Chapter 7

The remaining members of the marine T kingdom were not happy over what happened in the school and the role Esther played. They consequently convened a meeting at midnight to discuss what happened to their members and the way forward. They singled out Esther as being the tool that was used to rob them of their members. They saw her as a threat to their kingdom and so they had to do something about her.

"I think the first step is for some of us to join the singing group and cause confusion there before she grooms other anointed singers," Isabel suggested.

"I support what Isabel suggested. By doing so, we shall scatter their gathering and discourage the members from attending the practices," Anita supported.

"How do we intend to achieve that?" asked Maris.

"Simply by causing chaos each time we go for practice. By the time it happens over and over, everybody would lose interest. And as we do that, we will also think of a way to initiate Esther and make her our own powerful agent," Isabel expatiated and they gave her a standing ovation. Immediately, they clapped, Folake opened her eyes and got up from the bed. She heard everything they discussed even as she was sleeping. She looked round and nodded her head. She then prayed and went back to sleep.

Isabel and Maris joined the singing group the next Wednesday. Immediately Folake saw that they had joined, she too joined them to closely monitor and defuse their evil plots. Benny refused to join. She said she wanted to obserye what was happening from outside. Folake did not want to force her or persuade her further. She allowed her to do what she wanted.

There came a day they had the singing practice and the agents of the marine world décided to share some bewitched sweets among the members before they would start singing. The sweets were meant to crack their voices so that they would not sing well. Folake looked at Maris intently in her eyes and saw their plans with the bewitched sweets. She smiled and pretended as if she had seen nothing. So when they gathered for the practice, Maris told them that her parents sent her some edibles from London; that she wanted to share with them. Most of them knew that her parents lived in London and so they all believed her and wanted to accept it, but Folake intervened.

"We don't have to eat it now until after practice because sweets do crack voices. Let me have them. I will share them after the practice session. Nevertheless, thanks a lot," she said and Maris reluctantly handed her the sweets. She was very angry though she never suspected that Folake had known their plan.

Midway into the rehearsals, Folake excused herself and went to the toilet and disposed of all the sweets. After rehearsals, some of the students accosted her over the sweets but she lied to them that she left the sweets there to visit the toilet.c

"I did not go with the sweets," she told Maris and the members of the singing group who had confronted her. "I left them there because I knew I might not come back because I am having stomach upset," she lied. They believed her and concluded that someone might have been selfish and took all of them. They all left her, sadly. Benny congratulated her for a job well done.

The cultists were disappointed that Maris could not carry out her assignment very well. They did not even want to know what actually happened. They decided to attack Esther directly so that she would not organize any further practices.

Esther was also a very intelligent young girl. Students always approached her to put them through some difficult topics in areas they did not understand. So, the marine cultists capitalized on that to get to her. Before the next practice, Maris and Isabel pleaded with Esther to teach them some topics during the night. She took time in teaching them until it was very late at night. She became so weak after they had gone that she did not even know when she slept off without eating or even praying. So the marine cultists attacked her spiritually while she was asleep and they gave her some food to eat in the dream. She ate it and when she woke up, she discovered that she had lost her voice. She prayed and prayed but it was already too late. She could hardly talk.

Folake noticed that something was wrong with Esther but she could not see it clearly. She decided to go and see her and find out how the next practice would be. Esther told her how she ate in her dream and lost her voice and Folake did not know when she made a betraying statement.

"So, they have finally succeeded," she said and Esther raised her eyebrows.

"Who has finally succeeded and how have they succeeded?" Esther managed to ask in a faint voice.

19"Never mind, but you know what; the practices must hold," Folake told her firmly, "We must put the devil to shame."

"I know but with which voice would I sing or am I going to turn to a voiceless choir mistress?" Esther joked."Don't worry, I will help you out but please no matter how weak you are after the day's work, make sure you pray before sleeping," Folake told her and left

immediately. It was then that Esther remembered that she did not pray that night. She was shocked that Folake knew that she did not pray that night.

"How did she know that I did not pray before sleeping and what is this all about in the first place?" she wondered.

Maris and Isabel were the first to go for the practice that day. They wanted to know the magic Esther would perform on her voice and how she would lead them in the rehearsals. But to their utmost surprise, Folake lead the rehearsals more successfully than Esther had ever done. Though Esther was there, she did not say a word. Folake explained to them that Esther had lost her voice, that she would lead them on that day. In fact, that day's session was something else. It was so interesting that other students, who were watching them, came and joined.

Marism and Isabel were uncomfortable throughout the period of the practice. They felt like devouring Folake alive for spoiling their business.

Folake later gave Esther olive oil mixed with mustard seed and honey. They prayed over it and Esther licked it until her voice was restored.

