Chapter 11 (Saint Luke's)
The Police van pulled up at L&J Chicken and Yogurt. Lucia and her family were also witnesses to the incident at the factory. They had tried calling the fire station and the Police at the time of the incident so with the survivor down and Diego pressing the Police they had to be questioned.
"Good day officers" Lucia said
"Good day madam" the investigator responded
"How can we help you?" James asked walking out of the kitchen
"We have some questions to ask about the blast that happened here few days ago" the investigator said
"Oh, ask us anything we saw the incident ourselves" James said
"Well, what we are really concerned about is the high schooler the late survivor mentioned" he said
"Late survivor?" Lucia asked
"Yes, Sheldon Yale. The man who survived the blast died from Respiratory issues the day before yesterday" he said
"But he was fine! We rescued him and the security guard because they weren't inside but by the gate so how could his respiratory tract be blocked when he didn't inhale any smoke?" James asked
"Wait, are you telling me the deceased never inhaled any smoke and was never in the building?" the investigator asked
"Yes" James replied
"Okay, it's too bad he's dead but we are here to know about the high school girl. Did any student pass by here?" The investigator asked
"Perhaps to buy some paper?" He asked
"Yes, my Niece came by here to get some paper" Lucia said. James hit her slightly. He was getting all nervous. They were going after a high schooler and Keres was a high school. One who went into the building.
"Um...., But she isn't a bad person. We guarantee that" Lucia said
"This niece of yours, where are her parents?" He asked
"They all died, even her sister" she said
"Died? Did she perhaps go missing for some time?" He asked
"No. She buried her parents all by herself" James lied seeing where they were headed
"Okay, how can we get in touch with her?" He asked
"We can ask her to come by but it's a Saturday and she has lots if homework to do but you can come tomorrow" Lucia said
"We shall. Thank you again for your time" he said and walked out
"You should never have said that Freddie and Susan died!" James scolded Lucia as the Police officers left
"What was I supposed to do? Lie?" She asked
"Yes. Didn't you read the news? The survivor who they said is dead told the Cops that the school girl he saw said her Mom, Dad and sister died. And you told them Maeve's family died" he said
"What are you saying? That Maeve caused the blast that killed hundreds of workers in the factory? Don't be a comedian" she said and walked to a table clearing the leftovers
"What if she was the one? Mind you, after she got back from the factory the blast happened and she said we should let them burn when we tried to help" He said
"She only said that because she found out Diego Enterprise owned the building and she lost her family because of them. She's just an innocent little girl who was kidnapped when she was ten and lost her parents. I'm so disappointed in you" she said
"Don't you remember what she did before she got kidnapped? We tried to keep it a secret from the rest of the neighborhood but we all know what she did" he insisted
"That's the past. This is the present. She can't do anything like that!" Lucia said and walked away
"Maeve, what are you doing?"
"Keres, your phone's ringing!" Ian called
"Coming!" She said walking out of the bathroom with a towel tied around her head.
"What?" She caught him staring at her belly button
"You're dripping water everywhere" he said looking away
"I'll wipe it off later" she said and picked the call
"Yes?" she asked
"Yes?" The caller asked
"Don't you know who's calling?" He asked
"Look, I don't have the time for this, state your business or get lost" she said about to set the phone down
"It's me" he said
"Who?" She asked
"Nikolay" he said
"Oh, I didn't save your number" she said
"It's Sunday, want to meet up?" He asked
"No" she said
"Why?"
"No reason"
"Come on..."
