"And if that were the case, you really have underestimated just how much danger you might truly be in."

The words rang in Chidiogo's head, bouncing around her skull. She tried to think back to every incident that happened earlier but it all pointed back to Mmachi.

"It doesn't make sense," she said finally, staring into Sky's bewitching eyes, "All the evidence points towards her and she has a ton of reasons to want me dead."

"A ton?"

"I mean—as you said we don't get along."

Chidiogo's voice got a bit shaky towards the end. Sky hummed.

"And no other person does?"

"Huh?"

"No other person has a reason to want you dead?"

Chidiogo fell silent for a minute.

"I don't know," she finally muttered.

"Okay," Sky said, letting out a sigh, "since it's only logical that whoever is behind these attacks has to be from this school, I'll ask you a couple of questions to see if we can narrow down the culprit. But firstly, have you considered switching schools?"

Chidiogo nearly laughed.

"Apart from the fact that I just transferred from another school, my mom doesn't believe me. She thinks I'm hallucinating."

"Why?"

"My doctor once concluded I was mentally disoriented because of the trauma that came from watching one of my sisters kill another and the terrible bullying I faced in my previous school. Although I don't think it was an accurate diagnosis. But all the same, she thinks I'm being delusional.

"And now I can't even reach either her or my dad. They left for a trip and didn't leave any means for us to communicate with them. Besides if Mmachi is really the culprit, it wouldn't make any difference even if I switched schools."

"Okay," Sky said, "maybe you should try telling them again whenever you're able to reach them—"

"My mom will just insist that I see Dr. Kumar."

"So there's no other way?"

"There isn't."

Sky raised her hands in mock surrender. "I'll drop it for now. Back to what I wanted to say earlier. Since we've decided that the attacker is definitely in this school, now we have to narrow it down. Who are those you relate with in your class?"

Chidiogo worried her lips.

"I don't talk to a lot of people—"

"Just mention anyone you've ever interacted with," Sky said, cutting her off.

"Okay . . . There's Amelia, Chikaima, Kamsi—technically all of Mmachi's friends."

"Let's take them one by one. We'll start with Amelia."

"I don't suspect her," Chidiogo said, causing Sky to let out a long sigh.

"Everyone's a suspect, that's the first rule. Although I do agree with you. I don't think Amelia would want to kill you. She never disliked you, right?"

"She did," Chidiogo said, shifting her gaze to one of the giant potted plants lying around, "she didn't really like me when I first resumed."

"What changed her mind?"

Chidiogo shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she realized I wasn't a bad person?"

"Or she tried to win your trust since she knew it would be easier to kill you that way."

Chidiogo threw Sky a look while she just shrugged.

"I'm just trying to be open minded here but let's cross Lia out. Next is Chikaima?"

Chidiogo nodded. The air outside had become just as still as the one inside and she found herself loosening a few of her buttons and swiping away the sweat trickling down her neck.

"I assume you trust her too?"

"She liked me from the start," Chidiogo said, attempting to use her right hand as a fan, "although her behaviour has been a bit"—she searched for the right word—"off these days."

"How?" Sky asked, cocking a brow.

"I don't really know," Chidiogo admitted, "I guess I'm just seeing a side of her I never saw before. And plus she's best friends with Kamsi."

"Kamsi!" Sky said, a shadow of a smile crossing her lips so quickly, Chidiogo almost didn't catch it. "I assume you don't trust her?"

Chidiogo shook her head.

"I suspected her and I actually think she might just have it in her to kill me but one incident made me cross her off the list of suspects," Chidiogo said, remembering that she had been staring at Kamsi before she got attacked.

She couldn't have possibly been the attacker. It did cross her mind that one of Kamsi's accomplices could have attacked her but at the time of her first attack, Kamsi had no real motive to want her dead.

"If you're sure of that, who's next?" Sky asked.

"Justin and Paschal but they don't have any reason to want me dead."

"You don't think Justin loves Mmachi enough to want the same thing she does?"

Chidiogo didn't even think Sky's words through before shaking her head.

"Justin isn't that kind of person."

"And Paschal?"

"I trust him too."

Sky sighed before muttering 'Oh God'.

"Plus the attacker is female," Chidiogo added.

"How did you know?"

"I heard her yelp the last time she attacked me. Plus it was kind of easy to push her off when she held me. A guy's grip should have been stronger."

"Who else have you interacted with?" Sky asked, stifling a yawn.

Chidiogo thought for a while before replying.

"Quinn!"

Sky scrunched her brows. "Who's that?"

