The flower shrubs lining the front of the girls dormitory was in bloom, little red hibiscus flower nestled and scattered in the shrubs. Lekan's hand hovered above one with the intention of plucking but she thought better of it and let her hands hang limply by her side.

She expelled a breath and marched into the lobby of the girls dormitory. There the Warden was standing, grim faced and talking with Matron who was shaking her head at whatever he was saying. Although, Lekan wasn't too sure that it was a good idea for the Warden to spill information to the wide mouth Matron, everything he would say to her would get distributed to the whole building before night.

Or maybe it was the reason the Warden seemed to be telling her first, so he wouldn't have to repeat the same story over and over to his curious staff. Lekan took a moment to look at the man, he was leaning heavily against his cane and his face was wrinkled with worries, Zeke looked nothing like him, in manner or appearance.

The Warden turned his head slightly and noticed her standing. He raised his hand in a wave to beckon her.

"Good afternoon, sir." Lekan greeted.

"I don't think there is anything remotely good about the afternoon." He said, stone faced. "I hear you were in a therapy session with the new therapist, did anything happen while I was away?"

Lekan wanted to laugh, a lot had indeed happened.

"No, Nehemiah suggested it."

The Warden nodded. "Of course, that is exactly what I wish to speak to you about, we'll talk while we walk."

Lekan fell into step with him, walking slowly so she matched his pace, she noticed he had never seemed so slow, so tired and wondered if he had been tortured in police custody, she wouldn't  put it past them, at all. Maybe it had even been a last resolution, after all, there had been up to fifty apparent suicides during his eight years in Mary Slessor.

Even Lekan didn't know what to think of him, sometimes she suspected he might be capable of such, other times she wasn't so sure.

"Nehemiah has asked me to write a letter on your behalf, stating good behaviour." He said.

Lekan blinked and looked up at him. "And are you going to do that, sir?"

He gave a tired laugh as they stepped out of the lobby into the open air. It was strange that he didn't even pay heed to the gawking stares they were getting from the teenagers milling about.

"You are always suspicious, Olamilekan." He said. "Do you think I did it?"

The question made Lekan stumble, almost tripping on a stone buried in the sand. She stared at the Warden, halting to a stop and wondered if it was a trick question.

"I don't think you want my opinion, sir." She told him, rubbing the side of her face nervously.

"I asked, didn't I?" There was a hint of his old steely voice in the question.

"I am not sure you are totally innocent." Lekan said bluntly, even as her heart raced, she was talking to a potential murderer who might decide she was next on his list.

The Warden didn't look angry, in fact, there was a smile on his lips. "Really? Why?"

Lekan took in deep breath and thought that now might be a good time to spit the truth out, or the truth she suspected. Even if it might put her in trouble, or make him change his mind about the letter.

"I overheard your phone call." She told him.

The smile was gone but he didn't look the least bit surprised. It was then she knew, that he had seen her that day underneath his desk. She gulped and waited for his rebuke but she saw that his shoulders were shaking slightly with silent laughter.

"Olamilekan, you are a hurricane." He told her with a shake of his head. "And that is an understatement, you remind me of Nehemiah at your age. That boy was defiant in every way he could."

Lekan just stared at him, certain that he had gone nuts.

"Yes, I know you were hiding under my desk." He admitted and resumed his walk. She had no choice to walk besides him.

"I was indeed on the phone, on the phone with the main sponsor of Mary Slessor, a gentleman called Dr. Caleb." He said.

"You spoke to him of how Jesus Christ's sacrifice was necessary, remember? And how death comes for us in the end." Lekan reminded him before he thought he could sway her with a stupid explanation.

He still didn't look like someone caught red handed.

"It is so easy to misunderstand words, Olamilekan, and I am not saying this to cover my tracks. Yes, I spoke of sacrifice and submitting names for Dr. Caleb, because he asked for names, names of some of you so he could offer internships — internships that could help you become useful to yourselves."

"He didn't want unruly teenagers, he wanted willing teenagers who wanted to change their lives, hence the comparison with Jesus Christ." He pointed out, stopping for a few seconds to rest his weight on his cane then moving again towards his cottage.

Lekan didn't know what to believe as she walked with him, she has thought putting him on the spot might make him blurt something or let something slip unwittingly but his words were even and casual, she had met the worst of liars but if he was indeed lying then his skills were on a much higher tier.

"And concerning my foreboding quote on death, Dr. Caleb is estranged from his family and was diagnosed with cancer some months ago and spoke of getting his estate in order before he died." The Warden shrugged.

"I'm guessing you have some expertise on death itself, I never knew you had a son." Lekan cut in quickly and watching him intently. For the first time, he seemed to hesitate, pausing for a moment too long before he answered and when he did, his voice was cold.

"You can accuse me of whatever it is you want to, but there is a fine line drawn when it comes to snooping about my personal life." He said flatly.

She couldn't stop the sudden stab of guilt to her chest, she might have been searching for a killer but she had been invading his privacy, and it had been the reason she had broken the arm of her roommate when she first arrived.

"I'm sorry, I noticed the picture and couldn't help but stare."

"My son died a year ago, a car accident." He continued, his tone clipped. "Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

Lekan bristled, she was in the motion of apologizing but he raised a hand.

"I don't want to hear it, I wish you good luck with your upcoming trial and wanted to speak to you because Nehemiah asked me to make sure you stayed out of trouble."

Lekan bit her lip, would Nehemiah go door to door next, asking every adult to speak to her?  It stung her that he didn't trust her to do something so basic, even though he was right.

"The police have decided to officially look into the sudden deaths, including past ones," he shot her a stern look, the skin of his forehead pinched tightly. "And in a matter of a week, they might send out some of them to watch the compound. This is a detention center, Olamilekan, they will not come for your protection, or our protection, they are here to fish out a killer and trust me, they will treat all of us and one."

