The songs for this chapter are:

Talk 2 me - Montell Fish

Just me - Old Man Saxon
                           —•••—
The Russian's night air was chilly and crisp with a fresh flow of victory as Ebun sat on the bench by the backyard of Hostel Pavlov. She was wearing her favorite navy blue hoodie and black head warmer and excitedly munching on a pack of raw Cheetos.

There was a collection of wood logs hosting hot, wild flames of fire. Ebun watched the fire consume some crumpled clothes and a certain white face cap. As the fire seeped into each piece of clothing, crushing each fabric into feathery ashes of nothingness, Ebun dug her arms further into the pocket of her hoodie, giggling.

Soon, she felt someone's presence. A shadow rested lazily under the ornate lighting of a tall lamp by the hostel's building. She looked up. It was Viktoriya. She was wearing a red sweatshirt with a funny inscription that Ebun couldn't understand. Viktoriya looked like she had a lot on her mind and needed some air. Ebun could tell simply from the way her red hair was packed in a messy bun (which was so not Viktoriya's style) and the new freckles that invaded her smooth white cheeks.

"What are you doing out here, by a burning fire?" Viktoriya asked Ebun.

"Just chilling, keeping myself warm and fuzzy, you know, " Ebun chuckled as she raised a brow. "What about you? What are you doing out here? You're an indoor girl."

"Duh. I come out to the backyard for fresh air very often, " Viktoriya rolled her eyes jocosely as she sat next to Ebun on the bench. Then her eyes moved to the fire and saw something black burning, getting swallowed by the fire in a ferocious manner. She squinted her eyes to take a closer look so she could decipher what the blackish thing was.

"Whose clothes are those?" she asked.

Ebun turned to her, throwed a piece of Cheetos in her mouth and munched it loudly. She wished she could give Viktoriya a chance to take a guess, but she knew there was no way Viktoriya would get it right. Also, there was no way Ebun could do that. These were the postgraduate's clothes.

"Take these. Make sure you burn each piece of clothing into ashes," She recalled Sean's command as he handed the clothes to her after the body of the man had dissolved.

"They are mine. Don't worry, though. There was no way I could wear those clothes any longer. They were all filthy rags, you know. It's entertaining watching my clothes burn, haha, " Ebun lied.

Why the hell am I talking so much? She's going to sense that I'm nervous. Okay wait. Why am I nervous right now?

"Oh, " she let out a small, confused laugh. It showed in the incessant blinking of her eyes and the uncomfortable pouting of her lips that she was having a hard time believing Ebun. "Anyway, how far have you gone with the case of the post-graduate man?" she tried to look comfortable as she changed the subject. The glow from the fire highlighted the bold features of her freckled face.

Then Ebun realized why she was a nervous wreck. She wished she could tell Viktoriya head-on that the post-graduate man, the man who'd hurt her was dead and dissolved in a pool of acid. Those were his clothes burning in the fire but Viktoriya had never really been in support of Ebun killing the man from the beginning.

She could still remember the first conversation they had in Viktoriya's room:

"...You want the pedophile dead wherever he is right now. I can bet that."

"That's not true. I have part of the blame in the story, and I resent myself for it every day."

Although Viktoriya's might have changed her mind, she might have wanted the postgraduate man dead, telling from the way Ebun was eager to get to the root of the matter. That had probably motivated Viktoriya to be in full support of the whole movement. She'd helped Ebun with the facial descriptions of the man, making it easier for her to find him. All of those actions made Ebun feel like Viktoriya wouldn't mind knowing that her rapist was dead.

Still, the fact that Viktoriya resented herself was a vital factor to consider. Self-loathing wasn't something that floated away easily. Viktoriya probably still hated herself for everything that happened. Ebun couldn't toy with that aspect because she knew what it felt like. Even though she had no clue how the death of the postgraduate man was going to affect her, Ebun didn't want to traumatize Vik any further.

So Ebun said, "You don't have to worry about him, baby. His case has been solved. You won't ever have to see him again at school." she winked.

Viktoriya's eyes narrowed. Ebun stiffened, finding it hard not to look frightened or suspicious. "I'm not a fool, Eboon. Did you kill him?"

"W-what?" Ebun let out a fake startled laugh. Her breathe was hot. "No! You didn't want me to kill him. So I didn't. There are several other ways to send a criminal into oblivion, you know. I just wished I could tell you exactly what I did, but that would be risky for the gang I work with."

