28th August, 2022.
The sound of the police sirens made the students of Willow Heights Academy rush out of their dorms. They watched as the police car drove into the compound. Gasps and whispers filled the dorm block as they wondered what the police were doing in their school at such a late hour.
The detective and a handful of officers rushed to the scene where the school's security men were waiting. The rest of the officers went off with their yellow tape to seal the building.
"What happened?" Detective Okoye asked the old security man. He looked shaken up and his pitch black face was squeezed in a frown.
"Oga police. I no know wetin happen o. I no know." He clarified, waving his hands all over the place. "Me and the others dey for gate before we come realize that oga principal neva go home. I say make I look for am. Na so I come here see.. see." He choked on his words as a shiver ran down his spine. He looked up at the window upstairs. The fluorescent bulb of the office was dull because of the rain.
Detective Okoye marched into the building with the security man shakily leading him to the dreaded office. The door was already ajar as they approached the office. The security man stopped in his steps and pointed at the office.
"Na the office be that." He whispered as though he was going to disturb anyone. Detective Okoye walked into the office after taking a long breath.
In the middle of the medium sized room was the body of a man identified as the principal of the school. Detective Okoye looked at the slightly plump man and sighed. He squatted beside the body and gave him a quick look over. Okoye noticed the patch of blood in the man's lower abdomen and slowly raised the damp navy shirt. The man was stabbed to death.
"Sir, the ambulance is here." One of his officers reported and he nodded. This case was one of a kind. He has never been called to a school because of a murder case in all his ten years of being a detective.
"It's too late to start any investigation. Let the ambulance carry the body and inform his family. We'll be back tomorrow." He commanded and the officer nodded swiftly.
Detective Okoye looked around the room once more and sighed. A thin material caught his eye from the side of the table. He put on his glove and picked the material. It looked like a school uniform material..
2 weeks before the murder.
The sound of the bell rang that early morning making the students groan. The massive compound was scanty and had a few students littered around.
"Why is that old fart calling us?" A girl asked while yawning in boredom. Her friend shrugged nonchalantly. Her focus was more on the nails she newly painted.
Slowly, the students filed into the school hall. Most of them grumbled under their breaths while the others glared at the man standing on the podium.
The Principal, Mr Uche Martins, watched the students as they sluggishly stood in straight lines. What did he expect in a school filled with rich, over pampered children?
"Morning students." He greeted, knowing fully well he won't get a response. He cleared his throat and glared at the students, eventually getting a few random replies. "I'll be brief with the announcement." He said, "I wish to congratulate you students on your conduct in the first half of the holiday extension classes. I hope you are taking them seriously." He paused, waiting for a response. A few students rolled their eyes while others just listened on.
"The school board had an emergency meeting yesterday and we came to a satisfactory conclusion. Some of your parents complained that these classes are just a waste of time. So, we decided that in two weeks time, there'll be a mock examination."
"Mock ke?"
"What nonsense?"
"What is this man talking about now?"
The students hollered in disagreement. The principal just stared at them and gave them the grace of voicing out their useless opinions. He knew they didn't have any choice.
"Enough!" He ordered and the noise was toned down a notch. "Whosoever fails this exam is obviously not prepared for SS3 therefore, will have to repeat the previous class or you are free to leave the school." The noise increased ten fold as the students yelled out complaints. "This school has always been number one in all external examinations in the state and I'm not going to let anyone tarnish that image. You are dismissed." He said, adjusting the glasses on his face. He wiped his palms on the surface of his ironed blue trousers and tucked his hands inside his pockets.
The students angrily stormed out of the hall. The teachers walked out of the staff room block when they heard the noise and realized the principal must've informed them of the update.
"Which one is mock exam? I was even against the idea of the extension classes during holidays not to talk of writing an exam on top." Gabby spat, taking a seat at her usual spot which was at the back of the class. Her two friends followed suit and sat down on their respective seats.
"Omo, e shock me o. I'm very sure every other person here is against this exam. This school too dey do abeg." Nini said in disdain. She looked at her newly painted nails and her face softened. "Pink is definitely my colour." Brume scoffed at her friend before taking a seat on Gabby's desk instead.
