"What is going on here?" the receptionist asked again when she got no reply.

The air was as stiff as a planchette and the whole room stilled for a moment. Mmachi's heart rate quickened and for a moment she felt breathless. The sound of the woman's heels clicking against the tiles informed her that she was drawing near.

Mmachi had just about enough time to throw Chidiogo and Paschal a glance before she realized that the woman probably wouldn't see her. The oversized monitor in front of her made sure of that. If she just sunk deeper into the chair, she would be fine.

She let out a breath of relief for a moment before looking around. Her eyes fell on a small window at the end of the room. It was the only window in the room.

She gauged it from where she sat. It was hardly enough to let light rays infiltrate it. It would be a miracle for her to pass through it.

The receptionist's voice came again at that moment, this time louder than before.

"If you don't tell me what you two are doing here, then get your bags ready. I'm calling your parents."

The receptionist whipped out her phone the same instant and started tapping the screen. Mmachi spared Chidiogo a glance. As expected, she was already shaking.

Paschal also looked like he was trying hard to keep his composure, all colour drained from his face. Mmachi decided to speak up at that moment, after glancing between them and a little bit of contemplation.

"They're not at fault."

Her voice echoed throughout the room before the loudest quiet she'd ever experienced settled upon them. The receptionist looked up from her phone on hearing her voice. Her brows furrowed, creases streaking her forehead.

The receptionist continued staring at Mmachi to the extent that she got uncomfortable and looked away. She found Chidiogo and Paschal also staring at her.

She took in a deep breath, letting air fill her lungs, before letting out a loud sigh.

"They came here to stop me," she started, darting her eyes between the computer screen and their expectant faces, "They were on their way to class when they saw me going in. Chidiogo knew I would probably be up to no good and was just trying to stop me from getting into trouble for our parents' sake. Paschal was just being a good friend."

She played with the hem of her cream cardigan when she was done speaking. She picked up little noises from the hallway, none enough to distract her from her current situation. After about a minute of stretched silence, the receptionist let out a sigh, her features smoothening.

"That doesn't mean what they did was right. They could have reported to anyone in authority instead of coming in after you."

Mmachi tilted her head back. Her eyes lingered on the receptionist's face for a moment before she gave a curt nod.

"True." She nodded again, her eyes moving around the room. "With all due respect ma, you would have done the same if you were in their shoes."

She locked eyes with the receptionist at this point and maintained the stare as she spoke. "You wouldn't have chosen to get your sister in trouble just to be a 'good' student. And I said she did this for our parents' sake. If she went to the authorities, our parents would have been called over and would still have to go through unnecessary trouble. She—"

"I think I've heard enough, Ezenwa. I want you to go to my office now!" the receptionist interrupted Mmachi before she could continue her speech.

Her tone was enough to startle Mmachi but she regained her composure, maintaining her demeanor. The receptionist turned to Chidiogo and Paschal afterwards.

"And you two"—she waved her pointer between the both of them—"I don't want to get to my office before any of you. Now get out of here before I loose my temper!"

Her voice hit a high pitch at the end of the sentence, startling everyone. Chidiogo bolted out of the place at once. She tripped on her feet on her way out but regained her posture and was out the door in no time. Paschal followed suite but Mmachi just remained seated, watching them.

"Need a special invitation ma'am?"

Mmachi glanced up on hearing the receptionist's voice. The smirk on her face was almost scary. Mmachi looked away, muttering a 'no' under her breath before standing to leave.

She took a fair minute to get to the office, dragging her feet as she moved there. Deep down, although she wouldn't admit it, she dreaded the moment she would have to face her parents.

By the time she got to the office, Chidiogo had her face buried in her palm and Paschal had his hand placed on her back. He seemed to be whispering something to her but it was hard to tell if she was paying any attention.

Mmachi observed the both of them for a moment before making her presence known.

"Guys."

Paschal raised his head to look at her, his hand not leaving Chidiogo's back. Chidiogo remained in the same position she had been in, not acknowledging Mmachi's presence. Before either Mmachi or Paschal could speak, the receptionist came in.