"The gang? Oh... The fake school driver guy I saw that day... Is he part of the gang?" Viktoriya asked, referring to Sean and the day she'd seen him in front of the hostel with a school bus.

"Yeah!" Ebun smiled.

"Oh. Okay then. I understand. I won't question it anymore, " Viktoriya shrugged and sagged her shoulders. Ebun couldn't believe that Viktoriya had chosen not to believe her so quickly. "So you mean he's really gone now, Eboon?"

Ebun wasn't sure if it was the smoke emanating from the fire that affected Vik's eyes, but in them, she could see tears gathering. Ebun's heart pounded with empathy for Viktoriya. Ebun couldn't wait to ask that same question about those bastards. She couldn't wait for the day she would send them into oblivion.

Ebun nodded with a grim smile on her face. "Yes, Viky. By the way, stop pronouncing my name as 'Eboon.' It is 'Ebun'"

"But that was how you taught me to pronounce your name!"

"Shall I just call you Vikings then? I've been very tempted to call you that since the day you told me your name, " Ebun grimaced.

Viktoriya's face slightly reddened with annoyance and embarrassment. "Okay fine. I'll try to pronounce your name the right way."

"I thought as much, " Ebun raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, can I ask you a question?"

Viktoriya nodded. Then she stretched her hand for some Cheetos. Ebun poured some out of the pack into Viktoriya's palm.

"So I've always wondered why and how come you don't know the name of the post-graduate man. After all, you had a situationship with him before he molested and raped you. So how's it that you've never mentioned his name to me before?"

Viktoriya munched on the crunchy snack. Then she gazed into the night sky. A tear slipped down her eyes. She sniffed then looked back at Ebun.

"I just...chose not to remember his name. Knowing the name of the man that raped me made me really hate myself. Most of the rape stories I've heard were of victims being raped by motorbike riders, grocery shopkeepers, sanitary keepers—people they didn't know, like a one-time incident where you meet someone for the first time and barely even know their name. Still, they hurt you on that first encounter.

Hence, I felt ashamed of myself for knowing and even liking this person that raped me. So I thought if I could choose to un-know his name, then I would feel a bit better with myself. That way, it would feel more like an accident that happened to me. Not something that I caused for myself."

"Oh. That's twisted, but it's very understandable. That's what molestation and rape does to its victim. It make them hate themselves, " Ebun said, then leaned to give Viktoriya a friendly back pat. "But he's gone now. You won't have to hate yourself so much anytime you see him. We should celebrate that victory!"

"Thank you so much once again, Ebun. I swear I will protect you from my mum and help you escape the hostel whenever you need to."

"Sounds about right, girl! Lunch is on me tomorrow to celebrate your victory. Just let me know any fancy restaurant you would like to visit in Moscow."

"Okay, baby, " Viky smiled cheekily, her braced teeth coming in full view. "How are you going to keep up with school, though? Are you just going to quit school now and go ahead to look for the men that raped you since your sister isn't here?"

"Actually, " Ebun bit her lip, digging her hands deeper into the pocket of her hoodie. "I want to focus on school for now. I kinda need a break before I proceed with another major rapist assignment."

———

Ebun had truly planned to take a short break. She didn't want to overstep her boundaries by absconding from the hostel too often. That way, she would abuse her privilege and wouldn't keep up with the lies and excuses. And Mrs. Mariyah will contact her sister right away.

Breaks were fun, too, because if she hadn't spent the previous day with Viktoriya at Café Pashkin, she wouldn't have known just how delicious native Russian meals were. She wouldn't have known that there was a life outside of the psycho barracks. Perhaps, she wanted a bit more of this— a normal life—a breather.

After all, Nigeria had choked her because she always wished to find those demons. If she didn't want Russia to become Nigeria 2.0 for her, she had to try taking breaks. If she spent all her time looking for her rapists, she might plunge deeper into the wells of dysfunctionality and achieve nothing.

Today was Monday which meant another class of animal dentistry. Ebun was seating at the far end of the wide classroom. Biology class had just ended, so everyone was trying to pack their textbooks and stationery, torquing in their chairs into their desks as they prepared to head to the laboratory for animal dentistry class.

Ebun remained in her seat, observing everything. How spacious the classroom was. The fact that no one in this place knew her. The lecturers barely noticed her. Even if they did, they never called upon her name to answer questions—unlike her school back in Nigeria. She felt a lot less choked here. Maybe, just perhaps, she could really live in this country.

