A few days later

Ebun was initially a bit mad at Viktoriya for not covering up properly for her. She didn't like the fact that Mrs. Mariyah had yelled at her. Then when Viktoriya went on to explain to her mother that Ebun was bound to come home late due to registration purposes, Mrs. Mariyah calmed down.

Viktoriya explained to her mother in the Russian Language then later interpreted it to Ebun. Ebun then quickly remembered that Viktoriya had joined her to lie at the dining table earlier that morning, so it was no wonder that Mrs. Mariyah easily believe the untrue explanation.

"I think she's just mad because she didn't expect you to come home this late even though we already told her that you were going to school for registration, " Viktoriya explained.

Two days later, Ebun resumed school. She planned on taking school seriously for two reasons: she had to find the rapist with the lace pantie kink. Secondly, Russia's independence day was in a few days. It was an event that many schools and educational institutions in Russia would celebrate.

This meant that it was more likely for the rapist to come around the school and look for new prey since the period of festivity was his usual time to hunt for and attack victims.

A day before, Ebun texted Sean, asking if she would have to go through any rigorous processes to get registered into the school as a new student.

I already sorted those things out before you came to Russia. Just ensure to collect your ID card from the bursar. Also, when you get to school, go to the dentistry lab. That's where you are going to have your first class for the day. Don't worry about the lecturer asking you questions or telling you to introduce yourself to the class. I already warned her and the other lecturers who will be teaching you not to do that.

Out of curiosity, or perhaps the excitement she always felt from talking to Sean, she decided to ask:

What are you doing right now?

Why do you want to know? I'm out here hating women as usual. He replied.

Ebun stared at her phone’s screen for a good two minutes before coming up with a response to his silly reply.

The next day, Ebun arrived at the university early with Viktoriya. They were walking up the stairs of a building with large columns in the northwest direction of the school premises. At the middle of the building's compound stood the sculpture of a doctor holding a stethoscope with a small pool surrounding the statue.

"Are there many dark-skinned students like me in this school, and how do the students in this school treat black people?" Ebun asked Viktoriya in a small voice.

Viktoriya took a good look at Ebun before answering the question. Ebun had a thick wooly afro that crowned her head. The tone of her dark-skinned differentiated her from many other dark-skinned students in that school. At first glance, you could tell that Ebun was African—unlike the other black people in the school who wore hairstyles that conformed better with societal standards and expectations.

Also, her dark skin was undiluted—no tan or tightening whatsoever. She was heavily melanated. The other black people in the school either took on a caramel shade of dark skin or had bleached their skins to a brighter shade.

But Ebun—she looked rugged. Like a rebel. Non-conforming. Different. No one wore a hairstyle as outrageous as hers in the entire school, and with that thick reddish scar on her lower lip that darted down to her jawline, she looked like someone you would rather not cross paths with. The dense brown color of her irises was enough to kill someone if she gazed at you for too long.

After taking in a deep breath from intense observation, Viktoriya opened her lips to speak.

"I'm about to give you an honest answer. Don't take it the wrong way, " she breathed in again. "There are many dark-skinned students in this school, and the students here relate well with black people. But I'm afraid you kind of look scary. I don't mind walking alongside you because I know you are approachable, but if other people see you, they might want to run. You are beautiful, though."

Ebun scoffed. "That's what I want, though. For people to be scared of me." she completely ignored the last remark because she knew Viktoriya added it so she wouldn't feel bad.

"I promise you don't want that because people will laugh at you, and you will be the center of attention. Being the center of attention is what you should avoid the most like a plague because..." she leaned in and whispered into Ebun's ear. "you are here to kill. You don't want anybody knowing or suspecting that."

A quick chill ran down Ebun's spine. Victoriya was right. "What about my looks is scary, though? Is it the scar on my lip?" she touched her lip. "Or this black hoodie I'm wearing?" she pinched a small part of the fabric. "Do I look like an angel of death?"

"No, not those," Viktoriya giggled a little. "It's your hairstyle. Although it's neat, it looks like a lot is going on. Someone might think you are a woman from the pre-historic era."

"But it's my natural hair!" Ebun gaped, slightly offended at Viktoriya's mean remarks.

"Yes, just like my red hair. I promise you that I'm not racist or anything of that sort. When I was a freshman, I liked to wear my hair as it was—frizzly and curly, but people started to make fun of me, calling me a jungle woman or a bear. Some even laughed at the freckles that surrounded my nose.

