Author's note: I wanted to plead with my readers to encourage me with their votes or comments. I am feeling like I am writing trash and was tempted to delete this book but one of my friends advised me against it.

"Remember that your exam comes up in three weeks time and the whole of next week and the upper will be for revision. Class is dismissed." The maths lecturer dropped his microphone with the general course rep who trailed behind him carrying the medium sized speaker. Ore heaved a sigh, the heebie jeebies she was feeling for the upcoming exam was making her on edge.

She vividly remembered the physics teacher that had demanded for sex for grades. She had to do something about him and fast. But what was she going to do? She didn't know what would penetrate into the man's thick skull. Except . . .

Ore leaped as a bright idea formed in her mind. She stacked her books on top of each other, placing them in her bag and securing the zip. She got up, walking through rows of seats before joining the crowd of students heading for the exit.

She descended the stairs and was about taking the air down the passageway when she accidentally bumped into someone. The whiff of the person's perfume spoke volumes to Ore and she rolled her eyes and questioned with a brow raised.

"Always late for classes, aren't you?" She asked Tami who was patting her blonde straight weave.

"I could say the same for you!" Tami countered eyeing Ore with textbooks in her grasp.

"I just came out a from class and you missed the last test for maths," Ore snickered.

Tami huffed. "I couldn't care less. Look, all those courses can be easily sorted out." She waved at one of her rich friends who was buying something from a convenience store.

Ore turned to look at the person that got Tami's attention and she was surprised to see a girl wearing a black leather skirt riding high on her full thighs. "Isn't that a little too short to be worn to class?" Ore paused, her eyes narrowing to slits. The girl was now holding a can of Pepsi and two hamburgers, she frowned at Tami to quickly finish up her conversation.

"As you can see I have to go, friends shouldn't be kept waiting." Tami made to go but Ore stalled her.

"I have been wanting to tell you something since the day Dami asked me out. But I didn't have enough balls to tell you then. I did a lot of thinking and I realized that hanging out with you was wrong. I am not trying to say you weren't there to have my back and all, it's just you were not leading me in the right direction. I want us to just be acquaintances from now on, no hard feelings."

Ore raised a palm in defense. Tami laughed quietly and shrugged. "I don't have what to say to you Ore, better watch your back or your secret gets out."

Ore was puzzled. "Why are you speaking in riddles, what secret are you . . ." Tami hissed and stalked off mid-sentence.

Ore heavily sighed, pondering on the supposed secret as she climbed up the wooden steps to the last floor where Mr Adebayi's office was situated.

Ore knocked once on the mahogany door and waited. Her gaze strayed to a group of guys who were talking and laughing loudly while seated on the ledge. They were outside the chemistry lab munching on their snacks before practical period. They had their lab coats on as they started bickering amongst themselves.

One of them was typing furiously on his phone not paying attention to his friends. A playful jab on his side caused him to jolt and he mistakenly fell off. Ore gasped rushing to the scene to check where the guy landed. She was least expecting to see a pool of blood surrounding him.

She froze on the spot. Pandemonium had broken out and people were running here and there raising an alarm to the security men who were on stand by. A female middle aged health scientist kneeled and took his pulse while trying to listen for his heartbeat. After a minute, she hung her head low as she announced to the students gathered around that he was already dead.

Hushed whispers rang out and tears clouded Ore's vision. The people who had been chatting with him previously stared on with mouth agape. Nobody knew apart from Ore that his death was a pure mistake.

"Can I help you?" Mr Adebayi asked peeping through a crack in his door.

"Yes sir, please may I come in?" Ore quivered trying so hard to pull herself together. The image of someone falling freely in the air and landing on the ground with a sickening crunch still plagued her subconscious. School was being dismissed for the day and students filed out singly or in groups talking about the horrid incident.

Ore tiredly plopped on the office chair and wiped a stray tear with the back of her hand. Before the guy died, she had gotten a good view of his face and there was no mistaking the light swells that dotted his cheeks. It was Mark.

"How may I help you?" The lecturer repeated as Ore hadn't been listening.

"Sir, please I need to pass your course!" She croaked. "I am willing to offer anything other than my body in exchange."

Mr Adebayi frowned. "It's a good day and you're ruining it for me. But on a second thought, I should let you off the hook because of the unfortunate incident that happened today." He clasped his hand together. "So just deliberate on the sum of money you will pay me and you can vacate the school grounds as instructed."

"Really sir?" Ore was surprised. She thought he was going to drive her out of his office or worse still attempt to defile her. She didn't know that every bad occurrence was a blessing in disguise.

Mr Adebayi nodded. Ore searched her purse for some money and came up with only five thousand naira. That was the money was to use to survive the rest of the week before the month came to an end.

She handed the cash over to the man blithely. The lecturer counted the money and tucked it safely into his drawer before gesturing for her to leave.

"I hope you won't later request for your phone. I discarded that a long time ago." Ore smiled briefly and shook her head.

"I have no use for that again sir, I will get a new one soon," She lied openly. She didn't want to tell him that she already had an iPhone before the man began to manipulate her for more money in the near future. After all, he was their department head.

Ore closed the door after her and sighed. Not a single soul was in sight. She hurriedly made her way down the steps and walked out of the school building. Everywhere she looked as she trekked to the bus park, she saw Mark in a lab coat lying in the pool of his own blood.

She cinched her bag tighter and blinked her eyes repeatedly to make the image go away. An unsettling feeling gnawed her gut. Anytime she experienced something like that, she knew a horrifying thing was bound to happen.

As she was about crossing the road, someone tapped her lightly on her shoulder and her heart flew right out of her chest. She turned sharply to see Philip clutching his knees and out of breath.

"What is going on?" She asked, a sickening dread creeping in.

"I have been trying to reach you since with the number Martha gave me but you haven't been picking up your calls. I figured you would be having classes so I came around Ofrima to look for you. Then, I heard some sort of rumor and a lecturer telling everybody to vacate the school premises. I stuck around thinking maybe I'd find you. Something urgent came up."

"Something so urgent that you had to be stalking me, this better be good. Let me have it!"

"Are you sure?" Philip questioned biting hard on his bottom lip.

"Wait." Ore placed a hand on her racing heart. "Is this about Dami, did you catch him cheating on me?"

"No." Philip laughed shakily. "I wish that were the case though. The problem is that Dami has gone missing."