“Everyone is a moon, with a dark side that they show to no one.” – Mark Twain.

•••

“…And the reason why you didn’t jump at the offer and say yes instantly is because of what, exactly?”

Alexis queried him in an irked tone, and he could sense that his best-friend once again thought he had done the wrong thing. Who would jump at the offer immediately, though? He still had to act like he had some dignity and a busy life—he couldn’t uproot just at the mention of a request of a new one. Besides, he didn’t exactly think he had what it took to be a literary club member.

But that last worry wasn’t exactly one that occupied his mind.

“Oh I was supposed to jump at her offer instantly and hand over a basket of muffins to her also for offering up the role.” He shook his head, his words echoing in the empty stair-well cubicle, as they made their way up to the last floor.

A week had passed since Legide had offered up the position, and like he had promised – he was supposed to get back to her today. And he was still pretty hesitant on joining the club.

“What sort of mindset do you have with girls, anyway? One of these days I’m going to have to sit you down and take you on a course – Girls 101. And don’t ask me how many units is going to be. The figure of units is at infinity.”

Alexis shook his head, biting his lower lip. “Okay fine, but there is nothing wrong in going on to say that you’d love to join, you didn’t say any of that did you? All you said is that you’d get back to her. Right now, she has no assurance that you want in and judging by the way she accosted you, I’m sure you aren’t the only one she approached. She approached other people also. And it may be too late, when you say yes. She might just tell you someone else has taken up the role.”

Hmm.

Alexis did have a point indeed, but he didn’t think he exuded a state of being apathetic about it. His body language indicated that he wanted in, right? No, she knew he was definitely interested. It wasn’t much to deduce from his smile and monotone. Surely, she couldn’t just offer the role up to someone else. Courtesy demands that she at least waited for his reply.

Right?

Oh dang it to hell. Damn Alexis and his nag of being negative. The role was his and his alone.

“The role couldn’t have gone to someone so early, I believe she’d wait for my reply first before she hands it over to someone else.” He said finally, as their ascent concluded.

The entrance was situated at one end of the hall, so that when they turned right—the block came into sight. The room was illuminated by white oval fluorescent globes – imprinted on the ceiling above, in two straight parallel lines which ran down to the other end of the hall.

Since it was still the wee hours of the morning, and the sun hadn’t rose yet – the hall glowed dimly, highlighting its wallpaper which was a mess of mud brown and butter-yellow. The Red painted doors and black thatched floor rug, added to the collective ambience also.

The block in question was totally void of classes, and paid homage to staff offices and laboratories. As the laboratory prefect, it was his duty to lock the lab at closing periods and to also unlock it early in the morning before assembly.

Tomi continued. “She made mention of them needing my vocal prowess and all sorts. Believe me, they really want me.”

“Okay, if you say so.” Alexis shrugged, as they walked down the hall. The first laboratory, was only a few meters away. “So, I trust that you’ve started mapping out your plan in running her parole, yeah? Don’t think you’re a badman and think you can free-style. Practice makes perfect, oh. In this case practice means study.”

“You’re sick.” He growled, elbowing Alexis gently on his right rib as he giggled. “You should have told me to go to Cyber café and to print out a course on Wikipedia on how to woo girls and also bind and laminate the entire thing.”

“Well, given the fact that you haven’t exactly wooed anyone in your life—into consideration, It wouldn’t hurt to do that.” Alexis interjected. “And it wouldn’t hurt to do a little project presentation in the front of a small women audience, cos you know you can never be too sure of information from one source. Women are that different and complicated, they don’t even understand themselves.”

He shook his head. “If I’m joining the club, I’m doing it because I want to. Not because I’m planning on getting closer to Legide or something.”

“So, you’re really not going to take advantage of that? Dude, for just how long are you going to keep on with this single, I don’t need anyone charade. For goodness sake, just go out of your way to become friends with her. You’re going to keep on saying the time isn’t right, but the truth is – the time would never be right until you say it’s so. You’re just going to keep on with this act until we graduate, and you’d take it into college also and pretty much the real life. Maybe it’s until when you’re eighty years old and single, that you’d finally realize your mistake.”

“Haha, very funny. And you think for some reason ladies would be able to resist my charm, even if I stay away from them?” Tomi chuckled in defiance, as they halted by their first destination – the chemistry lab. “Have you gone outside, to meet other people? If you don’t know this then let me tell you. Not everyone out there looks as good as I do. Perhaps, you think you’re good-looking too since there is no mirror in your house–”

“You’re mad–”

“But even If that’s the case, there a lot of glasses here at school that you could use for such purpose. So many sliding doors, or maybe its just a visual defect you have. You can’t see glass or maybe its something more complicated. Beauty blindness.”

