Ayra Starr- Rush
The night was already in a turmoil as the cops kept questioning both house mistresses and conscious victims. Faye had a nosebleed and Veronica had to be driven to the school clinic for treatment. Heather had to be transferred to the general hospital for stitches, fortunately it was a flesh wound but it hurt like hell.
Healenore begun to cough up blood upon gaining consciousness and the paramedics insisted Ashanti and Ciarra be on oxygen for at least an hour before running tests on them.
The two house mistresses were beyond petrified. They couldn't really decipher what had gone wrong and they were at a loss for words as the questions flowed. Mrs Asare couldn't sleep that entire night, her eyes were opened the entire night as she tried to connect the dots. Ms Bella pulled Praise aside, she had promised to keep her session with Praise confidential but now her car had been found on the crime scene and this was asking more questions. The police wanted to know who owned the car Velar used in transporting her victims.
" I thought I told you to tell your parents about everything so they help you return the car to the man!"
" I was scared, I haven't done that. I'm sorry." Praise apologizes.
" But Praise, you can't keep it here. You'll be graduating soon, what do you plan to do with it?" Ms Bella asked.
" I don't know, I really don't know."
" And it looks like this is not the first time it has been moved. You've been driving it around?"
" No, the girls have. Some of them are still going out of campus." Praise discloses.
" And you are aiding them by keeping a car for them. I know you know what the right thing is, so please do it because the next time I am asked who that car belongs to, I will not be covering up for you."
" Yes Ms Bella." Praise answered.
" Now go to bed."
The dorms were all as alive as daytime. Most people because of their seemingly unforgettable experience at Ignite, and for the others because they had been filled with trepidation from the happenings of the night.
Dorm 1 Sey for the first time was almost empty as most of their freshmen had been detained at the school's clinic. They could count at least fifteen empty beds including Velar's. The rest just couldn't sleep. At 2am Kelinam got up.
" Guys, I think we should check up on them." She says.
" But no one is allowed out of the house after everything." Candace reminds her.
As if on cue, Anita walked into the room.
" Relax, we really messed up guys and we're all going to be in big trouble after today." She announced.
" Where are all the freshmen?"
Joy scoffed, " Haven't you heard? Efua's an undercover detective."
" Right, other than that, Heather is in the hospital for some sort of surgery, Ashanti and Ciarra are being detained, more tests are being run on Sarah, Veronica and Mae. Faye's father ordered them to send her home right away. Healenore is on oxygen again. Kweiba is being questioned. It's horrible out there."
" What exactly was in the cave?" Sabina asked.
" Turns out Velar has been holding some girls hostage and has been using them as lab rats running tests on them. They found test tubes, syringes and sample bags at the crime scene. She wasn't working alone." Anita says in a frustrated voice.
" What?!" They all exclaimed.
" Yeah, Regina, Ruth, Genevieve and Hafiz were included."
" Genevieve?" Zak wondered.
" Surprising huh?" Anita chuckled humorlessly.
" There were other girls unconscious from other dorms including Temitokpe, Wohalay, Amina and Henrietta, all freshmen." Anita discloses.
" They are still deliberating on what to do with the group. I thought some of you were aware of this aren't a couple of you still in that sorority?" Anita points the question at Wathoni and Beullah.
Wathoni rolled her eyes, " It broke up the night after Ink It. Genevieve and Maryanne had a big fight that tried to push everyone apart."
" A fight about what?" Naa Djormo asked.
Wathoni and Beullah shared a look.
" Secret I guess." Lartifa remarks snidely with an eye roll.
" There was an eighth foot tigress." Anita announced.
Everyone sat up in their beds.
" The tigress is real?" Vera asked.
" I thought you guys probably knew it was." Anita says.
" It was only a symbol. I never knew there was a real one." Joy says perplexed.
" Get some sleep, there's a PTA meeting tomorrow morning. I feel bad for Ms Bella and Mrs Asare, they're both going to be in hell with the freshmen's parents." Anita stiffles a yawn walking back to her cabin.