"Bye" she said and ended the call
"Who was it?" Ian asked
"I thought you were listening in" she said
"Why is Nikolay calling you?" He asked
"You were listening" she said
"Look, if you know a little about that guy you'd hate him forever" he said
"Why don't you share what you know so we can hate him forever? Together" she said
"I'm not joking" he said
"Neither am I" she said
"Is this because I didn't tell you what we talked about at the meeting?" He asked
"Maybe?" She said
"Fine, they're looking for a USB key" he said
"That's it?" She asked after waiting to hear more
"Yes, that's it" he said
"You mean to say that all those time they said they were working they only managed to find out about a USB key?" She asked dumbfounded
"Yes" he said
"Hunter is so funny. He's betting everything on a USB key?" She asked putting on her shoes
"What it contains comes in handy for us and the government. We have to get it before anyone else does" he said
"Well, good luck with that" she said
"Aren't you going to attend the second mass, I attended the first" he said
"I don't believe in God" she said
"But Father John is going to ask why when he doesn't see you there" he said
"Did he see you?" She asked taking off the towel from her head and hanging it on a rope
"Yes" he said
"Well, I'll just tell him that I was with you but he didn't see me" she said and made to walk out
"Where are you going to dressed like that?" he asked
"Lucia's" she said and walked away
"Wait, the last time you went there alone you reeked havoc. I'm going with you" he said picking up his jacket following her
"Whatever" she said as he held her hand. They walked hand in hand outside the church and Nikolay was standing outside the church leaning on his motorcycle apparently waiting for Keres to come out.
"What on earth? I don't like the way he touches her" he said as he mounted on his motorcycle ready to trail them. They hailed a taxi and got inside. After a few minutes drive they arrived at their destination
L&J chicken and yogurt Seriously? L&J?" Ian asked not impressed by whoever named the place
"Shut up and go inside" she said walking ahead of him
Nikolay pulled over at a distance. He planned to wait outside until they came out with who ever it was they were meeting. To him, Sally was always a case to study and until he solved her case he wasn't ready to stop following her about. The only extra thing was the fact that he was beginning to fall for her.
"Hi, Lucia. Give me some!" Keres said bending over a table. She picked up an apple from the floor and wiped it on her shirt before she bit it
"Want some Ian?" She asked
"No, I'm good" he said
"I can't remember when last I had an apple" she said
"Yesterday" Ian said
"Who is he?" Lucia asked
"My friend and room mate. We live in the church" she replied
"Oh, I see" Lucia said
"Good day ma'am" Ian said
"How do you do?" Lucia asked
"Fine ma'am" he said smiling shyly
"So, did you go to church?" Lucia asked
"We live in the church" Keres said sitting on a chair as she continued to eat the apple
"Not that, I mean did you attend the service today?" Lucia asked
"Only Ian did" Keres replied
"Why? Why didn't you go?" Perry asked walking out of the kitchen
"Hey bro" he said on seeing Ian
"What's up?" Ian asked
"Boys" Keres groaned. They would always bond. Unlike girls and their unexplainable jealousy for one another. She was sure if Ian and Perry were girls and Perry seeing Ian looking prettier than him, a word, not even a hello would be said to Ian
"You didn't answer the question Keres" James said as he handed her a glass of yogurt
"What question?" She asked
"You said you didn't go to the service today" he said
"Oh, I don't believe in God" she said nonchalantly
"Since when" Lucia asked
"Since the day my parents died" she said
"Listen to me young lady, from now henceforth you'd go to church with us okay?" Lucia said
"James, tell her she's wasting her time. You know once I set my mind on something nothing can stop me" she said
"You're wasting your time" James said
"Listen to your husband" Perry and Keres sang. Ian smiled at their cuteness. See seemed normal talking to her family.
