Back to the infirmary

 [So sorry for the late update guys, power is bad over here, thanks for waiting, love you.]

Father Chibuike wondered if she had realized there was a snitch amongst her friends. Initially, he had thought it was about him, but the Dean said something about breaking into teachers' offices and so far, it was just himself and her friends who knew about it. Since he wasn't best of friends with the Dean, then it must be someone from her circle. 

 He glanced at her as they walked back to the class in silence. He had told Father IK about the people he saw in the woods, and the next day, he wanted to expel Ivie, such an unfair school. Was it about the suicide note he had given to her?

 "Did you find who you were looking for? The one who gave you something you wanted?" He asked her. 

 "Can we not talk about it anymore?" She didn't know who was by the corner listening. She had a cut on her head to thank for the first time, she wouldn't be foolish the second time. 

 "Who did that to you?" Father Chibuike motioned to the wound. 

 "The door."

 He shook his head and folded his hand behind his back. "You trust the wrong people, you don't trust the right person."

 From a corner, two Sister watched them. 

 "How is it possible that she left, did somebody move her?" One of them asked. 

 "Not any of us, it seems someone was there," the second one said. 

 "And he knows about us. It's the priest."

 "This should not get out of hand."

 The first Sister rolled her eyes. "What can an ordinary priest have to hold up against Master? You should know these measly creatures of God are weakling."

 "You don't feel it."

 They were nearing the classroom and students hurried in, it seemed class was starting soon. Some of the students stopped to smile at Father Chibuike and give her a concerned look. Odion was one of them, and for a teacher who had punished her once, Ivie was not sure how genuine the smile was. 

 "Your karma does catch on you fast, huh?" She said to her, still happy about the injury on her head. 

 "Yours must take a longer time since you're almost reaching the ground, I'm so happy for you," Ivie taunted with a sarcastic glare. 

 The dwarf shot Father Chibuike a look, to which he responded, "I won't come to your aid since you're the one that started this bickering."

 She then gave Ivie a pained look. "I hope you rot in hell!"

 "Can I ask you a question? If you know you have just few days to live, would you still pick up senseless fights with me?" 

 "What kind of a question is that?" She looked up at her. 

 "Anytime we cross paths, just imagine that you have few months to live in this your short life and stop disturbing me." Then she made to pass the door. 

 At the same time, Odion, now annoyed, struggled with her and as their bodies touched, a bright light blinded Ivie's sight. She closed her eyes, using her hand to cover her face. When she opened them, she was no longer at the door, she was now at the start of a stair. 

 She looked around, before her eyes caught Odion walking down the steps. Dreaded by what she feared would happen, she reached for her, her hand open to grab her shirt. But she tripped forward and instead of holding her, her palm crashed against the girl's back in a hard push. Odion tumbled down and dropped at the end of the step, dead. She looked at the wall clock, it was twelfth November, and the time was three past eleven.

 Odion successfully wiggled from being stuck between Ivie and the door and their contact severed. 

 Ivie staggered softly, her strength drained. She tried to keep her eyes from closing but couldn't. She succumbed to darkness, stumbling backward. Father Chibuike caught her before she landed on the floor. 

 "I didn't do anything!" Odion squealed, both hands in air, trying to declare her innocence. 

 Father Chibuike muttered something inaudible as he lifted Ivie into his arms. In the space of less than a day, she was limp again in his arms. Maybe taking the pain away had been a bad idea, it made her believe she was out of harm's way. 

 He carried her, hurrying to the infirmary, Odion skeptical about following him. 

 Some students gathered to watch, soft murmur filling the crowd and soon the news would spread like wildfire that Ivie had fainted in Father Chibuike's arms and Gaga would spit the snack she was eating, and JohnMary would leap over the chair, almost falling down, and Itohan's eyes would close in a soft prayer, and Aisosa would murmur that she warned Ivie to stay out of trouble and they would all rush to the infirmary. 

 "What happened?" JohnMary asked in an impatient voice. Ivie was on the bed, Sister Agatha fixing a drip seat on her. Father Chibuike and Father Ekene stood by the side. His eyes locked with the former when he asked again, "What happened?"

 "It's not like I hit her with a flower vase to have her black out," he replied. "Odion decided it was the best time to pick a fight and Ivie decided it was the best time to faint."

 "Our friend here just needs a long nap." Father Ekene was smirking. "When I came here earlier, my heart was malfunctioning. Now, it's doing just fine, Sister Agatha can fix her."