Kobby refused to leave the school clinic until Ciarra was better and was allowed to go back to the dorm. Ashanti, Sarah and Ciarra arrived at the dorm at 3am. Kweiba was the only freshman in bed.
Trouble was looming the next day.
The bell rung at 7am that morning instead of the usual 4am. The girls were exhausted from the previous night, still they got up to work especially the seniors who were still under punishment. Anita felt stressed out so Ashanti and Ciarra offered to help her and Sabina with their chores.
They had been assigned to clean Canticle house, three dorms upstairs and it's bathrooms and knowing boys, they were in for a serious job.
The boys were almost out of the house when they arrived with their mop buckets and scrubbing brushes. Some of them were trying to do some work to help the girls.
" They clean half the place for you guys?" Ciarra asked.
" Canticles boys are really sweet like that. You should see what Vera and Kelinam are going through in Leviticus. The boys left them to do all the work!" Sabina snickered.
Someone waved from afar. It was Ciarra's first time in an all boys house so everything was new to her. She waved back at him. It was Louis, a senior from her alma mater.
" What are you doing here?" He asked when he drew closer.
" You know him?" Anita asked.
" Yeah, we went to the same junior high, he was a senior."
" Oh that's nice."
" I've tried to talk to you so many times but you seem to move with at least nine other girls, and I'm too shy to say hello." He grins getting Ciarra to laugh.
" You're a senior, how can you feel intimidated?"
" Yeah seriously, I mean all of them are just a bunch of airheads." Sabina smiled.
" No we're not, maybe Kweiba and Faye and a few more of them." Ashanti refutes but realizes Sabina might be right.
" Come on." He gestures at them then suddenly a loud bass voice calls out.
" Nana Akwan!!!!" Literally meaning King's Way.
" Obrefo Nantew!" All the boys around suddenly stopped whatever they were doing and called out, " Nantew, Nantew Brebreow!!"
The voice called again and everyone responded the same way again, the freshmen were confused.
" Shaker is about passing, he's the lord of the house so all freshmen go down on their knees and all Juniors and Seniors bow their heads. But you girls aren't included, it's a guy thing." Louis tells them.
" Great." Ciarra sighs, she looked around and could count at least twenty boys on their knees with their heads bowedaa, obviously freshmen. The rest had their head bowed as they cleared a path for Ezra and Isaac still spotting the bald haircut.
He saw them and smiled walking towards them.
" Look who's here?" He beamed, " Where's Heather?"
" She's not feeling too well." Ashanti tells him.
" Oh really, is she at the school clinic?" He asked concern lacing his tone.
" No, the general hospital, but don't worry, she's getting better." Ciarra assures him.
The rest of the school still didn't know about what had ensued the previous night since most of them were still at Ignite the entire night. Some dorms in Manhattan house didn't even know.
" Alright, I had the boys clean up so you won't be doing much. Just do what you can do." Isaac assures them.
" Thank you." Anita appreciates.
Ciarra noticed everyone was in the same position throughout his conversation, even Louis.
" That boy of yours is really getting on my nerves, I told him to go get me my necktie and he never returned." Ezra smiled maniacally, " Nana Kwabena Johnson!!"
He called and the entire house echoed.
A faint voice came from upstairs," Shaker!"
" Nana Kwabena Johnson the fifth!" Ezra called again.
" Nana." The voice responded again, this time it was closer and Kobby came descending the stairs two at a time with a necktie in hand.
" I couldn't find yours so I went for mine." Kobby tells him.
" I can't use yours dude, people are going to think I bullied you for it. Now run along." Ezra sighs and Kobby waved at the girls before exiting the house.
As soon as Ezra exited the house everyone returns to what they were doing. Soon everyone left the house and Anita led the way upstairs where they divided themselves up, Ciarra and Anita had to clean the east wing bathrooms whiles Ashanti and Sabina took the west.
