IT'S A NO GO AREA.

The next morning, Mack was woken up by the constant knocking on his door. Believing that it was some sort of dream, he continued snoring until the knocks became heavier. Reluctantly, he rolled out of the bed and slapped his butt before heading to the door.

On opening it, Stella's vibrant face showed at his doorstep and this scared the hell out of him.

"Good morning, it's 8 o'clock already. I guess yesterday's journey must have been so tiring that you couldn't wake yourself up." Stella smiled at him. Mack's eyes instantly widened and he was speechless.

"Uhm…please, give me a few minutes. I will be done soon." He shut the door on her face and then reopened it again.

"Would you like to come in and sit?" He asked.

"No, thank you. It's your personal space. I will just take a walk around to see the others while you prepare." Stella informed him.

"Okay." Then he closed the door again.

Stella exhaled heavily and walked away from the room. Mack almost cussed himself out, how could he have forgotten that this was another dimension for him? If it were to be his family house, he was sure of his siblings waking him up maybe because they insisted on spending the night over most times.

Nevertheless, Mack brushed his teeth and took a shower. With his towel wrapped firmly around his lower body, he applied the body lotion and wore his clothes as quickly as possible before checking himself in the mirror for the third time. It was Friday and appearance spoke louder than words in some aspects.

He applied his deodorant and finally stepped out of the room. He met Stella at the staircase that consisted of only five steps. She turned around and smiled again.

'Smiling must be her thing' He thought.

"Wow, you look even more handsome, Mack and I love your deodorant."

"Thank you very much, Stella." He replied cautiously.

Mack was the free type of person but his behavior in this school since last evening had cast him in some doubt. Maybe because he was reacting politely just as Stella was.

"Let's be on our way then. I assume that you haven't had breakfast yet."

"Yes, I haven't."

"Alright, then we will make a quick stop at the teachers' cafeteria. This is where every teacher, if they can't bother themselves to prepare a meal, comes to so they can eat. Now, there are rules guiding everything in this University and this is because we want the best life for both the teachers and students alongside representation. There is a fixed time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Any other meal that you purchase after these hours will be paid for by you." Stella explained.

They entered the cafeteria. There was nothing weird about it. The whole place was bright and cold due to the air conditioner. The teachers were being jovial to each other as one could hear the laughter from different angles. They greeted Stella and him as they walked past.

"You seem to be popular amongst them."

"Yes, I am a teacher and closer to the school runners." She acknowledged it. They found an exclusive spot and sat down, while Stella was making their orders, Mack's phone rang and he excused himself to answer it.

"Hey, dad…I am fine, dad, I apologize for not calling you. When I arrived last evening, I was so tired that I slept off immediately. It's alright…there is nothing to be scared of, the school looks great and eye-catching. I propose the twins attend here if they ever finish high school…well, they are not serious either. Hahaha, dad, I will call you when I am less busy. My regards to everyone, bye." He put the phone back into his pocket and went to sit with Stella.

"I believe that must be your family," Stella spoke after he sat down.

"Yes…Er, my dad is kinda scared about me being far from home."

"You're twenty-four, why is he scared?" Stella frowned.

"Not that kind of fear, when I told him about my teaching job here, he was flabbergasted and insisted that I need not come to this place because of the…you know, rumors."

"Ha, I see. I get that a lot when I tell people that I am working here." Stella nodded as she chewed her fried potatoes and adjusted her glasses.

"But is it true?"

"What?"

"The rumors about unusual happenings," Mack asked. Stella looked at him intently while her mouth crunched the series of potatoes inside her mouth. She smirked.

"What if they were true?" She questioned and Mack's heart skipped a bit.

"Then everyone here should have been hurt." He replied, in a way to reassure himself.

"Exactly so it's not in any way true. This school is situated in the arena of natural habitat. This area is a green light for us but there is a spot that led to the whole rumor thing and that is the Bandook forest. It's right behind the school and there are ways to get in there. You can get in through the school or through other routes from other places that might lead to this place.

It isn't fenced because of how deep it is and no one has been able to get in there. For you to get a proper view of the forest, you can get it inside the school instead of the teachers' arena. But it's a no go area. No one is advised to go there — if you don't want misfortune to befall you."

Mack rubbed his hands and chuckled with anxiety, "This feels chilly by the way. It is like I am listening to a horror story."

Stella smiled and nodded, she opened the cap of her bottle and drank it.

"It's the start of every horrofic tale." She whispered. Mack was not able to get that much from what she said and let it be.

After having their dinner, they left the teachers' arena into the school's building.

The whole place was crowded as it ought to be unlike last evening.

"Today is Friday so there is no chance of you teaching in any way until Monday. The students are friendly and some are from rich families. Our students are considered to be among the best in the Country because of their achievements and sound teachers. That is why getting in here as a teacher is quite hard without outstanding qualifications.

Students that are admitted into the University per year are not more than a thousand."

"A thousand?"

"Yes, a thousand. Unlike other schools where students admitted could be thirty thousand in a year or eleven, ours is the smallest and the school heads would like to keep it that way since it's private and will help discipline the students as they ought to."

As they continued to work, Stella shed more light on their departments and also the practical classes that they had. Something then grabbed Mack's attention, it was no other than the Bandook's forest, standing with trees that were tall and green. With no need of entering it, Mack could see its thickness…probably a nickname black hole should be given to it.