For a while, I pretended like those remarks didn't get to me till my heart couldn't take it anymore. I had to straighten my hair occasionally and tie it in a loose bun so I could conform and look like everyone else. I don't want them to do the same to you too. The comments might not get to you since you're a badass, but it's better to stay on your lane with no disturbance. If possible, no one in this school should know your name except me."

"Damn. The students in this school must be babies then because they are acting like those jerks from high school."

"Age is just a number, my dear, " Viktoriya shrugged. "Anyway, come closer. Let me help you style your hair into something neater so you can cover it and get to class early."

***

The dentistry laboratory was huge and spaced widely. When Ebun walked in, many students were in the laboratory, but the lecturer was absent. Swiftly like a thief, she shifted the cap of her hoodie to shield her face better and rushes to the far end of a table. Thankfully, there was an empty stool. She occupied it quickly.

Ebun waited for a few seconds to know if she was sitting on a stool reserved for somebody else, but when the person next to her acted like she didn't exist, she took in a few deep breathes.

When she felt comfortable, she raised her head and looked around, studying her environment more accurately. First off, the lab reeked of formalin as expected. There were several specimens in the lab that were ages old and needed to be reserved to prevent decay and decomposition. At the lab center, there was a big glass box that stood on the table—like a mini aquarium.

Inside the glass was several kinds of teeth—among the collection, she could recognize the fangs of a viper, the numerous dentitions of a crocodile, and then the human tooth. She couldn't fathom the remaining specimens, and it made her wonder why they were studying the dentition of animals when they would be treating humans only.

Focus, Ebun. You will have time to observe the specimens when the lecturer walks in. For now, study the people around you. Try to look for him.

Oh right. Ebun had to focus on the people around her and see if the rapist was sitting somewhere in the lab, like a regular student who was present to learn.

So she fixed her eyes on the men in particular. On the opposite side of the lab, she noticed a boy with dreadlocks and a muscular build. He was wearing sunglasses and had his headphones hinged around his ears. He was nodding his head to the rhythm that only he could hear with the vibe of a Rastaman.

Ebun shook her head. He couldn't be the one. The reason why he even caught her eye in the first place was that he wore sunglasses. Asides from that, he looked like someone who minded his business. He didn't look like a thirty-five-year-old man with a kink for lace panties.

So she looked elsewhere.

To her right was a white guy chewing a bar of chocolate with his mouth wide open. He was chatting very fast in the Russian language to a white girl beside him. Ebun could barely catch a word he'd said—not like she would understand if she heard anything but still, she couldn't help but fear that he would bathe the poor girl he was talking to with a load of saliva.

Eww. At least finish chewing before you talk so much. Ebun thought.

She kept looking elsewhere, observing several other male students in the laboratory, from idiots who played child-like games with the specimens in the glass box to a group of boys who talked about video games and the latest songs in the Russian language. (Ebun could only decipher what they were discussing because some of the words they spoke were in English).

Asides from the fact that she had a reason for staring, she had to admit that it was fun watching the students be themselves during the absence of the lecturer. She thought she would feel strange or left out since she was in a room filled with foreign people. But it felt like the typical class setting—the only difference was they weren't speaking English.

On a serious note, none of them looked like the man.

Maybe I'm looking in the wrong direction. Ebun thought. Then she tried to remember her conversation with Viktoriya at the stairway when she was tieing her hair.

"Do you think the man will be in the dentistry lab when I walk in?" Ebun asked, wincing a little because Viktoriya was tying her hair a bit too tightly.

"Yes," Viktoriya answered. She's not surprised that Ebun wants to start looking for the man.

"How so? He's not a freshman, though."

"He failed a dentistry course in his first year, so he is retaking the course."

"Oh. What does the man look like?"

"I don't know what his hairstyle looks like because he always wears a face cap. Even on the day he raped me, he blindfolded my eyes with a red cloth so I wouldn't know. But he's a white man and has the look of a creep. Watch out for spaces filled with a lot of girls, you should find him licking his lips somewhere in the background. Usually, the girls never notice. That makes it easy for him to find a victim ahead of the festive period when he attacks."

Damn!

Ebun shifted her gaze again and looked around afresh—focusing on the girls now. Then quickly, she noticed a group of girls sitting on the other side of the table. One thing those girls had in common was beauty. They were all so pretty, and innocent, and cheerful—they were the kind that boys loved to approach.

Ebun would have been distracted by the sound of their sonorous voices and melodious, juicy chattering if she wasn't careful and focused enough.  She looked elsewhere, far beyond the group of girls and—

Ding!