A large woman walked in after her. The woman had extremely light skin, almost to the extent that it looked bleached. From her unbalanced walking step, she seemed unable to carry her weight, swaying from one side to the other as she moved.

Mmachi kept staring at her even as she settled on one of the many leather chairs in the office. Her long dress still swept the floor as she sat, looking around. Mmachi's eyes followed hers the moment it landed on Paschal.

For the first time since the entrance of the two ladies, Mmachi noticed his expression. His hand no longer rested on Chidiogo's back but hung limply above it. His face was just the same as it was when the receptionist had caught them: pale.

Mmachi turned to glance at the woman once more and then it clicked. She was his mother. As the realization hit her, the resemblance even became more glaring.

Apart from the skin color, he was a spitting image of his mother. Mmachi spared Paschal one more glance and was shocked to still find him pale.

His mother looked calm, even as she stared at him. Mmachi figured she'd be the kind of parent who wouldn't do a thing to their child even if they were expelled. So she couldn't comprehend why Paschal was still panicked.

"What have you gotten yourself into now?" his mother asked, snapping Mmachi's attention back to her.

Unlike the picture Mmachi had painted of her, her voice was stern and for a moment she was scared for Paschal. What if she turned out to be the kind of strict parent who would lash out at their child on any little form of misbehavior?

"AM I NOT TALKING TO YOU!?"

Mmachi almost jumped on hearing the woman voice again. The intensity of the voice was enough to snap Chidiogo out of the state she was in and for the first time, she looked up from her palm.

Paschal's mouth hung open but no words proceeded from it. Mmachi could feel her gut clenching as her eyes moved between mother and son. This was all her fault.

As she stared at the woman, she couldn't even get herself to speak. The woman had transformed from the tranquil being she was when she entered the office to a monstrous one.

To make matters worse, Mr. and Mrs. Ezenwa arrived at the office at that point. Mmachi swallowed her saliva as she watched both of them heading towards the receptionist, whose presence had been forgotten amidst the chaos.

They didn't spare either her or Chidiogo a single glance.

"Good afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Ezenwa. Sorry to have disturbed your busy schedule. Your daughters—"

"Can you spare us the speech and get to the point?" Mr. Ezenwa said, looking around the office with his arms crossed over his chest and his right foot tapping the floor.

It was obvious to see that this was the last place he wanted to be in.

"Okay," the receptionist said, her expression changing from gleeful to glum, "they broke into the school's records."

"They?" Mrs. Ezenwa asked, cocking a brow.

"Yes, the both of them."

It took a minute for the words to settle before Mrs. Ezenwa turned to Mmachi. Her eyes swept through her appearance before they moved to Chidiogo. Automatically, they found their way to her lower arm. Upon a few minutes of inspection, Mrs. Ezenwa faced Mmachi.

"You!" Her peach colored artificial nails pointed at Mmachi as she spoke. "I know this is all your doing. When will you rest? Only when you've killed all of us?"

Her hand dropped at this point, her shoulders sagging. Her voice cracked when she spoke next. "Can you not at least spare us?"

Mmachi, whose eyes had been on her shoes through out the duration of her mother's talk, looked up. Her chest tightened, her eyes becoming teary as they met her mother's rheumy eyes.

She blinked, looking away. In a bid to avoid her mother's eyes, her eyes met with her father's. His face drew into a deep frown when their eyes met. Her lips parted but he turned to the receptionist before she could utter a word.

"We'll take it from here. I hope they aren't in any serious trouble?"

The receptionist frowned, moving her head back before placing her hand on her chin. "Not really. At least not for Chidiogo since it's her first offense. I'm not sure I can say the same about Mmachi."

"Don't bother yourself," Mr. Ezenwa said, tucking his hands into his pockets, "I'll have a word with the principal. I'll take my leave now."

Before the receptionist could grumble out a reply, Mr. Ezenwa was out the door. Mrs. Ezenwa followed suite, not even stopping when Chidiogo tried to talk to her. When they were both gone, Mmachi turned to look at Chidiogo. One look at her bloodshot eyes and she knew she had messed up, this time, for real.