"Um, Keres you bought some papers from the paper factory right?" James asked. Ian sat up wondering where the topic was headed. He was all like not the paper factory again
"Yeah, but I've used them all. Why?" she asked
"There was a survivor from the blast" Lucia said
"Two survivors. I read the news. Were you guys the one who saved them?" She asked
"Yeah" Perry said
"Wow" she said and drank from the yogurt glass
"But one of them recently died" James said watching her reaction
"Died?!" she spat the yogurt
"But they were fine during the interview that aired on the news" she said feigning ignorance. Ian handed her some tissue to wipe her mouth
"Yes, he died. But during the interview there was something he said about you" James said
"Me?" Keres asked taking the tissue
"Yes, he said you behaved strangely and that you mentioned something about your parents and sister being dead" Lucia said
"Is it true?" James asked
"Ah that! There was another girl who came through the back gate who said that. I wonder if she got out all right" she lied
"Another girl?" Perry asked
"Yeah, I thought our stories were kind of alike and yeah, she used the bathroom"
"I remember he said that in the interview. God, he looked alright then. I wonder how he's family would be taking it" she added looking sad
"Why would you be worried about that?" James asked
"Well, for someone who has gone through something like that I can imagine how they'd feel. Anyway, I don't think the high school student in St. Luke's uniform is responsible" she added drinking from her glass
"St. Luke's uniform? You saw it?" James asked
"Yeah but I didn't get to see her name tag. Too bad" Keres said
"You did well Keres, I'm proud of you" Perry said
"What did I do?" She asked when Ian picked up his phone
"You remembered the uniform the girl wore so when the Police come again we'd..." Perry started
"The Police came? You should have called me Lucia" Keres said
"Why?" Lucia asked
"I could have told them what I know directly" she said
"Oh my sweetie pie, you're so nice" Lucia said touching her cheeks
"When you've suffered for long you won't want anyone to suffer that same way. It's only natural" Keres said acting all sad
Her phone began to ring. It was Ian and it was her cue to end the discussion in anyway possible
"Oh, it's Father John" she said getting the message
"We better get back" She said
"Thanks for coming" Perry said
"No problem" she said and walked out
"See you later ma'am" Ian said and walked out
"Nice move" she said waving the phone at him
"I don't want to say this cause you killed people but I'm proud of you for lying your ass off so smoothly" Ian whispered as they walked on the road
"Liar" he added
"You can talk freely. The Cops are convinced it's not me" she said smiling
"What do you mean Cops?" He asked
"There was a Police man in the kitchen. I saw his shoes" she said
"You saw them?" He asks surprised
"Of course, I'm a well trained Mercenary" she said stopping another taxi as they got to the road
"You're a big liar, but you're good at it" he said
"I know" she said getting inside
"And I was busy getting scared for you" he said
Meanwhile, Nikolay stayed put determined to see who they were meeting. Be it Ian's girlfriend who he always mentioned or sad to say, Keres' own boyfriend. He was determined to see who it was and Lucia walked out of the shop. He was thrown aback. Sally had told him Ian's girlfriend was older that he was but he never imagined her to look like a Grandma.
"Oh my gosh, is that her? She looks like she's around the same age as my Mom. Ian seriously needs mental help" he said. The Police men walked out and began to have a conversation with her
"The Police?" He thought and got down from the motorcycle
"I must listen" he said and raced towards the shop
"This Keres seems to be telling the truth" he heard the Police officer say
"Keres? She isn't Keres?" he thought as he got to them
"Good day ma'am, officers" he said and walked inside
"Welcome to L&J chicken and yogurt!" Perry welcomed him
"Thanks, I need the fourth set" he said looking at their menu
"Coming right up" Perry said and walked in
"Why don't you come in, my wife would take some time" James said beckoning on Nikolay
"Wife? She's he's wife?" he thought
"I'm fine here. Don't plan to stay long" he said standing by the door so he'd hear Lucia's conversation with the Police
"We have to find the identity of the other girl in St. Luke's uniform" the other officer said
"Trust our Keres, she's a nice girl. And anytime you have any question you can ask me so I'd call her" she added
"Thank you ma'am" they said
"Please take these" James said walking out with some packages
"Have them as you drive back" he said
"Thank you" they said accepting it before walking to their car
"Excuse me ma'am" Nikolay said
"Yes?" Lucia asked
"I heard you call a name, Keres. Is that your name?" He asked
"No, I'm Lucia. Keres' the girl who just left" she said
"Oh, the one who was with a guy in a red shirt?" He asked describing Ian
"Yes, you saw them" Lucia said
"Oh, she's got a nice name" Nikolay said
"Are you her Mom? You two look alike" he said
"Really?" Lucia asked
"Don't listen to him, you're ugly and Keres' beautiful" James said and walked inside
"What?!" Lucia exclaimed
"Don't mind him, but I'm her Auntie" she said
"Oh, I see" he said
"Wait let me get your order" she said hurrying inside
Nikolay stood still not believing what he just heard
"Here you go, do come again" Perry said handing him the food bag
Nikolay sat on his bed thinking about what Lucia told him. He couldn't still believe Sally was the Keres Ian kept mentioning and when he asked her she denied it. He knew she was a liar but what it was she was trying to hide by denying her name was a puzzle to him.