She saw something.

A man in a face cap seemed to be looking in the direction of those girls.

Ebun felt her blood boil immediately. She swallowed thickly. The fucking pervert. The bastard who raped Viktoriya. Ebun leaned closer. She wanted to figure out the complexion of the man wearing the face cap so she could confirm that he was the one.

He was wearing a black shirt with long sleeves, so it was hard for her to decipher his complexion. Look up! Raise your fingers! Turn to the side! Let me see your ear, at least! I promise that's all I need to destroy you! Ebun gritted her teeth, hoping desperately to see any visible parts of his body.

But nothing was forthcoming. The bastard was good at being very careful. He kept his head low with only the blue face cap in view.

Ebun was determined to try harder and keep her gaze fixed on the man even though few more students were walking in and occupying the remaining empty stools. She continued to lean, and lean, and stretch her eyes. Then—

"Dobroye utro."

The lecturer walked in.

***

A week later, it was beginning to sink in that Ebun was indeed schooling in Russia. The animal dentistry lecturer wasn't too fluent in English but had to speak to her best ability for Ebun's sake. The other black people understood Russian to a reasonable extent, but Ebun was still new, and she had to cope somehow. Thankfully, the other lecturers and the students could speak English too.

More importantly, Ebun searched for that man throughout the week. She looked everywhere—the toilets, she found reasons to peek into the staff rooms, she longed for another dentistry class where it was likely for her to see the man in the face cap. Maybe he wasn't the one she saw that day. Perhaps he was retaking another dentistry course.

When she didn't see him or anyone that looked similar to him in any of her classes, she disguised as a senior once and sat amongst students who were in a higher class—A class where it would be likely to find the man.

Through the school's corridors, corners, amphitheater, sports field, and even the clinic. She searched every day.

Still, she knew he was somewhere around—plotting, attacking, traumatizing young girls. Russia's Independence Day was in two days. So she still believed that he was present. She just hoped it wouldn't be too late before she got to destroy him.

Frustrated, after a long class hour one afternoon and another futile search, she strolled to the school's cafeteria with Viktoriya. She shared her feelings briefly with Viktoriya, and the brunette assured her to keep hope alive.

They walked into the spacious cafeteria. There weren't many students present. Ebun didn't know if she still had to be cautious about her looks since there weren't many people, but she wore her beanie firmly just in case. Fish and chips were on the menus for lunch. After grabbing a tray each, they quickly found a table by the window side to settle.

Ebun hadn't gone halfway into eating her meal—she was still dipping her chips in the ketchup sauce, relishing the taste when she heard someone sniffing behind her. The action was incessant. There was no way she couldn't notice it after a while.

Ebun didn't want to look back. She had her back against whoever it was. So if she turned to look, she might seem like a busybody. Since Viktoriya was seated in front of Ebun and could see who was behind them, she asked Viktoriya.

"Who is that? Is the person crying?" Ebun whispered to Viktoriya.

Victoriya nodded. "It's a girl. She's crying to her friend." then she leaned closer and whispered. "Strange thing is, there no food on their table."

Ebun twitched her lips and shook her head slightly. The girl should go to the toilet if she came here solely to cry. I'm enjoying my meal. She thought.

Then she heard another thing—a few other things.

"...I cen't believe ze vhole school knows ahbout eet. I cen't even fece ahnyone right now. It's either zey ahre looking aht me vith pity or trying to figure out vho did zeez to me, or zey are leghing aht me. Everyone is trying to solve my misery like it's e demn puzzle. I just vant to sink somewhere end die. I don't vant to exist ahnymore."

"I'm so sorry you are feeling zeez much pein, Sharon. I feel for you. Ve'll tek zeez metter to ze higher authorities. Zat man von't go scotfree. I'll do vhat I cen een my power."

Ebun's ears throbbed. What was that she'd just heard? She fixed her wide-eyed gaze on Viktoriya. Victoriya was thinking the same thing too—because her eyes had gone wider than dinner plates.

"Dang! He's the one. How? You searched everywhere and lurked around the feasible places to find him, " Viktoriya fumed, stabbing her cutlery against the desk but managed to keep her voice low.

"There's only one way we can know how he did it, " Ebun replied.

Before Viktoriya could inquire which way it was, Ebun rose from her seat and pulled Viktoriya's arm. Forcefully, a puzzled Viktoriya rose to her feet, and Ebun dragged her to the table where the crying lady sat. Without manners or pleasantries, Ebun occupied the empty seat alongside Viktoriya.