It felt so surreal to be in a boys bathroom, it reeked as expected which made the nose masks they brought along quite handy. On the painted walls were various drawings and inscriptions it was so weird until Ashanti saw her name on the wall in blue ink with a red heart dotting the I.
" No way, what's my name doing here?" She asked Sabina who was bleaching up the toilet.
" The average teenage boy is a pervert so you have no idea what he was thinking or doing when he drew that." Sabina says blatantly, " Pass me the toilet brush."
Ashanti was disgusted at the thought as she handed the brush to her and took a better look at the place. She wasn't the only name on the wall, there was a drawing she recognized as Fikile immediately, but she was in a bikini. None of them have been in bikinis so how did they draw this? What Sabina said hit her again and she shuddered.
" Look at you!" Sabina couldn't help but laugh, " You should see what they have on Chelsea in the East Wing bathroom."
" If it makes you so uncomfortable, why don't you go sweep the hallways instead."
Ashanti willingly agreed to that.
Ciarra and Anita cleaned up the bathroom of the boys and proceeded to sweeping their dorms. Dorm 3 was quite large, that was Kobby's dorm and she saw his name on the bunk bed neatly made. After that, they were done because Ezra had the boys clean up the compound, gutters and to take out the trash.
They returned back to Manhattan house to shower and prepare for breakfast then Sunday's worship.
In Miami house, Rebecca could barely do anything. She was in pain but it couldn't be read in her expression as she finished her chores.
" I can't believe we are saying goodbye to all these bedbugs by tonight." Amanda, her bunk mate says as she scrubbed the bathroom floors , " Oooh, how was your date with Berkeley?"
" Oh come on...I mean he's nice but- Not your type." Amanda laughed as Rebecca attempts to explain.
Rebecca nods, " Hey did you see Zuriah last night, I was too busy at the DJ booth to search for her."
" Oh, she was with that lousy boyfriend of hers but he led her home before it was even 12 a.m. I'm sure he did that just so he could go hanging around with other girls." Amanda rolls her eyes in exasperation.
" I've tried to tell Zuriah but she's been with him for so long that she's been blinded by him." Rebecca explains rinsing the bathroom walls with water, " I've not really been myself this semester, hopefully next semester, I'll let her see the fraud Leny is."
" How are you going to do that?" Amanda asked scrubbing the terrazzo floors, " And what do you mean by you've not been yourself? When you first came you wouldn't do any chores, you talk back to teachers and house mistresses, even the seniors don't bother sending you on errands. What else haven't you done to prove that you are above the law? If that is not the real you then I'm wondering what you will be doing when you are yourself."
" Let's wait till next semester." Rebecca says with a cunning smile.
She enjoyed acting out because she wanted to do anything possible to get her aunt to take her out of the boarding school.
" Are you sure you'll be okay being the only first-year student sleeping here tonight?" Amanda asked concerned.
" My aunt doesn't care about stuff like parent-teacher meetings, to avoid it she will come pick me tomorrow so don't worry."
" I hope I hear big news from you next year." Amanda stops and says ecstatically.
" Oh you will." Rebecca assures her with a mischievous smile.
During breakfast, before worship a strange rumor had already begun to spread in on all the tables and because students from different houses and classes sat at one table, the news spread faster. Two students had done it in the holiest place in the school, the chapel. Contraceptive wrappers had been found on one of the pews, probably used, almost everyone's eyes fell on Ashanti and Zaron.
At Ashanti's table nobody had spoken to her, which was weird it was like she was being given the silent treatment so she couldn't even eat her favorite meal rice pudding. Frustrated by the glances and whispering, she got up and walked to Ciarra's table.
" Why's everyone staring at me?" She whispered to Ciarra.
" Haven't you heard? Someone has a picture of you and Zaron sneaking into the chapel last night. Condom wrappers were swept out of the chapel this morning... everyone thinks it was you two."
Ashanti suddenly felt itchy and antsy all over.
Zaron's table being a majority of boys told him everything. Boys don't hide stuff like that. Zaron asked why they'd think it was him and they told him Densu claimed he saw them walk out if the chapel last night.