“Beauty blindness?”

“That has to be what’s wrong with you. It’d explain a lot, like how you’re pawing over April when you see her flirting with every other boy in the school. Don’t worry I’m sure there would be some sort of correctional surgery for you. They’d get you fixed. And if its too expensive, we’d happily do a fundraiser for you. I don’t think any student of Lake would like anyone to be left in the dark, or in your case the ugly.”

His words were impaling enough, and Alexis didn’t find it in him to find an equally scathing retort. Crouching down by the arch-way, he unhooked his bag from his back and set it on the floor. While he set about to retrieving the laboratory key from his bag, Alexis’s gaze was skimming the door.

“Wait, chill.” Alexis said abruptly, stepping forward and stretching out his hand to the knob. “This isn’t locked.” With one firm push, the door gave way and creaked open. A cold chill ran down Tomi’s spine instantly as he gazed at the door wide open, his lower jaw scrapping the floor and his eyes widening in horror. “Did you open this before?”

“Yeah, I did. I came earlier to open it, cos you know I’m not just arriving now. And I’m coming here again to unlock it, just because it needs to be unlocked twice before it’s really unlocked, you know.”

“Gee, man calm down.” Alexis frowned.

“How can I calm down?” He bellowed, shoving Alexis out of the way and stepping into the room. “Oh God, even if they’re going to burgle any laboratory, why the chemistry lab of all labs. It’s the one with the most equipment. I’m so going to get fried by the administration when they find out. They’d have my head on a pole.”

“Like Ned Stark from GoT?” Alexis remarked, but the scowl that got flashed his way by Tomi made him stop his act of amusement. “Okay, so nothing seems out of place, though? Don’t you have some sort of inventory you could check, though?”

Tomi raked his hair vigorously with both hands, as he tried to assess whatever damage that could have been done. Facing him was an humongous rectangular table covered in white tiles, slightly elevated over the ground by a couple of inches. On said table, there were sinks, sites for Bunsen burners and two huge glass tower-like shelves, erected on both ends of the table. The table in question overlooked, two tables similar in structure and set up which were also a couple of inches apart—the latter at the utmost end of the room, where an exit was.

Another set of rectangular tables were perched on both sides of the room, and they ran down to the end – parallel to one another and void of any mobile or storage equipment. The shelves in the center of the room, was home to numerous laboratory equipment but the dark coating of the glass cases, made them invisible from external observation. At the far right hand corner of the room, was a huge cylindrical vault holding excess lab equipment also.

Everything looked intact, and nothing seemed amiss but it wasn’t like he would know if anything was stolen anyway—if he decided to rummage through the equipment. The supplies were in large numbers.

“There is, but where am I going to start from.” He found his voice again, and replied. “That’s not even my job. If I start checking that now, someone is going to show up and ask me why I’m doing that. Then I’m going to have to explain, why and then that’s the part where they’d have my head on a pole comes in again.”

“Nothing seems out of place to me.” Alexis repeated, joining Tomi’s side at the front of the room as they gazed furtively at its apparatus. “Really, what if it wasn’t a theft and one of you just forgot to lock the lab? Besides, if there was a theft and a break-in, wouldn’t the security alarm go off?”

Security alarm?

Tomi swallowed. “Yeah, that’s true. The alarm would definitely go off. But still, I just can’t shrug off the feeling that something is wrong. What if the person is really professional and has the ability to override the security alarm?”

“Oh, please someone with such skills wouldn’t be robbing a school laboratory.” Alexis snickered, shaking his head. “They’d be robbers dealing with banks and all that. It’s not like there is some sort of money here that would draw such people…”

Money?

“…Or is there?”

“I don’t think so.” He shook his head, his gaze not relenting – hopping from one corner to the other. “But I just can’t shake this feeling off that something is wrong. I mean, this has never happened before. In all my life being laboratory prefect–”

“Now you’re talking like you’ve been laboratory prefect for twenty years.” Alexis cut him off. “Look, there is a first time for everything. Mistakes do happen. This could be one.”

“And if it isn’t?”

“It is, Tomi. That’s just your paranoia speaking again. Shut it out. There is nothing wrong anywhere. This was just a silly mistake from either you or Simi. Or maybe it’s the assistant self, no one knows.”

“No, you have to stop putting down every single one of my assumption down like that.” He refused to agree. Something was indeed wrong. The chain of events manifesting, attested to that fact so well. Something evil was being plotted against him. It wasn’t a far-fetched way of thinking.