"You should know her. She's in my class." Sky still looked puzzled so Chidiogo continued, listing out her features. "Extremely fair, has pink dots on her skin sometimes, almost looks like an albino."

Sky shifted her head from side to side slowly.

"She's best friends with Amarachi," Chidiogo added.

Sky placed her fingers on her pursed lips for a moment and stared into the empty space between them.

"Amarachi," she repeated, "the crazy girl?"

Chidiogo frowned. "She's not crazy."

"The plump one with fine brown skin?" Sky asked to be sure and Chidiogo nodded. "Definitely crazy! Have you seen that girl? She behaves like someone who takes drugs even though she knows she can't handle it."

"You don't know that," Chidiogo said, scowling.

"I actually do," Sky said.

Chidiogo puckered her brows and Sky went on to explain.

"She's my roommate and I've seen sachets containing white powder, bottles with purple pills, and several cards of prescription drugs in her drawer. There was one time Michelle, my other roommate . . . I told you about her."

She paused to make sure Chidiogo remembered who she was talking about and Chidiogo nodded for her to go on.

"Well, Michelle got rid of the drugs. I don't know whether she did it on purpose but Amarachi went crazy. Firstly she came into the room searching around for it, then she started licking the remains off the nightstand.

"When Michelle asked what she was looking for and told her that she had accidentally thrown them away, Amarachi literally pounced on the girl. I tried to separate them but she gave me a bruise on my forehead. Guess she's stronger than she seems."

Sky let out a small chuckle at the last part while Chidiogo's lips remained sealed. She couldn't laugh even if she tried to.

"She was the one who smashed your head against the marble chair the day I found you right?" Sky asked out of the blue.

Chidiogo nodded.

"How did you know she was the one?" Chidiogo asked.

"What?"

"How did you know she was the one who pushed me?" Chidiogo repeated, watching Sky closely, "I don't think I ever mentioned that."

"I witnessed the scene from afar. That was why I was able to get there in time to help you out."

"Oh." Chidiogo released a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Why don't you guys report though? Don't you think the school authorities should know about Amara's condition before it gets worse?"

The sound of someone's footsteps drawing closer halted Sky's reply and she waited until the person passed them before speaking.

"I tried informing them but it was no use. She hid everything before they searched the room. I don't even know how she found out that I was going to report. And plus most of the drugs she takes are actually prescribed. The hostel mistress stumbled upon them once but let her go because she had prescription to take them."

"And the sachets of white powder? You don't think those were prescribed too?" Chidiogo asked and Sky just shook her head.

"Certainly not." Sky pursed her lips. "But how do you think she gets them?"

"I've seen Kamsi's bag filled with such sachets," Chidiogo said, swatting at the fly buzzing in her ear.

It had returned and this time with its friends.

"You don't think—"

"Kamsi's the one supplying it to her," Chidiogo finished for Sky.

Beats of silence followed, interrupted occasionally by chirping crickets and humming engines.

"I don't think its possible. Kamsi doesn't like Amarachi," Sky said, shaking her head.

"Which is more reason why she would want to ruin her life."

Sky worked her lower lip between her teeth, mulling on Chidiogo's words.

"You have a point. But it doesn't really matter now. Amarachi has been missing for over a week. Some people say she's dead."

"Those are just rumours," Chidiogo said through clenched teeth.

Sky shrugged. "The fact is she's still missing. No one has heard from her."

"Not even Quinn?" Chidiogo asked, her anger giving way for concern.

"I don't know who that is," Sky reminded her with a blank face.

Chidiogo let out a sigh. Quinn had been scarce herself. Chidiogo had almost forgotten about her existence. She decided to tell Sky about her encounter with Quinn that led to her first attack.

Sky listened to her quietly.

"So she was the one who set off the chain reaction?" Sky said after she was done with her story.

It felt more like a rhetorical question but Chidiogo still nodded.

Sky pushed her stool back. The screeching of metal against tiles filled the air as she stood up and stretched out her body. Chidiogo leaned off the balcony and stood erect as she watched her.

"At least now we know that not only Mmachi is a threat to you. There's Quinn, Kamsi, Amarachi and her violent tendencies and I don't think you should ignore Chikaima or that tall guy who was with Kamsi and Amarachi that day she pushed you."

"Wale?" Chidiogo asked, trying to figure out who Sky had referred to as 'tall guy'.

"Yeah, it should be him." Sky paused. "Those are all the people you know, right?"

Chidiogo nodded.

"You're forgetting someone though."

Chidiogo thought for a moment before asking, "Who?"

"Me."