"Nikolay, what's this package doing on the dining table?" Stellar asked barging into his room with the food bag from L&J Chicken and Yogurt
"Can't you knock before entering?" He asked
"You're not naked" she said
"What's this?" She asked flinging it in his face
"Want it?" He asked taking it from her
"No, I don't eat road side food and I was just asking because it made the dining room look messy" she said and walked away
"Little brat" he muttered as he torn the bag open and took out a chicken wing and began to eat
"Who exactly is she? Maybe I should ask her myself? Since I caught her she wouldn't lie again"
"No no, she's good at lying. Maybe I'd just go back to the yogurt shop. But tomorrow's school!" He groaned angrily
"Nikolay, your Dad....." Claudia said entering his room
"Mom!"
"Could you guys knock first?!" He demanded
"Forget knocking, how did you get that?" She asked pointing to the chicken wing
"Um, I bought it?"
"But how does it smell this nice?" She asked taking another wing
"It's delicious!" She exclaimed as she ate it
"Who made this?" She asked
"L&J chicken and yogurt" he mumbled
"Can you ask the owner for the recipe?" She asked
"Tomorrow's school" he said
"I could give you a note saying you had to run an errand for me so you can go to school late without getting punished" she said
"Great. Deal!" He said getting up from his bed looking all excited
"You seem like you needed a note to skip school" she said
"What? No, I'm just being an obedient son" he said giving her his dashing smile
"Whatever, let me have one more"
"So Ian, did Hunter tell you guys what the USB key looks like?" Keres asked
"No" Ian said
"Well, if you find out anything make sure to tell me" she said
"Okay" he said
"What are you doing?" She asked crawling on the bed towards him. It was the most seductive sight Ian had ever beheld.
"Don't do that" he said
"Why?" She asked
"You look like a porn star" he said
She slapped his back and kicked him severally with her foot.
"I'm going to tell Father John" she said
"What are you? A nun?" He laughed
"What are you doing?" She asked again
"Drawing" he said
"Wow, draw me" she shrieked
"Take a sexy pose then" he said
"You think I can't?" She asked and gave a funny pose
"You're so bad at this!" He said laughing
After much playing, bickering and fighting, Ian went to bed and snored away like a bricklayer who finished a job meant to be completed in two days within a day. Keres watched him snore away. Not that she found him handsome or was irritated by his snoring noises but because she had work to do. She gave the Police a tip that the high school student the late survivor mentioned attended Saint Luke's High School. She had to search for a scape goat. She took out her laptop and slipped out of the room. Sitting in the hall way, she searched for her potential patsy and found one.
"Sandra Stewart"
"Take the blame for me. Take it"
He tossed and turned about on his bed. He wanted to get to the bottom of the issue quickly because the suspense was killing him. Morning came quickly like he had wished and he made for L&J Chicken and Yogurt. He didn't usually get worked up when it came to other people's business. Infact, he didn't care less but he wanted to find out who Sally really was. He had caught her a lot of times in lots of places where she shouldn't be seen and serious crimes had happened during the times he saw her so finding out what her deal was stood as his concern at that moment.
He took out his hoodie and wore it over his uniform to hide the fact that he attended Delta High and walked into the Chicken shop.
"Good morning ma'am" he said
"Good morning dear. Oh you were here yesterday. Sorry but we aren't open yet" Lucia said
"I know but I was hoping to talk to you real quick" he said
"Okay sure, sit" she said
"So, my Mom loved your chicken wings and she asked to get your recipe and I also want something else" he said
"Wow, no one asks for my recipe. This is surprising so I'll give it to you and what else do you need?" She asked
"The Police officers who were here yesterday why did they come here?" He asked
"Oh, they came here to ask my Niece some questions regarding the blast at the paper factory" she said as she took a sticky note and began to write down the recipe
"Why? Is she involved?" He asked
"She went there to buy some paper so they wanted to ask if she was the one the deceased survivor said was acting weird that day" she said
"Wait, you mean to say that on the day of the blast she was at the factory?" He asked
"Yes, but she clarified everything with them. It was another girl that the survivor was talking about" she said
"Oh, I see" he said
"Here's the recipe, tell your Mom I said thanks for complementing my cooking" she said handing him the recipe
"But why are you curious about the reason the Police was here?" She asked
"Well, I want to be a detective when I graduate, so there" he said
"I see"
"Thanks. I'll get going now" he said and walked out
He just learnt she was at the factory the day of the blast and then the hospital the day Sheldon Yale died. Sally was beginning to seem more suspicious than ever. He made up his mind to confront her at the school. First he saw her at his Father's house, she lied about her name, was at the factory, was at the hospital where someone was murdered. She definitely wasn't clean.