“Why the laboratory? If it was indeed a school burglar, common sense would demand that they break into the library or something. It’s easier selling second-hand books than laboratory stuff or the sick bay, even. They have expensive machinery some hospitals don’t even have. But why the lab that’s just filled with a lot of stuff that won’t amount to anything?”

“Tomi–”

“There is something wrong, Alexis.” He continued. “And if I’ve been listening to everyone who has been telling me to calm down and keep my cool, then not anymore my dear friend. Now, the watch is officially on.”

Alexis didn’t seem moved in the slightest bit by his anxiety. Couldn’t he see all what was going down? Couldn’t he peer deeper into the shadows, and see the evil trying to conceal its appearance in the darkness? Or was he just being apathetic because he knew something? Or perhaps, was a part of it?

Ridiculous.

“Alexis, do you know something you’re not telling me?” He turned on his friend, with an inquisitive tone.

“What?”

“Do you know anything about this?”

Alexis lower jaw fell open. “Not really, but I know something else that’s important.”

“And what’s that?”

“You’re crazy.” The bomb dropped, as expected. It was silly to expect anything useful from Alexis. “Very mad and crazy. You’re asking me if I know something about this? So, you’re saying I’d put you into danger or what?”

He could decipher from Alexis last statement that he had indeed hurt his feelings, but he didn’t think his enquiry should be regarded as overboard. The clarification was essential.

“Who knows, I’ve finally told you that you don’t look all that great. Maybe you want to make me pay for looking good and in the end, take my face after ending me.”

“And somehow breaking into the laboratory would help in that plan?”

“That’s why I’m not a detective.” He gestured haplessly. “Only such person would be able to connect the dots. See, I’m sorry for insinuating that. Can you get over that and let’s leave before we run into any assistant. If something was actually stolen, that wouldn’t have a good foreboding.”

“But they’d know someone opened the lab in the morning?” Alexis asked.

Grunting, he picked up his bag and threw it over his back. “Just shut up, and let’s get out of here, okay?”

“You called it.” Alexis chuckled as the duo departed from the room, and invariably the hall-way before, commencing their descent down to the second floor beneath, which was the senior block.

*****

….And so there she was – Miss Hayley Sitwell, her potential step-mother. She was indeed a vision, and Cory could guess why any man would be smitten upon setting eyes on her. With platinum blonde hair that cascaded down to her shoulders, eyes that held traces of maroon and grey and bow-shaped lips that could ooze sexual desire even without contact, she was indeed stunning.

But she couldn’t shake the funny feeling in the pits of her stomach.

The woman was an angel during dinner the other day. Taking genuine interest in Cory’s life, sharing details about hers, even making Cory laugh on countless occasion – it was no surprise her widowed dad had fallen in love with her. But it could be a charade for all she knew. An act, to charm every single member of the family off their pants and then finally strike when she was in a position where no one could question her decision.

Cory had read too many books, seen too many movies having the same plotline and she knew it couldn’t be some sort of happy coincidence. There had to be a correlation between them all, if every single story-teller was inclined to tell such story. Inclined to warn readers and viewers of such fear lurking in the shadows and potential danger–

Oh, God I can’t do this.

Rena exasperated gloomily, as she slammed the novel in her right hand down on her desk. Burying her head into her propped elbows on the table, she let herself journey into misery land for a while. The plot of the novel she was reading had too many similarities with the vices she was battling currently in her own life. Her dad, now had a female companion. The woman they met back in France, and just like the character in the classic she was reading – she seemed pleasant and nice.

But, what if it was just a charade.

She had read too many books, seen too many movies having the same plotline and she knew it couldn’t be some sort of happy coincidence. There had to be a correlation between them all, if every single story-teller was inclined to tell such story. Inclined to warn readers and viewers of such fear lurking in the shadows and potential danger–

Her thoughts ceased, as she felt something round yet soft – strike her head producing a loud thump. She sat up, lifting her gaze up to the room occupants but all seemed to be engrossed in whatever book they were reading. It was study recess, and as one of four library prefects she was on duty of monitoring the room occupants and ensuring that law and order be maintained.

Her wooden brown desk, wedged in the center of two gigantic book-shelves backing the wall – faced the numerous fences occupying the room in organized rows, consisting of shelf cubicles aligned opposite one another in columns of fours—with wood-work that rose high above the desk, restricting eye sight.