When dinning was over and people were walking towards the chapel, Ashanti decided to listen on to conversations and she finally caught on to what exactly was going on. She gasped and was shaken to the core when a hand tapped her on the shoulder, she turned to meet the dark brown eyes of Adam neatly dressed in a short sleeve shirt with the over black pants and black slip-ons. Her words were stuck in her throat.
" Relax, I know it's just a rumor." Adam grins, " Come sit with me."
" Right." Ashanti nods relieved.
Since today was the last day of worship it wasn't required for Ashanti to be at the door post. The Reverend stood behind the pulpit and ushers in the praises and worship. As everyone rose to sing from the school's hymnal, Ashanti buried her face in Adams shirt to hide herself from all stares.
Anita walked up to the 37th pew where Zaron was seated at the edge with Ashanti and asked him how she was taking it. The rumors combined with what they had experienced the previous night was really putting Ashanti's endurance to the test, but she had the most supportive school parents, Anita and Baby. Reverend Darko's sermon after that was more salt to the injury as he rebuked all immoral students on campus, directing all the points at the duo who snuck into the chapel.
On that note he announced the closing song to be sung by Chronicles house choir. The boys were neatly dressed up in their Sunday attire as Zaron proceeded to play the song he had just rehearsed the previous night. The moderate time signature Zaron chose allowed the choir to reach out to the hearts of everyone so they could all reflect on the semester, all they've gone through, what they had gained and lessons they had learned. God's grace upon them his love and patience and his undeserved kindness shown to us by offering his son as sacrifice for our gain. Some I'm also thought about how hard their family lives where and how they were facing the stormy winds coming their way with his all-powerful help.
Even the Reverend was impressed as he ended the song because he was wondering how someone who had committed a grievous sin the previous night could play with so much passion and joy. An applause resounded lightly through the place.
The chapel prefect assumes her role by giving the final sermon for the semester and invited Principal Yankee for her final address to the students.
" Great Nelson!" She called out and everyone responds with the school's motto, " Animus formidabilem terre" meaning, ' The mind is a terrible thing to waste.'
" Well you don't get to see me this excited every day so if I am you should know I am proud of something you have done." She pauses briefly and reaches out for a sheet from her binder, " This semester has not only been successful but fruitful indeed. I am going to mention all competitions and programs we embarked on and our successes in each. We had the charity event with the Dance club, this year's theme was Voice for the Muted, we had the debaters club at first position amongst five schools of the district, the school's basketball team won as a new trophy for our trophy case in October and we came third place in the junior Science and Maths quiz, wonderful isn't it?, but we have to back up so we make it to the first position next time. All music and dance showcases were amazing but we would like more freshman in it so I can encourage all first years to consider it next semester. Unfortunately, though dramafest has been postponed to next semester. At talent shows and inter-house competition shows for the freshman has also proved successful by socializing all of you didn't you enjoy it?"
The applause said it all.
" Okay I'm guessing that's a yes, it's been a fun semester if you ask me. Well next semester, we are to have our annual speech and prize-giving day, music and dance festival, a senior science and Math quiz, our first inter-school sports and games for the school ye..." She wasn't even done saying it when the entire room erupted in jeers and conversations.
Everyone loved interschool competitions, especially sporting ones because everyone on campus was mandated to leave campus for the stadium. The protocol prefects performed their role by quieting everyone down. Manhattan house girls sadly were not in a very exciting mood today, nothing Principal Yankee said excited them, their part of the pews was oddly silent.
" We'll also be having our prestigious Have A Heart Day, Ghana Month and Old School Night, so please come along with your costumes, remember the winning houses get prizes." She finished her list and closed her binder, " I am happy for you but to tell you the truth, some of you really disappointed me and the entire school this semester. We identified a group of students who have been making use of drugs on campus. From alcohol to weed to the hard drugs like morphine and hydrocodone. The board will be discussing what to do with such students. I'm afraid the majority will have to be expelled."
