KIKIOPE

"I can't believe Bella is contesting," Bimpe turned to me as we dropped our chairs on the floor, currently, we were on the assembly, the one being used while the real assembly was being renovated.

"That girl doesn't know her place at all," Doyin chided as we all settled down to watch the beauty contest. It was a Tuesday and the second day in our Founder's day celebration, the contest was to determine Mr and Miss JANU.

Though many people expected JANU Icons to contest, but we weren't cut out for that, without the position of the Mr or Miss, we were still the most popular students so, contesting for the post doesn't appeal to us.

"This place has a better view than the real assembly ground," Bimpe pointed out.

"Yeah," Doyin and I replied simultaneously.

"Wow, it's Kiki," some students chanted while smiling at us and waving.

I exchanged looks with my friends and they shrugged. Ever since Moye and I had modelled for D&L cosmetics, I'd become popular and everyone wanted to associate with us, yesterday was even the funniest because it was the first time I appeared in school after the photoshoot.

I gave them a small smile before looking away.

"You don blow oo," Bimpe teased as she nudged my shoulders.

"You're now a celebrity," Doyin added and I smiled before turning to the front but my eyes met with Jubilee.

"Why are you staring at me?" Jubilee queried as she scowled at me.

"What will I stare at in you, is it your ugly face or your fake chest?"

She glared daggers at me before looking away as Abimbola smiled at her. Abimbola and Nnena had also attached themselves to Jubilee just like the other girls too, I don't even understand why they're clinching gan, it's not like the girl is a celebrity or something.

"That Jubilee is even feeling herself," Bimpe said with disgust evident in her tone.

"Who is Jubilee?" Doyin questioned.

I turned to her, "She's the new girl in our class."

Doyin clapped, "Oh, the one that is all over the school, D'la's daughter right?"

"Yeah," Bimpe and I replied simultaneously.

"It's just funny how she became so popular."

"Should we make her unpopular? I don't like her vibes though," Bimpe suggested and I waved it off.

"Leave her jare as far as she doesn't overstep her boundary, it's fine."

"I agree," Doyin concurred.

"The contestants aren't wearing nice clothes gan, anyway, I want to go to the toilet," Bimpe stood up.

"Me too," Doyin added as she rose too.

"I'll go with you guys then," I stood up, and we all walked to the toilet amidst different talks, while Doyin got out of the toilet, Bimpe still stayed in.

"Are you giving birth nii?" I shouted.

"Yes," Bimpe responded before opening the door.

"Let's go jare, staying in this toilet alone is suffocating me," Doyin proceeded to leave but Bimpe stopped her.

"There's something you guys need to see here, I kept myself busy in here by reading them and it sounds interesting," Bimpe announced.

Doyin and I shared a look before following Bimpe's lead as we walked into the toilet.

"What's it?" I pinched my nose, so I won't perceive the smell.

"This," Bimpe pointed to the wall, and we fixed our gaze there. Different words were scribbled on the wall, seems, some students always poured out their minds here.

"I'm lonely, I have no friends," Doyin read it out.

"I finally have a friend to call mine, she's just as quiet and incvincible as me" Bimpe continued.

"Good news, we have another friend who is very popular, I really find it hard to believe she's talking to us but something grave happened," I completed it before we all turned to look at one another.

"This is something, it was written few days after each other," Doyin pointed out.

"Not only that, I think this is connected with Rebecca's death, look down the writings, the writer is Becca and that's the short form of her name and also her Facebook username," Bimpe elaborated.

The corner of my eyes crinkled, "Let's get out of here first."

"Okay, let me take the picture of this," Bimpe brought out her phone to snap the picture while I dragged Doyin out.

Finally, I let out the breath I'd been holding, in a blink of an eye, Bimpe walked out too, and we all left the toilet.

"How did you know Rebecca's Facebook username?" I asked.

"She was somehow my Facebook friend," Bimpe replied.

"And...see, is that not Ann?" Doyin called our attention as she pointed forward, Bimpe and I trailed her hand only to see Ann heading towards the Plantation and looking around in a suspicious manner.

"Why is she going to the Plantation?" Bimpe muttered but it was audible enough for us to hear.

"I think we should follow her, she looks suspicious," I suggested while looking at Ann who was still looking around, everywhere was silent and no one was in sight so far they were all on the assembly.

"I agree too, why would she go to the Plantation?" Doyin approved, and we nodded before following Ann quietly, she didn't notice us because she was already close to entering the Plantation while we still trailed behind, far away from her.

As she walked in, we increased our pace only for us to realize she was walking deep and deep into the Plantation. Why would someone just walk into a big forest? The Plantation was just like a forest, something others might call jungle.

"Don't you think she's going far?" Bimpe whispered as we tiptoed behind Ann who was still walking deep into the Plantation.

"This place looks scary, see the way everywhere is quiet, it's giving me goosebumps," Doyin rubbed her hands over her before pulling the plant obstructing our way.

