MANY TROUBLED WATERS. Part 4. REFUGE OF LIES

The school was on fire, luckily not literally, but almost just as bad. There was a riot and whenever there was a riot terrible things happened. 

It was a Friday and Kiki never saw it coming. One minute everything was fine and dandy, the next minute she heard the approaching sound of many masculine voices chanting. Her roommates had travelled so she was alone in the room just lounging. She peeked through her window and observed that other ladies in the hostel had come out of their rooms either to ask questions or discuss what was going on. Some looked scared with their arms folded across their chests while others talked confidently like they knew the details.  The chant was getting closer and closer.

She closed the windows and sat on her bed wondering what to do next. Then the screaming started. Something was wrong. What started as a faraway chants had suddenly turned into a stampede in the Margret Thatcher Hostel. She heard female screams and male shouts. Apparently the rioters had entered into their hostel and were wreaking havoc. She heard the loud wooden sound of doors breaking, more screams, and this time the tone was more terrified.

She rushed to her door to make sure it was locked; there was no chance she could escape now. Her heart was pounding madly as she went to the window to peek. The scene outside was complete bedlam. The men she saw running around looked like they were high on drugs. They carried long sticks and leaves and where lashing at everything and everyone in sight. She also observed others were more systematic and were breaking into rooms that were locked and looting stuff. She tried to see if she could recognize any of the faces but found out she couldn’t.

Two girls ran wildly past her window, screaming in pure terror, soapy, naked except for their tiny towels which they clung to fiercely. About three to four rioters were in hot pursuit.

“O Lord!” Kiki paced wildly in her room, completely confused. She looked around for where to hide and saw that the only place would be under her bed. No, that would be too obvious and the first person that entered her room would see her. She knelt by her bed and sobbed.

“Ken where are you?” she cried, there was no way she was going to escape this mess except something happened to break up the riot. She had heard of campus riots before but she had never giving it a thought.  The campus guys generally loathed the ladies in her hostel because they felt they played hard to get and had a reputation of dating 'off campus' guys who were usually businessmen or guys in the corporate world. They were called 'snubs' and were well known for embarrassing and talking down on campus guy that made the mistake of declaring their amorous intentions.

She didn’t yet know what the riot was all about, but it was obvious it had been hijacked by some elements who felt they had a score to settle with the ladies in Margret Thatcher hostel.

There was a loud knock on her door, then her heart plunged dreadfully as  she heard,

“Guy you sure say this na her room?” a gruff voice asked

The knock came again, this time more loudly.

Then the same voice asked , “You sure say she dey inside?”

Apparently the other individual was answering with nods.

“Wetin be that her name again?”

“Kiki” she heard the other person respond

“which kin’ nonsense name be that?”

She was hysterical. The urge to wee came upon her suddenly and she prayed her bladder wouldn’t embarrass at such a dire moment. That would be insult to injury.

“Kiki open up, we are not here to harm you. Someone sent us to get you out before the rioters get to you” the second person was speaking , he sounded more civilized than the first person that spoke.

Her mind spun, she didn’t want to believe them but something told her they were her only ticket out of the hell that was being unleashed in her hostel.

“ We’ll give you 5 minutes to come out after that, we are sorry we’d have to leave”

Before she could think what they said through her feet moved to the door quickly and she found herself opening the door.

Two young men stood at her door, one was tall, Light skinned with a gaunt appearance complete with dark circles round his eyes.  He reeked of the pungent smell that can only come from a chronic tobacco user. The other guy was shorter and darker in complexion and wore glasses , he was the classic description of a nerd. He was the one that smiled at her and spoke,

‘Please we need to leave now…lock your door” they grabbed her arms and pulled her out of the room before she could say a word.

As they made their way through the hostel her heart sank. It was like a tornado had blown through it. Broken doors, pots with discarded contents, weeping girls some bruised and bloodied, majority had fled. The whole place was a huge mess.

“Some of the girls were raped” the nerd confirmed her worst thoughts .

‘We’ll leave from the back, I’m very sure the police will be arriving shortly" 

They walked briskly to the back of the hostel ,to a gate that was never used. Somehow they had broken it open to make their entrance and exit . They opened it for her to pass and they walked her along a path that led towards the section where the campus staff resided. She saw a car parked, it was a sporty looking car coloured a fiery red. The type of car that had only two bucket seats and hardly enough room for any other thing. She’d seen the car occasionally but had never met the owner, but she’d heard whispers of it belonging to a campus cult guy. She wished she’d paid more attention because her guardians were leading her directly to the car.

That was the first time she saw him. Chiji was seating behind the wheels looking like he owned the world. He opened the door and the nerd, without asking whether or not she wanted to enter pushed her gently in.

“Hi, I’m Chijioke...are you hungry?” he soinded 'posher' than anyone she'd met on campus. Without waiting for her to reply, and with a wave to his ‘guys’ drove off .

That was how she entered the relationship that changed her. Chiji was like a tide that carried her along with or without her consent. She couldn’t swim in it, she couldn’t swim out of it. She wished to protest despite her gratitude for his ‘rescue operation’ but she somehow lost her will and her voice.

Ken was always going to be the underdog. He was broken hearted but fighting for her might have cost him his life. He tried though. But they paid him a visit and scared him real bad.

Soon her life derailed. It was always one party on Friday , another on Saturday. She lost her good friends and made more hotter and crazier friends.Even though Chiji mysteriously aced his exams,her school work suffered. But she was past caring, the new life was rocking. After a lifetime of hiding like Rapunzel behind her father’s high walls and iron gates, she was finally exhaling.

Part 5. CURIOSTY KILLS