Her line of sight finally fell to the floor, and she saw a ball of rumpled paper lying fallow. Sighing, she picked it up and began to undo it. It had to be someone playing a prank on her, perhaps the newly admitted J.S.S.1 students who were relatively new to the rules. If there wasn’t some sort of clue in the paper leading to the culprit of the crime, then indeed she had a lot of students to punish for the act.

After straightening out the paper on her desk, she realized there was indeed a message in it. As she squinted at the text, she couldn’t help but feel some sort of familiarity with the poor handwriting on it. Nevertheless, she proceeded to read the message.

5th column on the second section. Come meet us there for status report.

A smirk spread across her face as comprehension dawned on her. The message was definitely from Dabby and her friends. Wasting no time, she rose up from her desk and started out to the bearings described on the sheet of paper. She spotted Dabby with ease, and noticed that it was only April with him. Apparently, Moyin wasn’t exactly on board with the action they had taken currently, and so her support was limited. Dabby on the other hand was not really helping because he had her best interests at heart, but only because he loved causing troubles and conspiracies. He was in it for the fun.

“Well, well, well. If it’s not the incredible duo.” Rena remarked as she sunk into a seat, April held out. With Dabby by her left, and April wedged into the middle – they began their much crucial discussion. “So, how’s it coming? Is it going as planned?”

“Phase one is successful.” Dabby nodded, his fingers drumming gently on his wrist-watch as a smug smile stretched his lips apart. “Package has been retrieved from the extraction point and drop is going to happen any moment from now.”

“Why are you talking like that?” Rena’s nose scrunched in indifference. “This is not some sort of spy movie, biko. Let’s be serious here.”

“Hello? I’m trying to conceal information that has the potential to be disastrous?” Dabby scoffed in derision. “Who knows if there is some spy around who might misinterpret our small stint as some world-end scheme to end all life? One can never be too careful. While we’re at that, y’all should be careful with what you say around your mobile phones. They are just walking trackers. They could use it to monitor our entire life just with the push of a butt–”

“Dabby, I swear if you don’t get to the point I’d kick you hard in the butt.” April’s hands came down on Dabby’s shoulders, and she squeezed them roughly. “Now status report, go.”

“Ouch!” He flinched, but April increased the pressure. “Fine, fine. Ease on it. As I was saying we’ve successfully retrieved the wanted, planted the seed of fear and now the drop is going to happen soon.”

“Can you please tell me why the God-forsaken drop hasn’t happened already?” A frown took up residence on her face. They couldn’t afford to be dilly-dallying about such volatile details. Their current undertaking had the potential of immense danger if not taken care of appropriately. “Please, Dabby you know how this thing could blow up in our face if we’re late.”

“I know, I know. But if the drop happens early, it will be found out before judgment would be pronounced. Time is of the essence, yeah but we can’t be too early also. We have to be just on time.”

“So when is the drop going to happen then?” April who seemed overtly enthusiastic earlier, wasn’t looking so fearless anymore. They were all indeed afraid at the thought of their plan back-firing.

“When subject is summoned to hearing.” Dabby replied, giving the girls a pause to decrypt his message. “I deployed an eye on him already, just in case he isn’t called during class where we would all be present. So when that happens, messenger would act and go for the drop mission. If everything is timed appropriately, punishment dished out would work just in our favor and mission would be successful.”

“And if it isn’t?” She asked. “What if someone catches the messenger during the drop mission?”

“Well, then code red.” He swallowed. “Messenger would probably snitch on us, bringing this entire thing to an end putting us into very big trouble. And I don’t think subject would ever, ever want to befriend you after finding out such in this life or the next. You’d be lucky if he doesn’t hire a hit-man to take you out, in fact.”

“I thought you said this plan was totally efficient.” April’s tone was perplexed, but she kept her voice to a hush. “Don’t you trust the messenger? Didn’t you pay him well enough?”

“I did, but c’mon no amount of money is ever going to make someone take the fall for something as heinous as this.”

“Heinous?” She picked up an hardcover book, on the desk where her hand laid and slammed it hard down on Dabby’s fingers on the desk causing him to squeal. “Heinous? This was your idea!”

“And you had the option of rejecting or accepting it.” Her addressee, held his hands up in dismay. “Don’t worry, nothing is going to go wrong. Seriously, who is that jobless to be at the drop location? It’s the last place anyone would look for the money–”

“Shut your trap up.” April’s right hand, clamped down on Dabby’s lips while Rena flashed him a threatening look. “Like you said, if it’s the last place in the world they’d look for the money? Then how would they find it then? Huh? What if they don’t look there?”