Subconsciously, she found herself looking for Galina with her eyes from where she sat. That poor girl who gracefully got rescued last week. She wanted to know how she was doing. When Ebun didn't find her, she stood up and prepared to pack her books and materials.

Just then, a girl appeared in front of the class, standing in front of the blackboard. "Mrs. Yekaterina eez coming to ze class. We don't have animal dentistry in ze lab today. Stay in class, everyone!" she yelled.

The students that had stepped out of the class with their books and bags started to walk back in after hearing the announcement. They were murmuring and exclaiming in intonated Russian tongues as they re-occupied their previous seats. The chairs, making squeaky sounds, and the footsteps of some of the students produced a pitter-patter sound.

When everyone, including Ebun, settled down on their chairs, Mrs. Yekaterina walked in. She was wearing a loose-fitting blue pinafore and black square-heeled Mary Janes. Her face looked so pale that Ebun felt tempted to recommend a moisturizer to the woman. Why was she dressed so shabbily? It looked like she was here to crack a joke instead of giving an actual lecture.

Ebun initially felt she was overthinking it, and perhaps she'd failed to notice this was probably how Mrs. Yekaterina always dressed. Then she remembered the day at the abandoned park and how neat the woman had looked. What was going on? Was she so disturbed by the disappearance of the post-graduate man? Did she fear that she would lose her job? Ebun realized she was desperate to know the reason.

"Good morning, stoodents, " Mrs. Yekaterina greeted everyone as her eyes roamed through the group of students in the room till they found Ebun at the far end of the class.

Mrs. Yekaterina's eyes brightened with a kindle of familiarity on seeing Ebun. Ebun shifted slightly from her chair, gripped by nervousness and confusion about why the woman was specially greeting her? Does she seriously think we are close friends now or something? Ebun smiled back out of courtesy even though she wished she could understand what was happening.

"So today's class eez only going to be for a short while because I'm not in ze mood, " she stated plainly with an honesty that shocked Ebun. Her teachers back in Nigeria would never say stuff like this. Instead, they continued with the class, transferring raw aggression on innocent students when it was clear that they needed to take a break and relax.

"For today's class, we'll be treating dental problems in dogs. A dog can develop tooth pain for many reasons. Some of ze common causes are infected or swollen gums, a broken tooth, or tartar build-up. Dogs can develop cavities too. Just like ze human teeth, if you don't pay attention and give your dog ze dental treatment they need for tyeir oral problems, then there vould be more eesues, " Mrs. Yekaterina gesticulated as she spoke in her gravelly voice, pacing to and fro. "Pleease open your textbooks to page 64 for some of ze severe health eesues that could come from abandoning your dog's teeth."

She paused, giving the students a little moment to open their textbooks. Ebun was surprised that she was actively participating in this class. Usually, she would be present in the room, but her mind was never there. Now she found herself listening for the first time. It was most likely because she liked Mrs. Yekaterina. The woman had done a fantastic job in aiding the murder last week.

"Has anyone gotten to page 64 of their textbook?" she asked.

An albino in the class raised her hand, signifying that she'd flipped to the page. Mrs. Yekaterina called on her. "Read for us, pleease."

"Zyeir could be severe health problems een dogs like infection, loss of teeth and other systemic issues." the albino read out loud, eyes darting in between the ink of the textbook.

Mrs. Yekaterina gave a good nod and then elaborated for a couple of minutes while the classroom fell into a dense air of decorum, students scribbling what they could grasp from Mrs. Yekaterina in their notepads. True to her words, the class hadn't lasted long.

With a deep breath, she said. "You all should make sure to do ze assignment I gave you before Thursday. Ze diagram must be perfect. That's ze end of today's class. See you all on Thursday."

Everyone bowed, saying their thanks as they rushed out of the class. Ebun waited for everyone to leave so she wouldn't have to move along with the crowd. Five minutes later, the mass of people had dispersed, so Ebun stood up and started packing her things. Mrs. Yekaterina was still in the class, standing on the podium as she busied her fingers with her laptop.

Ebun hoped that the woman wouldn't tell her to stay behind and then discuss what had happened last week at the park. Although she liked the woman and was slightly fascinated by her, she didn't want to discuss what had already happened. It was simply awkward to discuss such a thing with a lecturer even though she'd aided the murder. She wanted to see Mrs. Yekaterina as a lecturer and nothing more. She breathed in deeply and slung her bag over her shoulder as she walked towards the door to leave the class.