 "I shouldn't have let her leave," Sister Agatha grumbled. "I should have given her I.V then. I should have known."

 "She looked fine when she came out," Gaga said. "It's not your fault."

 "I know." The she glared at Father Ekene. If he hadn't rushed in with a completely normal heart to pretend it was malfunctioning, then she would have known. 

 "What really happened?" JohnMary asked again, annoyed that he was not receiving a response. "What happened to her head?"

 "She hit her head on the door."

 "She hit her head on the wall."

 Both Itohan and Father Ekene said in unison. 

 "Uh-oh, it seems little Ivie is having trouble deciding where she hit her head," the priest added. 

 As well as who she could trust, Father Chibuike thought, and then exited the room. 

 Gaga followed him. "She's going to be fine," she said. 

 He chuckled. "I should be telling you that."

 "But I'm not the one who looks like I want to kill somebody."

 He smiled, not bothering to explain. "What happened yesterday? Ivie is keeping her mouth shut."

 "Well, some things are hers to tell, but we all went into the forest to talk about….er…..some things, we all left at the same time. When we saw her this morning, she's injured."

 So maybe Ivie had gone back alone or someone had taken her back. 

 "The Sister at your dorm, did she not give you a scolding about staying out late, or did you go through the window?"

 "Nope, she was asleep."

 Was she now? The Dean had reported seeing her some minutes before he saw him, so it meant one of them was lying. And he knew it wasn't Gaga. 

 "Care to remind me her name again?"

 "Sister Omo."

 "Omo," the name rolled off his tongue easily. "What does it mean?"

 "A child," she replied immediately. 

 "Wonderful. You know the meaning of another person's name but not yours."

 Gaga laughed like she'd just heard a very funny joke. 

 "If you'd excuse me, I have matters to attend to."

 "Ivie would be fine," she called after him. 

 "Oh," he waved. "She's the least of my worries."

 "She says same about you too."

 Father Chibuike smiled. He asked the students who came his way, as he walked along the hallway, who Sister Omo was and where he could find her. It was easy to describe her, she was the friendliest priestess, and it was easy to find her, she was in the Blue building having a chat with Sister Gabriel. 

 They paused when he came upon them and bowed in greeting. 

 "When you bow like that, it makes me think you actually mean it and it's not pretense."

 "Father," they laughed awkwardly. "Why would you say a thing like that?"

 "Because it's the truth."

 "Father Chibuike likes to tell jokes," Sister Gabriel laughed again. 

 "That's what Sister Gabriella likes to think. The last time we met ended with you warning Ivie." He placed a dramatic hand on his chest. "How I wished she had listened to you, she's currently in the infirmary fighting for her life. Not that I blame you for her current state."

 Sister Gabriel cleared her throat as though real sensible words would have come out from her mouth but for the itch in her throat. 

 "If you don't mind, I want to have a word with Sister Omo. May we?" Without waiting, he led her aside. 

 "Where are we going to, Father?"

 "Somewhere quiet where you can tell me all of your secrets."

 "I don't have any secrets to tell."

 "Oh you do, especially whether you were asleep or not when Ivie and her friends got back last night. Her friends said you were asleep, but the Dean claims to have seen you just after I returned Ivie from the forest to her room. See? I've told you all of my secrets, now it's your turn."

 They got to one of the empty corridors and Father Chibuike pulled the door and pushed her inside. She spun around as quickly and raised her hand to strike him. 

 He dodged. "I prefer no violence. I talk, you talk, we go."

 "It was you who brought Ivie back?"

 "And I've had this unsettled anger ever since I saw her lying there while you and whoever you were with left her."

 She lunged forward, attacking him. He dodged again and she crashed against the door. 

 "What are you so angry about? That she has the suicide note, or that I gave her?"

 "Bastard!" She laughed. "So you've known all along? I'd cut my arm off if you make it out of here alive."

 "One arm or both?"

 "I wonder where this confidence is coming from. What do you think you can do? Nothing! I'm a native of this village, I've been in this school longer than you can imagine whereas you're a foreigner, I can implicate you. I'd kill you and get way with it."

 She grabbed the wooden remain of a destroyed desk and leaped forward. Father Chibuike caught her midair, his arm wrapped around her neck. Then he saw her mouth move, but didn't hear a word she said. 

 Soon, the colour of her eyes started to change, flickering from all black to all white. The grip around her neck lossen, but he still held her. When dry scales started appearing on her skin and the blood that started to gush out from her nose was black, Father Chibuike released her and took a step back.