An uncertain look washed over Dabby’s face, and from it she could sense that he had definitely not planned for such contingency.

“Then we’d initiate a catalyst that would work towards such function.”

“And from the way you say that I’m guessing you didn’t think of that before?” Rena sighed, her throat bobbing downwards. “At this point its too late to abort, right?”

“Yup, its too late. We have the package already.” Dabby sighed. “You guys shouldn’t worry about all these, okay? If the plan back-fires, I’m sure I’d get to know before hand and I’d give you a punctual warning so you can pack your belongings and flee away from Lake as fast as possible. I have some contacts outside that might know a place or two that would act as a refuge.”

She knew she couldn’t trust Dabby to contain the problem if it exploded in their face. The consequences were something she was going to have to face and deal with. Oh, no it couldn’t go overboard. The entire public would misconstrue their intention, they wouldn’t see the innocence embedded in it only the horror it was covered with. Especially Tomi, instead of being sucked into their world – hence initiating a potential for their friendship, it would only suck him onto a chasm of hatred towards her and her compatriots.

If dad ever found out. What would she–

No, it was going to be contained. When he was summoned, the drop would happen as planned and it would be successful. And the package would also be discovered on time, and it wouldn’t be total doom for him. Just a punishment, a punishment that would work well in her favor. Perhaps, sometime in the future when they were good friends – she’d narrate what went down today, and he would understand her intentions.

But for now, the Intel had to remain known between them only.

“So, what’s next?” She asked, as her attention returned back to the present. “What do we do next?”

“Now, my dear what we shall do is simply wait.” Dabby managed to smile once again, like horror and doom wasn’t hanging in the balance. “Wait and watch as it all goes down.”

*****

“…so you can see Integration isn’t really a big deal. It’s just the reverse-engineering of differentiation. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we’re not going to dive deeper into the depths and its quite wide, but anyone who has a firm grasp of differentiation would understand the basics of Integration quite well. Now, before we proceed. Let’s take just one more example. Look up now, this is the last chance for you to get it if you haven’t all day. Example…”

Tomi’s attention on the white board ahead was waning, like the value of Naira. The topic in question was one he had treated himself to during the course of the holidays, and he understood the basics quite well. Until they went into deeper depths, he figured his mind wouldn’t stay focused on the lecture going on.

Perhaps, that wasn’t the sole reason why it was difficult for him to concentrate.

The scene earlier at the laboratory, did nothing but make his spirits shiver in fear. He couldn’t just shake off the feeling that something was wrong and that there was a reckoning coming for him. The lab couldn’t just have been left open for no reason in particular. He was absolutely sure he locked it the previous day, and was the last person to step out of it. And the key, he always took home under the guard of his pass-worded bag. No intruder could have gotten in using his own key.

Or was it Simi?

He couldn’t stop thoughts hearkening to the notion that perhaps, the laboratory female prefect had a hand in what happened. No, it couldn’t be so. Simi was the type of person who wouldn’t take custody of an idle pen lying around even if she was in a dire need of it. She couldn’t have a hand in whatever theft that transpired. More so, he could recount the fact that she left school before he did and that he had arrived in school today before she did.

It couldn’t be her.

But who could it be? There was something he wasn’t seeing. Who could have it out for him, though? There was no logical explanation as to what was happening now. He didn’t see a reason why anyone should loathe him to the extent that he would become a target in whatever scheme that was manifesting. He had never gone up against any major or popular figure in the school, or acted in any way that would incite spite or hatred from them. Or was this just about him winning the fashion award? It seemed too much stress for just an award awarded to him.

“…Mr. Adeiye?”

The loud masculine voice jolted him out of his reverie, and his gaze shot up to the board upfront. He also noticed that the gaze of every person in the room was transfixed on him. Wow, he must have indeed zoned out.

“Sorry sir, you were saying?”

The short middle-aged teacher by the board upfront, three rows away from Tomi’s seat – narrowed his eyes admonishingly at him. “I was just asking what girl you’ve given belle that you can’t even pay attention in the class anymore.”

The entire class erupted into a raucous laugh, and he himself did his best to keep his lips from twitching in amusement.

“It’s nothing like that, sir.”

“Are you sure?” The lecturer’s brows rose. “Now you might be a good boy, but it’s you good boys that are the worst o. Hmm, there might just be a family out there that you’re wondering on how to feed or a girl you’ve impregnated and you’re thinking of a way to break the news to your parents or maybe to disappear without leaving any trace behind. Which one is it?”

“None of the above, sir.” Tomi nodded curtly, amidst laughter from other room occupants.

