chapter twelve

Adaora's pov

After Ifeoma collected her award, she came straight to me, concern in her eyes. "Come, let's go home. Tomorrow will be better."

I nodded weakly, allowing her to take my hand. They led me to my dad's car, and we all said our goodbyes.

As soon as I got in, I stayed silent, staring out the window. My heart still ached from what had happened.

Then, my dad's gentle voice broke the silence. "You were the best, my Nkem. You will always be my queen."

I managed a small smile, warmth blooming in my chest at his words.

Chuka, my younger brother, scrunched up his face and said, "That Anita girl self, she's not even fine."

We all burst into laughter, even though my heart still felt heavy.

—

That Night

When we got home, I went straight to my room, collapsing onto my bed.

A few minutes later, my mom came in with a tray of food. She sat beside me, her voice soft. "My love, biko eat. I won't be able to sleep till you eat something."

I sighed and forced myself to eat a few spoonfuls, even though I had no appetite.

When she left, the tears I had been holding in came pouring out.

What if I don't win?

What if I'm not beautiful enough to be a queen?

Doubt gnawed at me as I lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I drifted into sleep.

—

The Next Day 

When I woke up, my body felt heavy. Tired.

For a moment, I wanted to stay in bed. To hide.

But then I shook my head. No.

If I stayed home, it would look like I ran away. People would laugh more. Anita would win twice once by sabotaging me and again by making me too afraid to show up.

I couldn't let that happen.

I got up, forced myself to get ready, and left for school.

At the gate, my friends were already waiting for me. "Adaora!" they called, their voices full of excitement.

Seeing them lifted my spirit a little. I smiled as they cheered me on.

But as we moved inside, we overheard some market women in the school whispering.

"Jesus Christ! Did you hear?" one of them said.

"Yes! I saw it with my own eyes," another woman responded, her voice laced with fear.

"What happened?" a third one asked.

"Anita's body is covered with big boils!"

We all froze in shock.

"Maggots were pouring out!" the first woman added in horror.

"She's my neighbor," another woman said. "They rushed her out this morning. Ah! Chineke!"

I turned to my friends, my heart pounding. We all exchanged looks of disbelief.

Anita… the girl who sabotaged me… was suddenly covered in boils and maggots overnight?

My skin prickled with unease.

What did this mean?

Whispers of Fear

The murmur of voices grew louder as more people talked about Anita.

"I swear, when they were carrying her out, the smell was something else! It filled the whole compound!" a woman exclaimed, covering her nose as if reliving the stench.

"O my God," another woman whispered, crossing herself. "How can someone start rotting overnight? Ah! This is not ordinary!"

I stood frozen, my stomach twisting in knots. What is happening?

Then, suddenly, a boy from SS2 came rushing in, breathless, his face pale with fear.

"Jesus! The three teachers organizing the pageantry are dead!" he shouted.

The air turned ice cold.

"Dead?" someone gasped.

"They didn't wake up this morning," he continued, voice shaking. "Their families found them lifeless in their beds."

A ripple of pure terror swept through the school.

What was happening?

Commotion broke out everywhere students whispering, teachers panicking, some even leaving the school compound.

Ifeoma turned to me, her eyes wide with fear. She grabbed my hand. "Adaora… what is happening?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

Then she whispered, almost afraid to say it out loud.

"Is this… karma?"

A shiver ran down my spine.

Because deep down… I was starting to wonder the same thing.

The school was in chaos. Students whispered in hushed tones, teachers huddled together with worried expressions, and some people even ran out of the compound.

The principal's voice echoed through the speakers, shaky but firm.

"Everybody, go to your classes immediately. Today's events are canceled. The pageantry and all other competitions are officially over."

A loud gasp spread through the hall.

"Hey! That's not fair!" a girl protested.

The principal sighed, rubbing his forehead. "We lost three teachers today. It would be disrespectful and heartless to continue celebrating while their families are grieving."

Silence.

Then murmurs.

I swallowed hard. So that's it? The competition just ends like this?

The principal continued. "We will meet later to discuss what to do about some of the results. I know not all the winners have been announced."

A heavy feeling settled in my chest.

What about my last chance?

But the principal wasn't done.

"For now, go back to your classes. I will be calling some of your parents to come pick you up."

I turned to Ifeoma and Stella. They looked just as confused as I felt.

"What is happening?" Stella whispered.

Soon my mum came to pick me up

As we got into the car, my mom glanced at me through the rearview mirror, concern evident in her eyes.

"Are you okay, my love?" she asked softly.

I didn't know how to answer that. Too much had happened in just a few hours. Anita's sudden illness, the deaths of the teachers—everything felt unreal.

Ifeoma sat beside me, quiet for once. She was usually chatty, but now she just stared at the road ahead.

"Thank you, ma," she finally said to my mom.

"It's no problem, dear. Your mother must be worried," my mom replied, trying to sound calm.

But I could see the tension in her hands gripping the steering wheel.

I exhaled. "Mummy… what do you think is happening?"

She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she sighed. "I don't know, Nkem. But something feels off."

We drove in silence for a while until Ifeoma suddenly said, "I mean… I don't pity Anita anyway. She's mean."

I turned to her, surprised.

"Still," I said slowly, "boils and maggots? And the teachers… they just died, just like that?"

Ifeoma shrugged. "Maybe karma came faster than expected."

The way she said it sent a shiver down my spine.

When my mum dropped Ifeoma off at her house, she didn't say much just a quiet "Take care" before driving off. The ride home was silent, and as soon as we reached our street, I hurried inside, wanting nothing more than to forget the past few days.

It was the weekend, and I refused to think about Anita, the teachers, or the whispers at school. Instead, I drowned myself in cartoons, letting the bright colors and silly jokes push everything else to the back of my mind.

But no matter how much I tried to distract myself, I couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling in my chest.

When Monday morning came, I dressed for school slowly, my stomach twisted in knots. Would people still talk about what happened? Would the competition continue? And what about Anita…?

The moment I stepped into the school compound, I knew things weren't the same. The air felt heavy, and small groups of students huddled together, whispering. As I walked past, I caught bits of their conversations.

"…They said her body was covered in boils…"

"…And the teachers? Three of them—just like that?"

"…Something is wrong. This isn't normal…"

I swallowed hard.

Then I saw Ifeoma running toward me, her face pale. "Adaora!" she whispered urgently. "Have you heard?"

I hesitated. "Heard what?"

She glanced around before leaning in. "The teachers' bodies… they found strange marks on them. Carved into their skin."

My breath caught. "What kind of marks?"

"I don't know, but my mom said it's spiritual." She shuddered. "And Anita… she hasn't gotten better. They say she keeps screaming in her sleep, saying something is holding her down."

Goosebumps rose on my skin.