Twelve Days to Valentine ✨✨

 Five days more..😱

How are you, my friend?

How do you do, my friend?

I know sometimes e be like say

Nobody send you

That one na lie 

I dey for you, my friend!

I jogged down the peaceful streets of UNN on Wednesday morning, with my earbuds plugged to my ears. The streets were scanty of people, until seven o' clock when students would emerge from their hostels for morning lectures.

I stopped to wipe the beads of sweat on my forehead. Then I stretched my arms and made way for a beautiful lady to pass.

"Good morning," I greeted.

"Hi. Good morning," she said with an angelic smile. I'm sure she was thinking, "What a gentleman."

Not to brag but, I am a gentleman 😉

I braced myself to continue my exercise when I felt an urge to cross the road. I hesitated; I would miss the spot I had immortalized as my first meeting place with Chenka.

However, I crossed the road and strolled slowly beside the library wall. Ahead of me was a girl in black leggings and a long orange shirt. She was trying to put something in her hand bag. My earbud loosened and fell from my left ear. Thank God it did. If it hadn't, I wouldn't have heard the humming of the speeding vehicle behind me. I looked back and saw the trafficator of a black vehicle blink. I looked forward and saw the girl make to cross the junction that led to First Bank while still fiddling with her bag.

"Hey!" I shouted.

She looked back at me. Oh, no! She had already stepped onto the road. The car horned. She stared in shock. I ran.

Crash!!!😱

I fell back breathing heavily. In my arms was the girl, stunned to the bone. I had managed to pull her out of the way just at the nick of time. The black car sped past us without stopping.😞

"Are you okay?" I asked the girl who was whimpering pitifully. She was quivering. I held her shoulders and tried to calm her down. Some witnesses exclaimed and gathered round us. Cries of "this girl is lucky" and "God bless you, bros" emanated from them but I paid no attention. Only one person, the beautiful lady I had greeted earlier, stooped down and soothed the lady expertly. She managed to calm her down and even volunteered to take her to the Medical center.

"Let me help," I said and supported the poor girl.

She felt much better by the time I left her, after profusely thanking me. The beautiful lady also thanked me on her behalf and my response was, "We give all glory to God."

I returned to my room afterwards. I was already late for class. All the while, I wondered, "Who was the driver?" Whoever he was, he had been stupidly reckless. He hadn't even stopped for a minute. It was as if his intention had been to hurt the girl, or worse...

"It could have been a woman," I murmured as I exited the building and pulled my phone out. Thrice I tried to reach her, thrice I failed.

"Chenka, pick up," I groaned. I waved a reply to the gateman who greeted me as usual.

"When did this happen?"

"Just this morning!"

"Jesus is Lord! Was it an accident?"

"I'm telling you that the student has been missing since last year. His body was found this morning by a female student in engineering..."

I ran up to the two ladies discussing. "Excuse me, please. Where did you hear that?" I asked.

One of them simply gave me her phone. They stared at me quietly as I read a headline on The Record newspaper. 

"Missing student found dead."

"He was found beside Fidelity bank. An engineering student found him when she went to withdraw some money," one of the girls said.

"She?" I asked apprehensively.

"Yeah."

I tried Chenka's number again. She didn't pick. Quickly, I scrolled through my class group chat messages. What I saw made my hand shake.

"Is it true? - It's Chenka! - Oh, my God. Poor Chenka. -I really pity her. - Does Noah know?"

"Oma! Where's Chenka? I'll be there soon. Don't leave her side." I pocketed my phone and ran as fast as my feet could. "She's alright," Oma had said. No, it's not true. My Chenka was not alright. She needed me by her side. I felt it!

"Chenka," I called when I sighted her. She looked at me. Her face told me she had just stopped crying. I drew closer. She tried to smile. The smile bent at the corners of her lips and her eyes watered. I immediately sat by her and wrapped my hands round her. She stuttered, "Rich kid, the woman... Her child. The student!" Choked sobs seized her. She trembled.

"Shh, it's okay," I soothed her like she was a child.

"I saw..."

"It's okay, Chenka. Forget what you saw. Don't cry. It's alright, shh."

I wasn't just soothing Chenka, I was soothing myself as well. I thought, it's alright, Noah. Chenka is alright. Chenka will be alright. Nothing will happen to her. Forget your foreboding. You have no reason to fear Mikaila's threats. Calm down.

I soothed Chenka until she fell asleep. Then Oma came and took her away. Dejected, I returned to my room. I was too destabilized to go for classes.

Breathless, I fell on my bed and closed my eyes. After some minutes of thinking, I opened my WhatsApp. I wanted to block Mikaila's number. Just before I pressed block, a voice note entered. It was from her. Hesitantly, I played it.

"Did you hear the news?" A chuckle. "That's one down. Your Chenka is next." She giggled sinisterly. The voice note ended.

My phone slipped from my hand. I sat up and rubbed my forehead. My heart raced. I vented the emotions that welled my soul with a bitter scream, "Mikaila!"

Then I wept. I wept for Chenka. I wept for the dead student. I wept for myself.

To be continued.