Chapter 5: A Normal Life

Ifunanya Okonkwo sat at the edge of her bed, staring at the faint chalk marks still visible on her blackboard.

"ASK MADAM UCHE."

She inhaled deeply, then stood up and grabbed a duster.

With one swift motion, she wiped away the writing.

Gone.

Just like that.

Like it had never been there.

Like none of it had ever happened.

She sat back down and exhaled.

"You're losing yourself in this madness, Ifunanya."

For days, she had been obsessed—with Miss Titi, with the blackboard messages, with the whispers.

But what had it gotten her? Sleepless nights. Racing thoughts. Fear.

She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself.

And in the silence, her father's voice returned to her, as clear as if he were standing right beside her.

"Ifunanya, these things you see, these voices you hear—they are not real. They are a figment of your imagination. You cannot live your life chasing shadows."

His words had anchored her once.

Now, she would let them anchor her again.

No more ghosts.

No more whispers.

Saint Raphael's was just a normal school.

And she was just a normal teacher.

---

Ify had once believed in the unseen.

As a child, she could hear whispers no one else could hear. See shadows moving in places where there should have been none.

Her mother had always told her it was a gift.

"Some people see the past. Some people see the future. And some, like you, see the lost souls caught in between."

For years, she had helped them—passing on messages, guiding them, being the bridge between this world and the next.

Until her mother died.

She had tried everything to reach her.

Prayed. Waited. Listened.

But there had been nothing.

No whispers. No shadows. No presence.

The one person she wanted to speak to the most had never come back.

That was when she had stopped.

She had buried the gift. Locked it away. Told herself it had never been real to begin with.

And her father had agreed.

"Visions are tricks of the mind, Ifunanya. Do not let them consume you."

She had held onto his words ever since.

And she would do the same now.

---

Ify got ready for the day, determined to act like nothing strange had ever happened.

She left her quarters, stepped into the morning sun, and inhaled the crisp, familiar scent of dewy grass and distant cooking fires.

It was a beautiful day.

Normal. Peaceful.

She would keep it that way.

---

Ify had spent too much time alone.

It was time to change that.

She entered the teachers' lounge, where some of the staff were already gathered, chatting over steaming cups of tea.

A few heads turned as she walked in.

"Ah! Miss Okonkwo!" Mr. Bello, the biology teacher, called out. "You're finally joining us for breakfast?"

Ify smiled as she approached. "I figured it was time to stop being a stranger."

"Good, good!" Mr. Bello grinned, gesturing to the empty seat beside him. "Come, sit!"

She settled in as Mrs. Ibe, the mathematics teacher, slid a cup of tea toward her.

"You've been keeping to yourself too much," Mrs. Ibe said, raising an eyebrow. "This is Saint Raphael's, not a prison."

Ify chuckled, wrapping her hands around the warm cup. "I guess I've just been trying to adjust."

Mr. Bello leaned in slightly. "Let me guess. The girls have already started filling your head with their ghost stories?"

Ify hesitated, but then forced a light laugh.

"They've certainly tried," she admitted. "But I don't believe in all that."

"Good," Mr. Bello said firmly. "That's the right attitude to have."

"But you know," Mrs. Ibe added, lowering her voice playfully, "there are some stories that have been around long before you and I came to this school."

Mr. Bello rolled his eyes. "Here we go."

"What stories?" Ify asked, curious.

Mrs. Ibe sipped her tea before speaking.

"They say, sometimes, at night, when the school is quiet, you can hear someone walking through the corridors."

Ify's fingers tightened slightly around her cup.

Mrs. Ibe continued. "Not a student. Not a teacher. Just… a presence. Moving through the halls, checking classrooms."

"Probably the night security," Mr. Bello scoffed.

Mrs. Ibe smirked. "The same security that refuses to work past midnight?"

Mr. Bello fell silent.

Ify took a slow sip of her tea.

The conversation continued around her, shifting to staff meetings, lesson plans, and weekend activities.

It felt good.

Normal.

And for the first time in days, Ify allowed herself to relax.

---

For the rest of the day, Ify threw herself completely into her work.

She taught her lessons, graded assignments, and even laughed along with some of her students as they made jokes about Shakespeare's strange English.

For once, she wasn't thinking about ghosts or whispers.

She was just Miss Okonkwo, the English teacher.

And it felt good.

By the time evening came, Ify walked back to her quarters feeling lighter.

The world hadn't ended.

The school hadn't collapsed.

And she hadn't seen any writing on her blackboard.

Maybe her father was right.

Maybe, if she stopped feeding into her fears, they would simply go away.

She took a long, deep breath.

Everything was going to be fine.

---

That night, Ify slept better than she had in weeks.

No nightmares. No whispers. No scratching.

Just… peace.

She woke up feeling rested, stretching as the morning sun peeked through her curtains.

A good day.

A normal day.

She smiled to herself, reaching for her teaching materials.

Then, she turned toward her blackboard.

And her breath caught.

Because there, written in neat, careful handwriting, were three new words.

Not rushed. Not desperate.

A simple statement. A quiet truth.

"You're ignoring me."

Ify's hands trembled.

Her heartbeat slowed.

All the peace she had built shattered in an instant.

The scratches had stopped. The whispers had faded.

But the presence had never left.

Miss Titi was still here.

And she was waiting.