The place grew eerily silent, you could hear a pin drop.
" Also, all Manhattan house girls should stay behind after the close of worship." Everyone wondered what those drama queens had done this time, " Great Nelson!!" She calls and the response wasn't as cheerful as the first.
After worship everyone was sent away leaving all Manhattan girls. They say far from each other instead of gathered.
Ms. Bella walked in looking as beautiful as always in her simple blue dress and a pair of black flats, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
" Come closer girls, let's all get into one group." She says, they all hesitantly sat in one section of the chapel so she could address them.
The remainder of Dorm 1 Sey freshmen sat next to each other on the same pew.
" So, as some of you might have already heard, some of your friends are in big trouble. I won't hide anything from you, but your house prefect and a couple of her friends were making and testing out drugs on their friends and some of these tests ended hazardously." Ms Bella begun,
" Extreme hallucinations that was going to be very visible to anyone with eyes, so they tied them up and dumped them in the cave by the lake using a car they had on campus. Chelsea, I hear you keep your car keys on you at all times. Praise hides hers somewhere so Velar got hold of it quite easily. Chelsea?" Ms. Bella extended her hand.
Chelsea stared with uncertainty for a good five seconds before digging into her purse to retrieve the keys to her Creta. She got out of her seat and walked over to Ms. Bella giving her the keys.
" You girls know vehicles owned by students aren't allowed on campus and I doubt any of you are of age to drive."
" But people in America drive by age sixteen." Maryanne defends.
" I know that, but this is Ghana, our legal age is eighteen. You bring all these stuff to campus and your friends get a hold of it and make a mess. Effective tomorrow all the basements are going to be sealed up with concrete walls so there is no outlet from campus but the main gate."
That hit them like a bomb, that meant no late-night partying, no out of campus programs, no staying back late after Ink It.
" We should have done that long ago after the pageant scandal." Ms Bella sighed, "Talking about the pageant, one of the hostages in the cave has been identified as Soraya Mumuni after her blood tests were matched with those on the school's database."
Everyone's expression screamed trepidation. If Soraya was back then a couple more of them were going to be in bigger trouble than Velar was in, they'd be five feet under.
" Sadly it seems she's lost most of her memories and has developed feral traits due to several injections of unidentified chemicals into her body. The amount of oxygen reaching her brain is being choked out by these medications. These drugs were concocted by your own house mates who used an orphan like Soraya as a Lab rat."
They were relieved but felt guilty by their relief because the only reason why Soraya won't be a tattle-tale was because she was now non compos mentis which was their fault.
" The poor girl has no family to even sign her hospital documents, we had to reach out to Manhattan house alumni to consider footing the bill for her treatment which commences tomorrow." Ms Bella almost cried, " The police are starting to doubt Melanie is also missing. They think some of you might know where she is so if you do, please don't hesitate to let us know before it is too late."
Ashanti and Ciarra shared a look.
" Girls, if this gets out of hand, we face the house getting shut down which will affect the entire school so act wisely." She warns them, " Okay young ladies we have come to the end of yet another semester and as our principal stated earlier it was all successful." Ms Bella continues, " I like the hard work you put into the house this semester and to the freshman for taking the third places in the inter-house competition. It has been a long time since we got that position."
" Hopefully next semester, there will be a dorm challenge in singing and dancing, our old students' association promised us a couple of brand-new windows to replace the gaps in our windows so by next semester we will be having fewer mosquitoes." She tries to light up the mood, " By January next semester the harmattan season would have intensified here on the mountainside and there will be a lot of dryness so please come along with warm prescribed clothing and lip glosses and body lotions that can withstand the dryness preferably Vaseline or shea butter. I also want to remind those of you with overgrown hair to get prescribed haircuts by next semester because I noticed you girls took advantage of the Grace period given the freshman to also break rules. Things will be different next semester. If you don't get appropriate haircuts, you'll be 'depunked'"
" Also, this is to those of you who want to get laid during the holidays. You have to use a contraceptive." As soon as the words were out of her mouth people began to whisper to each other, was Ms Bella finally giving them the go ahead?, " Buh-buh-but. Silence please...Well when I said a contraceptive, I meant the best kind ever. We Manhattan house girls take things a notch higher, we are not cheap, slutty girls. No girl will be graduating this school as a useless girl, I can assure you that. Because believe me girls...you have very powerful minds as girls and the moment you allow a man or a boy to get under your skin or sleep with you, you lose that sense of pride and drive. You start to feel like nothing. Do you know the contraceptive I'm talking about now?"