“Good, now I want your attention on the board. Don’t think you know it. It’s a very delicate topic. If someone like you can’t concentrate, I wonder who is going to help these ones through when they get confused.”

Uh, you? Cos you know you’re being paid for it.

Before he could transfer his attention to the lecture ongoing, another masculine figure strutted into class from the entrance, by the left hand corner of the room—signaled for the attention of the teacher, and then proceeded to exchange a few words before making an announcement.

“Tomi Adeiye, your attention is needed in the principal’s office.”

Oh, God.

As he rose to his feet, his body system went into a frenzy and he couldn’t stop his body from quivering. It was just like he feared, what happened earlier had indeed come back to haunt him. As he and the messenger, which was the office clerk commenced their hike to the principal’s block, he couldn’t stop himself from making enquiries.

“I’m sorry, but is anything wrong?” His voice was shaky, and hoarse.

“I don’t think so, son.” The clerk smiled down at him, patting him gently on his back. “There is just some misunderstanding involving you, but I’m sure when you get there you’d be able to clear yourself of it. It’s nothing to worry about.”

The clerk of course was the typical staff that believed he had nothing to do with whatever was going on. Which was the truth of course, but if he was in danger like he sensed then he knew for sure that clearing his name would be no easy task. Or rather, no possible task.

God, please take control.

The large hall-way that he had visited earlier in the morning with Alexis had shrunk now, and was suffocating as they walked to the utmost end of it, where the Principal’s office was located. The walls by the sides seemed to be closing in on them, as their destination drew closer.

His thoughts came to a pit-stop, as the principal’s office finally came into sight. Exhaling sharply, he clenched his fists and stepped into the room – reinvigorated by hope. But the picture he met in place didn’t do much in strengthening his spirit. The principal’s gaze met his, as he walked into the room and he could read an array of emotions in them. Before the principal and her desk were two individuals. Simisola and the head laboratory assistant staff.

Uh-oh.

Wasting no time, he joined the duo and greeted the principal. “Good afternoon, Ma.”

The principal who was a woman in her late fifties, had never looked more terrified or terror-stricken to him in his entire stay in Lake. Adjusting her black-rimmed glasses, she rose to her feet and propped both of her hands down on her large desk.

“There is nothing good about the afternoon, Mr. Adeiye. A theft…”

Oh, no.

“…happened in the Chemistry laboratory earlier today or yesterday, no one really knows the exact details but a huge sum of money has been stolen from the vault. And we assembled you all here today to find out details in dismantling the mystery of this theft and how to go about it. What do you know about it, son? I don’t want you to lie about any detail. Say the truth, speak to me. You know you can trust me.”

Trust you?

For some reason, her words only functioned in increasing his fear and did absolutely nothing to subdue it. He needed to be careful about the way he picked his words.

“I’m sorry—but I don’t know anything about it, Ma. It’s a surprise to me also.”

“I see,” The principal didn’t sound convinced in any way. “But the lab assistant here seems to think otherwise.”

Huh?

“According to him you were the one who locked up the laboratory yesterday in the evening?”

“Yes, that doesn’t mean–”

“Yes it is then,” The principal cut him off. “And you were also the one who opened up the laboratory this morning?”

“Ma–”

“Yes or no?”

“Yes, Ma but still that doesn’t mean I have a hand in it.” He progressed in haste, in fear of being cut off by the principal again. “I know absolutely nothing about it. I’m serious, why would I steal money?”

“Are you asking me?” The principal’s head tilted, as she walked out of her desk corner. “Look, that money is a huge amount of money. It’s not something the school can just overlook for some reason. And it’s not something in which some menial school punishment would atone for. It needs to be paid back, okay? And someone needs to stand up and confess to the crime they committed!”

“I know nothing about it, Ma.” Judging by her tone, he could sense Simi was in tears. He didn’t need to look at her. But from the corner of his right eye, he could see that her black braids were disheveled and in a mess all over her face. “Like I said, I left quite early yesterday before closing time. And when I arrived today the lab had been opened.”

The principal sighed, before turning his attention on Tomi. “And you claim to have nothing to do with it? Despite the fact that you were the one who opened the lab in the morning?”

“Yes Ma.”

“And if we ransacked every single one of your belongings now, we wouldn’t find anything in it?”

“I’m positive, ma you wouldn’t…”

His speech trailed off, as his mind narrowed on the prospect of him being framed. What if the money had been placed in his bag? Oh damn, that wouldn’t be good in any way. It might seem obvious and careless on his part, but the school wouldn’t give a damn about that. They’d proclaim him thief and pilferer on the assembly, slander his name, drag that of his family’s in the mud and give him inordinate punishment to make him pay for his crime.