He got to the school and saw Legend and the others standing outside. He searched for Sally but couldn't find her. She was probably running late.
"Hey Nikolay!" Sandra called waving at him
"Hi" he said and began to walk towards them. Legend walked away not wanting to speak to him
"What's going on? Did you two fight?" Frankie asked walking in with Sally and Ian
"Ian!" Emma called
"Are you guys ready for the test?" Sally asked
"Yeah" Oscar and Ray chorused
"Okay, but the ladies didn't reply" she said glancing at them
"See you guys later" Emma said and dragged Sandra with her. Their Queen didn't like her. No need standing so close to her
"What's with them?" Sally asked
"Sally" Nikolay called
"What?" She asked
"Nothing. I just wanted to call your name" he said
"Awkward" she said
"Here" Ian said handing her a bottle of water
"What's that?" She asked
"Can't you tell? Water" he said
"I know. But why are you giving me water when I'm not thirsty?" She asked
"Even if. Don't you know it's good to be hydrated when you want to write an exam? It helps you remember what you read" he said
"But I did read anything. What's there to remember?" She asked
"Just drink it!" He said forcing her to drink some
Tristan ran into the classroom with his eyes wide open one would think he saw a ghost. The school's gossip he was and he had juicy news.
"Guys big news!" He said
"Yeah, more like fake news" Ray said. He was known for spreading false news
"No, it's legit" Tristan insisted
"Let's hear it"
"The survivor of the Diego factory blast was right. The blast was a terror attack or rather an act of wickedness" he said
"What do you mean?" Nikolay asked sitting up. The case he was investigating had a new lead
"Huh? You're talking to me?" Tristan asked surprised
"I asked what you meant" Nikolay demanded
"Oh, the school girl he talked about in his interview before he died goes to St. Luke's High School. Sandra Stewart" Tristan said
"And?" Ian asked looking at Sally who played with her pen
"She was found dead in her house with a suicide note saying she was angry at the world and wanted to take out her frustration on something so she blew up the factory, killed the survivor who talked about her and then finally killed herself" Tristan narrated
"Poor girl" Sally sighed
"That's sad" Emma said
"Who sold her the explosives in the first place?" Legend asked
"Do you think the person would come out? That would be aiding and abetting the crime plus he sold explosives to a teenage girl, of course he'd land in prison so he won't come up"
"No one wants to be the foolish hero these days" Sally said
"Did I ask you?" Legend asked annoyed at her
"No one was answering" Sally said
"Darn it" Legend said facing the wall
"What's her deal?"
Nikolay looked at her seeing what a pure and gentle soul she was. She may have been at the scene of the crimes but it was probably all coincidence. The real culprit was found.
"What?" She asked when she caught him staring
"Nothing. I'm just glad" he said smiling
Legend looked at their direction as she heard Nikolay's voice. He was literally smiling at Sally
"Get up" Ian said. He pulled her up and took her out of the classroom while everyone stared at them
"I wonder what's going on" Frankie said
"What's your problem?" She asked as he dragged her into the basketball court
"My problem? You are!" He shouted
"What's going on here?" Mrs. Peters asked. She followed them as they passed the Teachers room
"They can hear your voices from the Teachers room" she said
"St. Luke's. Keres, what the hell happened?" He asked with a pinched expression
"I don't know" she said
Twelve hours ago, Keres with the aid of a kitchen knife torn Sandra Stewart's window open and hopped inside her room. She took her position on an old smelly couch in the darkness and waited for her return. Soon she was back.