They remained silent in deep thought.
" Only a chaste mind can conjure it up...it's the wedding ring. Until you find that one man you can respect and who will love you for whoever you are and everything you are... don't allow any boy or man to have you. Remember, in this life the swift don't win the race but the cautious do. Did I make myself clear?"
" Yes Ms Bella." They all drawled.
" You're dismissed, all dorm 1 Sey freshmen stay behind."
All the girls soon exited having tête-a-têtes with each other.
" Okay, Dorm 1 Sey freshmen." Ms Bella sighs drawing closer to them at the back.
" Ashanti, how are you feeling?"
" You mean after being almost drowned last night?" Ashanti asked, " Peachy. "
" It must have been very scary having to fight Velar. Also, the scandal I'm hearing must be weighing you down too."
" Yeah, it is, my grandma is probably going to murder me this break. Please tell her I am very obedient, it might reduce my punishment." Ashanti whispered the last part.
" Don't worry." Ms Bella grinned, " You might be wondering why Mrs Asare isn't handling this meeting, well, most of your parents are blowing her ear off with their calls. Faye was taken home by an ambulance, Sarah's mom is really pissed about how her daughter got her neck in a fender bender, Ciarra your Dad almost sued the entire school upon the news. Wohalay's parents are mortified, they are on their way to the hospital, Mae's parents plan on taking her home immediately. Heather's family are doubting the competency of this school, their girl was shot."
" That must be chaotic." Kweiba sympathizes.
" To top it all off, today is the PTA meeting. It's going to be a disaster. " Ms Bella envisioned, " Anyway Kweiba, your parents seemed unphased about the developments. They are the only people who haven't called in and I doubt they haven't heard what's going on because everyone has heard bits and pieces about it."
" They would have even preferred I was drowned like Ashanti or shot at like Heather." Kweiba says to no one in particular.
" What?, they are your parents!"
" Ms Bella I'm an orphan, they don't really care, I was kind of like one more kid to add up to the picture perfect family." Kweiba retorts.
" Slow down Kweiba, you know Velar was an orphan too right?" Ms Bella asked and they all looked astounded at the news, " Yeah, who knows, it was probably thoughts like these that led her to those horrible decisions. Never think you're alone, you're not. And though it might look as if they don't like you, deep down they care about you."
Kweiba scoffed and Ms Bella sighed.
" The school board met this morning and thought it best to allow the police question some of you about the happenings in the house. They started with dorm 5, still nothing. They have sworn themselves to secrecy and this is hindering investigations since you all will be going home today. We need as much information as possible to help the girls trapped as hostages, we need to find Melanie and this attitude isn't helping. Dorm 1 Cortes freshmen are the last to be questioned. Only a few of you are present so we are obliged to work with that, but if you keep withholding information, calling the fifth amendment, requesting for attorneys before speaking or blatantly lying like most of your house mates did, you hurt not only your friends but yourselves in the long run because the dangerous ones will continue to lurk around."
" Ms Bella." Ciarra called, " We're under oath not to disclose exclusive intel about the happenings in the dorm or snitching in general."
" If one of you had snitched earlier, Heather wouldn't have been shot, Ashanti wouldn't have been drowned, Sarah will be fine, Kweiba, Faye, Healenore and Veronica wouldn't have been drugged, and Ciarra, you wouldn't have been mugged. "
They thought through on it and realized how right she was.
" So please think wisely as you answer their questions." Ms Bella tells them, " You're dismissed."
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