Chapter 8: The Questioning.

Ekaiteh and I stood at attention in Dogonyaro's office watching a playback of Ebube's acts on the computer monitor on Dogonyaro's desk.

It annoyed me how they recorded everything. The entire incident between Ebube and me played out, the audio and video was as clear as if we were watching it

live.

How were they able to pick up on our voices? I never knew those Cams pick voices too.

I cringed at the part where I told Ebube all about myself. I never wanted Ekaiteh in on my life story .

When the playback ended, Dogonyaro sat forward in his chair and looked between the two of us.

Since Dogonyaro wouldn't speak, I decided that I would. "Why did you people shot Ebube with that injection?....... What are you going to do to him?"

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about what I'm going to do to you?" Dr. Dogonyaro asked.

Standing beside me, I heard Ekaiteh's breath catch. As if frightened or something.

Dr. Dogonyaro looked at her. "Being Phood's first day, you should have let him sit with you, informed him about some of our more violent students. You should have warned Phood about Ebube's touch phobia. Your inattentiveness to this matter calls into question weather you're still qualified as a mentor."

Touch phobia? I never knew such a thing existed.

"Sorry, sir," Ekaiteh said in a meek tone. "It was a lapse on my part Sir, and it will not happen again."

Dogonyaro turned his attention back to me. "And you. Explain yourself."

I shrugged.

"I had no place else to sit and Ebube looked like he needed a company." I said plainly.

"Do you always impose yourself on people who look like they need a friend?" he asked.

Following Ekaiteh's lead about being meek, I lowered my head also.

"I don't know. But, sir, I don't understand something. How does Ebube get to and

from the academy? Obviously, he can't take the public bus. People are always bumping into each other and touching"

"Not everyone takes the public bus," Dogonyaro said and continued. "Ebube's

Stepmother drives him to and fro."

I hadn't considered that. I see.

Dogonyaro stroked his chin. "Phood, your attitude interests me. Relive the moment in your mind and tell me, what motivated you to want to lighten Ebube's mood?"

Was he freaking kidding me?

Here he comes again with the what motivates me crap.

"I suppose because he didn't

even try to do his math quiz. Something obviously bothered him. I knew he was sad about something"

"So what?" Dogonyaro said. "Why did that concern you?"

How could I get it through Dogonyaro's thick skull that I just wanted to help the boy?

At this point I was pissed off. In a peevish tone I said, "Look Sir, I already told you my mind."

Ekaiteh nudged me in the side and mumbled,

"Watch your mouth pupil, have you forgotten you're speaking with the school Director?"

"Let him be. Let him speak his mind" Dogonyaro said calmly tilting his face to Ekaiteh. Then to me he pressed on. "Think, Phood, something provoked you to take that action. What was that root cause? That's what I need you to bring to the surface. So, I ask you again. What was your motivation?"

Playing back the scene in my mind, I imagined Ayo's face superimposed over Ebube's.

"My little brother gets depressed sometimes. When that happens, I always have to talk him up. I guess Ebube reminded me of my brother"

Dogonyaro relaxed his posture. "That wasn't so difficult was it? A base motivation exists behind every action. Gaining an understanding of what motivates you is the first step toward mastering yourself. Understanding what motivates your

opponents is the first step toward mastering them, their strength and weak point."

Opponents? Strength and weak points? He's getting me more confused.

"What do you mean by that Sir?"

"I mean that compassion is an integral part of your personality. It's a tool that you use to make friends. People who mean to do you harm, however, could use your compassion against you."

His explanation sounded more like a riddled answer than an actual answer. I just let it be because I was already tired of standing.

Ekaiteh and I continued standing at attention while Dogonyaro stared at the wall behind us as if concentrating on something.

"May we go, sir?" Ekaiteh asked.

"No, you may not," Dogonyaro replied. Then he addressed me. "Ebube's phobia has led him to do things that have gotten him into series of trouble. That's why he's here. He could never thrive in a public school. I'm not at liberty to discuss his case with you, but what I can tell you is that Ebube copes by erecting an impenetrable firewall, refusing to let anyone in. What I saw in that playback interests me. He accepted to use your straw. You got through to him."

"I just spoke with him. That's all. Treated him with respect."

"You told him about how you ended up here. By doing so, you opened up, made you vulnerable in Ebube's eyes. Which Built a level of instant trust."

I didn't know how to respond, so I stayed silent.

"I have an assignment for the two of you," Dogonyaro said. "Let's see if Phood can make further progress with Ebube. That boy is within a hair width of going haywire. Phood, I want you to continue sitting

with him at lunch."

"Sir, what do you want me to do

besides sit with him? What if I do something else that make him spark?" I asked.

"Just act yourself, but don't touch him. Not under any circumstances. Pretend as if nothing happened today. See if you can regain his trust and get through to him again."

Dogonyaro turned to Ekaiteh. "I want you to monitor from a distance how Ebube reacts to Phood. If it appears as if Ebube is about to enter a red zone, then intervene and get Phood away from him, just like you did today."

Sir, with due respect, I'm Phood's mentor, not his babysitter"

Dogonyaro's eyelid twitched, but he kept his voice level.

"A mentor who wishes to hold on to all of her diamonds, right?"

Ekaiteh's face turned to stone. "Yes, sir"

Dogonyaro glared at Ekaiteh. "I've already noted your deficiency regarding the matter. I'll deal with you in my own way later."

He turned to me and softened his gaze.

"There's a lot more to Ebube than what meets the eye. He is extremely intelligent, and gifted, and our duty is to help him properly channel that intelligence and gifts."

He paused for a moment and got to his feet.

"Now, you may leave. You're already late for afternoon classes."

Ekaiteh and I left Dogonyaro's office together. She walked with me towards my next class but slowed when we entered the stairway. She blocked my way and said,

"No cameras here on the stairs. It's a blind

spot."

"So, what?"

"I could beat the hell out of you here and nobody would see it."

She probably could, but she was also getting on my nerves.

"Go ahead. You'll lose those valued diamonds on your breast" I tempered.

I expected her to wrap her fists and dash it at me. But instead, she said,

"You made me look really stupid today in a very long time."

"No. You did that to yourself"

Grabbing my arm in a claw grip, she said, "You want to know how I ended up here?"

I didn't respond, figuring that she was going to tell me anyway.

"At age 15, I single handedly knock out an unarmed police man with my fist ripped off his pair of shoes and remove his ranks insignal."

That made sense to me. She's really a thug.

"Yeah, well, that's too bad and tough of you" I said.

She squinted.

"One of my friends asked me if she could borrow those shoes and rank insignal for a drama in her school. I said no.

She got all in a snit and reported me to the police."

I leaned away from her. The intensity of her stare was like someone who just smoke Shesha. It made me nervous.

"That's not all of it." Ekaiteh's voice got low and cold. That girl was really pretty, real queen pretty."

"Uh huh."

"But She isn't pretty anymore, I personally made sure they stitched her face in two places a day after I was bailed. So, her stitched face landed me here. "

My imagination ran wild.

So, her crime had been much more serious than knocking a police man out.

Ekaiteh sneered. "So mind the way you double crossess me pupil. I'm not a person who easily forgives and forgets. Someday, when you least expecting it, I'll strike you! "

" Is that a threat?" I asked. But she trotted up the stairs angrily without a word.