened before and with no doubts in my heart, I know it will happen again.” She said, dropping the blow on me.

                                    A/N

Take a deep breath. You done? Now, exhale.🌚
At this point, I can't even say that I didn't know that this killings and death I've been going on for a long time. I can't. This chapter ehn...

So, let's take it from the top. Grace wasn't the most loveable person on earth but I believe that we can all agree that Mary's reaction is on point, right? Omo. Those kinds of grieves are the worst. She wasn't even close to the girl. Now, imagine how Seyi who was her best  friend will be feeling now💀

We are going to get his POV soon, though.

Moving on, they are finally going to get a test kit. Shebi, Mimi knew what she was doing when she went to have unprotected sex. Treasure's is dramatic, guys 😂

Dara ehn...😭😂 that girl. Why do you think she wants to visit Grace family? She wasn't even friends with Grace.

Ehn ehn, something else I want to point out to you guys is that when a character says that he has history with another character, it doesn't automatically transcribes to them having a relationship. I'm pointing this out because I saw some comments regarding Enny and Kambili.

Abeg abeg, Enny would never, ever have anything to do with Kambili. I mean, anything in that regard. What he meant was completely different from what you people took it as.

And, what do you think is going to happen from here? Any guesses? Conspiracy theories? I know I haven't really given you guys much to work with but I will love to hear them.

Also, I have a question for you all. What do you think I need to work on as a writer or what would you like to know more regarding this book?

Secondly, why do you think Seyi slapped Grace that night? Why did he hit her that badly?

Humor me. I will be waiting in the comment section to read y'all's comments.

I gotta go now though. I love you all. Update will come in whenever I can, I promise but I have you all in mind.❤️✨