"Man I'm tired" Sandra sighed dragging herself into her room
"Those bitches" she said sitting by her study table. She counted the money she forcefully collected from her school mates
"They sure are lucky to have healthy and wealthy parents, whereas us? We've got nothing. Only fair this happens" she said to her self
"It simply is the law of the jungle" she added
Satisfied with the amount she got up and threw her hands in the air, let her bag fall to the ground and lay on her bed exhausted
"Shouldn't you take off your clothes first?" Keres asked
"Oh my God!" Sandra exclaimed and fell off the bed
"Relax. If you shout I'd be forced to shoot you" Keres said showing Sandra her gun
"Please, don't... kill me" Sandra begged throwing her hands in the air
"I won't kill you" Keres said
"Then what do you want?" Sandra asked
"That money. Where did you get it?" Keres asked
"My school mates gave them to me" Sandra answered
"Really? High schoolers willingly give money to their fellow students? Do you perhaps run a cooperative? That wasn't in your student record" Keres said
"I'd return the money if that's what you want" Sandra said visibly shaken with fear
"I don't care about you taking money from your school mates. If they're foolish enough to let you bully and extort them then that's their loss" Keres said
"Then what do you want?" Sandra asked. Keres liked the sound of the question. She stood up and began parading the tiny room
"Sandra Stewart was a girl who had anger issues. She could punch her fists into the wall at the slightest provocation then one day, she decided to take on the fight to someone else and not just her school mates. She got some explosives" she said
"I never got any explosives. Really, I didn't" Sandra said crying. She thought Keres was a Police officer sent by one of her victims rich Daddy to threaten her.
"She didn't forcefully take the money and food of her school mates but she went on to take lives. At Diego Paper Factory"
"I didn't, I swear" Sandra said
"I won't bully them again, I'll change. Please, don't kill me" she begged going on her knees
"She heard that there was a survivor and he was beginning to inform the Police about her evil doing so she needed to cover up her tracks. She went to the hospital where he was admitted and killed him" Keres continued
"Oh God, I didn't do it" Sandra cried as she felt herself go mad
"And finally like a veil that left her eyes she hated herself for killing those people. Not being able to process the guilt, she killed yet another"
"Herself" Keres concluded
"Oh please....." Sandra cried
"Pretty intriguing, right? I was going to take on Literature, too bad" Keres said
"Please don't kill me" Sandra begged
"Pick up the pen and paper on the desk and write down everything I tell you" Keres said
"Yes! I'll do it" she said and rushed to the desk
After a while they were done
"Can I go now?" Sandra asked still shivering
"I thought you were smart. You just wrote down your suicide note" she said
"What?" Sandra asked
"Here" Keres said throwing a rope at her
"Your ceiling fan looks strong enough"
Sandra looked at her puzzled and afraid
"Your Dad's in the hospital right now, right?" Keres said pulling out an injection from her pocket
"What? How'd you know bout that?" Sandra asked sobbing
"Well, let's just say I'm someone who cares for the people and I, Sandra, I care for your Dad" she answered
"Five mills of this would cause paralysis and ten mills would lead to a major cardiac arrest. With your Father's condition, no one would ever suspect anything" she said
"Please, I'll return the money to the kids. I only took them because it was hard to pay for my Father's hospital bills and then live as a high school student. I was fending for myself and my Dad alone. I was struggling that's why" Sandra cried
"I know" Keres said bending over to her
"That's why I want to help you" she added touching her hair
"How?" Sandra asked
"You kill yourself and I'll take good care of your Father for you. Don't you want your Father to have a happy life? He has been living in pains for twelve years since that accident. I think it's time he rested" Keres said
"Your life for your Father's" she concluded
"Anyway, if you don't kill yourself I'll kill you either way and also kill your Father" she added
"Do you promise to take care of him?" Sandra asked sobbing
"I promise" Keres said swearing
"What do you want me to do then" she asked. Keres smiled sweetly. In a few minutes, Sandra Stewart was hanging by a rope tied to her ceiling fan
"That's what happened" she said recounting the event
"Keres, how could you? She was innocent" Ian said with his hands in his hair. He couldn't believe she could force someone into taking their own life.
"No she wasn't. She bullied her school mates and they couldn't go to school because of her. They were literally terrified. Sandra Stewart did drugs and had a criminal record already for throwing diluted acid on her desk buddy at school so I practically did her school mates a favor" she said
"You murdered a girl and you say you did them a favor?" Mrs. Peters asked
"I didn't murder her. She committed suicide. Please be careful what you say" she said
"You forced her into committing suicide!" Ian yelled
"And did you take care of her Father like you promised?" Mrs. Peters asked
"Indeed. The man's already dead. He died the next day, I didn't even have to do it" she answered
"Keres!" Ian yelled
"Stop yelling!" She was getting annoyed
"I told you already, didn't I? I'll kill anyone even you just to cover up my tracks until I get what I want" she said and walked out. She angrily stumped her foot all the way to the locker room and punched Ian's locker.