"Pleease, can you wait behind?" Mrs. Yekaterina asked the question Ebun had just prayed against.

With a defiant eye roll, Ebun turned to face the pale-faced woman. She looked like someone you wouldn't want to say no to. Why did she have to look that innocent? Ebun resented the look for a moment because it didn't give her the boldness to be rude to the woman.

"Pleease, can I discuss something with you?"

"Err...yes ma'am, I guess, " Ebun answered awkwardly, tapping the strap of her bag. Ebun sat on one of the chairs in the front row of the class. Mrs. Yekaterina closed her laptop and occupied a seat too. She was facing Ebun now.

"Your name eez Ebun, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm guessing Sean told you that."

She nodded. "Erm... Yes. I need you and Sean's help, " she looked at Ebun with a forlorn expression on her face. The afternoon's sun was shining brightly, casting a ray on the lecturer's face.

Ebun nodded, giving the woman the go-ahead to keep taking. Ebun's heart was pounding. Why did the lecturer need her and Sean's help?

"Eet's about my daughter, Irina. She was raped yesterday by one of ze school's janitors, " Mrs. Yekaterina paused to bring a handkerchief out from her bag. Then she dabbed at her eyes, cleaning the tears.

Ebun had a hard time breathing on hearing that shocking news. Although she'd wished Mrs. Yekaterina would use some moisturizer on her face, this wasn't the kind of moisture that Ebun wanted to see. There sure as hell were a lot of rapists in this school, and it was infuriating to know that so many good people were being traumatized forever. Ebun's stomach rumbled in pain as she watched Mrs. Yekaterina sob. The woman didn't deserve such a tragedy.

"Although yesterday was Sunday, I had to come to school to do a few seengs. Ze janitors usually come to clean ze school on Sundays since no one eez usually around. So I left Irina at my office to briefly get some water. Unfortunately, I spent more time than I planned to because I met a senior colleague on ze way and he gave me a small errand. I had to do eet.

When I got back to my office, I'd barely opened ze soor when Mr. Kojo, a black janitor, opened ze soor loudly and ran out. He even kicked ze mop bucket he brought with him, so all ze soap water poured on ze floor. I was scared and confused, wondering why he ran out of my office like that. I sooght he'd stolen something. I didn't have ze energy to run after him. I sooght I could easily report him to ze authorities if any of my items were missing.

Sen I walked into my office, only to see my Irina..." she paused again, her chest moving rapidly as louder sobs escaped her lips. Ebun swallowed thickly and got up. She moved closer to Mrs. Yekaterina and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, thumping her back gently.

When Mrs. Yekaterina became a bit calm, she proceeded to speak. "My Irina was lying on ze floor, naked and bleeding. Her gown was torn into two. That was vhen I remembered zat vhen Mr. Kojo ran out of my office, hees trousers vere sagging. But eet didn't occur to me quickly. There vas no vay I could chase Mr. Kojo because I'd found out a bit too late.

Although I could have steel chosen to chase him, I remembered you and Sean and decided to let heem go. I vanted heem to suffer in ze vorst vay for defiling my precious Irina. So I thought you and Sean vould do ze perfect job of making heem suffer greatly. Zat's vhy I came to skool today—so I could talk to you. If there's anything condition you need me to fulfill, I vill do eet gladly. Please just help me."

Ebun heaved a sigh as she looked at Mrs. Yekaterina. Her face was red now, and her hands were fidgety as they squeezed the handkerchief. All Ebun needed in return from Mrs. Yekaterina was an automatic good grade in animal dentistry because this was a huge task to perform.

She'd just decided to take a break—to focus on school and breath a little. Now, this issue came in, and there was no way she could refuse to help Mrs. Yekaterina. Besides, Sean could be a somewhat difficult person. He could make her look for Mr. Kojo all over the school. And she didn't want to do that because it would be more challenging to find him now that he'd committed a crime.

But good grades were somewhat at stake here because Ebun sucked at school. More importantly, she liked Mrs. Yekaterina and partly felt indebted to her. So she didn't tell Mrs. Yekaterina what she needed in return because it felt inappropriate at that moment. Ebun wanted Mrs. Yekaterina to know that she cared. If Ebun told her straight on that she wanted a good grade in return, it would seem like a transactional thing, and Ebun didn't want that.

"I'll talk to Sean about this. We'll help you, ma'am, " Ebun said.