The crying girl and her friend looked at Ebun with all confusion and irritation. Ebun knew it didn't seem particularly wise to invade someone's privacy and sensitive moment, but opportunities only came once. She was meeting the victim directly. She wouldn't have to inquire from some random person. No one would tell the story like the victim herself, and Ebun needed all the details.

"I'm so sorry for invading your space, Miss. Sharon, " Ebun apologized after Viktoriya had given up on pinching her thigh. "I sincerely apologize but do you mind if I ask you a few questions based on the words I just heard now? I promise that I'm not stupid enough to interrupt your space and inquire just to kill my curiosity."

"I know. You look like someone vho ees here to help, end you look serious about it, " Sharon, the crying girl, said quickly after staring at the scar on Ebun's lip. It looks like her looks did the talking. 

The girl was wrong though. Ebun wasn't here to help her. At least she couldn't let her know or imply such a thing. She would be endangering herself if she did so.

"Thank you for saving me the extra minutes it would have required for me to convince you. Thank you for not walking out on me or slapping my face when I invaded your space. Thank you so much, " Ebun bowed slightly and gave a small smile.

"First, I want to believe that what you were talking about was rape, right? Someone raped you, right?" Ebun asked to be extra sure.

"Yes, " Sharon's voice was shaky in reply as she wiped her tears.

"Is it the culprit a thirty-five-year-old post-graduate man with a lace pantie kink? Did he gift you a lace pantie?"

Sharon stiffened. Her friend clenched her fists and stared at Ebun with sheer surprise. "How did you know?" Sharon gaped.

"This is my friend and hostel mate, " Ebun placed her arm on Viktoriya's shoulder. "She was a victim too. That's how I know."

"Oh."

"May I ask when and how it happened?"

"Eet heppened e veek ego een e leboretory. I hed e cless en ahneemal dentistry. I didn't know ze man vas ahround, looking aht my ahss from a close space. Ve spoke a few times een ze pest. The lest time I saw hesm vas during ze vice chencellor's birthdey perty.

Zat dey, he geve me e red lace pentie ahnd promised to be back before Russie's independence dey. He said he vanted to see me vear ze lace pentie vhen next he saw me. I didn't take heem seriously. Zere vas no vay he could see me een my neked form, so zere vas no vay he vould know. I vanted to insult heem, but I vas scared ahnd didn't vant to disrespect someone older than me. I never vore ze lace pentie, though ahnd I didn't think he vould ahctuelly notice.

Unteel zat dey ahfter ze cless vas over. For some reason, I couldn't leave ze cless vith my friends. Eet vas too rowdy. So I vaited behind for ze crowd to disperse. Ze lecturer left ze class early to have a chat vith her friends. Zat vas vhen he grebbed me from behind end reped me."

Ebun's heart dropped. The man she saw in the blue face cap was indeed that guy. It happened that day in class. Sharon was among those beautiful girls. He raped someone, and Ebun wasn't there to stop it from happening. It hurt her precisely because she tried so hard on that day, and the mishap still occurred.

"Do you think he's still around?"

Sharon nodded. "Yes, I saw him briefly today. He vas valking very fast, though vith ze same fece cep. Eet seemed like he vas heading for ahnother cless."

Looking for another innocent girl to rape. Ebun clenched her jaw.

"Okay, thank you very much for your time, " Ebun rose to her feet. Clueless but not so unaware, Viktoriya followed suit.

"Vhat are you going to do ahbout zeez information?" Sharon's friend spoke for the first time, asking Ebun.

"Take it to the school authority, I guess?" Ebun shrugged and blinked twice, imitating the exact words that Sharon's friend had said earlier. "I mean, what else do you expect me to do. I'm a freshman student, after all. So I'm powerless."

She walked away from the cafeteria with Viktoriya without looking back. She knew their faces would be red with anger.

Immediately she was out and far away from the cafeteria, she brought out her phone and texted Sean.

Found him. He's only going to be around the school for a short while, though, until Russia's Independence Day, which is in two days.

Great. We should meet ASAP and plot how to kill him if that's the case.

***

Today is Ebun's birthday in real life guys! Yes! I have birthdays for my main characters. If you don't mind, I'd like for you to wish her a happy birthday and say what you want to say her the most. Also, tell me how you are liking this story so far, what you want me to add to the story, what I'm supposed to include in the story, but I missed. Tell me everything. I will accept your praises and criticisms equally.