A boy in the first row by the window shook hands with his friend who gloomily stalked inside the class. Gabby narrowed her eyes on the two boys.
"Hey! Golden boy!"she called and the boy by the window sighed before turning around to look at her.
"Gabby, what do you want?" He asked tiredly and she rolled her eyes.
"What's wrong with your father? He has no joy in his life." She said and he sighed.
"You know where his office is. Go and ask him." He replied. His friend, Kelvin, chuckled at the response before facing his friend.
"But Damien, what's up with the exam na?" He asked his friend seriously and Damien shrugged.
"I have no idea. You know that man doesn't tell me anything." He sighed, leaning his head against the window. Kelvin groaned, placing his head on his desk.
"When that day reach, you'll write for me abeg. As you see me now, my head can not read anything." He said and his friend laughed.
"Here they come! Barbie and wannabe Ken!" Gabby exclaimed from the back of the class. A girl and a boy walked hand in hand inside the class. The girl's black and gray checkered skirt was above her knees, her white shirt was tucked in neatly into her skirt and coated with the fine gray school jacket but her school tie was nowhere to be found. The boy beside her was much taller and he wore the complete uniform but his shirt was unbuttoned at the top and his tie loosely around his collar.
Natasha rolled her eyes at Gabby antics before giving her the middle finger of her right hand. She and her boyfriend, Tobe, walked to their usual seat not sparing Gabby and her crew a word.
"Tobe dear, you better go and read before your sweet scholarship will be taken from you." Nini said sweetly before cackling with her friends.
"This mock exam is just bullshit. My brain hasn't processed anything that has been taught since the beginning of this extension class." Natasha pouted looking at her boyfriend.
"There's no magic we can do, Nat. I'll just borrow some of Damien's notes or Joy's." Tobe said, giving her a small smile.
"Not Joy abeg. That girl is weird." She huffed, glaring at the girl in front whose head was buried in a book. Tobe followed her gaze and laughed at her attitude.
"Fine ma. Joy is out of the equation." He said, raising his hands in surrender.
Their math teacher walked inside the classroom and the students made zero effort to compose themselves.
"Class greet." The class prefect, Sam, said and few of the students stood up.
"Good morning Mr Collins " they greeted and he nodded.
"Which good morning? This morning is already bad enough for us." Gabby mumbled and her friends sighed.
"Mr Collins, what do we do about the so-called exam? There is no way we can read anything meaningful before two weeks." Brume whined and the rest of her classmates added their own words of complaints.
"The serious ones can cover grounds with just one week so I don't know what you are saying." Mr Collins said, writing his subject name on the white board.
"Mr Collins na." They groaned and he sighed before looking at them.
"Listen, all of you." He said and they closed their mouths. "Your teachers have no power in this coming exam. The principal just informed us yesterday evening through the group chat. The exam is going to be set by an external body using the extension lesson's curriculum. It is also going to be marked by some external supervisors. We haven't seen the exam questions and according to what I heard, they will be printed immediately and locked in the principal's office." He stopped before taking a deep breath, "Just read your books, okay?" He asked and they took their seats without giving him a response.
~~
Gabby, Brume and Nini sat on the grass of the school garden. It was time for recess and the girls were at their spot.
"Does anyone want gum?" Nini asked, holding up a pack of bubble gum. Brume took one from the pack while Gabby shook her head.
"That thing will spoil my teeth abeg. I've been chewing one every day since last week." She said and Nini shrugged. Gabby laid down on the grass using her school jacket as a pillow.
"What do we do about the mock exam?" Brume asked, blowing a big bubble with her gum. Nini sighed, resting her back against the leg of the bench.
"Reading is definitely out of the question." Nini said, throwing another gum inside her mouth.
"Mr Collins said the questions are in the principal's office right?" Gabby asked and they nodded.
"What are you planning?" Brume asked with her eyebrows up. Gabby sighed before sitting back up.
"How hard will it be to steal it from his office?"
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This week shout-out goes to EkehAnita she made the wonderful book cover 💛 and kundab for making the awesome blurbxcover I post on my social handles.
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~Korisa🧡