"Me too but why is this girl just going in, do you think she knows we are going with her, she..." Bimpe clasped her hand on my mouth and I kept quiet that instant.

"See," Doyin pointed forward and I trailed her hand only to see Ann in the midst of people, old students actually; the notorious students then, both boys and girls, they were smoking and drinking and they all looked dangerous.

"Why did you come late?" A voice which I recognized as Pako's questioned as he turned back.

We quickly hid behind some leaves around a tree so we won't be seen.

"This looks like a cult group," Doyin whispered.

"Is Ann a cultist?" Bimpe asked no one in particular as we returned our attention to the supposed cult group.

Ann shook her head as her body shook along with it, obviously, she was scared.

"They don interrogate you?" one of the boys asked, he looked like someone who graduated two years back.

"Bimpe, video this," I instructed, and she nodded before bringing out her phone.

"Yes," Ann's voice shook as she replied.

"Good thing you obeyed us and didn't rattle us out if not you would have followed your beloved friend to hell," another boy who looked like the leader said.

"I...I couldn't," Ann stuttered.

"Good, I don't even understand how that idiot died, not like we didn't all go through the same thing to be initiated into the group," a girl who smoked like her life depended on it said, she looked like someone from Moye's set but I couldn't really place it.

"She's pregnant," A chubby girl announced.

"That's Aisha, she's in my class," Doyin whispered to us.
.

"Wow," Bimpe and I commented.

"How is that possible?" The supposed leader shouted and Ann flinched, we also felt the intensity of his voice.

"I...I...I," Ann stuttered.

"You have to get rid of that thing, or we do it for you, it's not like you can even know who got you pregnant," Pako instructed.

"We all did it for the initiation process so it's not something you can pin on anybody, so, you're to get rid of it!" The leader yelled.

"Okay," Ann agreed.

"This is grave, guys let's leave before they get us," Doyin muttered.

"But we still need to capture more," I disagreed.

"We have this now, so, Ann would have no other choice, let's leave," Doyin pestered.

"I think it's best we leave," Bimpe concurred as she returned her phone to her skirt pocket.

I had no other choice than to agree so, we turned to leave but our bodies touched the leaves and the rustling of the leaves made some sound.

"Let's run!" Bimpe shrieked as she picked up her pace before we could even respond, just then we heard sounds from the cult group which felt like they were suspicious of someone being there.

In no time, Doyin grabbed my hand as we ran out of the Plantation, I had to increase my pace even though I wasn't a good athlete but Doyin was very good, we got out of the Plantation minutes later.

"That was so close," Doyin heaved before dropping my hand and I bent down to catch my breath.

"Let's go away quickly," Bimpe implored, and we obeyed as she walked back to the school premises in haste. The beauty contest had almost ended when we got back, on getting there, Bella was crowned Miss. JANU.

Bimpe and I hissed scathingly as the DJ tuned in the music.

"Let's get the guys," Doyin suggested.

"Yeah but who will return our chairs to the class?" I asked while scanning my eyes around.

"Hey, three of you, come here," I heard Bimpe shout beside me as the girls she called ran to us, turns out they were junior students.

"Take this two chairs to SS2 Pink and the last one to SS2 Blue," Bimpe instructed and the junior girls nodded before obeying.

"We are good to go then," we all said in unison before laughing, then we walked to the front while searching for the guys, they'd arrived at the assembly before us. It wasn't long before Doyin caught sight of the guys, so, we just dragged them to our rendezvous.

After settling down, Bimpe gave them her phone and showed them the first picture before playing the video, minutes later after they were done, she collected her phone.

" I think rape is their initiation process," Abee pointed out.

"Yeah, the fact that Rebecca was raped to death and Ann doesn't know who got her pregnant amongst them, we all heard one of them saying they all did it and it was the initiation process, so, I agree with Abee," Khalid elaborated.

"Me too, turns out Bimpe was right about Ann being pregnant," Kunmi said.

Bimpe smiled, "I told you guys I have the eagle eye."

"Stop feeling yourself oo, you only guessed," Kunmi countered.

Bimpe shrugged, "And so? At least I guessed right, just admit it."

Kunmi lifted his brows, "It was..."

Doyin cut in, "You guys shouldn't start again jare, let's focus on what's going on."

I nodded, "Now we know Ann knows the cause of Rebecca's death, I think they're both in that cult and I believe Ann was the one who lured Rebecca, the initiation process is rape which explains Ann's pregnancy and Rebecca's death, she was threatened not to tell anyone and that was why Rebecca's body was dumped in front of our class and Ann was the first person to see it."

Others jammed their hands together with smiles as I blew off an imaginary hair.

"You got the facts sorted out," Khalid hailed and I smiled.

"Now we've connected the dots," Abee bragged.

"What's next?" Kunmi inquired and I shrugged.

"I can't believe we are playing detectives," Bimpe voiced out.

"Me too," Doyin added.

Even me gan.

This children have no fear at all, anyway, they've somehow figured out the death of Rebecca.
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