Oh, no.

“We wouldn’t find it in your bag, right?”

A huge lump had formed in his throat, already. “I’m positive, Ma.”

“Good, then you’d have no problem with us searching for it then. Please, Mr. Light go to their respective classes and bring their bags here for me. Make sure you go through their lockers also.”

“Yes, sir.” The laboratory assistant bowed, before departing from the room.

“God bless your soul if the money is found in your bag.” The principal said, before returning back to her seat. He and Simi both knew that statement issued was far from a literal meaning. It was indeed doomsday for anyone who had the money in possession.

And so they waited, pulse quickening, sweat trickling, fingers trembling, throat bobbing, heart throbbing in fear. Waiting in anticipation for the moment of reckoning. At the sound of the door creaking open, his spirit took off from his body in fear. The assistant had returned with two bags as expected, and he set it down on the principal’s desk before proceeding.

“I’ve gone through both of their lockers and desks and I’ve found nothing. These are their bags.”

“Okay, go on and check it. We have no time on our hands to waste.”

His heart-rate picked up at an exponential rate, and he thought his chest might just tear open in anxiety due to its furious beating. Simi’s bag was first. For a girl, she had quite the few number of stuff in her bag and as predicted they found nothing on her.

God, please. God please…

His bag was next. The assistant rummaged through it with more determination it would seem, every compartment and space was opened up and ransacked but much to his relief – they found nothing indeed. He finally released the breath he had been holding since he stepped into the principal’s room.

“Okay, now this is getting out of hand.” The principal removed her glasses, and set it down on her desk. “This school’s security is top notch. Even matching top-tier banks, okay? No one, and I repeat no common burglar can break into the laboratory without the alarm going off? So, it means no one broke into the laboratory. If a theft was conducted, then the person easily waltzed in with the access of the keys and did their job. It means it was an inside job.”

Both Tomi and Simi exchanged incongruous looks, before they both spoke up.

“Ma, it’s not possible…”

“We just said we have nothing to do with it…”

“Look, I don’t care for what you have to say again.” She cut them off, waiving her hands. “This money can’t just disappear of its own accord. It hasn’t happened like that before and it can’t happen now. So you two, you’re just going to have to sit down together and discuss about how you will go about your present predicament. If someone doesn’t fess up to the crime, we will fine the both of you.”

“But, ma–” Simi cried in despair. He could only keep shut and let the words register in his head. This was happening because of him, Simi had absolutely nothing to do with it. But how was he supposed to explain that to his audience without implicating himself?

“I’d give you five minutes to go outside and discuss. Once the time elapses, I want someone fessing up to the crime or both of you would be paying very large sum of money to the school’s account.”

He and Simi stepped out of the room as ordered by the principal. Simi had broken down instantly. Crying her eyes out into her palms, as she sat disoriented on a bench in the hall-way, while he could only stare at her helplessly. He knew the prospect of paying a fine came as a huge burden to her because she was one of the students on the scholarship program. Her parents weren’t the stereotypical wealthy folk that habited the County, such fine could crush them.

He was one to talk.

His own parents on the other hand weren’t exactly the richest in the county at the moment. The flood had exerted severe damage to their funds, but they were still stable and had enough. And he knew the fine wouldn’t impale their own finances as much as it would do Simi’s. Besides, this whole thing was his fault anyway. If someone had broken in—it must have been as a result of his carelessness and if it wasn’t a break in then it was still his fault whatever it was, since he was the target.

He didn’t need to bring Simi down with him.

“I can’t pay that money, Tomi.” Simi sniffled, lifting her face out from her palms – and staring at him, reddened eyes and all. “It’s too much, my folks are barely getting by. My siblings fees have ricocheted and it’s really tough for some of us, you know…”

My folks aren’t as buoyant as you think.

“…I don’t think I’d be able to bother them with such. It would take months for them to pay the money. I just—you have to take responsibility.”

Why was she so quick to tell him to assume blame? It wasn’t exactly his fault also.

Folding his arms, he tried not to sound offended. “I don’t exactly have a hand in it, you know. I’m just as surprised as you are.”

“But you’re the one who locked up yesterday and opened up today.” She cut him off. “You’re the one who takes your guy friends to the laboratory to hang out like it is some video game arcade…”

Hey!

“…You’re the one capable of stuffing that amount of money in your bag and making a run for it. It’s not something I would be able to carry as a girl, you know.”