———††††———

Chidiogo alighted the car the moment the engine stopped, dashing into the house before Mmachi could catch up to her. Mmachi ran after her, not bothering to bring in her bags—not that she packed much.

She'd even been surprised when they left the receptionist's office to find their driver waiting for them. Their parents had probably been so mad at them. Mad enough to not want to see their faces, hence, the driver that was left behind to bring them home when they could all have journeyed back in the same vehicle.

Mmachi ran across the lawn, the moist grass brushing against her feet. The front door slammed just as she got to it but she pushed it open and went in, letting it slam behind her. She rushed up the wooden steps and just as she got to Chidiogo's room, the door slammed on her face.

"Chidiogo open the door," she said, banging her hand against the wooden door.

She ignored the throbbing in her nose, due to the impact of the door slamming against her face as she kept banging on the door and begging Chidiogo to open the door.

After several minutes and no response, she kicked the door, cussing out while running her hand through her hair. She turned to leave but couldn't get herself to. Instead, she stood—with her back to the door—still hitting her balled fist against the door as she slowly slid down to the ground.

"I'm sorry," she said, her cracked voice coming out in a whisper.

"I'm sorry," she repeated again burying her face in her folded hands, crossed over her knees.

She stayed in that position for five minutes before drifting back to reality. She sniffed, wiping her face as she stood up. Her eyes landed on the door opposite her room and she steeled for a moment.

Her eyes darted away and she made her way to the staircase. She descended with rapid steps. She was halfway down the stairs when she heard her parents' voice coming from the living room. Her footsteps slowed down until she came to a complete halt.

She stood there, her chest heaving as she listened in on their conversation. Alas, she was the topic.

"—you don't know what you're saying."

"I know what I'm saying! We should have left her in juvie. What did we achieve by bringing her out? You said she'd learn a lesson if we left her there but you refused to leave her long enough to even get proper manners!"

She could hear her mother's voice loud and clear, she hadn't even bothered to lower it. Mr. Ezenwa spoke up afterwards and his next words made her heart drop.

"I guess you're right. We should have let her stay there. Is it too late to send her back?"

The words sounded unreal to her and for a moment she considered going to check if it was really her father who was there. But she couldn't be mistaken. She knew her own father's voice.

She took a step backwards, forgetting where she was. The impact was a stumble as her leg hit the wooden stairs. Ignoring the jolt of pain, she turned around and ran upstairs, not caring if the sound of her footsteps alerted her parents of her presence.

A/N: GUESS WHO DECIDED TO MAKE AN UPDATE AFTER YEARS? THIS GIRL. I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL TIRED OF MY APOLOGIES BY NOW BUT I WOULD STILL LIKE TO APOLOGIZE. NOW THAT I'M DONE WITH MY EXAMS, I'LL TRY TO DO A SPRINT. BECAUSE I HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME BEFORE I START ANOTHER SET OF EXAMS, I MIGHT BE ACTIVE FOR A WHILE BEFORE I GO MISSING AGAIN.

SO WHAT DO I DO? I TRY TO COMPLETELY THE BOOK AS SOON AS I CAN. LET'S SEE WHAT A DAILY UPDATE FOR A WEEK CAN DO BEFORE I'M ABLE TO WORK OUT A STABLE UPDATE SCHEDULE. IF YOU'RE READY, DROP A HEART EMOJI. OH AND DON'T FORGET TO PUT A SMILE ON MY FACE BY TURNING THAT STAR ORANGE😊.

I'LL SAVE MY COMMENT ON TODAY'S CHAPTER FOR NOW. IS MMACHI GOING BACK TO JUVIE OR NOT? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS NEW DEVELOPMENT? AND IF SHE RETURNS TO JUVIE, WOULD IT PUT AN END TO CHIDIOGO'S PROBLEMS?

COME TO THINK OF IT, WE HAVEN'T SEEN CHIDIOGO'S STALKER IN A WHILE. ABI IT'S IN MY HEAD?🤔 I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO START ANSWERING ALL THE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS IN THIS BOOK BUT LET ME START TRYING 😂. SEE Y'ALL IN THE NEXT CHAPTER ❤️.