The agents of darkness had an emergency meeting that night to discuss what happened earlier in the day. In the course of their discussion, they discovered that most of their plans were destroyed by Folake.

Something is wrong somewhere and it would not be far from that Yoruba giri called Folake," Aaita said.

art "Yes, you are right. Why is it that anytime we plan something, somewhere, somehow, that witch of a girl would surface and scuttle our plans?" Isabel asked.

"First, she seized the sweets and now she came and led the singing session and even caused more people to join. That girl is up to something mischievous and we have to stop her now before she stops all of us and our activities," Maris suggested.

"But how does she get to know our plans?" Anita asked, doubt creeping onto face.

"Do you know where she belongs? I suspect that girl seriously but by the time we are through with her, she would regret ever coming to this school," Maris said cruelly.

"Let us first all ensure our safety before talking of who to and who not to deal with. Let's face it: we are fighting for own lives and survival and if we do not act fast, we may be finished before we know what hit us. So let us come up with realistic plans and strategies to meet this new and potent threat whether it is Folake or someone else," Anita remarked sensibly.

They immediately realized the truth of her statement and there and then began to map out some strategies they would use in dealing with Folake and the threat she represented. They decided to leave Esther for the time being and concentrate more on Folake who had become a bigger threat. But they did not realize that the power they were up against was supreme.

Immediately they took that decision. the tell-tale signal in Folake's head jangled like the sound of disused telephone and she became instantly alert

Though Folake knew that there was T trouble in the air, she did not clearly see that they had changed their plans to hurt Esther and she was now their prime target.

beNevertheless, she meticulously mapped out her own plan to counter their attacks on Esther, herself or any other innocent student not knowing fully that the hunter had now become the hunted. Now ya eigos

One evening while Esther was going to the venue for the singing practice, Folake saw Maris and Isabel following her. She too followed them to know if they were going to harm her so that she could counter them. She did not know that they had a different plan. Meanwhile, Benny was also following Folake to witness the drama, to see for herself the power contest between Folake and the small maidens of the marine cult. Benny looked and saw Anita and pinky hiding behind a classroom with their attention concentrated on Folake. She became curious. She stopped and hid somewhere to find out what they wanted to do to Folake. They brought out a catapult and aimed it at Folake. Benny saw the danger and wanted to call Folake's attention but she felt they would turn against her if she openly accosted them. She thought of how to stop them before they would release the iron cone in the catapult and an idea came to her mind. She picked a big stone and threw it on the roof of the building in which they were hiding. The stone landed with a shattering noise on the zinc that made the two girls scamper away in terror. The noise also drew Folake's attention and when she looked at the direction, she saw two girls slithering away as fast as their legs could carry them but she did not recognize who they were. They made good their escape. It was later in the night that Benny told her what happened. Folake was jolted. The situation had become really serious.

"Could it be that they are now after me or what?" she asked.

"I think they are because they were seriously aiming the catapult at you and I wonder what would have happened if they had succeeded," Benny replied

Folake stood still for a while and saw the two girls as they aimed their catapult at her.

"No weapon fashioned against me shall prosper. Thanks for saving me. As you can see, you have indirectly joined me in this perilous mission to save," Folake joked. mo

The "Joined you in what? Spare me o! But how come you did not see that one?" Benny asked.

"Which one do you mean?"Folake replied with another question.

"The attack on you," "Benny answered.

"There is no way I can see everything I don't even pray to see beyond what I am seeing now. It's only God that sees and knows everything. Do you want me to run mad? I am already seeing enough please and I can't wait for this whole drama to stop," Folake said in disgust and Benny shook her head in pity for her.

"I understand how you feel but I believe God knows why he allows you to pass through all these and I am sure he will always protect you," Benny assured. "Amen! I can hardly even concentrate on my studies. But I noticed something...I seem to be more intelligent now even though I rarely have time to study," Folake pointed out.

Yes o! I noticed it too and I know it is God at work because you are also working for him. So, what do you do about the present attacks on you?" Benny asked expecting an instant answer as before. it og of dolazim

She was disappointed because her friend had none. They both began to map out their own strategies.

Folake told Benny that once they were not up to four members in their meeting, they would not discuss any meaningful thing that day. They agreed that the best way to distract them was to ensure that anytime they had a meeting, one of them must be missing so that they cannot form a quorum.

"How do you intend to achieve that?" Benny asked as usual.

no "Don't know yet but I have to find out when they will first meet," Folake replied.