"Godforsaken bastard!" She yelled
"Are you okay?" Nikolay asked walking up to her
"How did you get here?" she asked
"I followed you" he said
"Since when?" She asked. She was going to have to kill him if he heard her argument with Ian and Mrs. Peters.
"When I saw you leave the basketball court" he answered
"Oh" she said looking away. Nikolay thought she must have her reason to hide her name and decided not to ask her why she was Keres.
"Let's get back in. The test would begin soon" he said
They walked back to the classroom just before the Teacher handed out the test scripts
"Good luck" she told them and set the timer
Legend began to answer all the questions smiling to herself. All her reading paid off. Ray and Oscar on the other hand were peeking into Ian's answer sheet trying to write down his answers
"Ian" Oscar whispered from behind
"Hmm" Ian answered
"Move your finger to the left. A little more. Okay, that's good" he said
Sally had her head on the desk and began to doodle on her answer sheet
"What are you doing?" Nikolay asked surprised
"What does it look like?" She asked
"Come on, look into my work" he said thinking she didn't know the answers
"Seriously?" She asked
"Yeah, come on" he said
"You're dumber than I thought. You got question four wrong. It's option C and not E" she said peeking in
"Huh? How would you know that? You aren't even taking the test" he said
"I'm not taking the test because I don't want to and not because I don't know what to write" she said
"You'll fail the test" he said
"Worry about yourself" she said and continued doodling
Legend finished on time and raised her head to look around for who else was done. She saw Nikolay telling Sally to look into his work. She was annoyed and surprised at the same time. Ian too was done with his questions and dropped his pen along with Oscar and Ray who copied everything from him except his name
"Look what Sally's doing" Oscar whispered to Ian
"Tell her to start writing, the time is almost up" Ray said
Ian stretched out his legs and kicked the bottom of Sally's seat
"Hey" he half yelled
She ignored him
"Nikolay, tell Sally to start writing" he said
"I did but she refused" Nikolay whispered back
"Darn this girl" Ian muttered
"Take her sheet and write on it" Ian suggested
"It is completely ruined. She doodled on it" Nikolay said
"Nikolay Diego, Ian West stand up!" The Teacher said
Everyone turned towards their direction. They were caught talking during the test. Big offense at Delta High.
"Yes ma'am" they said and stood up
"I told you to worry about yourself. You never listen" Sally said and closed her eyes
"Sally Hall, this is an examination hall and not a bedroom. Sit up!" The Teacher ordered
Sally acted like she didn't hear her and continued lying on the desk
"Ma'am she's not feeling well" Nikolay said trying to cover up for her
"Well she was fine this morning" Legend said getting annoyed
"Who's that brat?" Sally asked raising her head
"Sally Hall no cursing" the Teacher warned
"Just shut the fuck up" she muttered
"What did you say?" The Teacher asked
"Oh, I said yes ma'am" she said and laid back on the desk. After a few minutes the test was over
"Submit your test scripts" the Teacher said. Sally got up immediately and submitted her empty script
"What? You didn't write a single thing" the Teacher said
"Ah, those are my answers" she said pointing to the drawings and walked back to her desk
"Sally's going to fail this test" Sandra said
"Good" Legend said
"What's up with you? You're becoming bitchy" Emma said
"Nikolay made me this way" Legend submitted hers and walked back to her desk
"Sally, you're going to fail this test" Ray said
"Okay" she said
"Okay? That's it?" Ray asked
"What else should I say?" She asked
"Ah! I'm so hungry right now" she said getting up
"What are you guys doing? Let's go have lunch" she said
"Lunch by 9.00am?" Oscar asked
"Are you sure she isn't losing it?" Ray whispered to Ian
"She has already lost it" Ian said
"Come on" she said and walked outside. She stood in front of the bell alarm and pressed the red button
"Lunch time" it announced through the speakers. The students walked out of their classes wondering why they were having lunch at nine in the morning.
"Let's eat!"