What the hell!

“Are you accusing me?”

“No, I’m just laying out the facts for you.” She snapped, rising up to her feet. What the hell was happening? Simi was a goody-two shoes, the embodiment of the word – pleasant. Whatever the hell just came over her? “Facts that I could use to my advantage in that room, If the need arises. I don’t want to have to resort to heaping the blame on you, because that is no act of dignity – that’s why I’m giving you the chance to take the fall for it now. Or else, you’d leave me no choice.”

“I can’t believe this.”

“Believe it, Tomi.” She snarled. “I’m sorry you have to see me like this, and you might think I’m evil right now but if your parents were going through financial turmoil, you’d understand.”

“And you think my own parents aren’t going through their own phase too?” He shot back.

“Not that big enough, for you to be changing wrist-watches everyday like it’s tissue paper.”

“Excuse Me?”

“Look, I don’t want to sound judgmental and act like I know what anyone is going through–”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’m just saying that you should do the right thing and take the blame because this is more of your fault than mine. If you have any compassion, you’d do so.”

And that was what he found himself doing.

“I admit to the aiding of the theft in the Chemistry lab, earlier this morning. I take full responsibility for it, and would also want to state that Simisola had no part to play in this crime of mine.”

The principal and assistant seemed stunned at his confession, and they went on to query him.

“Why Tomi?” She asked, leaning over her desk. “This doesn’t make any sense. You’re like one of the jewels of this school. You’re one of our ambassadors. You’re someone a lot of people look up to, why would you do it? It doesn’t make any sense. Where is the money anyway if you claim to have aided and where are these people?”

“That doesn’t matter!” The vice principal, who had just joined the gathering protested. He was in the same age-range with the principal, and was bald-headed. “Director would have our heads on sticks if we can’t refund the money. The boy has owed up to the crime already. Let’s just pronounce him as what he is and contact his parents to return the money, simple.”

The principal seemed perturbed by her vice’s suggestion, but Tomi could sense she was eventually going to take his stance on the matter.

“Tomi, did you really do it? You know what this means, right? The school is already ablaze with the news already. We’re gonna have to announce it on assembly and all. We will announce you as a criminal and you will serve severe punishment. And this wouldn’t do much for your track-record and also your parent’s reputation in the school. Plus, you’d be stripped of your prefect ship post and barred from ever running for any office on the student council again in the future. Those are the consequences.”

His heart thumped harder, as the words rang in his head. But it was like Simi said, it would be wrong to let them both take the fall. It was more of his fault than hers. Besides, his parents would never believe such news. They’d pay the fine yeah, but he’d explain that he indeed had no hand to play in the crime. Their validation was the thing of utmost importance and not losing his position of power in the school or being punished.

“Yes, Ma. I–” Before he could finish, a staff barged into the office with a black duffel.

“Ma, ma. The money has been found!” It was the clerk who had summoned him earlier. God bless his soul.

Phew!

“Really?” The principal and her vice said in unison, as the clerk advanced towards the desk and dropped the bag on it. After proper examination, he could sense all was well judging by their gazes.

Clearing her throat, the principal began. “The money is intact. We thank God, but still this was caused by an act of carelessness from you – Tomi. According to janitor, this laboratory wasn’t locked before you got here in the morning, was it?”

But I locked it!

Nonetheless, he said. “Yes ma, it wasn’t.”

“That can’t go unpunished.” She continued. “There would be no need to announce on the assembly. You can be rest assured no one would call you a thief, but still you would be punished for your carelessness. We need to be convinced you have what it takes to be a prefect, it’s not a small role. In that case, you’d be undertaking the role of another S.S.S.2 prefect like yours. Let’s see we have library, toilet. Hmm, toilet seems a bit over the edge. It’s settled then, you’d serve punishment in the library for the rest of this week. At the end of every day, you’d go there and do the prefect duties. The library prefects would be informed that they’ve been relieved of their duties for now.”

“Yes, ma.” He swallowed. At this point he was just relieved his family wasn’t paying a dime and that his name wasn’t tainted. He was ready to face whatever the punishment brought.

He could only hope there wasn’t some other ugly incident, coming.

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I know this update is long overdue, but the situation couldn’t be helped. Some limitations prevented me from doing so. Even now, I’m  not saying Lake County is back to regular updates. There might be no update next week, but I promise by late April, we’d be back to regular updates.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Read, comment and vote.

Also, tag your friends and family.

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Glossary:

Vernacular words.

1. Belle – Casual/Informal way of referring to a woman’s state of pregnancy.