While Folake and Benny were busy tackling the marine cultists, they temporarily forget Michael and Larry. They were too busy to even remember that they existed much less discuss them or think of calling them. But Michael and Larry had been busy trying their eyes on the two super girls again. They hung around their school to know if they could meet Folake and Benny again for weeks without success. They struck gold one evening that Folakes and Benny took permission to go to the market. Benny did not have it easy with them that evening. She confronted anthem eyeball-to-eyeballin and openly accused them of attempted rape and drug peddling.

"What do you want from us again, you rapists and drug peddlers?" she asked the boys in a very hash tone.

"We have come to apologize for what happened that day. Please, find it in your hearts to forgive us," Michael pleaded.

"Please leave us before a teacher sees us with you people and insinuates something else," Benny told them and walked out on them before they had time to open their mouths further. But the boys were not put off. They drove away and stopped further away from the school gate and waited for them. The girls crassly ignored them and they kept pestering and begging Folake and Benny until they changed their minds and forgave them. They became friends once again. Folake had seen full repentance in them; so they were free with the boys.

"Thanks for forgiving us. At least, we can now have peace of mind," Michael said remorsefully.

"But jokes apart, how did you find out our plans if I may ask?" Larry asked and Michael nodded in support of the question. Folake and Benny looked at each other and smiled.

"Forget what is written on the car and enter it," and they laughed.

"Haha! What if the car would take you to the kidnappers or ritualists?" Michael joked and they all laughed again.

"But seriously, we have been pondering on how you got to know about it," Larry said somewhat serious.

"Actually, it's a long story. So let us leave it for another day. But I promise to tell you at the right time," Folake assured.

"Alright then, if you say so," they agreed happily When it was time for the girls to get back to school, the boys dropped them off and promised to always visit them on their visiting days. That was how Michael and Larry became their friends and desisted from harming other innocent girls.

Later in the night while everyone was asleep, Folake had her tell-tale signal again. She listened attentively and heard some footsteps and woke up. With the spiritual èyes, she saw eight legs walking towards their meeting point and she became worried.

"I must do something to stop this meeting else I would be in trouble. But how do I do this?" she asked herself.

She remembered how she stopped them in her earlier dream when she went and called the security men.

"I think this is the only way out for now," she said and got up from the bed. She tiptoed out of the dormitory and went to the security house.

The security men were deeply asleep when she arrived there. She tapped them gently and they jumped up, feigning alertness. "Who is that?" one of them shouted as he shone torchlight on Folake.

"It's me, a student," Folake replied.

"What are you looking for here by this time of the night? You are supposed to be sleeping?" the second one asked.

"Yes but some people are about to rob the school," she lied.

"What? Where?" they asked her and she pointed at the place the girls were having the meeting.

The security men immediately got their weapons and moved to the place. As soon as the girls saw them, they ran back to their dormitory. The security men got there and saw no one but they saw their footprints and confirmed that people really gathered there. They looked back to ask Folake where exactly they were but she was nowhere to be found. They searched round and round the whole school till dawn broke without success. But

smart Folake achieved her objective: she

stopped their meeting that night from holding.

The following morning, Folake prepared for school and when she wanted to use the mirror, what she saw of herself in the mirror scared her badly. She saw herself in the midst of the marine girls and before she knew it, they had already pounced on her and beaten her up mercilessly. One of them raised a knife to stab her and the mirror fell off her hands and smashed to pieces. She became afraid. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she trembled in fear. She knew something had was about to happen to her from her enemies but what exactly it was, she could not understand immediately.

So she did not concentrate in school throughout out that day. Her mind was filled with the thought of how she would stop that dangerous attack on her because it was already obvious to her that those girls were determined to deal with her.

"How do I stop this? God, I really need your help now more than ever. How do I continue to stop their subsequent meetings so that they won't be able to plan? And for how long shall I continue like this?" she asked herself. She kept thinking until an idea came into her mind. "Yes, I must start with this. I will make sure they are never complete in their meetings again," she decided.

One day, she spied on the ogbanje girls

and overheard them discussing about a party

that was to happen in town. Normally, they would jump across the school fence and attend parties and jump back very early in the morning when they return. Others did not want to go for the party but Maris insisted because it was her boyfriend who organized it. So, after listening to their discussion, Folake nodded and went to meet Benny. She told Benny about the party that Maris was meant to attend and how she would expose her so that Maris would be caught and suspended from school for some weeks. This would prevent them from holding their normal meetings.

"How would you expose her?" Benny asked zealously.

"Normally, they would jump over the fence at night to leave and do the same when they come back very early in the morning. I will arrange for the security to catch her and you know what that means ; two good months of suspension and two good months of relief for us. Let me see how they can meet without her," she explained and Benny applauded her for the wonderful idea.

"Good thinking!" Benny exclaimed, "You are simply more than conqueror!" she concluded.