He resumed his walk but Lekan didn't follow, his last words thrown over his shoulders made her stand still with shock.

"For your own sake, it is better you stay out of trouble."

***

Lekan didn't stay out of trouble, she went seeking it as soon as everyone went to lay their heads. And tonight, nothing seemed to work to her advantage, her roommates had stayed up talking gossip and stupidly predicting who among their mates was the most suicidal. She couldn't exactly waltz out without them noticing and she didn't dare leave under the guise of wanting to use the bathroom, if she wasn't back in minutes, they'd alert the Matron and she'd be in trouble.

While she waited, she was afraid of what could be happening down in cafeteria. It had taken what seemed like an hour for all seven of them to settle back in their beds and sleep.

When Lekan had stood up to leave, padding down the stairs until she was in the lobby, it had been then the lights in the whole building lit up with electricity, meaning it would be harder to sneak out and meaning the Matron would be down in the lobby charging her phone and watching movies in the old television.

So now she crouched by the stairs, thinking of a way out, already she could hear the TV sounds and the Matron's low voice. She'd have a better chance of jumping outside the window above her than going out there unnoticed.

Lekan perked up, rising and staring at the window in front of her, it was just a little above her reach and not too small that she couldn't fit through it. She glanced down at the leggings she has chosen to wear and hoped it would tear if she took the risk.

Now what she needed was a stool or ladder that would carry her face first to the window level. She went back up the stairs and took the little ladder in the cleaning room, she huffed as she lifted it to her chest level in fear that if she let it drag on the floor the sound could wake someone up.

When she was back at the window, she relaxed the ladder against the wall and began to climb until she could slip the window open, then she began to climb, widening her legs so she could hoist herself up the wall and onto the window. Lekan didn't dare look down as she boosted herself up to the window until she was sitting on it and staring out at the quiet outside.

The jump might hurt her, the height down was almost six feet.

Lekan took a deep breath and jumped, rolling as soon as her feet touched the short grass. She stood slowly, grinning wildly and dusted her leggings, they hadn't ripped and she made a mental note to thank Alisha for choosing a good pair.

She took off into the night, running around the corner until she was in front of the girls dormitory. Then she walked slowly, her eyes searching the lit compound, even though she knew the two security men never stayed up late at the gate.

"Zeke?" She called quietly. She didn't know how he always heard her but he always seemed to come when she called. She wasn't surprised when she saw him appear a second later.

"I can't believe we are doing this again." He mumbled.

"Sorry for interrupting your beauty sleep." Lekan muttered sarcastically. She ignored the look he shot her.

"I hate you." He said.

"No, you don't. I'm the one going out of my way trying to save everyone here."

"I wonder why, you have nothing to gain from it." At first she thought he was sarcastic and was in the motion of smacking him but then she caught the serious look on his face.

"I don't know, Nehemiah calls it hero complex, I always have to help, even if it kills me." She huffed a laugh, it wasn't funny though, just sad that she always had to live through others.

"It's not a bad thing." Zeke said.

"Look, Zeke, there is something I have to tell you, it's about how you died —" Lekan began saying but Zeke held up a hand.

"I think that can wait." Zeke said. "There's someone standing in front of the cafeteria building."

Lekan looked and saw, she quickened her steps, almost running until she was in front of the cafeteria. In front of Feyi.

The girl startled when she saw Lekan, then she grinned.

"Lekan, right? What are you doing here?" Feyi asked.

"I should be asking that, I didn't see you sneak out." Lekan deadpanned.

Feyi cocked her head. "I am a master of sneaking away, it was why I was the perfect thief."

"Until you got caught." Lekan reminded her.

Feyi scowled. Lekan shared a look with Zeke.

"This isn't about me, I found something in Osas's things." Feyi said, she leaned closer and lowered her voice. "I found a note."

She reached into the pocket of the pinafore she still wore — but over a black turtleneck shirt instead of the uniform checkered shirt — and handed Lekan a folded paper. The writing on it was printed.

This night, the cafeteria, when you hear the owl hoot.

Lekan angled the note so Zeke could read from it then she folded it neatly and looked Feyi in the eye.

"I think I've seen an owl here before." Lekan said, she couldn't remember where exactly but she might have heard its cry before.

"Yes, everyone has seen an owl here before, I think it lives in the back, it doesn't belong to anyone in particular." Feyi said. "Do you know that the bodies, that my Osas and the other boys were first found in front of the cafeteria."

"No, I didn't know that."

"Someone called him here, somebody killed my Osas." To Lekan's surprise, Feyi's eyes were glittering with defiant tears that refused to fall.

"We — I think the same thing." Lekan admitted, cursing herself internally for the slip. Thankfully, Feyi didn't notice.

"I am going to find them —" Feyi was saying.

"— Find who?" A new voice cut in, when both girls whirled around, startled, they were staring at Noah, the scowling boy Lekan had bumped into at the football field. Zeke was staring at him too but he looked amused.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Feyi recovered first.

Noah sneered in her face. "I should be asking that, so this is the work of the both of you?"

"What work?" Lekan cut in before Feyi could say something that would end with both of them pummeling each other.

"This!" He snapped, unfolding the white paper in his hands and waving it in their faces. It read the same words Osas's paper had read.

Lekan caught Feyi as she staggered backwards in shock.

Noah didn't notice, he bunched the note in his fist and flicked it at Feyi.

"Is this a joke?"

"You better explain this or I will take this note to the Warden, right now."

***

The girl struggled, her wrists cold with the bite of the handcuffs but they were not as cold as the fear filling her bones and drowning her.

It was over.